Category Archives: american history

Good Show, Tavis!

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

At Howard University for last night's Democratic debate are, from left, Hillary Clinton, Joseph Biden, Bill Richardson, John Edwards, Barack Obama, Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel and Christopher Dodd.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Tavis kept his “product” consistent. Compared to C-SPAN, CNN, et. al., last night’s forum seemed like it occurred in an alternate Black (albeit “mainstream”) universe.

The questioners showed why journalism experience still matters. I learned a lot about the condition of Black and Brown people in America from those questions. And I loved Cornel West’s quip about the journos in today’s “Journal-isms.” 🙂

The format left a lot to be desired, but it worked for those who knew how to make it work.

I get annoyed with Tavis sometimes, but not today. Lead on, homie, and let’s see what happens at Morgan this fall.

JULY 1 UPDATE: Tavis did well on “Meet The Press” today.  Being invited to be on that political roundtable is proof that the nation’s elite has now officially recognized you.

JULY 5 UPDATE: This criticism of the event is well-thought out and needs to be read and debated. It echoes many of my own problems with Tavis’ events. I think the difference is I’ve accepted what Tavis’ self-defined role as an agent of “Black hegemony.” Until Black leaders decide to put some real money behind the creation of a Black mass media structure, there we are, then. The folks I saw in the Howard crowd—a large number of them nationally known African-American notables, leaders, etc.—were happy with Tavis’ show. And I have learned the hard way not to be angrier than my people, particularly my “leaders.”

re: Tonight's Dems Presidential Candidate Forum: Enjoyed That Tavis Said On "Democracy Now!" This Morning…….

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………………that there has been more diversity in the Presidential candidate pool than in the pool of panel journos. 🙂 Until tonight. The panel of journalists is comprised of two African-Americans and a Latino.

Let’s see how tonight’s forum goes.

On Internet Radio Protest Day, Sharing A Lantern That Has Lit My Way

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

I have kept with me a yellowed Black newspaper clipping from September 11, 1989. I thought that today, the day Internet radio is conducting its “Day of Silence” protest, would be a good day to share extended excerpts of it.

————

‘Guerrilla Radio’:

Underground radio station operator uses ‘sneak attacks’ to educate community

By James Muhammad

Assistant Editor, The Final Call

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.–WTRA, “guerilla radio,” broadcasts from behind the wall.

“They say they put up the wall to protect the residents from the speeding traffic,” said Dewayne Readus, the voice and operator of the low-watt AM station, “but you notice they didn’t put sidewalks in for our children.

“The wall helps them in their control of us. They don’t want anything positive to come out of the Black community because that will disprove the myth…. that we’re dumb,” he said.

WTRA’s message comes out from the John Jay Homes housing project carried by weak radio waves but charged with the crusading spirit of its mastermind operator. The project sits in the shadow of the domed capitol building, behind the wall that blocks the blighted project from the casual glance of the speeding motorists making their way downtown.

Operating out of one of the apartments, Readus, a 30-year-old legally blind resident, is determined to educate and politicize his community, although local police attempted to silence his “Voice of the people,” as WTRA is called.

Until recently, Readus regularly operated the station from an upstairs room in his sister’s apartment. The station covered a radius of one-and-a-half miles, just enough to reach the housing unit[s…….

“When we talked about] the Urban League and the NAACP, we were alright,” said the independent contractor, “but when we started talking about police brutality, that’s when they came to shut us down.”

Readus’ controversial music and talk format had already attracted the ire of the city’s Black leadership whom he consistently criticized. He caught the attention of the police when he aired a tape recording made at the hospital bedside of a 52-year-old boxing coach who was severely beaten by security guards at a local department store.

Will Gray, an inspector with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), visited Readus after he aired coverage of a hostage incident where the police cordoned off a Black neighborhood after a man took his girlfriend and her sister hostage.

[………H]e was fined $750, which Readus has vowed not to pay until he has his day in court.

“We are saying we have a right to access the airwaves,” Readus said. “The very fact that we can’t communicate with each other is a form of genocide.”

