The African Arts Society event, "The Showcase," took place November 20. The event featured fashion, poetry, dance and musical stylings of UC Berkeley students.
Photos by Reginald James.
African arts showcase at UC Berkeley
The spirit of Africa was alive at the African Arts Society's "Showcase" on November 20 at UC Berkeley.
Ready to Learn Fun Fair
Children enjoyed face painting, legos and storytelling at the Ready to Learn Fun Fair at Peralta Elementary School in Oakland.
Occupy Oakland calls for West Coast Port Shutdown
Organizers say Port owners are "1%." Port begs to keep the Ports Open for 99% workers.
Oakland Labor Day BBQ hosts good time for 'fam bam'
The "I am Oakland" collective hosted the Labor Day Fam Bam BBQ at Mosswood Park on September 6.
Protest against censorship of Palestinian Children's Art
In response to censorship of Palestinian children's art by an Oakland art museum, dozens came out to protest in Oakland.
RIP Peabo Wellington
College of Alameda student Jepeabo Wellington was murdered days before the school year began.
Students gain college acceptance at Black College Fair
Hundreds of young people attended the third annual Black College Fair at Laney College, the second year the Oakland community college has hosted the event.
Showing posts with label arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arts. Show all posts
Fashion, poetry, dance at UC Berkeley "Showcase"
The African Arts Society event, "The Showcase," took place November 20. The event featured fashion, poetry, dance and musical stylings of UC Berkeley students.
Photos by Reginald James.
The Art of Living Black Exhibit
 More info: The Art of Living Black The Art of Living Black at Mills College |
The only annual show in the Bay Area to exhibit artists of African descent, TAOLB features regional artists and works in ceramics, crafts, fine arts, paintings, photography, sculpture and textile arts.
the Campanil reports, "This year artists and founders of The Art of Living Black, Rae Louise Hayward and Jan Hart Schuyers were honored. In 1997, Rae Louise Hayward and Jan Hart Schuyers founded The Art of Living Black. Sadly, these two passionate leaders passed away -- Hart Schuyers in 1998 and Hayward in 2008."
There was also a satellite show at Mills College on February 26 and 27.
Photo: Jan Hart-Schuyers In her Image,Richmond Art Center. Video: The Campanil
Oakland Museum celebrates sounds of West Africa
On Friday, February 25, the Oakland Museum of California is hosting, "O ZONE: Soundtrack—The Drum." The six-hour event celebrates the "power and resilience of the drum from West Africa to California!"Performers include: Lagos Roots Afrobeat Ensemble (featuring members of Fela Kuti & the Afrika 70, Sonny Okosuns); master drummer CK Ladzekpo and famed composer Anthony Brown; hambone player Derique McGee, and more. There will also be a presentation by Duane Deterville on California's history of resistance in jazz and the role of jazz in visual art.
The event takes place from 5-11:45 at the Oakland Museum, located on Oak St between 10th and 11th Street across from Laney College.
Oscar Grant dollars in Bay Area circulation
Oscar Grant lives on in many ways. Memories of friends and family were captured in numerous family photos and even a short IndyBay.org documentary. The family takes regular trips to Grant's gravesite, like their recent one after a New Year's Day vigil at Fruitvale BART.
Oakland Hip Hop artists made the Hayward-raised Grant one of town's own, as journalist Eric K. Arnold wrote. Visual artists created numerous murals and street vigils while emcees and DJs created songs and turf dancers gigged in his memory.
Now, Oscar Grant dollars. A few media outlets have received email and snail mail announcing the dollar bills with a note attached.
"The line between security & tyranny is a fine one, and justice requires close & continuous attention to it," reads the note. "The 'Oscar Grant' dollars put into circulation around 1/1/11 are intended as a non-violent reminder of that idea."
The dollars and note above were mailed to Colorlines Magazine, an online racial justice magazine that has consistenly covered the Oscar Grant movement and sentencing of convicted killer cop Johannes Mehserle.
If you see and Oscar Grant dollar in circulation, let us know.
Photo: Colorlines' Tumblr.
Oakland memorializes Oscar Grant with 'turf dancing' video
On the two anniversary of the murder of Oscar Grant, the Turf Feinz and Yak Films released a memorial dance video, "RIP Oscar Grant."
