When an award confirms the virtue of a cause at the same time that cause is dying the slow death of underfunding, there is obviously a problem.

Last week Attorney General Eric Holder honored Kenneth Barnes Sr. with the National Crime Victim Service Award, for outstanding service on behalf of victims of crime.

But even with that award Barnes, and his organization ROOT, Inc., face an uncertain future. “After getting the highest award you can get for victim services in the country I can’t even keep my lights on,” says Barnes who had to let staff go due to a lack of funding. My friend’s cause is one worth saving, because his story is truly remarkable.

“I had gone to school and was working for a degree in clinical psychology,” said Kenneth Barnes. “I was in my third year working on my doctorate, and then my son got murdered.”

In the aftermath of the murder of Kenneth Barnes Jr., his father tracked down witnesses, outhustled police and put the pieces together that soon led to an arrest and conviction. In doing so Barnes developed relationships on the streets of D.C. and learned that his family’s tragedy was not unique.

“That’s when I dropped school and dedicated my time to dealing with the insanity of this violence on the streets, the gun violence,” says Barnes. “I felt that there was not enough attention paid to our own everyday lives, especially those of our children.”

In 2002 Barnes formed Reaching Out to Others Together Inc. ROOT, Inc.’s mission is to motivate and mobilize communities to reduce the gun violence that plagues urban society. ROOT uses a three-prong approach to prevent and reduce gun violence and youth violence through advocacy, awareness, and education.

Their programs include the Community Level Change Project, the GUNS ASIDE campaign, Dunking Against Violence, and the Victims Assistance Task Force. ROOT also conducts monthly forums within the D.C. metro area to educate students about gun violence For the better part of a decade Barnes held workshops and seminars, and spoke in cities across America.

His work has inspired similar neighborhood and grassroots programs in other cities. And now Barnes feels he’s on the verge of seeing real progress.

“We have a bill out in Congress now that I feel real proud of,” says Barnes. “The Communities in Action Neighborhood Defense and Opportunity Bill, or CAN DO bill. “It is the only bill in Congress that’s addressing gun violence from a public health proactive perspective. Nothing else in this Congress is doing that.”

With the recent award from Eric Holder, a chance of getting his bill passed on Capitol Hill, and even a day named in his son’s honor, one would think that the future is bright for Barnes and ROOT. That is simply not the case though. Just as the accolades and acknowledgments piled up, the funding and support dried up as well. The current financial crisis has devastated non-profits and community based organizations such as ROOT. However the problem has less to do with the crisis itself and more to do with the fact that groups like ROOT were dragged out as the first sacrificial lamb to the recession.

The government tells us that some industries are too big to fail and therefore they deserve to be bailed out. Well I think some causes are too sacred to give up on. With jobs scarce and times desperate the burden to keep low-income urban areas safe and secure now falls on understaffed, overworked and underfunded causes like ROOT. And now they can’t even keep the lights on. But it doesn’t have to be like that. If you can spare a dime or a dollar please find it in your heart to send it to ROOT, Inc., and keep them alive.

Regardless of whether you can give though, please call the House Judiciary Committee and tell them to bring the CAN DO Act of 2009 to a vote, as a way of thanking Kenneth Barnes and showing your support.

For Future Generations… Rev. Lennox Yearwood President, Hip Hop Caucus www.hiphopcaucus.org

