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Meet Micah Lewis, Founder of Vibestreet Studios

BIRMINGHAM TIMES — Micah Lewis, 24, is founder of Vibestreet Photography and Rental Studios, a rental space near Five Points South that opened this year and hosts a broad range of photo shoots, videography, art shows, meetings, and even served as a site for a local reality show. He recently spoke to The Birmingham Times about the multipurpose location for creatives in the Magic City.

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Micha Lewis (Photo by: birminghamtimes.com)

By Ameera Steward

Micah Lewis, 24, is founder of Vibestreet Photography and Rental Studios, a rental space near Five Points South that opened this year and hosts a broad range of photo shoots, videography, art shows, meetings, and even served as a site for a local reality show. He recently spoke to The Birmingham Times about the multipurpose location for creatives in the Magic City.

Birmingham Times: What do you like most about Birmingham?

Lewis: I love that Birmingham is a happy medium between small towns and big cities. We have a large university here, but also a lot of small businesses and restaurants that aren’t available in other cities. Places like Atlanta can be overwhelming for extended amounts of time with the huge population and constant traffic. Also, my roots are here, and there’s nothing better than giving back to a community that gave me so much.

If you had someone visit from out of town, what’s the one place you have to take them?

Aside from places like Vulcan [Park and Museum] and the Civil Rights Institute, it’s important to see other places in the city that truly capture the essence of Birmingham. First, we’d stop by Bayles, a black-owned restaurant in Woodlawn that opened recently and has the best waffles I’ve tasted in a long time. Next, we’d head to Third Avenue North, where there’s an assortment of amazing businesses. Starting at Don’s Hair Care Center, I’d make sure they get a fresh fade from one of the best barbers in Birmingham, Donnie. Then we’d get them some air-purifying plants from the Botanical Gardens, a cup of coffee from Revelator Coffee, and end the visit with the McWane Center.

What’s your favorite movie?

My top three of all time would be “Training Day,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” and “She’s Out of Your League.” I’m a fan of movies that have issues that aren’t too big. Our real lives can be very stressful so I’m not into movies or shows where someone has to save the world from ending. In movies like these, people are put in situations where they’re probably supposed to lose, but they find a way through despite their flaws.

Who’s your favorite musical artist?

I’m not sure if I’ll ever have a number-one favorite artist but, but right now my favorites are YBN Cordae, Sam Cooke, and the great Nipsey Hussle. Cordae is a newer artist, but it’s so refreshing to hear someone actually rapping in a time of hip-hop that is so heavily diluted with people focusing on money instead of the art itself. I believe you can be considered a great artist when you have one truly perfect song, and Sam Cooke has at least three, which is amazing. Aside from his extensive discography and constant growth within his music, Nipsey Hussle gave knowledge and resources to his community in abundance, which is something I think about daily.

What’s a food dish that you can never get tired of?

The super double burger from Pop’s Neighborhood Grill on the Southside is amazing. There’s just something about that restaurant, where you can literally taste the love. With places like that open here in Birmingham, I rarely go to the chain fast food restaurants.

What are you most passionate about professionally? Personally?

Professionally, I care about growing Vibestreet organically and keeping our focus on being a resource to the young people coming up behind us. In the past, I’ve been so focused on changing people’s perception of Vibestreet, I ended up reaching for things that were not in the best interest of the brand, [such as paying people they didn’t know personally to promote the brand.] In those cases, people did the bare minimum or only what they were contractually obligated to do. Customers can tell it’s just someone being paid and not that they personally believe in Vibestreet but looked good on social media. Now, due to those hard lessons I understand that our victory is not in comparison to others but knowing that we did our best and still remained ourselves in that. Personally, I strive to be a better man every day and gain more patience and understanding of the world around me.

Who is someone you admire, and why?

My cousin, Ronald Jackson, is someone I draw strength from regularly. His childhood situations were more than any one person should have to endure, but he’s one of the most kind and pleasant people walking the earth. I’ve had issues with forgiveness and patience, but it seems he’s been endowed with those traits his entire life. I regularly think to myself, “If Ronnie could make it through all that, I can keep going as well.”

What are three pet peeves?

