Afro latino magazine issue 221

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elcome to the 221st Issue of Afro/Latino Magazine. Here you will find your source for Entertainment, Local Business, and other areas of interest in the Reading, Harrisburg, Pottstown Lancaster Pa area. Afro/ Latino welcomes all your Advertising needs. We offer custom Advertising and Graphic work. We offer product placement and helpful ideas to make your business grow. Utilizing our Extensive Network of Websites, Print Publication, Promotional Tools and Events is a great way to increase your exposure and drive traffic to your business. Afro/Latino is also a great way to make all of your Personal Announcements such as Birthdays, Anniversaries, Reunions, Weddings, Birth Announcements and much more! We are much more than an Advertising Magazine.. We publish helpful and knowledgeable information to empower our communities. So, when it comes to making the choice for your Advertising...Stick with the Magazine that is in your Community and about your Community

For Advertising: 484 484--256 256--7258 Bienvenido a los afro / hispano Quiero darle las gracias por echar un vistazo a nuestra revista, si tiene alguna pregunta acerca de la publicidad en nuestra revista o sugerencias con respecto al contenido, por favor llámenos al 484-256-7258 yle ayuda, Gracias

November: A Woman On November 15th join #RDGmatters group and The Daily Fro at The Grill then Chill for a Woman Empowering Experience. Naturally November is set to bring together women of all backgrounds for a chance to network while embracing their own natural beauty. It’s your time to be bold! It’s your time to be exotic! It’s your time to be naturally YOU! Shala Rostick, a pioneering entrepreneur, will feature some of her stylish apparel from The Daily Fro, a clothing line promoting women with natural hair. She will be selling some of her most popular shirts and Fro Accents, which are her

accessories, at the event.

Shakir Cook, of Cookie Contour will also host an interactive makeup experience to 25 lucky guests. Doors open at 10 p.m. and admission is $10.00. Appetizers will be served along with a complimentary drink between 10 and 11 p.m. The first 25 people at the door will receive a Swag Bag courtesy of The Daily Fro. Come celebrate the everyday natural in you. Mark your calendars now! Tickets can be purchased in advance at The Grill Then Chill.

Look Us Up On Line , Afrolatinomag.com, EE--mail LCSERL@AOL.COM, Earl Lucas Facebook


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Afro/Latino Magazine And Grill Then Chill Lounge 3rd Annual Free Thanksgiving Dinner Thanksgiving Day 12 TO 3pm Parents/Guardians! Recent data suggests that the 2014-15 9th grade class entering Reading High School (RHS) will have less than a 60% chance to make it to graduation. Only half of those who do manage to graduate will go on to college. The reason we exist is to help make the graduation rate 100% for our student participants and provide them with the support, encouragement and skills required to grow and thrive in the new economy after graduation. If you know a student entering the 9th grade at RHS for the 2014-15 school year and you want to provide him or her with a unique support system throughout their entire high-school career to register you for our program by going to www.sharedgrowth.org/register or e-mail us at fab@sharedgrowth.org for more information. Thank you! The staff at Shared Growth, Inc. Afro/Latino

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Here are the only 3 ways you can get the Ebola virus. Who ever thought that we’d be at this point, concerned about contracting the Ebola virus, one that has the possibility of taking your life. The public is concerned with good reason, especially with a new case occuring in New York City this week, but let’s keep this issue in perspective and educate ourselves with the facts. Here are the only 3 ways you can get the Ebola virus. 1. You can get the Ebola virus from

having direct contact with bodily fluids with a person who is sick with or had died from Ebola. Those bodily fluids include blood, pee, poop, vomit, sweat,

semen, spit or other fluids. 2. You can get the Ebola virus from having direct contact with objects contaminated with the virus such as needles and medical equipment. 3. You can get the Ebola virus from having direct contact from infected animals through their blood, bodily fluids or infected meat. It’s also important to remember that you can get the Ebola virus from an infected person only after symptoms have appeared. These symptoms can occur 2-21 days after exposure and include fever, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, muscle pain or unexplained bleeding or bruising. Anyone experiencing these symptoms must report to a nearby hospital immediately for treatment

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11/1 Dj Crisstylez, 11/7 Dj N-Do, 11/8 Dj Crisstylez 11/14 Dj Crisstylez 11/15 Dj Todd 1, 11/21 Dj N-Do , 11/22 Dj Jon, 11/27 Free Turkey Dinner to All our Customers, 11/28 Dj Crisstylez, 11/29 Dj Todd 1 3 for $1 Fireball soaked cherries

