Amir Windom LIVE from the 2011 UNCF Empower Me Tour!

CAN... YOU.... FEELLLLLLLLL ITTTTTTTTT!!!! I definitely can. Im truly feeling EMPOWERED!!! Amir Windom here.... Some of you may know me from my Bad Boy days... Some may know me from Def Jam-Kanye West days... Some may recognize me from my Atlantic Records-T.I., B.o.B., Trey Songz, Lupe Fiasco Days... Those things don't matter right now... Right now what matters is the amazing things that are happening on the 2010-2011 UNCF Empower Me Tour. Having the pleasure of being a speaker on this year's tour has been a blessing and life changing.

For some reason... As I’ve reached a certain level in my career, people assume that I don't want to learn anymore or I know it all. Maybe because I do spend a great deal of time doing speaking engagements, giving artist and people my opinion on music, etc. Pretty much I'm in a teaching role a lot of times... But, where do you think I get all that knowledge from?? LEARNING AND LISTENING!!

Having the luxury to sit on panels and spend quality time with my fellow DOPE (my word for Great) panelists has been an educational and enjoyable experience…. Sitting on panels with brilliant people like my Big Brother Al-Migh-Tee, Warren "The Walking History and Relationship Book" Ballentine, Chef Das Smith showing you how to throw down in the kitchen, or Mo and Kita (Seriously two of the DOPEST women I've met in my 26 years of living) telling you how it is being a SUCCESSFUL BLACK WOMAN in Hollywood... It has truly been a learning experience for me...

Just because I'm sitting on the panel does not mean I have it all figured out. I will always be a student of life and my fellow panelist and tour participants truly have become professors, sister and brothers and life coaches to me. I can only imagine what great impact they're having on the attendees. As I’m sitting on these panels EMPOWERING… you’ll also see me on my phone, jotting down golden nuggets that are coming out of my fellow panelists mouth… As they’re speaking and saying things… All I keep hearing in my head is “MESSAGE”… And I write it down.

We've been to about 5 cities now and at every stop... It gets better and better and better. I've spoken on many tours before, but I can honestly say... The Empower Me Tour has by far been the best one as far as ACCOMPLISHING AND EXECUTING THE MISSION. The tour organizers did a great job of getting speakers who just weren't just coming to talk about their life and their accomplishments. They got individuals who truly are interested in Empowering and Uplifting communities across the country.

Whether your age is 12, 24, 36 or 48... This tour can truly EMPOWER you... Whether you're coming to see the beautiful but shy Tatyana Ali.. Oops... Dont know if I was suppose to reveal she was shy.. But come, because I guarantee by the time you leave, you will realize she's more than just a beautiful face and good actress. She has a brilliant mind... (Hence why my childhood crush has turned into and adult crush…haha)

And ladies... Whether you're just coming to see your childhood or current crush in my Big Bro Malik Yoba... BRING IT ON.... I’m sure you’ve never seen in person the educated, talented, philosophical wise side of Mr. Yoba..... After seeing this side of him, your crush may turn into stalker tendencies... haha.

You can spend some one on one time getting your professional and personal life together with Trent Daniels, Chris Cooper and Craig Stokes.

The incomparable, outspoken, “Don’t say a word or you’ll miss something” Voice of Black America, Jeff Johnson has graced his presence on the tour as well. Jeff Johnson = EMPOWERMENT

And who knows... Ledisi might bless us all and BUST A COUPLE OF NOTES after she EMPOWERS you...

A round of applause for the tour organizers, sponsors who has made this tour possible, everyone who attended our previous stops and everyone that's going to attend the remaining stops!

Long story short... If you're looking to be EMPOWERED, ENTERTAINED, EMPOWERED some more and simply be a part of something great. WAKE UP!! IT'S HERE... THE 2011 UNCF EMPOWER ME TOUR! I AM EMPOWERED!!! ARE YOU?

-Amir Windom
A Music Executive, A Student of Life, A Philomath, An EMPOWER-ER, An EMPOWER-EE, A 2011 UNCF Empower Me Tour Speaker

Twitter: @awindom
Facebook: Amir Windom

Xavier University Welcomes the UNCF HBCU Empower Me Tour

We hit the road and brought the tour to the Big Easy making our first visit to Xavier University. As usual we met plenty of impressive students who were happy to interact with us, our sponsors and the experts and celebrities we brought to campus.