A frequent target of Readus’ commentary, Alderman Frank McNeil, said the station provided important information to the community and a viewpoint not offered by the “run-of-the-mill” media. “But he attacked every Black person in a leadership position who didn’t agree with his position. He never allowed opposing points of view to be aired,” McNeil opined.

Today Readus operates what he calls “guerilla radio,” a “sneak attack” approach to getting his message out at varying times during the week.

“They haven’t made their move because they don’t know how to go about doing what they want to do,” Readus said, defiantly. “Ultimately, they probably just want to get rid of me. That’s their history.”

Even McNeil agreed that the relationship between Black people and the police is “very tense.”

Police Chief Mike Walton said he contacted the FCC only after he received complaints about vulgarity used on the station. He also described Readus as a “man with a small following who causes more trouble than he helps.”

However large or small Readus’ following may be, he has had an impact on the city and his community.

“He let kids and parents know what was going on in the world,” said Emmanuel Morehead, 17, who said he often listened to the station.

“I would like to see his station bigger so he can reach the broader community,” said Bill Robinson, 42. “But he’s got to make his program where people will come to him with information. He’s got to open up more.”

Readus said he welcomes the threat of arrest so WTRA’s struggle can be an example to others. The station also served as a training ground for young boys and girls interested in radio, he said.

“Somebody tell the children how WTRA served as an advocate for the people when the police wouldn’t police themselves,” Readus proclaimed. “Somebody tell the young people how we fought police brutality by broadcasting the personal testimonies of African-American victims.”

Copyright 1989, 2007 by The Final Call Newspaper Co.

An Anniversary Worth Noting

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It’s been 21 years since this song and this artist took over my mind, body and soul.

I remember telling people at the time that my goal was to bear HER child! LOL!

What made me think about her today? I was joking with a friend of mine about Spike Lee’s cameo in this video:

While watching it, I see today how well Spike blended social and cultural history, parody and even time travel.

Wow. The Power of Black Art. Food for thought.

"Right To Return": Tavis Gives A Week Of Tee Vee Time To Katrina

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Congrats to Tavis Smiley and Jonathan Demme for doing the right thing. Necessary viewing this week.

KQED/Channel 9
CHANNEL 9 -San Francisco, San Jose (Bay Area) 1:00 am PBS
May 10, 2007
CONTACT: Joel Brokaw (310) 273-2060, Laurel Lambert (323) 953-5246

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“TAVIS SMILEY” ON PBS DEVOTES ONE WEEK OF PROGRAMMING TO JONATHAN DEMME’S STIRRING DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE ON POST-KATRINA NEW ORLEANS, AIRING NATIONWIDE ON PBS

Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme is joining forces with PBS’s Tavis Smiley to present a unique week-long series on post-Katrina New Orleans called “Right to Return: New Home Movies from the Lower 9th Ward.”

The series consists of “portrait” documentaries filmed in New Orleans over the course of 2006, leading into January of this year. The five short films chart the efforts of a disparate group of New Orleanians who braved unimaginable adversity after the floods of 2005 in an attempt to reclaim their homes, their neighborhoods – primarily in the Lower 9th Ward – and their shattered lives and livelihoods. The residents presented in the unfolding seasonal format include teachers, ministers, a retired chef, volunteer workers, the owner of the legendary “Mother-In-Law Lounge,” librarians, and workers from all walks of life.

“Right to Return” will air nightly for a week, beginning Monday, May 28th on the “Tavis Smiley” late-night PBS program – seen on over 200 PBS affiliates nationwide.

“This American story of lives lost, souls shattered and uncommon courage must be told, even though the waters have subsided,” stated Tavis Smiley. “I’m pleased and honored to have the opportunity alongside an iconic director and producer like Jonathan Demme to tell that story.”

“This is an extremely personal project for me,” stated Jonathan Demme. “We started filming four months after the floods. I felt drawn, as an American filmmaker, to contribute somehow to the audio-visual record of what these people were going through in their heroic efforts to jump start their lives in the face of this epic, tragic event. I wanted to be a part of getting these stories out, and I am so thrilled and proud to be doing so with Tavis Smiley.”

