HOUSTON-BASED ENTREPRENEUR LAUNCHES “MELANINPEOPLE” – A NEW SOCIAL MEDIA APP FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY
Created by Adeyinka Adegoke, MelaninPeople is a social networking app designed to connect a range of Black and brown individuals, businesses and professionals.
MelaninPeople is a social media app that aims to connect Black and brown people within one convenient media network. The platform connects black people worldwide to increase socio-economic awareness and foster business and professional relationships. The app is designed in such a way that individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations can promote their brands to the community.
According to the CEO of the company, “Culture is one of the most vital tools used to bring humans together.” MelaninPeople recognizes the need to connect and welcomes people from all professional backgrounds, including music, entertainment, medicine, faring, fashion, engineering, and beyond. Although the app is all-encompassing, users can easily narrow down connection preferences by honing in on their specific field. The good thing about this app is that anyone can use this app including non-blacks who love the black community and want to support with positive energy.
Upon downloading the MelaninPeople app, users can create an account (personal or business account) based on their preference and socio-economical goal and instantly enjoy the membership benefits. With an interface comparable to other social networking platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok etc, communication is done through short-form videos (30 seconds max), pictures, magazines, podcasts, and private messaging.
MelaninPeople also has a digital marketplace, in which users can buy and sell various products and services. Users can also post and share links of their favorite videos, music, and current news and events. The posts are shareable to other social media platforms.
The MelaninPeople app provides a platform for people of color to produce original content and have freedom of speech. In this particular season that we are in, expression without restriction is vital. Future plans include providing a way for the users to monetize their content using tokens. Our goal is to reward our users said Adeyinka who is the CEO and founder of the company. “We will be doing this through a monetization and token-based system in the second or third quarter of 2021.”
Small black businesses will be able to promote their products or services and get it into the hands of more customers when this feature gets launched. We are fully aware that the majority of black and brown people all over the world use apps daily as content creators and get little to nothing in return as monetary value. The MelaninPeople app is strategically positioning itself to revolutionize this.
“As MelaninPeople, our spending is projected to grow significantly in the years ahead according to Nielsen,” says CEO and founder Adeyinka Adegoke. “Since 2000, the African-American market has seen a 114% increase in buying power, which was estimated to be $1.3 trillion in 2018. In fact, the minority markets in the United States Of America have a combined $3.9 trillion buying power, according to Newswise (2019).”
Adegoke created MelaninPeople in response to the need for a singular, digital meeting space for Black and brown people. He envisioned an online community where people of color could socially interact while supporting each other’s professional goals without restrictions. Adeyinka comments, “I wanted to hire a professional plumber for a big project that ran into thousands of dollars and really desired to support a Black-owned business just because I am aware that there most black businesses do not have the same leverage as their counterparts.” It was very difficult and challenging to find one. I did not find any despite looking for them on other social media platforms. It is very a stressful activity to search everywhere on the internet for something that should be found easily in minutes.
We just get too busy living and watching others live that we forget the one who gave us life. So we’ve been turning living rooms into life rooms. So, make room. -Jonathan McReynolds
The global pandemic of COVID-19 has turned life upside down around the world. Regardless of your norm, it has been impacted by the spread of the coronavirus and the pandemonium brought on by the pandemic. Believers are limited considering many if not all states are enforcing shelter in place orders that restrict gatherings of more than 10 people. To comply, churches of all sizes have resorted to streaming their weekly services. This in turn brings the church “home” as never before seen in the 20th or 21st centuries. As Jonathan McReynolds says in his “Life Room Anthem” “we’ve been turning living rooms into life rooms” indicative not only of the setup in which he recorded his critically acclaimed album, but the fellowship that takes place when worship and devotion take place outside of the church building, thus intentionally making room for the Lord in their daily lives.
