Author Archives: drumsintheglobalvillage

Independent Audio/Video You Should Check Out (Ninth In A Long-Running Series)

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

 

 

January 15, 2007
VOXUNION MEDIA
Jazz & Justice
WPFW 89.3 FM wpfw.org (live stream)
Mondays 1-3p EST 

Today’s show is a special tribute to Dr. King.

Part 1 features King himself and music from Dead Prez, Head-Roc, Archie Shepp, Jack DeJohnette, Wise Intelligent plus a special DocuMix from Melki.

Part 2 features music from Blitz, Immortal Technique and commentary from Mumia Abu-Jamal, a breakdown of US mainstream media’s image assassination prior to the physical one—including a look at the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO)—and Bill Fletcher bringing us from then to now through a look at King and the labor movement.

Click the links to download each part and visit VOXUNION.COM for streaming options, plus much more.

 

———–

In addition, here’s something else in which you might be interested.

So He's Running……..

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

Take a brown crayon to the above, and the resemblance is uncanny.  🙂

……which means, I guess, that we’ll soon see what “role” a presidential campaign can play. Again.

It’s been 20 years since Jesse attempted to take pages from MLK’s 1968 playbook while running for president. Jackson ran a good campaign, then happily took his concessions while staying on the plantation.

Barack knows the path he’s about to travel, but how much can Mr. Cautious really do in 2008, 40 years to the day of the blood? And, as a very different type of African-American, would he really go there?

Barack has to decide who’s side he’s on, and go for broke. If he’s really on The People’s side, he’s got to show more passion and less deliberation. He should observe his boy Edwards at work. Stop being so wishy-washy, Charlie Brown! This was our problem the LAST time! AAAUGGGHHHHH!!!!!

White Leftist/Liberal Radio Guilt On MLK Day? :)

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

 

Wow……

First, Pacifica Radio’s “Democracy Now!” goes all out. Then National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air” decides to get in on the act.

Meanwhile, on Syndication One, the Rev. Al Sharpton aired one of his NYC town hall meetings. The straight-up Harlem anaylsis of local and national politics given by the crowd brought back fond memories of New York City’s now-defunct Black news-talk radio.

And check this out. It may expose you to some things you didn’t know about.

Congrats To………..

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

…….the “Ugly Betty” folks and the Dream Team!

From EUR……..

 

EURextra Newsbits 

‘DREAMGIRLS’ IS GOLDEN: Hudson, Murphy and picture itself win ‘Globes’; Whitaker wins too.

If you’ve already seen it, you can’t be surprised at the wins for “Dreamgirls” at last night’s Golden Globes Awards. The acting honors (and congrats) for the flick went out to Eddie Murphy and big screen newcomer Jennifer Hudson.

Jennifer Hudson poses with the award she won for best supporting actress for her work in 'Dreamgirls' at the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Monday, Jan. 15, 2007, in Beverly Hills, Calif. 

Murphy took the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and Hudson snagged the statuette for Best Supporting Actress at the 64th annual Golden Globes. The two star in the musical “Dreamgirls.”

Of course we’d be on the late freight if we didn’t acknowledge that “Dreamgirls” itself won the Golden Globe’s Musical or Comedy motion picture category.

Additionally, Forest Whitaker took best actor as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland.”

With this win, Murphy has finally received a major film honor after 25 years in the business. The actor had been nominated for a Globe honor three times before. On the other hand, “Dreamgirls” marks Hudson’s film debut.

“I had always dreamed, but I never ever dreamed this big,” former “American Idol” finalist Hudson said. “This goes far beyond anything I could have ever imagined,” said supporting-actress winner Hudson, who dedicated her award to Florence Ballard, one of the singers from the Supremes on which “Dreamgirls” is based.

“Wow. I’ll be damned,” said Murphy, upon accepting his award.

With the Golden Globes considered the runner-up to the Academy Awards, the Oscar buzz is only getting louder for the young starlet.

