Phillip Vassell was born in Jamaica and has been living in Canada since 1975.  Vassell is the brilliant co-founder, editor, and co-publisher of Word magazine, established in 1992.  It is one of the first urban Canadian magazines and the first torontonian leading magazine in this realm.  It was created out of a need to showcase and give voice to black urban culture.  Prior to Word, Phillip Vassell worked five years at CBC (Canada’s national public radio and television broadcaster) as a journalist, editorial assistant and researcher.  At the time, Mr. Vassell saw and still sees himself as a "journalist" and wants to be acknowledged as such, "not as a Black journalist". While at CBC, Phillip decided to look at the hiring practices of mainstream media outlets and found that there was an under-representation which didn’t reflect Canada’s diverse population.  In this regard, he, along with his wife Donna McCurvin, thought that it was important to create a magazine which gives another perspective.  Word reflects the Arts through music, film, video, literature and visual mediums. Word looks at Art from a black and urban perspective.  Among many others, Mr.  Vassell has interviewed well-known people such as the legendary Quincy Jones for Word magazine.  As for the future of Word, Vassell believes that his publication is like Motown where music is made by Blacks and has found a universal audience in the process. This is based on surveys conducted by the magazine which revealed that a 45-50 percent readership is from non-African backgrounds.  For Vassell, Black urban culture is universal.

Dr. Jennifer Caudle is the woman that you want your daughter to become.  The word "impressive" doesn't do justice to what you see when you study the life of Dr. Jennifer Caudle. As if being a physician isn't already a powerful achievement, Dr. Caudle is also a highly-accomplished cellist (she performs with orchestras in cities around the U.S) and also Miss Iowa 1999-2000. After speaking with Dr. Caudle [a cum laude graduate of Princeton University] at length, I got the sense that she values the idea of having a life worth living, and is determined to also give back to her community in the process.   She has pursued excellence for her entire life and brings much-needed expertise to the African American community, particularly on matters of health and education.  The child of two teachers (one being a high school principal), Dr. Caudle reflects the discipline and educational excellence that represents the very best of what the black community has to offer.  The physician is not a one-trick human being, and she also shows us that we can do anything we put our minds to.  [This interview was conducted in February 2011]. 

The Apprentice Interview


A Tête-à-Tête with Trump’s New Apprentice

Thirty four year-old Randal Pinkett was born in Philadelphia, PA but raised in East Windsor, NJ with his brother, Dan, by his parents, Elizabeth and the late Leslie Pinkett. A relative newlywed, Randal currently resides in Somerset, NJ with Zahara Wadud-Pinkett, his wife of just one year.   Dr. Pinkett holds five academic degrees, including a Bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Rutgers University; a Master’s in computer science from Oxford University, England as a Rhodes Scholar; a Master’s in electrical engineering, an M.B.A. and a Ph.D. from MIT. A proud member of the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, he firmly believes that "to whom much is given, much is expected."   So it should come as no surprise that prior to becoming Donald Trump’s new Apprentice, Randal Pinkett had already established himself as an entrepreneur, speaker, author, scholar and community servant. He is the Co-Founder, President and CEO of BCT Partners, a multi-million dollar management, technology and policy consulting firm based in Newark, NJ.   

Born in Jakarta, Indonesia on August 15, 1970, Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng is a lecturer at the University of Hawaii’s College of Education but is perhaps better known as the sister of Barack Obama. Named after the poet Maya Angelou, Maya has just published “Ladder to the Moon,” a picture book inspired by her young daughter Suhaila’s questions about the grandmother she never knew, Grandma Annie.

Here, the First Sister talks about both her best-seller and about her family, including what it was like growing up with a big brother who would one day become the 44th President of the United States. 

