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3 episodes with Negro Ensemble Company
2 episodes with Negro Ensemble Company
5 episodes with Negro Ensemble Company
3 episodes with Negro Ensemble Company
2 episodes with Negro Ensemble Company
2 episodes with Negro Ensemble Company
2 episodes with Negro Ensemble Company
"I DIED?!?!" We are here with Tony-nominated actor, L. Scott Caldwell. You Might Know Her From Insecure, Lost, The Fugitive, Bad Monkey, How to Get Away with Murder, Waiting to Exhale, The Net, Soweto Green and the Broadway production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone. L. Scott gave us all the scoop on acting opposite Crystal the Monkey in Bad Monkey, bringing her personal story to Rose's story on Lost, and working with August Wilson on the Broadway production of his 1988 play Joe Turner's Come and Gone. All that, plus being killed off as Molly's mom on Insecure (she forgot!), working with Uta Hagen and the Negro Ensemble Company, and what she learned from Joe Pantoliano on the set of The Fugitive. L. Scott was a total dream and we hope you love it as much as we did! Patreon: www.patreon.com/youmightknowherfrom Follow us on social media: @youmightknowherfrom || @damianbellino || @rodemanne Discussed this episode: Rob Lowe as Stone Phillips and Shaggy Sarah Michelle Gellar as Posh Spice (Chris Kattan as Mel Be) and Debbi Matanopolous The Curious Case of Natalia Grace made into a mini-series with Ellen Pompeo called Good American Family Anne currently binging 2 seasons of Making a Murderer on Netflix Parker Posey in The Staircase True Crime Con featured Jon Benet Ramsey's father was the keynote speaker My Favorite Murder We tried to convince Jiggly Caliente to do Lorena Bobbit on Snatch Game Cult-y video Damian sent Anne on TikTok We are currently reading Sarah Schulman's books: People in Trouble, Stagestruck L Scott plays Jodi Turner Smith's grandmother in Bad Monkey Fear of cats: Ailurophobia Had a chemistry test with Crystal the monkey L Scott played Molly's mom, “CeeCee” on Insecure Dies in A Million Little Pieces, The Gridiron Gang, Insecure Played Rose Nadler of Rose and Bernard on the phenomenon known as Lost Co-starred in big 90s movies like The Fugitive, Devil in a Blue Dress, The Net, Waiting to Exhale Aggie Rodgers was the costume designer for The Fugitive Richard Jordan dies while shooting of The Fugitive and was replaced with Jeroen Krabbé Soweto Green written by Mfundi Vundla NEC: Negro Ensemble Company Was named “Nombula” = bringer of the rain Won a Tony for her role In Joe Turner's Come and Gone on Broadway A Play of Giants at Yale Rep 1984 NEC members: Barbara Montgomery, Frances Foster, Michele Shay, Adolph Caesar, Graham Brown, Charles Brown, Samm-Art Williamson OG company: Hattie Winston, Judyann Elder, Rosalind Cash, Denise Nicholas, Men: Norman Bush, Allie Woods, Robert Hooks, NEC: The Room and it moved to Broadway the next year Uta Hagen promoted some movie called The Other on Mike Douglas show Got injured going toe to toe with Viola Davis in How to Get Away with Murder Has played a judge, lawyer or doctor more times than she can count Tom Petty music video for “Don't Come Around Here No More” and Genesis “Land of Confusion” video with giant Reagan puppets
This Podcast is Making Me Thirsty (The World's #1 Seinfeld Destination)
Seinfeld Podcast Interview With Robert Hooks. Robert played "Joe Temple" in two Season 6 Episodes, "The Couch" and "The Diplomat's Club." Follow Robert: https://www.roberthooks.com/ Visit our Sponsor: https://magicmind.superfiliate.com/SEINFELDPODCAST20 Support The Podcast and Shop For Seinfeld Apparel and More https://homage.sjv.io/g14maO Do us a solid, support the Podcast
This episode focuses on the iconic Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). Hosts Leticia Ridley and Jordan Ealey delve into the NEC's founding and history, its track record of producing successful Black plays, and its legacy within Black theatre and performance.
Black theater institutions have been instrumental in birthing the careers of some of the world's most talented artists. From Amiri Baraka to Glynn Turman to Esther Rolle to Ntozake Shange, the roaster of playwrights, actors, and theater makers who have benefited from the guidance of these prominent havens are never-ending. And in this episode of the TMA podcast, we are digging in the crates and chatting with three of the most regarded black theater organizations in the world! Find out how the Negro Ensemble Company, National Black Theatre, and the New Federal Theatre came to be, found their unique voices, and are working to preserve their legacies. In episode 4 of The Melanated Archives Podcast, we chat with theater makers: Robert Hooks, Sade Lythcott, Jonathan McCrory, Elizabeth Van Dyke, and Woodie King Jr. This Episode's Guests Include: Negro Ensemble Company: Robert Hooks (Co-Founder): Instagram/Facebook - @RobertHooks; www.necinc.org National Black Theatre: Sade Lythcott (CEO) & Jonathan McCrory (Executive Artistic Director): Instagram - @natblacktheatre; www.nationalblacktheatre.org New Federal Theatre: Woodie King Jr. (Founding Director) & Elizabeth Van Dyke (Producing Artistic Director): Instagram - @newfederaltheatre; newfederaltheatre.com ***Please consider donating to these beloved institutions or any black theater company in your area.*** Theme Music: Funky Suspense - courtesy of Bensound.com Follow Our Show & Our Hosts: TMA Instagram: @themelanatedarchives TMA Website: https://www.themelanatedarchives.com/ Kendra Holloway: Instagram - @kendra2shay Brandon Rachal: Instagram - @brandonrachal_ Support & Show Your Love For The Podcast: Make a small donation to help further our efforts: https://anchor.fm/themelanatedarchives/support --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themelanatedarchives/support
In our first episode, we do a deep dive into the career and impact of film, television, and stage pioneer Rosalind Cash (1938-1995). A rich and powerful actress who wowed audiences as an original member of the Negro Ensemble Company and a standout performer on screen in projects like The Omega Man, Sister, Sister, A Different World, & General Hospital. But why was this leading actress not given more opportunities to lead? Find out as we dig into crate #101 of The Melanated Archives Podcast. This Episode's Guests Include: Sharon Washington: https://instagram.com/thisissharonwashington?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk= Ken Sagoes: http://www.thesagoescompany.com/ Allie Woods Theme Music: Funky Suspense - courtesy of Bensound.com Follow Our Show & Our Hosts: TMA Instagram: https://instagram.com/themelanatedarchives?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= TMA Website: https://www.themelanatedarchives.com/ Kendra Holloway: https://instagram.com/kendra2shay?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk= Brandon Rachal: https://instagram.com/brandonrachal_?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk= --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themelanatedarchives/support
Welcome to The Melanated Archives Podcast! Join us as we dig in the crates and study the lives and contributions of iconic black actors throughout history. In our first episode, we do a deep dive into the career and impact of film, television, and stage pioneer Rosalind Cash. A rich and powerful actress who wowed audiences as an original member of the Negro Ensemble Company and a standout performer on screen in projects like The Omega Man, Sister, Sister, A Different World, & General Hospital. But why was this leading actress not given more opportunities to lead? Find out in episode 101 of The Melanated Archives Podcast, available on January 11, 2023. This Episode's Guests Include: Sharon Washington: https://instagram.com/thisissharonwashington?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk= Ken Sagoes: http://www.thesagoescompany.com/ Allie Woods Theme Music: Funky Suspense - courtesy of Bensound.com Follow Our Show & Our Hosts: TMA Instagram: https://instagram.com/themelanatedarchives?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= TMA Website: https://www.themelanatedarchives.com/ Kendra Holloway: https://instagram.com/kendra2shay?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk= Brandon Rachal: https://instagram.com/brandonrachal_?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk= Support this podcast with a donation: https://anchor.fm/themelanatedarchives/support --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themelanatedarchives/support
Larry weighs in on the political landscape heading into the midterms, the Dobbs decision, and the definition of personhood. He's then joined by Emmy Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph to talk about the new ABC series 'Abbott Elementary'. They start their conversation by talking about the emotions Sheryl felt when she won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Barbara Howard and the impetus behind her viral acceptance speech. (23:45) Sheryl then details how she was cast for 'Abbott Elementary', the challenges she faced in preparation for the role, and some of the techniques she employed to execute her performance.(35:56) After the break, they dive into how her parents and bi-country upbringing empowered her to pursue her acting dreams.(49:53) They then discuss how her participation in the Negro Ensemble Company at Rutgers University opened the door for her first screen role opposite Sidney Poitier in 'A Piece of the Action'.(52:34) They end the pod by talking about her experiences with the original stage production of 'Dreamgirls' and the biggest lessons she's learned from her legendary career.(62:21) Host: Larry Wilmore Guest: Sheryl Lee Ralph Production Assistance: Chris Sutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tori takes pleasure in speaking with the “original Black action hero” and a cultural iconoclast. Many see him simply as John Shaft with a brash, ‘take no prisoners' veneer. He however says, “what you see is not the actual”. So, he is not only cool but a true gentleman, gentle soul and master thespian whose works span 5 decades including his forthcoming show with Ava DuVernay. The man also known as double R (or RR) is his father's son and a loving father with a disarming wit that will delight if not tickle you to all ends.He began his one of a kind career as a model with the Ebony Fashion Fair, Johnson Products', and Salem Cigarettes. After joining the Negro Ensemble Company, his first role was portraying boxing legend Jack Johnson in The Great White Hope. From there, he became a leading man whose career was launched by playing the infamous and original detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft. For his performance, he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award Most Promising Newcomer Male Actor - in 1972. What followed has been a distinguished filmography including Inchon opposite Laurence Olivier, Alex Haley's Roots, City Heat opposite Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, and David Fincher's Se7en. "Here's to Life" welcomes the brilliant, soulful and beautiful spirit that is Richard Roundtree. "What you see… what you perceive is not the actual.” - Richard Roundtree CREDITS:Guest: Richard Roundtree Host and Producer: Tori ReidExecutive Producer: Patrick A. HowellWriter: Patrick Howell Post Production: We Edit Podcasts Add'l Post Production: Brian K. Jackson at Maven SoundzVoiceover Artist: Vïntóry Blake MoorePremier Advertising Sponsor: Vivreau Water SystemsAdvertising Sponsor: Hilton Sacramento Arden WestAd Voiceover Artist: Ginger LevertLogo Photography: Bobby Holland / MPTV ImagesLogo Graphic Design: Henny Vallee Photo credit for Richard Roundtree: UnknownMusic:Intro and Outro - "Africa" by Stereo MixtrumentalVivreau Ad Music - "That's What Left Us Behind" by Christian Andersona Victory & Noble production@ 2022 Victory & Noble LLC All Rights Reserved.Connect with the Guest:Richard Roundtree on InstagramRichard Roundtree on Facebook
Broadway Publicist and Tony Award Honoree Irene Gandy Takes Us Behind the Curtains of The Great White Way, along with Emilio Sosa, the newly appointed Chair of the American Theater Wing. Emilio is also a tony-nominated costume and fashion designer. The recent Tony Awards gave us all hope and a strong signal that Broadway is coming back after taking a hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. And we will see more diversity as actors and producers gave speeches about their yearning for more inclusive stories on Broadway stages. In this interview, these two Broadway leadership stars share a behind the scenes look at one of the best places on earth! Start buying tickets and support the theater now! Irene Gandy is the only Black female press agent member of ATPAM (Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers) for over 50 years. Working with Producer Jeffrey Richards for over three decades, she is a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer for The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, and was a producer for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill starring Audra MacDonald. She was also co-producer with Voza Rivers of the National tour of South African musical Sarafina. In 2008, she became the first female press agent to be immortalized with a Sardi's caricature. A fashionista known for her furs, in 2015 she launched a signature collection featured in Vogue magazine and will debut a Lady Irene Fur line in 2022. Gandy's recent productions include The Great Society, American Son, China Doll, Fiddler on the Roof, and You Can't Take It With You. She began her career in 1968 as a publicist with Douglas Turner Ward and Robert Hooks' Negro Ensemble Company. Since then, she has worked on over 100 Broadway shows including August: Osage County, Glengarry Glen Ross, Radio Golf, Bubbling Brown Sugar, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Lena Horne: The Lady and her Music, and The Wiz. About Emilio Sosa: Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City, Emilio is one of Broadway's most unique talents. He began his theatre career at Grace Costumes, starting as a shopper, and eventually becoming its Creative Director. He credits this time as the foundation for his career. Emilio went on to tour the world with Celine Dion, The Alvin Ailey Dance Company, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Emilio made a name for himself styling music videos for Hip Hop pioneers, Salt-N- Pepa, MC Lyte, and Kid & Play to name a few. He has also designed for music icons Diana Ross, Mariah Carey and Gloria Estefan. Catching the eye of director Spike Lee, Emilio became his in-house stylist, working on national and international ad campaigns, before setting his sight on Broadway, where he was mentored by director George C. Wolfe, for whom he designed his first Broadway show, TOPDOG / UNDERDOG. His other Broadway credits include, ON YOUR FEET! The Emilio and Gloria Estefan Story, MOTOWN: The Musical, PORGY AND BESS (TONY Award nom) and LADY DAY at EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL. He shares the unique distinction of being the first designer of color to design The Radio City Music Hall Spring Spectacular and a new permanent number for the legendary Christmas Show, both starring The Rockettes. He has received both Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations and has been the recipient a Lucille Lortell Award, NAACP Theatre Awards, and LA Ovation Award. Emilio's talent was also evident on season seven of Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars, where he showed his final collection on all models of color, a first for the popular franchise. A proud Trustee of the American Theatre Wing, Emilio shares his vast theatre knowledge with communities rarely represented, by sponsoring theatre trips, workshops and talk backs. “I believe theatre has the ability to build the bridges needed for all of us to better understand ourselves and the world we live in.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Be sure to subscribe for more - Creation Grounds Podcast Know who casts what and measure your way to your bookings with Auditiontrackers.com ________ Website: Marlon Campbell Theater of the Living Word: Website Born in Kingston, Jamaica, raised in Brooklyn and Queens, Marlon Campbell is a performer, Production Designer and Technical Director working primarily in NYC. His work can be seen in logos, posters, stationary, CD covers, web sites, videos, stage shows, and publicity materials for a variety of artists, entrepreneurs and organizations including Negro Ensemble Company, Project HOPE, NYU, Tokyo's Broadway Musical Academy, The Equinox Group and ICM, as well as performers such as Patti LaBelle, Expose, KRS-One, Troop, Ray, Goodman and Brown, Naughty by Nature, and Janet Jackson. He proudly serves as Executive Director of Theatre of the Living Word. ________ Some Questions I Ask: Earliest memory of the arts? (2:05) Most inspired piece of work he's seen and why did it inspire (4:52) Theatre of the Living Word (7:20) What is an executive director? (9:05) What draws you to the design element and stage management in theater (11:52) What's the most fun production you've worked on? (13:59) What's the biggest lesson you've learned during your career? (16:19) Book you've gifted the most? (18:15) What are you currently working on or desire to work on next? (21:12) When you think of the word creative who comes to mind for you and why? (23:21) How can people connect with you? (26:13) ____________ You can follow Arron at: Website: ArronLloyd.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arronlloyd/ Facebook: Arron Lloyd Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArronLloyd Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/arronsl316 TikTok:Arronslloyd Youtube: Arron Lloyd This is NYC merch -
In February of 2021 the theater world lost Douglas Turner Ward, co-founder of the Negro Ensemble Company, a giant, and an unapologetic trailblazer. As the artistic world reckons with inclusion and diversity, it is fitting that we remember Douglas Tuner Ward who pushed open doors way ahead of his time. BVPP host and producer Steven Anthony Jones was very close to Ward and counts him as one of his biggest mentors as and teachers. In this episode Jones pays tribute to Ward's incredible legacy, the artists that he nurtured, and his unstoppable calling to create even in his last days.
Be sure to subscribe for more - Creation Grounds Podcast Know who casts what and measure your way to your bookings with Auditiontrackers.com ________ Woodie King Jr. Imdb IG: Instagram Website: New Federal Theatre Alabama born Woodie King Jr. is an award winning theater director, producer, writer and all around multi-hyphenate. Earlier this year we lost Douglas Turner Ward who founded the historic and internationally known Negro Ensemble Company. (The Negro Ensembe Company has a whole wall dedicated to it's impact and legacy in the African American Mueseum in Washington D.C). In this episode Woodie discusses and honors Doug's legacy and impact. He shares stories about Doug and also shares about how New Federal was founded. He discusses some challenges that black theatre faces and what some potential solutions are. In 1970, King founded the New Federal Theatre and the National Black Touring Circuit in New York City, where he remained as producing director throughout his career. King produced shows both on and off Broadway, and directed performances across the country in venues such as the New York Shakespeare Festival; the Cleveland Playhouse; Center Stage of Baltimore; and the Pittsburgh Public Theatre. King's work earned him numerous nominations and awards over the years, including a 1988 NAACP Image Award for his direction of Checkmates, and 1993 Audelco Awards for Best Director and Best Play for his production of Robert Johnson: Trick The Devil; he also received an Obie Award for Sustained Achievement. King was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Wayne State University, and a doctorate of fine arts from the College of Wooster. In addition to his directing and producing of theater, King wrote extensively about the theater industry; he contributed to numerous magazines, such as Black World, Variety, and The Tulane Drama Review, as well as authoring a number of books. ________ Some Questions I Ask: What was the moment you decided you wanted to build a life in the arts? (2:04) What questions in interviews do you wish people would ask you that they never do? (3:50) First time meeting Douglas Turner Ward? (5:40) Why is Douglas Turner Ward such an important figure in American history? (6:10) What is your favorite moment with Douglas Turner Ward? (7:22) What's your earliest memory of Negro Ensemble Company? (8:06) Advice to artists about to graduate and enter real world, professional world (9:00) Why have companies like NEC and New Federal been around for as long as they have? (10:00) Most important lesson you've learned from Douglas Turner Ward? (10:46) If Doug was creating and sustaining a theatre company in the modern technology age what would he be doing? (12:06) What are some of the biggest challenges of black theatre today and what are some potential solutions? (12:45) What show of performance had you completely riveted or is most memorable? (13:30) When you think of the word creative who comes to mind for you and why? (14:06) Advice for this generation of actors? (14:58) How can people connect? (16:30) ____________ You can follow Arron at: Website: ArronLloyd.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arronlloyd/ Facebook: Arron Lloyd Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArronLloyd Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/arronsl316 TikTok:Arronslloyd Youtube: Arron Lloyd This is NYC merch -
TVC 445.3: Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter welcome Robert Hooks (Trouble Man, N.Y.P.D., Star Trek III: The Search for Spock), the Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actor and producer who founded three significant African-American theatre companies: the Group Theatre Workshop in New York; the DC Black Repertory Company in his hometown of Washington, D.C.; and the internationally recognized Negro Ensemble Company in New York. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TVC 445.4: Emmy Award-winning actor and producer Robert Hooks talks to Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter about the origins and legacy of the Negro Ensemble Company, one of the three significant African-American theatre companies that Robert founded. Want to advertise/sponsor our show? TV Confidential has partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle advertising/sponsorship requests for the podcast edition of our program. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started: https://www.advertisecast.com/TVConfidentialAradiotalkshowabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Be sure to subscribe for more - Creation Grounds Podcast For a list of NYC, LA and Southeast casting directors, the shows they cast as of 5/11/20 & their assistants, associates and a way to track your auditions and workshops with them check out The Audition/Workshop Tracker! ________ Khalil Kain: Imdb IG: Instagram Connect: Cameo New York native Khalil Kain joins me for the 40th episode of The Creation Grounds. We discuss everything from advice for up and coming actors, his illustrious and culturally impactful career, working with 2Pac in juice and some on set memories, the impact of Charles Weldon (the former artistic director of The Negro Ensemble Company) on his life and his new play "Lambs to Slaughter." Khalil has an impactful and illustrious career spanning from his roles in things from his work in the hood classic "Juice" as Raheem directed by Ernest Dickerson and starring 2Pac, to his work with Larenz Tate and Nia Long in the love classic Love Jones, to Darnell in Girlfriends with Tracee Elllis Ross, and For Colored Girls directed by Tyler Perry and starring Janet Jackson & Anika Noni Rose. ________ Some Questions I Ask: Upbringing in NYC? (1:32) What is the most impactful lesson he's learned from his father (an original member of The Last Poets) (3:25) On his early days at The Roxy and in the rink (5:03) What movie or TV has moved him the most recently? (9:36) Top 3 memories from the set of "Juice"? (13:59) Why Juice has stood the test of time (18:53) On a scene between Bishop and Raheem and how they prepared (21:53) What he thinks Pac would be doing if he were around today (26:19) Love Jones & Girlfriends (28:17) Advice to up and coming actors? (33:55) The late Charles Weldon's impact on him (35:23) On the idea to write his new play "Lambs to Slaughter"? (43:00) Challenges and joys of the writing of "Lambs to Slaughter" (48:43) What he desires to do next (53:03) When he thinks of the word creative who comes to mind and why? (55:24) ____________ You can follow Arron at: Website: ArronLloyd.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arronlloyd/ Facebook: Arron Lloyd Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArronLloyd Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/arronsl316 TikTok:Arronslloyd Youtube: Arron Lloyd This is NYC merch -
Today we salute Moses Gunn, Emmy-nominated actor and co-founder of the Negro Ensemble Company, who passed away 27 years ago today
