Category Archives: music

A Black Documentary Filmmaker Says "Thanks"

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

 

Just got this from Akila Worksongs. Did you see it last night? It was on too late for me.

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Dear Supporters of Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes,

Thank you so much for helping to make the national broadcast of Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes such a monumental success last night. Words cannot express my deep gratitude to ALL who watched it on Independent Lens on PBS. The success of the film and its impact on audiences has met my greatest expectations and audacious goals. I know that I could not have accomplished any of these goals without great, brilliant, and talented people on my team. I am humbled by your faith in me and your commitment to my vision.

Let me take a moment to thank God for the courage it took to make this film. I prayed incessantly throughout this project, and God answered my prayers. I must acknowledge that.

I want to send a heartfelt thank you to EVERYONE who supported Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes over the past six years. It’s been a long journey, and I thank you all for coming along for the ride. Thank you to the contributors to the “Friend of a Friend $1 Email Campaign” back in 2000. Your financial support was vital to the launch of this production. Look out for a “Friend of a Friend Email Campaign Part II” in the coming days.

To everyone who granted me an interview for Beyond Beats and Rhymes, thank you so much for your honesty, your bravery, and your intelligence. My only regret is that I could not include everyone I interviewed in the film. To all of the people who made the final cut, thank you, thank you, thank you for being a part of this extraordinary documentary.

Congratulations to Sabrina Schmidt Gordon. You poured your heart and soul into editing this film, and did a masterful job. Your talent and brilliance is evident and shines through in this piece. You have earned the right to make your own film. Go for it, Sabrina!

To Stanley Nelson—you are the man. Thank you for being my executive producer. It is an honor to know you, and to have your ear as my advisor. Your patience, honesty, and commitment to me throughout this endeavor were priceless. To Bill Winters, my director of photography, you are great. Thanks for holding me down and capturing such incredible footage. To my small but powerful production crew, thank you for your dedication, and for helping me get the job done.

To Richard Lapchick, thank you for giving me an opportunity to use my status as an athlete to help create social change. To Jackson Katz, creator and founder of the Mentors in Violence Prevention Program, thank you for radically changing my world view. And to all of the men who are working to redefine masculinity, and are supporting women in the effort to end men’s violence against women, much respect. This is cutting edge, groundbreaking work. Thank you also to the women who have fought for years to be heard and respected, and for showing men the way.

To the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community, thank you for teaching me about the complex reality of your daily lives. To gays and lesbians of color who endure both racism and homophobia, continue to show the straight community of color how it all intersects.

To the brilliant folks at NBPC, ITVS, The Ford Foundation, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Firelight Media, Independent Lens, and AKILA WORKSONGS Public Relations, I sincerely appreciate your confidence in me, and your support. Thank you to Lisa Davis and the lawyers at Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein & Selz for vetting my film; to the Center for Social Media, thanks for all of your groundbreaking work around the issue of Fair Use, and for educating me; to Kevin MacRae at Lordly and Dame, thank you for believing in me; to The Media Education Foundation, thanks for your presence in the culture and for creating such powerful media; to Third World Newsreel, thanks for getting me back into the game; to the Black Documentary Collective, I appreciate your support and promise to be more active; to Kounterattack Design, thank you for creativity; to Final Frame Post Production, thanks for the color correction; and thank you, RP Video, for making my dubs.

Also, a special thank you to all of the film festivals, colleges, universities, grassroots, community-based organizations, and high schools across the country that facilitated or sponsored a screening of Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes. Another special thank you to all the journalists and media outlets (print, radio, television, and Internet) that covered the project and wrote smart reviews. It is quite an achievement for a documentary film with a social and political message to get both grassroots and mainstream coverage.

And thanks to all of the people who blogged, forwarded, emailed, or created a buzz through word-of-mouth. We created our own machine! Thanks to all the individuals and friends who sent good vibes for the film’s success.

And finally, a very BIG THANK YOU to my beautiful wife, Kenya, and my family: members of the Hurt-Waller, Hogan and Crumel families… thank you for all of your love and support.

This film project has been a blessing to me and has helped me grow immeasurably – both personally and professionally. I didn’t go through this project, I grew through this project. I have learned ample lessons to apply to my next film.

There are so many people connected to this project, I am certain to have forgotten to mention someone. If I have mistakenly overlooked any person or organization, please forgive me. Just know that if you have contributed to this project in any way, I very much appreciate you.

Lastly, I will make some exciting announcements in the next few days. Please stay tuned to this email address for more information. In the meantime, here’s to realizing a more healthy vision of manhood in the world.