Demme added, “It’s really wonderful that Tavis Smiley is providing a window into the lives of these amazing people – the spirituality, courage, imagination, tenacity, and humor that fuels their commitment to restore their homes is truly inspiring and moving to me.”

Each night, Demme will join Smiley on location to set up the portraits and introduce the people featured in each episode. The main individuals profiled will have the opportunity at the end of each program to give an update on how their lives have changed since the floods that devastated their homes in the fall of 2005.

Norman Lear, who is a major sponsor of the Demme films, said of the PBS broadcast of “Tavis Smiley,” “The New Orleanians presented on the shows represent the best we as human beings are capable of.”

The segments feature original music scores by Barry Eastmond, Donald Harrison Jr., James McBride and Steve Elson. Additional music is provided by Algerian violinist Djamel Ben Yelles, Ernie K-Doe, and others.

Jonathan Demme won an Oscar as best director in the 1991 film “Silence of the Lambs,” and a Gotham award for his documentary “The Agronomist” in 2005. He has previously made several documentaries on Haiti as well as portrait films on Nelson Mandela and Robert Castle.

The full-length film version of “Right to Return,” produced by Demme with Daniel Wolff and Abdul Franklin, is expected to be released theatrically later this year.

“Tavis Smiley” on PBS is produced by the The Smiley Group Inc./TS Media Inc. in association with KCET/Hollywood. Underwriting for “Tavis Smiley” on PBS is provided by Toyota, Wal-Mart and PBS. Additional funding for “Right to Return” is provided by the Lear Family Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.pbs.org/tavissmiley .
http://www.tavistalks.com .

Directed by Jonathan Demme
Produced by Jonathan Demme, Daniel Wolff, and Abdul Franklin
Executive Producers
Neda Armian and Lisa Hepner
Tavis Smiley and Neal Kendall (for “Tavis Smiley” on PBS)
Original music by Barry Eastmond, Donald Harrison Jr., Steve Elson and James McBride
Additional music by Djamel Ben Yelles, Ernie K-Doe, Christian Scott, and The Young Guardians of the Flame
A Clinica Estetico Production

The Audiobiography of Askia Muhammad

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Veteran multimedia journalist Askia Muhammad has done something extraordinary. Over the last few years, he’s somehow gotten Soundprint, the nation’s premier public radio documentary series, to “publish” his autobiography, an audio chapter at a time.

Together these programs form a well-told mosaic of a life, filled with sound and soul.

Congrats, Askia, on this great and significant accomplishment.

Kalamu Is Contributor To New Book On Katrina And Race

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From Kalamu, by Kalamu (partially).

Dear Friends and Allies,

South End Press has just released a powerful new anthology of post-Katrina writing called “WHAT LIES BENEATH: Katrina, Race, and the State of The Nation.”

The book features a new piece I wrote about race, reconstruction, and community organizing in New Orleans post-Katrina, as well as several excellent contributions by an impressive and inspiring array of writers, poets, teachers and organizers.

I will be participating in two book release events in the next few weeks—one in New York City, and one in New Orleans. For those of you in one of those cities, I hope you’ll come out. See below for more details on the events, and on the book.

In solidarity,

Jordan

——————————————–

WHAT LIES BENEATH:
Katrina, Race, and the State of The Nation
edited by the South End Press collective, afterword by Joy James

New York City Book Release Event
Thursday, May 24, 7:00PM
Discussion on Katrina, Race and Resistance, featuring Jordan Flaherty and Eric Tang. (see below for bios) Presentation will also include new video from New Orleans.
Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen Street between Stanton and Rivington :: 212.777.6028
http://www.bluestockings.com/

New Orleans Book Release Event
Friday, June 8, 6:00PM
Panel and discussion, featuring contributing authors Kalamu Ya Salaam, Mayaba Liebenthal, and Jordan Flaherty.
Community Book Center
2523 Bayou Rd (near Broad and Esplanade) (504) 948-7323

“We who live below the water line have no choice. Our first priority is to survive. Our second priority is to struggle. Our ultimate responsibility is to win. Survive. Struggle. Win. This book is a record of these efforts.”