"The multimedia production company Yak Films and the Oakland dance crew Turf Feinz released a dance video commemorating the death of Oscar Grant, a young father who was fatally shot by a transit police officer in Oakland, Calif., on New Year’s Day 2009," reads a press release sent out New Year's Eve.
“Oscar Grant’s death was a tragedy that affected a lot of people in Oakland, especially youth,” said Kash Gaines, the co-founder of Yak Films who filmed the video. “The video is meant to be a message to everyone in Oakland about the injustices here and how we use artistic expression to deal with it."
In 2010, Yak Films and Turf Feinz reached international prominence with the viral popularity of another memorial video for a young man who was killed in a car accident on an East Oakland corner. The video "Dancing in the Rain"" has received more than 2 million You Tube views.
Learn more about the Bay Area legacy of Hip Hop dance by visiting. Check out Yak Films' website.
"The multimedia production company Yak Films and the Oakland dance crew Turf Feinz released a dance video commemorating the death of Oscar Grant, a young father who was fatally shot by a transit police officer in Oakland, Calif., on New Year’s Day 2009," reads a press release sent out New Year's Eve.
“Oscar Grant’s death was a tragedy that affected a lot of people in Oakland, especially youth,” said Kash Gaines, the co-founder of Yak Films who filmed the video. “The video is meant to be a message to everyone in Oakland about the injustices here and how we use artistic expression to deal with it."
In 2010, Yak Films and Turf Feinz reached international prominence with the viral popularity of another memorial video for a young man who was killed in a car accident on an East Oakland corner. The video "Dancing in the Rain"" has received more than 2 million You Tube views.
Learn more about the Bay Area legacy of Hip Hop dance by visiting. Check out Yak Films' website.
Black Cartoonists Showcase at Laney College
Black Cartoonists participate in a panel discussion on October 13 at the Laney College as a part of the Library's current exhibit, "Coloring Outside the Lines: Black Cartoonists as Social Commentators."
The exhibit, curated by Kheven LaGrone, is about breaking outside those lines."
LaGrone told OaklandLocal.com "In particular, as an African American … I feel like I'm being given a coloring book and told to stay in my proper place," he said.
A few featured cartoonists will participate in the panel.
The panel discussion will take place Wednesday, October 15 at 11 a.m. in the Laney College Library, located at 900 Fallon Street.
The Black Cartoonists as Social Commentators exhibit, which runs through October 23 at the Laney College Library.
Read complete story on OaklandLocal.com.
Photo Credit: mamazboyz.com
Black Cartoonists Exhibit at Laney College
By Tracey BrownSpecial to TheBlackHour.com
In 1965 there was "Wee Pals," a friendly comic strip advocating racial integration. Now there is "Boondocks," a comic strip morphed into an animated TV series whose primary characters are two inner-city kids who have moved to the suburbs--Huey, an angry revolutionary, and Riley, a wannabe gangsta. The evolution of this social commentary by black cartoonists--"Coloring Outside the Lines: Black Cartoonists as Social Commentator's," is on display at the Laney College Library through Oct. 23.
Created and curated by Kheven LaGrone, "Coloring," which premiered at the San Francisco Main Public Library, features black cartoonists whose comic strips appear in newspapers across the nation.
Born from a retrospective exhibit of Berkeley native Morrie Turner's "Wee Pals" comic strip at the San Francisco Library last September, "Coloring" focuses on contemporary cartoons strips with characters from today.
Photo: creators.com
"Coloring" even shows new millennium "Wee Pals" characters that are tech savvy.
A strip from June 2009, features Randy, the athletic black kid with the backward baseball cap, and Oliver, the chubby white nerd modeled on a boy Turner went to school with in Oakland during the Depression:
Randy: "I'll text-message you on my African American Berry when I get home."
Oliver: "You mean BlackBerry, dontcha Randy?"
Randy: "Not at my house!"
LaGrone's intent with the Turner exhibit was to focus on social commentary from a black perspective. While many did not view "Wee Pals" as social commentary, LaGrone said that "Lots of his [Turner] work had been seen, but most people didn't know it was his political perspective that was being made in his cartoon."
