On Wednesday December 9 at 10:30 CST, during the Governor’s Nonprofit Leadership Conference, Business Boomer’s live webcast will feature a distinct panel of leaders to discuss collaborative efforts that stimulate socially innovative activities in order to help answer this  question:

How will Sonal Shah, head of the White House Office of Social Innovation create a national agenda sparked by efforts on the ground that can spread across the country and line up with other successful global initiatives such as the United Kingdom’s Office of the Third Sector and Canada’s growing Centers for Social Innovation?

WATCH…LEARN..ENGAGE

Anne DeHaro, Public Affairs Director and host of Clear Channel Radio, will be facilitate a discussion and field questions from an online audience as she interview panelists Andrew Wolk, CEO of Rootcause, Elizabeth Darling, CEO of One Star Foundation, & Stacy Caldwell, Executive Director of Dallas Social Venture Partners.

Dallas District 5 councilperson Vonciel Hill tells Councilman Caraway and Friendship-West not to meet in here district.  The Dallas Morning News cited DallasSouthNews.org as the first news outlet to report on Hill’s memos.

Eric Johnson releases a new campaign video in bid to unseat Terri Hodge in Texas House 100.

NBA/WNBA Fit Challenge Regional Competition is held at Moorland YMCA.

Tom Joyner Foundation and Ford look to raise money for Paul Quinn this weekend.

Lorrie Irby Jackson reviews Raphael Saadiq’s concert at House of Blues.

“So In Style” Dolls of Color are a big hit for Mattel.

Wade Emmert, Cedar Hill council member, makes a run for the GOP nomination in Dallas County Judge race.

and more……

Make sure to check out DallasSouthNews.org EVERYDAY, where people go to find out what’s going on in Southern Dallas.

The open house will take place Thursday August 27th from 6-8 PM. We encourage members of the community to attend to find out more about the newest member of the local media and the unique way that we plan to cover Southern Dallas.

Please RSVP by email to info@dallassouthnews.org

What: Dallas South News Open House

Where: DSN Newsroom @ Southside on Lamar

1409 S. Lamar Dallas 75215

When: Thursday August 27th 6-8 PM

L.N.Rock African-American Political Pundit

I’ve been following Rock for a long time. He holds nothing back and can speak on any and every political topic. As publisher of the blog African American Political Pundit, Rock was a fellow DNC Blogger in Denver last summer .

He has also championed the cause for appropriate use of tasers/stun guns. And on top of all that, he hosts an entertaining show on Blog Talk Radio, AA Politcal Slugfest.

Carmen D. - All About Race

Carmen and I hit it off as soon as we met at Blogging While Brown last year. She brings a wealth of traditional media experience to the new media space through her blog All About Race.

Carmen takes a sensible and straight foward approach to discussions on her blog revolving around the sensitive topics. And I like the fact that you can never assume which position Carmen will take on a given issue.

Pam Pohly - Everyday Citizen

I met Pam at the Democratic National Convention, and there couldn’t be a more genuine person around. She has collected an impressive array of contributors at her website Everyday Citizen, including local bloggers Janet Morrison, Gerald Britt, and Larry James.

Pam has also become an expert on social media, using it as a vehicle to organize, recruit, and help promote progressive causes.

Wayne Hicks - Electronic Village

Wayne is one of the deans of the Black Blogosphere. Besides his inspired work at Electronic Village, he’s helped bring a semblance of order to a space that thrives on chaos.

As part of the AfroSpear, Hicks has helped standardize processes and moderate discussions. He also created the Black Blog Rankings. And don’t sleep on Wayne’s selections on Old School Friday each week.

Michael Davis - Dallas Progress

Mike D has used his blog Dallas Progress as a vehicle to distribute information and enact social change. From tearing down drug houses to shuttering hot sheet motels, Davis is constantly seeking ways to make the community safer and more vibrant.

He sits on the Dallas City Planning and Zoning Commission, arguably the most powerful board at city hall. I’ve admired Mike since finding his site three years ago.

Robert Wilonsky - Dallas Observer

I guess it’s fair to say that I started following Robert Wilonsky on the radio (The Ticket) as opposed to on the web. His movie reviews (”that film was terrrrrible”) and fill-in Entertainment News appearances are always fun.

But I do catch Wilonsky in the Observer, or at least on their blog Unfair Park. Maybe I like Big Bob because his toughtful style is a lot more tolerable than the inflammatory ways employed by some of his colleagues. And Wilonsky is kind of the unofficial keeper of Dallas Blues History.

Pam Spaulding - Pam’s House Blend

Pam is a tireless champion for the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Americans. She is consistently ranked at the top of the Black Blog Rankings for her blog Pam’s House Blend, which is always steaming.