As Hollywood’s second-biggest film honors, the Globes are something of a dress rehearsal for the Oscars, whose nominations come out Jan. 23. The Oscar ceremony will be on Feb. 25. Nominations for the Oscars closed Saturday, so the outcome of the Globes cannot affect who gets nominated.

The diss of the evening came from Justin Timberlake, who, in accepting the Best Original Song award on behalf of Prince for  His Royal Baddness’ “Song of the Heart” from “Happy Feet” (even though Prince himself can be seen sitting in the audience later in the show), bent his knees to speak UP into  the microphone, as if to feign being the height of the Minneapolis superstar. 

For a full list of winners, go here.

National Conference for Media Reform Honors King's Legacy, Looks to the Future

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

 

Jan. 14, 2007  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Craig Aaron, (202) 441-9983 (in Memphis); Jen Howard, (703) 517-6273 (in Memphis)

Speeches Evoke The Civil Rights Movement While Urging A New Generation Of Activists To Mobilize For Better Media

MEMPHIS—On the weekend before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, headliners at the National Conference for Media Reform evoked the legacy of the civil rights movement while rallying more than 3,500 attendees for media reform.

“The nettlesome task about which Dr. King spoke is still being carried out by people who embody character, courage and the fortitude to make decisions in support of truth not spin, people who critically embrace diversity and reject monopoly,” actor and activist Danny Glover told the crowd Friday.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson pushed for more access to media and independent news.

“[King] brings us to this point today, 40 years later, to define the great issues of our time—the broken promises, the new schemes of denials, the impact of a media that freezes out democracy, the media that looks at the world through a key hole and not the door,” he said. “We must fight to open up airwaves for all the people.”

“The absence of women in the media is glaring,” Jane Fonda said in a speech at the conference’s closing session. “The media environment that is overwhelmingly white is also overwhelmingly male. Today, I hope to show you that  media that leaves women out is fundamentally, crucially flawed.”

Photo

Jane Fonda delivers one of the main addresses

“Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t get famous giving a speech called, ‘I have a complaint,’ ” said Van Jones, founder for the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. “The brother had a dream. We need to be able to have a movement that stands for that.”

“The wave of the future is a wave of technological empowerment and innovation,” said Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). “It is a wave of grassroots activism that can make a difference in Washington, D.C., down to every single community in our country. It’s a wave of digital democracy the likes of which we have never seen in the history of our country.”

“The depth of this conference reflects the maturing power of this grassroots movement into a real force in American politics,” said Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. “No longer on the defense, media reform has a positive agenda to reclaim citizen, especially minority, ownership of the public airwaves and equal access to the Internet. Nobody in government can afford to ignore the organization and sophistication of this national movement for media democracy.”

Video of major speeches and audio of all sessions at the National Conference for Media Reform are available at www.freepress.net/conference .

###

Free Press (www.freepress.net ) is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications.

King Day Program (Well, More Or Less :)) In Newark, N.J.

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

 

I used to cover this activist group when I was a newspaper reporter in Newark, N.J. a LOONG time ago. It always had GREAT King Day events. I see the tradition is continuing.

———-

PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATION FOR PROGRESS

POST OFFICE BOX 22505
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY 07101-2505
(973) 801-0001
 
 
For Immediate Release
 
For Further Information Contact:
Lawrence Hamm (973) 801-0001
 
 
NINETY-FOUR ORGANIZATIONS SPONSOR
STATEWIDE PEACE CONFERENCE
SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 20 IN NEWARK, NJ
 
 
“The People’s Peace Conference on the U.S. War in Iraq and Our Communities” sponsored by The Peace Coalition will be held Saturday, January 20, 2007, at the Rutgers School of Law, 123 Washington Street in Newark, New Jersey.  The conference program will start at 9:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m.  Registration for the conference will begin at 8:00 a.m.  The conference is open to the general public and admission is free.
 
