Saturday, July 25, 2009
One of the Most Underrated Documentaries: STAND
In this Travis Smiley documentary filmed the summer of 2008, STAND examines the question of the black man's position in American society in the context of Barack Obama's campaign for president and the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. As Tavis takes a roadtrip with some of the most prominent African-American intellectuals including Cornel West, Wren T. Brown , Michael Eric Dyson, and Cliff West they discuss everything from the influence of black culture on the world to the shift that has occurred in the black community. The stories shared and the poignant moments of the group standing on the balcony where MLK was assassinated create a much needed film tackling the issues that are still staring our society in the face.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Even a MacAurthor recipient is pulling the "race card"?
When will we finally agree that racism is alive and kicking? This week has been all about Gates, Obama's much needed response, then a bunch of talking heads trying to get the whole story. We are tired of discussing whether or not this was racism--it was. A Harvard professor who has dealt with race issues within academia and his own life was present at the event in question, so why are we still trying to get the whole play-by-play of whether this had to do with race or not? Must read OP-ED piece by Stanley Fish--much more compelling and persuasive:
>>http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/henry-louis-gates-deja-vu-all-over-again/
Thursday, July 23, 2009
An exhibition of Emory Douglas' works during the Black Panther movement: 7.22.09 - 10.18.09
Must attend. Lets recognize black-history beyond its alloted month! More than 150 posters created during the Black Panther movement.
Vestiges of Hitler on Fox News?
Fox News host stumbles over racist epithets when commenting on the impurity of Americans. The rant does not last for very long nor does he make much sense, but it surely is revealing of our society.
What? Where is the connection between inter-racial marriage and purity? If this doesn't have undertones of Hitler, I don't know what does. Apology or not, these views are around us. In Brooklyn we live in neighborhoods filled with inter-racial couples and we can only imagine some of the comments they are subject to.
Check-out his week-later apology:
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Why was a renowned Harvard professor arrested for entering his own home?
We know why: discrimination. If you had never heard of Henry Louis Gates, now you have. Henry Louis "Skip" Gates is one of the greatest intellectuals of our time. Currently a Harvard professor with a burger named after him, Gates is an educator, writer, editor and Director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African-American Research. Accused of breaking into his own home, Gates was arrested for exhibiting "loud and tumultuous behavior." When the police arrived they told Gates they were investigating a break-in, when Gates immediately responds, "Why because I'm a black man in America?" Gates did not hold back on the police and with reason. We're wondering why the call was even made in the first place? Misunderstandings can happen, but no matter how much we want to beat around the bush; this incident was a product of our racist society. Now how much of this situation was due to race? Who knows. It is for certain that Gates' arrest had an element of racism.
Journey for Change: Chris Rock's wife works to empower teens in Bushwick
Last summer thirty kids from Bushwick, Brooklyn traveled to South Africa to grow into civic leaders within their Brooklyn communities. So the travel down to South Africa in the hopes of achieving some kind of enlightenment gets a bit old, but The Angel Rock Project seems to be taking a new approach in breaking the vicious cycle of underprivileged communities in the United States. Taken to poverty-ridden areas struggling with AIDS, these thirty Brooklyn students are exposed to worse living conditions and given a chance to give aid rather than receive. The aim of the project is to create confidence and global awareness for students, who in our society, fall into the vicious cycle of poverty. The article below discusses a bit of the experience and the surprisingly unwanted return home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