Recently Pam and a group of advocates met here and drafted the Dallas Principals, which seeks full civil rights for the LBGT community. Pam is taking the fight to President Obama and other federal officials.

_

Shawn P. Williams

cordially invites you

to join in a special night

celebrating the

Third Blogiversary of

Dallas South

Friday, the Twelfth of June

Two thousand and nine

Eight o’clock in the evening

Bishop Arts Theater Center

215 South Tyler Street

Dallas, Texas

Kindly RSVP by June 8th

Carla@dallassouth.com

On Saturday June 12th, Dallas South will celebrate our 3rd anniversary at the Bishop Arts Theater Center in Dallas. Since we celebrated our 2nd birthday at Brooklyn last year, Dallas South has attended the DNC Convention as a credentialed blog, appeared as a weekly Ranter on Channel 8, and appeared in the Toronto Star, BBC, Quick, and D Magazine.

Help us celebrate this wonderful year on what promises to be an exciting night. We’ll also talk about Dallas South News, our nonprofit news venture.

All are invited and welcome to attend but seating is limited, so it’s important that you RSVP if you plan to attend. To do so, leave a comment on this post, or email carla@dallassouthblog.com. I’ll have more information about this exciting event as it becomes available.

Here’s a video up on YouTube shot by ZayeChannel.TV during the Get Into the City last week.  Mark it as a favorite and please share with your peeps.  Photos are forthcoming.

But we are now called to a new task.

Right now Dallas South is in the midst of a transformation, where we will move beyond simply commenting on the news to create more original content. It’s something that already takes place here, but the new venture will allow us to do so on a greater scale.

We will utilize the non-profit news model that has already been launched in other parts of the country. Think of it as our very own NPR specifically focused on Southern Dallas.

Some websites that already use this model include:

St. Louis Beacon

Chi Town Daily News

Voice of San Diego

MinnPost.com

In the Senate hearings held yesterday on the future of journalism and media, Chi Town Daily, Voice of San Diego and Minn Post were all referenced.  Chi Town Daily News specifically has been integral -by example and direct consult- in our examination of this model.

So today, I would like to make the Dallas South Family aware of our intentions to launch Dallas South News. Dallas South News will be a nonprofit organization utilizing technology, journalistic principles, and social media to empower and inform diverse communities.  We will provide news coverage in the areas of local politics, education, health, housing, as well as commentary on state and national politics.

As traditional journalism struggles through a transformation period, we want to create a vehicle that will deliver news and commentary in the new media reality. This will only occur by utilizing innovative technology, social media, and the best professional and citizen journalists. It is important that people of color are not left behind during this transition. We must embrace new media to make sure that this does not happen.

On May 2nd, an Advisory Board convened to examine the feasibility of Dallas South News.  This diverse group, which included writers, community organizers, attorneys, social media experts and local citizens all felt that this was valuable way to proceed in the present condition.  I will share more about the Dallas South News Advisory Board in the days to come.

HOW CAN YOU HELP

The Dallas South Family has always been there for us when we have needed you, and I expect that to be no different in this endeavor. In the short term there are 3 ways that you can help.

1. Donate

Nonprofit does not mean free. Launching a news organization will require setting up a newsroom and bringing in paid journalists to cover underserved communities as mainstream media outlets reallocate their resources.

We have set up a PayPal account where you can make a donation to this cause today.  We are in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) status, so your donation will eventually be tax deductible.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of the month. One hundred donors of $100 would be nice, but if we learned anything from the last Presidential Election, it’s that small donations add up. If you are not able to give $100, we’ll take five on it.

You can make a secure donation via PayPal by clicking on the button below. If you would like to make other arrangements, please email dallassouthnews@gmail.com.

2. Volunteer

In addition to paid journalists, Dallas South News will recruit an army of over 100 volunteer bloggers, reporters, and citizen journalists to write about Southern Dallas (definition of coverage area will follow)  as well as state and federal political news that affects those areas.

If you would like to write about your school, church, neighborhood association, or community in general please let us know.  Volunteer journalists will be asked to submit 1-4 articles per month.  Periodic training session will be held to help transfer writing and reporting skills as well as journalistic values and principles to volunteers.

If you are interested in participating or know someone who may be, please email dallassouthnews@gmail.com

3. Click on and Spread the Word

It’s important that we drive up the traffic at dallassouthblog.com during this period.  Please visit Dallas South everyday, and tell everyone you know about our endeavor.    I will supply updates as often as possible, so stay tuned.

As always, thanks for your prayers and support.  Without you, this would not even be possible.

Shawn P. Williams

Dallas South