The theme of the conference is “Breaking The Silence: The Grassroots Speak.”  The Peace Coalition is the organizer of the conference.  The coalition is made up of ninety-four (94) organizations that have decided to become sponsors of the conference.  It is composed of a broad spectrum of activist, human and civil rights, community, religious, civic, student, labor, peace, media and other grassroots groups.
 
“The Peace Coalition has three basic demands around which the conference is being organized.  We want an immediate end to the war, the troops brought home now, and the money being spent for the war to be redirected toward domestic needs,” POP chairman Lawrence Hamm stated.
 
“One of the main purposes of the conference is to educate the community about the relationship between what is happening with this unjust war and what is happening in our communities.  We will discuss the relationships between the war abroad and repression at home, and increased military spending and decreased spending for domestic programs and how this is affecting our communities,” stated Rev. William Howard, Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Newark.
 
“The war is affecting every person in this country.  Everyone who wants peace should attend this conference.  Hopefully, the conference will show ordinary people what they can do to bring this war to an end,” said Annette Alston, President of the Newark Teachers Association.
 
“I would especially encourage African Americans, Latinos, and other people of color to attend.  We must also make our voices heard on this issue.  Just as Dr. Martin Luther King spoke out against the war in Vietnam we must speak out against this unjust war in Iraq,” stated James Harris, State President of the New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP.


 
“It is our collective hope that the conference will produce an action agenda that can organize and mobilize our communities to bring about the kind of pressure needed to help bring this war to a quick end,” said Jerry Harris, President of the New Jersey Black Issues Convention.  
 
Some of the members of The Peace Coalition include (but are not limited to) the People’s Organization For Progress (POP), Board of Deacons of Bethany Baptist Church, NJ State Conference NAACP, General Baptist State Convention of NJ, Newark Teachers Association, NJ Human & Civil Rights Association, Mayor Wayne Smith of Irvington, Assemblyman Craig Stanley, NJ Peace Action, NJ Millions More Movement Coalition, Black Women’s History Conference, Mothers of Murdered Sons & Daughters (MOMSAD), New Jersey Black Issues Convention, New Jersey African-American Political Alliance, The Black Ministers’ Council of New Jersey,  Association of Black Law Students at Rutgers-Newark School of Law, Martin Luther King Committee of Elizabeth, Clinton Hill-South Ward Improvement Association, South Orange-Maplewood Martin Luther King Holiday Committee, Women In Support of the Million Man March (WISOMMM), Black Telephone Workers For Justice, NJ State Industrial Union Council, WBAI Radio, and City Belt magazine.
 
The conference program will include morning, midday, and afternoon convocations, workshops, a plenary assembly for voting on resolutions, and a speakout session that will give participants an opportunity to express their views on the war to the whole conference.
 
More than 50 activists, grassroots organizers, religious leaders, and elected officials will serve as speakers, presenters, and workshop panelists at the conference.  The workshop topics include, The War and our Rights, The Impact of the War on Our Communities, How Do We Stop the War in Our Streets, The Role of Religious Institutions in Ending the War, Building the Student Anti-war Movement, Preventing Future Wars of Aggression by the United States, and How Do We End the War in Iraq.
 
Guest speakers and panelists will include among others Rev. William Howard, Pastor, Bethany Baptist Church, Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress, Annette Alson, President, Newark Teachers Association, James Harris, State President of the NJ State Conference of the NAACP, Jerry Harris, President of the New Jersey Black Issues Convention, Congressman Donald Payne, author and activist Amiri Baraka, and Madeline Hoffman, Executive Director, NJ Peace Action.   
 
“We hope that the outcomes of the conference will include major anti-war protests, voter registration drives and economic sanctions campaigns that will take place in the state during the next few years,” Hamm said.
 
The conference is also being dedicated to the memory of Damu Smith, an African American peace activist, who founded Black Voices for Peace.  Mr. Smith, suffering from cancer, died last year.  Towards the end of his life he campaigned for an end to the U.S war in Iraq.
 
“We are trying to uphold the legacy of Damu Smith by increasing African American participation in the peace movement through this conference,” Hamm said. 
 