I was thrilled to have James Pickens Jr. on the Podcast... JAMES PICKENS, JR. is an actor, producer and philanthropist. As an actor, he has the distinction of being an original cast member of the longest running medical drama in television history, Grey’s Anatomy. For his role as former chief of staff, Dr. Richard Webber, he earned a SAG Award, a People’s Choice Award and an NAACP Image Award. Born and raised in Cleveland, OH, he began his acting career at Cleveland’s Karamu House, the oldest African-American theater in the United States. He moved to New York and performed in the historic 1981 production of A Soldiers’ Play at the Negro Ensemble Company with fellow cast members Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. Upon moving to Los Angeles, Pickens worked steadily on both small and big screen, appearing in films directed by some of Hollywood’s finest directors, including, Steven Soderbergh Traffic, Oliver Stone’s Nixon, Warren Beatty’s Bulworth, and four Barry Levinson films: Jimmy Hollywood, Sleepers, Sphere and Liberty City. He portrayed slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Ghosts of Mississippi, which starred Whoopi Goldberg and was directed by Rob Reiner. His television credits include recurring roles on Beverly Hills, 90210, The X-Files (both the original and the reboot), The Practice, NYPD Blue, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The West Wing, Roseanne and the reincarnation of that series, The Conners, and many more. As a producer, he has several projects in the works, including his passion project, a film on the life of the first Black U.S. marshal, Bass Reeves. In his spare time, he hosts an annual team roping event, which attracts some of the best competitive team ropers in the sport. Proceeds from this event benefit the James Pickens, Jr. Foundation, a charity he co-founded with his wife of 30 years, Gina Taylor-Pickens. The foundation’s mission is to enhance the lives of families and children Resources: https://www.instagram.com/jamespickensjrcharityroping/ Show Sponsors: https://www.instagram.com/thecowlot/ www.thecowlot.com https://www.instagram.com/tommyhawksaxehouse/ www.tommyhawks.net Show Music: “The Ropin Pen” By: Trent Willmon https://trentwillmon.com/ (https://trentwillmon.com/) “Cowboy” By: Kolt Barber https://www.koltbarber.com/ (https://www.koltbarber.com/) MC Podcast Production & Editing: Matt Kirschner https://www.instagram.com/mattjkirschner/ (https://www.instagram.com/mattjkirschner/)
Beyond the Lights: A Conversation with Theater Professionals
On today’s show, I speak with playwright, producer, and photographer Garlia Cornelia Jones. I’ve known Garlia for about 13 years and in that time she has actively created space for Black voices in New York City. But her work in this space has roots beyond New York, going back to her time at Indiana University and continuing through today with her work at The Public Theater. Our conversation begins with her children telling us what a producer does, transitioning into the project she is currently working on, and diving into her artistic family’s influence on her life. For a full transcript of today's episode visit beyondthelightspodcast.comMentioned in this Episode[00:05:55] Say Their Names Project [00:23:44] Fire this Time Festival[00:23:45] Blackboard Plays [00:23:46] Harlem 9 [00:23:47] Liberation Theatre Company [00:23:50] The Movement Theatre Company [00:24:29] The Classic Theatre of Harlem [00:24:33] National Black Theatre [00:24:42] Negro Ensemble Company [00:26:57] Marian Rice Players [00:31:41] Parent Artists Advocacy League [00:40:31] School Girls; Or The African Mean Girls Play [00:47:51] Broadway Inspirational Voices Follow GarliaWebsitePatreonFacebookTwitterInstagramFollow Beyond the LightsFacebookTwitterInstagram
Be sure to subscribe for more - Creation Grounds Podcast For a list of NYC, LA and Southeast casting directors, the shows they cast as of 5/11/20 & their assistants, associates and a way to track your auditions and workshops with them check out The Audition/Workshop Tracker! ________ Allie Woods Imdb Texas native Allie Woods joins me for the 18th episode of The Creation Grounds. We discuss his early days at the legendary Negro Ensemble Company in New York City, on him discovering Denzel Washington in the play that led to Denzel's role as Malcolm X in the Spike Lee film, audition tips for actors and on the legacy of NEC. Allie is an actor and director and is a member of the internationally known Negro Ensemble Company. ________ Some Questions I Ask: Growing up in Texas? (:52) Interest in theater (1:42) First production involved in (2:40) Transition from Texas to NY? (3:30) Early days of Negro Ensemble Company and NEC stories ? (5:50) On working personally with August Wilson(10:38) On directing Denzel Washington in "When The Chicken's Come Home To Roost" (13:20) Can that special quality that people like Denzel has be learned (18:35) What has he changed his mind on in past couple of years (20:23) Audition tips (23:10) When he thinks of word creative who comes to mind and why (31:10) What are you working on next? (32:22) ____________ You can follow Arron at: Website: ArronLloyd.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arronlloyd/ Facebook: Arron Lloyd Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArronLloyd Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/arronsl316 TikTok:Arronslloyd Youtube: Arron Lloyd This is NYC merch -
Be sure to subscribe for more - Creation Grounds Podcast For a list of NYC, LA and Southeast casting directors, the shows they cast as of 5/11/20 & their assistants, associates and a way to track your auditions and workshops with them check out The Audition/Workshop Tracker! ________ Horace Glasper Imdb IG: Instagram Twitter: Tweet Website: Connect Press: VoyageATL NYTimes Chicago native Horace Glasper joins me for the 15th episode of The Creation Grounds. We discuss Knowing and finding your purpose. Horace is a standup comedian, actor and writer who has background in theater as well as TV/film. Most recently he's played the role of Victor in the film The Prayer. He's toured with comedian Lil JJ and was a part of Negro Ensemble Company's illustrious 50th anniversary theater season. We met during productions at NEC and are both legacy bearer recipients and were in the revamp of Soldier's Play which hadn't been done at NEC since Denzel Washington, Samuel L Jackson, James Pickens Jr and other's had done it. ________ Some Questions I Ask: Growing up in Chicago? (:49) When were you introduced to acting and writing? (2:21) When he moved to NYC (4:11) Finding his purpose (5:18) Defining his purpose? (6:38) How does having a purpose in entertainment industry support his perseverance in the industry (7:08) How someone can find their purpose? (8:49) How do you get through fear? (11:19) Resources for people looking for purpose (13:38) Practical actionable way for people in inner cities on wrong path to self correct (16:23) 3 ideas he would pass down to his kid to help sustain them through life (20:50) What are you currently working on? (21:32) ____________ You can follow Arron at: Website: ArronLloyd.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arronlloyd/ Facebook: Arron Lloyd Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArronLloyd Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/arronsl316 TikTok:Arronslloyd Youtube: Arron Lloyd This is NYC merch -
Our guest is Akintola Jiboyewa. Akintola Jiboyewa is an actor that brings a distinct image and strong presence to any screen. We talk about the challenges and joys of being selected for acting roles and the importance of staying committed to one’s craft. With a Caribbean and Nigerian heritage, Akintola (pronounced uh-kin-tuh-la) began acting at Lincoln High School for Performing Arts in New York. Shortly after graduation he was accepted into the Negro Ensemble Company. There he honed his skills and developed a love for deep preparation in various off Broadway productions. To pay the bills while acting, Akintola worked as a Crisis Interventionist at the Lorge School in Manhattan, providing classroom support to students with emotional disabilities. This experience influenced his future choice of roles. After guest appearances on LAW AND ORDER S.V.U (NBC), BLUE BLOODS and PERSON OF INTEREST (CBS) Akintola landed the leading role as the cool, no-nonsense Det. Garry McFadden on one of INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY's (ID) marquee crime series, I AM HOMICIDE. Over the years, Akintola developed a reputation for being immensely prepared for each role and collaborating selflessly with cast members. Akintola will be starring in the afro-futuristic sword and sorcery trilogy set in ancient Kemet called,"Protector of the Gods"as General Bomani. Production begins summer, 2020. Resume Film: about the people, Supporting Role; the creed, Supporting Role; All Rise, Supporting Role; black movie night, Supporting Role; the tombs; Supporting Role; uncle kills, Lead; back for good, Supporting Role. Resume Television: The Code, Guest Star; Blue Bloods, Guest Star; I am homicide, Series Regular, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Guest Star; Person of Interest, Guest Star; Gotham, Co-Star; The Blacklist, Co-Star; The Enemy Within, Co-Star; Killision Course, Guest Star; Scorned: Love Kills, Guest Star. Social Media: IG @akbluez; Facebook Akintola Jay. Closing word “Get Back Up!” by Dr. Eric Thomas --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/whataword/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/whataword/support
A farcical intergalactic play in one-actPenned by Sophia RommaABOUT THE PLAYThe Virus Corazón is causing chaos among the human population. This stoic and unruly viral infection infiltrates all those who show the ability to covet, to love and entraps those who possess the deep and insatiable desire to fornicate. Three outcasts have been weeded out to populate a new planet, called the Voon. These soon to be Vonanians are to be reformed and purged for their transgressions of depicting feelings and falling in and out of love. These natural human emotions deriving from the ardent passion and amorous adventures, which have particularly imbued the lives of these three slightly off-kilter but ardent fugitives and pariahs—are no longer desirable emotions and land all those who portray a propensity for showing feelings in the penitentiary or the psychiatric ward—as well as in freezers or in bathroom urinals. As punitive measures in the spirit of reformation. These outsiders are mandated to be beheaded by the guillotine at the hands of a sadistic otherworldly vengeful alien, an intergalactic trooper, who uses her bewitching powers and stark wit to, in a totalitarian manner, elicit confessions from these fugitives as she cannot merely deliver these inmates traveling in an out of control pod, to a novel full of hope planet without forcing these cellmates to repent first—as ordained by the dictatorial government of our unholy planet earth. CAST OF CHARACTERSIN ALPHABETICAL ORDERMr. Clas Duncan in the role of Chaz CormierMs. Ana Maria Jomolca in the role of Milagros AlvarezMs. Maureen O’Conner in the role of Shannon DooleyMs. Victoria Guthrie in the role of Intergalactic Trooper Riley WretchedAnd Ms. Sophia Romma as the Narrator ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT AND THE NARRATORSophia Romma, Ph.D., Esq.Playwright/Screenwriter/Director, Dr. Sophia Romma is the author of fourteen stage-plays, produced Off-Off Broadway/Off-Broadway, three of which were produced at La MaMa E.T.C. Her play, “The Past Is Still Ahead,” which she also directed ran at the Cherry Lane Theatre, at the MITF and toured Montauk, London, Moscow, Montreal and Seoul. The Negro Ensemble Company presented "The Mire" at the Cherry Lane Theatre, heralded by the New York Times for “grinding down stubborn cultural borders with love’s symphony.” Romma’s “Cabaret Émigré,” was lauded by The Villager for: “Delving deep into the dislocated émigré’s soul in erotic quantum verse.” Romma graduated from Tisch School of the Arts (M.F.A), holds a Ph.D. in Philology from Maxim Gorky Literary Institute, and a Master of Laws from Fordham University School of Law. She directed plays by Leslie Lee, August Wilson and Austin Phillips at the Schomburg Center, FDCAC, and Mayakovski Academic Art Theatre. Romma served as Literary Manager and Dramaturg of NEC. She is the Producing Artistic Director of The Garden of the Avant-Garde Film and Theatrical Foundation and is an International Law and Human Rights attorney. http://gardenofavantgarde.com ABOUT THE CASTAna Maria Jomolca as Milagros Alvarez: studied Film and Creative Writing at The New School and received her MFA in Fiction at Hunter College. She is an actress, director, producer and published writer.Clas Duncan as Chaz Cormier: Clas is a twenty-six-year old from Washington DC Metro area born on August 15th. Lover of life, passionate creator, considerate being and an actor of the screen. Maureen O’Connor as Shannon Dooley: I am an American actress of Mexican and Irish heritage, born in Philadelphia in 1964. I've been on stage off and on since grade school, first time on film in 2017, and I've got the bug, now, hoping I'll be working for the rest of my life - because this is just FUN! Victoria Guthrie as Trooper Riley Wretched: Theater: Off Broadway: The Shanghai Gesture Julia Miles Theater, Absolute Clarity at The Players Theater, Off-Off Broadway: Steel Magnolias at The Snarks, How The Other Half Loves ACC, It’s Only A Play ACC, The Pillowman T. Schreiber Studio, Blood Sky T. Schreiber Studio. TV: Grave Murders, Diabolical, REDRUM, The Haunting of Patty Stanger, Counter Terror Intel and The Onion News Network. Victoria has appeared in over one hundred films, television shows and commercials receiving numerous nominations for best actress and best supporting actress, including a win for best actress for “Tales of Creation” The Brightside Film Festival 2016. *AEA. To see my reel, go to www.VictoriaGuthrie.com.
A farcical intergalactic play in one-actPenned by Sophia RommaABOUT THE PLAYThe Virus Corazón is causing chaos among the human population. This stoic and unruly viral infection infiltrates all those who show the ability to covet, to love and entraps those who possess the deep and insatiable desire to fornicate. Three outcasts have been weeded out to populate a new planet, called the Voon. These soon to be Vonanians are to be reformed and purged for their transgressions of depicting feelings and falling in and out of love. These natural human emotions deriving from the ardent passion and amorous adventures, which have particularly imbued the lives of these three slightly off-kilter but ardent fugitives and pariahs—are no longer desirable emotions and land all those who portray a propensity for showing feelings in the penitentiary or the psychiatric ward—as well as in freezers or in bathroom urinals. As punitive measures in the spirit of reformation. These outsiders are mandated to be beheaded by the guillotine at the hands of a sadistic otherworldly vengeful alien, an intergalactic trooper, who uses her bewitching powers and stark wit to, in a totalitarian manner, elicit confessions from these fugitives as she cannot merely deliver these inmates traveling in an out of control pod, to a novel full of hope planet without forcing these cellmates to repent first—as ordained by the dictatorial government of our unholy planet earth. CAST OF CHARACTERSIN ALPHABETICAL ORDERMr. Clas Duncan in the role of Chaz CormierMs. Ana Maria Jomolca in the role of Milagros AlvarezMs. Maureen O’Conner in the role of Shannon DooleyMs. Victoria Guthrie in the role of Intergalactic Trooper Riley WretchedAnd Ms. Sophia Romma as the Narrator ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT AND THE NARRATORSophia Romma, Ph.D., Esq.Playwright/Screenwriter/Director, Dr. Sophia Romma is the author of fourteen stage-plays, produced Off-Off Broadway/Off-Broadway, three of which were produced at La MaMa E.T.C. Her play, “The Past Is Still Ahead,” which she also directed ran at the Cherry Lane Theatre, at the MITF and toured Montauk, London, Moscow, Montreal and Seoul. The Negro Ensemble Company presented "The Mire" at the Cherry Lane Theatre, heralded by the New York Times for “grinding down stubborn cultural borders with love’s symphony.” Romma’s “Cabaret Émigré,” was lauded by The Villager for: “Delving deep into the dislocated émigré’s soul in erotic quantum verse.” Romma graduated from Tisch School of the Arts (M.F.A), holds a Ph.D. in Philology from Maxim Gorky Literary Institute, and a Master of Laws from Fordham University School of Law. She directed plays by Leslie Lee, August Wilson and Austin Phillips at the Schomburg Center, FDCAC, and Mayakovski Academic Art Theatre. Romma served as Literary Manager and Dramaturg of NEC. She is the Producing Artistic Director of The Garden of the Avant-Garde Film and Theatrical Foundation and is an International Law and Human Rights attorney. http://gardenofavantgarde.com ABOUT THE CASTAna Maria Jomolca as Milagros Alvarez: studied Film and Creative Writing at The New School and received her MFA in Fiction at Hunter College. She is an actress, director, producer and published writer.Clas Duncan as Chaz Cormier: Clas is a twenty-six-year old from Washington DC Metro area born on August 15th. Lover of life, passionate creator, considerate being and an actor of the screen. Maureen O’Connor as Shannon Dooley: I am an American actress of Mexican and Irish heritage, born in Philadelphia in 1964. I've been on stage off and on since grade school, first time on film in 2017, and I've got the bug, now, hoping I'll be working for the rest of my life - because this is just FUN! Victoria Guthrie as Trooper Riley Wretched: Theater: Off Broadway: The Shanghai Gesture Julia Miles Theater, Absolute Clarity at The Players Theater, Off-Off Broadway: Steel Magnolias at The Snarks, How The Other Half Loves ACC, It’s Only A Play ACC, The Pillowman T. Schreiber Studio, Blood Sky T. Schreiber Studio. TV: Grave Murders, Diabolical, REDRUM, The Haunting of Patty Stanger, Counter Terror Intel and The Onion News Network. Victoria has appeared in over one hundred films, television shows and commercials receiving numerous nominations for best actress and best supporting actress, including a win for best actress for “Tales of Creation” The Brightside Film Festival 2016. *AEA. To see my reel, go to www.VictoriaGuthrie.com.
Eugene Lee began working as an actor in the early 1970s and continues to appear on stage, in movies and on television.In 1972, Lee was a cast member in a command performance of “A Raisin in the Sun” for President Lyndon B. Johnson by the Ebony Players, a college theatrical group. He went on to appear and work in over 200 television movies and series, including “The Women of Brewster Place” (ABC) with Oprah Winfrey; “Dallas” (TNT); “Good Times” (CBS); “The White Shadow” (CBS); “The District” (CBS); “NYPD Blue” (ABC); “The Guiding Light” (NBC); “Quantum Leap” (NBC); “American Crime” (ABC); “The Lying Game” (Freeform); “MacGyver” (CBS); the title character in “Wolf,” an award-winning independent film; and most recently, a character in two upcoming “Homeland” (SHO) episodes.His television writing credits include episodes of Emmy Award-nominated “Homicide: Life on the Street” (NBC); “Walker, Texas Ranger” (CBS); “Michael Hayes” (CBS); “The Journey of Allen Strange (Nickelodeon); “Turks” (CBS); and the Morgan Freeman-produced television movie, “Port Chicago”.He has also appeared on stages across the country and globe. His credits include works at renowned The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. of New York; True Colors Theatre in Atlanta; Huntington Theatre Company in Boston; Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company; Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles; Goodman Theatre in Chicago; and the Pittsburgh Public Theater and Crossroads Theatre Company in New Jersey.While traveling with the Negro Theatre Ensemble, Mr. Lee performed in the Pulitzer Prize-winning” A Soldier's Play” and numerous other works. In 2019, Lee appeared in the Broadway production of American Son. Also, in 2019, he won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play (“Two Trains Running,” Arena Stage).Lee is considered a “Wilsonian Warrior” for his many appearances in the works of August Wilson, including the Broadway production of “Gem of the Ocean.” He performed in five of Wilson's 10 plays at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and in Wilson's final autobiographical one-man piece “How I Learned What I Learned.”Mr. Lee's own characters come to life through his plays, including “East Texas Hot Links,” which has been produced on stages from Los Angeles to New York and London's The Royal Court Theatre and is published by Samuel French, Inc. His other plays include “Fear Itself,” “Somebody Called: A Tale of Two Preachers,” “Killingsworth,” “Lyin' Ass,” and the musical “Twist.”Lee is Artist in Residence and Artistic Director of the Black and Latino Playwrights Conference at Texas State University where he is also designated Distinguished Alumnus.“The parents—a furious, pent-up Eugene Lee as John Prentice, Sr., and a stoic, frustrated Andrea Frye as Mary Prentice—are excellently played so much so that we begin to realize this play isn't just about race but also about gender and memory.”Gary Tischler, "The Georgetowner"AMERICAN SON“Mr. Lee's life-time of performing experience is powerfully evident as he seizes focus while still being part on the ensemble. The enthralling Lee's folksiness morphs into icy combativeness as the discord amongst him and the Connors intensifies. It's a supreme display of character acting.”Darryl Reilly, "Theater Scene"AMERICAN SON“And as a police lieutenant who arrives near the end, Eugene Lee makes a powerful figure of a plot device.”If you liked this podcast, shoot me an e-mail at filmmakingconversations@mail.comAlso, you can check out my documentary The People of Brixton, on Kwelitv here: www.kweli.tv/programs/the-peopl…xton?autoplay=trueDamien Swaby Social Media Links:Instagram www.instagram.com/damien_swaby_video_producer/Twittertwitter.com/DamienSwaby?ref_src…erp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorFacebookwww.facebook.com/Damien-Swaby-213805135363397
Eugene Lee began working as an actor in the early 1970s and continues to appear on stage, in movies and on television. In 1972, Lee was a cast member in a command performance of “A Raisin in the Sun” for President Lyndon B. Johnson by the Ebony Players, a college theatrical group. He went on to appear and work in over 200 television movies and series, including “The Women of Brewster Place” (ABC) with Oprah Winfrey; “Dallas” (TNT); “Good Times” (CBS); “The White Shadow” (CBS); “The District” (CBS); “NYPD Blue” (ABC); “The Guiding Light” (NBC); “Quantum Leap” (NBC); “American Crime” (ABC); “The Lying Game” (Freeform); “MacGyver” (CBS); the title character in “Wolf,” an award-winning independent film; and most recently, a character in two upcoming “Homeland” (SHO) episodes. His television writing credits include episodes of Emmy Award-nominated “Homicide: Life on the Street” (NBC); “Walker, Texas Ranger” (CBS); “Michael Hayes” (CBS); “The Journey of Allen Strange (Nickelodeon); “Turks” (CBS); and the Morgan Freeman-produced television movie, “Port Chicago”. He has also appeared on stages across the country and globe. His credits include works at renowned The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. of New York; True Colors Theatre in Atlanta; Huntington Theatre Company in Boston; Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company; Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles; Goodman Theatre in Chicago; and the Pittsburgh Public Theater and Crossroads Theatre Company in New Jersey. While traveling with the Negro Theatre Ensemble, Mr. Lee performed in the Pulitzer Prize-winning” A Soldier’s Play” and numerous other works. In 2019, Lee appeared in the Broadway production of American Son. Also, in 2019, he won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play (“Two Trains Running,” Arena Stage). Lee is considered a “Wilsonian Warrior” for his many appearances in the works of August Wilson, including the Broadway production of “Gem of the Ocean.” He performed in five of Wilson’s 10 plays at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and in Wilson’s final autobiographical one-man piece “How I Learned What I Learned.” Mr. Lee’s own characters come to life through his plays, including “East Texas Hot Links,” which has been produced on stages from Los Angeles to New York and London’s The Royal Court Theatre and is published by Samuel French, Inc. His other plays include “Fear Itself,” “Somebody Called: A Tale of Two Preachers,” “Killingsworth,” “Lyin’ Ass,” and the musical “Twist.” Lee is Artist in Residence and Artistic Director of the Black and Latino Playwrights Conference at Texas State University where he is also designated Distinguished Alumnus. “The parents—a furious, pent-up Eugene Lee as John Prentice, Sr., and a stoic, frustrated Andrea Frye as Mary Prentice—are excellently played so much so that we begin to realize this play isn’t just about race but also about gender and memory.” Gary Tischler, "The Georgetowner" AMERICAN SON “Mr. Lee’s life-time of performing experience is powerfully evident as he seizes focus while still being part on the ensemble. The enthralling Lee’s folksiness morphs into icy combativeness as the discord amongst him and the Connors intensifies. It’s a supreme display of character acting.” Darryl Reilly, "Theater Scene" AMERICAN SON “And as a police lieutenant who arrives near the end, Eugene Lee makes a powerful figure of a plot device.” If you liked this podcast, shoot me an e-mail at filmmakingconversations@mail.com Also, you can check out my documentary The People of Brixton, on Kwelitv here: www.kweli.tv/programs/the-peopl…xton?autoplay=true Damien Swaby Social Media Links: Instagram www.instagram.com/damien_swaby_video_producer/ Twitter twitter.com/DamienSwaby?ref_src…erp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Facebook www.facebook.com/Damien-Swaby-213805135363397
Jason Gray https://www.instagram.com/kindofgray/ is currently a Theatre Management MFA Candidate at Yale, he is an actor, writer, and was the founding Program Director of Black Arts Institute https://stellaadler.com/classes/black-arts-theater/ The Billie Holiday Theatre and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting are excited to launch the Black Arts Institute. The Institute offers two programs in 2020 exploring the history of the contemporary Black theater tradition with courses held at the Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn, NY. The Black Arts Institute offers both a one-week winter and five-week summer comprehensive exploration of the history of the contemporary Black theater tradition, led by a world-class faculty including Stephen McKinley Henderson, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Phylicia Rashad, Michele Shay and Sonia Sanchez. Both programs highlight certain key historical moments like the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Power movement and the genesis of the Negro Ensemble Company, as well as many Black theaters that emerged during the Black Arts Movement. Students will leave with an understanding of the aesthetic, socio-cultural and historical components involved in bringing contemporary black theater to life.