Travis Knights was born to dance.  He is a native of Quebec.  His father is from Trinidad and his mother from Nova Scotia.  Everything began for Knights in Montreal.  He started tap dancing in 1993 at the age of ten at the Ethel Bruneau Dance Studio in Montreal.  It is important to note that Mrs.  Bruneau, called the «Tap Queen of Montreal » by the late Gregory Hines, is the pioneer of tap dancing in Quebec.  Knights was inspired as a child to become a tap dancer after seeing the legendary Gregory Hines pay tribute to Sammy Davis Jr. and he hasn’t never looked back.  He danced with the great Gregory Hines at the reputable Montreal International Jazz Festival in 1996.  Knights studied the film « Tap » and on stage he did a couple steps from that picture in the Jazz Festival.  In this respect, his talent was recognized and he appeared later with Hines and Savion Glover (one of the youngest males to be nominated for a Tony Award) in the biopic movie Bojangles (2000) which portrayed the life of the late performer Bill Robinson, considered the greatest tap dancer of all time.  In 2000, Knights was featured in a CFCF TV documentary about dance Variations on a New Generation in which he represented the realm of tap across Canada.  In 2006, Travis Knights was chosen to dance in the Warner Brothers animated movie « Happy Feet ».  In 2007, he became a tap consultant for the Cirque du Soleil’s first dance research project and performed at the Vancouver International Tap Dance Festival.  The same year, he was involved in the Vancouver International Tap Dance Festival.  In 2008, he appeared in the TV Commercial for the popular show So You Think You Can Dance.  The same year, he was cast as a soloist in a touring show called « Wonderland:  A Tap Tribute to Stevie Wonder », and he realized a dream by performing at The Apollo Theatre in Ayodele’s Diary of a Tap Dancer with Jason Janas.  On February 12th 2010, Knights along with Justin Jackson, another native from Montreal had the honor of tap dancing at the Opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver.  As of last spring, Knights joined the famous international Australian troupe Tap Dogs  (for a North American tour) which had a great impression on him since his childhood.  He danced with this troupe in 2010 at the Just for Laugh Festival (the third time that Knights participated at this great event) in Montreal where he started the tour. Moreover, he appeared in popular Quebec shows such as « Bons Baisers de France » and on Christiane Charette’s radio program on Radio-Canada.  Knights also collaborated with a myriad of great Canadian artists such as Grégory Charles, René Simard, Patrick Huard and others.

Alvin “Dwayne” Ross is known in the U.S. and internationally as an expert cosmetologist. During his 18 years as a stylist, his passion for hair color has fueled him to accomplish many notable goals.  In September 2000, Dwayne’s reputation attained national status when the American Board of Certified Hair colorists appointed him a “Master Haircolorist”.  To achieve this goal, one must be a licensed hairstylist and pass an extensive exam that covers chemistry, physiology and psychological aspects of hair color. While maintaining his clientele in both Manhattan and Los Angeles, Dwayne took on the challenge of teaching hair color in New York City. He instructed the core basics of the science of hair color, color correction, troubleshooting, and the advance techniques to licensed professionals all over the country.

Dwayne’s commitment to mastering the art of hair color reached its height in March 2001 when the Los Angeles County Cosmetology Apprenticeship Council named him “Master Cosmetology Trainer” which means he is qualified to privately teach students to become hairstylists in the state of California. These students benefit from working side by side with a “Master Trainer”, receiving personalized attention as well as being introduced to a unique and exciting approach to the craft of cosmetology.

This new approach to teaching is in tune with Dwayne’s philosophy of giving back to the community. He enjoys spending his time working with others by lending his talents to several charity events and causes such as celebrity fashion shows and mentoring youth. As a mentor, Dwayne’s enthusiasm inspires those around him to set high standards of excellence.

 In May 2006, Dwayne Ross opened his own salon “Verve Lounge Hair Salon” in Beverly Hills. Team work is an integral part of this salon’s ethos and success.  It is also important to mention that Ross’ business has a social aspect.  For instance, in the past the Salon raised money for cancer.  Mr.  Ross currently works with celebrities and fashion models in the film and television industries. He has created amazing hair styles for prominent people, such as Heather Locklear, Kate Beckinsale and Jennifer Lopez.  He recently joined the prestigious Cloutier Agency.  Also, lately he was recently featured in the March 2011 issue of the well-known Sophisticate’s Hairstyle Guide Magazine.  Mr.  Ross has an easy but confident approach and demeanour which have ensured a faithful clientele in the entertainment industry. We spoke to Mr.  Ross the 7th of February 2011.