A desire to inspire his nephew, a black youth, to think of success as a path in life, positioned LaGrone for his foray into showcasing art as a motivating medium for young people. In 2006, LaGrone created the art show "Black Artists' Expressions of Father," an exhibit which premiered in San Francisco and Richmond, and was later expanded in 2007 to become "BABA: Black Artists' Expressions of Father," a featured exhibit at the International Fatherhood Conference in Atlanta.
Photo Credit: tv.spreadit.org
The show was eventually brought to New York City the following year. In 2007, along with his 19-year old nephew Jarrel Phillips, LaGrone curated the art show "ASPIRE! Black Teen Artists Interpretations of Success" which was exhibited in San Francisco and Richmond. LaGrone served as the curator of the visual arts program for 2008 AfroSolo Arts Festival in San Francisco.
After the Turner exhibit in San Francisco, other black cartoonists approached LaGrone to present their work as well. "Coloring" was born.
In addition to Turner, other cartoonists participating in the exhibit are:
Darrin Bell, creator of "Candorville."
"Candorville" is about a brilliant, but under-achieving blogger, a gangsta rapper with a heart of fool's gold and a Latina advertising executive. The two have been friends since childhood and they struggle to stay close even though life's taken them in vastly different directions.
They battle backstabbing coworkers, discrimination, crooked politicians, evil vampires, a lazy mainstream media and a hilariously amoral corporate America to get their piece of the American Pie that might've been left out of the fridge a little too long.
Cory Thomas, creator of "Watch Your Head."
"Watch Your Head" chronicles the lives of six students attending Oliver Otis University, a traditionally black college. The strip is told largely through the eyes of Thomas, who's academically brilliant and socially awkward, especially with girls.
Jerry Craft, creator of "Mama's Boyz."
"Mama's Boyz" follows the lives of Pauline Porter and her two teenage sons, Tyrell and Yusuf. The strip has been syndicated weekly since 1995 by King Features Syndicate and is sent to more than 1,500 newspapers and magazines around the world. In 2009, "Mama's Boyz" was named "Best Comic Strip" by the African American Literary Awards Show.
Keith Knight, creator of "K Chronicles," "(th)ink," and "The KnightLife."
In addition to being a regular contributor to MAD Magazine, his comic strips appear in more than 100 publications worldwide. "K Chronicles" is the winner of the Glyph Award for Best Comic Strip in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010. "The Knight Life," also was nominated in 2010. Knight is currently producing a graphic novel about being a Michael Jackson in high school.
Morrie Turner, creator of "Wee Pals."
"Wee Pals" was the first nationally syndicated racially integrated comic strip. Created in 1965, initially, few newspapers were interested in a racially-integrated cartoon. After the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., there was a surge of interest in racial integration and as a result, 100 newspapers published "Wee Pals."
Through the comic, Turner portrays a world without prejudice. It is a world where people's differences--racial, religion, gender, as well as physical and mental abilities--are cherished and not scorned. Turner served as a forum member of the White House Conference on Children in 1970.
Nate Creekmore, creator of "Maintaining."
"Maintaining" is about life's absurdities and the ways in which a bi-racial high school student named Marcus tries to make sense of them. At its peak, "Maintaining" appeared in about 40 newspapers nationwide, including the Detroit Free Press, the Portland Oregonian, The Trentonian and Honolulu Star Bulletin. In addition, the strip appeared in New Delhi, India and London.
Brumsic Brandon, Jr. author of "Luther."
"Luther" was first syndicated by Newsday Specials and then The Los Angeles Times Syndicate. Based on his social criticism, Brandon was invited to serve (and served) as a forum member of the White House Conference on Children in 1970. Brandon also wrote and illustrated several Luther segments for the children's television show "Vegetable Soup" and "Bebop Fables" (which was narrated by Dizzy Gillespie).
Barbara Brandon-Croft, creator of "Where I'm Coming From."
"Where I'm Coming From" was internationally distributed from 1991 to 2004 by Universal Press Syndicate. It appeared in more than 60 newspapers and voiced social and political commentary through the voices of "the girls"--fictional characters based on Brandon-Croft and her friends. The strip included about a dozen women, ranging from the issues-conscious Lekesia to the self-absorbed, man-obsessed Nicole.
Black cartoons often disappear from the pages of newspapers without warning. LaGrone said that the public needs to take action when this happens. "When newspapers take away our black cartoons, we must call them, write letters. We have to demand that they bring them back. Otherwise they don't know that we care," he said.
