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Community Calendar

Editor, Our Time Press
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Community Calendar

Monday, June 25th
Michael Bennett: Things That Make White People Uncomfortable
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture @ 1PM. Join the Schomburg Shop as we welcome NFL player and activist Michael Bennett for a lunchtime conversation and signing on the release of his new book. Bennett adds his unmistakable voice to discussions of racism and police violence. Black athletes and their relationship to powerful institutions like the NCAA and the NFL, the role of the protest in history, and the responsibilities of athletes as role models to speak out against injustice.

Tuesday, June 26th
Ndaba Takes Us to the Mountain
Central Library, Grand Army Plaza, Dweck Center, 7:30 PM, FREE– Join BPL as we welcome Ndaba Min for a discussion of Going to the Mountain – a first-ever book to tell his grandfather’s life through the eyes of a child who was raised by him. On a scale both intimate and epic, the book details the gripping arc of Ndaba’s own extraordinary journey, which mirrors that of South Africa’s, from the segregated Soweto ghettos to the presidential mansion and the challenged times in which he now lives. RSVP @ https://bit.ly/2tnbW3K

Wednesday, June 27th
Caribbean-American Heritage Month Celebration 2018
Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St., 12-9PM FREE, The Office of the Borough President and the Caribbean-American Heritage Association cordially invites you to “Embrace Your Hyphen.” Caribbean Cultural Marketplace -12PM, Symposium, 2PM, A Taste of Caribbean Cuisine, 4PM, Concert on the Plaza, 6:30-9:30 PM, featuring: Derrick Barnett and The Statement Band, Something Positive Dance Company, vocalist Luis Negron, Dancer Anupam Persaud and a Steelpan Competition w/Pantonics and Harmony Steel Orchestras.

Thursday, June 28th
The Blues Project featuring Dorrance Dance with Toshi Reagon & Big Lovely
Celebrate Brooklyn Prospect Park Bandshell, PPW at 9th St. Powerful music accompanies inspired dancing! Created by Michelle Dorrance, Derrick K. Grant, Toshi Reagon and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards.

Saturday, June 30th
47th Annual International African Arts Festival
10AM -9PM RAIN OR SHINE, Sugg. Donation: $5, Children $2; Commodore Barry Park at Navy St. (Flushing & Park) Annual Opening Day Community Parade, Vocalist Elida Almeida of Cape Verde, Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago, The Reggie Workman Ensemble (jazz legend). Also, African Marketplace, Annual Symposium, Children’s activities, chess tournament and much more! [www.iaafestival.org]

NAKO 29th Annual Symposium: Culture, Community & Struggle
P.S. 287, 50 Navy St. near the Manhattan Bridge. $15 for adults, $10 for seniors & students before 6/25; $20 for adults, $15 seniors after. The theme is “Dekawowo” (Solidarity), and it originates with the Ewe and Mina People of Ghana and Togo. The day starts at 9AM with libation by Dr. Shahidi B. Kinsey and opening remarks from IAAF Board Chair Segun Shabaka, followed by a screening of the New York Chapter of the powerfully informative and inspiring documentary, Winnie, at 9:45. A slide presentation and discussion on Haiti begins at 11:15. Three panels follow from noon to 4:30 – “Reflections on the African-American Student Association: Model for Current Student Activists” with Adeyemi Bandele, Ife Hibbler, Raphael Jackson, Maliki Oluwambi and Laura Ayesha Soaries; Dr. Debbie Almontaser on “The Crisis in the Middle East;” Media and Politics with Bernard White, Dr. John Flateau and Lloyd Weaver; Education Panel with Maisha Ongoza, Akil Parker, Dr. Iya Adjua Hetheru and Prof. Gloria Browne-Marshall. Payments @ www.iaafestival.org or at Festival ofc., 1360 Fulton St., Suite 401.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Sunday, July 8th

Barrington Levy, Third World, Kabaka Pyramid, DJ Gravy, Federation Sound @ Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk, 3052 West 12th St., 6-10PM—FREE. Five of Jamaica’s most acclaimed groups join together for a night of dancehall, reggae and more.

