In the summer of 2005 Hip-Hop artist/producer Kanye West released the single “Diamonds are Forever,” which debuted on his second album “Late Registration.” The song talked about the children who lived in the African country of Sierra Leone who were involved in the conflict diamond trade. During the late 80’s, up to present day, the people of Sierra Leone have been enduring some difficult times. It is the courage, unity, and faith among the people that is allowing them to overcome. Before the 1980′s, much of what was going on in the western African country was not known to many in the United States. West’s song raise awareness to the things that have been going on in the country for centuries. One young man who has dedicated his life to raising awareness about what’s taking place in Sierra Leone, birthed his vision to make a difference in the lives of his people. Godfrey Coker has dedicated his life to helping the citizens of Sierra Leone, Ghana, and other parts of western Africa. His father wanted him to escape the difficult times that had ridden the country for almost a decade. After Coker left for America, his father passed away. Coker’s passion to make a difference for his people goes deep within his soul.He plans to build a clinic in the spot of his old home, which was destroyed in the midst of the conflict in Sierra Leone. His desire to help others often stems from meeting the basic needs of his people.
“The people in my country don’t have running water, hospitals, and decent food to eat. I want to give back to the place that birthed me,” said Coker. When he came to the States, Coker found himself living in a hotel and trying to make ends meet. Things turned around for him and he would make his way up to Indianapolis, Indiana to attend school. Coker would enter school at IUPUI where he would maintain a 3.9 GPA because he realized the importance of time. “In Africa, time is everything to everyone. That is why Africans work so hard at everything. I wanted to make sure that I worked hard in my studies because time was very precious to me,” said Coker. As the years passed Coker recognized a need to make a difference in the lives of those who were still suffering at home. In 2007 Coker created a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization called House of Restoration Africa. The organization is committed to providing programs that focus on educational, recreational, and developmental needs geared to empowering families.
Coker will be partnering up with the Super Bowl XLVI and hip hop legend DMC of the legendary rap group Run-DMC to trhow the event at the Walker Theatre on February 3rd at 8pm. Coker and DMC became friends after meeting when DMC was in town last year for an Adidas autograph signing session. The event will also feature performances by DMC and local artists who won the Super Bold Battle of the Band competition. The winners will serve as an opening act for DMC. 100% of the proceeds will go to the House of Restoration Africa. To find out more about how you can help House of Restoration Africa you can reach them at www.horafrica.org.
When I married my wife, I had to talk to her about a deep concern I had about the whole wedding process. This concern was something that I felt we had to settle before moving forward. It wasn’t concerning the ceremony or the planning process. It wasn’t even about the guestlist or participants of the wedding. No, I wasn’t concerned about the venue or even budget (errr. I mean, what working black man aint concerned about the budget?) 
