New Yorkers Flock To Public Libaray

The Association of American Publishers says 2008 domestic book sales were down by nearly 2 and a half percent, not surprising in the state of our economy. Although Mayor Bloomberg is expected to make cuts to the city library’s budget, New Yorkers are flocking to their neighborhood branch for free movies and books. Sia Nyorkor reports from Manhattan.

We've Got The Jazz...Right Here In Harlem

A group of chums from Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism headed uptown to 149th and St. Nicholas Avenue to celebrate our end of the semester @ St. Nick's Pub in Harlem's Sugar Hill neighborhood.

The historic Pub is a local watering hole for musicians and they come from near and far, whether it's to tap-tap-tap on the keys, strum tunes on the guitar, toot on the horns or croon into the mic.

Back in the day, greats such as Duke Ellington's piano player, Lucky Roberts, Art Tatum and Joe Jordan had jam sessions in this very place, where they brought down the house.

Some would say that the ghosts of yesterday's jazz were in the house last night as the Donald Smith Sextet set the mood for an evening of smooth grooves.

Obama's 1st 100 Days

HE’S CROSSED THE FINISH LINE AND WON THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE. AND AFTER A GRUELING 20 MONTHS ON THE ROAD, INCOMING PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA HAS EVEN MORE WORK TO DO NOW THAT HE’S BEEN ELECTED. SIA NYORKOR REPORTS FROM MANHATTAN.

Teenage Love Affair Revisited

So I finally got to see the loves of my life...wait for it...New Kids on the Block.

Me and my old high school pal, Jaime McNally (4 Musketeers 4eva!), met up at Madison Square Garden to swoon, lust and see our teenage heartthrobs in the flesh. Yes, I admit, I was hopelessly in love with all the guys but especially Jordan Knight. Years later, I stood in the sea of thousands of thirty-something year old females and found myself lip--syncing every word, to every song. Step by Step, Please Don't Go Girl, Right Stuff, Cover Girl and of course...Hanging Tough.

And for once, I wasn't the only black girl in love with NKOTB's blue-eyed soul. I was surrounded by sistas taken back in the moment. I caught a few eyes and we winked at each other knowingly. For a fleeting moment, I wondered where were all these sistas when I was growing up and teased mercilessly for being an oreo, just because I like the New Kids?

Ehhhh...who cares? Do you and live your life. I'm living mine and enjoying my NKOTB. Here's a peek from my nostalgic night out.


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Last Night's Election...An Emotional Moment

Yes, I'm aware of the rules...I'm a Journalist and I'm not supposed to show too much emotion...just cover the story, get both sides and don't show personal opinion. But last night, when Senator Barack Obama won the election and it was announced that he would become President of the United States of America, I had to take a moment and gather myself.

I had my work cut out for me in that I was covering Times Square in Manhattan where tens of thousands of people swarmed after hearing the news. There really was no room or time to pause with the hordes of celebrators cheering and dancing in the streets but I managed to pop into a cafe where I let the tears flow.

Even as I sit here and write this, I am overcome with emotion. For me, it's not so much that Obama is a black man in America who overcame major obstacles to win the top position of commander-in-chief. It goes much deeper than that. I share a similar background with Obama in that we are both children of immigrants. My father is from Liberia. Obama's father, Barack Sr., hails from Kenya. And although Obama was not close to his father growing up, he remains in close touch with his father's stepmother, Sarah, who still lives there. He calls her his grandmother.

In his book, Dreams from My Father, Obama shares the dreams his father had, for making a life in America. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned and he passed away before he was able to make those dreams a reality. But for Barack Sr., those dreams live on in his son, Barack Jr., even though he's no longer in this life.

In many parts of Africa, we look to our ancestors and all those who came before us, for guidance and encouragement to follow our dreams. As a young girl, I was taught to honor my own ancestors, even though I would never meet them. Both my mother and my father spoke of Sumnor Tamba Nyorkor, who was the chief of his village in Lofa County, Liberia. Sumnor Tamba had dreams for my father (his first-born son), Sahr Nyorkor, to achieve. Now, Sumnor Tamba too had dreams to achieve the American dream, but he passed before he was able to. So his dream lived on in my father, who came to America and made the dream come true. Now his dreams are my dreams and lives on in me. When I have children, those same dreams will be passed down to my children and so forth.

So for me, it's not just that we elected our first African-American president. It is about that strong connection between heritage and history and family and honor and perseverance and dreams. It is about making your own path, despite the roadblocks people put up in front of you. It's about never forgetting where you came from, no matter where you go. And it's about reaching back and passing the torch to all the people behind you. President-elect Obama has done all that and much more. I wish him nothing but success in his new role but I somehow already know, that because of what he's been through, and how he's handled it thus far, he'll rise up and be just fine. Here's to our new President-elect, Barack Obama.

P.S. Here's a quick peek of my night at Times Square...courtesy of the Flip Video Cam.





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Courtside with NBA Champion, Alonzo Mourning

Resilience, Faith, Focus and Triumph---that's the stuff NBA Champion Alonzo Mourning is made of and he writes about them in his new book, under that very title. Sia Nyorkor reports from Manhattan.

Soulful Saturday at Lola in SoHo

On a drizzly, Saturday night, me and fellow classmates, Jessica Hopper and Agnes M.F. Kamara-Umanna trekked over to SoHo for some good, nouveau soul-food and live jazz at Lola. I'd read about the place in The Village Voice a few months ago and how they were having trouble with their neighbors and the SoHo alliance, who weren't too happy about more loud music in their already crowded neighborhood. The article reeked of racist tones through the people that were interviewed but the reporter, Chloe A. Hilliard (a fellow NABJ member), followed through and made sure to get both sides of the story.
I'm not sure if all the complainers have been by yet but all that I can say is that we had a lovely time! The music was soothing and the ambiance was just right. I adore hob-knobbing with New York's finest and that's exactly who was at Lola's that night. From a New Orleans inspired menu, I had the Shrimp & Grits (scrumptious!), Agnes had the Pecan Crusted Rack of Lamb (tender!) and Jessica had Lola's Famous Spiced Fried Chicken (delish!). The staff was gracious and we even ran into husband and wife owners, Tom & Gayle Patrick-Odeen, as we were leaving and expressed to them what a fine place they had. If you get a chance, don't miss out on this jewel, sparkling amongst SoHo's ordinary...you won't be disappointed. We certainly weren't and have already been back for seconds! Cheers...see you at Lola!