2001-2002 Broadcast Seasons

Black Issues Forum, UNC-TV's weekly half-hour public affairs program, airs every Friday night at 9:30 PM. Click here to email us for more information. 

Attack on America: Another Perspective
Jay Holloway asks two university professors who would want to attack the United States and why. Ihsan A. Bagby, Ph.D., chairman and associate professor of the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Shaw University, and Jarvis Hall, Ph.D., chairman and professor of the Department of Political Science at North Carolina Central University, share the African-American view about the crisis, as well as the Muslim perspective.

Episode 1701

Black Media Roundtable

Hear commentary on current events including America's New War on Terrorism, the upcoming elections, and the CIAA tournament game from leading media professionals in Wilmington, Charlotte, and Durham.

Episode 1702

Knowing Our History: Black Bookstores Owners Teach

Thoughts on reasons behind the September 11th attack on America from a rarely heard perspective.

Episode 1703

African American Males Speak Out on Education, Lifestyles, and the Economy

Watch tonight at 9:30 on Black Issues Forum as we cover the 2nd North Carolina African American Male Summit, which took place in Greensboro, August 25, 2001. This program features highlights from the summit and a panel discussion with questions and comments from summit attendees. Panelists are Dr. Henry Johnson, Associate Superintendent in the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; Ty Cox, the founder and managing partner of Cox/Gibbs CPAs; Jesse Battle, a graduate and now Director of TROSA (Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers) and Dr. Leroy Darkes, Director of the Rex Senior Health Center and a specialist in prostate cancer.

Episode 1704

Up Close with Tavis Smiley

Black Issues Forum presents Tavis Smiley in both an address to participants at the Black Pages USA Black Expo '01 Expo in Wilmington, North Carolina and a one-on-one interview with Jay Holloway. Find out why Time Magazine named him "one of America's most promising leaders under the age of 40."

Episode 1705

Sustaining Small Farmers
North Carolina's largest industry is in agriculture, contributing about $60 billion to the state's economy every year and is one of the top 10 contributers to the nation's agricultural economy. In 1950, Black farmers in North Carolina owned 1/2 million acres. In 1982, Black farmers in North Carolina owned only 40,000 acres. In this edition, Jay Holloway talks to professionals in agriculture about food- and bio-security in the light of threats to our national security, the new challenges of survival for small farmers as agriculture becomes more industrialized, and overcoming the historical challenges of racial discrimination that still persist.

Guests:
Alton Thompson, Ph.D. - Dean of the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at North Carolina A&T University.
Betty Bailey - Executive Director of RAFI-USA, the Rural Advancement Foundation International
Stephon Bowens, Esq. - Executive Director and Attorney with the Land Loss Prevention Project

For More Information:
North Carolina Department of Agriculture
School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association

Episode 1706

North Carolinians' Response to the New War on Terrorism

Citizens of Troy, North Carolina gather to learn how their city is preparing to handle issues of public health and safety in the wake heightened awareness under America's New War on Terrorism. What are the pros and cons of living in a small, rural town? Also, hear how students in the Montgomery Community College Emergency Medical Science program voluntarily dispatched themselves to New York City the very day of the attack and what they experienced.

Guests:
Ralph Bostic - Commissioner, Montgomery County
Alona Sloan - Coordinator and Counselor, East Middle School
Bill Gentry - Central Branch Manager, North Carolina Division of Emergency Management
Dr. John Woodyear - physician and member of the Board of Directors for the Montgomery County Department of Health
1st Sgt. Steve Campbell - active duty reserves, United States Marine Corps

Episode 1707

Silent Killers: Tobacco

Each year, more than 400,000 Americans die from cigarette smoking. For African Americans, tobacco use is a culprit in three of the leading causes of death and it kills more African-Americans than AIDS, murder, suicide, drug abuse, alcohol, and car accidents combined. Join Black Issues Forum for a discussion on the real health dangers of tobacco-use, new information on the "safer" cigarette, and successful efforts to curb tobacco-use among teens here in North Carolina. Join Sandra Headen, Ph.D., Director of the National African-American Tobacco Use Prevention Network and a consultant with the North Carolina Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch; Delmonte Jefferson, Director of the Youth Empowerment Programs with the North Carolina Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch; and Dr. Stuart Bondurant, Dean Emeritus at the School of Medicine, UNC-CH. Dr. Headen has also been a consultant with the North Carolina Project ASSIST for the past 5 years.

For more information on tobacco and health in general, see the Health and Medicine Web Site Directory.

Episode 1708

Landowner Options

Many people lose land that they own or recently inherited, largely because they are not properly informed about their options. Whether you live in an urban or rural area, tonight, you can learn all about your options. Join Savi Horne, Project Director of Partners in Agriculture and Associate Director of the Land Loss Prevention Project in Durham, NC; Stella Adams, Executive Director of the North Carolina Fair Housing Center in Durham, NC, and Carolyn A. Prince, Ph.D., Executive Director, The North Carolina Coaltion of Farm and Rural Families, Inc. in Fayetteville, NC.

Episode 1709

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Communities at risk for HIV/AIDS and syphillis discuss these diseases and their target for healing.

Episode 1710

Taking Financial Control

Securing financial control is important in your personal life, but how do you pass good spending habits on to your family members? Meet a woman who overcame abuse and homelessness and worked a smart path to financial freedom. Find out how she and her husband have passed the benefit of their experience and knowledge on to their children who started their own cookie business, P&J's Sweet Treats, which grossed over $30,000 in its first year. Lisa is also Executive Director of the Center for HOPE, a non-profit organization that guides hundreds of women every year toward self-discovery and financial freedom.