Being late, unprepared/uninformed, or stagnant would be my biggest pet peeves. I like to get where I’m going at least 10 minutes early, just in case an issue arises. Additionally, I know I value my time, so I wouldn’t want to waste anyone else’s. Being on time goes hand in hand with being prepared and informed. For events we curate for Vibestreet, as a team we organize everything three months in advance so we can be thorough and precise with our finished products. And finally, without growth there is no life itself.

How do you want to be remembered?

As a flawed man who took his vision farther than he was equipped to. The very heritage of black Americans is being dealt an unfair hand and still coming away with a victory. I’d like to continue that legacy and leave more resources behind, therefore passing the baton on to the next generation so maybe they can simply live better lives instead of having to fight for one. I know we’re far from the goal of full civil equality, but if we were the last generation to have to go to war and die for it, that’d be great.

What do you want to do before you die?

I want to ensure that I convey a message that happiness is more accessible than what we are taught. Life is not worth living only because you have an expensive sports car and a mansion. The greatest luxury in this life is time spent with people who matter to you. A cousin of mine was murdered recently [June 2019] here in Birmingham, and I would give everything I have for him to have made it home safely that night. We’re often in heaven but get too preoccupied looking out the window at something else. Many of our young people are systematically being led astray by being told that they need material things—often depreciating liabilities—to be successful, when instead they need to be taught the importance of financial stability and building a foundation that can help them for the rest of their lives.

What publications or websites do you regularly read?

Aside from reading The Birmingham Times regularly, I’m not as much of a reader as I’d like to be. I usually get my breaking news from Twitter, and I watch a lot of interviews from people that inspire me. I actually listen to the same interviews a lot so I can fully digest messages from people.

What is your personal motto?

From the late great Nipsey Hussle: “The marathon continues.” We’ve been working on Vibestreet for four years now, and I still feel like we’ve barely begun. Earlier on I was concerned with the sprint and trying to be the biggest thing in the world by tomorrow, but that isn’t possible. The slow growth, hard lessons, and struggles along the way are what make the journey worth it.

Click here to read about Vibestreet’s chief financial officer, Josh Echols. 

Click here to read about Vibestreet’s operations coordinator, Jerrod Dukes. 

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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IN MEMORIAM: Beloved ‘Good Times’ Star and Emmy-Nominated Actor, John Amos, Dies at 84

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Amos’ acting career spanned over five decades, with his most iconic role being that of James Evans Sr., the no-nonsense, hard-working father on the groundbreaking CBS sitcom “Good Times” (1974–1979). The show, which was the first sitcom to center on an African American family, became a cultural touchstone, and Amos’ portrayal of James Evans Sr. made him a symbol of strength and dignity for countless viewers.

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March 10, 2011 - Actor/Producer John Amos in a publicity photo for, “Their Voices, Their Stories: African American Veterans Who Served on Iwo Jima.” Catherine Farmer, National Archives.
March 10, 2011 - Actor/Producer John Amos in a publicity photo for, “Their Voices, Their Stories: African American Veterans Who Served on Iwo Jima.” Catherine Farmer, National Archives.

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

John Amos, the Emmy-nominated actor and pioneering television star who brought to life some of the most beloved characters in entertainment history, has died. He was 84. His son, K.C. Amos, confirmed in a statement that Amos passed away more than a month ago, on Aug. 21, in Los Angeles of natural causes. The younger Amos didn’t say why he kept his father’s death under wraps for more than a month.

“It is with heartfelt sadness that I share with you that my father has transitioned,” K.C. said. “He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold… and he was loved the world over. Many fans consider him their TV father. He lived a good life. His legacy will live on in his outstanding works in television and film as an actor.”

Amos’ acting career spanned over five decades, with his most iconic role being that of James Evans Sr., the no-nonsense, hard-working father on the groundbreaking CBS sitcom “Good Times” (1974–1979). The show, which was the first sitcom to center on an African American family, became a cultural touchstone, and Amos’ portrayal of James Evans Sr. made him a symbol of strength and dignity for countless viewers.

However, his time on the series was cut short after three seasons due to creative differences with the show’s producers. Amos famously clashed with the show’s direction, objecting to what he saw as the stereotypical portrayal of his on-screen son, J.J., played by Jimmie Walker.