The new normal for worship services. Photo by John-Mark Smith from Pexels
For believers experiencing this new normal, their connection to church as they know it is hard wired to wireless devices and telephones. While technology isn’t always heralded as ‘divine’, this interruption is perceivably so. Church as we know it and have come to know it hasn’t only changed, it’s changing. As ministries work to perfect their streaming capabilities one question lingers, will congregants run back to the church building?
Make no mistake about it, the church will never be closed, so long as ‘go ye’is still in the bible!
This season of quarantine is also one of reflection as believers may embrace the idea of watching instead of attending church. Giving is a snap regardless of church size and some ministries have even reported an increase in giving. The online access many churches have now made part of their operation has netted new viewers and congregation members. The word is going forth and reaching further than before, with little to no one actually inside a church building. Make no mistake about it, the church will never be closed, so long as ‘go ye’ (Matthew 28:19-20) is still in the bible!
Now go, be the church!
What believers are discovering during the quarantine lockdown is the unprecedented opportunity to be(come) the church Christ has always spoken of. This church not only serves as His ambassadors, but His interest. While you can imagine that ministry leaders would be more relaxed while leading from home, there is even more urgency to get the word out. Shares of weekly services are on the rise and though done digitally, “church hopping” is a thing now, and not at all chagrined. With grim news releasing each day, believers are sharing their faith more boldly and frequently as opposed to keeping it bottled up in public, yet effervescent in church gatherings.
The quarantine has also given the church a chance to purge from itself the impurities of social life that sour the weekly worship experience alluded to when choosing to skip church services. For starters, there are no cliques to make you uncomfortable and exclude you from the best experiences of the congregation. Secondly, there are no seats to claim or be kicked out of by the more seasoned or prized saints. In fact, your seat while watching church online is probably the best seat in your house! Thirdly, all the saints we’ve said need to ‘get out more’ finally have a chance to do so. This relief is beneficial even for church staff who are normally encumbered by their weekly workload. One of the greatest benefits of the lock down is the newfound perspective, when you diversify your online church viewing experience.
You’ll discover just how big the Kingdom is and how vast the Christian experience is by way of online broadcasts and social media. Other ways this quarantine has unexpected benefits to Christian living are the broadcasts, themselves. Services are stripped down, and our denominational differences are stripped away. Many of the tenets of in-person worship service aren’t applicable now (even communion and confession). Pope Francis has suggested that Catholic faithful take their sorrow directly to God in lieu of making confession to a priest during the lockdown.
The church’s connection to the world has come down to the Word and worship…simplicity is working to the saving of souls. And at least for now, solidarity is on the rise within scattered congregations. Members are looking to their leaders for instruction and direction instead of the norm of lodging complaints about what they aren’t doing or are incapable of doing. This worst-case scenario is bringing out the best in leaders some would consider to not be the best.
Lord, send a revival
During the lockdown, church gatherings aren’t essential, but make no mistake about it, the church is! Church is more “open” than it ever was before the COVID-19 lockdown that transformed life for everyone. It’s as if this shaking will cause the church in America to re-examine its true roots. Grassroots gospel is what revolutionized the first century church. Any rejection of an adjusted worship experience wreaks of idolatry. Perhaps ministries worship the act of worshiping together rather than the Lord, Himself. Shelter in place orders are not an ungodly affront nor are they an attack on first amendment rights. What is ungodly is the lack of wisdom that knowingly puts lives in jeopardy. Consider the collateral damage experienced by congregants and leaders who were recently affected after attending large gatherings in Louisiana, Arkansas and Michigan.
Please be advised, the American church is not being persecuted. The American church is being asked to play its part in flattening the curve, that’s all. Our counterparts in other countries are under persecution. Not even Muslims are experiencing persecution, as this futile argument would suggest. Earlier this week, footage was shared of authorities in India interrupting a service at a mosque because of the unsafe numbers. What the American church is experiencing if anything is a shaking and even a revival. This may seem implausible with much of the country sheltering in place, but the people of God that emerge from the quarantine lockdown won’t be the same believers. There’s no way they could be. Think less of the lockdown as isolation and more as incubation.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22 KJV
The focus now isn’t on our church buildings, clothes or personas. It’s in the way we reach God and allow Him to reach us. It’s about what it should have always been about, a personal relationship with Christ. How you achieve isn’t as important as where you may achieve it, right there in your living room…believers, it’s time to make room!