A complete list of the conference sponsors appears on the flyer which is attached below.  For registration and additional information interested persons can call (973) 801-0001.
 
-END-
 
THE PEOPLE’S PEACE CONFERENCE
THE U.S. WAR IN IRAQ & OUR COMMUNITIES
“BREAKING THE SILENCE: THE GRASSROOTS SPEAK”
SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2007 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
REGISTRATION BEGINS 8:00 A.M. ADMISSION FREE
RUTGERS SCHOOL OF LAW-NEWARK
123 WASHINGTON STREET, NEWARK, NJ
SPONSORED BY
THE PEACE COALITION:
People’s Organization For Progress (POP), NJ State Conference NAACP,
General Baptist State Convention of NJ, Inc., Board of Deacons of Bethany Baptist Church,
Newark Teachers Association, NJ Human & Civil Rights Association,
Mayor Wayne Smith of Irvington, Assemblyman Craig Stanley,
Association of Black Law Students at Rutgers-Newark School of Law (ABLS),
Martin Luther King Committee of Elizabeth, NJ Peace Action, Enough Is Enough Coalition,
NJ Millions More Movement Coalition, Black Women’s History Conference,
Mothers of Murdered Sons & Daughters (MOMSAD), WBAI Radio, City Belt,
New Jersey Black Issues Convention, New Jersey African-American Political Alliance,
Clinton Hill-South Ward Improvement Association, Street Warriors, Inc., CWA Local 1037,
South Orange-Maplewood Martin Luther King Holiday Committee, Mt. Teman A.M.E. Church,
The Black Ministers’ Council of New Jersey, Teaneck Peace & Justice Coalition,
Women In Support of the Million Man March (WISOMMM), Boycott Crime Committee,
Anti-Lynching Campaign, Ras Baraka Civic Association, Kidnapped African Descendants (KAD),
Reconstruct Economics for African Liberty (REFAL), George Tillman Civic Association,
Black Telephone Workers For Justice, Coalition For Peace Action, School of African Philosophy,
Veterans for Peace-Chapter 21, Africa Newark International, Inc., My Father Knows Best,
National Action Network-NJ Chapter, Harlem Tenants Council, United Youth Council,
Antiracism Committee-Unitarian Society of Ridgewood NJ, Cuba Solidarity-NY,
Peace & Justice Committee-Unitarian Society of Ridgewood NJ, Morristown Peace Vigil,
Northern New Jersey-National Organization for Women (NOW), Onyx Society,
American Students of African Descent Association (ASADA), Nubian Queendom,
International Youth Organization, Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War,
Rev. Malachi D. Rountree Ministries, New Black Panther Party-Newark NJ Chapter,
Justice For Michael Anglin Coalition, Parents Advocacy & Service Academy (PASA),
December 12th Movement, NJ Solidarity – Activists for the Liberation of Palestine,
National Black Independent Political Party, The Essex Green Party, Socialist Party of New Jersey,
National Organization For Women of New Jersey, Secondary Parent Council of Newark,
Striving Together Equals Progress (S.T.E.P.), Rutgers-Newark National Lawyers Guild,
Black Cops Against Police Brutality (B-CAP), Quest Ink, Inc., Uhuru, NJ Labor Against War
Dr. Benjamin Chavis Muhammad & The Hip Hop Summit Action Network, Urban Issues Institute,
Central Ward Family Support Center, Brotherhood Academy, Inc.-Essex County,
B.T.Kwanzaa Group-Roselle NJ, Social Responsibility Committee-Central Unitarian Church,
Martin Luther King Association-Columbia HS, NJ State Industrial Union Council (IUC),
Jersey City Peace Movement, International Action Center, Troops Out Now Coalition,
Unitarian Church of Montclair, NJ State Council of Urban League Executives, Stop Shootin’, Inc.
Organization of African American Unity, Jamel Holley Civic Association, National Action Network, Inc.
International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu Jamal, National Million Woman March,
Interreligious Foundation For Community Organization (IFCO)/Pastors For Peace, The Civic Formation, Inc.,
National Association of Kawaida Organizations (NAKO), Centro Hispano-Americano of Plainfield
Join Another Mother In This Effort To Save Lives (J.A.M.E.L.), NJ Chapter-The World Can’t Wait 
TO REGISTER CALL(973) 801-0001 ADMISSION IS FREE
STOP THE WAR!  BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!  FUND PEOPLE’S NEEDS NOT WAR!
 HONOR MARTIN LUTHER KING, STAND UP FOR PEACE & JUSTICE!
STOP THE WAR IN IRAQ, STOP THE WAR IN OUR STREETS!
 