Show Notes Moe Factz with Adam Curry for December 2nd 2019, Episode number 17 Shaft Stache Shownotes Robert Townsend (actor) - Wikipedia Mon, 02 Dec 2019 13:13 American actor Robert Townsend (born February 6, 1957) is an American actor, director, comedian, and writer.[1][2] Townsend is best known for directing the films Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Eddie Murphy Raw (1987), The Meteor Man (1993), The Five Heartbeats (1991) and various other films and stand-up specials. He is especially known for his eponymous self-titled character, Robert Peterson as the starring role as on The WB sitcom The Parent 'Hood (1995''1999), a series which he created and of which directed select episodes. Townsend is also known for his role as Donald "Duck" Matthews in his 1991 film The Five Heartbeats.[3] He later wrote, directed and produced Making The Five Heartbeats (2018), a documentary film about the production process and behind the scenes insight into creating the film. Townsend is also known for his production company Townsend Entertainment [4] which has produced films Playin' for Love,[5] In the Hive and more. During the 1980s and early''1990s, Townsend gained national exposure through his stand-up comedy routines and appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Townsend has worked with talent including Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, Chris Tucker, Beyonc(C), Denzel Washington and many more.[6][7][8] Early life and career [ edit ] Townsend was born in Chicago, Illinois, the second of four children[9] to Shirley (n(C)e Jenkins) and Ed Townsend. His mother ended up raising him and his three siblings as a single parent. Growing up on the city's west side, Townsend attended Austin High School; graduating in 1975.[10] He became interested in acting as a teenager. During a reading of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex in high school, Townsend captured the attention of Chicago's X Bag Theatre, The Experimental Black Actors Guild. Townsend later auditioned for parts at Chicago's Experimental Black Actors' Guild and performed in local plays studying at the famed Second City comedy workshop for improvisation in 1974. Townsend had a brief uncredited role in the 1975 movie Cooley High. After high school, Townsend enrolled at Illinois State University, studied a year and later moved to New York to study at the Negro Ensemble Company. Townsend's mother believed that he should complete his college education, but he felt that college took time away from his passion for acting, and he soon dropped out of school to pursue his acting career full-time. Career [ edit ] Townsend auditioned to be part of Saturday Night Live's 1980''1981 cast, but was rejected in favor of Eddie Murphy. In 1982, Townsend appeared as one of the main characters in the PBS series Another Page, a program produced by Kentucky Educational Television that taught literacy to adults through serialized stories. Townsend later appeared in small parts in films like A Soldier's Story (1984), directed by Norman Jewison, and after its success garnered much more substantial parts in films like The Mighty Quinn (1989) with Denzel Washington.[11][12][13] In 1987, Townsend wrote, directed and produced Hollywood Shuffle, a satire based on the hardships and obstacles that black actors undergo in the film industry. The success of his first project helped him establish himself in the industry.[6][14] Another of his films was The Five Heartbeats based on 1960s R&B male groups and the tribulations of the music industry. Townsend created and produced two television variety shows'--the CableACE award''winning Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime for HBO, and the Fox Television variety show Townsend Television (1993). He also created and starred in the WB Network's sitcom The Parent 'Hood which originally ran from January 1995 to July 1999. In 2018, Townsend also directed 2 episodes for the B.E.T. Series American Soul which began airing in 2019. The show is about Don Cornelius and Soul Train. Townsend was programming director at the Black Family Channel, but the network folded in 2007. Townsend created The Robert Townsend Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to introduce and help new unsigned filmmakers. Awards and other credits [ edit ] Townsend directed the 2001 TV movie, Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story for which Cole won the NAACP Image Award as Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. Townsend also directed two television movies in 2001 and 2002 respectively, Carmen: A Hip Hopera and 10,000 Black Men Named George. In 2013 Townsend was nominated for an Ovation Award in the category of "Lead Actor in a Musical" for his role as Dan in the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts production of Next to Normal.[15] Personal life [ edit ] Townsend was married to Cheri Jones[16] from September 15, 1990, to August 9, 2001.[17] Together they have two daughters, Sierra and Skylar (Skye Townsend), both entertainers, and a son, Isiah.[6] Filmography [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ] Alexander, George. Why We Make Movies: Black Filmmakers Talk About the Magic of Cinema. Harlem Moon. 2003.Collier, Aldore. "Robert Townsend: a new kind of Hollywood dreamer. Actor-producer-director plans to make films that uplift and transform Black audiences". Ebony Magazine. 1 June 1991.Rogers, Brent. Robert Townsend Article in Perspectives. Sustaining Digital History, 12 November 2007.References [ edit ] ^ "Robert Townsend". The New York Times. ^ "As Robert Townsend Sees It : He's Fighting Stereotypes With 'Meteor Man' and New TV Show". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2010-10-10 . ^ The Five Heartbeats , retrieved 2019-09-16 ^ "Townsend Entertainment - IMDbPro". pro.imdb.com . Retrieved 2018-03-06 . ^ "Playin' For Love". Black Cinema Connection. 2014-11-05 . Retrieved 2018-03-06 . ^ a b c "About". Robert Townsend. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. ^ "Carmen: A Hip Hopera", Wikipedia, 2019-08-09 , retrieved 2019-09-17 ^ B*A*P*S , retrieved 2019-09-17 ^ "Townsend, Robert (1957-)". BlackPast.Org. 2008 . Retrieved September 18, 2017 . ^ "1975 Austin High School Yearbook (Chicago, Illinois)". Classmates.com. 1975 . Retrieved September 18, 2017 . ^ Vincent Canby, "Review/Film; Tropical Murder", The New York Times, February 17, 1989. ^ The Mighty Quinn , retrieved 2019-09-17 ^ A Soldier's Story , retrieved 2019-09-17 ^ Hollywood Shuffle , retrieved 2019-09-17 ^ "2013 Ovation Awards Nominees '-- South by Southeast". thisstage.la. LA STAGE Alliance. September 16, 2013 . Retrieved 2017-04-21 . ^ "The Week's Best Photo". Google Books. JET Magazine. March 25, 1991 . Retrieved September 18, 2017 . ^ Gimenes, Erika (2001). "Robert Townsend to divorce". Hollywood.com . Retrieved September 18, 2017 . ^ "Jackie's Back! (1999)" at IMDb. External links [ edit ] Robert Townsend on IMDbRobert Townsend (Official Website) (9) Charles Woods (The Professor) - Hollywood's Tricknology: Mandingo To Malcolm X - YouTube Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:59 Tyler Perry Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:57 Tyler Perry is a world-renowned producer, director, actor, screenwriter, playwright, author, songwriter, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Tyler Perry's Story Tyler Perry is a world-renowned producer, director, actor, screenwriter, playwright, author, songwriter, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Read His Story Outreach Since 2006, The Perry Foundation's aim has been to transform tragedy into triumph by empowering the economically disadvantaged to achieve a better quality of life. We focus on health and clean water, education and technology, arts and culture, and globally-sustainable economic development. Get Involved Visit Website You are viewing Tyler Perry Entertainment. If you'd like to view the Tyler Perry Studios, click here. Black writers courageously staring down the white gaze '' this is why we all must read them | Stan Grant | Opinion | The Guardian Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:46 The white gaze '' it is a phrase that resonates in black American literature. Writers from WEB Du Bois to Ralph Ellison to James Baldwin and Toni Morrison have struggled with it and railed against it. As Morrison '' a Nobel Laureate '' once said: Our lives have no meaning, no depth without the white gaze. And I have spent my entire writing life trying to make sure that the white gaze was not the dominant one in any of my books. The white gaze: it traps black people in white imaginations. It is the eyes of a white schoolteacher who sees a black student and lowers expectations. It is the eyes of a white cop who sees a black person and looks twice '' or worse, feels for a gun. Du Bois explored this more than a century ago in his book The Souls of Black Folk, reflecting on his conversations with white people and the ensuing delicate dance around the ''Negro problem''. Between me and the other world there is an ever unasked question'.... All, nevertheless, flutter around it ... Instead of saying directly, how does it feel to be a problem? They say, I know an excellent coloured man in my town ... To the real question '... I answer seldom a word. Baldwin was as ever more direct and piercing, writing in his book Nobody Knows My Name. I have spent most of my life ... watching white people and outwitting them so that I might survive. The flame has passed to a new generation. In 2015 three more black writers have stared down the white gaze. In their own ways Ta-Nehisi Coates, Claudia Rankine and George Yancy have held up a mirror to white America. These are uncompromising and fearless voices. Coates' searing essay Between The World And Me critiques America against a backdrop of black deaths at the hands of police. He says the country's history is rooted in slavery and the assault against the black body. In the form of a letter to his son, Coates writes: Here is what I would like for you to know: In America it is traditional to destroy the black body '' it is heritage. In Citizen '' An American Lyric, poet Rankine reflects on the black experience from the victims of Hurricane Katrina, or Trayvon Martin, a 17 year-old black youth shot dead by a neighbourhood watch volunteer who was acquitted, or black tennis star Serena Williams. In each case Rankine sees lives framed by whiteness. She writes: Because white men can't police their imagination, black men are dying. Philosophy Professor George Yancy just last week penned a letter in the New York Times addressed to ''Dear White America''. He asks his countrymen to listen with love, and to look at those things that might cause pain and terror. All white people, he says, benefit from racism and this means each, in their own way, are racist. '...don't run to seek shelter from your own racism'...practice being vulnerable. Being neither a ''good'' white person, nor a liberal white person will get you off the proverbial hook. Their unflinching work is not tempered by the fact a black man is in the White House '' that only makes their voices more urgent. Coates, Rankine, Yancy '' each has been variously praised and awarded, yet each has been pilloried as well. This is inevitable when some people don't like what the mirror reflects. It takes courage for a black person to speak to a white world, a world that can render invisible people of colour, unless they begin to more closely resemble white people themselves '' an education, a house in the suburbs, a good job, lighter skin. In Australia, too, black voices are defying the white gaze. We may not have the popular cut through of a Morrison or a Baldwin or a Coates, but we have a proud tradition '' Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Kevin Gilbert, Ruby Langford or more recently Kim Scott, Alexis Wright, Anita Heiss. I have spent some time recently reading some of the most powerful works of Indigenous writers. Their styles and genres are many and varied but there is a common and powerful theme of defiance and survival. This is a world so instantly recognisable to us '' Indigenous people '' but still so foreign to white Australia. Natalie Harkin's book of poetry, Dirty Words, is a subversive dictionary that turns English words back on their users: A is apology, B is for Boat People '... G is for Genocide ... S for Survival. ''How do you dream,'' she writes, ''When your lucky country does not sleep''. Bruce Pascoe's Dark Emu challenges the white stereotype of the ''primitive hunter gatherer''. He says the economy and culture of Indigenous people has been grossly undervalued. He cites journals and diaries of explorers and colonists to reveal the industry and ingenuity of pre-colonial Aboriginal society. He says it is a window into a world of people building dams and wells and houses, irrigating and harvesting seed and creating elaborate cemeteries. Pascoe's work demands to be taught in our schools. Tony Birch is an acclaimed novelist and his latest Ghost River is remarkable. It is the story of two friends navigating the journey into adulthood guided by the men of the river '' men others may see as homeless and hopeless. It is a work infused with a sense of place and belonging. Ellen Van Neerven's Heat and Light is a genre-busting mystical journey into identity: sexual, racial and national. It is provocative and challenging and mind bending, and altogether stunning. You won't find many of these titles in the annual best book lists. Occasionally they pop up, but not as often as they deserve. You probably won't hear much of Samuel Wagan Watson's Love Poems and Death Threats, or Ken Canning's Yimbama, or Lionel Fogarty's Eelahroo (Long Ago) Nyah (Looking) Mobo-Mobo (Future). That these works are not more widely read is a national shame. In our busy lives, try to find time for some of these books in 2016 '' read with the courage of these writers. George Yancy asks white Americans to become ''un-sutured'', to open themselves up and let go of their white innocence. Why is this important? Well, for white people it may simply be a matter of choice '' the fate of black people may not affect them. For us it is survival '' the white gaze means we die young, are locked up and locked out of work and education. We hear a lot about recognition '' acknowledging Indigenous people in the Australian constitution. But there is another recognition '' recognising the pervasive and too often destructive role of race in our lives, and the need to lift our gaze above it. Queen | Definition of Queen by Merriam-Webster Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:40 To save this word, you'll need to log in. ËkwÄ'n 1 a : the wife or widow of a king b : the wife or widow of a tribal chief 2 a : a female monarch b : a female chieftain 3 a : a woman eminent in rank, power, or attractions a movie queen b : a goddess or a thing personified as female and having supremacy in a specified realm c : an attractive girl or woman especially : a beauty contest winner 4 : the most privileged piece of each color in a set of chessmen having the power to move in any direction across any number of unoccupied squares 5 : a playing card marked with a stylized figure of a queen 6 : the fertile fully developed female of social bees, ants, and termites whose function is to lay eggs 7 : a mature female cat kept especially for breeding 8 slang , often disparaging : a male homosexual especially : an effeminate one queened ; queening ; queens intransitive verb 1 : to act like a queen especially : to put on airs '-- usually used with it queens it over her friends 2 : to become a queen in chess the pawn queens Pan-Africanism - Wikipedia Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:37 Worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all people of African descent Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous and diasporan ethnic groups of African descent. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement extends beyond continental Africans with a substantial support base among the African diaspora in the Caribbean, Latin America, the United States and Canada and Europe.[1][2] It is based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social, and political progress and aims to "unify and uplift" people of African descent.[3] The ideology asserts that the fate of all African people and countries[clarification needed ] are intertwined. At its core Pan-Africanism is a belief that ''African people, both on the continent and in the diaspora, share not merely a common history, but a common destiny".[4] Pan-Africanist intellectual, cultural, and political movements tend to view all Africans and descendants of Africans as belonging to a single "race" and sharing cultural unity. Pan-Africanism posits a sense of a shared historical fate for Africans in the Americas, West Indies, and, on the continent itself, has centered on the Atlantic trade in slaves, African slavery, and European imperialism.[5] The Organization of African Unity (now the African Union) was established in 1963 to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its Member States and to promote global relations within the framework of the United Nations.[6] The African Union Commission has its seat in Addis Ababa and the Pan-African Parliament has its seat in Johannesburg and Midrand. Overview [ edit ] Pan-Africanism stresses the need for "collective self-reliance".[7] Pan-Africanism exists as a governmental and grassroots objective. Pan-African advocates include leaders such as Haile Selassie, Julius Nyerere, Ahmed S(C)kou Tour(C), Kwame Nkrumah, King Sobhuza II, Thomas Sankara and Muammar Gaddafi, grassroots organizers such as Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X, academics such as W. E. B. Du Bois, and others in the diaspora.[8][9][10] Pan-Africanists believe that solidarity will enable the continent to fulfill its potential to independently provide for all its people. Crucially, an all-African alliance would empower African people globally. The realization of the Pan-African objective would lead to "power consolidation in Africa", which "would compel a reallocation of global resources, as well as unleashing a fiercer psychological energy and political assertion...that would unsettle social and political (power) structures...in the Americas".[11] Advocates of Pan-Africanism'--i.e. "Pan-Africans" or "Pan-Africanists"'--often champion socialist principles and tend to be opposed to external political and economic involvement on the continent. Critics accuse the ideology of homogenizing the experience of people of African descent. They also point to the difficulties of reconciling current divisions within countries on the continent and within communities in the diaspora.[11] History [ edit ] As a philosophy, Pan-Africanism represents the aggregation of the historical, cultural, spiritual, artistic, scientific, and philosophical legacies of Africans from past times to the present. Pan-Africanism as an ethical system traces its origins from ancient times, and promotes values that are the product of the African civilisations and the struggles against slavery, racism, colonialism, and neo-colonialism.[8] Alongside a large number of slaves insurrections, by the end of the 19th century a political movement developed across the Americas, Europe and Africa that sought to weld disparate movements into a network of solidarity, putting an end to oppression. Another important political form of a religious Pan-Africanist worldview appeared in the form of Ethiopianism.[12] In London, the Sons of Africa was a political group addressed by Quobna Ottobah Cugoano in the 1791 edition of his book Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery. The group addressed meetings and organised letter-writing campaigns, published campaigning material and visited parliament. They wrote to figures such as Granville Sharp, William Pitt and other members of the white abolition movement, as well as King George III and the Prince of Wales, the future George IV. Modern Pan-Africanism began around the start of the 20th century. The African Association, later renamed the Pan-African Association, was established around 1897 by Henry Sylvester-Williams, who organized the First Pan-African Conference in London in 1900.[13][14][15] With the independence of Ghana in March 1957, Kwame Nkrumah was elected as the first Prime Minister and President of the State.[16] Nkrumah emerged as a major advocate for the unity of Independent Africa. The Ghanaian President embodied a political activist approach to pan-Africanism as he championed the "quest for regional integration of the whole of the African continent".[17] This period represented a "Golden Age of high pan-African ambitions"; the Continent had experienced revolution and decolonization from Western powers and the narrative of rebirth and solidarity had gained momentum within the pan-African movement.[17] Nkrumah's pan-African principles intended for a union between the Independent African states upon a recognition of their commonality (i.e. suppression under imperialism). Pan-Africanism under Nkrumah evolved past the assumptions of a racially exclusive movement associated with black Africa, and adopted a political discourse of regional unity [18] In April 1958, Nkrumah hosted the first All-African Peoples' Conference (AAPC) in Accra, Ghana. This Conference invited delegates of political movements and major political leaders. With the exception of South Africa, all Independent States of the Continent attended: Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Sudan.[18] This Conference signified a monumental event in the pan-African movement, as it revealed a political and social union between those considered Arabic states and the black African regions. Further, the Conference espoused a common African Nationalist identity, among the States, of unity and anti-Imperialism. Frantz Fanon, journalist, freedom fighter and a member of the Algerian FLN party attended the conference as a delegate for Algeria.[19] Considering the armed struggle of the FLN against French colonial rule, the attendees of the Conference agreed to support the struggle of those States under colonial oppression. This encouraged the commitment of direct involvement in the "emancipation of the Continent; thus, a fight against colonial pressures on South Africa was declared and the full support of the FLN struggle in Algeria, against French colonial rule"".[20] In the years following 1958, Accra Conference also marked the establishment of a new foreign policy of non-alignment as between the US and USSR, and the will to establish an "African Identity" in global affairs by advocating a unity between the African States on international relations. "This would be based on the Bandung Declaration, the Charter of the UN and on loyalty to UN decisions."[20] In 1959, Nkrumah, President S(C)kou Tour(C) of Guinea and President William Tubman of Liberia met at Sanniquellie and signed the Sanniquellie Declaration outlining the principles for the achievement of the unity of Independent African States whilst maintaining a national identity and autonomous constitutional structure.[21][22] The Declaration called for a revised understanding of pan-Africanism and the uniting of the Independent States. In 1960, the second All-African Peoples' Conference was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.[23] The membership of the All-African Peoples' Organisation (AAPO) had increased with the inclusion of the "Algerian Provisional Government (as they had not yet won independence), Cameroun, Guinea, Nigeria, Somalia and the United Arab Republic".[24] The Conference highlighted diverging ideologies within the movement, as Nkrumah's call for a political and economic union between the Independent African States gained little agreement. The disagreements following 1960 gave rise to two rival factions within the pan-African movement: the Casablanca Bloc and the Brazzaville Bloc.[25] In 1962, Algeria gained independence from French colonial rule and Ahmed Ben Bella assumed Presidency. Ben Bella was a strong advocate for pan-Africanism and an African Unity. Following the FLN's armed struggle for liberation, Ben Bella spoke at the UN and espoused for Independent Africa's role in providing military and financial support to the African liberation movements opposing apartheid and fighting Portuguese colonialism.[26] In search of a united voice, in 1963 at an African Summit conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 32 African states met and established the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The creation of the OAU Charter took place at this Summit and defines a coordinated "effort to raise the standard of living of member States and defend their sovereignty" by supporting freedom fighters and decolonisation.[27] Thus, was the formation of the African Liberation Committee (ALC), during the 1963 Summit. Championing the support of liberation movements, was Algeria's President Ben Bella, immediately "donated 100 million francs to its finances and was one of the first countries, of the Organisation to boycott Portuguese and South African goods".[26] In 1969, Algiers hosted the Pan-African Cultural Festival, on July 21 and it continued for eight days.[28] At this moment in history, Algeria stood as a ''beacon of African and Third-World militancy,''[28] and would come to inspire fights against colonialism around the world. The festival attracted thousands from African states and the African Diaspora, including the Black Panthers. It represented the application of the tenets of the Algerian revolution to the rest of Africa, and symbolized the re-shaping of the definition of pan-African identity under the common experience of colonialism.[28] The Festival further strengthened Algeria's President, Boumediene's standing in Africa and the Third World.[28] After the death of Kwame Nkrumah in 1972, Muammar Qaddafi assumed the mantle of leader of the Pan-Africanist movement and became the most outspoken advocate of African Unity, like Nkrumah before him '' for the advent of a "United States of Africa".[29] In the United States, the term is closely associated with Afrocentrism, an ideology of African-American identity politics that emerged during the civil rights movement of the 1960s to 1970s.[30] Concept [ edit ] As originally conceived by Henry Sylvester-Williams (although some historians[who? ] credit the idea to Edward Wilmot Blyden), Pan-Africanism referred to the unity of all continental Africa.[31] During apartheid South Africa there was a Pan Africanist Congress that dealt with the oppression of Africans in South Africa under Apartheid rule. Other pan-Africanist organisations include: Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association-African Communities League, TransAfrica and the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement. Additionally, Pan-Africanism is seen as an endeavor to return to what are deemed by its proponents as singular, traditional African concepts about culture, society, and values. Examples of this include L(C)opold S(C)dar Senghor's N(C)gritude movement, and Mobutu Sese Seko's view of Authenticit(C). An important theme running through much pan-Africanist literature concerns the historical links between different countries on the continent, and the benefits of cooperation as a way of resisting imperialism and colonialism. In the 21st century, some Pan-Africanists aim to address globalisation and the problems of environmental justice. For instance, at the conference "Pan-Africanism for a New Generation"[32] held at the University of Oxford, June 2011, Ledum Mittee, the current president of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), argued that environmental justice movements across the African continent should create horizontal linkages in order to better protect the interests of threatened peoples and the ecological systems in which they are embedded, and upon which their survival depends. Some universities went as far as creating "Departments of Pan-African Studies" in the late 1960s. This includes the California State University, where that department was founded in 1969 as a direct reaction to the civil rights movement, and is today dedicated to "teaching students about the African World Experience", to "demonstrate to the campus and the community the richness, vibrance, diversity, and vitality of African, African American, and Caribbean cultures" and to "presenting students and the community with an Afrocentric analysis" of anti-black racism.[33]Syracuse University also offers a master's degree in "Pan African Studies".[34] Pan-African colors [ edit ] The flags of numerous states in Africa and of Pan-African groups use green, yellow and red. This colour combination was originally adopted from the 1897 flag of Ethiopia, and was inspired by the fact that Ethiopia is the continent's oldest independent nation,[35] thus making the Ethiopian green, yellow and red the closest visual representation of Pan-Africanism. This is in comparison to the Black Nationalist flag, representing political theory centred around the eugenicist caste-stratified colonial Americas.[36] The UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) flag, is a tri-color flag consisting of three equal horizontal bands of (from top down) red, black and green. The UNIA formally adopted it on August 13, 1920,[37] during its month-long convention at Madison Square Garden in New York.[38][39] Variations of the flag have been used in various countries and territories in Africa and the Americas to represent Black Nationalist ideologies. Among these are the flags of Malawi, Kenya and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several Pan-African organizations and movements have also often employed the emblematic red, black and green tri-color scheme in variety of contexts. Maafa studies [ edit ] Maafa is an aspect of Pan-African studies. The term collectively refers to 500 years of suffering (including the present) of people of African heritage through slavery, imperialism, colonialism, and other forms of oppression.