LaGrone, a Bay Area native, is a licensed civil engineer holding a BS degree in Civil Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and an MA in mass communication from Emerson College in Boston.
Tracey Brown is the Editor-in-Chief of the Laney Tower newspaper. This article originally appeared in the Laney Tower.
DJ Premier Salute to Keith "Guru" Elam - Music Monday
In a salute to legendary Hip Hop artist Guru (Keith Elam), this Music Monday is from DJ Premier. Guru and Primo founded Gangstarr in 1987. Rest in Peace, Guru.
Janelle Monae - "Tight Rope" featuring Big Boi (Outkat) Music Monday
Inspired by a recent Laney Tower article, Janelle Monae: Queen of Cyber Soul, this week's Music Monday is dedicated to Janelle Monae.
Her new video, "Tight Rope" features Big Boi from Outkast. The song is off the forthcoming album, "The ArchAndroid."
Her new video, "Tight Rope" features Big Boi from Outkast. The song is off the forthcoming album, "The ArchAndroid."
Boondocks Season 3 Trailer
Boondocksbootleg.com has leaked the trailer for the third season of The Boondocks.
Boondocks Season 3 Trailer
Related Posts:
Review of The Boondocks Season 2
Boondocks Season 3 Trailer
Related Posts:
Review of The Boondocks Season 2
Vaginas speak in Monologues at Laney College
“Come inside. Don’t stop. Slow down. Rock me. Wrong hole!”
These are some of the things vaginas would say if they could talk. On March 12, the Laney College Media Club presented a special performance of “The Vagina Monologues” to raise money to prevent violence against women.
“The Vagina Monologues” was compiled by Eve Ensler in 1996 from over 200 interviews with woman of all types. In 1998, Ensler and others launched “V-Day” to raise money for anti-violence groups.
Compelling narratives give the audience insight as to some of the deepest experiences of sexual expression, repression and oppression many women deal with. Yet, these feelings are often kept beneath the surface.
“Women secretly love to talk about their vaginas,” one woman explains in the opening monologue, “mostly because nobody ever talks about them at all.”
The word “vagina” itself is also explored. “It sounds like an infection at best, maybe a medical instrument. ‘Hurry, nurse, bring me the vagina!”
Women also give their love zones aliases, sharing colloquial favorites like “punany,” “coochie,” “twat” and “nappy dugout.” All names are recalled with humorous delight. To put an Oaktown twist, vaginas are even called the “Golden Gate” and the “Taco Truck.”
One woman reclaims the word “Cunt!” by leading the crowd to chant the word repeatedly.
One 72-year-old woman stopped looking “down there” after an embarrassing squirting accident. During her first kiss that ended with her ejaculating inside her date’s vehicle, she was driven home because her “sour milk was staining his car seat.” The experience sealed her lips for nearly half a century.
She wasn’t the only woman made to feel ashamed of her womanhood. Some were told their vaginas were “ugly.”
Another imagined something else her down there until she completely forgot she had a vagina. That is, until she met Bob, the “Vagina Connoisseur”, depicted by Media Communications professor Marla Leech. Bob was so mesmerized by her feminine flower bud that he instilled in her an appreciation for her pleasurable center.
Traci Baxter, theater arts major, described the liberating experience that came from a group “Vagina workshop” she attended with other women. The workshop forced her to look her mysterious “Black Hole” with a hand mirror.
“It had never existed before,” Baxter said. “I had depended on someone else to find it. “
At times the play is hilarious. At others, it’s troubling. This contrasting sense of pleasure and pain makes “The Vagina Monologues” intimate, personal and impactful.
Monologues takes aim at feminine products stealing vaginas’ natural scented thunder in the name of cleanliness. Having a “dry wad of cotton” shoved up a woman’s and scented productions with scents of flowers, berries and rain was unnecessary for one woman.
“Why the fuck would I want my pussy to smell like rain?” one young woman sarcastically asked. Moments later, she describes the invasive process of vaginal examination; cold stirrups, flashlights and blue latex gloves. “Why not red gloves?”
Humor was often quickly followed by painful stories the sexual exploitation of women.