—Kalamu Ya Salaam, from the Introduction

More about the book:

With an eye toward community organizing and radical scholarship, this accessible anthology is both a people’s history and a collective vision for the future of New Orleans.

Contributors include: Kalamu Ya Salaam, Charmaine Neville, INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, Jordan Flaherty, Suheir Hammad, Common Ground, and Lewis Lapham.

“What Lies Beneath” rests on the premise that Hurricane Katrina mirrors with terrible poignancy the state of a nation—a damning and bitterly accurate portrait of everyday life in America. Despite a chorus of claims to the contrary, Hurricane Katrina was not an equal opportunity disaster. Its asymmetrical impact on people’s lives vis-a-vis their relative place within the matrix of oppression cannot be denied. If your life was hard before the hurricane, it was exponentially harder during and after the storm—and remains so up to this day. For those who suffer daily the existing, pervasive, and insidious social inequities that are the US reality, Katrina was not an anomaly. It was simply business as usual.

“‘What Lies Beneath’ will keep us thinking for a long time about what happened, why it happened, and provoke us to examine honestly the nature of the society in which we live.”
— Howard Zinn, author, “A People’s History of the United States”

“‘What Lies Beneath’ tells the real story of those abandoned to face Hurricane Katrina, and reveals the people’s uprising that provided shelter, aid, and comfort where there would be none.”
—Jeff Chang, author, “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop”

About the authors/presenters:

Mayaba Liebenthal is a Black feminist, anarchist, human rights advocate and community organizer committed to creating projects/institutions that support self-determined and sustainable community development.

Kalamu Ya Salaam is a poet, writer, editor, teacher, filmmaker, arts administrator and co-director of Students at the Center, an independent writing program that works within New Orleans public high schools.

Eric Tang was Associate Director at CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities, serving as a community organizer in the refugee neighborhoods of the Bronx, New York. The author of numerous essays and articles on Southeast Asian refugee politics, community activism, and social movement theory, Tang teaches at the Worker Education Center of CUNY. Eric’s writing in ColorLines Magazine shared a journalism award from New America Media for best Katrina-related coverage in the Ethnic press.

Jordan Flaherty is a writer and community organizer based in New Orleans. He is an editor of Left Turn magazine and has written about politics and culture for The Village Voice, New York Press, Labor Notes, Radical Society, and in several books. Jordan’s articles from the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina have appeared in periodicals around the world, including Die Zeit in Germany, Clarin in Argentina, Juventude Rebelde in Cuba, Red Pepper in England, and many more. His writing in ColorLines magazine shared a journalism award from New America Media for best Katrina-related coverage in the Ethnic press.

For more information or to purchase a copy of “What Lies Beneath,” click here.

A portion of the proceeds from What Lies Beneath will be donated to The People’s Hurricane Relief Fund and Oversight Coalition.

Are YOU "America's Next Black Leader?"

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In this media-saturated culture, is there anybody really surprised by this?  🙂 I wish I had posted this before the deadline had passed. At least folks can still participate in the dialogue.

From Playahata.com.

America’s Next Black Leader (The Reality Series):
Comin’ For that #1 Spot

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

Ya’ll been eatin’ long enough now stop bein’ greedy/
Just keep it real partna, give to the needy/
Grips are touchin, don’t make me wait/
Mess around I’m gonna bite you and snatch the plate/

–“Stop Being Greedy,” -DMX

If you get a room full of Black folks together to talk about the condition of our community, you can bet that the hottest topic of the evening will be “what the
heck is wrong with Black leadership?” Many would probably argue that all Black leaders need to be but put on the unemployment line, quick fast and in a hurry. But at the end of the night, the question is, if all the high profile Black leaders packed up and moved to a small island in the South Pacific, then what? Who would take their places? Who you gonna call when you get fired from your job at Mickie Dee’s for jackin’ up a customer for callin’ you the “N” word because his fries were too greasy. Who you gonna call when lil Tyrone gets expelled from school for tellin’ Mrs. Horowitz that Columbus Day is a ***** lie and ole Abe Lincoln really didn’t free no ***** slaves!
After all the complaining, you can best believe that if you ask for volunteers to step up and solve the 99 problems facing every Brotha and Sista in America, you will hear a pin drop….