New Indie Streaming Social Platform set to launch at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival in Austin, Texas
Dousic Media Group
Dousic Media Group (DMG), is set to launch its new Dousic Social Platform at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival in Austin, Texas between March 10th thru 13th, 2019, located at Booth No. 1239, Halls 2-5 in the Austin Convention, where the newly upgraded Dousic website and App will be unveiled.
Dousic is an interactive social media platform that engages users with a diverse discovery experience. In the Dousic community the public can personalize their content and creators can monetize their products.
“With Dousic we wanted to create a social media platform for people like photographers, models, authors and musicians, so that they have total control of their destiny by owning their brands and products via the website and the App. In addition, Dousic is a fully functioning social media platform giving users a wide variety of connectivity such as chat, audio or video calls, all in one convenient location,” said Michael Ferguson, DMG Executive Vice President/Founder.
DMG Founder and CEO, Brian Moore, emphasized that “the Indie Music Industry has been trying to find its footing for some time and from where I sit there is still a clear lack of understanding of how to ensure that Indie Creators get an even playing field and are being properly compensated. Accordingly, we have designed Dousic to give them back brand control and content ownership.”
Following on from SXSW, our future website and App enhancements will ensure Dousic is a place where Creators maintain full ownership and control, giving them stronger leverage when in negotiations with Record Labels.
Dousic’s Mission is to provide a global hub for an interactive and personalized entertainment experience. We are committed to helping Indie Creators reach their full potential. https://dousic.com
No! He Couldn’t have…why is this even a thing? Over the weekend, a story surfaced alleging that Kirk Franklin tried to kill his oldest son Kerrion. The story was generated by a startling post Kerrion made about his dad while in Los Angeles and has since been picked up by Black Christian News, Ebony Magazine and passed around online by other news outlets. Why Kirk Franklin would be trying to kill his own son is beyond me; however, his son seems to think so and made it public in a now deleted post.
Kirk Franklin is a very proud dad of his children with his wife Tammi and gushes over them on and off social media. I used to regularly see Kerrion’s posts when we were friends on Facebook, and he almost always presented Kirk in a negative light. I don’t follow his new profile or Instagram account which was the platform of the latest, outlandish bombshell, so forgive me for not being able to provide much more detail. What I did notice on Facebook for a number of years was the simmering angst brewing against his dad. For what reason remained unknown to me and I didn’t want to pry because in reality, I’d never personally met the him.
How did they arrive at this impasse? Early on, Kirk made mention of his son in his recordings-one of the first to ever shout out everybody in a single song! For all we knew, Kerrion was a part of and the youngest member of “The Family”. Now, he’s estranged from his famous father and infamously grabbing headlines. Further review of Kerrion’s Instagram gave me a little insight as to where he is in life and it’s not on the same page as his father. While Kirk is a “Church Boy” who has for all intents and purposes lost his religion, his son has focused his energies on a different plane and is the antithesis of almost everything his father is known for to the world.
Fathers and sons… There’s no hurt like a fractured relationship between parents and children. Sadly, it occurs far too often within the black community. Inside the microcosm of the black church, the devastation is much more pronounced, as Kirk Franklin has also bore witness to. The greatest hurt and strongest reaction seems to be from sons. Kerrion is taking the damaged relationship to heart and as a bystander with no knowledge of why the two are estranged, I don’t have an opinion to share.