A Bosnian woman’s story of being raped as a tactic of war sent chills through the audience. The monologue, “The Vagina was My Village,” tells one woman’s perception of her vagina after being tortured for a week. She said her “live, wet, water village” was “invaded, butchered…and burned” as she describes being gang-raped with a rifle, sticks and bottles, and left with their sperm inside her.
One lawyer–turned–sex worker finds her calling as a domineering call girl. Portrayed by SF Appeal’s Christine Borden, she finds pleasure in making other women moan. The crowd laughs as she demonstrates various moans, such as the clit moan, vaginal moan, the machine-gun moan, the diva moan and even the college “I should be studying” moan. Her moans arouse excitement as she expresses her sensuality without inhibitions.
The play ends with a survivor of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo sharing eight rules that helped her survive her rape.
The play tells women to find self-validation by loving the essence of self, while forcing men to acknowledge their responsibility in the fight against the sexual and emotional abuse of women.
Vaginas talk. Are you listening?
These are some of the things vaginas would say if they could talk. On March 12, the Laney College Media Club presented a special performance of “The Vagina Monologues” to raise money to prevent violence against women.
| By Reginald James TheBlackHour.com Editor |
Compelling narratives give the audience insight as to some of the deepest experiences of sexual expression, repression and oppression many women deal with. Yet, these feelings are often kept beneath the surface.
“Women secretly love to talk about their vaginas,” one woman explains in the opening monologue, “mostly because nobody ever talks about them at all.”
The word “vagina” itself is also explored. “It sounds like an infection at best, maybe a medical instrument. ‘Hurry, nurse, bring me the vagina!”
Women also give their love zones aliases, sharing colloquial favorites like “punany,” “coochie,” “twat” and “nappy dugout.” All names are recalled with humorous delight. To put an Oaktown twist, vaginas are even called the “Golden Gate” and the “Taco Truck.”
One woman reclaims the word “Cunt!” by leading the crowd to chant the word repeatedly.
One 72-year-old woman stopped looking “down there” after an embarrassing squirting accident. During her first kiss that ended with her ejaculating inside her date’s vehicle, she was driven home because her “sour milk was staining his car seat.” The experience sealed her lips for nearly half a century.
She wasn’t the only woman made to feel ashamed of her womanhood. Some were told their vaginas were “ugly.”
Another imagined something else her down there until she completely forgot she had a vagina. That is, until she met Bob, the “Vagina Connoisseur”, depicted by Media Communications professor Marla Leech. Bob was so mesmerized by her feminine flower bud that he instilled in her an appreciation for her pleasurable center.
Traci Baxter, theater arts major, described the liberating experience that came from a group “Vagina workshop” she attended with other women. The workshop forced her to look her mysterious “Black Hole” with a hand mirror.
“It had never existed before,” Baxter said. “I had depended on someone else to find it. “
At times the play is hilarious. At others, it’s troubling. This contrasting sense of pleasure and pain makes “The Vagina Monologues” intimate, personal and impactful.
Monologues takes aim at feminine products stealing vaginas’ natural scented thunder in the name of cleanliness. Having a “dry wad of cotton” shoved up a woman’s and scented productions with scents of flowers, berries and rain was unnecessary for one woman.
“Why the fuck would I want my pussy to smell like rain?” one young woman sarcastically asked. Moments later, she describes the invasive process of vaginal examination; cold stirrups, flashlights and blue latex gloves. “Why not red gloves?”
Humor was often quickly followed by painful stories the sexual exploitation of women.
A Bosnian woman’s story of being raped as a tactic of war sent chills through the audience. The monologue, “The Vagina was My Village,” tells one woman’s perception of her vagina after being tortured for a week. She said her “live, wet, water village” was “invaded, butchered…and burned” as she describes being gang-raped with a rifle, sticks and bottles, and left with their sperm inside her.
One lawyer–turned–sex worker finds her calling as a domineering call girl. Portrayed by SF Appeal’s Christine Borden, she finds pleasure in making other women moan. The crowd laughs as she demonstrates various moans, such as the clit moan, vaginal moan, the machine-gun moan, the diva moan and even the college “I should be studying” moan. Her moans arouse excitement as she expresses her sensuality without inhibitions.
The play ends with a survivor of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo sharing eight rules that helped her survive her rape.
The play tells women to find self-validation by loving the essence of self, while forcing men to acknowledge their responsibility in the fight against the sexual and emotional abuse of women.
Vaginas talk. Are you listening?
VIDEO: Erykah Badu "Window Seat" - Music Monday
Erykah Badu has released the video for the song, "Window Seat," off her new album New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh. The album drops Tuesday, March 30.
Negro Spirituals 'Miracle' at Laney College
Working without compensation in blazing hot sunlight from "can't see in the morning to can't see at night" under the atrocious conditions of slavery in North America, enslaved Africans endured the most brutal treatment known to humanity.
To this day, the Black Church has remained a cornerstone institution in the African American community, with music being a major form of expression simultaneously capturing the Black Experience while releasing the frustrations of racial discrimination.
But African American life is not just about pain and suffering, it is more so a testament to the human spirit and the tenacity of African people.
On February 18, as a part of the Laney College World Music Series, the community got a glimpse of that spirit in musical form thanks to a free noontime performance by the Lucy Kinchin Chorale, a Negro Spiritual troupe led by long-time music professor Lucy Kinchin.
The Negro Spirituals emerged from the freedom struggle of enslaved Africans. Not only were the songs a source of inspiration and hope on plantations where slaves were overworked, and denied their basic needs, Kinchin said, but songs were later transformed into codes, or messages, to tell the enslaved how to get free.
"Things like shoes and decent clothing were basic needs that were also denied the slaves," Kinchin told the audience. "The spiritual 'Good News' says, "There are silver slippers, and long white robes in the heaven, I know."
Using a polyphonic, call-and-response hymnal, the "Good News" praised the coming chariot and the desire to not get left behind. The spirituals used biblical phrases that took on special meaning to enslaved Africans who identified with those enslaved in biblical scriptures.
Kinchin referenced freedom fighter Harriet Tubman, a formerly enslaved woman, known as "Moses," who freed hundreds of people through an informal network known as the "Underground Railroad." Tubman, also known as the "General," said she never once lost a passenger, adding, "I freed a thousand slaves and could have freed a thousand more if they only knew they were slaves."
According to Kinchin, the "Miracle" of the Negro Spiritual lies in the transformation power of the spirituals, not only as songs to endure slavery, but to fuel the escape from bondage.
"Prior to to the days of Harriet Tubman, spirituals gave the slaves the strength and the courage to endure the atrocities of their daily lives," Kinchin said. "However, the Miracle of the Negro Spiritual later becomes very clear and poignant due to the fact that these same songs became codes to aid the escape during the time of the Underground Railroad."
Kinchin cites "Steal away," "Sweet Chariot," and "Ride the Chariot" as examples of the codes shrouded in biblical references.
"[Negro Spirituals are] miraculous and I view [spirituals] as important as any other songs written," Kinchen concluded, referencing Marion Anderson, the 20th Century opera singer–who herself death discrimination–ended her performances with Negro Spirituals.
Since at least 2002, according to the Oakland Post, Kinchen has been on a mission to revive the spirituals. For more information about the World Music Series, contact the Laney College Music Department.
Video: YouTube User aheyheynow.
To this day, the Black Church has remained a cornerstone institution in the African American community, with music being a major form of expression simultaneously capturing the Black Experience while releasing the frustrations of racial discrimination.
But African American life is not just about pain and suffering, it is more so a testament to the human spirit and the tenacity of African people.
On February 18, as a part of the Laney College World Music Series, the community got a glimpse of that spirit in musical form thanks to a free noontime performance by the Lucy Kinchin Chorale, a Negro Spiritual troupe led by long-time music professor Lucy Kinchin.
The Negro Spirituals emerged from the freedom struggle of enslaved Africans. Not only were the songs a source of inspiration and hope on plantations where slaves were overworked, and denied their basic needs, Kinchin said, but songs were later transformed into codes, or messages, to tell the enslaved how to get free.
"Things like shoes and decent clothing were basic needs that were also denied the slaves," Kinchin told the audience. "The spiritual 'Good News' says, "There are silver slippers, and long white robes in the heaven, I know."
Using a polyphonic, call-and-response hymnal, the "Good News" praised the coming chariot and the desire to not get left behind. The spirituals used biblical phrases that took on special meaning to enslaved Africans who identified with those enslaved in biblical scriptures.
Kinchin referenced freedom fighter Harriet Tubman, a formerly enslaved woman, known as "Moses," who freed hundreds of people through an informal network known as the "Underground Railroad." Tubman, also known as the "General," said she never once lost a passenger, adding, "I freed a thousand slaves and could have freed a thousand more if they only knew they were slaves."
According to Kinchin, the "Miracle" of the Negro Spiritual lies in the transformation power of the spirituals, not only as songs to endure slavery, but to fuel the escape from bondage.
"Prior to to the days of Harriet Tubman, spirituals gave the slaves the strength and the courage to endure the atrocities of their daily lives," Kinchin said. "However, the Miracle of the Negro Spiritual later becomes very clear and poignant due to the fact that these same songs became codes to aid the escape during the time of the Underground Railroad."
Kinchin cites "Steal away," "Sweet Chariot," and "Ride the Chariot" as examples of the codes shrouded in biblical references.
"[Negro Spirituals are] miraculous and I view [spirituals] as important as any other songs written," Kinchen concluded, referencing Marion Anderson, the 20th Century opera singer–who herself death discrimination–ended her performances with Negro Spirituals.
Since at least 2002, according to the Oakland Post, Kinchen has been on a mission to revive the spirituals. For more information about the World Music Series, contact the Laney College Music Department.
Video: YouTube User aheyheynow.
African drumming, poetry at Oakland Black History Month Celebration
The Tabia African American Ensemble brought the pulsating rhythms of West African drums along with song and poetry to Laney College Weds. Feb. 16 for Black History Month.
Tabia is a Swahili word that means "talented." Tabia was founded in 1985 and promotes African American culture through historical figures, drumming, poetry, song and storytelling.
Adaku Davis performed poetry as a personified African continent while Arlene Sagun plays drums.
Tabia is a Swahili word that means "talented." Tabia was founded in 1985 and promotes African American culture through historical figures, drumming, poetry, song and storytelling.
Adaku Davis performed poetry as a personified African continent while Arlene Sagun plays drums.
REVIEW: Sade's 'Soldier of Love'
Sixth studio album worth the wait
Editors Note: The following is an excerpt from a recent Laney Tower review of Sade's new album, "Soldier of Love.
By Tracey Tate
Special to TheBlackHour.com
| 'Soldier of Love' ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ -The Black Hour |
Then she's off for 10 years gathering more stories for her next project.
| Sade has moved on from being a heartbroken lover and is now Soldier of Love. |
Sade has grown up. From flirting with a "Smooth Operator" and confessing "Your Love is King," her voice is still haunting, her words still mournful, but Sade has moved on from being a heartbroken lover and is now "Soldier of Love." Her poetic verses have deepened, as have her background instrumentals.
| 'I'm at the borderline of my faith/ I'm at the hinterland of my devotion/ In the frontline of this battle of mine, but I'm still alive/ I'm a soldier of love.' Sade |
"I'm at the borderline of my faith/I'm at the hinterland of my devotion," she sings. "In the frontline of this battle of mine, but I'm still alive/I'm a soldier of love."
Sade is no longer the dependent woman she was in 2000 when she released "Lovers Rock," declaring her desperation and dependence.
In days of bootyliciousness, it's refreshing to hear musical purity at it's best. "Soldier of Love" does not disappoint, particularly if you are heartbroken and need commiseration.
| Tracey Tate is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning Laney Tower newspaper. A 25 year veteran of the Beauty industry, she blogs at BlingingBeauty.com. |
MOVIE: Denzel Washington in Book of Eli
Denzel Washington stars in the new post-apochalyptic film "Book of Eli." Washington walks the wastelands of the U.S. with the last copy of the Holy Bible, and hope for a new civilization. Directed by the Hughes Brothers, the film is in theaters now.
| The trailer of Book of Eli is below: Book of Eli Trailer |
Bay Area bassist Dewey Tucker dead at 24
Photo: Dewey's Myspace page
Bay Area bass player Dewey Tucker was shot and killed last night.
The talented 24-year old bass player -- a member of the Kev Choice Ensemble as well as bassist for The Coup -- shared the stage with Chico Debarge, Lauren Hill, Martin Luther and many other musicians.
Tucker was shot multiple times last night on Interstate 80, according to California Highway Patrol. He was heading to a rehearsal.
The video below shows Dewey messing around" on the bass.
Dewey Messing Around
Mapping Black Visual Culture
Afriscape Cartography: Mapping Black Visual Culture, An Artist Lecture Series with Duane Deterville at Joyce Gordon Gallery
http://joycegordongallery.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/lecture-presentation-by-duane-deterville/
Duane Deterville, MA, visual artist, writer and scholar is featured in a four-part artist lecture series entitled, “Afriscape Cartography: Mapping Black Visual Culture” at the Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland, CA every Saturday, 3:00-5:00 pm for the entire month of January 2010.
The lecture series is an introduction to the Black Aesthetic in Visual Culture (January 9), Drawing Down Ancestors: Defining the Afriscape Through Ground Drawings and Street Altars (January 16), Jazz and Visual Culture (January 23), Afrifuturism and Black Visual Culture (January 30).
The talks are rsvp and each event is $5-10 sliding scale donation. For more info, e-mail jvbgg@sbclgobal.net
About Duane Deterville:
Duane Deterville is a visual artist, writer and scholar of visual culture. His area of expertise is African and Afridiasporic visual culture. Deterville is co-founder of Sankofa Cultural Institute. He has produced three symposiums on Jazz: “ Jazz the Black Aesthetic” in 2001, “Bird, Bop, Black Art and Beyond” in 2006 and “The Sacred Jazz Symposium” in 2007. He is co-author of the book “Black Artists in Oakland,” Currently, he is a featured columnist for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s Open Space Blog. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts and Masters in Visual and Critical Studies from the California College of the Arts located in San Francisco California.
This series of presentations entitled “Afriscape Cartography: Mapping Black Visual Culture” will be of interest to creative artists, writers, curators, art collectors and anyone with an interest in new ways of seeing the Black experience. Artists will be interested in Deterville’s presentation of artistic strategies for visual culture. Writers will be interested in this overview of a burgeoning new field of study that can inform their writing practice. Curators will be interested in the manner in which visual culture informs the politics of display in relationship to the Black experience and art collectors will discover new concerns for developing their collections.
Joyce Gordon Gallery,406 14th Street Oakland, CA 94612 510-465-8911, http://www.joycegordongallery.com
For more information:
Email: jvbgg@sbcglobal.net
Mama at Twillight: Death by Love
Back by popular demand, Mama at Twillight: Death by Love" is back on stage at the Sister Thea Bowman Theatre in West Oakland.
The play touches on universal issues of love, family and gendered roles. It also looks specifically at the challenges of a black family facing the tragedy of HIV/AIDS infection.
This production is not recommended for small children. Teenagers and family groups are encouraged to attend. Tickets are $10.00 for seniors, students and( per person) for groups of 5 or more, $15 general admission, $20.00 table side seating with amenities (group rates available). Call the box office at (510) 208-1912 or via email: wordslanger@gmail.com
The Sister Thea Bowman Theatre is located at 920 Peralta Street in Oakland. Check out the Lower Bottom Playaz doing Theatre in the Yard at the Prescott Joseph Center, Fridays & Saturday, 8 PM, Sundays, 2PM. Mama at Twillight runs through Oct. 11.
The play touches on universal issues of love, family and gendered roles. It also looks specifically at the challenges of a black family facing the tragedy of HIV/AIDS infection.
This production is not recommended for small children. Teenagers and family groups are encouraged to attend. Tickets are $10.00 for seniors, students and( per person) for groups of 5 or more, $15 general admission, $20.00 table side seating with amenities (group rates available). Call the box office at (510) 208-1912 or via email: wordslanger@gmail.com
The Sister Thea Bowman Theatre is located at 920 Peralta Street in Oakland. Check out the Lower Bottom Playaz doing Theatre in the Yard at the Prescott Joseph Center, Fridays & Saturday, 8 PM, Sundays, 2PM. Mama at Twillight runs through Oct. 11.
A Night of Short Plays REVIEW
By Flora Lynn IsaacsonSpecial to The Black Hour
PEN OAKLAND is a Bay Area Chapter of the International Organization of Poets, Essayists and Novelists. They are sponsored by PEN USA, the Clorox Company Foundation, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, the West Oakland Senior Center and The Berkeley Daily Planet.
