A DAY IN "THE LIFE OF RILEY"

VALENTINE’S DAY BRUNCH

RESERVE YOUR SPACE HERE:  https://valentines-brunch-and-karaoke.eventbrite.com/ 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CLICK HERE: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2016/1/24/all-star-karaoke-special-on-valentines-day-sunday-21416.html

SUSAN TAYLOR

THIS IS Edward Lewis - The Man from Essence! Edward Lewis is a Co-Founder of the iconic magazine that found a MUSE in Susan Taylor! Want to also speak the names of friends Michaela angela Davis and Gordon Chambers who each shared their history with Susan Taylor with me. Each of them – and so many in the room – were ESSENCE alums who worked under Susan Taylor. In fact, a host of legends and industry insiders gathered at swanky event space 583 PARK AVENUE as we toasted the 70th birthday of the icon Susan Taylor. Millions were also raised as awareness was shed on the organization she Founded to mentor the children of the world: the National CARES Mentoring Movement - National Office. The star-studded For the Love of Our Children gala kicked off a major fundraising campaign to support the national roll-out of transformative mentoring initiatives aimed at providing the nation’s most vulnerable youth with crucial support. Eddie and C. Sylvia Brown were honored for their extensive philanthropic support of education indicatives through the Brown Family Foundation. I even have an anecdote or two on my resume with Susan Taylor: LIFE OF RILEY has been invited and covered Miss Taylor's events in years gone by - one she did featuring one of my main and most lucrative clients as a freelance field producer: Oprah Winfrey - in 2008: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2008/12/21/what-a-day-for-a-daydream.html. Also worth noting: I got to field produce Susan Taylor for a couple of REMEMBERING YOUR SPIRIT installments that ran on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 1998. GREAT TIMES! As an independent producer/personality/writer, I still credit OWN a client as I am a freelance field producer for "Oprah, Where Are They Now?" - including one of my latest on DL HUGHLEY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8JV9iIMbao. I have a half dozen or so pieces coming up in the current season of the show, including updates on Iman, The Chew’s Carla Hall, and Carol Daughter’s Lisa Price. SHOUT OUT TO MY Sidra Smith and her team for producing with Susan Taylor an awesome and elegant night - including a palpable script written by my personal icon in the business Stanley Bennett Clay! susantaylor #essence #nationalCARES #mentoring #fortheloveofourchildren

STARS ALIGN FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Yoko Ono, Danny Glover, Dionne Warwick, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Esperanza Spalding are among a diverse group of stars, civil rights icons, and religious leaders challenging all Americans to ring a historic church bell in Colonial Williamsburg during Black History Month as a call for racial healing, hope, and justice nationwide.

The "Let Freedom Ring Challenge" launches February 1st with a star-studded ceremony and concert in Williamsburg, Virginia on February 1st to celebrate the 240th anniversary of the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg, one of the country’s oldest African-American houses of worship. Founded in 1776 by enslaved men and women, the church's bell has been silent since the days of segregation, but has been newly restored by historians from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in honor of this historic occasion.

The event will honor America’s civil rights heroes and activists, including Dr. Bernard Lafayette, the leader of the Selma Voting Rights Movement and launch a challenge to the nation to play a part in history by ringing the restored bell throughout the day — every day — during Black History Month. A national broadcast and social media #LetFreedomRing campaign, featuring videos from Yoko Ono, Malcolm Jamal Warner, and other artists, dignitaries, and social activists, will also be undertaken throughout the month.

MISS JESSIE'S

 SHOUT OUT to MISS JESSIE'S CEO and CO-FOUNDER MIKO BRANCH. I'm doing Brand Ambassador work with Miss Jessie's who sponsors my Billie's Black presents All Star Karaoke with Patrick L. Riley, a popular open mic night I host in Harlem. Her book is 2015 best seller Miss Jessie's: Creating a Successful Business from Scratch-Naturally (Amistad; Hardcover; $24.99) which we promote at ALL STAR KARAOKE: https://youtu.be/RL-EqYvCAeI.