Instead, what I do want to offer is hope…hope that these two are able to repair their relationship for the sake of the gospel as well as their quality of life. Kirk has survived the ‘fight of his life’, but what about Kerrion who may be encountering the same but doesn’t draw inspiration, but agitation from his father’s worldwide ministry?
Let me be clear, I like Kirk Franklin. He’s a good dude, in my opinion. Has he made mistakes, of course and many more than we know about (as is the truth for all of us). I just need him to get together with The Family and all will be forgiven (I mean it, too)! For many people, the ongoing saga of father and son has persisted under the radar, but this latest episode has struck a nerve and is being promulgated by Christian and black media. Bolstered by the pervasive social media “gotcha” journalism of today, the story is blown wide open.
Not just a nudge… In Hebrews 10:24, the Apostle Paul tells us to find ways to provoke one another to good works and I want to do that here. Without knowing the ins and outs of the cause of the estrangement, I believe that it would be advantageous for father and son to quell their beef. In Malachi 4, the prophecy comes forth as the great and terrible day of judgement. As a reprieve, the Lord promises to send them Elijah who will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to their father. While you may argue that this coming day is far off, what is inarguable is the effect of the relationships between fathers and their children. To this end, this restored relationship will spare the earth from being smitten with a curse.
The older I get, I have come to understand fatherhood as part of a spiritual awakening, as detailed in my Father’s Day podcast. There’s some level of drama and trauma concealed within the recesses of every family. Whether its covered or not, we owe ourselves and our families the privilege of healing the hurt, reaching beyond the break and repairing the breach, to the saving of our soul! I do hope and pray that Kirk and Kerrion can heal their relationship.
Though it took many years, Kirk has healed his relationship with David and Tamela Mann, working together on hits like: “Take Me to the King” and her Grammy winning “God Provides”. I still await the day we all see a full reconciliation with The Family. He has shown that he can right his wrongs and grow beyond the missteps of his youth, I anticipate the same with his son! I don’t think Kirk tried to kill him (as stated on Instagram), but they do need to repair that relationship, it’s a black eye on all the positive Kirk does for the Kingdom!
It may take a while, but everybody needs to “get on this train” and see Jermaine Dolly as the uber-talented musician and singer that he is. His musical gift is often overshadowed by his comedy in the witty videos seen across social media but “The Dolly Express” rides the wave of musical genius emanating from the city’s rich musical history! The album is solid but the most surprising track is “I Don’t Wanna Be Moses”, a sentiment undoubtedly shared by most believers with knowledge of Moses’ late years.
“From the success of “You” people wanted to know how I got to where I am, today. I tell ‘em Jesus Christ did that. I come to find out that a lot of people are intrigued by the thought of Jesus Christ. So I’m like now you’ve gotta find a church home to learn more about Jesus Christ. So I’m just inviting people to church and putting a positive light on the church and Jesus Christ”
Encapsulated in the 12-track album is Dolly’s genius to date! Fun tracks like radio singles “You” and “Come and Knock On Our Door” (inspired by the “Three’s Company” theme song) are bookended by his multi-voiced, hilarious skits. Following the last skit, the album takes a more focused turn, one away from the “fun” songs that have characterized Jermaine Dolly since making the leap to become a solo artist. The caboose pulling the tail end of “The Dolly Express” is a four song tour de force featuring some of Dolly’s best singing and exposes his heart!
The Philly heart of the album is exposed in each of the four ballads that end the album. “Waiting” is an incredible ode to patience in the face of today’s challenging times. The bouncing vamp is reprised on the next track and the album closes out with Dolly recounting his journey that began with the words of his grandmother. Dolly’s roots shine through as a lover of both gospel and soul music. This ride is a nod to all the great music from the city of brotherly love. From the musical arrangements to the vocal harmonies, it’s a Philly project through and through! The most lovable feature of the album is getting to know the full depth and range of an artist like Dolly. He’s cracking you up on social media, but he’s a beast of a singer, writer and musician and the Dolly Express perfectly sums it all up!