“We had a number of differences,” Amos recalled in later interviews, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “I felt too much emphasis was being put on J.J. in his chicken hat, saying ‘Dy-no-mite!’ every third page.” Amos’ insistence on portraying a more balanced, positive image of the Black family on television led to his departure from the show in 1976, when his character was written out in a dramatic two-part episode.

Born John Allen Amos Jr. on Dec. 27, 1939, in Newark, New Jersey, Amos began his professional life with dreams of playing football. He played the sport at Colorado State University and had brief stints with teams like the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. But after a series of injuries and cutbacks, Amos transitioned to entertainment, beginning his career as a writer and performer.

Amos got his first major acting break as Gordy Howard, the good-natured weatherman on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” appearing on the iconic series from 1970 to 1973. He would go on to write and perform sketches on “The Leslie Uggams Show” and later landed roles in various television series and films.

In 1977, Amos received an Emmy nomination for his powerful portrayal of the adult Kunta Kinte in the landmark ABC miniseries “Roots,” a role that solidified his status as one of television’s most respected actors. Amos’ performance in “Roots”, one of the most watched and culturally significant TV events of all time, remains one of his most enduring achievements.

In addition to his success on television, Amos made his mark in films. He appeared in Melvin Van Peebles’ groundbreaking blaxploitation film “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” (1971) and “The World’s Greatest Athlete” (1973). He was widely recognized for his role in “Coming to America” (1988), where he played Cleo McDowell, the owner of McDowell’s, a fast-food restaurant parody of McDonald’s. Amos reprised the role over three decades later in “Coming to America 2” (2021).

His filmography also includes the Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby classic “Let’s Do It Again” (1975), “The Beastmaster” (1982), “Die Hard 2” (1990), “Ricochet” (1991), “Mac” (1992), “For Better or Worse” (1995), “The Players Club” (1998), “Night Trap” (1993), and “Because of Charley” (2021).

Amos was also a familiar face on television throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, with recurring roles in shows like “The West Wing” as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” as Will Smith’s stepfather. He appeared in “The District,” “Men in Trees,” “All About the Andersons” (as Anthony Anderson’s father), and the Netflix series “The Ranch.”

Beyond acting, Amos had a passion for writing and performing in theater. In the 1990s, when he found it challenging to secure roles in Hollywood, he wrote and starred in the one-person play “Halley’s Comet,” about an 87-year-old man waiting in the woods for the comet’s arrival. He toured with the production for over 20 years, performing in cities across the United States and abroad.

In addition to his onscreen and stage accomplishments, Amos co-produced the documentary “America’s Dad,” which explored his life and career. He was also involved in Broadway, appearing in Carl Reiner’s “Tough to Get Help” production in 1972.

John Amos’ life and career were not without personal challenges. In recent years, he was embroiled in a public legal battle between his children, K.C. and Shannon, over accusations of elder abuse.

This unfortunate chapter cast a shadow over his later years. However, his legacy as a beloved television father and one of Hollywood’s pioneering Black actors remains untarnished.

Both K.C. and Shannon, children from his first marriage to artist Noel “Noni” Mickelson and his ex-wife, actress Lillian Lehman, survive Amos.

Photo of the Evans family from the television program “Good Times.” From left: Ralph Carter (Michael), BernNadette Stanis (Thelma), Jimmie Walker (J.J.), Esther Rolle (Florida), John Amos (James).

Photo of the Evans family from the television program “Good Times.” From left: Ralph Carter (Michael), BernNadette Stanis (Thelma), Jimmie Walker (J.J.), Esther Rolle (Florida), John Amos (James).

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Reading and Moving: Great Ways to Help Children Grow

NNPA NEWSWIRE — In these formative years, your little one will learn to walk, learn how to grab and hold items, begin building their muscle strength, and more. Here are some ways to facilitate positive motor development at home:

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Council for Professional Recognition

Before a child even steps into a classroom or childcare center, their first life lessons occur within the walls of their home. During their formative years, from birth to age five, children undergo significant cognitive, motor, and behavioral development. As their primary guides and first teachers, parents, and guardians play a pivotal role in fostering these crucial aspects of growth.

The Council for Professional Recognition, a nonprofit, is dedicated to supporting parents and families in navigating questions about childcare and education training. In keeping with its goal of meeting the growing need for qualified early childcare and education staff, the Council administers the Child Development Associate (CDA). The CDA program is designed to assess and credential early childhood education professionals. This work gives the Council great insights into child development.