This is not a satire.This is not a joke.This is how this old brain feels.To hell with some of you young whipper-snapper Hip-Pop clowns. You make me not want to have any more kids and you make be fear raising the ones I have.Why?You’re wack!Need clarification? Here it is.I am from the third or fourth wave of Hip-Hop – aka The late 80’s or The whole 90’s so that everybody understands where I am coming from. I know very clearly what it is to be a part of radical changes in thought and radical action. And, I know what its like to be different and take risks in style, but this new era is taking it to new levels.First. You think you are sooooooo cool. I see you dudes in the street and you have this tight sag thing going on. What the hell is a “tight sag? It is where you wear clothing that is ridiculously tight yet you’re a$$ is still coming out. I don’t want to see that mess, man! I once rocked my saggy jeans in the 90’s, but THEY DIDN’T FIT LIKE SALT-N-PEPA’S SPANDEX!I look at you and I laugh – HA! Non-saggy jeans are nothing new. Run DMC’s Lee Jeans were “the brand that fits” – not the brand that hugged your sac like an old friend. (Pause for all you latent homosexuals looking to “catch” me with a pause moment. SMH.)Next, you kids wear these wildly undomesticated outfits like you never heard of complimentary colors. OK, I would give props if this sensibility didn’t originate in the 80’s. How do you bite the worst part of decade?Oh yeah, you are NOT rock stars. You cats dress like the hair bands of two decades ago – not the b-boys. If Axel Rose can’t bring himself back, what makes you think you can? You THINK you are original. Like I said, just about everything about you hipster hips was birthed in the 80’s, but it’s like you put you own soft, wussy twist to it. The ultra techni-colors of the 80’s were actually a gaudy negative in the 80’s, you dimwits! We didn’t rock that ish – people like Cyndi Lauper did. Anyway, we affectionately recall the 80’s, the spikes, the bracelets, the intermingling of punk/rock/rap, and we love it – in hindsight. That was “us” and we love it, because we lived it! But we never wore zoot suits because we saw Malcolm X doing it and never attempted to sequin it up because Earth, Wind and Fire did it in the disco era. The love and respect for James Brown was there, but I never straightened my hair to emulate those before me. I did once try to get an Al b. Sure curl kit once, but that was my moment of wackness and I’ll never do it again! Yo. If one of you wears a baby blue Muslim scarf (or whatever else you like such as a man purse), you are likely a true original that barrowed from another culture to enhance your swagger. If 10 people, who are in your crew, follow suit – you all are like-minded. But, when you are seeing the same baby blue scarf coast to coast – you are a CONFORMIST and probably a cult leader’s wet dream!Here is the part where I help you. I want you to destroy my era and me.  Back to Run DMC! Run and D dissed Michael Jackson when he was selling 25 million records and the King of Pop still wanted to record with them. They also destroyed all of the old jacks before them to the point where their styles were old and antiquated beyond belief. Cool is utterly decimating that which is before you – not stealing from it. Cool is paying respect for “your roots,” but taking it to the next level. My generation of Hip-Hop took our predecessors and mutilated what they did, but never bit. Run DMC called themselves the King of Rock – not rap – ROCK! Do you realize how audacious that was? Kurtis Blow was the King of Rap…but Run DMC is in the Rock Hall of Fame. Get where I am going?How am I, supposed to respect these “Millennials” if you can’t push Hip-Hop farther than we did in the 80’s and 90’s? You aren’t out-doing the 30-plus rapper crew and fail to stimulate minds like them. Lil’ Wayne’s druggie raps don’t count.Now, I don’t want to seem like I am too high on my horse. When De La Soul, Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest were all out and poppin’ to the fullest degree, I saw a similar deal. The difference was, people’s style was very sewed together by a common thread, but they weren’t all seen rocking the same “baby blue scarf.” Even the “follower,” of those artists didn’t copy “verbatim,” because they celebrated true originality.To end this on a positive note, I’d like to say, “I don’t hate you, young bucky beavers.” I simply and only want the best out of you. That is to push this ever-growing ship called Hip-Hop forward into deeper waters. I want to be AMAZED by you! Hell, I want you to amaze yourself. But, right now – neither is the case.Look at you all…fighting and arguing about Hip-Hop. Is it dead? Is it alive? Is Wayne as good as Jay-Z? Is Lupe the best ever? Blah, Blah, Blah! In my era, it was simple and clear. The 80’s – we knew who the illest were! Pre-1996, we knew who the illest were! These days, we only know who aren’t the illest.Young person, young hipster I have two words for you: destroy me.Good Guy aka Every Man is a columnist on AllHipHop.com and his columns appear every Thursday or when he sends them over.

This surprisingly dark comedy about a group of present day Boys in the Hood, stars Mike Epps as guff ball Brody, Wood Harris as wanna be-gangster Guch and Donald Faison as slacker Leo, the central figure. Set in South Philly, the “Next Day Air” chronicles a day-in-the-life of these three opportunist and unapologetic characters who are just regular hood dudes ending up in a do or die situation.

The supporting players create layers to the plot and these include performances by Debbie Allen, Lauren London, Emilio Rivera, Mos Def, Darius McCrary and Omar Hardwicke. After watching, the viewer should be able to appreciate the modifier of the title, “Next Day Air,” referring to a package being delivered by the next day.

Benny Boom, its director, created a visually and emotionally moving film. The story literally takes off in the first scene with Leo sliding out of his delivery truck, grabbing his next pick up. But this package is not flying nor is it being delivered on time. It’s thrown in a van with a weed-smoking driver and on the way the package gets bumped, bruised and thrown around and probably, opened. This creates the framework of the script, set against a myriad of characters and consequences as a result.

Yasmin Peliz (Chita) and Cisco Reyes, (Jesus) – the couple down the hall – are the original receivers of this package. These two are at the beginning of their drug selling business and burst onto the screen with zest and energy. Jasmin who never acted before is like fire in this role; even with the fabulously thin shapely body, Chita is a lady of substance. Ladies want to be her. She loved her man in her own way with powerful performances that flowed seamlessly as Whitney and Bobby-esque; down with each other to the very end. When the package comes up missing, Jesus’ a** is in jeopardy. The duo set out to find it in the neighborhood, by any means necessary.

The sequence of events that follow could be perceived as samples from storylines, references or scenes of other films done in a clever and original way. Still, “Next Day Air” is unique because of its relevant dialog and dynamite actors, each standing out while on screen. There’s a wonderful Pulp Fiction-like conversations between the middlemen, Buddie played by Darius McCrary and Shavoo portrayed by Omar Hardwicke. Then there’s the witty one-liners from the offbeat guy that never leaves the couch at Brody and Guch’s apartment similar to the character from “Half Baked.” Guch and Brody are running buddies and roommates. They can’t seem to get a good heist off the ground and desperately need a break when the package is brought to them by mistake. They act as if they’ve hit the lottery.

Upon watching it appears that maybe these two would have some kind of loyalty to each other but throughout the entire movie, the notion is dubious. There’s lots of weed smoking, gaught-busting and tightly dressed women to make the outcome interesting. But there’s also praying, philosophizing and hugging to make “Next Day Air” tender. This movie is definitely marketed to the grown Black and Brown audience with faces, references and gestures that suggest the younger and more mainstream crowd might now relate. But I suppose even general audience members can relate to how this movie ends; s### happens. It’s a great date movie with good-looking men and women to satisfy and yet it also tells a triumphant story that’s a must-see this weekend.

The trailer for “Next Day Air”

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