a great escape from the winter doldrums. >> good night everyone! >> i'm rick williams. >> and i'm melissa magee. tonight/saturday on visions 2015. >> we meet the new leaders of some historic organizations serving the community. >> and check out local entrepreneurs making a difference in the tech sphere. >> plus we serve up places to dine on west african cuisineand introduce you to >> the first black bachelor who hails from philly it's a special visions 2015 tonight/saturday at 730 on 6abc. >> hi, everyone and welcome to our special visions 2015 celebrating african american history and culture. >> we're here at faaji restaurant in lansdowne, pa where they specialize in nigerian cuisine. >> it's smelling great. >> we'll take a tour a little later but first a look at the black lives movement. >> it's been sweeping the nation in the wake of the deaths of michael brown in ferguson, missouri and eric garner in new york city. >> and philadelphians are taking an active role in the debate in more ways than one.

>> black lives matter!!on >> on martin luther king day, this year, as many as 7000 people marched on the cityhands up! don't' shoot! >> it was the launch of a local coalition called m-l-k >> 50 years later after selma, we're still marching for justice, still marching for jobs, still marching for education. >> and it's the goal of mlk dare to fight for improvements in all three areas calling for equity in state education funding. >> the budget cuts over the last four years have disproportionately affected black students across the >> a doubling of the minimum wage to $15 an hour, an end to the police stop and frisk policy and an independent police review board. >> the police are not going to police themselves. they don't tell on one another and they're sworn to protect but they're more interested and vested in protecting one another than they are in protecting the community that pays them, and that's a >> we have to deal with this whole question of mistrust. >> rebuilding trust between

police and community is the goal of president obama's 21st century task force on policing >> we need to talk about use of force policies. we need to talk about this issue of oversight of the police. >> police chief charles ramsey is the co-chair and philadelphia was the 2nd stop on a 5 city listening tour to get feedback from clergy, civic leaders and citizens. >> there's been no more serious time, no more serious focus and no more serious opportunity than right now to take on this issue. >> the task force will present its recommendations to the president on march 2nd. ramsey says they have six main areas of focus including ensuring the safety of officers and police training and education. >> joint educational opportunities with community and police together >> both task force members and the community coalition agree there is much work ahead. >> if the world is going to become a better place, it will be because everyone, not just people who are activists in the streets but people who are vested in the system also

decide that things have to change and that we have to have a shift in culture and attitude. >> the coalition is still working out details but planning a major public demonstration for april 4th around the issue of minimum wage. >> april 4th, you may recall, is the anniversary of martin luther king's assassination. >> on the subject of economic empowerment in the african american community, there are two new apps designed by local professionals that are taking community service hi-tech! >> first sharrie williams talks with some entrepreneurs helping families keep in touch with loved ones behind bars. >> it's called connect inmate. a free downloadable app created where families can conveniently send letters and pictures to family members that are incarcerated. for blair sandlain, owner of local fashion boutique pink elephant this was a personal mission. >> i started connect inmate because of my father battling prison his whole life. he went to prison when i was two years old and wasn't

released until i was 17. it was a big push for us to communicate as i became a teenager. you're driving, you have prom, graduation, you don't want to sit down an right your dad a letter. >> so her partners collaborated on a system to make mailing a letter a convenient digital process >> you would write a letter just like how you would write a text message to a friend. and you would attach pictures the way you would a text messge. >> letters are $1.50, pictures are fifty cents and connect inmate will handle all the fulfillment. the actual printing and mailing of the letters to the prison. with over 2 million americans in prison today, this app has broad appeal. >> with all the new technology now and kids on cell phones and ipads. there is no reason why they shouldn't be connected with their loved ones. >> we have 19k downloads on itunes and 7k downloads on android and we started what mid october so it's crazy. >> while the developers say they are not promoting bad

choices that lead to incarceration, but say the app is a way for families to stay connected. hopefully when you >> hopefully when you send someone to prison you want them to come out rehabilitated the only way that can happen in my opinion is if you have that dialogue between your loved ones. >> our next story focuses on a woman who has overcome life altering obstacles to achieve her dreams. >> now she's using her success to give back, creating an app that allows people to pay it forward. >> nikki johnson huston is a tax lawyer by day, civic activist by night and now an app developer on the weekends. she just released donafy -- a smartphone application that connects you directly to over 120 nonprofit organizations serving specifically the homeless population in >> in philadelphia this time of year your walking past people it's really cold outside people want to help but you don't know who to call. >> the app can connect you to local shelters like this one in spring garden in philadelphia and around the clock emergency shelter thrives on public support from