Montgomery / Wright Responds to Homeowner’s Cries

Editor, Our Time Press
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Montgomery / Wright Responds to Homeowner’s Cries

 

NY State Senator Velmanette Montgomery

For years central Brooklyn homeowners have complained about illegal actions of unscrupulous developers damaging their adjoining properties.

Thanks to State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Assemblymember Tremaine Wright, help is on the way.

The Construction Notification Bill (S4519-A / A5823-B), which passed in the state legislature, will require the New York City Department of Buildings (NYC DOB) to provide written notification to adjoining property owners when an application for approval of construction is submitted to NYC DOB.

The legislation also requires NYC DOB to provide proof of such insurance and a copy of the permit to owners of adjoining property thirty days before construction or demolition work begins except in the event that emergency work is authorized.

“This is such a win for New York City residents and especially homeowners in our districts. As our neighborhoods change, we have seen a major increase in construction and homes are being gut-renovated and flipped every day,” said State Senator Velmanette Montgomery. “I am so happy to sponsor legislation that will provide some transparency to this process.”

NY Assemblywoman Tremaine S. Wright

“This legislation has been a long time coming! In light of the record construction boom taking place in Brooklyn and New York City, this win will help to safeguard our neighbors and strengthen our communities,” said Assemblywoman Tremaine S. Wright.

The Construction Notification Bill was introduced after a building collapse in the community several years ago. The engineers and contractors were unaware of several significant story vertical cracks, although they were visible to the tenants. As a result, the appropriate precautions were not followed and the building collapsed, leaving several people injured and fourteen homeless. Prior notification required by this legislation would have prevented this incident from occurring.

Additionally, for brownstone homeowners and property owners of older buildings, a neighboring construction or renovation project can cause substantial and expensive property damage. They are often at a loss on what to do and who to contact to get repairs made. This legislation will empower them with information necessary to pursue damages and get needed repairs done.

WHAT’S GOING ON

Victoria Horsford
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NEW YORK, NY

Adem Bunkeddeko

Brooklyn Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, 53, has agreed to a debate with her Democratic primary challenger Adem Bunkeddeko, 29, which will air on June 19 on Spectrum’s NY1 TV show, “Inside City Hall,” with Errol Louis. Both candidates are children of immigrants. Clarke’s parents are Jamaican. Bunkeddeko’s parents are Ugandan.  June 26 is federal primary day in New York.

CORPORATE AMERICA

There are no glass ceilings for Mellody Hobson. Earlier this year, Hobson was named to the Mellon Chase Board of Directors. Last week, Starbucks named Hobson Board Vice Chair shortly after Board Chairman Howard Schultz   announced his retirement last week. Hobson has been a Starbucks trustee for about 10 years.   Schultz, it is rumored to be, considering a 2020 U.S. Presidential run.

ART/HISTORY

JUNETEENTH, also known as Emancipation Day, is celebrated on June 19 in many cities throughout the United States.   In June of 1865, Union soldiers landed in Texas with the news that the Civil War ended and that all slaves are free.   In NYC, the National Parks Service commemorates Juneteenth with lectures and performances and an evening at 15 New York museums and historic sites in Lower Manhattan from 4 pm to 8 pm. For full itinerary, call 212.637.2019 or visit www.nps.gov/afbg.

Congrats to Brooklyn theater impresario Rome Neal and his Banana Puddin’ Jazz Variety Show, which has been presented at the Nuyorican Poets Café in the East Village in Manhattan on the occasion of its 15th Anniversary at that venue. One of the highlights of Neal’s 15th Anniversary season is a reading by author/poet Ishmael Reed who performs excerpts from his new work “Life Among the Aryans,” which runs through June 19.

