Andre Woolery

Born in Jamaica and raised in Morristown, NJ, Andre Woolery had only one thing in mind when he entered Duke University’s brick walkways: major in computer science and make his parents proud. But, like most college students, his dreams changed long before he walked across the stage at Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium. “I basically told my parents, ‘I’m going to change directions, and I want to work in advertising. I want to do something a little more fun,’” says Woolery of his decision to switch his career focus.

After graduation in the summer of 2003, Woolery got hired as an Assistant Media Planner at New York advertising firm Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners [KBS+P]. But understanding that the “digital [world] was emerging,” he started taking night courses headed by art and creative directors, and soon developed an interest in graphic design. Nine years later, Woolery is now the Associate Digital Director of KBS+P, representing clients such as TD Ameritrade and Kodak. “My role is basically finding interesting ways to use digital technology to build a brand [and] build campaigns,” he explains.

Despite his ascension up the corporate ladder, Woolery felt his creative energy wasn’t being fully utilized. Not wanting to be someone who got “trapped by his paycheck,” Woolery decided to save up some money and take a month of unpaid vacation to further explore his imagination and relish in his untapped artistic side. “I’ve been spending so much time doing things for other people, trying a whole bunch of different things, having a whole bunch of different ideas, and never spending the actual time to see how it all panned out,” he says. “I knew I was going to get an unpaid month off, but I realized in the grand scheme of my entire life, one month of not getting a paycheck is really nothing and ultimately it paid off really well.”

During his month off, Woolery started a self-titled blog that documented his day-to-day outside of the work force, and life as a “starving artist.” He tapped into his creativity by pinning portraits of artists together out of thumbtacks. Through that may seem odd and unexpected, the Jamaican-bred artist created ineffable artwork of notable figures ranging from Jay-Z, and Kanye West to Jimi Hendrix and President Obama. He even made political statements, tacking together a 100-dollar bill that read, “United Slaves of America.” These tactful images are part of a series he titled the 2011 Mixtape. In addition to these signature pieces, Woolery also crafted more formal paintings of other people of note like Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Erykah Badu, and Bob Marley.

Stepping out on faith appears to have worked for Woolery. While the profits of his artwork may not be equivalent to his bi-weekly salary, the return on investment for his creativity is quite high. With his pieces ranging in price from $35 to $7,000, Woolery is looking forward to his first solo exhibition this February 23rd at Frontrunner Gallery in New York and expanding his clientele. “I’ve been operating pretty much under the radar, and then once I’ve released these pieces it’s like kind of a turning point for me where a lot of people just started to reach out,” he says. “I’m getting more into the art world, and once you get connected into the art world then you get connected more into the collectors and that’s when you start to get all types of different clientele. It’s just a matter of time.”

Click here to view a photo gallery of Woolery’s most memorable pieces.

“Pinch me, it’s great!,” Robinson says of the role. “What I love about Tasha is that she’s a single mom and at the same time she’s not a statistic.  She took that and didn’t become the victim.”

Robinson is also known for her role as high school principal Regina Grier on the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show. Her advice to young people aspiring to a career in the creative arts: “Step outside the box and don’t stay within the confines of what you think is the traditional way of getting in. Be as creative as possible and don’t be afraid to take risks; without risk you’ll never know true possibilities.”

This week’s On the Record discussion centers around the people who are at the center of American conversation and socia media trending topics: President Barack Obama, star NFL quarterback Michael Vick, and top entertainer Beyonce. Our panelists include MSNBC Commentator and political analyst Jeff Johnson; actor and comedian Kim Coles; and writer and comedian Chris Spencer. And finally, our Slice of Life profiles former top model turned teacher Rashid Silvera, who is making a difference in the lives of students attending Scarsdale High School in New York.

Our World with Black Enterprise airs on TV ONE this Sunday, January 22 at 10:00 a.m. and on local stations across the country all weekend.

Check your local listings and visit www.blackenterprise.com/ourworld for additional time and station information.

