Posted by TheBlackList on March 16, 2009 at 1:38pm
Tonya ‘Miss Right Now’ Ellington:Is This Modern Day Racism? African-American Owned Organization Initiates and Sparks Interest in Stopping the Youth from Cursing, but Caucasian Man Obtains All of the CreditNorth Charleston, SC, March 14, 2009 -- Imagine an entity coming along saying that they have invented the Big Mac®, after McDonald’s® so poignantly formulated the Big Mac’s great taste and unique sauce, so one might understand why African-American founder, Tonya ‘Miss Right Now’ Ellington, of grassroots organization Stop Cussin LLC Campaign – a campaign that was spiritually birthed in 2005 in the Bronx, New York, would find it to be appalling that, after creating the campaign that she professes was ‘ordained by God,’ a campaign that Ellington took time to put the special ingredients into and made to be not for a profit, has been taken by Caucasian California resident, Brent Hatch by way of his son, McKay Hatch, as they started The No Cussing Club in 2007 and have seemingly turned it into a for-profit circus, while gaining all of the national accolades for something that was in existence long before the thought of profiting from some one else’s (the community) pain, and utilizing it to simply be catchy and gain national attention, which, in turn would equate to the possibility of dollars. Using the pureness of a campaign that was initially started as a way to uplift youth from all walks of life, and not only stop them from using profanity as a way of conveying a message, but teach them that there are opportunities that extend beyond what they see on television, hear in a song or may even witness in the confinements of their own neighborhood.
"I have done this from my own pockets – no corporate sponsors, no fanfare, no wanting to use children as a pawn for me to make a profit – because I have a son that is about the same age as McKay Hatch, but I know that in order for this to be effective, it has to be spearheaded from an adult. I have ‘community sponsors,’ people that give their time to the cause because they, too, want to see their communities uplifted. It is deeper than cussing, so for anyone that may think that we have bigger issues in the world than just cussing, think again. The bigger issue is that we are now allowing television, radio and negative elements in the community to raise our youth, and that is what the Stop Cussin Campaign has always been about since its inception – challenging the minds of our youth and certainly profanity is one element that has an adverse impact on how they may think and feel, and if we can achieve restructuring their minds and what comes out of their mouth, then we have won half of the battle. You can imagine how I felt when I saw Brent Hatch and his son, McKay Hatch, on the Dr. Phil show in 2008. Hatch appearing to be an opportunist using the opportunity to exploit his young son, who was totally oblivious as to why he wanted for others to join him in not cursing. I became completely numb, and wondered why they received the national coverage, but my organization has been in existence before theirs. I also thought of the possibility of them tarnishing all that myself and my campaign has worked hard to achieve through our countless of city to city workshops, seminars, health fairs, church and community events, while also rewarding the youth with free giveaways to keep them encouraged, with us never asking for any money. The interview clearly showed a young Hatch being uncomfortable with what he was saying, while the elder Hatch also seemed nervous as well. The son, who now seems to be left to fend for self these days, admitted that his dad still uses profanity in the home! So how can you not practice what you preach, unless your efforts are in fact for a profit?"
While Ellington, who is no stranger to the media, as she has spent most of her life as a television and radio personality, as well, she has received local and out of state coverage through newspapers, online radio interviews, local television interviews and online news sites, is not blaming this solely on race, she cannot help but wonder that if she had been of another race, would she have gotten into the national public eye a lot sooner with her efforts that have never been about recognition, but about raising awareness to help her expand in the helping hand process that her campaign would be able to lend to communities throughout the U.S. and abroad. As a woman of business, she has not only sent a Cease and Desist letter to Hatch for clearly infringing upon her campaign’s concepts, but has also called and spoken to the man with whom she feels has stolen from her campaign for personal gain – which proved to be evident when she was unpleasantly greeted with a mind boggling statement such as; ‘wouldn’t a campaign such as this seem better coming from my son?’
Keeping with Stop Cussin LLC Campaign’s mission of being ‘dedicated to continue our works as a grassroots organization with creating opportunities, rebuilding the community back together as a village and empowering every young and elder person which crosses our path. We know firsthand what the communities yearn for and are so desperately in need of…Even though our mission has been spiritually birthed in 2005, our hard work from then until now is making a difference and leaving an inerasable mark for Love, Hope and Character. We will not be sold for a price. The future of our youths and elders depends on us taking a stand for what is right, not the "Price is Right!"’ With the above mentioned being stated, Ellington asks that Brent Hatch does the only right and respectable thing, and that is to admit that he has taken her campaign’s idea from a conceptual stance and immediately donate any ‘for-profit’ funds to the Stop Cussin LLC Campaign to help the youth and enter it into the hands of people that are desperately in need of the assistance, while also allowing donators to their campaign to actually see where the money is going, and what it is going towards. She also requests that communities, Hip-Hop and organizations alike, boycott The No Cussing Club – an ‘organization’ where you really do not know where your donation dollars are being spent. Be it racial division, nationally, or be it politically driven, Ellington would like to make it known here and now, that the Stop Cussin LLC Campaign is the only true and unique campaign of its kind (nationally or locally), with pure intent and that ‘they will not be MOVED!’
For this exceptional community activist and Stop Cussin LLC Campaign founder, Tonya ‘Miss Right Now’ Ellington, to conduct interviews, speaking engagements, workshops and panels, community and church events, please contact Theresa c/o Stop Cussin LLC via e-mail atstopcussin4kidsstaff@yahoo.com or gadams.sccstaff@yahoo.com or respectively, you may send all queries to Stop Cussin LLC, P.O. Box 61016, North Charleston, SC 29419 or visit www.stopcussin.com / www.youtube.com/tonyae411 for more information.
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