Michelle O Brunch and Long Island

University’s Black Student Union presents:

Seize The Narrative I: Remove the Frame

AGENDA:

6:00pm: Networking/ Food/ Beverages

6:30pm - 7:30pm: Remove The Frame Panel

7:45pm: Break and Connect

8:00pm - 9:00pm: Discover Your Story Mentor Session

REmovE ThE FRAmE PANEl will explore how a media

landscape saturated with stereotypical images and incom-

plete narratives plus a tough economy can limit what young

people believe they can achieve. You will hear from wom-

en, representing a diversity of professional and cultural

experience, that have challenged the frames to chart bold

and authentic journeys.

A recurring challenge expressed by young women and men

as they consider the road after college is the shortage of

caring adult mentors. Immediately following the Panel, all

attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a fa-

cilitated flash mentor session: DIScovER YouR SToRY. In small groups, attendees will brainstorm their personal

narratives and receive constructive guidance and tips on

cultivating their strengths. The sessions will be lead by an

inspirational mentor and assisted by a BSU member.

Join the conversation on Twitter: #removetheframe

TWEET our Storytellers: @estherarmah, @nanaekua, @damalidreamer, @jamilahlemieux, @corvida, @chanaewing, @talktoraven, @ms_sah, @houseofming, @miss_ko, @whitpr and @michelleobrunch

Chana Ginelle Ewing is the Head Girl in Charge (HGiC) at and Founder of littlebigGirl + CO. At littlebigGirl + CO. she provides strategic storytelling and community building consultation, social media marketing and experience production. As a trained filmmaker, Chana employs the tools of fiction storytelling to craft the story and world of her Clients and their communities. Story is her guide, though not her destination; Chana has designed a framework to connect story to community. In addition to working with Clients, she creates original content and communities. The community she’s most proud of is Michelle O Brunch (MOB). Founded in 2009, MOB is a league of extraordinary women and men committed to empowering black women and supporting First Lady Michelle Obama. Chana steers the direction of MOB, producing events, curating online content and providing a platform for the exchange of resources.

As a content and experience creator, Chana directed a music video parody of Jay Z’s popular D.O.A; produced an Independent Actors Showcase mashing up independent film and the theater; has written screenplays; and is currently producing a dramedy for the web.

Chana fuses strategic storytelling, content, social media and offline experiences to connect people. littlebigGirl + CO is the sandbox where she plays – building a technology, community and story castle. For more, visit: littlebiggirl.com

chana Ewing

moderators

Quioni Phillips is the President of the Black

Student Union at Long Island University - Brooklyn

Campus. Originally from Harlem, Quioni is studying

Journalism. In addition to her studies, Quioni

works in public relations at Legion Media Group,

blogs for sites such as OliveCocomag.com and is a

Resident Assistant on campus. Quioni is passionate

about empowering urban youth; she has hosted

events from fashion shows to concerts.

Quioni Phillips

Esther Armah is a radio host, playwright, award-winning international

journalist and national best-selling author. She has worked in media in

Europe, Africa and now America. In New York she hosts WBAI99.5FM’s

‘Wake Up Call’, Mon-Thurs 6-8am. She has hosted WNYC’s ‘’The Next

New York Conversation’; GRITtv with Laura Flanders, MNN’s Ancestor

House and is a political commentator on MSNBC’s weekend shows ‘Up

With Chris Hayes’ and ‘Melissa Harris Perry’.

As an international journalist she has written for ‘The Guardian’

newspaper in London, ‘Essence’ magazine in the US and ‘West Africa’

magazine in Ghana. As a playwright, her plays ‘Can I Be Me?’ ‘Forgive

Me?’ ‘Entitled!’ SAVIOUR? have all been produced on New York stages.

Can I Be Me? is adapted from her national best-selling book of the same

name. With the British Broadcasting Corporation – the BBC - in London

she was an investigative reporter, documentary maker in both radio and

tv. She runs Centric Productions which produces her live multi media

critical conversation series ‘Emotional Justice Unplugged’. As a reporter

and journalist she has traveled and worked in London, Washington,

Philadelphia, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho.

She was named as one of Ebony magazines ‘must see, must cop, must

listen to’ people on their 2012 ‘The Cool List’. Esther is the 2012 winner

of the Daniel Pearl Multi–Media Award for Excellence in Journalism.

She now lives in New York.

Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond (nanaekua.com) has written or edited style

and culture pieces for AOL, The Village Voice, JET, Metro, TheGrio.

com, and EBONY Magazine, among others. She has led copywriting for

NikeWomen.com, LorealParisUSA.com, and Bluefly.com. Her short

stories have been published in African Writing and the anthology This

Woman’s Work; while her poem, “The Whinings of a Seven Sister Cum

Esther Armah

Panelists

Nana Ekua Brew- hammond

Laude Graduate Working Bored as an

Assistant,” was published in the anthology

Growing up Girl. A cum laude graduate of

Vassar College, she attended secondary

school in Ghana; her debut novel Powder

Necklace (Simon and Schuster) is loosely

based on the latter experience. Connect

with her on Facebook (facebook.com/

PowderNecklace) and Twitter (Twitter.

com/nanaekua); and keep up with her adventures in writing on her blog

PowderNecklace.blogspot.com.