President Barack Obama addresses the nation in State of the Union (Image: File)

Speaking before a jam-packed congressional chamber and millions glued to the tube, President Obama boldly declared in his State of the Union address Tuesday night to use his leadership toward producing an economy “built to last.” His “blueprint” calls for, among other initiatives, a high-tech reboot of the nation’s manufacturing sector, tax code changes to reward firms that “would bring jobs back to your country” and a series of policies promoting financial equity for middle class and poor Americans.

In the speech, Obama took aim at financial institutions engaged in abusive lending practices and corporations and wealthy individuals not paying their fair share of taxes, focusing on “fairness…the defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive… We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do very well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or, we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot.”

In the Republican rebuttal delivered by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels he characterized the Obama Administration as “a divisive failure that has chosen class warfare and stifling big government over economic progress.” Even before the address, other GOP opponents—from House Speaker John Boehner to presidential contender Mitt Romney—jumped on this class warfare bandwagon.  The president counterd: “You can call this class warfare all you want. Most Americans would call that common sense.”

Watching from the press gallery, I was struck by the diffrence in Obama’s tenor from last year’s lofty “plan to win the future.” Though upbeat, his remarks melded forceful urgency, industrial innovation and economic populism. It also offered some clues on how he will frame his re-election campaign going forward, highlightinmg myriad economic achievements—rescuing the nation from another Great Depression, providing pay equity for women, resurrecting the auto industry (“Today, General Motors is back on top as the world’s No. 1 automaker…”), to name  just three—and touching on foreign policy accomplishments—taking out Osama bin Laden, ending the Iraq War—while making the argument that future prospects under a second term of Obama will prove far better than the GOP alternative.

The president prefers across-the-aisle collaboration to open warfare. But expect him to display more steel when it comes to dealing with the type of politcal antics that almost shut down the government last year and threatened to wreck the recovery. He asserted: “As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.”

So it’s clear he’ll continue to deploy his six-month-old “We can’t wait” strategy—a combination of using the presidential bully pulpit to pressure Congress to pass his legislative agenda as well as implementing select initiatives through executive action and enforcement powers.

In his remarks, he prodded  congressional Republicans to stop “a tax hike on 160 million working Americans while the recovery is still fragile… Let’s agree right here, right now: No side issues. No drama. Pass the payroll tax cut without delay.” Currently, the deal cut between Democrats and Republicans for a two-month extension of the payroll tax holiday in late December is set to expire shortly. And he also asked Congress to present him with tax reform legislation for companies that create domestic jobs as well as bills that bolster small business development and energy innovation. As for housing , “I’m sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner a chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortagage by refinancing at historically low interest rates.” And once again he proposed additional changes to the tax code—the so-called Buffett rule named after Warren Buffet, the second richest man in America—in which those earning more than $1 million a year would pay a minimum income tax rate of at least 30%. The GOP continues to reject the measure.

In terms of applying executive privilege, Obama said he will ask Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. to create a special division using federal prosecutors and state attorneys to investigate abusive lending. The president would also develop a beefed-up trade enforcement unit  to pursue unfair practices employed by foreign countries—most notably China. Moreover, he plans to sign an Executive Order next week “clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects” but readily admitted Congress has to authorize funding  Obama did install his Consumer Finance Protection Bureau Chief through a recess appointment, however.

In talking with political observers today, one area that he failed to address with policy initiatives, however, is the alarming rate of poverty.

Despite the inevitable dogfights, Obama stated that Washington politicans will continue to get a black eye from the public if they don’t “learn from the service of our troops.” He opened and closed his address with references to the selflessness and honor displayed by our young men and women in uniform, and  specifically pointed to the Navy SEAL team that killed Bin laden by placing mission above individual differences.

Bridging that politial chasm, he stated, would result in a a nation that is truly built to last.

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It’s been less than a week and already news is swirling about Twitter’s latest acquisition. (Word hit last week that the microblogging service snagged Summify, a social-media news aggregator. While the exact use of this site in relation to Twitter is unknown, some speculate the purchase will assist with feed management and priority, according to PCWorld.com.)