FINE ARTS: June Kelly Gallery’s latest group show exhibit, “SERENADING SUMMER, Paintings and Photography,” showcases works by 10 visual artists including Philemona Williamson, Nola Zirin, LeRoy Henderson, Stan Brodsky and Kay WalkingStick, opens on June 22 through July 31. The June Kelly Gallery is located in the heart of SoHo at 166 Mercer Street, Manhattan. [Call 212.226.1660]

 The producers of the highly acclaimed Broadway play, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, the 2018 Tony Awardee for Best Musical Revival, brought the work of some local nonperformance artists into its theater lobby.   It is a vibrant, colorful, newly installed Caribbean-inspired mural created by art students at a Brooklyn H.S. who were supervised by Haitian-born fine artist Yolene Legrand. As you know, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is a love story set in Haiti.

The LPD Brooklyn Arts hosts the exhibit, “The Thank You Show 10th Anniversary,” at the Dorsey Gallery located at 553 Rogers Avenue, Brooklyn, NY.   Exhibit dates are June 10-24 by appointment. [E-mail: lpdbrooklynarts@gmail.com] 

John Coltrane

MUSIC: A lost 1963 recording by saxophonist John Coltrane was recently discovered by his first wife’s family who turned it over to Impulse! Records.     The lost recording was made two years before his magnum opus A LOVE SUPREME. Lost recording, newly titled BOTH DIRECTIONS AT ONCE: “The Lost Album,” is a seven-song collection which will be released on June 29.

Bob Law, Dean of Black talk radio, is back. He will host a weekly show, TALK BACK, which airs on WBAI-FM, on Tuesdays from 3-5 pm. The show debuts on June 12. Sistah Souljah is the first guest.   Listeners are encouraged to call. Welcome back Bob!

EDUCATION MATTERS

 A Memorial to Dr. Lorraine Monroe will be held at the Frederick Douglass Academy on June 23, 4-7 pm, located at 2581 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., Harlem, NY. A native New Yorker, Dr. Monroe died earlier this year. Founder/Principal of the Frederick Douglass Academy, a college prep school within the NYC public school system which boasted about 95% admission to a 4-year college.   She graduated from teacher to principal, ultimately to NYC Board of Education Administrator.   After earning her doctorate in education, she was a faculty member at Teachers College at Columbia University and at Bank Street College.   She also founded the education-centric Lorraine Monroe Leadership Institute. Memorial is being organized in collaboration with the FDA alumni and friends. Contact Vanessa Silva, Assistant to Principal of FDA, at 212.491.4107, Ext.1551.

        Shirley Godley and Ashley Flanagan-Brown will co-host the 3rd Reunion of THE MODERN SCHOOL on Saturday, August 4 at 7 pm at Riccado’s By The Bridge, located at 21-01 24th Avenue, Astoria, Queens.   Founded in 1934 by Mildred Johnson, The Modern School was a Harlem-based Black preschool-through-6th-grade institution which closed in the ‘90s. Many outer-borough Black students from the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn attended The Modern School. For more on TMS 3rd Reunion info, e-mail tmsmemories@gmail.com. 

CARIBBEAN-AMERICAN

Kamilah Forbes

More info on the achievements of Caribbean-Americans during Caribbean-American Heritage Month.   ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT: Debra Lee, BET Chair Emerita; Kamilah Forbes, executive producer, Apollo Theater; ACTORS: Queen Latifah, Anna Maria Horsford, Kerry Washington, Jada Pinkett-Smith; MUSICIANS: Sonny Rollins, Rihanna, Wyclef Jean, 50 CENT; WRITERS/JOURNALISTS: Lynn Nottage, Dame Pearl Duncan, Constance White, Paule Marshall, Vynette Pryce, Joy Elliott, Malcolm Gladwell and Yusuf Khan; PUBLISHERS: Drs. Faye and Karl Rodney, NY Carib News; Jean Wells, Positive Community Magazine; and David Greaves, Our Time Press;  EDUCATION: Professor Carol Boyce Davies, Cornell; Fern Khan, Dean Emerita, Bank Street; Professor Leyland Hazlewood; Javaid Khan; Professor Nafees Khan, Ph.D.; Professor Yinka Stanford; Dr. Keith Taylor; Juanita Clark Merritt, Ph.D.; and Wanda Ballard-Wingfield; NONPROFIT EXECUTIVES: Elizabeth Alexander, Mellon Foundation; Roy Paul, Cents Ability; Voza Rivers, Harlem Arts Alliance; Lloyd Williams, Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce; Patrick Gaspard, Open Society Foundations; and Stanley McIntosh.

