Tampa Bay Black Authors and Business Showcase

Rasheedah Sharif

ST. PETERSBURG — Join the St. Petersburg Museum of History for the Tampa Bay Black Authors and Business Showcase Sat., August 9. Meet and greet over 30 black authors and dozens of black business owners and non-profits, and enjoy a full free program of author’s speeches, book signings, and live entertainment.

This event is in support of National Black Business Month held every August, which was founded by Fredrick E. Jordan, P.E. and John William Templeton, executive editor or blackmoney.com, over 10 years ago.

Jordan and Templeton reasoned that dedicating a month to black business would best draw attention to their cause. They chose August after their research revealed it was the month in which most black family and social events occur. They also believed that increasing elected officials’ awareness of black business, at least one month a year, may help to yield economic policies that would be more favorable to African-American entrepreneurs.

Bring the whole family for free book giveaways for ages 5 – 14, provided by the weeRead Literacy Program and the Literacy Council of St. Petersburg and Rebecca Stewart of ReMax Metro co-sponsor.

One of the participating authors will be award winning children’s author and national screen actor, Kentrell Martin, who wrote the “Shelly’s Adventure” book series.

Below are some of the other scheduled authors:

Ann Thomas “The Consecrated Cocoon,” Dr. Bonnie Sapp “Passionate Pearls of Poetry,” “Barbara Sorey Love “Conversations in the Key of Me,” “Just Keeping it Real,” Bertha Jones “Favorite Bible Verses Hymns and Ballads,”  Bilon Joseph “Food for The Spirit,”  Chris Stignil-Race, “Faith and Politics,”  Devon Miller “Mr. Tickety Tockety Clock” (12-year-old published author), Donald Dowdridge “The Power of being a Winner,” Fred Hinton “One Minute Prayer for Women,” Fred Porter “Elixir from the Soul,” Jaden Amani “Cubicle Dairies,” Linda Mobley “Hate My Life a Teenager’s Story,” Marvin Merve Mattair “My Royal Swag/Viewing Life in High Definition,”  Maude Mc Donald “Poetically Blessed,” Michael Bryant “Losing My Religion, Gaining My Identity,” Omali Yeshitela “An Uneasy Equilibrium,” “The African Revolution Verses Parasitic Capitalism,”  Pastor Queen Hinkle “Hello Are You There?”  Randy Lewis “X-Box, Hip-Hop and Dreadlocks,” Rasheedah Sharif, “Don’t Come Down From the Chinaberry Tree,”  Sharon Tubbs “Living in the Pink,” Tracy Darity “The Red Bear Society,”  Veronica James “Words for Life Ms. James Pocket Wisdom,” Wendy Furst “Things That Make You Fat.”

Visit www.urbanexposureinc.com or call Rinita Anderson at (727) 515-5024 for more info. Admission is free to the public. Event will be held Aug. 9 from 9-4 p.m. The St. Petersburg Museum of History is located at 335 2nd Ave. N.E., St. Petersburg (on the approach to the Pier).

The Weekly Challenger Newspaper, 1150 AM, WTMP urban radio station and WEDU are the media sponsors.

This event brought to you in part by: Urban Exposure, Inc., Magnuson Hotel and Marina Cove, State Farm Insurance-Dean Robinson, The Cross and the Anvil Literacy Program, Annie’s Beauty Supply, St. Pete. Business League, Matters of the Heart, Smokehouse Barbeque, Sylvia’s Restaurant, DSI Black Pages and many others supporting the black community.