On Monday, Twitter attained Dasient, a security startup offering malware protection for businesses. A post on the startup’s blog confirms the purchase, noting it is “effective immediately”— working solely on Twitter’s revenue engineering team and ceasing service to new clients.  Dasient went on to say:  “By joining Twitter, Dasient will be able to apply its technology and team to the world’s largest real-time information network.”

Twitter is no stranger to security breaches. A total of 55 celebrity accounts, including Barack Obama, Fox News and Facebook were hacked in 2010, sparking the FTC ruling that Twitter would be subjected to a bi-annual security audit.  Trending topics on Twitter is another site for spammers to target large numbers of people at any given time.

The popular social network’s effort to crank up its security comes less than two months  after rolling out the company’s advertising efforts.

Terms for the deal have not been disclosed.

Dasient was founded in 2008 by former Google employees Neil Daswani, Shariq Rizvi and Ameet Ranadive.  It was funded by Google Ventures, among others.

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President Barack Obama visited the landmark Apollo Theater in Harlem on Thursday.

Obama joined singers Al Green and India.Arie, as well as more than 1,400 supporters who spent between $100 and $5,000 per ticket for a fundraising event at the legendary theater.

The president surprised the crowd by singing a couple of lines from the soul singer’s classic hit “Let’s Stay Together.”

Read more at Newsday…

First Lady Michelle Obama turns 48 today, as millions send their birthday greetings and well-wishes from around the world.

Mrs. O has undoubtedly made her mark on history becoming the first African-American first lady. She also makes a remarkable impact by spreading awareness on childhood obesity and education and serving as a style icon for millions of working women from the East to the West. The ultimate “mom-in-chief,” Obama juggles parenting with pursuing her passion for not just being on the arm of the president, but making a difference in the lives of youth and their families. Her influence has been far reaching, from what she wears to how she chooses to be a hands-on parent.

Check out more on Michelle Obama’s influence on the world and be inspired by how you too can make an impact:

Michelle Obama’s Profitable Style Profile

Michelle Obama’s Six Rules of Parenting

Michelle Obama Joins Twitter

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Michelle Obama joined Twitter Thursday and, in less than 24 hours, gained well over 100,000 followers. The first lady and her staff will manage the account.

“We’re excited today to launch @michelleobama as a new way for you to connect with First Lady Michelle Obama and the President’s campaign,” the account tweeted.

Since joining the social media site, “First Lady” and “Welcome to Twitter” began trending on the website, and the warm greetings started flowing in. She even received a presidential welcome from a very special follower. “It’s not every day we get to welcome the First Lady of the United States to Twitter—happy to have you, @MichelleObama!” tweeted Barack Obama, @BarackObama.

Michelle is only following five accounts as of now: Barack Obama, the White House, Campaign Manager Jim Messina, Joining Forces— the White House’s initiative to connect families with those serving in the military—and Let’s Move, her initiative aimed at reducing childhood obesity.

The news wasn’t so great, however, for African-Americans, who saw their unemployment rate increase slightly from 15.5 in November to 15.8. In addition, the rate for Black teenagers and young adults exceeds 40 percent.

“We will never fully rebound or recover when a major segment of our nation’s population continues to struggle. More importantly, we cannot wait for opportunities to trickle down,” said Congressional Black Caucus chairman, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri). “The recent announcement of President Obama‘s summer jobs initiative could not have come at a more critical time. The initiative will provide $1.5 billion for high-impact summer jobs and year-round employment for low-income youth ages 16-24, as part of the American Jobs Act’s Pathways Back to Work Fund.”

But according to Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, initiatives like the Jobs+ program the Obama administration announced last week, as well as the stimulus program and new industry regulations, are the sort of gimmicks that prevent the economy from experiencing a full recovery.

“As a result of those policies, families across America are hurting. And instead of working with Republicans to get the economy moving, President Obama is engaged in a full-time re-election campaign, prioritizing his job over jobs for the unemployed,” Priebus said. “He has no long-term vision to fix the economy and no comprehensive plan to get Americans working again. All he offers are occasional gimmicks that create nothing more than campaign photo-ops.”