We heard great comments about the many workshops and panels and the opportunity to meet the tour participants up close. Here is a brief sample of some of the comments:

"My friend Alicia and I had a great conversation with Amir Windom. He truly inspired me to stick with my major and to stay focused!"

- Rosalyn, Sophomore, Memphis, TN, Chemistry Pre-Pharmacy Major

I enjoyed the cooking demo with Chefs Das and Kevin. Each one of them were unique in their cooking styles, and I loved hearing about their journeys to becoming chefs.

When sitting in on Define Your Pretty, I enjoyed the speakers and the topics. It was a great forum for us women, and some men, to just bring our confidence levels up and to feel even more empowered to take on the world.

- Ava, Senior, Philadelphia, PA, Spanish Major

Participating in the UNCF Tour was a very good experience. The lectures that were offered were very insightful and I feel as though they brought the Xavier community together for a quick second through all those that attended. In the end, I enjoyed it.

- Denitra, Sophomore

The UNCF Empower Me Tour was an awesome experience for myself and my peers. I enjoyed listening to successful African Americans share their words of wisdom with us. It was also a great networking opportunity! It's great to know that they really care about giving back to the community in a mentoring fashion. It was empowering and inspiring!

- Kelsey, Junior, Chicago, IL, Sociology Major

It was another great experience for the tour and the many participants who joined us. Thank you to all who made this tour stop a success!

The UNCF HBCU Empower Me Tour Is Back

We are back and better than ever! The tour kicked off at Hampton University - the real "HU" as they tell us - to start the 2010 - 2011 season of the UNCF HBCU Empower Me Tour. We were happy to start our third year at this historical campus that has always welcomed the tour with open arms.

We thought the best way to recap this tour stop is to bring you the impressions of students who attended the tour, the very people we are doing this for so without anymore delay...

NAJEE CARTER | SENIOR, PUBLIC RELATIONS MAJOR

“One thing I could really take from the Empower Me Tour was the fact that each speaker and representative of the companies that support the UNCF seemed genuinely interested in the well being of the students. I had a chance to speak with a few of the company representatives that travel with the tour and each rep shared some wonderful tips about the industry I hope to set foot in and even shared with me some possible internship opportunities. I loved the fact that this tour gave us students the opportunity to network with beneficent professionals.”

ELIJAH JONES | JUNIOR, BROADCAST JOURNALISM MAJOR

“I was fascinated with the fact that the tour focused considerably on the betterment of the students. It was refreshing to participate in activities that were designed to educate the students about how to reach success and it was amazing to meet speakers that were eager to share personal life lessons with us so that we may also become just as successful as they are.”

APRIL GEORGE | JUNIOR, MARKETING MAJOR

“The UNCF Empower Me Tour was an exceptionally fulfilling experience for me. It’s not everyday that one would run into an event that is put in place primarily to inspire African American students attending HBCUs to become more than they ever thought possible and unlock the strong leadership qualities in them, that fervent passion to succeed. The word “empower” means to enable and/or emancipate, and each seminar poured into each student a sense of self-assurance, liberating them from the shackles of low expectations society has bound them to. Every time I walked into an activity room, it seemed as if I could feel a wave of motivation and encouragement flow through the aisles and into the ambitions of each individual student. From the games in the Student Center Atrium to the heart-to-heart chats with celebrities that have already found their calling, the aura on Hampton’s campus emitted nothing but positive energy that lasted well past that weekend. I can honestly say that I am proud to have been a part of such a tremendous movement.”

TYRA CAMPER | JUNIOR, PRE- PHARMACY MAJOR

“The Empower Me Tour was an amazing and very refreshing experience. I was honored to attend a seminar entitled “Define Your Pretty” in which celebrity guests Kim Cole, Kita Williams, Monique Jackson and Tatiyana Ali graced us with powerful words of wisdom and encouragement regarding the African American woman’s perception of beauty. After attending that seminar, I left knowing without question that defining who you are enables you to unlock your special gifts and talents.”

MELANIE SPENCER | SENIOR, BUSINESS MAJOR

“I was blown away by the diversity of the companies that support the UNCF and traveled with the tour. From Wells Fargo to CNN, the tour gave us the opportunity to talk with professionals from a wide spectrum of career fields. I also loved the fact that each seminar/workshop was put into place to motivate the students to work diligently towards their ambitions.”

I don't think we could have asked for better comments or stronger praise. It was our pleasure to bring the tour along with our sponsors, presenters and all of the great people who help the tour come together to the campus of Hampton University!