Cognitive Development: Building the Foundation of Learning

Cognitive development lays the groundwork for a child’s ability to learn, think, reason, and solve problems.

  • Read Together: One of the most powerful tools for cognitive development is reading. It introduces children to language, expands their vocabulary, and sparks imagination. Make reading a daily ritual by choosing age-appropriate books that capture their interest.
  • Play Together: Play is a child’s entry to the physical, social, and affective worlds. It’s a critical and necessary tool in the positive cognitive development of young children and is directly linked to long-term academic success.
  • Dance and Sing Together: These types of activities help young children develop spatial awareness and lead to improved communication skills. As a bonus, it’s also helpful for improving gross motor skills.
  • Invite your Child to Help you in the Kitchen: It’s a fun activity to do together and helps establish a basic understanding of math and lifelong healthy eating practices.
  • Encourage Questions: As children find their voice, they also find their curiosity for the world around them; persuade them to ask questions and then patiently provide answers.

Motor Development: Mastering Movement Skills

Motor development involves the refinement of both gross and fine motor skills, which are essential for physical coordination and independence. In these formative years, your little one will learn to walk, learn how to grab and hold items, begin building their muscle strength, and more. Here are some ways to facilitate positive motor development at home:

  • Tummy Time: Starting from infancy, incorporate daily tummy time sessions to strengthen neck and upper body muscles, promoting eventual crawling and walking. You can elevate the tummy time experience by:
    • Giving children lots of open-ended toys to explore like nesting bowls, a pail and shovel, building blocks, wooden animals, and people figures.
    • Hanging artwork on the wall that appeals to infants, including bold colors, clear designs, and art from various cultures.
    • Providing mobiles that children can move safely and observe shapes and colors.
  • Outdoor Play: Provide opportunities for outdoor play, whether it’s at a park, playground, or in a backyard. Activities such as running, jumping, climbing, and swinging enhance gross motor skills while allowing children to connect with nature. Also, try gardening together! Not only does gardening promote motor skill development, but it offers many other benefits for young children including stress management, cognitive and emotional development, sensory development, and increased interest in math, sciences, and healthy eating.
  • Fine Motor Activities: Fine motor skills relate to movement of the hands and upper body, as well as vision. Activities that encourage hand-eye coordination and fine motor skill development include:
    • Drawing and coloring
    • Doing puzzles, with size and piece amounts dependent on the age of the child
    • Dropping items or threading age-appropriate beads on strings
    • Stacking toys
    • Shaking maracas
    • Using age-appropriate, blunt scissors
    • Playing with puppets or playdough

This is the type of knowledge that early childhood educators who’ve earned a Child Development Associate credential exhibit as they foster the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth of young children.

Supporting Early Childhood Educators

Recently, a decision in Delaware has helped early childhood professionals further their efforts to apply this type of knowledge. Delaware State University, Delaware Technical Community College, and Wilmington University have signed agreements to award 12 credits for current and incoming students who hold the Child Development Associate credential.

Delaware Governor John Carney said, “I applaud the Department of Education and our higher education partners for this agreement, which will support our early childhood educators. Research shows how important early childhood education is to a child’s future success. This new agreement will help individuals earn their degrees and more quickly get into classrooms to do the important work of teaching our youngest learners in Delaware.”

Council for Professional Recognition CEO Calvin E. Moore, Jr., said his organization is honored to be a part of this partnership.

“Delaware and the work of these institutions is a model that other states should look to. This initiative strengthens the early childhood education workforce by accelerating the graduation of more credentialed educators, addressing the critical need for qualified educators in early childhood education. We have already seen the impact the work of the Early Childhood Innovation Center has brought to the children of Delaware.”

 

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Student Loan Debt Drops $10 Billion Due to Biden Administration Forgiveness

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The Center for American Progress estimates the interest waiver provisions would deliver relief to roughly 6 million Black borrowers, or 23 percent of the estimated number of borrowers receiving relief, as well as 4 million Hispanic or Latino borrowers (16 percent) and 13.5 million white borrowers (53 percent).