GUESTS:

Lisa C. Williams - Author, Financial Motivator

Joseph Calvo - Lisa's 10-year old son who is the CEO of P&J's Sweet Treats, 10-year-old entrepreneur

Paul Calvo - Lisa's 11-year-old son who is the CFO of P&J's Sweet Treats

Episode 1711

Media Diet: Black media consumption habits

Black stereotypes on television and in film persist, yet African Americans remain some of the most loyal consumers. Why is this the case, what's the damage, and what will it take to turn this habit around? Hear from experts in media studies, including the author of a book entitled "The Black Image in the White Mind" as we examine these questions.

GUESTS:

Harry Amana - Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Robert M. Entman, Ph.D. - Head of the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University and Co-Author, The Black Image in the White Mind: Media and Race in America

Mawiyah Kambon, Ph.D. - a Clinical Psychologist; President and CEO of Obi Nka Bi Development Collective, Inc.; and Co-owner of Blacknificant Bookstore & Cultural Center.

Episode 1712

Boys Choir of Harlem: Overcoming the Academic Achievement Gap

Ninety eight percent of the students attending The Boys Choir of Harlem academy graduate and continue on to college, despite the fact that 70% percent of the boys come from single-parent households headed by women and 55% live below the poverty level. This institution--whose student body is 90% African American--has discovered what works in overcoming the academic achievement gap. Catch a sneak peek of their rehearsal performance at Duke University as we talk to the founder and director of the Boys Choir of Harlem to learn what their formula for success.

GUESTS:

Walter J. Turnbull - founder and Director of The Boys Choir of Harlem, Inc.

Corey Leach - senior performer with The Boys Choir

Anthony Taylor - 8th grade performer with The Boys Choir

Episode 1713

Crime and Incarceration: Reaching, Reconciling, Restoring Broken Lives

Black churches continue to grow and prosper yet incarceration rates skyrocket. Where is the disconnect? Hear from a former prison guard who is now a Chaplain with the state correctional system, an ex-offender who finally found a successful church outreach program, and a minister working with at-risk youth as we talk about the church's role in forgiving, reaching out, and healing both victims on both ends of the crime equation.

GUESTS:

Rev. Michael R. Smith, Sr. - Supervisory Chaplain at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina and Chairman of the Office of Institutional and Specialized Ministries (OISM) with the General Baptist State Convention.

Brad Leach - volunteer with Project Nehemiah, a program that provides mentoring, psychological and spiritual counseling, transportation, housing and other needs to ex-offenders transitioning back into society. He is also a product of this effective ministry program.

Rev. Wavey Brian Williams - a Youth Pastor and Founder of ARMY (www.maxpages.com/armyofchrist) (Anointed Radical Motivated Youth) of Christ Ministry, and associate pastor with Springfield Memorial Baptist Church in Gastonia, NC.

Episode 1714

Media Roundtable

Top media professionals from Wilmington, Charlotte, and Durham share their views on current issues including the upcoming election, payday lending, education and more.

GUESTS:

Rhonda Bellamy - News Director for WMNX 97.3 FM and WGNI 102.7 FM and Host of "On the Waveline with Rhonda Bellamy" in Wilmington, NC

John Minter - Managing Editor for the Charlotte Post

Cynthia Greenlee - Arts and Entertainment Writer and Editor for the Herald-Sun

Episode 1715

Justice in Johnston County?
Live Call-in on the Terence Garner Case: Does He Deserve a New Trial?

The discussion on "A Question of Justice" continues Friday night, live at 9:30 pm on Black Issues Forum as we discuss the case of Terence Garner and the question of justice in Johnston County. Watch the Frontline documentary, An Ordinary Crime, then call the Black Issues Forum comment line at 919-549-7167 with your response to the question, "Does Terence Garner deserve a new trial?" We'll share results of this poll Friday night, and also talk to the following guests:

GUESTS:

Mark Montgomery, Raleigh attorney for the defendant in the State of NC vs. Terence Levonne Garner case

Linda Chambers, Terence Garner's mother

Jim Grant, a community activist who has done civil rights work with the Southeastern Church Action for Safe and Just Communities

Ofra Bikel, Frontline producer, who will be joining us by telephone

Rev. William Barber, community activist in Johnston County

Tune in to tonight's program and call the BIF hotline at 919-549-7167 to give us your opinion.

Episode 1716

NCCU Chancellor - James H. Ammons, Ph.D.

Meet the new chancellor of North Carolina Central University, a graduate of and former assistant vice president for academic affairs at Florida A&M University where he developed seven additional bachelor's, eight additional master's degree programs and PhD. degrees in educational leadership, environmental science, biomedical engineering, physics, civil engineering, industrial engineering, and entomology in cooperation with the University of Florida. Find out what his plans are for the growth and future of NCCU.

Episode 1717

Church Folk: Author Michele Andrea Bowen

Church folk...there's a lot about them to love, and some things we don't love so much. We'll talk about the people, traditions, and responsibilities of the Black Church and find out what aspects have helped the African American community grow, and what aspects are just stumbling blocks. Hear this topic discussed in the context of a new best-selling novel entitled Church Folk that weaves strands of the politics, romance, and everyday struggles into a story that reflects much of what happens within church bodies today.

GUESTS:

Michele Andrea Bowen - author of the novel "Church Folk"