Karvis Jones is an Emmy Award-winning Production Assistant with more than 15 years of experience in sports and news programming locally and regionally. Karvis is a Production Assistant at Bally Sports South/Bally Sports Southeast (Formerly FOX Sports South/FOX Sports Southeast) in Atlanta. Before joining Bally Sports South/Bally Sports Southeast, Karvis was an Engineering Operator at WMC-TV in Memphis, TN. Karvis is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., National Association of Black Journalists, Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, Online News Association and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Karvis has garnered numerous awards and honors over the years. Recently, he won an Emmy for Sports Program Live for Hank Aaron Weekend in 2020 at the Southeast Emmy Awards. In 2018, Karvis was honored as a FOX Sports FOXIE Community Awards recipient. In 2013, Jones was named a Rust College Trailblazer from the Rust College Department of Mass Communications and Karvis was honored by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) as the Rust College Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year in 2012 and 2013.
Karvis earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications/Broadcast Journalism from Rust College.
Meet De’Yara “Buttagoharder ” Hardy, from Dallas, Texas. She’s a branded, independent, Music Artist/Writer/Actor/Stylist/Brand Ambassador, with several years of experience. With over 58 music award nominations, and 10 wins, for all of her work, it’s safe to say that she is a force to reckon with. Buttagoharder is also a self stylist, self taught make up artist and CEO of her own entertainment company, “Doe Gurl Entertainment”. She’s the Texas Brand Ambassador for the “RReport Magazine”, originating from Georgia, which is currently on shelves in a Books-A-Million Store near you, as well as a brand ambassador for “Daco Clothing”, based out of Dallas, alongside “Billionaire’s Forever Brand” Clothing Company, based out of Hot Springs, Arkansas. She’s also the face of the S.E.A Awards, “Rough Feathers”, official clothing gear, highlighting her as “Internet Hustler of the Year” for 2020. Currently filming in a couple of Movies, you can expect to soon see Buttagoharder on a big screen near you. Search her music on all digital music platforms. Follow on all social media sites @Buttagoharder and stay connected on Www.Buttagoharder.com
Rev. Dr. Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr. Historian, is the senior pastor of Historic West Mitchell Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia. A proud native of Atlanta and an honors graduate of the Atlanta Public Schools, Dr. Mason matriculated and graduated from Morris Brown College. He continued his education at Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) and earned Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science with a concentration in African American Studies and Archives/Museum Management. He is also a graduate of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta where he obtained the Master of Divinity and the Doctor of Ministry degrees respectively.
Dr. Mason, a seasoned educator for over 25 years has served as professor of history, college archivist, director and dean of students and Vice President of Student Services at both Morris Brown College and Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Currently, he serves as the Director of Library Service and Assistant Professor of African-American History and Religion at Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina.
Dr. Mason is the author of numerous books on the history of African Americans experience in Atlanta, Georgia and the South and has published over 10 books including Black Atlanta in the Roaring Twenties, Black Entertainment in Atlanta, African American Life in DeKalb County,Politics, Law and Civil Rights in Atlanta; Black American Series: East Point, Georgia. He has curated major exhibitions including the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Centennial Exhibition, Crowns and Gowns:The Legacy of the Homecoming Queen, Hidden Treasures:Black Photographers in Atlanta and served as a historical consultant on numerous PBS documentaries. Most recently under Dr. Mason’s leadership Voorhees College opened its museum documenting the college’s history. He also serves as the Liaison for Museums for the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
Dr. Mason served on the National Board of Directors of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation in Washington, D.C. which led to the completion and dedication of the monument on the mall in Washington, D.C in 2011. Dr. Mason is a member of numerous fraternal, social and civic organizations. An avid genealogist, Dr. Mason enjoys reading, local and international traveling, collecting black memorabilia and photographs, listening to music and researching his family history. He is the founder of Skip Mason Vanishing Black Atlanta Facebook Page and Book Club. Dr. Mason is the father of two wonderful young adults Jewel and Jodari. He gives thanks to God for his journey.
Osborne Bell Sr. was the first black Sheriff in Marshall County, MS and one of the first three black Sheriff’s to be sworn in- in the state of Mississippi. There is also a memorial marker just north of Hwy 4 on Hwy 309 south of Byhalia, MS marking the spot where Mr. Osborne was killed while on duty. Hwy 309 is also know as the Osborne Bell Highway. Osborne Bell was loved by many and is remembered for his friendliness and fairness to all. His political career began in 1967, when he was elected the first black coroner and served three terms as Marshall County Coroner (1967-1979). Osborne Bell was elected sheriff of Marshall County, Mississippi on November 6, 1979. He served his people with distinction. Sheriff Bell was a leader in law enforcement and in his community as well. He died in the line of duty on the morning of May 7, 1986.
Rest in Heaven Dear Uncle. I pray your legacy continues to live through us all.
Born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni. Jr, in Knoxville, Tennessee, Giovanni was the younger of two daughters in a close-knit family. She gained an intense appreciation for African American culture and heritage from her grandmother, explaining in an interview, “I come from a long line of storytellers.” This early exposure to the power of spoken language influenced Giovanni’s career as a poet, particularly her sophisticated use of vernacular speech. When Giovanni was a young child, she moved with her parents from Knoxville to a predominantly black suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio but remained close to her grandmother. Giovanni was encouraged by several schoolteachers and enrolled early at Fisk University, a prestigious HBCU (historically Black college or university) in Nashville, Tennessee. A literary and cultural renaissance was emerging at Fisk, as writers and other artists of color collaborated in cultural projects that explored and delineated the possibilities of Black identity. Nikki Giovanni is one of America’s foremost poets. Over the course of a long career, Giovanni has published numerous collections of poetry—from her first self-published volume Black Feeling Black Talk (1968) to New York Times best-seller Bicycles: Love Poems (2009)—several works of nonfiction and children’s literature, and multiple recordings, including the Emmy-award nominated The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection (2004). Her most recent publications include Make Me Rain: Poems and Prose (2020), Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid (2013) and, as editor, The 100 Best African American Poems (2010). A frequent lecturer and reader, Giovanni has taught at Rutgers University, Ohio State University, and Virginia Tech, where she is a University Distinguished Professor.
Born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni. Jr, in Knoxville, Tennessee, Giovanni was the younger of two daughters in a close-knit family. She gained an intense appreciation for African American culture and heritage from her grandmother, explaining in an interview, “I come from a long line of storytellers.” This early exposure to the power of spoken language influenced Giovanni’s career as a poet, particularly her sophisticated use of vernacular speech. When Giovanni was a young child, she moved with her parents from Knoxville to a predominantly black suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio but remained close to her grandmother. Giovanni was encouraged by several schoolteachers and enrolled early at Fisk University, a prestigious HBCU (historically Black college or university) in Nashville, Tennessee. A literary and cultural renaissance was emerging at Fisk, as writers and other artists of color collaborated in cultural projects that explored and delineated the possibilities of Black identity. Giovanni’s first published volumes of poetry grew out of her response to the assassinations of such figures as Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, and Robert Kennedy, and the pressing need she saw to raise awareness of the plight and the rights of Black people. Black Feeling Black Talk (1968) and Black Judgement (1968) explore Giovanni’s growing political and spiritual awareness. These early books, followed by Re: Creation (1970), quickly established Giovanni as a prominent new voice in African American literature. Black Feeling Black Talk sold over ten thousand copies in its first year alone.She publicly expressed feelings of oppression, anger, and frustration; in doing so, she found new audiences beyond the usual poetry-reading public.
Letha's Real Talk 