Sincerely,

B. Hurt
Producer/Director, Beyond Beats and Rhymes
God Bless the Child Productions, Inc.

bhurt@optonline.net     

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

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

 

Plenty going on in the world of VOXUNION MEDIA.

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Jazz & Justice

Mondays 1-3p EST

WPFW 89.3 FM / wpfw.org

February 5, 2007

February 6, 2007 marks the 62nd birthday of Robert Nesta Marley. We dedicated this show to his memory and legacy by welcoming Suzette Gardner and Dr. Michelle Stephens. Both women shared their knowledge and perspective as scholars, journalists and Jamaicans expanding the commonly-held views of Marley. We dispelled some myths, conjured others and, of course, played his music. Download parts 1 and 2 below and visit voxunion.com for stream/download options and much more.

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VOXUNION MEDIA
January 29. 2007
Jazz & Justice

This week we welcomed Glen Ford and Bruce Dixon of BlackAgendaReport.com for a discussion of race, politics and Black “Leadership.” Is Barak Obama the most “dangerous” man in the nation? Where are Russell Simmons and Oprah Winfrey leading us? These topics, including a portion of an interview done last year with Elaine Brown on mass incarceration and political prisoners, and much more were covered as were some questions and comments about race-based talk being “divisive.” We also welcomed Chrystal Williams of the University of Maryland to talk with us about her upcoming Black Music Week events. To this we added the music of Curtis Mayfield, Hasan Salaam, Freestyle Fellowship, James Brown, Ken Boothe, Syl Johnson and Ghostface.

Here’s Parts One and Two.

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VOXUNION MEDIA
National Conference on Media Reform
January 12-14, 2007
While in Memphis, TN for the National Conference on Media Reform convened by Free Press, we thought it important to get a mic in front of many of those not included as keynote speakers representing ideas not included as central to the gathering. So here are what some of that sounded like.

Some of the voices heard include representatives from the following organizations: The Freedom Archives; Pro-ject Pro:Project; CounterSpin; Youth Media Council; Center for Community Change; Block Report Radio/Prisoner of Conscience Committee; See Jane; R.E.A.C.Hip-Hop; Martha’s Table Teen Project; LinkTV, Third World Majority and the Main Street Project.

Click here to download the interviews and/or visit voxunion.com for the stream/download options and much more.

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VOXUNION MEDIA
Jazz & Justice
WPFW 89.3 FM (wpfw.org)
Mondays 1-3p
February 12, 2007
This week we were joined by the mayor of DC hip-hop Head-Roc and Suncere Ali Shakur for a discussion of our visit to New Orleans. Suncere has been in New Orleans since the breaking of the levees and talked about his experience as a member of Common Ground, the politics of organizing and concerns over white paternalism and Black inactivity. The show featured music from Jay-Z, Head-Roc, Nina Simone, Lil’ Wayne, Mos Def and the Rebirth Jazz Band. Download parts 1 and 2 and visit voxunion.com for streaming options and much more.

VOXUNION MEDIA
Jazz & Justice
Mondays (1-3p EST)
WPFW 89.3 FM Washington, DC
February 19, 2007

Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965.  This week was the first of our two-week long tribute to the man whose life continues to  impact the world.  Listen to clips of his speeches and interviews, plus music from Miriam Makeba, John Coltrane, Gil Scott-Heron, Amina & Amiri Baraka, Sonny Fortune, DJ Spinna, Head-Roc, Immortal Technique, Juel Ortiz and more.  Part two of this tribute takes place next week during our pledge drive. Please consider pledging during the show (Monday 1-3p EST) to help support community radio and Jazz & Justice.  To download the show, click here to stream/download Parts One and here for Part Two. For much more audio/video/print, visit voxunion.com.

Black People Don't Control Their Culture, Chapter 103

Posted on by drumsintheglobalvillage

 

I guess all of us pundits have one same column we keep writing over and over.  :)  Enter Minister Paul Scott. I’ve been reading his columns online for at least a couple of years now.

I believe the story of what happened to hiphop is more complex than what he has laid out below. For example, what about the many external and internal factors of Black political and social development between the 1970s and the present that, in many ways, had Black people reject the goals and objectives of the Black Power movement? Regardless of my questions, he has made some good points in this one. And his memory of certain events match mine (which, means, of course, he’s RIGHT :)).

Note: I’m guilty of some editing and fact-correcting here.

