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From Wakanda with Love

Marlon Rice
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From Wakanda with Love

Over a year ago, word hit social media that the Marvel Cinematic Universe was releasing Black Panther, a movie based on the comic book series of the same name. Immediately, the Internet took notice and the countdown began. We are going to be given the story of a Black superhero, a unique occurrence indeed. I’ve been around for a while, and the only Black superhero movies that I can remember are Meteor Man, Blankman, and Shazam. I would have added Blade to my list, but then you might’ve thought that I take my list seriously, which I don’t. You shouldn’t either, and that’s because other than Blade, which is a movie about a superhero vampire that happens to be Black, every other Black superhero movie has been a farce, a bunch of comedies that weren’t even good comedies. Actually, Black Dynamite was a good comedy, but he was much more LA pimp than Marvel superhero.

Black Panther is different. The title character is a real superhero straight from the same comic book era that all of our great superheroes come from. He has the distinctive costume and the underlying motif (the Black Panther suit). He has the base of operations (a fictitious African nation called Wakanda), and even has the death of a parent (his father, T’Challa, was killed in the last Captain America movie). He has every characteristic necessary to be classified as a real Marvel superhero. The production of this film meant that viewers would get the opportunity to witness a virtually all-Black cast complete with the African aesthetic that the storyline offers. T’Challa is the new King of Wakanda after the death of his father. Being the king also means that he is the protector of the country, the Black Panther, as part of the Wakandan tradition.The movie comes out next week, but is already breaking records. The movie broke Fandango’s presale ticket record within the first 24 hours. The movie has already grossed close to $150 million, which places it atop every other superhero movie to have ever come out with regards to presales. A movie about a Black king and superhero, opening in February during Black History Month, written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ryan Coogler, makes this much more than just a movie. This is a cultural event, a cinematic milestone to be celebrated.

There will be many think pieces written about this movie, obtuse discussions about whether or not it is actually a Black film, articles that call for the boycott of the movie, calling it a racist movie because there is no white panther. People will question every aspect of the film over the coming months for one simple reason. The reaction from the Black community to being able to get the chance to see Black people on screen in roles of superiority has been so powerful that it has unnerved the entire industry with regards to what Blacks want to see. Ironically, this energy surrounding the movie harkens back to the days when movies like “Cleopatra Jones”, “Coffy” and “Shaft” energized an entire section of young Blacks to flock to the movies in the 70’s, excited to see examples of themselves that they could relate to. T’Challa is the culmination of everything that Pam Grier and Richard Roundtree represented with their characters, realized, confirmed and taken to the next level. We aren’t only able to fight the man in our streets, we can fight the man globally, universally at every level necessary. It is a subtle realization of the “Hope and Change” the Obama Presidency proved for us. Actually, Obama is T’Challa’s predecessor, a Black man powerful enough to accept the challenge of battling evil at the highest level. So, next week many will don their most elaborate African fabrics and they will go to the movies to watch “Black Panther”. It is going to be some sight, I’m sure. And the occasion should be celebrated, because this is an opportunity for us to define ourselves by supporting images that hold us in the highest esteem, and not those that confine us to stereotypical proportions. There are many in our nation that have never been accessed to multicultural diversity. They’ve never had Black friends, never been in a Black household. All they know of us is what they gather from television and the movies. “Black Panther” will change what they previously thought of the Black experience. Long live Wakanda!

Jennifer Jones-Austin: Rallying New York City for the Fight

Editor, Our Time Press
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Jennifer Jones-Austin: Rallying New York City for the Fight

By Emma Jordan-Simpson

Jennifer Jones-Austin, CEO and Executive Director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (now known as FPWA), has said often, “I’m not a preacher, but this work is my ministry”. On the contrary, she is probably one of the most effective preachers I know. She preaches with her whole life. She stands in that legacy of Black women like Ida B. Wells Barnett who, deeply inspired by their religious faith, set out each day of their lives to use everything they had to challenge and confront the vision of America that did not include Black people, poor people and women.