  PEOPLE’S PEACE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
 
8:00 – 9:00 A.M. REGISTRATION & CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

8:45 – 9:00 A.M. ROLL CALL OF SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS

9:00 – 10:00 MORNING GENERAL SESSION

10:00 – 12:00 P.M. WORKSHOPS:

            THE WAR & OUR RIGHTS

            THE IMPACT OF THE WAR ON OUR COMMUNITIES I

            THE IMPACT OF THE WAR ON OUR COMMUNITIES II

            HOW DO WE END THE WAR IN IRAQ

            HOW DO WE STOP THE WAR IN OUR STREETS

            THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS IN ENDING THE WAR

            BUILDING THE ANTI-WAR STUDENT MOVEMENT

            PREVENTING FUTURE U.S. WARS OF AGGRESSION
 
12:00 – 12:30 P.M. LUNCH SERVED

12:30 – 1:30 P.M. MIDDAY GENERAL SESSION

1:30 – 2:30 P.M. PLENARY SESSION: RESOLUTIONS FOR ACTION

2:30 – 3:30 P.M. AFTERNOON GENERAL SESSION

3:30 – 4:30 P.M. SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE WAR

4:30 – 5:00 P.M. CLOSING REMARKS

Analytical Fragments

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

Bits and pieces here. 

Charlie The Moderator is the author of the emails I get from playhata.com. His Bush musings this morning were, like Michael Moore’s letter, too good to resist:

 

How many of you listened to Dubya as he hijacked all of the tv channels last night? Well he said 21,500 more troops are needed to fix his mistakes.

President Bush 

Ok, so President Bush admitted mistakes have caused failures in Iraq, but defied war-weary and politically lazy Americans to do something about it last night by announcing he is sending 21,500 more U.S. troops into the cauldron. That’s just more targets, the way I see it, but  Bush insisted his new plan “will change America’s course in Iraq.” In truth, Bush’s surge forward is really a step back.

 

Meanwhile, longtime poet and activist Marvin X has written a review of the new Will Smith film, “The Pursuit of Happyness.” I’ve seen it. My one-sentence review: It’s a heartwarming film that somehow is both about Black self-determination and Right-wing values.

 

Contradictory? Welcome to the (African-)American experience. 🙂 But I have to yield to Marvin X on this one. Please read:

 

The Pursuit of Happyness
 
Starring Will Smith
 
Review By Marvin X
mrvnx@yahoo.com  

Will Smith has processed himself into a great actor—from rapper to “Fresh Prince,” to “Ali” and other characters. But “The Pursuit of Happyness” lacked the full drama of being down and out in the most beautiful city in the world, San Francisco.

The film was a Miller Lite version of homelessness, and the narrow focus on the main character excluded the high drama of homelessness in San Francisco’s Tenderloin—that poverty area two blocks from the famous Cable Car line at Market and Powell, and a few blocks from the Shopping area for the rich, Union Square. 

The contrast is so overwhelming we wonder how could the filmmaker fail to show us this. It is totally shocking to tourists who often make the wrong turn coming out of their hotel room and find themselves in the Tenderloin, the multiracial ghetto inhabited by Blacks, Latinos, Asians and poor whites, with a great amount of the population addicted to drugs. All we see of the homeless are them standing in line at Glide Church, administered by Rev. Cecil Williams, the angel of San Francisco’s homeless, addicted and afflicted, the male version of Mother Theresa. Cecil appears in the film as himself; after all, no one can perform his role except him.