[40][41] In this area of study, both the actual history and the legacy of that history are studied as a single discourse. The emphasis in the historical narrative is on African agents, as opposed to non-African agents.[42] Political parties and organizations [ edit ] In Africa [ edit ] Organisation of African Unity, succeeded by the African UnionAfrican Unification FrontRassemblement D(C)mocratique AfricainAll-African People's Revolutionary PartyConvention People's Party (Ghana)Pan-African Renaissance[43]Economic Freedom Fighters (South Africa)Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (South Africa)In the Caribbean [ edit ] The Pan-African Affairs Commission for Pan-African Affairs, a unit within the Office of the Prime Minister of Barbados.[44]African Society for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa (Guyana)Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (Antigua and Barbuda)Clement Payne Movement (Barbados)Marcus Garvey People's Political Party (Jamaica)Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (Jamaica)In the United Kingdom [ edit ] Pan-African FederationIn the United States [ edit ] The Council on African Affairs (CAA): founded in 1937 by Max Yergan and Paul Robeson, the CAA was the first major U.S. organization whose focus was on providing pertinent and up-to-date information about Pan-Africanism across the United States, particularly to African Americans. Probably the most successful campaign of the Council was for South African famine relief in 1946. The CAA was hopeful that, following World War II, there would be a move towards Third World independence under the trusteeship of the United Nations.[45] To the CAA's dismay, the proposals introduced by the U.S. government to the conference in April/May 1945 set no clear limits on the duration of colonialism and no motions towards allowing territorial possessions to move towards self-government.[45] Liberal supporters abandoned the CAA, and the federal government cracked down on its operations. In 1953 the CAA was charged with subversion under the McCarran Internal Security Act. Its principal leaders, including Robeson, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Alphaeus Hunton (1903''70), were subjected to harassment, indictments, and in the case of Hunton, imprisonment. Under the weight of internal disputes, government repression, and financial hardships, the Council on African Affairs disbanded in 1955.[46]The US Organization was founded in 1965 by Maulana Karenga, following the Watts riots. It is based on the synthetic African philosophy of kawaida, and is perhaps best known for creating Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba ("seven principles"). In the words of its founder and chair, Karenga, "the essential task of our organization Us has been and remains to provide a philosophy, a set of principles and a program which inspires a personal and social practice that not only satisfies human need but transforms people in the process, making them self-conscious agents of their own life and liberation".[47]Pan-African concepts and philosophies [ edit ] Afrocentric Pan-Africanism [ edit ] Afrocentric Pan-Africanism is espoused by Kwabena Faheem Ashanti in his book The Psychotechnology of Brainwashing: Crucifying Willie Lynch. Another newer movement that has evolved from the early Afrocentric school is the Afrisecal movement or Afrisecaism of Francis Ohanyido, a Nigerian philosopher-poet.[48] Black Nationalism is sometimes associated with this form of pan-Africanism. Kawaida [ edit ] Hip hop [ edit ] Since the late 1970s, hip hop has emerged as a powerful force that has partly shaped black identity worldwide. In his 2005 article "Hip-hop Turns 30: Whatcha Celebratin' For?", Greg Tate describes hip-hop culture as the product of a Pan-African state of mind. It is an "ethnic enclave/empowerment zone that has served as a foothold for the poorest among us to get a grip on the land of the prosperous".[49] Hip-hop unifies those of African descent globally in its movement towards greater economic, social and political power. Andreana Clay in her article "Keepin' it Real: Black Youth, Hip-Hop Culture, and Black Identity" states that hip-hop provides the world with "vivid illustrations of Black lived experience", creating bonds of black identity across the globe.[50] From a Pan-African perspective, Hip-Hop Culture can be a conduit to authenticate a black identity, and in doing so, creates a unifying and uplifting force among Africans that Pan-Africanism sets out to achieve. Pan-African art [ edit ] Further information on pan-African film festivals see: FESPACO and PAFFSee also [ edit ] Literature [ edit ] Hakim Adi & Marika Sherwood, Pan-African History: Political Figures from Africa and the Diaspora Since 1787, London: Routledgem 2003.Imanuel Geiss, Panafrikanismus. Zur Geschichte der Dekolonisation. Habilitation, EVA, Frankfurt am Main, 1968, English as: The Pan-African Movement, London: Methuen, 1974, ISBN 0-416-16710-1, and as: The Pan-African Movement. A history of Pan-Africanism in America, Europe and Africa, New York: Africana Publ., 1974, ISBN 0-8419-0161-9.Colin Legum, Pan-Africanism: A Short Political Guide, revised edition, New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1965.Tony Martin, Pan-African Connection: From Slavery to Garvey and Beyond, Dover: The Majority Press, 1985.References [ edit ] ^ Austin, David (Fall 2007). "All Roads Led to Montreal: Black Power, the Caribbean and the Black Radical Tradition in Canada". Journal of African American History. 92 (4): 516''539 . Retrieved March 30, 2019 . ^ Oloruntoba-Oju, Omotayo (December 2012). "Pan Africanism, Myth and History in African and Caribbean Drama". Journal of Pan African Studies. 5 (8): 190 ff. ^ Frick, Janari, et al. (2006), History: Learner's Book, p. 235, South Africa: New Africa Books. ^ Makalani, Minkah (2011), "Pan-Africanism". Africana Age. ^ New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. The Gale Group, Inc. 2005. ^ About the African Union Archived January 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. ^ "The objectives of the PAP", The Pan-African Parliament '' 2014 and beyond. ^ a b Falola, Toyin; Essien, Kwame (2013). Pan-Africanism, and the Politics of African Citizenship and Identity. London: Routledge. pp. 71''72. ISBN 1135005192 . Retrieved September 26, 2015 . ^ Goebel, Anti-Imperial Metropolis, pp. 250''278. ^ Maguire, K., "Ghana re-evaluates Nkrumah", GlobalPost, October 21, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2012. ^ a b Agyeman, O., Pan-Africanism and Its Detractors: A Response to Harvard's Race Effacing Universalists, Harvard University Press (1998), cited in Mawere, Munyaradzi; Tapuwa R. Mubaya, African Philosophy and Thought Systems: A Search for a Culture and Philosophy of Belonging, Langaa RPCIG (2016), p. 89. ISBN 9789956763016. Retrieved August 23, 2018. ^ "Pan-Africanism". exhibitions.nypl.org . Retrieved February 16, 2017 . ^ "A history of Pan-Africanism", New Internationalist, 326, August 2000. ^ The History of Pan Africanism, PADEAP (Pan African Development Education and Advocacy Programme). ^ Lubin, Alex, "The Contingencies of Pan-Africanism", Geographies of Liberation: The Making of an Afro-Arab Political Imaginary, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2014, p. 71. ^ Smith-Asante, E., "Biography of Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah", Graphic Online, March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2017. ^ a b Mkandawire, P. (2005). African Intellectuals: Rethinking Politics, Language, Gender and Development, Dakar: Codesria/London: Zed Books, p. 58. Retrieved March 23, 2017. ^ a b Legum, C. (1965). Pan-Africanism: a short political guide, New York, etc.: Frederick A. Praeger, p. 41. ^ Adi, H., & M. Sherwood (2003). Pan-African History: Political Figures from Africa and the Diaspora Since 1787, London: Routledge, p. 66. ^ a b Legum (1965). Pan-Africanism, p. 42. ^ Adi & Sherwood (2003). Pan-African History, p. 179. ^ Legum (1965), Pan-Africanism, p. 45. ^ Legum (1965). Pan-Africanism, p. 46. ^ Legum (1965), Pan-Africanism, p. 47. ^ Martin, G. (2012). African Political Thought, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ^ a b Adi & Sherwood (2003), Pan-African History, p. 10. ^ "African states unite against white rule", ON THIS DAY | May25. BBC News. Retrieved March 23, 2017. ^ a b c d Evans, M., & J. Phillips (2008). Algeria: Anger of the Dispossessed, Yale University Press, pp. 97''98. ^ Martin, G. (December 23, 2012). African Political Thought. Springer. ISBN 9781137062055. ^ See e.g. Ronald W. Walters, Pan Africanism in the African Diaspora: An Analysis of Modern Afrocentric Political Movements, African American Life Series, Wayne State University Press, 1997, p. 68. ^ Campbell, Crystal Z. (December 2006). "Sculpting a Pan-African Culture in the Art of N(C)gritude: A Model for African Artist" (PDF) . The Journal of Pan African Studies. Archived from the original on June 1, 2015. CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link) ^ Oxford University African Society Conference, Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, May 5, 2012. ^ "About Us". Csus.edu . Retrieved October 15, 2015 . ^ The M.A. in Pan African Studies Archived October 25, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, African American Studies at Syracuse University. ^ Smith, Whitney (2001). Flag Lore of All Nations . Millbrook Press. p. 36. ISBN 0761317538 . Retrieved October 7, 2014 . ^ Lionel K., McPherson; Shelby, Tommie (Spring 2004). "Blackness and Blood: Interpreting African American Identity" (PDF) . Philosophy and Public Affairs. 32: 171''192. ^ Wikisource contributors, "The Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World", Wikisource, The Free Library. (Retrieved October 6, 2007). ^ "25,000 Negroes Convene: International Gathering Will Prepare Own Bill of Rights", The New York Times, August 2, 1920. Proquest. Retrieved October 5, 2007. ^ "Negroes Adopt Bill Of Rights: Convention Approves Plan for African Republic and Sets to Work on Preparation of Constitution of the Colored Race Negro Complaints Aggression Condemned Recognition Demanded". The Christian Science Monitor, August 17, 1920. Proquest. Retrieved October 5, 2007. ^ "What Holocaust". "Glenn Reitz". Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. ^ "The Maafa, African Holocaust". Swagga. ^ Ogunleye, Tolagbe (1997). "African American Folklore: Its Role in Reconstructing African American History". Journal of Black Studies. 27 (4): 435''455. ISSN 0021-9347. ^ "Pan-African Renaissance". ^ Rodney Worrell (2005). Pan-Africanism in Barbados: An Analysis of the Activities of the Major 20th-century Pan-African Formations in Barbados. New Academia Publishing, LLC. pp. 99''102. ISBN 978-0-9744934-6-6. ^ a b Duberman, Martin. Paul Robeson, 1989, pp. 296''97. ^ "Council on African Affairs", African Activist Archive. ^ "Philosophy, Principles, and Program". The Organization Us. ^ "Francis Okechukwu Ohanyido". African Resource. ^ Tate, Greg, "Hip-hop Turns 30: Whatcha Celebratin' For?", Village Voice, January 4, 2005. ^ Clay, Andreana. "Keepin' it Real: Black Youth, Hip-Hop Culture, and Black Identity". In American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 46.10 (2003): 1346''58. External links [ edit ] SNCC Digital Gateway: Pan-Africanism'--Digital documentary website created by the SNCC Legacy Project and Duke University, telling the story of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee & grassroots organizing from the inside-outAfrican UnionAfrican Code Unity Through DiversityA-APRP WebsiteThe Major Pan-African news and articles siteProfessor David Murphy (November 15, 2015). "The Performance of Pan-Africanism: performing black identity at major pan-African festivals, 1966''2010" (Podcast). The University of Edinburgh . Retrieved January 28, 2016 '' via Soundcloud. Ebro Darden - Wikipedia Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:36 Ebro Darden BornIbrahim Jamil Darden ( 1975-03-17 ) March 17, 1975 (age 44) NationalityAmericanOccupationMedia executiveradio personalityYears active1990''presentKnown forHot 97 radio personalityBeats1 DJChildren1Websitewww.EbroDarden.comIbrahim "Ebro" Darden (born March 17, 1975) is an American media executive and radio personality. Until 2014, he was Vice President of Programming for Emmis Communications' New York contemporary urban station WQHT (Hot 97). He is currently a co-host on the Hot 97 morning show, Ebro in the Morning, alongside Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez. As of 2015, Darden also hosts a hip hop music-based radio show on Beats 1. Early life [ edit ] Darden was born to a black father and a Jewish mother. He attended a Pentecostal church and Hebrew school while growing up in Oakland and Sacramento.[1] Career [ edit ] Start in radio [ edit ] Darden began his career in radio in 1990 at KSFM in Sacramento, California, while he was still a teenager. At KSFM he worked in research and as a sales runner until moving into programming as an intern, and later co-hosting for KSFM's night and morning shows. In 1997, he worked at KBMB in Sacramento as Programming and Music Director, as well as an afternoon host. Eventually, Darden became Operations Manager at KBMB, while also co-hosting mornings at KXJM in Portland, Oregon, in 1999. Hot 97 [ edit ] In 2003, Darden became Music Director for WQHT, ultimately becoming the Program Director for the station in 2007.[2][3][4] Darden worked alongside several past WQHT Hot 97 morning show co-hosts including Star and Bucwild, Miss Jones, DJ Envy, Sway, and Joe Budden from 2004 to 2007, and introduced Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg to the AM drive in 2009. He rejoined the Hot 97 Morning Show in 2012, alongside Cipha Sounds, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez. As Programming Director and on-air host, Darden was the main voice of several events at Hot 97 including Nicki Minaj's relationship with the station, and her alleged sexual relationship with the host; Hurricane Sandy; and Mister Cee's personal life.[5] In 2014, VH1 announced a new unscripted comedy series, This Is Hot 97, which featured Darden and fellow hosts including Angie Martinez, Funkmaster Flex, Peter Rosenberg, Cipha Sounds, Miss Info, and Laura Stylez.[6] Beats 1 [ edit ] In addition to his current on-air role at Hot 97, Darden is now one of three anchor DJs on Beats 1, an Internet radio service from Apple Music. Feuds and controversy [ edit ] A comedic rivalry between Darden and fellow accomplished radio personality Charlamagne Tha God of Power 105.1 has been ongoing for years. In May 2017, Darden clarified their relationship, stating, "The stuff we do on the radio is stupid. It's for fun. I make fun of you for fun. That's it. It's not that deep... me and that dude don't have a personal problem... a personal relationship".[7] Darden was mentioned in Remy Ma's "shETHER" diss track, on which Ma insinuated that he slept with Nicki Minaj by stating "Coke head, you cheated on your man with Ebro". After jokingly going back and forth with both Ma and her husband Papoose on social media, Darden denied the rumors, stating that he and Minaj had only a professional relationship.[8] Ebro has been in an ongoing feud with Brooklyn artist 6ix9ine. Ebro made fun of 6ix9ine as looking like a clown and criticized him for bragging about streaming numbers,[9] and 6ix9ine responded on the song "Stoopid" with the line "That nigga Ebro, he a bitch/Just another old nigga on a young nigga dick." [10] Personal life [ edit ] Darden has a daughter, Isa, who was born in 2014.[11] Recognition [ edit ] In 2013, he was recognized by Radio Ink as a future African American leader.[12] Filmography [ edit ] References [ edit ] Queen & Slim (2019) - IMDb Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:13 3 nominations. See more awards >> Learn more More Like This Comedy | Crime | Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1 / 10 X A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family. Director:Rian Johnson Stars:Daniel Craig,Chris Evans,Ana de Armas Action | Crime | Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6 / 10 X An embattled NYPD detective is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. Director:Brian Kirk Stars:Chadwick Boseman,Sienna Miller,J.K. Simmons Action | Biography | Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5 / 10 X The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history. Director:Kasi Lemmons Stars:Cynthia Erivo,Leslie Odom Jr.,Joe Alwyn Biography | Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9 / 10 X Based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. Director:Marielle Heller Stars:Tom Hanks,Matthew Rhys,Chris Cooper Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2 / 10 X A young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health. Director:Alma Har'el Stars:Shia LaBeouf,Lucas Hedges,Noah Jupe Drama | Romance | Sport 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7 / 10 X Traces the journey of a suburban family - led by a well-intentioned but domineering father - as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. Director:Trey Edward Shults Stars:Taylor Russell,Kelvin Harrison Jr.,Alexa Demie Comedy | Drama | War 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1 / 10 X A young boy in Hitler's army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. Director:Taika Waititi Stars:Roman Griffin Davis,Thomasin McKenzie,Scarlett Johansson Action | Crime | Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.7 / 10 X A rookie New Orleans police officer is forced to balance her identity as a black woman after she witnesses two corrupt cops committing murder. Director:Deon Taylor Stars:Naomie Harris,Frank Grillo,Mike Colter Biography | Drama | History 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3 / 10 X A corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution. Director:Todd Haynes Stars:Anne Hathaway,Mark Ruffalo,William Jackson Harper Drama | Fantasy | Horror 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3 / 10 X Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s. Director:Robert Eggers Stars:Willem Dafoe,Robert Pattinson,Valeriia Karaman Crime | Drama | Mystery 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5 / 10 X Consummate con man Roy Courtnay has set his sights on his latest mark: the recently widowed Betty McLeish, worth millions. But this time, what should have been a simple swindle escalates into a cat-and-mouse game with the ultimate stakes. Director:Bill Condon Stars:Helen Mirren,Ian McKellen,Russell Tovey Crime | Drama | Mystery 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1 / 10 X In 1950s New York, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend. Director:Edward Norton Stars:Edward Norton,Gugu Mbatha-Raw,Alec Baldwin Edit Storyline Slim and Queen's first date takes an unexpected turn when a policeman pulls them over for a minor traffic violation. When the situation escalates, Slim takes the officer's gun and shoots him in self-defence. Now labelled cop killers in the media, Slim and Queen feel that they have no choice but to go on the run and evade the law. When a video of the incident goes viral, the unwitting outlaws soon become a symbol of trauma, terror, grief and pain for people all across the country Written bystmc-25959 Plot Summary | Add Synopsis Motion Picture Rating (MPAA) Rated R for violence, some strong sexuality, nudity, pervasive language, and brief drug use. | See all certifications >> Edit Details Release Date: 27 November 2019 (USA) See more >> Edit Box Office Opening Weekend USA: $11,700,000, 1 December 2019 Gross USA: $15,810,000 Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $15,810,000 See more on IMDbPro >> Company Credits Technical Specs Runtime: 131 min Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1 See full technical specs >> Edit Did You Know? Trivia First feature film to be directed by Melina Matsoukas, who has previously only directed music videos and TV episodes. See more >> Quotes Slim :Are you tryin' to die? Queen :No. I just always wanted to do that. Slim :Well, don't do it while I'm drivin' Queen :You should try it. Slim :Nah, I'm good. Queen :Pull over. Slim :Na-ah. Queen :Come on! Pull over. Pull over! Slim :If I do, would you please, let me drive the rest of the way it is? Queen :Swear to God. [...] See more >> Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video. Start your free trial Music in this episode Intro: Puff Daddy - It's all about the benjamins Outro: Blue Magic - Sideshow Donate to the show at moefundme.com Search for us in your podcast directory or use this link to subscribe to the feed Podcast Feed For more information: MoeFactz.com
Show Notes Moe Factz with Adam Curry for December 2nd 2019, Episode number 17 Shaft Stache Shownotes Robert Townsend (actor) - Wikipedia Mon, 02 Dec 2019 13:13 American actor Robert Townsend (born February 6, 1957) is an American actor, director, comedian, and writer.[1][2] Townsend is best known for directing the films Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Eddie Murphy Raw (1987), The Meteor Man (1993), The Five Heartbeats (1991) and various other films and stand-up specials. He is especially known for his eponymous self-titled character, Robert Peterson as the starring role as on The WB sitcom The Parent 'Hood (1995''1999), a series which he created and of which directed select episodes. Townsend is also known for his role as Donald "Duck" Matthews in his 1991 film The Five Heartbeats.[3] He later wrote, directed and produced Making The Five Heartbeats (2018), a documentary film about the production process and behind the scenes insight into creating the film. Townsend is also known for his production company Townsend Entertainment [4] which has produced films Playin' for Love,[5] In the Hive and more. During the 1980s and early''1990s, Townsend gained national exposure through his stand-up comedy routines and appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Townsend has worked with talent including Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, Chris Tucker, Beyonc(C), Denzel Washington and many more.[6][7][8] Early life and career [ edit ] Townsend was born in Chicago, Illinois, the second of four children[9] to Shirley (n(C)e Jenkins) and Ed Townsend. His mother ended up raising him and his three siblings as a single parent. Growing up on the city's west side, Townsend attended Austin High School; graduating in 1975.[10] He became interested in acting as a teenager. During a reading of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex in high school, Townsend captured the attention of Chicago's X Bag Theatre, The Experimental Black Actors Guild. Townsend later auditioned for parts at Chicago's Experimental Black Actors' Guild and performed in local plays studying at the famed Second City comedy workshop for improvisation in 1974. Townsend had a brief uncredited role in the 1975 movie Cooley High. After high school, Townsend enrolled at Illinois State University, studied a year and later moved to New York to study at the Negro Ensemble Company. Townsend's mother believed that he should complete his college education, but he felt that college took time away from his passion for acting, and he soon dropped out of school to pursue his acting career full-time. Career [ edit ] Townsend auditioned to be part of Saturday Night Live's 1980''1981 cast, but was rejected in favor of Eddie Murphy. In 1982, Townsend appeared as one of the main characters in the PBS series Another Page, a program produced by Kentucky Educational Television that taught literacy to adults through serialized stories. Townsend later appeared in small parts in films like A Soldier's Story (1984), directed by Norman Jewison, and after its success garnered much more substantial parts in films like The Mighty Quinn (1989) with Denzel Washington.[11][12][13] In 1987, Townsend wrote, directed and produced Hollywood Shuffle, a satire based on the hardships and obstacles that black actors undergo in the film industry. The success of his first project helped him establish himself in the industry.[6][14] Another of his films was The Five Heartbeats based on 1960s R&B male groups and the tribulations of the music industry. Townsend created and produced two television variety shows'--the CableACE award''winning Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime for HBO, and the Fox Television variety show Townsend Television (1993). He also created and starred in the WB Network's sitcom The Parent 'Hood which originally ran from January 1995 to July 1999. In 2018, Townsend also directed 2 episodes for the B.E.T. Series American Soul which began airing in 2019. The show is about Don Cornelius and Soul Train. Townsend was programming director at the Black Family Channel, but the network folded in 2007. Townsend created The Robert Townsend Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to introduce and help new unsigned filmmakers. Awards and other credits [ edit ] Townsend directed the 2001 TV movie, Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story for which Cole won the NAACP Image Award as Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. Townsend also directed two television movies in 2001 and 2002 respectively, Carmen: A Hip Hopera and 10,000 Black Men Named George. In 2013 Townsend was nominated for an Ovation Award in the category of "Lead Actor in a Musical" for his role as Dan in the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts production of Next to Normal.[15] Personal life [ edit ] Townsend was married to Cheri Jones[16] from September 15, 1990, to August 9, 2001.[17] Together they have two daughters, Sierra and Skylar (Skye Townsend), both entertainers, and a son, Isiah.[6] Filmography [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ] Alexander, George. Why We Make Movies: Black Filmmakers Talk About the Magic of Cinema. Harlem Moon. 2003.Collier, Aldore. "Robert Townsend: a new kind of Hollywood dreamer. Actor-producer-director plans to make films that uplift and transform Black audiences". Ebony Magazine. 1 June 1991.Rogers, Brent. Robert Townsend Article in Perspectives. Sustaining Digital History, 12 November 2007.References [ edit ] ^ "Robert Townsend". The New York Times. ^ "As Robert Townsend Sees It : He's Fighting Stereotypes With 'Meteor Man' and New TV Show". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2010-10-10 . ^ The Five Heartbeats , retrieved 2019-09-16 ^ "Townsend Entertainment - IMDbPro". pro.imdb.com . Retrieved 2018-03-06 . ^ "Playin' For Love". Black Cinema Connection. 2014-11-05 . Retrieved 2018-03-06 . ^ a b c "About". Robert Townsend. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. ^ "Carmen: A Hip Hopera", Wikipedia, 2019-08-09 , retrieved 2019-09-17 ^ B*A*P*S , retrieved 2019-09-17 ^ "Townsend, Robert (1957-)". BlackPast.Org. 2008 . Retrieved September 18, 2017 . ^ "1975 Austin High School Yearbook (Chicago, Illinois)". Classmates.com. 1975 . Retrieved September 18, 2017 . ^ Vincent Canby, "Review/Film; Tropical Murder", The New York Times, February 17, 1989. ^ The Mighty Quinn , retrieved 2019-09-17 ^ A Soldier's Story , retrieved 2019-09-17 ^ Hollywood Shuffle , retrieved 2019-09-17 ^ "2013 Ovation Awards Nominees '-- South by Southeast". thisstage.la. LA STAGE Alliance. September 16, 2013 . Retrieved 2017-04-21 . ^ "The Week's Best Photo". Google Books. JET Magazine. March 25, 1991 . Retrieved September 18, 2017 . ^ Gimenes, Erika (2001). "Robert Townsend to divorce". Hollywood.com . Retrieved September 18, 2017 . ^ "Jackie's Back! (1999)" at IMDb. External links [ edit ] Robert Townsend on IMDbRobert Townsend (Official Website) (9) Charles Woods (The Professor) - Hollywood's Tricknology: Mandingo To Malcolm X - YouTube Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:59 Tyler Perry Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:57 Tyler Perry is a world-renowned producer, director, actor, screenwriter, playwright, author, songwriter, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Tyler Perry's Story Tyler Perry is a world-renowned producer, director, actor, screenwriter, playwright, author, songwriter, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Read His Story Outreach Since 2006, The Perry Foundation's aim has been to transform tragedy into triumph by empowering the economically disadvantaged to achieve a better quality of life. We focus on health and clean water, education and technology, arts and culture, and globally-sustainable economic development. Get Involved Visit Website You are viewing Tyler Perry Entertainment. If you'd like to view the Tyler Perry Studios, click here. Black writers courageously staring down the white gaze '' this is why we all must read them | Stan Grant | Opinion | The Guardian Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:46 The white gaze '' it is a phrase that resonates in black American literature. Writers from WEB Du Bois to Ralph Ellison to James Baldwin and Toni Morrison have struggled with it and railed against it. As Morrison '' a Nobel Laureate '' once said: Our lives have no meaning, no depth without the white gaze. And I have spent my entire writing life trying to make sure that the white gaze was not the dominant one in any of my books. The white gaze: it traps black people in white imaginations. It is the eyes of a white schoolteacher who sees a black student and lowers expectations. It is the eyes of a white cop who sees a black person and looks twice '' or worse, feels for a gun. Du Bois explored this more than a century ago in his book The Souls of Black Folk, reflecting on his conversations with white people and the ensuing delicate dance around the ''Negro problem''. Between me and the other world there is an ever unasked question'.... All, nevertheless, flutter around it ... Instead of saying directly, how does it feel to be a problem? They say, I know an excellent coloured man in my town ... To the real question '... I answer seldom a word. Baldwin was as ever more direct and piercing, writing in his book Nobody Knows My Name. I have spent most of my life ... watching white people and outwitting them so that I might survive. The flame has passed to a new generation. In 2015 three more black writers have stared down the white gaze. In their own ways Ta-Nehisi Coates, Claudia Rankine and George Yancy have held up a mirror to white America. These are uncompromising and fearless voices. Coates' searing essay Between The World And Me critiques America against a backdrop of black deaths at the hands of police. He says the country's history is rooted in slavery and the assault against the black body. In the form of a letter to his son, Coates writes: Here is what I would like for you to know: In America it is traditional to destroy the black body '' it is heritage. In Citizen '' An American Lyric, poet Rankine reflects on the black experience from the victims of Hurricane Katrina, or Trayvon Martin, a 17 year-old black youth shot dead by a neighbourhood watch volunteer who was acquitted, or black tennis star Serena Williams. In each case Rankine sees lives framed by whiteness. She writes: Because white men can't police their imagination, black men are dying. Philosophy Professor George Yancy just last week penned a letter in the New York Times addressed to ''Dear White America''. He asks his countrymen to listen with love, and to look at those things that might cause pain and terror. All white people, he says, benefit from racism and this means each, in their own way, are racist. '...don't run to seek shelter from your own racism'...practice being vulnerable. Being neither a ''good'' white person, nor a liberal white person will get you off the proverbial hook. Their unflinching work is not tempered by the fact a black man is in the White House '' that only makes their voices more urgent. Coates, Rankine, Yancy '' each has been variously praised and awarded, yet each has been pilloried as well. This is inevitable when some people don't like what the mirror reflects. It takes courage for a black person to speak to a white world, a world that can render invisible people of colour, unless they begin to more closely resemble white people themselves '' an education, a house in the suburbs, a good job, lighter skin. In Australia, too, black voices are defying the white gaze. We may not have the popular cut through of a Morrison or a Baldwin or a Coates, but we have a proud tradition '' Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Kevin Gilbert, Ruby Langford or more recently Kim Scott, Alexis Wright, Anita Heiss. I have spent some time recently reading some of the most powerful works of Indigenous writers. Their styles and genres are many and varied but there is a common and powerful theme of defiance and survival. This is a world so instantly recognisable to us '' Indigenous people '' but still so foreign to white Australia. Natalie Harkin's book of poetry, Dirty Words, is a subversive dictionary that turns English words back on their users: A is apology, B is for Boat People '... G is for Genocide ... S for Survival. ''How do you dream,'' she writes, ''When your lucky country does not sleep''. Bruce Pascoe's Dark Emu challenges the white stereotype of the ''primitive hunter gatherer''. He says the economy and culture of Indigenous people has been grossly undervalued. He cites journals and diaries of explorers and colonists to reveal the industry and ingenuity of pre-colonial Aboriginal society. He says it is a window into a world of people building dams and wells and houses, irrigating and harvesting seed and creating elaborate cemeteries. Pascoe's work demands to be taught in our schools. Tony Birch is an acclaimed novelist and his latest Ghost River is remarkable. It is the story of two friends navigating the journey into adulthood guided by the men of the river '' men others may see as homeless and hopeless. It is a work infused with a sense of place and belonging. Ellen Van Neerven's Heat and Light is a genre-busting mystical journey into identity: sexual, racial and national. It is provocative and challenging and mind bending, and altogether stunning. You won't find many of these titles in the annual best book lists. Occasionally they pop up, but not as often as they deserve. You probably won't hear much of Samuel Wagan Watson's Love Poems and Death Threats, or Ken Canning's Yimbama, or Lionel Fogarty's Eelahroo (Long Ago) Nyah (Looking) Mobo-Mobo (Future). That these works are not more widely read is a national shame. In our busy lives, try to find time for some of these books in 2016 '' read with the courage of these writers. George Yancy asks white Americans to become ''un-sutured'', to open themselves up and let go of their white innocence. Why is this important? Well, for white people it may simply be a matter of choice '' the fate of black people may not affect them. For us it is survival '' the white gaze means we die young, are locked up and locked out of work and education. We hear a lot about recognition '' acknowledging Indigenous people in the Australian constitution. But there is another recognition '' recognising the pervasive and too often destructive role of race in our lives, and the need to lift our gaze above it. Queen | Definition of Queen by Merriam-Webster Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:40 To save this word, you'll need to log in. ËkwÄ'n 1 a : the wife or widow of a king b : the wife or widow of a tribal chief 2 a : a female monarch b : a female chieftain 3 a : a woman eminent in rank, power, or attractions a movie queen b : a goddess or a thing personified as female and having supremacy in a specified realm c : an attractive girl or woman especially : a beauty contest winner 4 : the most privileged piece of each color in a set of chessmen having the power to move in any direction across any number of unoccupied squares 5 : a playing card marked with a stylized figure of a queen 6 : the fertile fully developed female of social bees, ants, and termites whose function is to lay eggs 7 : a mature female cat kept especially for breeding 8 slang , often disparaging : a male homosexual especially : an effeminate one queened ; queening ; queens intransitive verb 1 : to act like a queen especially : to put on airs '-- usually used with it queens it over her friends 2 : to become a queen in chess the pawn queens Pan-Africanism - Wikipedia Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:37 Worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all people of African descent Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous and diasporan ethnic groups of African descent. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement extends beyond continental Africans with a substantial support base among the African diaspora in the Caribbean, Latin America, the United States and Canada and Europe.[1][2] It is based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social, and political progress and aims to "unify and uplift" people of African descent.[3] The ideology asserts that the fate of all African people and countries[clarification needed ] are intertwined. At its core Pan-Africanism is a belief that ''African people, both on the continent and in the diaspora, share not merely a common history, but a common destiny".[4] Pan-Africanist intellectual, cultural, and political movements tend to view all Africans and descendants of Africans as belonging to a single "race" and sharing cultural unity. Pan-Africanism posits a sense of a shared historical fate for Africans in the Americas, West Indies, and, on the continent itself, has centered on the Atlantic trade in slaves, African slavery, and European imperialism.[5] The Organization of African Unity (now the African Union) was established in 1963 to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its Member States and to promote global relations within the framework of the United Nations.[6] The African Union Commission has its seat in Addis Ababa and the Pan-African Parliament has its seat in Johannesburg and Midrand. Overview [ edit ] Pan-Africanism stresses the need for "collective self-reliance".[7] Pan-Africanism exists as a governmental and grassroots objective. Pan-African advocates include leaders such as Haile Selassie, Julius Nyerere, Ahmed S(C)kou Tour(C), Kwame Nkrumah, King Sobhuza II, Thomas Sankara and Muammar Gaddafi, grassroots organizers such as Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X, academics such as W. E. B. Du Bois, and others in the diaspora.[8][9][10] Pan-Africanists believe that solidarity will enable the continent to fulfill its potential to independently provide for all its people. Crucially, an all-African alliance would empower African people globally. The realization of the Pan-African objective would lead to "power consolidation in Africa", which "would compel a reallocation of global resources, as well as unleashing a fiercer psychological energy and political assertion...that would unsettle social and political (power) structures...in the Americas".[11] Advocates of Pan-Africanism'--i.e. "Pan-Africans" or "Pan-Africanists"'--often champion socialist principles and tend to be opposed to external political and economic involvement on the continent. Critics accuse the ideology of homogenizing the experience of people of African descent. They also point to the difficulties of reconciling current divisions within countries on the continent and within communities in the diaspora.[11] History [ edit ] As a philosophy, Pan-Africanism represents the aggregation of the historical, cultural, spiritual, artistic, scientific, and philosophical legacies of Africans from past times to the present. Pan-Africanism as an ethical system traces its origins from ancient times, and promotes values that are the product of the African civilisations and the struggles against slavery, racism, colonialism, and neo-colonialism.[8] Alongside a large number of slaves insurrections, by the end of the 19th century a political movement developed across the Americas, Europe and Africa that sought to weld disparate movements into a network of solidarity, putting an end to oppression. Another important political form of a religious Pan-Africanist worldview appeared in the form of Ethiopianism.[12] In London, the Sons of Africa was a political group addressed by Quobna Ottobah Cugoano in the 1791 edition of his book Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery. The group addressed meetings and organised letter-writing campaigns, published campaigning material and visited parliament. They wrote to figures such as Granville Sharp, William Pitt and other members of the white abolition movement, as well as King George III and the Prince of Wales, the future George IV. Modern Pan-Africanism began around the start of the 20th century. The African Association, later renamed the Pan-African Association, was established around 1897 by Henry Sylvester-Williams, who organized the First Pan-African Conference in London in 1900.[13][14][15] With the independence of Ghana in March 1957, Kwame Nkrumah was elected as the first Prime Minister and President of the State.[16] Nkrumah emerged as a major advocate for the unity of Independent Africa. The Ghanaian President embodied a political activist approach to pan-Africanism as he championed the "quest for regional integration of the whole of the African continent".[17] This period represented a "Golden Age of high pan-African ambitions"; the Continent had experienced revolution and decolonization from Western powers and the narrative of rebirth and solidarity had gained momentum within the pan-African movement.[17] Nkrumah's pan-African principles intended for a union between the Independent African states upon a recognition of their commonality (i.e. suppression under imperialism). Pan-Africanism under Nkrumah evolved past the assumptions of a racially exclusive movement associated with black Africa, and adopted a political discourse of regional unity [18] In April 1958, Nkrumah hosted the first All-African Peoples' Conference (AAPC) in Accra, Ghana. This Conference invited delegates of political movements and major political leaders. With the exception of South Africa, all Independent States of the Continent attended: Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Sudan.[18] This Conference signified a monumental event in the pan-African movement, as it revealed a political and social union between those considered Arabic states and the black African regions. Further, the Conference espoused a common African Nationalist identity, among the States, of unity and anti-Imperialism. Frantz Fanon, journalist, freedom fighter and a member of the Algerian FLN party attended the conference as a delegate for Algeria.[19] Considering the armed struggle of the FLN against French colonial rule, the attendees of the Conference agreed to support the struggle of those States under colonial oppression. This encouraged the commitment of direct involvement in the "emancipation of the Continent; thus, a fight against colonial pressures on South Africa was declared and the full support of the FLN struggle in Algeria, against French colonial rule"".[20] In the years following 1958, Accra Conference also marked the establishment of a new foreign policy of non-alignment as between the US and USSR, and the will to establish an "African Identity" in global affairs by advocating a unity between the African States on international relations. "This would be based on the Bandung Declaration, the Charter of the UN and on loyalty to UN decisions."[20] In 1959, Nkrumah, President S(C)kou Tour(C) of Guinea and President William Tubman of Liberia met at Sanniquellie and signed the Sanniquellie Declaration outlining the principles for the achievement of the unity of Independent African States whilst maintaining a national identity and autonomous constitutional structure.[21][22] The Declaration called for a revised understanding of pan-Africanism and the uniting of the Independent States. In 1960, the second All-African Peoples' Conference was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.[23] The membership of the All-African Peoples' Organisation (AAPO) had increased with the inclusion of the "Algerian Provisional Government (as they had not yet won independence), Cameroun, Guinea, Nigeria, Somalia and the United Arab Republic".[24] The Conference highlighted diverging ideologies within the movement, as Nkrumah's call for a political and economic union between the Independent African States gained little agreement. The disagreements following 1960 gave rise to two rival factions within the pan-African movement: the Casablanca Bloc and the Brazzaville Bloc.[25] In 1962, Algeria gained independence from French colonial rule and Ahmed Ben Bella assumed Presidency. Ben Bella was a strong advocate for pan-Africanism and an African Unity. Following the FLN's armed struggle for liberation, Ben Bella spoke at the UN and espoused for Independent Africa's role in providing military and financial support to the African liberation movements opposing apartheid and fighting Portuguese colonialism.[26] In search of a united voice, in 1963 at an African Summit conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 32 African states met and established the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The creation of the OAU Charter took place at this Summit and defines a coordinated "effort to raise the standard of living of member States and defend their sovereignty" by supporting freedom fighters and decolonisation.[27] Thus, was the formation of the African Liberation Committee (ALC), during the 1963 Summit. Championing the support of liberation movements, was Algeria's President Ben Bella, immediately "donated 100 million francs to its finances and was one of the first countries, of the Organisation to boycott Portuguese and South African goods".[26] In 1969, Algiers hosted the Pan-African Cultural Festival, on July 21 and it continued for eight days.[28] At this moment in history, Algeria stood as a ''beacon of African and Third-World militancy,''[28] and would come to inspire fights against colonialism around the world. The festival attracted thousands from African states and the African Diaspora, including the Black Panthers. It represented the application of the tenets of the Algerian revolution to the rest of Africa, and symbolized the re-shaping of the definition of pan-African identity under the common experience of colonialism.[28] The Festival further strengthened Algeria's President, Boumediene's standing in Africa and the Third World.[28] After the death of Kwame Nkrumah in 1972, Muammar Qaddafi assumed the mantle of leader of the Pan-Africanist movement and became the most outspoken advocate of African Unity, like Nkrumah before him '' for the advent of a "United States of Africa".[29] In the United States, the term is closely associated with Afrocentrism, an ideology of African-American identity politics that emerged during the civil rights movement of the 1960s to 1970s.[30] Concept [ edit ] As originally conceived by Henry Sylvester-Williams (although some historians[who? ] credit the idea to Edward Wilmot Blyden), Pan-Africanism referred to the unity of all continental Africa.[31] During apartheid South Africa there was a Pan Africanist Congress that dealt with the oppression of Africans in South Africa under Apartheid rule. Other pan-Africanist organisations include: Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association-African Communities League, TransAfrica and the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement. Additionally, Pan-Africanism is seen as an endeavor to return to what are deemed by its proponents as singular, traditional African concepts about culture, society, and values. Examples of this include L(C)opold S(C)dar Senghor's N(C)gritude movement, and Mobutu Sese Seko's view of Authenticit(C). An important theme running through much pan-Africanist literature concerns the historical links between different countries on the continent, and the benefits of cooperation as a way of resisting imperialism and colonialism. In the 21st century, some Pan-Africanists aim to address globalisation and the problems of environmental justice. For instance, at the conference "Pan-Africanism for a New Generation"[32] held at the University of Oxford, June 2011, Ledum Mittee, the current president of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), argued that environmental justice movements across the African continent should create horizontal linkages in order to better protect the interests of threatened peoples and the ecological systems in which they are embedded, and upon which their survival depends. Some universities went as far as creating "Departments of Pan-African Studies" in the late 1960s. This includes the California State University, where that department was founded in 1969 as a direct reaction to the civil rights movement, and is today dedicated to "teaching students about the African World Experience", to "demonstrate to the campus and the community the richness, vibrance, diversity, and vitality of African, African American, and Caribbean cultures" and to "presenting students and the community with an Afrocentric analysis" of anti-black racism.[33]Syracuse University also offers a master's degree in "Pan African Studies".[34] Pan-African colors [ edit ] The flags of numerous states in Africa and of Pan-African groups use green, yellow and red. This colour combination was originally adopted from the 1897 flag of Ethiopia, and was inspired by the fact that Ethiopia is the continent's oldest independent nation,[35] thus making the Ethiopian green, yellow and red the closest visual representation of Pan-Africanism. This is in comparison to the Black Nationalist flag, representing political theory centred around the eugenicist caste-stratified colonial Americas.[36] The UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) flag, is a tri-color flag consisting of three equal horizontal bands of (from top down) red, black and green. The UNIA formally adopted it on August 13, 1920,[37] during its month-long convention at Madison Square Garden in New York.[38][39] Variations of the flag have been used in various countries and territories in Africa and the Americas to represent Black Nationalist ideologies. Among these are the flags of Malawi, Kenya and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several Pan-African organizations and movements have also often employed the emblematic red, black and green tri-color scheme in variety of contexts. Maafa studies [ edit ] Maafa is an aspect of Pan-African studies. The term collectively refers to 500 years of suffering (including the present) of people of African heritage through slavery, imperialism, colonialism, and other forms of oppression.[40][41] In this area of study, both the actual history and the legacy of that history are studied as a single discourse. The emphasis in the historical narrative is on African agents, as opposed to non-African agents.[42] Political parties and organizations [ edit ] In Africa [ edit ] Organisation of African Unity, succeeded by the African UnionAfrican Unification FrontRassemblement D(C)mocratique AfricainAll-African People's Revolutionary PartyConvention People's Party (Ghana)Pan-African Renaissance[43]Economic Freedom Fighters (South Africa)Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (South Africa)In the Caribbean [ edit ] The Pan-African Affairs Commission for Pan-African Affairs, a unit within the Office of the Prime Minister of Barbados.[44]African Society for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa (Guyana)Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (Antigua and Barbuda)Clement Payne Movement (Barbados)Marcus Garvey People's Political Party (Jamaica)Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (Jamaica)In the United Kingdom [ edit ] Pan-African FederationIn the United States [ edit ] The Council on African Affairs (CAA): founded in 1937 by Max Yergan and Paul Robeson, the CAA was the first major U.S. organization whose focus was on providing pertinent and up-to-date information about Pan-Africanism across the United States, particularly to African Americans. Probably the most successful campaign of the Council was for South African famine relief in 1946. The CAA was hopeful that, following World War II, there would be a move towards Third World independence under the trusteeship of the United Nations.[45] To the CAA's dismay, the proposals introduced by the U.S. government to the conference in April/May 1945 set no clear limits on the duration of colonialism and no motions towards allowing territorial possessions to move towards self-government.[45] Liberal supporters abandoned the CAA, and the federal government cracked down on its operations. In 1953 the CAA was charged with subversion under the McCarran Internal Security Act. Its principal leaders, including Robeson, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Alphaeus Hunton (1903''70), were subjected to harassment, indictments, and in the case of Hunton, imprisonment. Under the weight of internal disputes, government repression, and financial hardships, the Council on African Affairs disbanded in 1955.[46]The US Organization was founded in 1965 by Maulana Karenga, following the Watts riots. It is based on the synthetic African philosophy of kawaida, and is perhaps best known for creating Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba ("seven principles"). In the words of its founder and chair, Karenga, "the essential task of our organization Us has been and remains to provide a philosophy, a set of principles and a program which inspires a personal and social practice that not only satisfies human need but transforms people in the process, making them self-conscious agents of their own life and liberation".[47]Pan-African concepts and philosophies [ edit ] Afrocentric Pan-Africanism [ edit ] Afrocentric Pan-Africanism is espoused by Kwabena Faheem Ashanti in his book The Psychotechnology of Brainwashing: Crucifying Willie Lynch. Another newer movement that has evolved from the early Afrocentric school is the Afrisecal movement or Afrisecaism of Francis Ohanyido, a Nigerian philosopher-poet.[48] Black Nationalism is sometimes associated with this form of pan-Africanism. Kawaida [ edit ] Hip hop [ edit ] Since the late 1970s, hip hop has emerged as a powerful force that has partly shaped black identity worldwide. In his 2005 article "Hip-hop Turns 30: Whatcha Celebratin' For?", Greg Tate describes hip-hop culture as the product of a Pan-African state of mind. It is an "ethnic enclave/empowerment zone that has served as a foothold for the poorest among us to get a grip on the land of the prosperous".[49] Hip-hop unifies those of African descent globally in its movement towards greater economic, social and political power. Andreana Clay in her article "Keepin' it Real: Black Youth, Hip-Hop Culture, and Black Identity" states that hip-hop provides the world with "vivid illustrations of Black lived experience", creating bonds of black identity across the globe.[50] From a Pan-African perspective, Hip-Hop Culture can be a conduit to authenticate a black identity, and in doing so, creates a unifying and uplifting force among Africans that Pan-Africanism sets out to achieve. Pan-African art [ edit ] Further information on pan-African film festivals see: FESPACO and PAFFSee also [ edit ] Literature [ edit ] Hakim Adi & Marika Sherwood, Pan-African History: Political Figures from Africa and the Diaspora Since 1787, London: Routledgem 2003.Imanuel Geiss, Panafrikanismus. Zur Geschichte der Dekolonisation. Habilitation, EVA, Frankfurt am Main, 1968, English as: The Pan-African Movement, London: Methuen, 1974, ISBN 0-416-16710-1, and as: The Pan-African Movement. A history of Pan-Africanism in America, Europe and Africa, New York: Africana Publ., 1974, ISBN 0-8419-0161-9.Colin Legum, Pan-Africanism: A Short Political Guide, revised edition, New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1965.Tony Martin, Pan-African Connection: From Slavery to Garvey and Beyond, Dover: The Majority Press, 1985.References [ edit ] ^ Austin, David (Fall 2007). "All Roads Led to Montreal: Black Power, the Caribbean and the Black Radical Tradition in Canada". Journal of African American History. 92 (4): 516''539 . Retrieved March 30, 2019 . ^ Oloruntoba-Oju, Omotayo (December 2012). "Pan Africanism, Myth and History in African and Caribbean Drama". Journal of Pan African Studies. 5 (8): 190 ff. ^ Frick, Janari, et al. (2006), History: Learner's Book, p. 235, South Africa: New Africa Books. ^ Makalani, Minkah (2011), "Pan-Africanism". Africana Age. ^ New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. The Gale Group, Inc. 2005. ^ About the African Union Archived January 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. ^ "The objectives of the PAP", The Pan-African Parliament '' 2014 and beyond. ^ a b Falola, Toyin; Essien, Kwame (2013). Pan-Africanism, and the Politics of African Citizenship and Identity. London: Routledge. pp. 71''72. ISBN 1135005192 . Retrieved September 26, 2015 . ^ Goebel, Anti-Imperial Metropolis, pp. 250''278. ^ Maguire, K., "Ghana re-evaluates Nkrumah", GlobalPost, October 21, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2012. ^ a b Agyeman, O., Pan-Africanism and Its Detractors: A Response to Harvard's Race Effacing Universalists, Harvard University Press (1998), cited in Mawere, Munyaradzi; Tapuwa R. Mubaya, African Philosophy and Thought Systems: A Search for a Culture and Philosophy of Belonging, Langaa RPCIG (2016), p. 89. ISBN 9789956763016. Retrieved August 23, 2018. ^ "Pan-Africanism". exhibitions.nypl.org . Retrieved February 16, 2017 . ^ "A history of Pan-Africanism", New Internationalist, 326, August 2000. ^ The History of Pan Africanism, PADEAP (Pan African Development Education and Advocacy Programme). ^ Lubin, Alex, "The Contingencies of Pan-Africanism", Geographies of Liberation: The Making of an Afro-Arab Political Imaginary, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2014, p. 71. ^ Smith-Asante, E., "Biography of Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah", Graphic Online, March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2017. ^ a b Mkandawire, P. (2005). African Intellectuals: Rethinking Politics, Language, Gender and Development, Dakar: Codesria/London: Zed Books, p. 58. Retrieved March 23, 2017. ^ a b Legum, C. (1965). Pan-Africanism: a short political guide, New York, etc.: Frederick A. Praeger, p. 41. ^ Adi, H., & M. Sherwood (2003). Pan-African History: Political Figures from Africa and the Diaspora Since 1787, London: Routledge, p. 66. ^ a b Legum (1965). Pan-Africanism, p. 42. ^ Adi & Sherwood (2003). Pan-African History, p. 179. ^ Legum (1965), Pan-Africanism, p. 45. ^ Legum (1965). Pan-Africanism, p. 46. ^ Legum (1965), Pan-Africanism, p. 47. ^ Martin, G. (2012). African Political Thought, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ^ a b Adi & Sherwood (2003), Pan-African History, p. 10. ^ "African states unite against white rule", ON THIS DAY | May25. BBC News. Retrieved March 23, 2017. ^ a b c d Evans, M., & J. Phillips (2008). Algeria: Anger of the Dispossessed, Yale University Press, pp. 97''98. ^ Martin, G. (December 23, 2012). African Political Thought. Springer. ISBN 9781137062055. ^ See e.g. Ronald W. Walters, Pan Africanism in the African Diaspora: An Analysis of Modern Afrocentric Political Movements, African American Life Series, Wayne State University Press, 1997, p. 68. ^ Campbell, Crystal Z. (December 2006). "Sculpting a Pan-African Culture in the Art of N(C)gritude: A Model for African Artist" (PDF) . The Journal of Pan African Studies. Archived from the original on June 1, 2015. CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link) ^ Oxford University African Society Conference, Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, May 5, 2012. ^ "About Us". Csus.edu . Retrieved October 15, 2015 . ^ The M.A. in Pan African Studies Archived October 25, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, African American Studies at Syracuse University. ^ Smith, Whitney (2001). Flag Lore of All Nations . Millbrook Press. p. 36. ISBN 0761317538 . Retrieved October 7, 2014 . ^ Lionel K., McPherson; Shelby, Tommie (Spring 2004). "Blackness and Blood: Interpreting African American Identity" (PDF) . Philosophy and Public Affairs. 