Coalition Building: A Multi Ethnic Tag Team That Works in a Big Way at a Big Event

Stelly and Forsloff of The Real Views Show Race No Factor in Getting Things Done

By Randy Stelly and Carol Forsloff

Reflecting the excitement and history-making moments of the Democratic Convention, the tag team of Randy Stelly and Carol Forsloff of The Real Views is helping its media outlet and New American Media cover sideline events in creative ways. Randy Stelly is now in Denver and has worked tirelessly helping to get ethnic media participants from NAM, to and from different events while his partner, Forsloff, handles day-to-day newspaper reporting and editing from Natchitoches and dispatches material to it directly from Stelly.

After an exhilarating evening watching keynote speakers such as Caroline Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Jesse Jackson Jr. and Michelle Obama give an introduction to convention events that will likely keep television and convention audiences keenly focused. Randy interviewed key African Americans from the communications and entertainment industries on Tuesday. Ed Gordon, formerly of Black Entertainment Network (BET) and Flo McAfee, Media Advisor to the Specialty Press, expressed their gratitude and awe of convention activities to date, both also stressing the historic nature of the occasion and their respective roles in it.

Like other African Americans at the Democratic Convention, Stelly has a story as well, from his background as a senior citizen, active in the newspaper business for 30 years, standing in a place at a time that his father and grandfather could only have imagined. Added to that, Stelly’s partnership with a Caucasian female in a small Southern community, Natchitoches, Louisiana makes for an interesting story that is outlined in a video interview available on The Real Views website at http://www.therealviews.com and on the New American Media website as well.

Forsloff, eager to participate personally, engaged in a telephone interview with convention participants featuring Flo McAfee, Professor Charles Ogletree of Harvard University, and Rick Wade, Senior Advisor with Obama for America. Since the Senate race of Louisiana is considered key to maintaining Democratic legislative majorities in next year’s Congress, Forsloff centered her question to Wade on the peak oil crisis, the economy, and Obama’s position on these issues relative to Landrieu’s involvement with the Gang of 10. Wade said that Obama will be talking about energy policies and issues while caucuses and specialty groups will bring corporate chieftains together with ordinary citizens to consider various alternatives for solving economic difficulties.

Ethnic media through New American Media hopes to build coalitions, and that is no better displayed than a multicultural combination at The Real Views. The Stelly – Forsloff tag team will continue to keep the troops informed and entertained throughout the next few days, as an example of a coalition that works in a season where their change is but a token of something even greater taking place in Denver.

Part II