That is why we are starting the first youtube.com reality series “America’s Next Black Leader.” If you aren’t satisfied with the current condition of Black leadership then “you” have the opportunity to become
America’s next Black leader.
http://www.youtube.com/nextblackleader

Many of us truly believe that we need a regime change at the top. Real talk, how many more times do you really want to see “Count Coolout” show up to accept the apology of a racist bigot on behalf of 12 million angry Black folks. How many more conferences do we really want to see on C-SPAN with the same ole folks whinin’ about the same things that they were whinin’
about since before your mom’s was born?

At some point, the testimony that “I marched with Dr. King” stops being a badge of honor and becomes a strong indicator that you need to sit down somewhere.
Based on the condition of the Black community, our movement is sick but instead of the doctor suggesting that the heads of the movement retire, he just
prescribes some “Civil Rights Viagra” so they can keep marchin’, singin’ and prayin’ till the cows come home…

Don’t get me wrong, I am not disrespecting those of the Civil Rights era but they really don’t seem to be reachin’ this “Hip Hop Generation.” And since some of today’s hottest rappers are now knockin’ on 40’s door, if you ask a young Brotha about dissin’ the elders watch him say “I do respect the elders, …Jay Z’s my dawg!!!”

Times have changed and the idea of a multi millionaire rap artist in 2007, riding a round in a $1000,000 luxury jeep blasting “WE Shall Overcome, one day” just seems kind oxymoronic…

Although many hate to admit it, the NAACP has been in need of a drastic make over for decades. Excuse my language but that group has been a perfect candidate for “Pimp My Civil Rights Organization” for years…

And although the old guard Civil Rights leader’s always challenge the young folks with the cliche, “No one is going to hand you the mantle of leadership, you have to take it” you can believe that if you ever got
close enough to lay a finger on the scepter, they would be hollerin’ for security!

While age may be an issue, it is really about old ideas that need an update and just because a new face comes along, it does not mean that he/she will effectively deal with issues disproportionately affecting Black folks…Even Obama, with his message
of “one America inclusiveness” has yet to prove when it comes down to it, will he rep the Hamptons or tha hood , Harvard or Howard, high dollar estates or high
rise tenement buildings…

But the question remains, although you may be able to stand on your soapbox and complain about Black leaders, can you do any better? On the surface, being a Black leader seems to be a cool job. Look at the fringe benefits, wearing thousand dollar suits, riding around in stretch limos and rubbin’ elbows with the rich and famous. But leading Black people ain’t no picnic. Can you imagine having hundreds of angry Black folks blowin’ up your Blackberry, everyday, with their personal problems. Just think about that lady that sits next to you at work and her Monday morning drama. Now, multiply that by a thousand…Get the visual???

But if you feel that you are sharper than Sharpton, bring more action than Jackson and create more drama than Obama, this is what we need you to do…Go to
http://www.youtube.com/group/nextblackleader and upload a video of yourself explaining what you would do as America’s next Black leader. You can post a speech, rap, poem or better yet, a video of you actually doing things in the community which you
believe a real Black leader should do. People across the country will vote by “favoriting” who the next Black leader should be on youtube. The winner will be announced April 4, 2007, the anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Now, I know some of ya’ll are saying that you don’t have the time to upload videos and stuff , but if you could take time to upload that video of Tina tha Tacky Stripper for that new BET reality show “Hot Ghetto Mess,” then you should have no problem taking part in “America’s Next Black Leader.” But even if you can’t post a video, you can participate in the discussion section.

It’s 2007, Brothers and Sisters and we don’t need another “Hot Ghetto Mess,” we need Black leadership at its best.

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott represents the Messianic Afrikan Nation in Durham NC. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283.

For more info about “America’s Next Black Leader,” go to nextblackleader@yahoo.com .