32: 171''192. ^ Wikisource contributors, "The Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World", Wikisource, The Free Library. (Retrieved October 6, 2007). ^ "25,000 Negroes Convene: International Gathering Will Prepare Own Bill of Rights", The New York Times, August 2, 1920. Proquest. Retrieved October 5, 2007. ^ "Negroes Adopt Bill Of Rights: Convention Approves Plan for African Republic and Sets to Work on Preparation of Constitution of the Colored Race Negro Complaints Aggression Condemned Recognition Demanded". The Christian Science Monitor, August 17, 1920. Proquest. Retrieved October 5, 2007. ^ "What Holocaust". "Glenn Reitz". Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. ^ "The Maafa, African Holocaust". Swagga. ^ Ogunleye, Tolagbe (1997). "African American Folklore: Its Role in Reconstructing African American History". Journal of Black Studies. 27 (4): 435''455. ISSN 0021-9347. ^ "Pan-African Renaissance". ^ Rodney Worrell (2005). Pan-Africanism in Barbados: An Analysis of the Activities of the Major 20th-century Pan-African Formations in Barbados. New Academia Publishing, LLC. pp. 99''102. ISBN 978-0-9744934-6-6. ^ a b Duberman, Martin. Paul Robeson, 1989, pp. 296''97. ^ "Council on African Affairs", African Activist Archive. ^ "Philosophy, Principles, and Program". The Organization Us. ^ "Francis Okechukwu Ohanyido". African Resource. ^ Tate, Greg, "Hip-hop Turns 30: Whatcha Celebratin' For?", Village Voice, January 4, 2005. ^ Clay, Andreana. "Keepin' it Real: Black Youth, Hip-Hop Culture, and Black Identity". In American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 46.10 (2003): 1346''58. External links [ edit ] SNCC Digital Gateway: Pan-Africanism'--Digital documentary website created by the SNCC Legacy Project and Duke University, telling the story of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee & grassroots organizing from the inside-outAfrican UnionAfrican Code Unity Through DiversityA-APRP WebsiteThe Major Pan-African news and articles siteProfessor David Murphy (November 15, 2015). "The Performance of Pan-Africanism: performing black identity at major pan-African festivals, 1966''2010" (Podcast). The University of Edinburgh . Retrieved January 28, 2016 '' via Soundcloud. Ebro Darden - Wikipedia Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:36 Ebro Darden BornIbrahim Jamil Darden ( 1975-03-17 ) March 17, 1975 (age 44) NationalityAmericanOccupationMedia executiveradio personalityYears active1990''presentKnown forHot 97 radio personalityBeats1 DJChildren1Websitewww.EbroDarden.comIbrahim "Ebro" Darden (born March 17, 1975) is an American media executive and radio personality. Until 2014, he was Vice President of Programming for Emmis Communications' New York contemporary urban station WQHT (Hot 97). He is currently a co-host on the Hot 97 morning show, Ebro in the Morning, alongside Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez. As of 2015, Darden also hosts a hip hop music-based radio show on Beats 1. Early life [ edit ] Darden was born to a black father and a Jewish mother. He attended a Pentecostal church and Hebrew school while growing up in Oakland and Sacramento.[1] Career [ edit ] Start in radio [ edit ] Darden began his career in radio in 1990 at KSFM in Sacramento, California, while he was still a teenager. At KSFM he worked in research and as a sales runner until moving into programming as an intern, and later co-hosting for KSFM's night and morning shows. In 1997, he worked at KBMB in Sacramento as Programming and Music Director, as well as an afternoon host. Eventually, Darden became Operations Manager at KBMB, while also co-hosting mornings at KXJM in Portland, Oregon, in 1999. Hot 97 [ edit ] In 2003, Darden became Music Director for WQHT, ultimately becoming the Program Director for the station in 2007.[2][3][4] Darden worked alongside several past WQHT Hot 97 morning show co-hosts including Star and Bucwild, Miss Jones, DJ Envy, Sway, and Joe Budden from 2004 to 2007, and introduced Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg to the AM drive in 2009. He rejoined the Hot 97 Morning Show in 2012, alongside Cipha Sounds, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez. As Programming Director and on-air host, Darden was the main voice of several events at Hot 97 including Nicki Minaj's relationship with the station, and her alleged sexual relationship with the host; Hurricane Sandy; and Mister Cee's personal life.[5] In 2014, VH1 announced a new unscripted comedy series, This Is Hot 97, which featured Darden and fellow hosts including Angie Martinez, Funkmaster Flex, Peter Rosenberg, Cipha Sounds, Miss Info, and Laura Stylez.[6] Beats 1 [ edit ] In addition to his current on-air role at Hot 97, Darden is now one of three anchor DJs on Beats 1, an Internet radio service from Apple Music. Feuds and controversy [ edit ] A comedic rivalry between Darden and fellow accomplished radio personality Charlamagne Tha God of Power 105.1 has been ongoing for years. In May 2017, Darden clarified their relationship, stating, "The stuff we do on the radio is stupid. It's for fun. I make fun of you for fun. That's it. It's not that deep... me and that dude don't have a personal problem... a personal relationship".[7] Darden was mentioned in Remy Ma's "shETHER" diss track, on which Ma insinuated that he slept with Nicki Minaj by stating "Coke head, you cheated on your man with Ebro". After jokingly going back and forth with both Ma and her husband Papoose on social media, Darden denied the rumors, stating that he and Minaj had only a professional relationship.[8] Ebro has been in an ongoing feud with Brooklyn artist 6ix9ine. Ebro made fun of 6ix9ine as looking like a clown and criticized him for bragging about streaming numbers,[9] and 6ix9ine responded on the song "Stoopid" with the line "That nigga Ebro, he a bitch/Just another old nigga on a young nigga dick." [10] Personal life [ edit ] Darden has a daughter, Isa, who was born in 2014.[11] Recognition [ edit ] In 2013, he was recognized by Radio Ink as a future African American leader.[12] Filmography [ edit ] References [ edit ] Queen & Slim (2019) - IMDb Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:13 3 nominations. See more awards >> Learn more More Like This Comedy | Crime | Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1 / 10 X A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family. Director:Rian Johnson Stars:Daniel Craig,Chris Evans,Ana de Armas Action | Crime | Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6 / 10 X An embattled NYPD detective is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. Director:Brian Kirk Stars:Chadwick Boseman,Sienna Miller,J.K. Simmons Action | Biography | Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5 / 10 X The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history. Director:Kasi Lemmons Stars:Cynthia Erivo,Leslie Odom Jr.,Joe Alwyn Biography | Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9 / 10 X Based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. Director:Marielle Heller Stars:Tom Hanks,Matthew Rhys,Chris Cooper Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2 / 10 X A young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health. Director:Alma Har'el Stars:Shia LaBeouf,Lucas Hedges,Noah Jupe Drama | Romance | Sport 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7 / 10 X Traces the journey of a suburban family - led by a well-intentioned but domineering father - as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. Director:Trey Edward Shults Stars:Taylor Russell,Kelvin Harrison Jr.,Alexa Demie Comedy | Drama | War 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1 / 10 X A young boy in Hitler's army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. Director:Taika Waititi Stars:Roman Griffin Davis,Thomasin McKenzie,Scarlett Johansson Action | Crime | Drama 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.7 / 10 X A rookie New Orleans police officer is forced to balance her identity as a black woman after she witnesses two corrupt cops committing murder. Director:Deon Taylor Stars:Naomie Harris,Frank Grillo,Mike Colter Biography | Drama | History 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3 / 10 X A corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution. Director:Todd Haynes Stars:Anne Hathaway,Mark Ruffalo,William Jackson Harper Drama | Fantasy | Horror 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3 / 10 X Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s. Director:Robert Eggers Stars:Willem Dafoe,Robert Pattinson,Valeriia Karaman Crime | Drama | Mystery 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5 / 10 X Consummate con man Roy Courtnay has set his sights on his latest mark: the recently widowed Betty McLeish, worth millions. But this time, what should have been a simple swindle escalates into a cat-and-mouse game with the ultimate stakes. Director:Bill Condon Stars:Helen Mirren,Ian McKellen,Russell Tovey Crime | Drama | Mystery 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1 / 10 X In 1950s New York, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend. Director:Edward Norton Stars:Edward Norton,Gugu Mbatha-Raw,Alec Baldwin Edit Storyline Slim and Queen's first date takes an unexpected turn when a policeman pulls them over for a minor traffic violation. When the situation escalates, Slim takes the officer's gun and shoots him in self-defence. Now labelled cop killers in the media, Slim and Queen feel that they have no choice but to go on the run and evade the law. When a video of the incident goes viral, the unwitting outlaws soon become a symbol of trauma, terror, grief and pain for people all across the country Written bystmc-25959 Plot Summary | Add Synopsis Motion Picture Rating (MPAA) Rated R for violence, some strong sexuality, nudity, pervasive language, and brief drug use. | See all certifications >> Edit Details Release Date: 27 November 2019 (USA) See more >> Edit Box Office Opening Weekend USA: $11,700,000, 1 December 2019 Gross USA: $15,810,000 Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $15,810,000 See more on IMDbPro >> Company Credits Technical Specs Runtime: 131 min Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1 See full technical specs >> Edit Did You Know? Trivia First feature film to be directed by Melina Matsoukas, who has previously only directed music videos and TV episodes. See more >> Quotes Slim :Are you tryin' to die? Queen :No. I just always wanted to do that. Slim :Well, don't do it while I'm drivin' Queen :You should try it. Slim :Nah, I'm good. Queen :Pull over. Slim :Na-ah. Queen :Come on! Pull over. Pull over! Slim :If I do, would you please, let me drive the rest of the way it is? Queen :Swear to God. [...] See more >> Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video. Start your free trial Music in this episode Intro: Puff Daddy - It's all about the benjamins Outro: Blue Magic - Sideshow Donate to the show at moefundme.com Search for us in your podcast directory or use this link to subscribe to the feed Podcast Feed For more information: MoeFactz.com
Topics: Air Jordans, Whitney Houston, Sade, The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Phylicia Rashad (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco) 1985 Notes General Snapshots 1. President: Ronald Reagan 2. Jan – In Hollywood, California, the charity single "We Are the World" is recorded by USA for Africa. The single raises money to combat the ongoing famine in Ethiopia. The American act consists of high-profile performers, including Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper and Diana Ross. 3. Jan – The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner". 4. Mar – WrestleMania debuts at Madison Square Garden. In the main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. The attendance for the event was 19,121. The event was seen by over one million viewers through closed-circuit television, making it the largest pay-per-view showing of a wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States at the time. 5. Apr – Coca-Cola changes its recipe and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months. 6. Aug - Ryan White who was expelled from Western High School in Indiana is allowed to attend his first day of classes via telephone. 7. Sep - The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA. 8. Oct – The Nintendo Entertainment System is released in U.S. stores. By 1988, industry observers stated that the NES's popularity had grown so quickly that the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than that for all home computer software. The NES was released two years after the North American video game crash of 1983, when many retailers and adult consumers regarded electronic games as a passing fad. With the NES, Nintendo also changed the relationship between console manufacturers and third-party software developers by restricting developers from publishing and distributing software without licensed approval. This led to higher-quality games, which helped change the attitude of a public that had grown weary from poorly produced games for earlier systems. 9. Nov - Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0. 10. Open Comments: 11. Top 3 Pop Songs 12. 1 "Careless Whisper" Wham! 13. 2 "Like a Virgin" Madonna 14. 3 "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" Wham! 15. Grammy Awards 16. Record of the Year: Quincy Jones (producer) for "We Are the World" 17. Album of the Year: Phil Collins (producer & artist) for No Jacket Required 18. Song of the Year: Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) for "We Are the World" 19. Best New Artist: Sade 20. Top 3 Movies 21. Back to the Future 22. Rambo: First Blood Part II 23. Rocky IV 24. Other Notables: The Color Purple / Out of Africa / Cocoon / The Jewel of the Nile / Witness / The Goonies / Spies Like Us / The Breakfast Club / Brewster's Millions / St. Elmo's Fire / Krush Groove 25. Top 3 TV Shows 26. The Cosby Show 27. Family Ties 28. Murder, She Wrote 29. TV Debuts 30. Sep - What's Happening Now!! / Stir Crazy 31. Black Snapshots 32. Feb - Whitney Houston releases her debut album – Whitney Houston. 33. Mar – Mike Tyson makes his professional debut in Albany, New York, a match which he wins by a first-round knockout. 34. May - Michael Jordan is named as the NBA's "Rookie of the Year." 35. May – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mayor Wilson Goode, the first African American to hold that office, orders police to storm the headquarters of the black liberation/back-to-nature group MOVE to end a stand-off over serving arrest warrants. (Due process?!?!) The police drop 2 explosive devices into the headquarters, killing 6 adults and 5 children, and destroyed an additional 61 residental homes in the resulting fire. The survivors filed a civil suit against the city and the police department, and were awarded $1.5 million in 1996. 36. Jul - The final episode of The Jeffersons airs. (1975-) 10 yrs 37. Aug - Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972-) 13 yrs 38. Nov - Ebony Man: EM Magazine launches 39. Best Comedy Recording: Whoopi Goldberg - Original Broadway Show Recording 40. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Aretha Franklin for "Freeway of Love" 41. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Stevie Wonder for In Square Circle 42. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Commodores for "Nightshift" 43. Economic Snapshot 44. Avg. Income = $22,138 45. House = $99,331 46. New Car = $9,531 47. Avg. Rent = $375 48. Tuition at Harvard = $9,800 49. Movie Ticket = $2.75 50. Gas = $1.20 51. Stamp = $0.22 52. Socilal Scene: “Money, it's gotta be da shoes!” - Mars Blackmon 53. The Air Jordan I was originally released in 1985 and is almost single-handedly responsible for modern-day sneaker culture. Michael Jordan originally wanted to sign with either Converse or Adidas. But Converse declined and according to a Wall Street Journal article published in 2015 so did Adidas. Still MJ was not convinced. Only when Nike, thinking they had nothing to loose, offered to give MJ his own shoe- and clothing line did he change his mind. This was unheard of at the time, no NBA player had an entire product line named after them. As the first basketball player with his own signature shoes Jordan would immediately become the king of basketball sneaker advertising. Just to be on the safe side Nike worked an out-clause into the contract: if Air Jordans didn’t earn Nike $3 million in the first 3 years, or if Jordan didn’t make the NBA All-Star Game in his first three years, Nike could dump him. Jordan was voted into the All-Star Game as a Rookie starter and the "Air Jordan 1" shoe made Nike $130 million in 1985 alone. The rest is history. 54. Open Comments: 55. The pushback and common critisisms 56. Extremely superficial materialism is one of the only ways that many black Americans express a sense of self worth. 57. When you live in a society where nobody has a savings account, or a college degree, or has traveled abroad, having a fresh pair of sneakers and a gold chain shouldn't be your version of keeping up with the Joneses. 58. Liking shoes is as much of a "black thing" as liking chicken is a "black thing". Everyone likes both of these things. 59. Open Comments: 60. It became popular in the late 80s for people with moderate or low incomes to wear clothing adorned with the names and logos of luxury, high-end brands. Then all the luxury brands started making their own low-end, logo-covered versions. You wear your favorite sports team to affiliate yourself with them. It's the same thing with Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Jordache, Guess, Wrangler, Levi, Gitano, Bonjour, Sasson, etc., it's a way of signalling. 61. Question: We went from tailored suits and dresses to baggy jeans and yoga pants. From afro's and braids to fashioned bandanas and bleached blondes. From the stylish Supremes and Tempations to tatooed faces and pireced everytginhg. - What do you think is at the root of our decisions? Are we victims of advertising? 62. Music Scene 63. Black Songs from the Top 40 (No Lionel Richie showed up!) 64. 5 "I Feel for You" Chaka Khan 65. 6 "Out of Touch" Hall & Oates 66. 12 "Easy Lover" Philip Bailey and Phil Collins 67. 17 "Cherish" Kool & the Gang 68. 20 "We Are the World" USA for Africa 69. 22 "Part-Time Lover" Stevie Wonder 70. 23 "Saving All My Love For You" Whitney Houston 71. 26 "Cool It Now" New Edition 72. 28 "Loverboy" Billy Ocean 73. 29 "Lovergirl" Teena Marie 74. 31 "Oh Sheila" Ready for the World 75. 32 "Rhythm of the Night" DeBarge 76. 38 "Neutron Dance" The Pointer Sisters 77. 40 "Nightshift" Commodores 78. Vote: 79. Top RnB Singles 80. Jan - "Operator" Midnight Star 81. Jan - "Gotta Get You Home Tonight" Eugene Wilde 82. Feb - "Mr. Telephone Man" New Edition 83. Feb - "Missing You" Diana Ross 84. Mar - "Nightshift" The Commodores 85. Apr - "Back In Stride" Maze featuring Frankie Beverly 86. Apr - "Rhythm Of the Night" DeBarge 87. May - "We Are the World" USA for Africa 88. May - "Fresh" Kool & the Gang 89. May - "You Give Good Love" Whitney Houston 90. Jun - "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)" Freddie Jackson 91. Jul - "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)" Loose Ends 92. Jul - "Save Your Love (For #1)" René & Angela 93. Aug - "Freeway of Love" Aretha Franklin 94. Sep - "Saving All My Love for You" Whitney Houston 95. Sep - "Cherish" Kool & the Gang 96. Sep - "Oh Sheila" Ready For the World 97. Oct - "You Are My Lady" Freddie Jackson 98. Oct - "Part-Time Lover" Stevie Wonder 99. Nov - "Caravan of Love" Isley-Jasper-Isley 100. Dec - "Don't Say No Tonight" Eugene Wilde 101. Vote: 102. Top RnB Albums 103. Jan - New Edition New Edition 104. Feb - Solid Ashford & Simpson 105. Mar - Gap Band VI The Gap Band 106. Mar p- Private Dancer Tina Turner 107. Apr - Nightshift The Commodores 108. Apr - Can't Stop the Love Frankie Beverly and Maze 109. May - The Night I Fell in Love Luther Vandross 110. Jun - Whitney Houston Whitney Houston 111. Jun - Rock Me Tonight Freddie Jackson 112. Nov - In Square Circle Stevie Wonder 113. Vote 114. Featured Artists: Whitney Houston and Sade 115. Whitney Elizabeth Houston, @22 yrs old: Singer, actress, model, and producer, Whitney Houston is one of the world’s most successful female entertainers of all time. 116. Born and raised in Newark NJ, she is the daughter of Grammy-award-winning gospel singer, Emily “Cissy” Houston and John R. Houston, who managed his daughter’s production company. 117. Childhood & Early Life 118. She was no stranger to the entertainment industry, having come from a line of singers and actresses. Not only did her mother’s vocal group, the ‘Sweet Inspirations’, sing backup for Aretha Franklin, but her cousins Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick are also renowned singers, as well as her godmother, Darlene Love. She began performing in her church’s gospel choir as a soloist at the age of eleven and learned to play the piano. While attending Catholic school, she took voice lessons from her mother, with whom she would occasionally perform in nightclubs. 119. Career 120. In 1977 (@ 14 yrs old), she was a backup singer for Michael Zager Band’s single ‘Life’s a Party’ and the following year she sang on Chaka Khan’s single ‘I’m Every Woman’. She was offered an opportunity to sign with a recording company, but her mother declined so she would finish high school. In the early 1980s, (@17 yrs old), she worked as a model, appearing in several magazines including, ‘Seventeen’, where she became the first African American to be featured on the cover. She also took on acting gigs appearing in TV show episodes such as, ‘Gimme a Break’, while continuing to develop her vocal skills. In 1983,(@ 20yrs old) she was signed with ‘Arista Records’. President Clive Davis spent the next couple years assembling lyricists and producers to balance her gospel-like sound with contemporary melodies. In 1985, her debut album, ‘Whitney Houston’ gradually became the number one selling album of her career. She went on to win two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards. 121. Open Comments: 122. A Hot Mess 123. On February 11th, 2012, Whitney Houston (@ 48 yrs old) was found facedown in a bathtub. Weeks later, an autopsy report would contribute Houston’s death to accidental drowning, heart disease and cocaine use. There were additional traces of a muscle relaxant, Xanax, marijuana and an allergy medication in the singer’s system. 124. The sad, secret life of Whitney Houston: From a secret lesbian relationship to a decades-long struggle with drugs, five years after singer’s death, a new film ‘Whitney: Can I Be Me’ examines what caused her tragic downfall - Tara Brady [Jun 12, 2017] https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-sad-secret-life-of-whitney-houston-1.3105861 125. Selected quotes from the article: 126. What exactly killed Houston? Why did she drown? How did she drown? Was she simply overwhelmed by the controlling demands of her formidable mother, Cissy Houston, Svengali Clive Davis, and her record company, Arista? Did the aftermath of her toxic and co-dependent marriage to Bobby Brown send her spiralling? Or was it the dissolution of her decades-old lesbian relationship with her assistant Robyn Crawford? It’s complicated, as documentarian Nick Broomfield discovered. “In the end I think the divide between who she was and what her public persona was became more and more difficult,” says documentarian Nick Broomfield. “And she just went down, 127. The imploding relations between Houston, Bobby Brown and Robyn Crawford. Brown told Us Weekly magazine that Houston was bisexual and that she once had an affair with Tupac Shakur. He went on to say that Houston kept her relationship with Crawford hidden because of Cissy. “I really feel that if Robyn was accepted into Whitney’s life, Whitney would still be alive today,” Brown told the magazine. “She didn’t have close friends with her anymore.” 128. From Cissy’s notorious 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey: “Would it have bothered you if your daughter was gay?” “Absolutely,” Cissy snapped back. “You wouldn’t have condoned it?” continued an incredulous Oprah. “Not at all.” ...“I didn’t particularly like [Crawford],” Cissy told the talk show queen. “She just spoke too much, disrespectful sometimes, like she had something over Nippy (Houston’s nickname), and I didn’t like that at all. She was all right, she turned out to be all right, I guess. That was her friend.” 129. Houston and Crawford first bonded while they were teenagers working at a community centre in East Orange, New Jersey. When Houston’s modelling career began to take off, she’d face bullying in school, and Crawford, who was originally a friend of Houston’s older brothers Michael and Gary, would frequently come to the rescue. When Houston moved out of her family home, she shared her first apartment with Crawford. Deep into Houston and Brown’s 14-year marriage, Crawford remained a fixture in Houston’s domestic arrangements. 130. Houston’s marriage to Brown, understandably, made for an uneasy romantic trinity. In Derrick Handspike’s unauthorised 2008 biography, Bobby Brown: The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But . . ., the author quotes Brown as saying: “Now I realise Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married. I believe her agenda was to clean up her image while mine was to be loved and have children. “Whitney felt she had to make rumours of a lesbian affair go away. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn’t go too well with her image. In Whitney’s situation the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation whether it was true or not.” 131. Supermarket tabloids did a brisk trade during the 1990s by peddling the idea that Houston’s life spiralled into addiction after she married Brown. She was the gospel-singing good girl – the church-going daughter of Cissy and a cousin of Dionne Warwick. He was a bad boy who, aged 20, when they first met, had already been shot and stabbed in the shoulder. Their tumultuous marriage (from 1992 to 2007), characterised by drug use, infidelity and a costly entourage, was seldom out of the headlines. But contrary to popular belief, Brown did not introduce his troubled wife to cocaine. Houston first dabbled with drugs with her brothers, Michael and Gary, as a teenager. The truth is that Houston was always as “street“ as her R&B star husband. But that part of her personal history didn’t fit with what Broomfield calls “the Whitney character”. As Pattie Howard, Houston’s backing vocalist, notes: “People may not know it but Whitney was from the ‘hood’. They wanted to present her as the princess. And that’s what white America was presented with.” Kenneth Reynolds, who worked in marketing for Arista Records recalls that: “Anything that was too black sounding was sent back. We wanted Joni Mitchell. We wanted Barbra Streisand. ” “She was very carefully groomed for nearly two years before the first album came out,” explains Broomfield. “So every aspect of her was carefully considered. She was a major project. A lot of money was spent on her. Anything that was too R&B was out. They didn’t want a female James Brown. That was not part of their vision. Which, of course, was a very successful vision.” 132. In 1989, just as Houston topped 25 million in album sales and surpassed the Beatles’s record with seven consecutive number one hits, she attended the Soul Train awards where, in response to her “white” music, she was roundly booed. Pre-Beyoncé and Mariah Carey, “crossover” was synonymous with cultural betrayal. People shouted “Oreo” – brown on the outside, white on the inside – as her nomination for Best Female Vocalist was announced. “It’s not a good feeling,” says Houston, in Can I Be Me. “It’s horrible and kind of funny. You think: ‘Are they booing me?’ And you have to sit there and be cordial and smiley. And you feel like: ‘Oh my God’.” Kirk Whalum, the saxophonist who toured with Houston for more than seven years recalls that night, which coincidentally, was the first time she met Brown. “It was devastating [for her],” says Whalum. 