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Berks County Flag Football League *Co-ed Age Divisions: 5-6 / 7-8 / 9-10 / 11-12 / 13-14 / 15-17 yr olds *All Games will be held @ Relevant Sports Complex *Cost: $100/ per player *League Launch (season overview/key dates and times) Mon. October 6th@ 6pm Location for Launch: Antietam Rec Center, 905 Byram st. Reading, Pa 19606 *At the League Launch there will be an NFL Punt/Pass/and Kick competition with awards for winners

*Registration is open NOW!!!! You MUST register as a player and if you intend to coach Links: www.nflflag.com/form/player www.nflflag.com/form/coach *Registration Dates: Sun.11/2 and Mon.11/3 from 6pm to 8pm (Both days at Relevant Complex) *Registration Deadline is 11/15/2014 *3 Day Camp with Special Guest (camp included with registration): Mr. Sam Bryant Bryant is currently the Defensive Back coach for RHS, were he played high school football. Bryant is also a graduate of The University of PITT, where he started at Strong Safety his junior and senior year. Bryant also won an Arena League Championship with the Reading Express. Sam is the Founder of Bryant Defensive Factory.

*League Start Date: Thursday, December 4th 2014 **For detailed information contact Will Wilson @ 484-797-9105/email: willwilson43@gmail.com or Dan Mosquera @ 484-318-6449 **

2816 Old Pricetown Rd. Temple, Pa 19560: 610-816-7453 Afro/Latino

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Everyone needs to know this story. This community just lost a very valuable member of this community to yet another act of extreme violence. This woman had seen hells gates once and lived to survive the story. Two or three years ago this woman exhibited her artwork at Reading Area Community College. It was an array of photographs and original art pieces done by Cheryl O’kafor. The exhibit was that of Cheryl’s recovery from the severe abuse she received from her first husband. She had survived multiple gunshot wounds and long recovery period both physically and then again mentally. This is what Cheryl’s artwork was about: the mental and emotional recovery. Cheryl healed herself. She also went on to serve this community. She established and ran the organization called the Multicultural And Literacy Institute. “This organization instills rites of passage in teen groups as a tool for reaffirming cultures, gaining selfknowledge, confidence-building, learning responsibility and teamwork. The journey of life is examined and exposed for its self-fulfillment needs. The institute is designed for both peer and adult mentoring. In addition this organization has its own show on BCTV and offers many fun events such as bowling and dances to its members”. berksunitysolution.org As an organization MALI participated in food drives for this community and was an avid supporter of other community groups such as African American Coalition of Reading and Berks Unity Solution. The MALI teens gave performances at local community events. Cheryl influenced this all. But most the most beautiful thing about Cheryl was her ability to share. I am the founder and director of an organization called Berks Unity Solution. I wanted to share something good with our community. When Cheryl and I met, I knew she was one of the most gracious people I have ever met. I needed information to do what I wanted to do for the community and Cheryl volunteered freely information which was a driving piece to Berks Unity Solutions success. She did that because it was the right thing to do, not because she would benefit in any other way than to help our community. She knew that the giving and sharing of information was the key to any positive endeavor. I have walked to paths of this community and it is a rare find for someone who gives without some sort of ego boosting, financial gain, or political agenda. People like Cheryl are blessing to a community who is very much in need of such spirit’s who walk in beauty. This is a sad, sad day to have lost Cheryl to yet another violent act. She had made it through the muck and the mile only to be murdered yesterday by her second husband, who then turned the gun on himself. People it is bad out there. Our mission is to STOP the VIOLENCE and the pain it brings back into the community. It affects everyone with its ripple effect. We either pull together or we fall apart. It is a group decision. Lisa Kneer

Sasha's Story: Revelations of Domestic Violence

Here is one woman's story of domestic violence. Read about how she got out of her abusive relationship and used her experiences to help others: All I could think was, Is this really happening to me? He is going to kill me. His hands wrapped tightly around my neck as he pushed me up against the wall. I could feel my body being lifted slightly off the ground, and as I struggled to release his choke hold the words flashed repeatedly through my mind. Is this really happening to me? He is going to kill me. Scratching and kicking at him I managed to squirm out, and as I turned to move away I felt a burning pain begin to spread from my shoulder to my armpit, then down my arm. He was biting me. A scream pierced the air, and brought me back to myself as I realized where the sound was coming from. Wrestling him off I ran into the kitchen and grabbed the first thing in front of me. Waving the fire extinguisher erratically, I threatened to hit him. As he backed away, I bolted towards the bedroom. He grabbed me from behind and head butted me, and as my neck whipped forward, I collapsed to the ground. I rolled over to fight him, but before I knew what was happening, he was on top of me, pounding my head into the floor. He shoved his fingers into my mouth, as he slammed my head back, over and over. Suddenly it stopped, and as I struggled to push him off he bent down and kissed me on the mouth and said "I love you". The smell of alcohol washed over my face and I became nauseated. Kicking out, I hit him in the between the legs and broke free. Running for the bedroom, I slammed the door, grabbed the phone and dialed Afro/Latino