Jamilah Lemieux is the News & Lifestyle Editor for EBONY.com, a

title that cleverly covers many hats. A Chicago native and graduate

of Howard University, Jamilah describes herself as “a Hip-Hop Denise

Huxtable, who dreams of growing up to be Claire.” In 2005, she

created a blog, The Beautiful Struggler, where for more than six years,

she galvanized a broad national audience with her meditations on race,

Damali Elliott

Jamilah lemieux

Damali Elliott is the Founder & Executive Director of Petals-N-Belles,

an innovative New York City based nonprofit organization, redefining

mentoring with a multifaceted approach to the social, academic and

professional growth of young girls. Founded in 2010, at the age of

24, the idea for Petals-N-Belles came to Damali after discovering her

passion to work with young girls. As a result of positive and moti-

vating relationships that have broadened her outlook of the world

and real life issues, Damali is dedicated to developing creative and

strategic ways to enhance life prospects for young girls and is passionately

committed to growing Petals-N-Belles into a mentoring powerhouse.

relationships and her own less-than-ordinary life. What began as a hobby

quickly became a critically acclaimed online destination establishing

Jamilah as an emergent and important voice on issues of gender, race

and popular culture.

A three-time Black Weblog Award winner, Jamilah has contributed

to a host of publications including Essence, JET, Clutch, The Loop,

Madame Noire, Black Enterprise Online and Jezebel. She has

appeared on a number of radio programs, including NPR’s “All Things

Considered,” “The Michael Eric Dyson Show,” WBAI’s “The Spin” and

“Al B. In The Afternoon” on Philadelphia’s 900AM WURD. In 2010,

she ranked #94 on BlackWeb 2.0’s “100 Most Influential Black Women

on Twitter.”

A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, she resides

in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. You can catch her working, working and also,

working... but she loves it! Follow her on Twitter: @jamilahlemieux

A natural pioneer at grasping the rapidly

changing landscape of technology, Cor-

vida Raven teaches tech in plain English

to everyone who wants to learn.

Since the age of 19, Corvida has

consistently captured the tech world’s

attention with her award-winning blog,

SheGeeks.net. Sharing insights on the

value of today’s social media services

and how to utilize social media, technology, and mobile applications for

individuals and businesses is a natural passion for this digital native.

corvida Raven

Asiana Blount Macy’s Special Events Manager

Erica BohlerConstruction Manager - Bechtel Corporation - Communications and Transmission @Bechtel

A graduate of the Spelman College/Geor-gia Tech Dual Degree Program in Electrical Engineering (B.S.), currently managing a 600+ site build plan in Manhattan for the 3G program at Bechtel.

Raven carterProducer, Moguldom Media Group@talktoraven

Fun-loving, charismatic visionary with a sincere passion for empowering and uplifting young women through television.

Sylvia A. harvey (SAh)Journalist @ms_SAh Freelance journalist who interweaves traditional elements of print journalism, web blogging and multimedia.

Dominga martinFilmmaker @domingamartin Filmmaker, Co-Founder of www.creme-magazine.com & owner of House of Ming, a boutique motion picture company in Brooklyn.

Kaeisha o’NealManager, Client Services at Interactive One

@miss_Ko

Client partner of digital ad campaigns

Dreena WhitfieldOwner, WhitPR

@WhitPR

Emerging PR Powerhouse.

mentors

brunchin’ + content and experiences + inspired partnerships and collaborations = connecting ambitious women to catalyze leadership

Founded on the heels of the inauguration of First Lady Michelle

Obama in 2009, Michelle O Brunch (MOB) connects women leaders.

We make introductions and facilitate relationship building through a

balance of private, intimate gatherings (our Signature Brunch series),

pop-up events, and an online community. Our central theme is leadership;

our mission is to galvanize support and resources for women leaders and

provide a platform for them to build together, empower and learn from

one another.

We envision a world where women, particularly black women (ages 25-

44), are experts, key influencers and decision makers in their fields; and

where women shape the direction of their communities and of society.

Our inspiration, First Lady Michelle Obama, currently holds a significant

space on the world stage. Through her position, she marshalls resources

to public concerns such as childhood obesity and the well-being of

military families. The First Lady is a model of what women can accomplish

when they have a strong community that includes family, friends and

professional networks.

Michelle O Brunch serves as the forum through which women can build

their professional networks, showcase expertise and share best practices.

MOBsters are visionary entrepreneurs, heads of non-profits, executives

from fortune 500 companies and enterprising interns. This audience includes

women from diverse industries/companies, professional levels, personal

experiences and geographies; ambition is their shared characteristic and

the empowerment of women is their shared commitment. Through our

growing community, content and events, we support the First Lady and

other women who have the capacity to lead and impact our nation.

michelle o Brunch

SEIZE THE NARRATIVE I: REMOVE THE FRAME