I just recently enjoyed an interview of Magic Johnson on the Tavis Smiley Show. I really have no idea how to respond or how to communicate the feeling it gave me after viewing the clip, but the only real word I can think of is motivation.

It’s truly inspiring to see someone like Mr. Johnson have such a positive effect on the urban community, more specifically Los Angeles. Seeing the difference, knowing the difference, and sharing the same interest in the community leads me to be nothing but admirable for his many efforts and business happenings. Wow.

As I treck through this thing called life and map out my plan of business and community involvement, I will always be a student of “the game”, learning and absorbing, observing and executing.

When time permits, please view the link and be inspired just as I was:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=tavi08s18bfq591

pictured above: County Supervisor Yvonne Burke poses next to a picture of herself, part of a downtown exhibit celebrating her many landmark accomplishments in politics.

BY LEILONI DE GRUY (Los Angeles Wave)

A woman of many firsts — first African-American to serve on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, first Black woman elected to Congress from California, and the first member of Congress to give birth while in office — Yvonne Brathwaite Burke is approaching a rare last: her final day as an elected official. Her successor as supervisor will be sworn in to represent the 2nd District on Monday, but the retiring Burke has left an indelible legacy on the office she has held since 1992.

As one of the most accomplished and visible women in the history of American politics, she has not been without controversy: many have blamed Burke for the failure of the former King-Drew Medical Center, and a large group of constituents have been angered by her handling of a controversial oil field in Baldwin Hills. But to her many supporters, the USC Law School graduate’s tireless work with foster children and seniors, concern for those living on public assistance and commitment to providing her district with world-class parks and recreation services are the true test of her character and approach to governance. On the eve of her last meeting as a county supervisor,  Burke gave The Wave an exclusive interview in which the 76-year-old spoke candidly about her political career, overcoming racial and sex discrimination, why she has no regrets and the reason her immediate future political future lies in Washington, D.C.

New Book “32 Ways to be a Champion in Business” Offers Tips Gleaned From His Career After Basketball

In his new advice book “32 Ways to be a Champion in Business,” Earvin “Magic” Johnson explains how he translated his fame as a basketball player into a career as an investor and businessman off the court. The title references the number that Mr. Johnson wore when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979 to 1991 – when he announced his retirement after having been diagnosed as HIV-positive. He returned to the court for the Lakers briefly in 1996.

Mr. Johnson, 49 years old, is CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, a closely-held company based in Los Angeles that brings retail outlets like Starbucks and movie theaters, to urban areas. In Business Week’s October 2008 listing of the 100 most powerful people associated with professional sports, Mr. Johnson ranked No. 58.

Mr. Johnson’s book comes at a time when the public’s appetite for such titles appears to be waning. The number of business advice titles fell significantly, to 7,651 in 2007 from 8,719 in 2006, according to Books in Print, which is owned by R.R. Bowker, a provider of bibliographic information. The number is expected to fall again this year as readers turn from get-rich-quick texts to books that explain how to survive in a tough economic climate. Mr. Johnson was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal’s Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg.

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pictured above: Hiram R. Revels

Since the nation was founded, there have been five Black senators in the United States Senate—there were three Republicans and two Democrats. The Republicans were Hiram R. Revels and Blanche K. Bruce (Mississippi), and Edward W. Brooke (Massachusetts). Carol Moseley Braun and Barack H. Obama (Illinois) were Democrats.

They laid the foundation for the Black men and women who came after and followed their political footsteps. Today, they are known as the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the Conscience of the Congress, and one of them will be the 44th President of the United States, President-elect Barack Obama.

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pictured above: Marian Wright Edelman, who heads the Children’s Defense Fund, says the needs of youth are neglected because “children don’t vote, they don’t make campaign contributions.”

‘It’s a threat to the nation, but it is a disaster for the Black community.’

By Andre Herndon (Wave Newspaper)

As a civil rights attorney and advocate, Marian Wright Edelman’s credentials are impeccable. 

Prior to starting one of the most nation’s most effective and influential progressive advocacy organizations, the 69-year-old Yale law School graduate and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund was the first African-American admitted to the Mississippi Bar. She handled legal issues for demonstrators during the 1964 “freedom summer” in that state, and later became a leading voice of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

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Ridley-Thomas Election Night Victory Video from Mark Ridley-Thomas on Vimeo.

(shoutout to my good colleague and notable supporter of MRT, Jaaye Person-Lynn)