Jason A. Michael
Jason A. Michael is a senior staff writer for Between The Lines and Pride Source Media Group. He has been writing for BTL since 1999. Jason is also an Essence bestselling author. He may be reached at [email protected].
Ferndale florist elected Chamber chairman
FERNDALE – The Ferndale Chamber of Commerce unanimously elected floral designer Jerome Raska to a one-year term as chairman in January. Raska owns Blumz, located at 853 E. Eight Mile Road, as well as a second store in downtown Detroit, with his [...]
Minor Planets to headline benefit for boycotted store
MASON – She was boycotted for being gay friendly. Now, the proprietor of Davey's Basement, an independent music store in Mason, is hoping the support of gay-friendly folks across the state will help her keep the doors open. "The boycott that has [...]
Race Matters -If you agree, group needs your help
DETROIT – The year was 1999; the place Oakland, Calif. Alice McKeage was attending a Creating Change conference and dropped in a session sponsored by The Color Triangle, a Chicago-based group that examined racism in the LGBT community. It didn't [...]
NCAVP releases annual report on anti-LGBT violence, announces new training academy
DETROIT – On April 26 the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs released their 11th annual report on bias-related incidents targeting LGBTs in the U.S. The report shows a 4 percent increase in incidents for a total of 1,792 in 2004, compared [...]
Detroit gets first GSA
DETROIT – Nearly a year after Detroit Public Schools CEO Kenneth Burnley gave his blessing to the formation of Gay Straight Alliances in Detroit schools, the first GSA in the city has been formed. But it's not at a public school. The Cesar Chavez [...]
Local youth group puts new spin on national Day of Silence
DETROIT – Some simply took a nap, some played video games, and some searched for loopholes and spoke in sign language or scribbled notes. But for the most part, about 20 young men and women from the Ruth Ellis Center sat quietly in Palmer Park for [...]
And then there's Bea
For many of us, she'll always be Dorothy Zbornak. But for the naive and young, it's important to note that the career of Bea Arthur did not begin with "Golden Girls." Her big break came way back in 1964. Night after night, in her supporting role as [...]
Dionne does Detroit
Her career has spanned four decades and her amazing catalogue of classics has earned her half a dozen Grammy awards and the admiration of millions across the globe. Dionne Warwick is truly legendary and she returns to Detroit April 17 with a show at [...]
Custom ponds bring peace and tranquility to any yard
Kevin Thompson stumbled into the business of creating custom ponds by accident. "I went to St. Louis and they have great public parks there," he recalled. "They have waterfalls and ponds and I said, 'I can duplicate this.' So I went home and tore my [...]
The season of rebirth
Spring has sprung! Well, spring has sprung figuratively, if not literally. But the best way to help it along is to actually spring into action. Now is the time to tackle all of those projects you've been putting off since the end of last summer. [...]
Makeup artist teaches tips of transformation to REC youth
Khon Artist puts the finishing touches on Mahogany, a 20-year-old regular at the Ruth Ellis Drop-in Center. BTL photo: Jason Michael DETROIT – The goal was to teach anyone who wanted to learn how to get a flawless face. Fashion and makeup expert [...]
Nightclub fire called suspicious by Kalamazoo officials
KALAMAZOO – A popular Kalamazoo nightspot caught fire last week, causing an estimated $75,000 worth of damage. Firefighters from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety responded to call from Brothers bar, located at 207 E. Stockbridge Ave., at [...]