Speaking truth to power with and on behalf of marginalized communities and creating platforms for people traditionally left out of policymaking discussions to be heard and contribute to change that affects their lives is in her DNA. A daughter of the late Rev. Dr. William A. Jones, one of the nation’s most effective civil rights activists and religious leaders, Jennifer has even widened the traditional civil rights lens beyond the imagination of her late father’s generation of leaders. She has put the legion of “isms” that have fed inequity in New York for years on notice.

“With One Voice: A Vision for Economic Equity in NYC” – is FPWA’s 2017 report that examines systemic oppression in NYC and advances policy goals to move New Yorkers toward equity. This report is important because Trump’s agenda means very little if we are not fighting for New Yorkers in our own backyard. It is not enough for New York to be a national leader in “progressive antipoverty policies” when an obscene percentage of this city’s populace suffers daily against the backdrop of incredible wealth. The report states:

“While New York City has been a national leader in implementing progressive antipoverty policies, 42% of New Yorkers still struggle every day to meet their basic needs. This economic insecurity is a result of systems of oppression – including racism, sexism, heterosexism, xenophobia and capitalism – which bar people of color, women, LGBTQ people, immigrants and low-income New Yorkers from accessing economic security and stability.”

With 160 partner organizations and 40 faith partners, “With One Voice” reframes how FPWA understands economic equity in New York City. They are positioning, front and center, the conviction that systems of oppression must be dismantled. The hard work of change is even more urgent now. Washington has sent an ominous message to all Americans about who has value in our country. The Senate and House Republicans passed legislation that provides over $1 trillion in tax breaks over the next decade to the wealthiest Americans and corporations. The rich did not even have to fight or lobby hard for that consideration; it was the government’s gift to the wealthy. What does Washington’s disregard and New York City’s incredible wealth disparity mean for the 42% of New Yorkers who are fighting for their very lives?

In more than one way, Jennifer knows how to fight. She authored “Consider It Pure Joy”, which will be published this spring to share her experience with a fight that changed her life. Diagnosed with a leukemia that was an almost-certain death sentence, Jennifer fought with everything she had. She wants people who are facing adversity to fight, to be wide awake in the battle, and to appreciate every moment of grace. She has called for the faith community to go deeper into the fight for people’s lives by reimagining our collective power to bring about change and our shared responsibility to fight for the marginalized.“Imagine if thousands of churches took on the Trump agenda and organized to say no to policies aimed at the most vulnerable. Just imagine,” she has said often. The Concord Baptist Church of Christ’s William M. Moss Brotherhood honored her father in 1985 with the same award that will be bestowed upon her later this month. Dr. Jones’ spirit will be in the room, but it will be Jennifer Jones-Austin’s own strategic leadership, passion, fighting spirit and faithful life preaching that will be celebrated.

Helping My Mom Beat Diabetes

Editor, Our Time Press
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Helping My Mom Beat Diabetes

By Eric Adams, Brooklyn BP

One cold day in January of 2016, I witnessed my mother inject herself with insulin to deal with her Type 2 diabetes.  Despite several years of being on this injection routine, the grimace on her face clearly showed that she had never gotten used to the sharp pain. When I left her home, I sat in my car and had a conversation with God. “I am not a doctor,” my plea began, “but I wish I could do something for my mother to address her diabetes.”

As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.

A few months later, I was told that I, too, was diabetic, and that my diagnosis came with far more severe symptoms than what my mother was showing. I was losing my eyesight, there was irreversible nerve damage in my hands and feet, I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and I had developed a small ulcer from years of stress. The poor health that had imperiled my mother’s life was now threatening to derail mine.

As I have shared in previous messages to you, I visited five doctors and they all told me that I would be on medicine, including insulin, for the rest of my life. Only once I looked beyond their prognoses did I discover the power to heal myself; after transforming my diet, all of my symptoms reversed in three months.

With my Type 2 diabetes in remission, I turned my attention to my mother, hoping to try this method of recovery with her. The approach needed to be tailored of course, since I did not want to create unnecessary complications for a 79-year-old woman. Although my mother was taking three drugs to control her diabetes, her A1C level was still dangerously high. As such, I sought out a doctor who believed in nutrition-based healing and understood that chronic diseases can be reversed when the body is no longer poisoned with poor dietary choices.

I found the right partner in Dr. David Dunaief, who was opening his practice in Brooklyn Heights.  Dr. Dunaief took my mother as a patient and immediately put her on a tailored food regiment to assist her body in reversing the various chronic diseases from which she was suffering, some of the same ailments that so many of our parents are going through (arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc.).  Just like me, she experienced remarkable change. After several weeks, my mother noticed her blood sugar dropping due to the dietary transformation. After 30 days, she was able to get off insulin entirely.

The morning she called me to say that her injections were over, my prayers were answered. I realize now that God did not bury me with the weight of diabetes; he planted within me an opportunity to heal my mother. It shattered the myth that my mother and I had diabetes because we had shared the same bad DNA. It wasn’t our DNA — it was our dinners (and our lunches, breakfasts and snacks).

As Borough President, I have a family of more than 2.6 million Brooklynites to help care for, and I see my mother’s turnaround as only the first step. I set out four years ago to make Brooklyn a safer place to raise healthy children and families, and the next four years are going to see our work go deeper into communities to work hand-in-hand with neighbors in need of support. Health impacts us in so many ways, be it mental or physical, from the condition of our homes to the state of our finances. Proactive, preventive measures are our focus at Brooklyn Borough Hall, in addition to building the infrastructure that connects us with the tools that help us heal. I hope this special health-focused edition of One Brooklyn is a useful resource on our road to better health for our whole borough.

Doctor Says Racism and Inequality Are Killing People in NYC

Priscilla Mensah
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Doctor Says Racism and Inequality Are Killing People in NYC

“Health clinics have been repeatedly downsized across “… one of the most unequal and segregated cities – New York City.”     Dr. Torian Easterling

While the 24-hour news-cycle is consumed with the body politic, a “State of the Health” address at Community Board 3’s recent public meeting focused on the health of our physical bodies – the center of our own personal worlds. Dr. Torian Easterling, Assistant Commissioner for the NYC Department of Health, made the connection between the overwhelming number of poor health outcomes in certain regions and the structural racism endemic within these communities.

Not sugarcoating anything, Dr. Easterling reminded attendees that premature births and infant mortality continue to disproportionately plague Community Board 3. Simply put – people in New York City are dying far too early. Neighborhoods like Bedford-Stuyvesant have some of the poorest health outcomes when compared to others and an average life expectancy of 71.1 years. When compared with the 80-years-plus life expectancy of residents of Washington Heights, that number is unacceptable, Dr. Easterling feels.

Fortunately, Dr. Easterling also outlined specific ways to achieve parity in health. For example, he proposed making injustice visible, whether in the form of racism or socioeconomic discrimination. By eliminating racism, he believes, it will naturally follow that negative health outcomes will also be eliminated, as the two are inextricably linked.

Dr. Easterling was instrumental in creating and bringing to fruition a model for research and reform that seeks to eventually answer, pressing questions pertaining to health in our communities, such as: “What are we doing around infant mortality?” and “Why are mothers dying?” The first community health profile was formulated in 2015 and Dr. Easterling hopes to reproduce it in 2019. Dr. Easterling referred to policy passed in the form of a lactation bill originally proposed by Robert Cornegy as an example of providing solutions.

But the number one unmet health need in Bedford-Stuyvesant is mental health, says Easterling. He informed those gathered about the programs and trainings he’s implemented through partnerships with community organizations. Lastly, Dr. Easterling discussed the innovative Community Health Action Centers, which offer an array of free services to residents of communities such as Bedford-Stuyvesant and East Harlem. The Bed-Stuy Health Action Center at 485 Throop Avenue offers clinical services, a wellness suite, convening suites, kitchen, and a garden, among other amenities. All are invited to come and learn and restore.