you and this app lets you connect directly to the families in need. >> you can hit notify and it will allow you to call them and let them know your location and that someone needs help. >> i created this app was to allow people the opportunities that maybe my family didn't have access to. >> in visions 2011 nikki shared her journey out of homelessness. now she shares her motivation for creating donafy with her husband. my family suffered from homelessness when i was a child. >> i grew up in poverty and one of the things i remembered from that experience is that we didn't know where to get help. >> nikki hopes to inspire a new generation of micro philanthropists by using donafy to donate one to $10 by just a tapping on your smartphone. >> all of us doing a little bit can have a really big outcome. >> and both apps, donafy and connect inmate, are on the apple app store and android for download. >> continuing with the tech themed businesses, we're going to introduce you to a young

executive who is poised help bridge the digital divide for people of color. >> brigitte daniel is the executive vice president of wilco electronics systems in fort washington, pa. >> we're a african american owned private cable company started in 1977 it was started by will daniel who is the founder & president and also my father and he was a pioneer and we have specialized in providing affordable technologies and cable services to communities that would otherwise have been underserved and overlooked by larger traditional media outlets. >> daniel and with help from university of penn, recently developed a stem based digital educational program to help children learn in the home so >> so ed-iq is an initiative and a tablet program that's evolving around android tablets that go in to the home for monthly subscriptions that parents can buy content and then offer it to their families. >> and daniel is not stopping there! she's seeking to close the digital gap for minority women with her new enterprise. as a

>> as a woman, as a woman of color in technology i started a program called mogulette, which is around bridging, mentoring and empowering young women particularly around the ages of 25 and 30 who would like to be tech entrepreneurs. we will partner with colleges and universities to host conversations we'll have mentorships. we're trying to bridge more people into this industry so that it's reflective and we stay a global economy not just for philadelphia, but as a nation. >> brigette daniel, under her mogulette moniker will be presenting at philly tech week this april. >> and how about this for a new business idea for the ladies? >> every women likes to get primped and pampered. >> but with busy schedules and demanding job, sit can be difficult to find the time. >> which is what happened to former attorney's zakiya black and nirvana dove. >> so they created a mobile beauty service right here in philly that comes to you. >> let's get our makeup >> it's called zyn beauty, >> when you're busy as a woman you're trying to find that balance, you know, mental balance, work balance, family life balance. and so our motto

is "the balance between busy and beautiful".and they're >> and they're bringing the salon to busy women across the philadelphia area.it's like >> it's like one stop shopping for beauty. >> the idea came to creators zakiya and nirvana, when they were leading hectic lives at a law firm. >> working late nights, crazy hours, trying to figure out which salons we would go to. or where we could get our beauty need met on our crazy schedules. um, we just started brain storming. what would make our lives a lot easier. we said it would be awesome if our stylist could come to us whenever we needed them. that's kind of where the idea was born. >> the services only need to be booked 6 hours in advance, perfect for busy women with changing schedules. >> we kind of pride ourselves on being available early late whenever you need us. >> it's nice to have the liberty to have someone come to you when you need them, especially for last minute things. everything from hair to make up is taken care of by a team of stylists. >> when you look good, you feel good. >> it really is true. >> we really want to change the perception of women to feel like you can do that, you can be beautiful everyday. >> great idea!

to book an appointment, just go to zyn beauty dot com. >> coming up on visions 2015, we'll show you where to find authentic west african cuisine.

>> welcome back to visions 2015 and our celebration of black history month. we are at faaji restaurant in lansdowne, pa. >> its' one of a number of west african eateries that have been opening up to serve a taste of home to the growing population of west african immigrants settling in southwest philly. >> kenneth moton takes us on a tasting tour. >> our first stop is kilimandjaro, a senegalese restaurantlike most of the >> time when we cook our food it goes by what we have cause in senagl we are on an island so we cook a lot of fish. we cook a lot of lamb and a lot of beefowner youma aisse >> owner youma aisse ba learned how to cook from her mother when she was only 12. >> that mean i don't go to school to learn how to cook i just you know cook what my mom

teach me dibi seasoned with >> dibi seasoned with onion sauce and yahsa chicken with white rice are favorites. >> i think i'm going to take this with me or i can just finish it here. >> and the national dish of senegal, chebu chen is a must have. how would you describe the flavor here?ah kinda little >> ah kinda little bit spicy little bit. >> and there's that kick!african small pot which hosts a multitude of west african dishes. >> african small pot is uh like my dream come true. >> owner abgarrahmane had his culinary roots in italian food, but with encouragement from his chef, khandie, he began cooking african food. with staples like someveta. >> you make it with goussa soupand jelofries. >> the brown rice we make with tomato, little spicing, oil, sauce, then you put everything together making our way to >> making our way to landsdowne avenue there's faaji which serves nigerian food.