 JUNE PLEASURES 

The Harlem Swing Dance Society and the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra co-hosts TONIGHT WE DANCE: A Night of Jazz and Swing on June 16, 5-8 pm, at the Marcus Garvey Park at Richard Rodgers Amphitheater, off 122nd Street in Mt. Morris Park West in Harlem. Sponsored by City Council member Bill Perkins, event is free and open to the public.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY, June 17

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, NYS Senator Jesse Hamilton and Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo presents the 3rd Annual CENTRAL BROOKLYN ARTS AND CULTURE WALK 2018 on June 24th from 12-5 pm, along Eastern Parkway between Flatbush and Washington Avenues.   Stages will be set up for dance and music performances, rides for children and a variety of arts and crafts activities are planned.

 Brooklyn Borough Prexy Eric Adams, in partnership with the Caribbean-American Heritage Committee, plans a big Caribbean Month Celebration on June 27th from 12-9 pm at Brooklyn Borough Hall and Columbus Park. Marathon event includes Caribbean marketplace, symposium, concert, art exhibit, Caribbean cuisine and musical entertainment.   [Visit Brooklyn-usa.org/Caribbean-american]

A Harlem-based management consultant, Victoria can be reached at Victoria.horsford@gmail.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thinker’s Notebook: Death of a Dynasty

Marlon Rice
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Thinker’s Notebook: Death of a Dynasty

Around 335 BC, Aristotle analyzed Greek tragedy and drama and stated that all Greek plays have two parts: the complication and the unraveling. The complication is when the protagonist finds trouble as the knot is revealed or tightened. The unraveling is when the knot is loosened; in comedy and drama this normally means that the issues become resolved. In a tragedy, however, it is always an inherent flaw in the protagonist that leads to his undoing, and in the unraveling phase things fall apart. In his work titled Poetics, Aristotle wrote that, “Tragedy is an imitation of a noble and complete action, which through compassion and fear produces catharsis, or a purging.”

510 days ago, we, the American people, were served notice of a complication in our storyline when our own insecurities, our penchant for hate, our colloquial imperialism and our toxic ego caused us to choose Donald Trump as our 45th President. Just as Julius Caesar’s tragic flaw was his arrogance and malignant ambition, so too America suffers the malady of a caustic hubris. We are excessive and obnoxious. We are aggressive and slick. We bend the truth to suit our arc. And 510 days ago, we made manifest these very attributes when we elected Trump. Our knot had been revealed.

This week, Donald Trump met with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. I watched the live stream as the two of them did the diplomatic dance, the handshakes that Trump always tries to win, the weird pre-pubescent way that Kim makes his face. They stood there together, one resembling a bad child with dangerous toys, and the other resembling the greasy old guy that his children tolerate only because they don’t want to get written out of the will. And then, after the pomp and circumstance, came the bloviated press conferences, and though it’s very difficult for me to listen to this guy anymore, I had to hear his thoughts on meeting one of the world’s most infamous leaders. What do you think Trump said about Kim Jong-Un? He said that he was “funny and smart.” He said that the two of them had “really good chemistry.” He said that this man who has been cited by the United Nations Human Rights Council for committing acts like arbitrary detention, violation of freedom of thought, and enforced disappearance into prison camps “loved his people.” Then Trump doubled down on the obtuse by announcing that the US will stop military exercises with allies Japan and South Korea.

If you don’t understand what this means, let me explain it in this way. Let’s say your cousin’s next-door neighbor threatened to kill him, so you go over to your cousin’s house and for 25 years, every day you check the locks on the doors and windows so that your cousin knows he’s secure, and then one day you decide that you aren’t going to check the locks anymore and you tell your cousin’s next-door neighbor this before you tell your cousin. That’s what Trump did after meeting with Kim Jong-Un for less than one day.