133. By the end of the 90s, Houston found herself at the centre of a perfect storm of ongoing racial friction, marital troubles and drug abuse. Friends, unable to watch Houston’s decline, began to drift away. Her father, John, died in 2003, but not before his management company, John Houston Entertainment LLC, filed a $100 million lawsuit against his own daughter. Months before his death, he made a public appeal on the syndicated show, Celebrity Justice: “You get your act together, honey, and you pay me the money that you owe me.” Robyn Crawford’s departure in 2000, too, prompted a new, crippling dependency on crack-cocaine and other substances. - “Robyn was the one who was keeping her together,” says writer Allison Samuels. “That’s when drugs became so important to her.” 134. Open Comments: 135. The Smooth Operator -Helen Folasade Adu, professionally known as Sade (@26 yrs old) 136. Sade is an internationally renowned, multi-Grammy award winning singer who is known for her smooth, melodic vocals and the seamless incorporation of different styles of music. She was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria on January 16, 1959. Her father Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer of economics, and her mother Anne Hayes, a district nurse, had met in London. Sade was the couple’s second child. Shortly after her birth, Sade’s parents separated and she and her brother followed their mother to Colchester, Essex, England. There, the children were raised by their mother as well as their maternal grandfather. Upon finishing her education at Clacton County High School in Colchester, she enrolled at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design in London to pursue fashion and design. After completion of her program, she worked as a model and menswear designer. 137. Sade entered the music scene around 1980 when she started singing harmony for Arriva, a Latin funk band. She joined another funk band called Pride and was a background singer for the group. Pride garnered much attention from record companies due to their performances around London. Eventually Sade and fellow bandmates, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denma, and Andrew Hale signed a deal with the U.K. division of Epic Records and formed the band Sade. In 1984 the band’s debut album, Diamond Life, was released to much critical success and was bolstered by singles such as “Hang On to Your Love” and “Smooth Operator.” The band followed up their debut with their next album, Promise, which was released the following year. “The Sweetest Taboo,” a single from Promise, was on the U.S. Hot 100 for six months. She was awarded the Grammy for best new artist of 1985. 138. Open Comments: 139. Selected quote about her sound 140. Let's get this into context. With Sade it's unlikely there will ever be a full, naked baring of the soul. In terms of contemporary icons, it's better to listen to Mary J for stories of drama and shattered devotion. But Sade, today, is all about the acknowledged presence of absence. What's missing in her music is as important as what's present. - The Fader 141. A small, yet important, fact: When Sade signed her first record deal with Epic in the early '80s, she accepted a small advance, worth ~$70,000 in exchange for an unusually high cut of sales for a new artist—15 percent. It was a deal that ended up proving immensely lucrative, and it has freed her from many of the commercial demands that often encumber artists. Put simply, she only works when and how she wants to. As one executive at her label, Epic, put it to me: "Who's going to argue with a woman who's sold 50 million albums? She's more powerful than anyone working at the label, including the [President]." - The Fader 142. Question: Does the Sade sound ever wear out? 143. The Movie Scene 144. The Color Purple/Film synopsis 145. An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson (Danny Glover), things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker. 146. Review by Roger Ebert 147. Returning to "The Color Purple" after almost 20 years, I can see its flaws more easily than when I named it the best film of 1985, but I can also understand why it moved me so deeply, and why the greatness of some films depends not on their perfection or logic, but on their heart. The movie may have inconsistencies, confusions and improbabilities, but there is one perfect thing at its center, and that is the character of Celie, as played by Whoopi Goldberg. "Here is this year's winner for best actress," I wrote in my original review, and that should have been true, but although "The Color Purple" had 11 nominations, it won not a single Oscar. When a movie character is really working, we become that character. That's what the movies offer: Escapism into lives other than our own. I am not female, I am not black, I am not Celie, but for a time during "The Color Purple," my mind deceives me that I am all of those things, and as I empathize with her struggle and victory I learn something about what it must have been like to be her. - Roger Ebert 148. Selected Quotes 149. In Honor of Its 33rd Anniversary, Here Are 10 Life Lessons I Learned From the Color Purple - By Melissa Kimble Dec 18, 2018 [https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a25616715/the-color-purple-quotes-anniversary/] 150. I was born a few years after the film was released. However, I can credit much of my self discovery to the many times I’ve watched it. My favorite quotes from the movie taught me valuable lessons about Black womanhood, faith, and self love. And these 10 are the ones I’ll never forget. 151. “Girl, you oughta bash Mister’s head open and think about heaven later.” By Oprah Winfrey - In a film where women are treated like inferiors, Sofia breaks the mold by refusing to be her husband's punching bag. This scene-stealing monologue, with its rage filled entrance by the O of O, is an act of defiance—especially one committed in early 20th century Georgia. It was powerful and necessary to see a Black woman go against the grain on screen. And to me, it was a call to action to be fearless. 152. "I'm poor, Black, I may even be ugly, but dear God, I’m here! I’m here!" By Whoopi Goldberg - What a victorious statement this was by Celie, who, up until this point, had spent most of her life feeling unworthy and invisible. It reminded me that even with our flaws and imperfections, we still deserve to show up in our own lives. 153. "Until you do right by me, everything you think about is going to crumble." By - Whoopi Goldberg - With these words, Celie breaks a cycle of abuse from Mister and sticks up for herself. I interpreted this line as a sign that I don’t have to carry the weight of people who have caused my pain; life will take care of everything. 154. “Miss Celie, why you always covering up your smile?” By Desreta Jackson - Growing up, I was very insecure about my smile. And when Shug Avery posed this question to Miss Celie, it also made me turn to myself. When Shug encourages Celie to smile, I learned that there’s no need to cover up my own 155. Open Comments: 156. Featured Artist 157. Caryn Elaine Johnson, a.k.a. Whoopi Goldberg (@ 30 yrs old): an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, Broadway star, political activist, author and talk show host, she is one of the most successful and established African American actresses of her time. 158. Born and raised in Manhattan, she is one of 14 entertainers ever to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. What differentiates Goldberg from her contemporaries is the excellence that she portrayed in all the mediums of entertainment, be it television, theatre, films or radio. 159. Childhood & Early Life 160. Her mother was a nurse and a teacher while her father served as a clergyman. She was raised in the Chelsea-Elliot Houses by her mother alone after her father disbanded the family when she was young. She studied until her teen years and later dropped out of school. Her started acting started at a young age. It was during her stage performance that people complimented her by saying that she looked like whoopee cushion. It was from there that she took the stage name Whoopi and adopted Goldberg as her surname to sound more Jewish. 161. Career 162. In 1974, (@ age 19) she moved to California and thereafter lived in various cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. It was during this time that she honed her acting skills and developed her talent as a stand-up comedian. However, soon thereafter, she returned to New York and started receiving training under acting coach Uta Hagen. Her first ever appearance on screen was for William Farley’s feature, ‘Citizen: I'm Not Losing My Mind, I'm Giving It Away’ in 1982 (@ 27). In 1983, she created, starred and directed a ‘The Spook Show’, a one-woman show that addressed the issue of race in American but in a unique and innovative style. Next, she created other off-Broadway productions such as ‘Little Girl’ an African-American child obsessed with having blond hair and ‘Fontaine’ a junkie who also happens to hold a doctorate in literature. The innovative presentation and sense of wit and style in her shows impressed director Mike Nicholas who offered to take ‘The Spook Show’ to the Broadway. The show which ran for 156 performances, met with much acclaim both commercially and critically. It went on to earn her a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. The eye-catching performance and amazing positive reception of the show earned her attention of the Hollywood bigwigs. It helped her bag a role in the Steven Spielberg film, ‘The Color Purple’, released in 1985. The movie met with resounding success, clutching 11 Academy Awards nominations and she won her first Golden Globe award. 163. Open Comments: 164. Oprah Gail Winfrey , a.k.a. Oprah Winfrey (@ 31 yrs old): Talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. 165. Childhood & Early Life 166. Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on a small family farm, to an unwed mother who had a short relationship with a soldier stationed nearby, Oprah grew up in dire poverty, and was primarily raised by her grandmother. Sexually abused and mistreated as a child, Winfrey rose above adversity to focus on her primary and high school education. 167. Career 168. When she was still a teenager, the local CBS television station in Nashville, Tennessee offered her a job as a co-anchor. She turned it down three times. At age 19, Oprah Winfrey said yes after the fourth offer. She failed the interview, but instead was offered a job as a full-time reporter for a Baltimore television news channel. She did poorly as a reporter, and by age 22 she was fired from the news division. The director of the station gave Winfrey a boost by selecting her to anchor a morning talk show entitled ‘People are Talking’. For the next seven years, her talk show enjoyed excellent ratings. In 1981, (@ 27) she moved to Chicago to host a talk show entitled ‘A.M. Chicago’. Four years later, (1985) after a tremendous boost in the ratings, the producers changed the name to ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’. She caught the attention of Quincy Jones, a Chicago native, and he cast her as Sofia for the first movie he produced, 'The Color Purple'. The following year ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ was broadcast nationally. 169. Open Comments: 170. TV Scene: 171. Featured Actor: Phylician Ayers Allen, a.k.a Phylicia Rashad is an Emmy-nominated American actress, singer, and director. 172. Her multi-faceted career began with Broadway before she branched into television and films. She is best remembered for her character as Claire Huxtable in the NBC sitcom ‘The Cosby Show’, which ran for eight years. The series brought Phylicia much deserved recognition, also earning her two Emmy nominations. Phylicia, however, is immortalized for her rich performances on the stage as an artist. She starred in several lavish musicals and dramas, all praised highly by critics. She became the first African American actress to walk away with a Tony Award for her performance in Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘Raisin in The Sun’. Subsequently, she was venerated within the African American acting community at the NAACP Awards, where she was called ‘The Mother’ of the Black Community. Her other popular plays include ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, ‘August: Osage Country’, and ‘Gem of the Ocean’. She has tried her hand at stage direction and has successfully directed hit plays at prominent stages. Over the course of her career, Rashad has starred in several television series and voiced many characters. Her prolific output continues to be on the rise as she is still an active part of the entertainment industry. 173. Childhood & Early Life: 174. Phylicia Rashad was born Phylician Ayers Allen on June 19, 1948, in Houston, Texas to Vivian Ayers and Andrew Arthur Allen. Her mother was a prize-winning poet and artist, while her father was a reputed orthodontist. She has three siblings: Andrew Arthur Allen Jr., Debbie Allen, and Hugh Allen. Phylicia was raised in the United States and Mexico. She studied at Howard University, Washington D.C. and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre in 1970. During her university days, she was inculcated into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. 175. Career 176. After graduating with a degree in theatre, Phylicia immediately joined the Negro Ensemble Company in New York. She toured the city and was seen in several plays under this troupe. Her Broadway debut occurred in 1972 and she was seen in several minor roles for hit musicals, including ‘The Wiz’ (1975) and ‘Dreamgirls’ (1981). In 1978, Rashad tried her hand at something new by releasing the concept album ‘Josephine Superstar’, an album that was based on Josephine Baker’s life. She decided to embark on an alternative career in television owing to the scarcity of good roles given to her. In 1982, after moving to television, Rashad landed a recurring role in the series ‘One Life to Live’ as Courtney Wright, a publicist. In 1984, Phylicia Rashad was roped in to play the role of Clair Huxtable, an attorney, in the hit comedy ‘The Cosby Show’. The show starred Bill Cosby in the lead role and Phylicia played his wife. The series ran for over eight years and was a critical and commercial success. Phylicia’s role as Clair proved to be the highest point in her career, earning her two Emmy Award nominations. 177. Open Comments 178. Question: Is she a good actor? Do you buy her in other roles? 179. Vote: Best Pop Culture item/event for 1985
Topics: Air Jordans, Whitney Houston, Sade, The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Phylicia Rashad (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco) 1985 Notes General Snapshots 1. President: Ronald Reagan 2. Jan – In Hollywood, California, the charity single "We Are the World" is recorded by USA for Africa. The single raises money to combat the ongoing famine in Ethiopia. The American act consists of high-profile performers, including Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper and Diana Ross. 3. Jan – The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner". 4. Mar – WrestleMania debuts at Madison Square Garden. In the main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. The attendance for the event was 19,121. The event was seen by over one million viewers through closed-circuit television, making it the largest pay-per-view showing of a wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States at the time. 5. Apr – Coca-Cola changes its recipe and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months. 6. Aug - Ryan White who was expelled from Western High School in Indiana is allowed to attend his first day of classes via telephone. 7. Sep - The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA. 8. Oct – The Nintendo Entertainment System is released in U.S. stores. By 1988, industry observers stated that the NES's popularity had grown so quickly that the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than that for all home computer software. The NES was released two years after the North American video game crash of 1983, when many retailers and adult consumers regarded electronic games as a passing fad. With the NES, Nintendo also changed the relationship between console manufacturers and third-party software developers by restricting developers from publishing and distributing software without licensed approval. This led to higher-quality games, which helped change the attitude of a public that had grown weary from poorly produced games for earlier systems. 9. Nov - Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0. 10. Open Comments: 11. Top 3 Pop Songs 12. 1 "Careless Whisper" Wham! 13. 2 "Like a Virgin" Madonna 14. 3 "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" Wham! 15. Grammy Awards 16. Record of the Year: Quincy Jones (producer) for "We Are the World" 17. Album of the Year: Phil Collins (producer & artist) for No Jacket Required 18. Song of the Year: Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) for "We Are the World" 19. Best New Artist: Sade 20. Top 3 Movies 21. Back to the Future 22. Rambo: First Blood Part II 23. Rocky IV 24. Other Notables: The Color Purple / Out of Africa / Cocoon / The Jewel of the Nile / Witness / The Goonies / Spies Like Us / The Breakfast Club / Brewster's Millions / St. Elmo's Fire / Krush Groove 25. Top 3 TV Shows 26. The Cosby Show 27. Family Ties 28. Murder, She Wrote 29. TV Debuts 30. Sep - What's Happening Now!! / Stir Crazy 31. Black Snapshots 32. Feb - Whitney Houston releases her debut album – Whitney Houston. 33. Mar – Mike Tyson makes his professional debut in Albany, New York, a match which he wins by a first-round knockout. 34. May - Michael Jordan is named as the NBA's "Rookie of the Year." 35. May – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mayor Wilson Goode, the first African American to hold that office, orders police to storm the headquarters of the black liberation/back-to-nature group MOVE to end a stand-off over serving arrest warrants. (Due process?!?!) The police drop 2 explosive devices into the headquarters, killing 6 adults and 5 children, and destroyed an additional 61 residental homes in the resulting fire. The survivors filed a civil suit against the city and the police department, and were awarded $1.5 million in 1996. 36. Jul - The final episode of The Jeffersons airs. (1975-) 10 yrs 37. Aug - Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972-) 13 yrs 38. Nov - Ebony Man: EM Magazine launches 39. Best Comedy Recording: Whoopi Goldberg - Original Broadway Show Recording 40. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Aretha Franklin for "Freeway of Love" 41. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Stevie Wonder for In Square Circle 42. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Commodores for "Nightshift" 43. Economic Snapshot 44. Avg. Income = $22,138 45. House = $99,331 46. New Car = $9,531 47. Avg. Rent = $375 48. Tuition at Harvard = $9,800 49. Movie Ticket = $2.75 50. Gas = $1.20 51. Stamp = $0.22 52. Socilal Scene: “Money, it's gotta be da shoes!” - Mars Blackmon 53. The Air Jordan I was originally released in 1985 and is almost single-handedly responsible for modern-day sneaker culture. Michael Jordan originally wanted to sign with either Converse or Adidas. But Converse declined and according to a Wall Street Journal article published in 2015 so did Adidas. Still MJ was not convinced. Only when Nike, thinking they had nothing to loose, offered to give MJ his own shoe- and clothing line did he change his mind. This was unheard of at the time, no NBA player had an entire product line named after them. As the first basketball player with his own signature shoes Jordan would immediately become the king of basketball sneaker advertising. Just to be on the safe side Nike worked an out-clause into the contract: if Air Jordans didn’t earn Nike $3 million in the first 3 years, or if Jordan didn’t make the NBA All-Star Game in his first three years, Nike could dump him. Jordan was voted into the All-Star Game as a Rookie starter and the "Air Jordan 1" shoe made Nike $130 million in 1985 alone. The rest is history. 54. Open Comments: 55. The pushback and common critisisms 56. Extremely superficial materialism is one of the only ways that many black Americans express a sense of self worth. 57. When you live in a society where nobody has a savings account, or a college degree, or has traveled abroad, having a fresh pair of sneakers and a gold chain shouldn't be your version of keeping up with the Joneses. 58. Liking shoes is as much of a "black thing" as liking chicken is a "black thing". Everyone likes both of these things. 59. Open Comments: 60. It became popular in the late 80s for people with moderate or low incomes to wear clothing adorned with the names and logos of luxury, high-end brands. Then all the luxury brands started making their own low-end, logo-covered versions. You wear your favorite sports team to affiliate yourself with them. It's the same thing with Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Jordache, Guess, Wrangler, Levi, Gitano, Bonjour, Sasson, etc., it's a way of signalling. 61. Question: We went from tailored suits and dresses to baggy jeans and yoga pants. From afro's and braids to fashioned bandanas and bleached blondes. From the stylish Supremes and Tempations to tatooed faces and pireced everytginhg. - What do you think is at the root of our decisions? Are we victims of advertising? 62. Music Scene 63. Black Songs from the Top 40 (No Lionel Richie showed up!) 64. 5 "I Feel for You" Chaka Khan 65. 6 "Out of Touch" Hall & Oates 66. 12 "Easy Lover" Philip Bailey and Phil Collins 67. 17 "Cherish" Kool & the Gang 68. 20 "We Are the World" USA for Africa 69. 22 "Part-Time Lover" Stevie Wonder 70. 23 "Saving All My Love For You" Whitney Houston 71. 26 "Cool It Now" New Edition 72. 28 "Loverboy" Billy Ocean 73. 29 "Lovergirl" Teena Marie 74. 31 "Oh Sheila" Ready for the World 75. 32 "Rhythm of the Night" DeBarge 76. 38 "Neutron Dance" The Pointer Sisters 77. 40 "Nightshift" Commodores 78. Vote: 79. Top RnB Singles 80. Jan - "Operator" Midnight Star 81. Jan - "Gotta Get You Home Tonight" Eugene Wilde 82. Feb - "Mr. Telephone Man" New Edition 83. Feb - "Missing You" Diana Ross 84. Mar - "Nightshift" The Commodores 85. Apr - "Back In Stride" Maze featuring Frankie Beverly 86. Apr - "Rhythm Of the Night" DeBarge 87. May - "We Are the World" USA for Africa 88. May - "Fresh" Kool & the Gang 89. May - "You Give Good Love" Whitney Houston 90. Jun - "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)" Freddie Jackson 91. Jul - "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)" Loose Ends 92. Jul - "Save Your Love (For #1)" René & Angela 93. Aug - "Freeway of Love" Aretha Franklin 94. Sep - "Saving All My Love for You" Whitney Houston 95. Sep - "Cherish" Kool & the Gang 96. Sep - "Oh Sheila" Ready For the World 97. Oct - "You Are My Lady" Freddie Jackson 98. Oct - "Part-Time Lover" Stevie Wonder 99. Nov - "Caravan of Love" Isley-Jasper-Isley 100. Dec - "Don't Say No Tonight" Eugene Wilde 101. Vote: 102. Top RnB Albums 103. Jan - New Edition New Edition 104. Feb - Solid Ashford & Simpson 105. Mar - Gap Band VI The Gap Band 106. Mar p- Private Dancer Tina Turner 107. Apr - Nightshift The Commodores 108. Apr - Can't Stop the Love Frankie Beverly and Maze 109. May - The Night I Fell in Love Luther Vandross 110. Jun - Whitney Houston Whitney Houston 111. Jun - Rock Me Tonight Freddie Jackson 112. Nov - In Square Circle Stevie Wonder 113. Vote 114. Featured Artists: Whitney Houston and Sade 115. Whitney Elizabeth Houston, @22 yrs old: Singer, actress, model, and producer, Whitney Houston is one of the world’s most successful female entertainers of all time. 116. Born and raised in Newark NJ, she is the daughter of Grammy-award-winning gospel singer, Emily “Cissy” Houston and John R. Houston, who managed his daughter’s production company. 117. Childhood & Early Life 118. She was no stranger to the entertainment industry, having come from a line of singers and actresses. Not only did her mother’s vocal group, the ‘Sweet Inspirations’, sing backup for Aretha Franklin, but her cousins Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick are also renowned singers, as well as her godmother, Darlene Love. She began performing in her church’s gospel choir as a soloist at the age of eleven and learned to play the piano. While attending Catholic school, she took voice lessons from her mother, with whom she would occasionally perform in nightclubs. 119. Career 120. In 1977 (@ 14 yrs old), she was a backup singer for Michael Zager Band’s single ‘Life’s a Party’ and the following year she sang on Chaka Khan’s single ‘I’m Every Woman’. She was offered an opportunity to sign with a recording company, but her mother declined so she would finish high school. In the early 1980s, (@17 yrs old), she worked as a model, appearing in several magazines including, ‘Seventeen’, where she became the first African American to be featured on the cover. She also took on acting gigs appearing in TV show episodes such as, ‘Gimme a Break’, while continuing to develop her vocal skills. In 1983,(@ 20yrs old) she was signed with ‘Arista Records’. President Clive Davis spent the next couple years assembling lyricists and producers to balance her gospel-like sound with contemporary melodies. In 1985, her debut album, ‘Whitney Houston’ gradually became the number one selling album of her career. She went on to win two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards. 121. Open Comments: 122. A Hot Mess 123. On February 11th, 2012, Whitney Houston (@ 48 yrs old) was found facedown in a bathtub. Weeks later, an autopsy report would contribute Houston’s death to accidental drowning, heart disease and cocaine use. There were additional traces of a muscle relaxant, Xanax, marijuana and an allergy medication in the singer’s system. 124. The sad, secret life of Whitney Houston: From a secret lesbian relationship to a decades-long struggle with drugs, five years after singer’s death, a new film ‘Whitney: Can I Be Me’ examines what caused her tragic downfall - Tara Brady [Jun 12, 2017] https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-sad-secret-life-of-whitney-houston-1.3105861 125. Selected quotes from the article: 126. What exactly killed Houston? Why did she drown? How did she drown? Was she simply overwhelmed by the controlling demands of her formidable mother, Cissy Houston, Svengali Clive Davis, and her record company, Arista? Did the aftermath of her toxic and co-dependent marriage to Bobby Brown send her spiralling? Or was it the dissolution of her decades-old lesbian relationship with her assistant Robyn Crawford? It’s complicated, as documentarian Nick Broomfield discovered. “In the end I think the divide between who she was and what her public persona was became more and more difficult,” says documentarian Nick Broomfield. “And she just went down, 127. The imploding relations between Houston, Bobby Brown and Robyn Crawford. Brown told Us Weekly magazine that Houston was bisexual and that she once had an affair with Tupac Shakur. He went on to say that Houston kept her relationship with Crawford hidden because of Cissy. “I really feel that if Robyn was accepted into Whitney’s life, Whitney would still be alive today,” Brown told the magazine. “She didn’t have close friends with her anymore.” 128. From Cissy’s notorious 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey: “Would it have bothered you if your daughter was gay?” “Absolutely,” Cissy snapped back. “You wouldn’t have condoned it?” continued an incredulous Oprah. “Not at all.” ...“I didn’t particularly like [Crawford],” Cissy told the talk show queen. “She just spoke too much, disrespectful sometimes, like she had something over Nippy (Houston’s nickname), and I didn’t like that at all. She was all right, she turned out to be all right, I guess. That was her friend.” 129. Houston and Crawford first bonded while they were teenagers working at a community centre in East Orange, New Jersey. When Houston’s modelling career began to take off, she’d face bullying in school, and Crawford, who was originally a friend of Houston’s older brothers Michael and Gary, would frequently come to the rescue. When Houston moved out of her family home, she shared her first apartment with Crawford. Deep into Houston and Brown’s 14-year marriage, Crawford remained a fixture in Houston’s domestic arrangements. 130. Houston’s marriage to Brown, understandably, made for an uneasy romantic trinity. In Derrick Handspike’s unauthorised 2008 biography, Bobby Brown: The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But . . ., the author quotes Brown as saying: “Now I realise Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married. I believe her agenda was to clean up her image while mine was to be loved and have children. “Whitney felt she had to make rumours of a lesbian affair go away. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn’t go too well with her image. In Whitney’s situation the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation whether it was true or not.” 131. Supermarket tabloids did a brisk trade during the 1990s by peddling the idea that Houston’s life spiralled into addiction after she married Brown. She was the gospel-singing good girl – the church-going daughter of Cissy and a cousin of Dionne Warwick. He was a bad boy who, aged 20, when they first met, had already been shot and stabbed in the shoulder. Their tumultuous marriage (from 1992 to 2007), characterised by drug use, infidelity and a costly entourage, was seldom out of the headlines. But contrary to popular belief, Brown did not introduce his troubled wife to cocaine. Houston first dabbled with drugs with her brothers, Michael and Gary, as a teenager. The truth is that Houston was always as “street“ as her R&B star husband. But that part of her personal history didn’t fit with what Broomfield calls “the Whitney character”. As Pattie Howard, Houston’s backing vocalist, notes: “People may not know it but Whitney was from the ‘hood’. They wanted to present her as the princess. And that’s what white America was presented with.” Kenneth Reynolds, who worked in marketing for Arista Records recalls that: “Anything that was too black sounding was sent back. We wanted Joni Mitchell. We wanted Barbra Streisand. ” “She was very carefully groomed for nearly two years before the first album came out,” explains Broomfield. “So every aspect of her was carefully considered. She was a major project. A lot of money was spent on her. Anything that was too R&B was out. They didn’t want a female James Brown. That was not part of their vision. Which, of course, was a very successful vision.” 