The most dramatic moment is this scene outside Glide when Rev. Williams allows the main character and his son to get in line for a room. But it is powerful because we see the army of the homeless and the hungry in America. This moment is communal and we see the individual as part of a nation of homeless.

France has called homelessness a matter of national security. France is calling for its citizens guaranteed housing. America can do likewise. There is absolutely no excuse for homelessness and hunger in America, the richest nation in the world.
 
I lived the life of a homeless drug addict in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. On one level, it was good to see the main character was not drug addicted. But it would have added so much more drama.

(Maybe his little, frustrated wife should have been on drugs, because she has no real motivation to depart for New York, leaving her son behind for a two-dollar job. Her character was weak and should have been explored, or at least included a violent departing scene.  Since Will Smith used his son, why not have [his real wife] Jada as his wife? Surely they could have created more drama, including a love scene that was absent in the film.)
 
After I spent a decade in the Tenderloin (and God only knows how I made it out alive—thank you God Allah) as a Crack addict, I knew many mothers and fathers who abandoned their children for the drug life.

Yesterday, a young lady at my outdoor classroom, downtown Oakland, told me she became homeless in San Francisco because her mother was doing Crack and she had to escape, so she lived in the street. The young lady, now 19, said she grew up in foster care.
 
A few weeks ago, a young brother recently released from prison, asked me about his mother whom he hasn’t seen since he was a baby. She has been lost in the Tenderloin for years, and I have seen her from time to time, so I told the young man—also a product of foster care, now the California Department of Corrections—to go stand at 6th and Market and eventually he will see his mother, passing by on a mission impossible. I had told my nephew to do the same to find his father, lost and turned out in the TL. This is some of the pain the film lacked.
 
It showed the grand beauty of San Francisco, but again, it should not have neglected the contrasting ugliness.  There was a scene with Chris and his son at the East bay bus terminal, where they spent the night along with other homeless, although we don’t see the others in the film. I spent many nights on those benches at the East bay terminal; it was difficult to find bench space in those days, around the same time as the film, early 1980s.


 
Ok, this is one man’s story, the struggle of an individual to get ovah in America, a slave narrative. Slavery was communal, not individual, so we need to know about all those others who are still there, who didn’t make it out. Can they get out? I got out. Chris got out, so it takes discipline as he demonstrated. You got to be ’bout it ’bout it. For Chris it was one step forward two back, but he fought all the way, trying to be husband, father, and worker in a racist society. Apparently he was successful.
 
Marvin X’s latest collection of essays is “Beyond Religion, Toward Spirituality” (Black Bird Press, 2006. ISBN: 0-9649672-9-4). His book is available in Oakland at De Lauer’s books, 14th and Broadway, and Your Black Muslim Bakery, San Pablo at Stanford.  Otherwise, send $19.95 to Black Bird Press, P.O. Box 1317, Paradise Calif. 95967.
Visit marvinxspeaks@blogspot.com and http://www.nathanielturner.com .

 

Also, I noticed that longtime commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson is on The Huffington Post. Here’s his commentary on Black-Latino tensions.

And, this makes me chuckle every time I hear it.

National Conference for Media Reform Hosts All-Star Lineup

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

 

Got this from playahata.com. I’ve tacked on the group’s press release at the end. Also, here’s some required reading from the Black perspective.

———

Historic event draws Hollywood actors, famed journalists, legendary civil rights leaders, renowned musicians, acclaimed scholars, grassroots activists to Memphis MEMPHIS — Riding a wave of unprecedented activism and interest around media issues, the 2007 National Conference for Media Reform— hosted by Free Press—will kick off this week in Memphis.