I don’t know why but hearing that made me think about Aristotle’s analysis of Greek Tragedy. It made me think that we are now in the second part of this play, the unraveling. This is the part where although it may seem like the knot is loosening, an inherent flaw in our protagonist is causing everything to fall apart.

In this play, however, Trump isn’t the protagonist. We are.

In an era where we are as technologically advanced as we have ever been, with an economy that is strong, and a society that is becoming more and more global, it is our ideal of democracy that is unraveling. We are doing it all wrong. Just because we have the right to choose our leaders doesn’t mean that we should be choosing based on who we like the best or who we recognize from the television. Just because we are all in some ways different doesn’t mean that we should be treating one another differently based on those differences. And just because you meet a guy and hit it off for a couple of hours doesn’t mean that you stop helping your friends guard against his tyranny.

Is there a McDonald’s in Singapore? If so, I bet those two ate some McDonald’s together.

Community Calendar

Editor, Our Time Press
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Community Calendar

Saturday, June 16th  

18th Annual Fort Greene Brooklyn Juneteenth Arts Festival

Cuyler Gore Park, 12-6PM, 2 Greene Avenue, FREE Music! Dance! Poetry! Artistry! Fashion! Food! Community! History! Presented by the Cooperative Culture Collective hosted by Gha’il Rhodes-Benjamin and Angela Moseley with Richard Green and Graham Witherspoon as speakers.

Performances by Kiara Copeland, Iyaba Mandingo, Javier Gooden, Cinnamon Jones, Sword of Spirit, Kipp Amp Legacy Jazz Band, Fusha Dance Company.

District 16’s Intergenerational Men’s Health Experience

P.S. 21, 180 Chauncey St., 10-2PM, FREE

Dr. Torian Easterling, NYC Dept. of Health Asst. Commissioner; Monique Schubert, Kripalu Yoga Instructor; Ricke Resharde-Rainey, UFC Mixed Martial Arts Fitness Demo; Justin Bright, Bright Pro-Training Basketball Clinic; Jeff Mesine, Professional Stylist;

Epic Theater Ensemble performance, Film Screenings, Fitness Demonstrations, Health and Wellness. Bring your youth, being your father, the men in your life and yourselves! Hard-Hittin’ Harry, filmmaker Dear Father. Javon Peters, filmmaker, # I Can’t Breathe. Enjoy dynamic opportunities to engage your mind, body and spirit!

Akoko Nante Ensemble Pan-African Music & Percussion

Queens Library, Glen Oaks, 3PM, 256-04 Union Turnpike, Queens FREE: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World.” Akoko Nante offers their rendition, along with music from Ghana, Haiti, Cuba and more.

FREE Shredding

Crown Heights North Association, 10AM-2PM, Saint Gregory’s RCC, 991 St. John’s Place @ Bklyn. Ave. Shred papers, documents, books, etc.

Also, free plant giveaway (while they last), 718-774-3834.

Sunday, June 17th  

In Recognition of Juneteenth and Father’s Day

Cultural Caravan Community Forums taped live, FREE @ CEMOTAP Center, 135-05 Rockaway Blvd., So. Ozone Park, Queens

Debut taping of live weekly Community Engagement Forums before a studio audience by Cultural Caravan Productions. Louise Dente, host and executive producer, invites the community. 718-804-5810

Tuesday, June 19th  

Juneteenth Celebration and Night at the Museums

African Burial Ground National Monument, 26 Wall St., FREE

Celebrate Juneteenth, also known as “Emancipation Day,” one of the most celebrated dates commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States and abroad. Afterwards, spend the evening visiting 15 museums and historic sites in lower Manhattan as part of Night at the Museums. The sites are all within comfortable walking distance of each other.

10:30 AM – Libation Ceremony, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM – Lecture – 1:00 PM – Lecture and book-signing, 3:30 PM – 7:30 PM – “Slavery in New York City,” exhibition from The Gene Alexander Peters Collection of Rare & Historic African-American Artifacts, 4-5PM – Damage Band, 6:30 – 7:30 PM – Lecture by Dr. Sherrill D. Wilson, Urban Anthropologist (212) 637-2019.