132. In 1989, just as Houston topped 25 million in album sales and surpassed the Beatles’s record with seven consecutive number one hits, she attended the Soul Train awards where, in response to her “white” music, she was roundly booed. Pre-Beyoncé and Mariah Carey, “crossover” was synonymous with cultural betrayal. People shouted “Oreo” – brown on the outside, white on the inside – as her nomination for Best Female Vocalist was announced. “It’s not a good feeling,” says Houston, in Can I Be Me. “It’s horrible and kind of funny. You think: ‘Are they booing me?’ And you have to sit there and be cordial and smiley. And you feel like: ‘Oh my God’.” Kirk Whalum, the saxophonist who toured with Houston for more than seven years recalls that night, which coincidentally, was the first time she met Brown. “It was devastating [for her],” says Whalum. 133. By the end of the 90s, Houston found herself at the centre of a perfect storm of ongoing racial friction, marital troubles and drug abuse. Friends, unable to watch Houston’s decline, began to drift away. Her father, John, died in 2003, but not before his management company, John Houston Entertainment LLC, filed a $100 million lawsuit against his own daughter. Months before his death, he made a public appeal on the syndicated show, Celebrity Justice: “You get your act together, honey, and you pay me the money that you owe me.” Robyn Crawford’s departure in 2000, too, prompted a new, crippling dependency on crack-cocaine and other substances. - “Robyn was the one who was keeping her together,” says writer Allison Samuels. “That’s when drugs became so important to her.” 134. Open Comments: 135. The Smooth Operator -Helen Folasade Adu, professionally known as Sade (@26 yrs old) 136. Sade is an internationally renowned, multi-Grammy award winning singer who is known for her smooth, melodic vocals and the seamless incorporation of different styles of music. She was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria on January 16, 1959. Her father Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer of economics, and her mother Anne Hayes, a district nurse, had met in London. Sade was the couple’s second child. Shortly after her birth, Sade’s parents separated and she and her brother followed their mother to Colchester, Essex, England. There, the children were raised by their mother as well as their maternal grandfather. Upon finishing her education at Clacton County High School in Colchester, she enrolled at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design in London to pursue fashion and design. After completion of her program, she worked as a model and menswear designer. 137. Sade entered the music scene around 1980 when she started singing harmony for Arriva, a Latin funk band. She joined another funk band called Pride and was a background singer for the group. Pride garnered much attention from record companies due to their performances around London. Eventually Sade and fellow bandmates, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denma, and Andrew Hale signed a deal with the U.K. division of Epic Records and formed the band Sade. In 1984 the band’s debut album, Diamond Life, was released to much critical success and was bolstered by singles such as “Hang On to Your Love” and “Smooth Operator.” The band followed up their debut with their next album, Promise, which was released the following year. “The Sweetest Taboo,” a single from Promise, was on the U.S. Hot 100 for six months. She was awarded the Grammy for best new artist of 1985. 138. Open Comments: 139. Selected quote about her sound 140. Let's get this into context. With Sade it's unlikely there will ever be a full, naked baring of the soul. In terms of contemporary icons, it's better to listen to Mary J for stories of drama and shattered devotion. But Sade, today, is all about the acknowledged presence of absence. What's missing in her music is as important as what's present. - The Fader 141. A small, yet important, fact: When Sade signed her first record deal with Epic in the early '80s, she accepted a small advance, worth ~$70,000 in exchange for an unusually high cut of sales for a new artist—15 percent. It was a deal that ended up proving immensely lucrative, and it has freed her from many of the commercial demands that often encumber artists. Put simply, she only works when and how she wants to. As one executive at her label, Epic, put it to me: "Who's going to argue with a woman who's sold 50 million albums? She's more powerful than anyone working at the label, including the [President]." - The Fader 142. Question: Does the Sade sound ever wear out? 143. The Movie Scene 144. The Color Purple/Film synopsis 145. An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson (Danny Glover), things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker. 146. Review by Roger Ebert 147. Returning to "The Color Purple" after almost 20 years, I can see its flaws more easily than when I named it the best film of 1985, but I can also understand why it moved me so deeply, and why the greatness of some films depends not on their perfection or logic, but on their heart. The movie may have inconsistencies, confusions and improbabilities, but there is one perfect thing at its center, and that is the character of Celie, as played by Whoopi Goldberg. "Here is this year's winner for best actress," I wrote in my original review, and that should have been true, but although "The Color Purple" had 11 nominations, it won not a single Oscar. When a movie character is really working, we become that character. That's what the movies offer: Escapism into lives other than our own. I am not female, I am not black, I am not Celie, but for a time during "The Color Purple," my mind deceives me that I am all of those things, and as I empathize with her struggle and victory I learn something about what it must have been like to be her. - Roger Ebert 148. Selected Quotes 149. In Honor of Its 33rd Anniversary, Here Are 10 Life Lessons I Learned From the Color Purple - By Melissa Kimble Dec 18, 2018 [https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a25616715/the-color-purple-quotes-anniversary/] 150. I was born a few years after the film was released. However, I can credit much of my self discovery to the many times I’ve watched it. My favorite quotes from the movie taught me valuable lessons about Black womanhood, faith, and self love. And these 10 are the ones I’ll never forget. 151. “Girl, you oughta bash Mister’s head open and think about heaven later.” By Oprah Winfrey - In a film where women are treated like inferiors, Sofia breaks the mold by refusing to be her husband's punching bag. This scene-stealing monologue, with its rage filled entrance by the O of O, is an act of defiance—especially one committed in early 20th century Georgia. It was powerful and necessary to see a Black woman go against the grain on screen. And to me, it was a call to action to be fearless. 152. "I'm poor, Black, I may even be ugly, but dear God, I’m here! I’m here!" By Whoopi Goldberg - What a victorious statement this was by Celie, who, up until this point, had spent most of her life feeling unworthy and invisible. It reminded me that even with our flaws and imperfections, we still deserve to show up in our own lives. 153. "Until you do right by me, everything you think about is going to crumble." By - Whoopi Goldberg - With these words, Celie breaks a cycle of abuse from Mister and sticks up for herself. I interpreted this line as a sign that I don’t have to carry the weight of people who have caused my pain; life will take care of everything. 154. “Miss Celie, why you always covering up your smile?” By Desreta Jackson - Growing up, I was very insecure about my smile. And when Shug Avery posed this question to Miss Celie, it also made me turn to myself. When Shug encourages Celie to smile, I learned that there’s no need to cover up my own 155. Open Comments: 156. Featured Artist 157. Caryn Elaine Johnson, a.k.a. Whoopi Goldberg (@ 30 yrs old): an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, Broadway star, political activist, author and talk show host, she is one of the most successful and established African American actresses of her time. 158. Born and raised in Manhattan, she is one of 14 entertainers ever to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. What differentiates Goldberg from her contemporaries is the excellence that she portrayed in all the mediums of entertainment, be it television, theatre, films or radio. 159. Childhood & Early Life 160. Her mother was a nurse and a teacher while her father served as a clergyman. She was raised in the Chelsea-Elliot Houses by her mother alone after her father disbanded the family when she was young. She studied until her teen years and later dropped out of school. Her started acting started at a young age. It was during her stage performance that people complimented her by saying that she looked like whoopee cushion. It was from there that she took the stage name Whoopi and adopted Goldberg as her surname to sound more Jewish. 161. Career 162. In 1974, (@ age 19) she moved to California and thereafter lived in various cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. It was during this time that she honed her acting skills and developed her talent as a stand-up comedian. However, soon thereafter, she returned to New York and started receiving training under acting coach Uta Hagen. Her first ever appearance on screen was for William Farley’s feature, ‘Citizen: I'm Not Losing My Mind, I'm Giving It Away’ in 1982 (@ 27). In 1983, she created, starred and directed a ‘The Spook Show’, a one-woman show that addressed the issue of race in American but in a unique and innovative style. Next, she created other off-Broadway productions such as ‘Little Girl’ an African-American child obsessed with having blond hair and ‘Fontaine’ a junkie who also happens to hold a doctorate in literature. The innovative presentation and sense of wit and style in her shows impressed director Mike Nicholas who offered to take ‘The Spook Show’ to the Broadway. The show which ran for 156 performances, met with much acclaim both commercially and critically. It went on to earn her a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. The eye-catching performance and amazing positive reception of the show earned her attention of the Hollywood bigwigs. It helped her bag a role in the Steven Spielberg film, ‘The Color Purple’, released in 1985. The movie met with resounding success, clutching 11 Academy Awards nominations and she won her first Golden Globe award. 163. Open Comments: 164. Oprah Gail Winfrey , a.k.a. Oprah Winfrey (@ 31 yrs old): Talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. 165. Childhood & Early Life 166. Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on a small family farm, to an unwed mother who had a short relationship with a soldier stationed nearby, Oprah grew up in dire poverty, and was primarily raised by her grandmother. Sexually abused and mistreated as a child, Winfrey rose above adversity to focus on her primary and high school education. 167. Career 168. When she was still a teenager, the local CBS television station in Nashville, Tennessee offered her a job as a co-anchor. She turned it down three times. At age 19, Oprah Winfrey said yes after the fourth offer. She failed the interview, but instead was offered a job as a full-time reporter for a Baltimore television news channel. She did poorly as a reporter, and by age 22 she was fired from the news division. The director of the station gave Winfrey a boost by selecting her to anchor a morning talk show entitled ‘People are Talking’. For the next seven years, her talk show enjoyed excellent ratings. In 1981, (@ 27) she moved to Chicago to host a talk show entitled ‘A.M. Chicago’. Four years later, (1985) after a tremendous boost in the ratings, the producers changed the name to ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’. She caught the attention of Quincy Jones, a Chicago native, and he cast her as Sofia for the first movie he produced, 'The Color Purple'. The following year ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ was broadcast nationally. 169. Open Comments: 170. TV Scene: 171. Featured Actor: Phylician Ayers Allen, a.k.a Phylicia Rashad is an Emmy-nominated American actress, singer, and director. 172. Her multi-faceted career began with Broadway before she branched into television and films. She is best remembered for her character as Claire Huxtable in the NBC sitcom ‘The Cosby Show’, which ran for eight years. The series brought Phylicia much deserved recognition, also earning her two Emmy nominations. Phylicia, however, is immortalized for her rich performances on the stage as an artist. She starred in several lavish musicals and dramas, all praised highly by critics. She became the first African American actress to walk away with a Tony Award for her performance in Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘Raisin in The Sun’. Subsequently, she was venerated within the African American acting community at the NAACP Awards, where she was called ‘The Mother’ of the Black Community. Her other popular plays include ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, ‘August: Osage Country’, and ‘Gem of the Ocean’. She has tried her hand at stage direction and has successfully directed hit plays at prominent stages. Over the course of her career, Rashad has starred in several television series and voiced many characters. Her prolific output continues to be on the rise as she is still an active part of the entertainment industry. 173. Childhood & Early Life: 174. Phylicia Rashad was born Phylician Ayers Allen on June 19, 1948, in Houston, Texas to Vivian Ayers and Andrew Arthur Allen. Her mother was a prize-winning poet and artist, while her father was a reputed orthodontist. She has three siblings: Andrew Arthur Allen Jr., Debbie Allen, and Hugh Allen. Phylicia was raised in the United States and Mexico. She studied at Howard University, Washington D.C. and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre in 1970. During her university days, she was inculcated into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. 175. Career 176. After graduating with a degree in theatre, Phylicia immediately joined the Negro Ensemble Company in New York. She toured the city and was seen in several plays under this troupe. Her Broadway debut occurred in 1972 and she was seen in several minor roles for hit musicals, including ‘The Wiz’ (1975) and ‘Dreamgirls’ (1981). In 1978, Rashad tried her hand at something new by releasing the concept album ‘Josephine Superstar’, an album that was based on Josephine Baker’s life. She decided to embark on an alternative career in television owing to the scarcity of good roles given to her. In 1982, after moving to television, Rashad landed a recurring role in the series ‘One Life to Live’ as Courtney Wright, a publicist. In 1984, Phylicia Rashad was roped in to play the role of Clair Huxtable, an attorney, in the hit comedy ‘The Cosby Show’. The show starred Bill Cosby in the lead role and Phylicia played his wife. The series ran for over eight years and was a critical and commercial success. Phylicia’s role as Clair proved to be the highest point in her career, earning her two Emmy Award nominations. 177. Open Comments 178. Question: Is she a good actor? Do you buy her in other roles? 179. Vote: Best Pop Culture item/event for 1985
Recording artist and actor http://www.yolandarabun.com/ (Yolanda Rabun) considers Nina Simone, a mentor of sorts. Last summer she had the opportunity to sing at the icon’s childhood home in Tryon, North Carolina as the https://savingplaces.org/places/ninasimone?gclid=CjwKCAjw7uPqBRBlEiwAYDsr1wRDy_G0E4zFyAcC08ocxKujbONbWYmU0a-NKq9dL1Aci4z79Od63RoC9SUQAvD_BwE#.XVn4BehKjD5 (National Trust for Historic Preservation) designated it a National Treasure. Before that, she played the role of Nina Simone in a short play Howard L. Craft was commissioned to write by the https://stonecenter.unc.edu/ (Sonja Haynes Stone Center at UNC-Chapel Hill) to accompany an art exhibition. Now Yolanda is reprising her role as Nina Simone in Howard’s one-woman play NO FEAR AND BLUES LONG GONE. This production is being directed by Kathryn Hunter-Williams. Hear what Hunter-Williams, Rabun, and Craft all have to say about the show, the music, and the legacy of the High Priestess of Soul. About the Guests Yolanda Rabun exploded onto the jazz scene first on Stanley Baird’s 2007 Traffic Jam hit single, “I Want 2 Love You,” and, in 2011, released her debut CD project, “So Real,” on which she co-wrote several songs, including the title song. In 2012, Rabun infused Soul, R&B, Gospel, Folk, Smooth and Traditional Jazz on her sophomore solo album, “Christmastime,” and followed in 2013 with the Adult Contemporary single, “Hold on To Your Dreams.” This rich-voice chanteuse has opened for and sung with such iconic artists as Jennifer Holiday, Howard Hewitt, Ron Isley and the Isley Brothers, R&B singer KEM and the world-renowned iconic drummer, Sheila E. Yolanda has also performed with the NC Opera, the Durham Symphony, and the Raleigh Symphony Free Spirits; she appeared on a number of TV and radio programs. A proud equity-actor, Yolanda has performed on a number of regional theatre stages, including PlayMakers Repertory Company (VIOLET), Theatre Raleigh (BEEHIVE: THE MUSICAL), and North Carolina Theatre (NEWSIES). Howard L. Craft is the author of two books of poems: Across The Blue Chasm (Big Drum Press 2000) and Raising the Sky (Jacar Press 2016). His poetry also appears in Home is Where: An Anthology of African-American Poets from the Carolinas, edited by Kwame Dawes. His essays have appeared in The Paris Review and have been included in The Routledge Companion to African American Theatre (Routledge Press 2019). He is the author of several plays including, FREIGHT: THE FIVE INCARNATIONS OF ABLE GREEN, a New York Times Critic Pick for March 2015; CALYPSO AND THE MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS, ORANGE LIGHT, and THE JADE CITY CHRONICLES VOLUME I: THE SUPER SPECTACULAR BADASS HERALD M. F. JONES. He is the creator of the first African-American superhero radio serial: The Jade City Pharaoh. Kathryn Hunter-Williams PlayMakers’ company member. Recent and highlights include LIFE OF GALILEO, SKELETON CREW, LEAVING EDEN, TARTUFFE and many more. She has also worked with Living Stage, The Negro Ensemble Company, Manhattan Class Company and New Dramatist. Kathryn is currently on the faculty of UNC Dept. of Dramatic Art. Connect with RDU on Stage •Facebook – @rduonstage •Twitter – @rduonstage •Instagram – @rduonstage •Web www.rduonstage.com Support this podcast
TVC 450.6: Robert Hooks, founder of the Negro Ensemble Company, joins Ed and guest co-host Chuck Harter for Part 2 of a conversation about his film, TV and stage career, including Trouble Man, the cult classic from 1972 that, tough widely considered a “blaxploitation” film, is really a private eye movie. Topics include the iconic soundtrack of Trouble Man by Marvin Gaye; singer/actor Bill Henderson, Robert’s co-star in the movie; and the present whereabouts of the stylish wardrobe that Robert wore onscreen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Website: https://www.marjuancanady.com/about Purchase books: https://www.marjuancanady.com/shop Kennedy Venter performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Wmv8F4J-E&t=1364s Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/CallalooKidsOfficial/ @canadyfoundationarts @artistpreneurpodcast @callalookidsofficial About the Author: " Marjuan Canady, a native Washingtonian with Trinidadian/African-American roots, is an award winning entrepeneur, writer, performer, director, educator and producer for both film and the stage. Canady’s work has been highlighted in international publications, such as The Washington Post, The Trinidad Guardian, Blavity, LA Times, Black Enterprise, Huffington Post, Madame Noire and Vice-ID. She has worked with notable institutions such as Kennedy Center, Sesame Street, The Smithsonian Institute, The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, Georgetown University, Catholic University of America, The Moscow Art Theater School and the Negro Ensemble Company. Canady is the founder and CEO of her multimedia production company, Sepia Works. She is the CEO / Author / Co-Creator of the children’s media brand, Callaloo. Originally conceived as a theatrical play, Marjuan has led her team in building Callaloo into a global brand consisting of books, puppet shows, digital content, animation, arts education programming and merchandise. Canady’s first children’s book, “Callaloo: A Jazz Folktale” was self-published in 2013 in which she received the First Time Author’s Award from the National Library of Trinidad and Tobago. Canady’s other children’s books include, “The Legend of the Golden Coqui”, “Did You Know Coloring Book”, “La Leyenda del Coqui Dorado” and “The Trickster and the Magic Quilt.“ An accomplished playwright and stage performer, her one-woman play, ”Girls! Girls? Girls.” has been featured Off-Broadway and at international festivals and theaters. Her play, “Callaloo: A Jazz Folktale “was a selected play at the 2013 Lincoln Center for Performing Arts Director’s Lab. Ms. Canady has held fellowships at the Matteo Ricci Society, The Schomburg Center for Black Research and Culture and the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute. Past grants and awards include, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Harlem Stage, Eileen Fisher Community Grant, Beacon DC Women’s Grant, Caribbeana Diversity Media Award and the DC TIVAA Award. Her diverse acting work includes plays, films, television, commercials and voice overs. Canady recently starred and co-produced the short film “The Resort “ shot in Trinidad and Tobago which had a successful international film festival run and currently streams on Issa Rae’s Youtube Channel. Currently she is directing her first short-documentary, “Girls! Girls? Girls. ” set to release in 2019. In 2015, Canady established the Canady Foundation for the Arts , a 501c3 non-profit that serves youth of color and vulnerable populations. Please
Host Deardra Shuler interviews playwright Rudolph Shaw regarding his play Biko Rising, the South African freedom fighter, Steven Biko. The play will appear at the Castillo Theatre at 543 W. 42nd St in Manhattan on Saturday June 17 at 7pm and Sunday, June 18 at 2pm. Born in South Africa in 1946, Steve Biko co-founded the South African Students' Organization, subsequently spearheading the nation's Black Consciousness Movement, and co-founded the Black People's Convention. Biko was arrested many times for his anti-apartheid work and, on September 12, 1977, died from injuries that he'd sustained while in police custody. Guyana born playwright Rudolph Shaw has been involved with the Negro Ensemble Company, studied dance at Alvin Ailey, performed with the Ron Roach Caribbean Ensemble and Olatunji African Dance Company and is an AUDELCO Award winner. A singer, Shaw is currently the Executive/Artistic Director of the Caribbean American Repertory Theatre in New York. Mr Shaw will be showcasing his play Biko Rising at the Castillo Theatre in NYC and in Queens to commerate the 40th anniversary of Biko's death.
Amon welcomes Mustafa Shakir to the show. They talk about the power of a name, growing up in Harlem, being a barber, life as a poet, yoga, meditation, music, life on set, being a struggling vegan, the difference between New York and LA plus much much more. More About Mustafa Shakir http://mustafashakir.com and https://www.instagram.com/mustafaeffortless/ Links to the Stuff they Talked About Gerard Dure Salon - https://www.yelp.com/biz/gerard-dure-salon-new-york Negro Ensemble Company, Inc - http://necinc.org Apollo Theater - https://www.apollotheater.org Adina Howard - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adina_Howard Heather Hunter - https://twitter.com/hunterheather Michael K. Williams - http://www.michaelkennethwilliams.com SlamNation - http://www.devlinpix.com/film/slamnation Saul Williams - http://saulwilliams.com Afropunk Festival - http://afropunkfest.com National Black Theatre - http://www.nationalblacktheatre.org Survival Soundz - http://www.allmusic.com/artist/survival-soundz-mn0000753886 Survival Soundz - Dub is Dub - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUn1mwQLzJc Vipassana Meditation - https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/index Integratron - http://integratron.com Joshua Tree National Park - https://www.nps.gov/jotr/ Quarry - http://www.cinemax.com/quarry/ Sekou Sundiata - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sekou_Sundiata Sekou Sundiata - Def Poetry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWhnZPeW644 Sekou Sundiata Dies at 58; Performer of Text and Sound - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/20/arts/music/20sundiata.html?_r=0 The New School - http://www.newschool.edu The Celestine Prophecy - http://www.celestinevision.com On the Breath of the Gods - https://www.amazon.com/Breath-Gods-Ariel-Tomioka/dp/0923490094 The Kybalion: A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece - https://www.amazon.com/Kybalion-Hermetic-Philosophy-Ancient-Greece/dp/1603864784 Alibris - http://www.alibris.com The Alchemist Kitchen - http://www.thealchemistskitchen.com Bikram Yoga NYC - https://bikramyoganyc.com Calcifying your Pineal Gland - http://www.med-health.net/Pineal-Gland-Calcification.html This episode is sponsored by Gorilla Coffee.
Today on the anniversary of MARTIN KING's killing we reflect on healing and survival via a variety of perspectives, beginning at 7 a.m. with a conversation with Ifa Priestess Oyafunmike Ogunlano who portrays the role of "Mona" and "Shola," in Haile Gerima's classic: Sankofa. Beginning her career on the theatrical stage, Ms.Ogunlano first graced the stages of Washington, D.C. as a proud member of the D.C. Black Repertory Company under the direction of Robert Hooks in such powerful productions as The Blacks, Imamu, Day of Absence, Changes and more. She has appeared in many stage productions including North Seventeenth Street, Homecookin' and Oursides as member of the renowned the Negro Ensemble Company. With the Nuyorican Poet's Café she performed in Shango de Ima, Julius Ceaser set in Africa and Obatala. She was a member of the Ebony Impromptu Theater Company, under the direction of the late Harry Poe and is also an accomplished African dancer who has danced with the dynamic Olatunji's Drums of Passion, Wo' se, and Mori Nimba to name a few. She will also speak about her Ifa temple project, "Palmaras." We then have an interview with poet and filmmaker, Adimu Madyun, about Hunter Poetry on WolfhawkJaguar. We open with Every Breath of Life. Tico Wells, director of Black Rep's production of John Henry Redwood's play, The Old Settler at Black Repertory Group Theatre Thursday-Sunday, through April 8, 2012, is up next. We speak about everything from PTSS and Dr. Joy DeGruy to Martin King and his legacy on the 44 anniversary of his assasination. We close with David Roach, director of Oakland International Film Festival, April 6-8, 2012 at the Oakland Museum, 10th and Oak. Visit http://www.facebook.com/oyafunmike and http://www.oiff.org/
Actor/DirectorDan Martin stops bye to discuss his career in TV and film. He was a nominee for the 2009 NAACP Image Award as Best Actor in a Daytime Drama. His stage credits as an actor include stints with the famed Negro Ensemble Company in New York in “A Soldiers Play” and in “Ceremonies in Dark Old Men.And in second hour The Beautiful former member of "DANITY KANE MISS D.WOODS" Stops bye to Debut newly release mixtape, Lady in the Street
We open the show with Masashi Niwano, The Center for Asian American Media Festival and Exhibitions Director for the SF International Asian American Festival (SFIAAFF), in its 29th Year, MAR 10-20, 2011! Visit www.caamedia.org We also speak to Ross Tuttle, director of "Resident Aliens," in the Doc series: SAT 03.12 7:30 KABUKI & TUE 03.15 4:15 VIZ. David Herrera, the Artistic Director of the David Herrera Performance Company, speaks about "American Layer Cake" at Dance Mission next week, March 11-12, 8 PM, March 13, 7 PM. Visit www.dhperformance.org We have the newly appointed Artistic Director of the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Steven Anthony Jones on the air to talk about the season finale: Lynn Nottage's “Fabulation; or the Reeducation of Undine,” at Fort Mason Center's Southside Theatre, San Francisco, CA, March 3-27, 2011, directed by Ellen Sebastian-Chang, featuring Margo Hall. LHT, at 30, is the oldest black equity house on the West Coast, lost its two founding directors in 2010, Quentin Easter and Stanley H. Williams. Jones's stepping up to the helm with almost 40 years of theatre experience, much of it here in the San Francisco Bay Area is fortuitous for all concerned. Visit www.lhtsf.org Mr. Jones received his early theatre training at Karamu House in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. He originated the role of Private James Wilkie in the original production of A Soldier's Play at the Negro Ensemble Company in New York. NEC is 100 this year. We close with Viera Whye, producing artistic director at Tabia African-American Theatre Ensemble, which is celebrating its 25th Anniversary season. Ms. Whye is joined by friend and renown San Jose State University professor, actor, playwright, designer and musician, Buddy Butler, who directs Cheryl L. West's “Jar the Floor,” continuing Friday-Saturday, March 4-5, 8 PM through Sunday, March 6, 3 PM at Mexican Heritage Theatre, 1700 Alum Rock Avenue, San Jose. Visit www.acteva.com/go/sjmag or call (408) 272-9924.
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