WHAT: 2007 National Conference for Media Reform
WHERE: Memphis Cook Convention Center, Memphis
WHEN: Jan. 12-14, 2007
WHO: Nearly 3,000 activists, media makers, journalists, policymakers, scholars and concerned citizens from across the country.

Online registration for conference participants is now closed.

However, those wishing to attend the conference can still register and pay at the conference site. Tuesday, Jan. 9 is the last day for members of the media covering the event to register for press credentials — please send all requests by noon to credentials@freepress.net.

Conference speakers and presenters and Free Press staff are available for interviews or comment before and during the event. The full conference schedule is now available here.

 

The event is packed with nearly 100 hands-on workshops, film screenings and interactive panels. See below for a list of some of the daily highlights of this momentous weekend:

THURSDAY, JAN. 11
9 p.m. — Join Free Press and MoveOn.org Civic Action for
SavetheInternet.com’s Party for the Future at the Gibson Guitar Factory near historic Beale Street (145 Lt. George Lee Ave.).

FRIDAY, JAN. 12
(All events at the Memphis Cook Convention Center)
9:30 a.m. — Welcome from Dr. Willie Herenton, Mayor of Memphis.

10 a.m. — Opening plenary with legendary journalist Bill Moyers.

11:30 a.m. — Press conference releasing new media ownership studies.

12:15 p.m. — Rev. Jesse Jackson headlines the afternoon plenary.

1:15 p.m. — Phil Donahue moderates “Inside Corporate Media: Can It Tell the Truth?” panel. Plus sessions on “The Fight over Media Ownership”; “Media and Elections”; “State Battlegrounds in Media Reform”; and more.

3:15 p.m. — “Saving the Internet” explores what’s next for the grassroots movement that made Net Neutrality a major issue last year; industry critic Paul Porter looks at “Payola: Radio, Records and the FCC”; former FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani moderates a discussion on “Children & Media Policy”; and more.

8 p.m. — “The Memphis Music Showcase & Rally” features appearances by Rev. Al Green’s Gospel Choir, North Mississippi Allstars, Burnside Exploration, Jimbo & Olga, FCC Commissioners Michael Copps & Jonathan Adelstein, actor and activist Danny Glover, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, hip-hop activist Davey D and more.

SATURDAY, JAN. 12
(All events at the Memphis Cook Convention Center)
8 a.m. — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) addresses the conference.

9 a.m. — FCC Commissioners take questions on what’s happening in Washington; leaders discuss “Why Media Policy Is a Civil Rights Issue”; Dan Gillmor and Jay Rosen join a panel on “Citizen Journalism”; and more.

11 a.m. — Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Sanders offer a “Capitol Hill Update”; Memphis musicians Sid Selvidge and James Alexander join a panel on “Music & Media Reform”; grassroots activists on “The Battle to Control America’s Media”; and more.

1 p.m. — Andy Bichlbaum of The Yes Men shows clips from his upcoming film.

2: 30 p.m. — Laura Flanders, Amy Goodman, Robert Greenwald and blogger Atrios highlight “Winning Alternatives”; D.C. policy experts look ahead at “Washington 2007”; “Hip-Hop Activism for Media Justice”; and more.

4:30 p.m. — Veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas debates “The Press at War & the War on the Press”; Media watchdogs David Brock, Janine Jackson and Norman Solomon; PBS’s David Brancaccio leads a panel on “The Future of Public Broadcasting”; plus a discussion about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the media with Judge D’Army Bailey and other civil rights experts; and more.

8 p.m. — A Keynote Event features Geena Davis, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Media Monopoly author Ben Bagdikian, former NAACP director Ben Hooks, Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip-Hop Caucus, radio host Deepa Fernandes, Free Press founder Robert W. McChesney and other special guests — plus a performance by The Bar-Kays.

SUNDAY, JAN. 14
(All events at the Memphis Cook Convention Center)
9 a.m. – Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, Ms. Magazine executive editor Katherine Spillar, journalist Roberto Lovato and community media innovator Wally Bowen on “Envisioning the Future of Independent Media”; plus hands-on workshops and a presentation by leading media scholars.

