Phenomenally U was conceptualized by Lacey C. Clark!, filmmaker, life coach, lecturer, and author, in 2012 in response to the proliferation of damaging, demoralizing and destructive images of women depicted on network and cable television programs. This event  was designed as a series of daylong activities and interactive discussions led by renowned activists, educators, authors, industry experts and parents. The goal is to enlighten and inspire teen girls and young women between the ages of 14 and 24, their fathers, uncles and other aspiring leaders to:

• Recognize and repudiate negative media images
• Embrace and replicate principles of self-love and self-respect
• Provide tools and resources for their holistic development
• Expose and encourage images of success
• Identify risk behaviors to eliminate incidences of domestic violence, dating violence, and intimate partner abuse whether it’s emotional, psychological, physical, sexual or financial.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Lacey C. Clark!, founder of Sisters’ Sanctuary LLC, is an expert in solving the communications challenges that exist between younger and older generations of women of color. She has created the Self-Love Movement and a Monthly Observance, The Self-Love Celebration Series for female youth of the Hip-Hop Generation, The Sisters’ Sanctuary™ Inner Beau-Tea Parties, the workbook/journal Celebrate HER Now! and the 5-disc audio collection Healing the Gap. She is frequently asked to share her insights and solutions for healing emotional and relational wounds and bridging the communication gaps created by our ever-changing culture. She has shared stages and platforms with Grammy© award-winning artist/actress and humanitarian Jill Scott; actor/author Hill Harper, poet/activist/author Dr. Sonia Sanchez; motivational speaker/author Les Brown; and psychologist Dr. Robin Smith of the Oprah Show. Her empowerment message and approach have been featured in Heart and Soul magazine and BET.

Carvin G. Haggins is a Grammy Award Winning and Multi-Platinum Selling Song Writer,
Producer, Engineer, Co-Founder of Karma Productions, Co-Creator of Forever Music Inc. and
the creator of Ethical Music Entertainment. The Philadelphia native has written hit songs for
Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Faith Evans, Justin Timberlake, Raheem DeVaughn, and Musiq
SoulChild. Carvin has always believed that the best songs come from real life experiences
and has earned a reputation for creating songs that “mean something.”

Tionna Tee Smalls is more than a relationship expert, she is an acclaimed entrepreneur, community advocate, writer, and past co-star of VH1’s reality TV series “What Chili Wants” that aired in 2010.
In 2007, Smalls released her first book with IUniverse publishers, a self service publishing company entitled “Girl Get Your Mind Right,” a book that encourages women to focus on the realities of dating and how to deal with members of the opposite sex.  Following the success of the book an updated version was released in 2010 after Smalls signed a new book deal with HarperCollins publishing. Smalls recently finished her first screenplay and is in development for her own dating reality show.

Marc Byers is the CEO and co-founder of Rockstar Entertainment, a management, marketing, and music publishing firm in Center City, Pa., that he started with his brother Sherman Byers. The bona fide music mogul helped launch Eve’s career, co-manages Raven-Symoné, and manages producers who have worked with Usher, Ciara, Chris Brown, and Justin Timberlake.

Kenyatta Henderson, FOX29 Photojournalist and Camera Man,  produced a number of music videos and documentaries at AIPH. He is the  Producer for the Laff Mobb Comedy Series which showcased Showtime comedians  such as Red Grant, Roz G, Mark Viera and many more.


Dr. Yumy Odom is Founder and Chair of The Frator Heru Institute (TFHI), a  non-profit community-based educational, scientific, charitable and social-change consortiums established in  1986. He is the founder of several unique and effective community-based initiatives, among them: The State Correctional Institute Educational Curriculum Project (SCI-ECP): Seminars in Knowledge & Praxis, which is a correspondence and on-site prison outreach program in Pennsylvania; The FHI Rites-of-Passage for Young Men (ROP-YM) and the ROP Facilitators Intensive Training Workshop (ROP FIT WS), which are the longest-running public ROP initiatives in Philadelphia,
PA. Mr. Odom is also the Founder of the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention, Inc. [ECBACC, Inc.] (“The first Black Comic Book Convention in the region”), and a founding member of the Black Male Development Symposium. He has raised two teen nieces as a single guardian.

 

Aalim Elitou, the devoted and loving father of three daughters, is known as a mutli-media genius wearing many hats in the industry, but mostly as a director, photographer and videographer with his company, iMAG Network. Under his company he also manages the career of his very well-known oldest daughter, Tweety Elitou, fashion blogger of Young, Hip and Chic. He will also be launching his latest project Inward Artist that is geared toward the true artists and the true art lovers, in 2013.