the restaurant has snacks such as meat pies what we have >> what we have inside is uh, ground beef, carrot, and potatoes. >> dishes include foo-foo, a sort of african dumpling made from ground grains or yams dishes include foo-foo. >> you could have it with fish, chicken, or assorted meat >> and acara. >> its made from um black eyed beans and um fried with onions and some spices and pepper.in um english language mean, entertainment. yeah a place of fun. >> and not only is it a fun place for some it's a taste of home. >> there's so many people that haven't been to nigeria in a very long time. once they taste it they're like wow. they bounce back. they remember back home. >> and we have a tradiotional nigeriam dish. >> when we come back, an exhibition that spans 200 years of african american art >> plus a new book on an historic north philadelphia theatre.

>> welcome back to visions 2015. and faaji restaurant in

lansdowne, pa. >> with black history month upon us, a new exhibition at the philadelphia museum of art is celebrating over 200 years of african american artwork. >> here is tam edwards with a look. >> the exhibition titled represent, is a retrospective look at the african american experience through art. it features more than 75 works by more than 50 artists. this includes work um by artists like uh henry tanner, horace pippen, jacob lawrence, um alma thomas, barbara chase riboud and artists who are still um very active and, and >> beginning with works of art from both enslaved and freed african americans during the 19th century, the exhibition transitions into the harlem renaissance and then into more contemporary forms of art. >> we have works from the uh, the 40's the 50's the 60's, many of them abstract pieces. black artists, just like other artists um, uh not of african descent um were interested in exploring abstraction as a way to communicate their feelings, their emotions and sometimes their politics. >> all of the artwork in the exhibit comes from the museum's permanent collection.

this piece, regularly on view, is henry tanner's annunciation. >> it's the first work by an african american artist to be acquired by a major museum in >> one of the reasons why tanner is able to create his work is because john wanamaker of wanamaker's department store you know helped support him. it really shows the commitment that this city had to supporting artists of african descent, very early on. >> the collection on display is just a small part of a much larger catalogue, which includes four major essays that touch on a variety of artistic themes. >> i hope that people see the broad spectrum of african american artistic production that legacy, that history is very deep in this city and very deep in this institution. >> the art museum is one of philly's most historic venues but head a little north and you will find another gem that has fallen on some down years. >> the uptown theater has been part of philadelphia's culture since 1929 when it opened its doors. >> lisa thomas laury caught up with the author of a new book that shares stories of uptown's impact.

>> today the uptown theater is closed, sitting empty for nearly 10 years. plans to renovate the building are underway remnants from its past glory still remain. >> the uptown theater is just as important to the history and culture of philadelphia as american bandstand "joy ride! >> "joy ride! the stars and stories of philly's famous uptown theater" is an ode to author kimberly roberts formative years growing up in philadelphia. >> the uptown rivaled harlem's apollo the uptown was actually technically superior to the apollo. >> all the better to see and hear the stars from smokey robinson to james brown from the temptations to the supremes, the book includes 11 rock and roll hall of famers sharing their memories. some hilarious, others salacious. >> you will read about some really bad fights between patti labelle and the blue bells and the supremes, it got nasty. >> the outrageous is just part

of the story. the theater was also prominent on the nationwide network of black theaters. >> this was an important stop on the chitlin circuit and careers were launched, lots of >> hey were like dying, just give me one hit lord just give me one hit (prays) it wasn't even about being famous they just wanted to play at the uptown. >> the theater is now owned by the uptown entertainment development corporation. they are rebuilding the venue, restoring its original beauty. >> bringing back uptown, will it happen? how will it happen? >> yes it will we have started working on the inside doing a lot of the structural work. >> the plan is to reopen the theater in 2017 creating fresh memories at the "new" uptown for the next generation. what type of entertainment will we see? >> we will preserve the history of the rhythm and blues but we also want to do gospel, spoken word, hip hop. >> i just want the next generation or generations to