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A year and a half passed since that life changing event, and I surrounded myself with positive people who reminded me each day that life is amazing. In that summer, I met an incredible man who helped me to love again. Samuel is kind and caring and each time I break down, remembering the horror of that day, he has been supportive. It's nice to know that there is a good man out there, and he has my back. He has taught me to face my feelings, and get them out so they don't overwhelm and consume me. He helped me overcome issues with trust, my biggest hurdle being trusting myself. Experiencing abuse and ignoring all the red flags that flashed in front of me, made me lose trust in my own abilities and judgments. I can't blame anyone else for that choice, and at times I still struggle to deal with it.

911. My heart was beating in my head, and as the dull thump grew louder, I heard the front door slam and knew he had run. As I gripped the phone, loud banging reverberated off the front door, and a man's voice yelled "NYPD". Rushing for the front, I peered through the peep hole, and saw a line of police all the way down the hallway. Letting them in, I was surprised at how quickly they responded. I had just called them and was still holding the phone when it dawned on me. Someone had heard me screaming for help, and they had called the police first. As they questioned me, I was in shock. I had spent the last hour fighting for my life as my boyfriend of 1 1/2 years tried to end it. Suddenly I began to doubt myself as the thoughts raced through my mind: Did that just happen? Was it my fault? Did I instigate it? I hit him back. I'm not completely innocent. I'm not a victim. I did my part as well. Should I really turn him in?

I can tell you now that being alone is not that bad. A lot of women who experience what I went through find ways to use their abuser as a crutch. You may think you can't afford to live on your own, or you may think he has something that you need, but you don't. Everything you need is within yourself. Your strength is within yourself, and you don't have to fear being alone, because you won't be alone forever. The negativity in your relationship is not your whole world, it is just a part of what you are going through now. You need to trust yourself and overcome that hurdle. Realize that you can do it and there is nothing that will hold you back. If you want something bad enough, and you want out of the relationship bad enough, you can. You just have to be ready to deal with some difficult times, but it's going to be a lot better than what you are dealing with now. I am healthier on so many levels. Physically, mentally, and emotionally healthier. I am happy with Samuel. I see friends who haven't seen me since I was in the middle of it, and they say I am a completely different person. For my friends to see the difference, makes me happy. I am changed, and yet I am the same. It's my choice.

Standing in front of me were eight cops, a slew of firemen, and several EMT's, and I couldn't decide if I should have my boyfriend arrested. As I hesitated, one of the cops said "If you don't turn him in, you totally wasted our time." That was the push I needed. "Okay, go arrest him." I said brazenly. I spent the next year living as an angry version of myself. The first six months I remained celibate, and lashed out at any guy who tried to talk to me. The second half of the year, I began drinking heavily, smoking lots of pot, and doing cocaine. I was going out and sleeping with a bunch of random people. I was being reckless, and I didn't realize at the time that it was making me feel a lot worse, instead of better. My salvation came from a good friend who had chosen to take a break from drinking, smoking, sweets and a slew of other daily habits. She did it for religious reasons, and I decided to follow suit as a show of support for her. Choosing to do that made me realize my triggers. When I was stressed I reached out for a drink or some other substance. When I was feeling lonely, I wanted to go to a bar and have random sex with somebody. It was a really big learning and growing process, and I had to face the fact that it wasn't me. Yes, I did my part in provoking him and I chose to stay in the relationship throughout the abuse, but at the same time, it wasn't me, because no one should act in the way that he did. It was like a lightbulb had turned on in my head. I started working for the NY city alliance against sexual assault, and I realized I could take that bad energy and turn it into something good. It was incredibly healing to put together a manual to help prevention practitioners become involved in the community and show them how to locate factors that lead to domestic violence and gender violence. I stopped looking at the experience as something negative and learned that you grow from your experiences. I was able to see that everything Afro/Latino

Berks Women in Crisis 255 Chestnut Street 610-373-1206 Monday thru Friday 8pm to 5pm 23

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CHECK BALL *3 on 3 tournament*

When: October 25th Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm Location: Reading High School Gymnasium Boys and Girls grades 8-12 Registration: Reading High School Lobby When: October 15-17 Time: 3:30 pm- 5:00pm Cost: $10.00 per person (MUST HAVE A TEAM OF 4) *guaranteed 2 games* DJ, FOOD and PRIZES!! Contact: Ashley Giddens - giddens88@gmail.com Rashida Suber- Maminme22@gmail.com Tanisha Giddens – 6107635840 This is to benefit the Reading High School Girls Basketball players entering college

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