Vision Beyond The Lens by -J.J. McQueen-

If you're reading this blog and you're between the ages of 25-35 the title "Higher Learning" may take you back to the mid 90's to the film that featured Omar Epps and Tyra Banks.  If you're like me you flashback to college.  If you're an ECU grad you know our college lives were much like the film.  Just for a moment I wanna take you back a few more years. Let's try elementary school. I'm talking about when you lost your first tooth and the check yes or no if you want to be my girlfriend or boyfriend letters were in.  Yea, those days.   Higher Learning is what it is.  Stay with me.  Some will agree with me that it's the process in which one retains information and applies it to real life.   If you agree raise your hand.  Okay all of you can put your hands down now. Raise your hand if you agree that we all needed someone to teach us the alphabet, phonics, sentence structure, math, science and the basic fundamentals of speaking.  Okay you can put...

The Sunday Bunch is a small group of folks that gather on Sundays at church. Most of which promise to call one another and plan dinners that will never happen unless somebody dies. That's not true in every case because as we all know, there're exceptions to every rule. There is a real "Sunday Bunch".  It's a group of progressive, creative and upbeat young couples. They're comprised of the fabric that holds families together, builds models of success, healthy life styles created by DNA that most people can't began to identify with. Why? They are doers and not "I'm gonna do people".  They make it happen!  Wow, I'm glad I get to write this stuff. I said all of the above because this year my staff and I are emphasizing growth and development by way of positive people and things.  I've learned in my career that none of our dreams will come true if we're not surrounded by individuals that are like minded.   So I urge you all to go out a...

The story...  I almost don't know where to begin.  This weekend has been monumental for my career but more importantly for my life.  I've seen and interviewed who's who in American history.  I've filmed people that I never thought that I'd meet. Yesterday I spoke with the wife of slain civil rights leader Mrylie Evers-Williams and all I could think of were the stories that my parents and grandparents shared with me as a kid.  I met white men and white woman that shared similar stories and I didn't appreciate them any less.  I understand history on a completely different level now.  By no means am I comparing myself to Barack Obama and Joe Biden but my friend Jeff Phillips and I got to share a special part of history together.  He's white and I'm black but much like Barack and Joe we share the same the passion, journalism.  So in the spirit of things past and things to come let's celebrate this special day.   Barack and Joe!