UniSun June 1, 2008

Whole lotta music going on

Summer days filled with cookouts or escapes to the seashore are on the horizon.

Passing the mic for night of laughs

Passing the mic for night of laughs Comedian Meshelle wants to keep Baltimore laughing.

Helping Christian travelers march on

A guide to faith-based travel came out a few months ago. It's called The Christian Travel Planner.

Money

Staying afloat as the economy sinks

The current economic climate has been tough on Thomas Clark, owner of Renegade'Z Digital, a Northwest Baltimore store that sells cell phones and other items.

Books

Under the summer sun: some excellent reads

Free time is a luxury these days, particularly since personal endeavors often come second to professional pursuits. For those of you who manage to fit time in for leisure reading, here are some must-reads for the summer, all by African-American writers.

Celebrity

From playwriting to TV scripting

Cumberland native Kia Corthron is known for stirring up trouble with words. As a political playwright, she has tackled complex and controversial subjects ranging from corporate exploitation in Liberia to the failures of the U.S. mainstream media to the struggles of girl gangs in the Bronx.

Entertainment

Super party for 'Payne' fans

Tyler Perry threw a party recently in Baltimore and only a select few were on his invitation list.

From acting class to hit sitcom

Lance Gross walked the hallway of the historic

Living history

Onward and upward from Little Rock

On the coffee table in Ernest Green Jr.'s Washington corner office sits a gumball machine filled with gourmet jelly beans. The other surfaces display civil rights-era photos of Green, as well as more recent pictures of him with heavy-hitters such as former

Two soulful concerts and honors for students

This issue's Social Scene takes you to three events where the emphasis was on celebrating.

Shrimp and turkey on the barbie

Every Fourth of July, my folks had a bash at their home in Massachusetts. It was one of the few times of the year that family and friends from all over would come together.

Thank ex for good deed -- and let it go

DEAR HARRIETTE // I let my ex-girlfriend stay with me at my apartment when she traveled to my city recently for a job interview. We did not sleep together. On the day of her departure, I had to leave earlier than she to make it to work on time. When I returned that evening, she had already left for the airport, but she had fully stocked my refrigerator, cabinets and pantry. There had to have been about $500 worth of groceries. I appreciate the gesture, but should I send her the money or something?

First Person

Losing weight, gaining a new life

After receiving the doctor's diagnosis that I had high blood pressure and diabetes, I realized my life had to change. In about a year, I lost 143 pounds, but the process of getting there wasn't easy.

Editor's note

I have never really enjoyed the cold weather in the Northeast, so I'm glad that winter is over, spring is in full bloom and summer is just around the corner. I love to bask in the heat of the sun's rays.

Flashback

This issue's Flashback: It looks as if readers need a little help identifying the people in last issue's Flashback. Coretta Scott King (fifth from right) leads a "March on Memphis" on April 9, 1968, five days after the assassination of her husband, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.