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New Education Department Rules hold hope for 30 million more borrowers

By Charlene Crowell, The Center for Responsible Lending

As consumers struggle to cope with mounting debt, a new economic report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York includes an unprecedented glimmer of hope. Although debt for mortgages, credit cards, auto loans and more increased by billions of dollars in the second quarter of 2024, student loan debt decreased by $10 billion.

According to the New York Fed, borrowers ages 40-49 and ages 18-29 benefitted the most from the reduction in student loan debt.

In a separate and recent independent finding, 57 percent of Black Americans hold more than $25,000 in student loan debt compared to 47 percent of Americans overall, according to The Motley Fool’s analysis of student debt by geography, age and race. Black women have an average of $41,466 in undergraduate student loan debt one year after graduation, more than any other group and $10,000 more than men.

This same analysis found that Washington, DC residents carried the highest average federal student loan debt balance, with $54,146 outstanding per borrower. Americans holding high levels of student debt lived in many of the nation’s most populous states – including California, Texas, and Florida.

The Fed’s recent finding may be connected to actions taken by the Biden administration to rein in unsustainable debt held by people who sought higher education as a way to secure a better quality of life. This decline is even more noteworthy in light of a series of legal roadblocks to loan forgiveness. In response to these legal challenges, the Education Department on August 1 began emailing all borrowers of an approaching August 30 deadline to contact their loan servicer to decline future financial relief. Borrowers preferring to be considered for future relief proposed by pending departmental regulations should not respond.

If approved as drafted, the new rules would benefit over 30 million borrowers, including those who have already been approved for debt cancellation over the past three years.

“These latest steps will mark the next milestone in our efforts to help millions of borrowers who’ve been buried under a mountain of student loan interest, or who took on debt to pay for college programs that left them worse off financially, those who have been paying their loans for twenty or more years, and many others,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

The draft rules would benefit borrowers with either partial or full forgiveness in the following categories:

  • Borrowers who owe more now than they did at the start of repayment. This category is expected to largely benefit nearly 23 million borrowers, the majority of whom are Pell Grant recipients.
  • Borrowers who have been in repayment for decades. Borrowers of both undergraduate and graduate loans who began repayment on or before July 1, 2000 would qualify for relief in this category.
  • Borrowers who are otherwise eligible for loan forgiveness but have not yet applied. If a borrower hasn’t successfully enrolled in an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan but would be eligible for immediate forgiveness, they would be eligible for relief. Borrowers who would be eligible for closed school discharge or other types of forgiveness opportunities but haven’t successfully applied would also be eligible for this relief.
  • Borrowers who enrolled in low-financial value programs. If a borrower attended an institution that failed to provide sufficient financial value, or that failed one of the Department’s accountability standards for institutions, those borrowers would also be eligible for debt relief.

Most importantly, if the rules become approved as drafted, no related application or actions would be required from eligible borrowers — so long as they did not opt out of the relief by the August 30 deadline.

“The regulations would deliver on unfulfilled promises made by the federal government to student loan borrowers over decades and offer remedies for a dysfunctional system that has often created a financial burden, rather than economic mobility, for student borrowers pursuing a better future,” stated the Center for American Progress in an August 7 web article. “Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris administration also introduced income limits and caps on relief to ensure the borrowers who can afford to pay the full amount of their debts do so.”

“The Center for American Progress estimates the interest waiver provisions would deliver relief to roughly 6 million Black borrowers, or 23 percent of the estimated number of borrowers receiving relief, as well as 4 million Hispanic or Latino borrowers (16 percent) and 13.5 million white borrowers (53 percent).”

These pending regulations would further expand the $168.5 billion in financial relief that the Biden Administration has already provided to borrowers:

  • $69.2 billion for 946,000 borrowers through fixes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
  • $51 billion for more than 1 million borrowers through administrative adjustments to IDR payment counts. These adjustments have brought borrowers closer to forgiveness and addressed longstanding concerns with the misuse of forbearance by loan servicers.
  • $28.7 billion for more than 1.6 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools, saw their institutions precipitously close, or are covered by related court settlements.
  • $14.1 billion for more than 548,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability.
  • $5.5 billion for 414,000 borrowers through the SAVE Plan.

More information for borrowers about this debt relief is available at StudentAid.gov/debt-relief.

Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.  

Charlene Crowell NNPA Newswire Columnist

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