 Thursday, June 21st

PJ Morton at BAM R&B Festival @ MetroTech Commons, 12-2PM, Jay St, Myrtle & Flatbush. New Orleans-based singer/songwriter PJ Morton performs deeply soulful R&B with a passionate delivery that simultaneously comforts and entrances. A longtime keyboardist for Maroon 5 and music director for Solange, Morton boasts a roster of collaborators that includes Lil’ Wayne, Buster Rhymes and India. Arie. He now tours in support of his self-released studio album, “Gumbo,” which earned him nominations at this year’s Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song. 

Friday, June 22nd

R+R=NOW ft. Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, Christian Scott, aTunde, Adjuah, Derrick Hodge, Justin Tyson. Also, Taylor McFerrin w/Paul Beaubrun, FREE

Celebrate Brooklyn @Prospect Park Bandshell, PPW at 9th St. Robert Glasper returns to the Bandshell with an exceptional new collection of underground icons in R+R=NOW, which stands for Reflect+Respond=NOW.

 Saturday, June 23rd

Celebration of African Culture  – CEMOTAP CENTER, 135-05 Rockaway Blvd., 2PM, FREE

Poets Layding Kaliba, Lee Olive Tucker, Tony Mitchelson, E.J. Antonio, jazz by Atiba Kwabena & the Befo Quartet, Gha’il Benjamin;

718-322-8454. Donation: $5, Children $2 @ Commodore Barry Park at Navy St. (Flushing & Park). Annual Opening Day Community Parade, Vocalist Elida Almeida of Cape Verde, Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago, The Reggie Workman Ensemble (jazz legend). Also, African Marketplace, Annual Symposium, Children’s activities, chess tournament and much more! [www.iaafestival.org]

 Sunday, June 24th

Central Brooklyn Arts & Culture Walk 2018 – Eastern Parkway bet. Flatbush and Washington Aves., 12-5PM, FREE

Children’s Village, Live Entertainment, Giveaways, The Office of the Brooklyn Borough President in partnership with state Senator Jesse Hamilton, Council member Laurie A. Cumbo, District Leaders Geoffrey Davis and Shirley Patterson.

Thursday, June 28th

Dorrance Dance at Prospect Park, June 28

The Blues Project featuring Dorrance Dance with Toshi Reagon & Big Lovely

Celebrate Brooklyn @ Prospect Park Bandshell, PPW at 9th St. Powerful music accompanies inspired dancing! Created by Michelle Dorrance, Derick K. Grant, Toshi Reagon and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards.

Saturday, June 30th

47th Annual International African Arts Festival

10AM -9PM, RAIN OR SHINE, Sugg. Donation: $5, Children $2

Commodore Barry Park at Navy St. (Flushing & Park), Annual Opening Day Community Parade, Vocalist Elida Almeida of Cape Verde, Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago, The Reggie Workman Ensemble (jazz legend). Also, African Marketplace, Annual Symposium, Children’s activities, chess tournament and much more! [www.iaafestival.org]

First Annual African World Documentary Film Festival

Reggie Workman, International
African Art Festival, June 30

Presented by the 47th Annual IAAF–The Life & Times of Elizabeth Kekly. Free Black seamstress from Petersburg, VA finds opportunities w/DC elite in 1860. (42mins; directed by T. Reid; USA) Showtime: 4PM, Discussion: 4:45PM

The African Who Wanted to Fly

Central African boy dreams of flying and becomes a major actor in the Chinese film industry. (1hr., 10mins.; directed by S. Biffot; Gabon, China) Showtime: 5:00PM, Discussion: 6:15PM

The Honest Struggle

The documentation of a middle-aged ex-Chicago gang chief who strives for successful readjustment “in the free” after spending most of his life behind bars. (58mins.; directed by J. Mashouf, USA) Showtime: 6:30PM, Discussion 7:30PM

 Land of Dance

Dance practices in Guinea, West Africa, and the meaning of “traditional” as it stands in terms of Western culture. (17 mins.; directed by I. Camara; Guinea, UK) Showtime: 7:45PM, Discussion: 8:10PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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