come you have to know what went on in there hopefully we'll be able to revive it and keep the history going. >> joy ride is available on amazon dot com and download for kindle. >> from theatre to television, one of philly's own is the star of a new reality show. >> he is being called the first black bachelor and he's on a national search for a match made in heaven. >> i'm a fan. >> aww north philadelphia real >> north philadelphia real estate entrepreneur shawn bullard is the bachelor in search of his bride in a new reality show that just >> shawn is television's first ever black bachelor it's epic >> it's historic, it's like upscale, it's upscale love. it's uh, you know, it's also a chance for the world to see black men, minorities in a different light. >> shawn has 24 young women to choose from. and the twist? a pastor officiates and shawn's mom doles out advice. >> in order to help him see beyond (cut huge pause) the boobs and the butts. >> ok?

>> shawn held a premiere watch party at miss tootsies soul food café on south street. and the hope is that a dating show can help change perceptions about african american men. >> with michael brown and eric garner, even travon martin with his hood on. you know, you immediately think of a black male as a threat. >> i'm a big guy, you know and, it shows that we can be professional, we're not thugs, we can be successful business men. i'm just hoping this opens the doors for other opportunities for minorities on film or television >> shawn won't give away the ending but says he did meet his match on the show. >> there's much more visions 2015 coming up, stay with us.

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on a new volvo. visit your volvo showroom for details. >> visions 2015 is presented by parx casino, proudly supporting black history month. >> welcome back to visions 2015. >> last year we saw a lot of changes in the leadership of some of philadelphia's historic civic organizations. >> here is vernon odom with a look at the new faces taking over these storied institutions. >> i'm minister rodney muhammad and i am president of the philadelphia branch of the naacp.

>> national association for the advancement of colored people is a social justice organization founded in 1908 but minister muhammad says it's mission still resonates. >> injustice has found its way into the 21st century. >> discrimination has found its way into the 21st century. police brutality has found its way into the 21st century. then the naacp and that fight must find it's way into the 21st century. >> he is the leader of the nation of islam's mosque no. 12 in philadelphia. he won election in december 2014 taking over for longtime naacp head jerry mondesire. there are still some fights. >> jerry started the fight to combat against voter suppression efforts for pennsylvania. that fights not over yet. >> i'm roz mcpherson, president and ceo of the urban league of philadelphia. >> their mission to increase economic empowerment for african-americans. >> the urban league is the bridge to possibility. we are the connectors of the business community to our community. in terms of jobs,

entrepreneurship, education, youth programs and housing counseling. >> they offer a career center. >> we help coach on resume preparation, we conduct mock interviews and we have corporate partners that come here to interview on-site. >> they present small business contract coaching, as well as leadership training for young professionals. >> we offer counseling. a lot about how to navigate the corporate world. >> it's been around since 1964 where dr. leon sullivan with one particular mission to help people help themselves. we provide a number of services here for the community. we have a hospitality program here in which we train men and women for the hospitality industry front desk management, housekeeping and culinary arts. and we provide ged classes for

men and women here in the city. and lastly, we are a designated keyspot, which means people from the community can come right here to 1231 n. broad street and receive free access to the internet. >> johnson looks forward to leading the charge in breaking the cycle of poverty set forth by oic philadelphia's founder and civil rights activist, the late reverend dr. leon sullivan. >> i'm excited to talk to tech companies coming to philadelphia because there is a way that about partnering together to do job training to help people who have been left out of the process. >> these organizations need one thing to keep running and serving the community. >> they need you to support and get involved when and where you can. >> well, hope you've enjoyed the show. >> we thank bola alade and her brand new faaraji restaurant for hosting us here in lansdowne. >> i'm melissa magee. >> and i'm rick williams. >> good night.

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joseph with this accu weather update. we're watching that mixing line, moving closer to the city of philadelphia, on double scan live radar to the north and west, through most of s southeastern, pennsylvania, it is still snow at this point. but right along i-95, to the south and southern new jersey, in delaware, we're seeing a mixture of sleet and freezing rain, as warmer air is pulling into the up are part of the atmosphere n fact we will look at double scan live radar and say what is this behind you. we will flip the mode here. thinks called the correlation coefficient medicine of double scan radar. basically what we are looking at is mid to upper levels of the atmosphere where you see particles that are the same. where you see that really smooth looking pinkish purple to the north and west, that is saying okay, thinks still all snow in coatsville, malvern,