11 a.m. – The 2007 National Conference for Media Reform concludes with stirring closing remarks from Academy award-winner and activist Jane Fonda and Van Jones of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.

More information about the National Conference for Media Reform is available here.

***

Jan. 10, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Craig Aaron, (202) 441-9983 (in Memphis)

Jen Howard, (703) 517-6273 (in Memphis)

 

Memphis Conference Spotlights Media Issues

National Conference for Media Reform kicks off Friday, with nearly 3,000 activists, journalists, policymakers and concerned citizens in attendance

MEMPHIS—The 2007 National Conference for Media Reform—a landmark event filled with rousing speeches, musical performances, provocative panels and instructive workshops—promises to put reforming America’s media system in the national spotlight.

“More than 3,000 activists from across the country will gather in Memphis to declare that media reform is now on the national agenda,” said Robert W. McChesney, president and co-founder of Free Press, the national, nonpartisan group hosting the conference. “After years of fighting to prevent further consolidation of media ownership and the dumbing down of our airwaves, the movement is ready to pursue reforms that will transform American media.”

Headliners at the event—taking place at the Memphis Cook Convention Center—include legendary broadcaster Bill Moyers, Rev. Jesse Jackson, actors and activists Jane Fonda, Geena Davis and Danny Glover, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey, New York Rep. Maurice Hinchey, FCC Commissioners Michael J. Copps and Jonathan S. Adelstein, and civil rights activist Van Jones plus musical performances by The Bar-Kays, Rev. Al Green’s Gospel Choir and the North Mississippi Allstars.

“Media reform in this country is a story of activism that has made a huge difference,” said Commissioner Michael J. Copps. “The bipartisan, nationwide cry of outrage over our media has coalesced into a genuine and superbly organized grassroots movement. This year’s Free Press conference promises to be a first-rate forum for the latest thinking on how citizens can get involved in the fight for a better, fairer and more democratic media system in this country.” The beginning of a new Congress in January means that legislators will have a fresh start in crafting a new media and telecommunications legislation, with new leadership in place on key committees in both the House and Senate.

“The National Conference for Media Reform in Memphis will provide a venue where those of us who care about ensuring that this country has a free, diverse and independent media will come together to exchange ideas, work to create even better ones, and help to continue setting this country on the right path with media reform,” said Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Future of American Media Caucus.

From Jan. 12-14, more than 3,000 media activists, educators, journalists, policymakers and concerned citizens from nearly every state in the union will attend the National Conference for Media Reform, an event that aims to move media issues to the forefront of public discourse in the United States.

“We cannot achieve equality for women without full and fair representation in the media,” said Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization of Women. “This conference provides the opportunity to network with activists from around the country and ensure that women’s rights issues are an integral part of the burgeoning media reform movement.”

On the weekend before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, media reformers will honor Dr. King’s legacy and vision by exploring and deepening the significant connections between the civil rights movement and the movement for media reform. “Memphis and the Mid-South are fortunate to have a conference here of this magnitude,” said Judge D’Army Bailey, founder of the National Civil Rights Museum. “For an area that has experienced so much social activism and civil rights history to have people of this caliber and commitment to social justice raising important issues of media and communications is a windfall. Hopefully this conference will leave behind strategies for local community leaders and activists that will make difference long after the event has left town.”

This is the third National Conference for Media Reform and builds on the success of the 2005 conference in St. Louis and 2003 conference in Madison, Wis.

“The activists who gather in Memphis recognize that they are no longer shouting from the sidelines; they are beginning to shape communications policy in the United States,” said journalist and Free Press co-founder John Nichols.

Online registration for conference participants is now closed. However, those wishing to attend the conference can still register and pay at the conference site.Full coverage of the 2007 National Conference for Media Reform—including streaming video, audio downloads of key sessions, and daily editions of the Media Minutes radio show—will be available at throughout the weekend at http://www.freepress.net/conference .

###

Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications.