Home Blog Page 774

Nicole Mason, PhD. to Keynote Voices for the Future of Brooklyn Youth Action Summit

Editor, Our Time Press
-
205
Nicole Mason, PhD. to Keynote Voices for the Future of Brooklyn Youth Action Summit

Tuesday, February 28 at St. Francis College

 Critical issues facing at-risk youth in Brooklyn’s low-income neighborhoods will be examined at Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) Youth Action Summit: Voices for the Future of Brooklyn, a panel discussion and youth action resource hub. This community event will be moderated by C. Nicole Mason, PhD, noted policy expert, economic justice advocate and author, on February 28 at St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street in Brooklyn from 5:30pm – 8:00pm. It is free to the public.

At the BCS Youth Action Summit, panelists will examine urgent issues in education, immigration, job readiness, police community relations, crime, self-esteem and other pressing problems affecting Brooklyn’s at-risk youth. There will be a Youth Action Summit resource hub, which features 23 Brooklyn youth-based nonprofits providing information, volunteer and mentorship opportunities and networking to inspire attendees to get involved in activities and programs in their neighborhoods.

Keynote speaker and moderator C. Nicole Mason Executive, PhD, Director of the Center for Research and Policy in the Public Interest (CR2PI) at the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, lives between Brooklyn and Washington, DC, and the author of Born Bright: A Young Girl’s Journey from Nothing to Something in America. Her commentary and writing have been featured in The Nation, Marie Claire, USA Today, ESSENCE, New York Times, Huffington Post, CNN, MSNBC and NPR.

“Children need strong communities–with high quality schools, libraries, and health care facilities. They also need to feel safe, and not worry about where their next meal is coming from or if they will have a home to come to at night,” Mason pointed out. “We must work together to make sure that all children regardless of where they live or socio-economic status have everything they need to survive and thrive.”

The BCS Youth Action Summit will feature an impressive group of panelists who will discuss issues facing young people from underserved neighborhoods, strategies that have been impactful and methods that attendees can utilize to support youth initiatives.

The featured panelists include: Bill Chong, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Youth & Community Development; Aber Kawas, Youth Lead Organizer of the Arab American Association of New York; Kaberi Banerjee Murthy, Vice President of Programs at Brooklyn Community Foundation; Dana Edell, PhD, Executive Director of SPARK Movement and Marlon Peterson, a national social and criminal justice advocate and educator who spent 10 years in New York State prisons.

For more information on the BCS Youth Action Summit, please check wearebcs.org/youth-summit. Join the conversation with Brooklyn Community Services on FACEBOOK and also connect on Twitter and Instagram at @wearebcs.

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY TO RENAME 115TH STREET LIBRARY THE HARRY BELAFONTE – 115TH STREET LIBRARY

Editor, Our Time Press
-
445
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY TO RENAME 115TH STREET LIBRARY THE HARRY BELAFONTE – 115TH STREET LIBRARY

NEW YORK—The New York Public Library and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that the library has decided to adopt a new name for Harlem’s 115th Street Library. The Executive Committee of the library’s Board of Trustees voted Wednesday evening to name the branch the Harry Belafonte –115th Street Library.

“Harry Belafonte has a storied career as both an artist and an advocate for New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “His drive and initiative have had a major impact in the realms of social justice, civil rights, culture and activism, especially in the Harlem community. It is my honor and privilege to work with the New York Public Library to honor Mr. Belafonte and celebrate the life and accomplishments of this invaluable New Yorker.”

“The library is proud to honor legendary civil rights leader and entertainer Harry Belafonte, whose Harlem roots and deep dedication to both social justice and the spread of knowledge make him a perfect namesake for the 115th Street Library,” said New York Public Library President Tony Marx. “This branch and all of our libraries strengthen New York City’s diverse communities by offering free and open access to information and opportunity – values that Mr. Belafonte has stood for over his long and distinguished career. We thank the mayor for his support in celebrating the legacy of this incredible New Yorker.”

“On March 1st 90 years ago, I was born here. Harlem holds a very special place in my heart, and I’m so honored that I will now have a special place in Harlem. A library is a place for people to come together, to learn about their world and explore new ideas, things I’ve tried to do my entire life. I am hopeful that when people come to this place that will now bear my name, they will be inspired to learn about some of the pursuits I’ve held most dear — music, writing and social justice,” said Harry Belafonte. “I thank the mayor for this anointing and I thank the New York Public Library system for its invaluable service to the community and for this personal honor.”

“Harry Belafonte has long been a dedicated public servant and civil rights advocate who has selflessly used the power of his voice to build awareness and bring attention to numerous social and political causes for vulnerable communities at home and around the world.  He is a Harlem treasure and today’s announcement is a fitting tribute to such a remarkable and talented individual,” said Congressman Adriano Espaillat.

The library chose to name the branch to reflect the values and passions of the community in which it is located and to honor Belafonte, who grew up in Harlem and has since been a vital part of the Harlem and larger community.

Harry Belafonte has spent his life exposing Americans to world music and challenging and overturning racial barriers across the globe.  Recently, Belafonte founded the Sankofa Justice & Equity Fund, a nonprofit social justice organization that utilizes the power of culture and celebrity in partnership with activism. In November 2014, Belafonte received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In November at the 2016 Library Lions gala, Belafonte was honored as a Library Lion.

 

An Evening of Triumph and Travesty

Editor, Our Time Press
-
113
An Evening of Triumph and Travesty

Reflections on Queen B and the Grammys

by playthell

Last night, Beyoncé experienced both triumph and travesty at the Grammy Awards. Appearing on stage visibly pregnant, the popular music diva performed a moving tribute to motherhood that was so spectacular even the language of Shakespeare, Chaucer and the King James Bible seems bereft of superlatives sufficiently powerful to adequately describe it! But thanks to the magic of this cyber medium, you can witness Beyoncé’s performance.

It will no doubt go down as one of the greatest performances of all times on this show that has hosted countless great performances, where marvelous musicians of all genres display their gifts before their peers. Although Beyoncé won a couple of awards, she should have won at least one more: “Best Album of the Year,” a view shared by the winner Adele, the gifted British singer / songwriter who sang beautifully and walked away with the lion’s share of the prizes, a total of five.

In an unprecedented gesture of generosity and grace, Adele turned down the “BEST ALBUM” Award. Calling Beyoncé “The artist of my life…my idol,” Adele said that Beyoncé should rightly have won the award for “Her monumental album Lemonade”. Her declaration left everybody in the vast Staples Center in LA speechless! A reaction that was no doubt shared by the millions of viewers around the world who also witnessed it. Adele would later ask of Beyoncé: “What the fuck does she have to do to win?” My question exactly!!!

Monumental is precisely the word to describe “Lemonade”, a major work that expands the boundaries of what we previously believed could be achieved in this popular art form. I think it is no exaggeration to say that the video version – which won the “Best Video Award” for one of its segments—of “Formation”, a highly political statement that sparked a furor when it was performed live at the Super Bowl last year – is a work of fine cinematic art!

Formation!

However, the many-faceted album was confined to the “Best Urban Contemporary” Award. This is where the controversy arose and it raises many questions of sufficient depth regarding race, politics and art. To begin with, like everything else in the USA, music marketing is segregated, with albums by black artists placed into certain categories that industry people recognize and this is how the product will be promoted. Hence, whether a record is promoted as “Pop,” “Rock,” Rhythm & Blues”, “Urban Contemporary” and so on.

Of course, white record company executives, promotion men and music journalists will deny that race plays any role in these designations; they will argue these categories are determined by musical styles alone. Yet, if this were true you wouldn’t have black artists automatically assigned to the R&B category when their music sounds like Pop or Rock, and white musicians who are performing Rhythm & Blues classified as “Pop” or “Rock”. Since virtually all popular music in the US and Britain spring from black roots – US or Caribbean – virtually all white popular music by artists from these countries contain black musical ingredients. It’s just a matter of degree.

Even a cursory glance of US musical history will reveal the truth of that claim. From “Ragtime” to “Dixieland Jazz”, from “Blues” to “Swing”, from “Modern Jazz”–i.e., “Bebop” to “Rhythm & Blues / Rock and Roll”, to “Hip-Hop,” are all the creations of Afro-Americans. Yet, as soon as some white musicians learned to play it competently, they were made “The Original Dixieland Jazz Band” or “The King of Jazz”, or the “King of Swing”, or the “King of Rock and Roll”, or the “Queen of Hip-Hop”; i.e., Nick La Rocca, Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman, Elvis Presley and Iggy Azalea.

White artists could get away with this cultural appropriation in the past because the white audience had no idea who the real original artists were. Even after the advent of sound movies and television, black artists were so seldom presented in these media that this situation persisted to the extent that many white American rock musicians with prodigious record sales said they had no idea that the blues they were playing was invented by their black countrymen until white British rockers like “Eric Clapton” told them so!

However, when it became no longer possible to deny the creative genius of Afro-American musicians, the music industry came up with these different categories that allowed them to continue marketing their white artists to the lucrative white majority while shunting black artists off into “Special Markets” departments.   All this tawdry history came to bear in determining how Beyoncé’s visionary musical masterpiece became confined to the “Urban Contemporary” category when it was clearly the “Best Album of the Year”, even in the eyes of the artist who was given the award!

Aside from “Lemonade’s” artistic excellence – the music, poetic lyrics, dazzling dance, splendid costumes, lush imaginative settings, stunning cinematography and excellent direction – the fact that it is officially Black History Month offers an additional rationale for presenting Beyoncé with the Grammy for Best Album.   The album is full of historical references and allusions to Afro-American culture and contemporary political issues. However, let me hasten to say that this fact alone would not be reason enough to bestow this prestigious award on the record.

I agree with Mao Tse-tung in his “Lectures at the Yenan Forum on Literature and Art, where he addresses the role of art as propaganda designed to promote the goals of a mass movement for progressive change. “All art is propaganda but all propaganda is not art,” Mao argues. “In order to be effective as propaganda, it must first succeed as art.”

This explains why Beyoncé touched so many people with her album, which means it would be important as a cultural artifact in the Afro-America musical tradition even if it had no higher ambition than making art for the sake of art. And instead of condemnation, she might well have been wildly applauded by those who do not wish to be emotionally disturbed by being forced to confront unpleasant realities that contradict the master narrative of American Exceptionalism.

After all, even the most racist white Americans have been seduced by the power and charm of Afro-American song and dance.   It is a strange paradox that compelled Dr. W.E.B. DuBois to remark during the height of white terrorist attacks on innocent Black Americans in the early 20th century: “White Americans lynch the Negro while singing his songs.”

Hence, so as long as the black artist just sings and dances but keeps their mouths about the unpleasant realities of black life in the US is well, they are to be chastised if they dare to speak truth to white power. I salute Beyoncé for not caving in to this well-known but unwritten rule: NOT EVEN A HUNDRED GRAMMY’S WOULD HAVE BEEN WORTH IT!!! The white cultural gatekeepers may have denied her the Grammy but she has won the admiration and respect of her people…. and that is INFINITELY MORE VALUABLE!

View From Here: We Will Not Go Back

David Mark Greaves
-
45

Every time Mr. Trump opens his mouth, there is a cringe at what he might say and how he might say it. The words come out and he cannot help revealing himself. “I understand things.” “I was a very good student.” His insecurity is clinically observable and well-deserved – he spends his time watching television, tweeting and signing without reading what is put in front of him. We know that this president does not take briefing books with him to study before going to bed. The New York Times reported that instead of the multiple-page single-spaced briefs that President Obama preferred, this president wants them kept to one page, preferably with images and maps. We have a president who does not read briefs or books.

And then there is his emotional instability. Senator Bernie Sanders says it straight out, “Trump is delusional and a pathological liar”. Senator Al Franken says a “few” Republicans admit Trump may have “mental health issues” and Congressman Ted Liu of California is calling for a psychiatrist to be assigned to the White House.

And now, like something out of a spy novel, we have the National Security Advisor in danger of being blackmailed by the Russians and resigns only after it becomes public. Apparently, having told Mr. Trump three weeks earlier that the person at his side is a security threat and getting no response, the intelligence community decided it was time for this information to leak to the public.

We can only wonder what they are holding back, letting it come out in the multiple congressional investigations that are being called for and that hopefully will end with an orderly impeachment. If that doesn’t happen, expect a few more shoes to drop. The good news for the Republicans, would be Trump gone and Pence in, they get to keep their agenda, but without the overt craziness.

Therefore, one thing that will not change is the full-out assault on free elections and black and brown people. The International Business Times reported that, “The House Administration Committee voted to eliminate the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), an agency formed specifically to ensure the integrity of elections.”  This included helping states prevent digital malfeasance against their voting machines. And then there is Vice President Mike Pence heading a commission looking for the fictitious 2-3 million illegal voters that the delusional president claims were cast in the election. Be prepared for a finding that while they couldn’t find the illegal voters, that doesn’t mean they weren’t there. And here are new guidelines, that will be indistinguishable from voter suppression, to make sure they don’t vote again.

Theophilis Eugene “Bull” Connor was the Birmingham Commissioner who ordered the attacks with fire hoses, clubs and dogs against civil rights workers in the early ‘60s.   He is long gone, but his way of thinking is alive and well with Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, III as U.S. Attorney General. A “throwback” as Congresswoman Maxine Waters calls him, his history includes wrongly prosecuting black activists for voter fraud and opposing the Voting Rights Act, and he is against the Justice Department getting involved in police matters. This is all seen as such good news for the Prison Industrial Complex that stocks in private prisons have risen up to and over 70%.   Investors are betting on a profitable future in the one business where slavery is allowed, prison. And therefore, they see a bright future in warehousing people, be they black, brown or Muslim. Once again, white supremacists are on the march and we must resist and insist we will not go back. That time is done.

What’s Needed: An American Spring

People are beginning to storm Republican congressional offices and town hall meetings and everywhere they can catch up with their representatives objecting mostly to repealing the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. And as the objections and demonstrations grow in Republican districts, members of congress will begin to see their reelections in jeopardy, and committees will begin to act.

Perhaps this is what community organizer and President Barack Obama meant when he said he was optimistic about the future. Because with the information he received in his security brief, and that he was sure would be coming out, he knew there would be across-the-board organizing and that the people will rise.

WHAT’S GOING ON

Victoria Horsford
-
221

By Victoria Horsford

NYC POLITICS

Inez Dickens

HARLEM: NYS Assemblywoman Inez Dickens’ downstate inauguration ceremony was an affair to remember. Held at the Harlem Hospital Pavilion on February 2nd, the event was full of pomp and circumstance, complete with color guard and an SRO audience. Many high-pedigreed NY Democrats were in attendance who delivered remarks about the evolution of Inez Dickens, the elected official who began in 1990. Speakers included NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, NY Democratic County Leader Keith Wright, NYC Public Advocate Letitia James, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and former Congressman Charles Rangel. Dickens’ sister Delores Dickens-Richards spoke, as did surprise guest Doug E. Fresh in a characteristic “free-style” tribute to Ms. Dickens. NYS Court Judge Tanya R. Kenney administered the “Oath of Office” which was followed by photo-ops and a reception with catered food and beverages were served. Crowd was rife with A-list business, community and faith leaders.

Interest in the NYC February 14th special election for the 9th City Council District, formerly occupied by Inez Dickens, has spilled over to mainstream media. A 2/5 Sunday Daily News story referenced the election, which stated that 12 candidates are running. The 2/6 NY Post story about the special election says that 9 contenders are in play. A telephone message to my home/office queries me about whom I favor for the election and cites 5 candidates: Senator Bill Perkins, Cordell Cleare, Athena Moore, Larry Blackmon and Marvin Holland.

A NY Observer story says that former NYS Assemblyman Keith Wright will run for Senator Perkins’ seat if he wins the 2/14 City Council election…………Adriano Espaillat, Dominican Republic-born freshman Congressman who succeeded Charlie Rangel, has applied for Congressional Black Caucus membership. Espaillat defines himself as a Latino of African descent.

BROOKLYN: Elected officials Jumaane Williams, Kevin Parker, Rodneyse Bichotte and Josue Pierre convene a “State of Immigration, State of Emergency” session on 2/8 at 1401 Flatbush Avenue to consider potential changes for immigrants during President Trump’s watch and how to prepare for future actions. For more info call 718.629.2900, or e-mail bgooding@council.ny.gov.

THE NATION: When will President Donald Trump present his 2017 “State of the Union Address”?…………………When will the Democrats convene this month to vote for the Democratic National Committee’s new leadership team? The contestants for DNC Chair are Congressman Keith Ellison; Tom Perez, President Obama’s Labor Secretary; Ray Buckley, Chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party; Jaime Harrison, S.C. Democratic Chairman; and Sally Boynton Brown, Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director. Time for change is Now!

ARTS/CULTURE MEMO

 

Najaah Patterson

Check out the “EN POINTE: Brown Girls Do Ballet”, an arts calendar featuring African-American dancers on their toes. Najaah Patterson, of Atlanta, is one of the ballerina subjects. Najaah was the ultimate modern danceaholic who has attended the highly coveted Alvin Ailey Summer Boot Camp in NY every year since 2014. Last year, her interest veered towards ballet. Her EN POINTE pictures suggest that she could be a Misty Copeland acolyte. Do not take my word. Get your copy of EN POINTE. It is a great Black History Month gift and conversation piece. [Visit browngirlsdoballet.com]

MOVIE: “I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO”, a documentary about American writer/essayist/screenwriter James Baldwin, directed by Haitian-born globe-trotter Raoul Peck. Oscar nominee for Best Documentary, “I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO” is unfiltered vintage Baldwin and his meditations on American race relations, Black Lives Matter, film and love. Samuel Jackson narrates from Baldwin’s material which is provided by his estate.

MOVIE: “CHAPTER AND VERSE” is a gritty urban drama feature film about an ex-convict who tries to start a new life on Harlem’s new, gentrified and mean streets. Directed by Jamal Joseph, starring Daniel Beatty, “CHAPTER AND VERSE” is playing at Mist Harlem, 40 West 116th Street.

VALENTINE

Congrats to Vonetta Horsford Nelson and Brian Jacobs on their engagement. A destination wedding is planned in Puerto Rico next fall.          

Congrats to tennis phenom Serena Williams, who is engaged to Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, an online platform used for creating and sharing content such as stories, links and images in areas from gaming to politics.

Brooklyn Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo and the Anderson Food Ministry hosts a Senior Pre- Valentine’s Lunch, “Love in the 35th District”, on February 10th at 55 Hanson Place, 9th Floor, in Brooklyn at 11 am to 2 pm. [RSVP at 718.260.9191] 

NEWSMAKERS

RIP: Wilhemina (Billie) Holliday, 86, transitioned. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Holliday was raised in New York and quickly emerged as one of its rising stars of her generation. She graduated from NYU and the New School University where she earned her MS in Human Resources and Manpower Development. In 1976, NYS Governor Hugh Carey appointed her to the NYS Parole Board, where as commissioner she had oversight of all 37 correction facilities. In 1984, NYC Police Commissioner Benjamin Ward named Holliday Deputy Commissioner of Community Affairs, a title which made her the highest-ranking Black woman in American law enforcement. After her NYPD retirement, she was appointed Mt. Vernon Police Commissioner. She served as NAACP Mid-Manhattan President for 8 years. Holliday was a member of the Ethiopian Hebrew Commandment Keepers Synagogue.  

BLACK HISTORY

Oprah will be a special contributor to the CBS-TV show “60 MINUTES”, a sound business move for both brands during these divisive American times. “60 Minutes” boasts weekly audiences between 10 to 20 million. Oprah will continue to manage OWN, the cable TV Channel which she co-owns with the Discovery Network.

The Harlem Opera Theater celebrates its 15th Anniversary Salute to Black History Month at the Schomburg Center on February 17th at 7:30 pm. Concert is a tribute to Sylvia Olden Lee, Fulbright scholar, pianist and accompanist who was the first African-American vocal coach hired by the Metropolitan Opera who coached opera divas Marian Anderson, Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle, and she toured with Paul Robeson. [Visit harlemoperatheater.org]

Woodie King’s New Federal Theatre presents “ADAM”, a new play about Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, which is set from 1945 to 1967 in the halls of Congress, Abyssinian Baptist Church and Bimini. Directed by Ajen Washington and written by Peter DeAnda, “ADAM” stars Timothy Simonson. Play runs through March 12th at the Castillo Theatre, 543 West 42nd Street, Manhattan. [Visit Castillo.org]

The Greater New York Chamber of Commerce hosts Black History Month Awards Breakfast honoring the Honorable Charlie Rangel; Michael Garner, 100 Black Men President; and Larry Mullins, WINS news anchor, on Friday, February 10th at 8 am at the Hard Rock Café in NYC. Registration required. [Visit chamber.nyc]

The NY Urban League hosts its 14th Annual Champion of Diversity Awards Breakfast on February 13th at 7:30 am at the Plaza Grand Ballroom, Fifth Avenue at 58th Street, Manhattan. Honorees include Scott Stringer, NYC Comptroller; Rosalind L. Hudnell, VP Corporate Affairs Group, Intel Corp., and President of the Intel Foundation; J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and a Champion of Diversity Award for Exemplary Best Practices for American Airlines, American Express and Comcast NBC Universal. [Visit NYUL.org]

The Harlem Fine Arts Show(HFAS) returns to The Riverside Church on February 16-19. The HFAS is a treasure trove of works by Black masters and emerging fine artists, an expo without equal in NYC. HFAS will honor Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The HFAS Opening Night will be hosted by the Delta Sigma Theta’s Brooklyn Chapter. [Call 800.376.2860]

 

1...773774775...1,292Page 774 of 1,292