Priscilla Mensah is a highly spirited scholar who enjoys topics related to improving health and wellness. She is also a former Health Reporting Fellow at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and can be reached at pmensahbrooklyn@gmail.com.

 

 

 

 

Victoria Horsford
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USA/NEW YORK

 THE US: The US Dow Industrials dropped 1600 points on Monday before closing down by 1175. That was the single largest drop in the market’s history. It wiped out all of the 2018 gains for the Dow and the S&P.  Market was in free fall while President Trump was addressing an audience about his exceptional presidential tenure. Sean Hannity blames President Obama for the recent US stock market reverses. Trump maligns Congressional Democrats who attended his “State of the Union” last week who did not stand to applaud his so-called accomplishments are “treasonous”. He failed to compliment the Black Caucus legislators in attendance who were awash in African kente cloth splendor. His governance style is compared to King George and King Henry VIII.

Ron Daniels

NY RALLY: And more backlash to Trump’s remarks. #Proud Africans is a coalition of African, Caribbean and African-American activists, human rights and professional organization who will host a protest rally outside of the United Nations at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on 47th Street, between First and Second Avenues, on February 15 at 11 am “to denounce the recent anti-Africa racist comments by President Donald Trump and to highlight Africa’s past and continuing contributions in the creation of wealth and prosperity in the industrialized West”.   Some of the coalition organizers include the United African Congress; Ron Daniels’ Institute of the Black World 21st Century; Milton Allimadi’s Black Star News; the African Diaspora Coalition for Justice; and Mamadou Niang’s Nextmedia.tv. For more info, call 212.541.4316, e-mail info@nextmedia.tv, Facebook: proudafricansempowerment.

NY STATE:   NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo has a busy year ahead. He faces a reelection ritual, which, heretofore, seemed indifferent to diversity. There was no evidence of African-American input in his campaign until I read about Alphonso David, counsel to the governor and longtime member of his inner circle who will hold forth at the February 14th Crain’s NY Magazine Breakfast Forum at the NY Athletic Club, where he will articulate the Cuomo Administration’s budget legislative priorities and the regulatory goals for 2018.

Governor Cuomo calls for special elections on April 24th for 11 legislative districts throughout NYS. NYC: While the next NYC mayoralty race will not be held until 2021, contenders like Bronx Boro Prexy Ruben Diaz, Jr.; Brooklyn   Boro Prexy Eric Adams; NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and NYC Public Advocate Letitia James are ready to succeed Hizzoner de Blasio. Read NY Observer newspaper’s essay on David Dinkins, “NYC’s First and Only Black Mayor discusses the 2021 Mayoral Race”, indicating that he would support Letitia James’ candidacy. She is the first African-American woman elected to a citywide position.

HARLEM: The Friends of Queens Congressman Gregory Meeks will host a fundraiser to celebrate his 20 years of distinguished service on Monday, February 12th from 6-9 pm at Minton’s Playhouse, located at 206 West 118th Street, Harlem. RSVP necessary. Call 202.403.0606 or e-mailmeeksnycparty@gmail.com.

BLACK ENTERPRISE

Charles King

Charles King, a Howard Law School graduate, is making a lot of things happy for people of color in Hollywood’s film and television cosmos. He arrived in Los Angeles and was determined to be an agent to change the power equation and the stories that would be produced about Blacks. He got a job at William Morris talent agency, starting in the mailroom before becoming the company’s first Black partner/superagent. CNN founder Ted Turner and BET co-founder Bob Johnson are his role models. He learned how hard it is for Blacks to get their stories greenlit in Hollywood. He observed: “People there don’t want to create real change. Many decision-makers think that they have to cast people of color to appease people rather than thinking that it is the smart thing to do,” he tells Bloomberg Business Week. In 2015, he launched Macro Ventures, which finances film and TV projects from nonwhite creators.

Mary J. Blige

King’s backers include Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective and investors from Wall Street and Silicon Valley. Macro’s first movie, THE LAND, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016. Macro’s next film venture was August Wilson’s FENCES, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. Macro’s third film, MUDBOUND, directed by Black director Dee Rees, was released by Netflix. Mary J. Blige got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and Best Song in MUDBOUND. She dons the cover of NY magazine, its “FASHION WEEK” issue.

BHM: ARTS/CULTURE

FILM: Last week’s NY Times film critics Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott co-wrote an essay, “28 DAYS, 28 FILMS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH”. They list films by white and Black directors, running the gamut from Oscar Micheaux to Sidney Poitier, Julie Dash, Spike Lee and Gordon Parks.   My own list would delete a few of their recommendations. I would add HOODLUM by Bill Duke, a fictional overview of NY crime bosses in the 20s and 30s, focusing on Bumpy Johnson and his interface with Dutch Schultz, Lucky Luciano and Madame Queen. Great insights into the outside ethnic bosses and their spheres of influence uptown in the 20s and 30s; and BIRTH OF A NATION about Nat Turner, a slave who led a rebellion by African-American Nate Parker. Sidney Poitier’s IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT is another must-see film, released in 1968, where he slaps a white sheriff in the face.  Films must empower the viewer perspective.

NEWSMAKERS

Dr. Wyatt T. Walker

RIP: Rev. Dr. Wyatt T. Walker, 88, died last month.  A co-founder and third executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he was a chief strategist to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, who helped organize the “March on Washington”. A special assistant to NYS Governor Nelson Rockefeller for 10 years, he spent 37 years at the Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem as senior pastor.    Dr. Walker’s wake and funeral will be held at Gillfield Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia on Feb. 16 and 17. A memorial service will be held at Canaan Baptist Church at 132 West 116th Street on March 3.

FEBRUARY CALENDAR

The 9th edition of the Harlem Fine Arts Show opens February 15 to 18 at the Riverside Church, Harlem, NY. The HFAS theme is the “Healing Power of Art”. An offshoot of the Black Fine Arts Show, HFAS is the nation’s premier fine arts show where Black fine art is available for exhibition and sale. This show reprises its partnership with the Brooklyn Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.   The 4-day expo showcases visual arts, painting, sculpture, prints by more than 80 fine artists and galleries from the USA to the Caribbean to South Africa, including works by Woodrow Nash, Michael Escoffery, Cary Michael, Leroy Campbell, Kevin Williams and a consortium of 14 South African artists.

Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theatre celebrates Black History Month with a one-woman show, HARRIET’S RETURN, BASED UPON THE LEGENDARY LIFE OF HARRIET TUBMAN, written and performed by Karen Jones Meadows at the Castillo Theatre, located at 543 West 42nd Street. Playdates are February 8 to March 4. [Visit newfederaltheatre.com]

The NYS Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators convenes the 47th Annual Legislative Conference on February 16-18 at the Albany Marriott Hotel. Its conference theme is “On This Journey there is Still #HOPE”. The power elite weekend boasts a business expo, workshops, power breakfasts and lunches, the Annual Scholarship Dinner Gala, featuring Andrew Young as Guest Speaker, and myriad related events.   The association is composed of NYS elected officials, assemblymen and senators. [Visit NYSABPRL.ORG. or call 518.427.8363]

Education Op: Two scholarships, each spanning 4 years, are available at the Winchendon School in Brooklyn for middle school coed students, which covers 95% of the tuition. Interested students/parents should contact the following ASAP: Marcia Rowe-Reddick at mriddick@csdcnyc.org. or Sean Duncan at sduncan@winchendon.org.

One of the many NY Frederick Douglass Bicentennial events will be held  at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, a CUNY campus, and will headline the historian’s great-great grandson Lloyd Weaver on February 26. Douglass was an abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman.

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

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