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The Hip Hop Conspiracy

By TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

With her legacy of slavery and oppression, to say that this country has done some bad things to Black folks is an understatement. We all know about the African Holocaust/Maafa (the slave trade) and the Tuskegee
Experiment as well as other examples of the
mistreatment of Afrikan people by the European. But in a society that has corrupted everything Black to serve its own evil purposes, how could we think that HipHop would be exempt from its evil schemes?

We all know the well told story of how when Hip Hop first started in the mid-to-late 1970s, it was about partying. By the late 1980s, the HipHop nation under the leadership of President Chuck D and Secretary of Defense Professor Griff, young Black America was exposed to the teachings of Malcolm X and Huey P. Newton.

We are very familiar with the story of rap’s golden era, as it is known among the cool, HipHop insiders who remember when breaking meant more than someone’s arm being broken in response to a “diss.” And when graffiti on a wall was an easily overlooked misdemeanor, not a felony. And when the color of a  bandana wrapped around somebody’s head wasn’t perceived as a glorified death warrant.

So the million-dollar question becomes: how did the sound of sweet soul music become sour? Or better yet, as Public Enemy asked in the early 90’s: “Who Stole the Soul?”

Let us begin in 1988, when so-called  “gangsta” rap began to emerge out of California and how a few young Brothas out of Compton staged a hostile takeover of HipHop.

For a time “Conscious rap” and “Gangsta rap” coexisted in almost perfect harmony, a musical ying and yang, so to speak. When the elders would criticize the lyrics of some to the songs, the conscious rappers would serve as ambassadors of goodwill for the “G’s” and
quickly point out that the rappers were just being attacked because they were young Black men saying something that white society did not want to hear.

After all, they were just calling it as they saw it—or, in the vernacular, they were just “keeping it real.” How many times was heard their worn-out Arnold Schwarzenegger excuse, “Well, he can kill 100 people in a movie and nobody says a word, but  when we..” Well, they were very right and very wrong. The young rappers underestimated the depths that this society would go to to prevent the “rising of a Black Messiah” or to destroy anything that would serve as a catalyst for social change. As Neely Fuller once said, “If you do not understand white supremacy, everything else will just confuse you.”

In the early-to-mid 90s, the anti-gangsta rap forces in the Black community formed a dangerous alliance with white conservatives that had no love for Black youth from the giddy up. They took the lead on the “gangsta rap
issue” under the guise of “family values.” So the
battle against negative lyrics became an attack on Black youth. Instead of rap that talked about drugs and violence being attacked, all rappers that rapped about anything stronger then “Parents Just Don’t Understand” (remember the debut of Will “Fresh Prince” Smith?) were seen as the
enemy.

Since the Black Nationalist community—who could have “attacked” the negative rap but not the rapper, or “love the sinner but hate the sin”—were still banned from the media, the only people that our youth saw preaching against negative lyrics were old preachers
and civil rights crusaders. The media loved promoting the C. Delores Tuckers as poster children of music morality. For over two years the battle raged between the the Hip Hop Nation and The Family Values Nation.

See, the year 1992 changed the game. The LA Rebellion (called by the white media the LA Riots or the Rodney King Verdict Aftermath).  Until then, the effect of rap music on the minds of Black youth was still a matter of debate. Could the rebellious words of the rappers actually be manifested in the actions of
Afrikan youth?

White America wondered: if we really ticked Black people off, would they really Fight the Power, as rap group Public Enemy urged? In May of 1992, white America’s worst nightmare was realized when thousands of Black people took to the streets, with rap music
supplying the soundtrack. White reporters were shocked when, interviewing “gang members” that they saw that the grassroots could easily articulate the oppression of Afrikan people, both nationally and globally. Rap with a message had to be stopped by any means necessary.

When the dust settled the gangsta rappers emerged stronger than ever, the Family Values people emerged with more political clout and the only casualties of war were the “conscious rappers.” Was it a coincidence that the majority of rappers that did not make it through this politically created “Rap Armageddon” unscarred were the “conscious rappers” Sister Souljah, X Clan, Public Enemy, Paris) And the ones that did make it took a 180-degree turn and got smart, finding out that the “gangsta” style was the safer and more lucrative wave of the future (see Ice Cube post-NWA career). So in the end, it was not gangsta rap that destroyed positive rap; it was the anti-rap forces that put the nail in the coffin of pro-Black rap.

So what was left was symbol without substance—or, as The Temptations sang, “a ball of confusion.” All of the energy that was created by X-Clan and Paris had no oulet. Our children knew that they were being attacked but without the guidance of the Black Nationalist community, had no idea who the enemy was.
They became modern day rebels without a cause.

The enemy was no longer The Man or his racist, oppressive system; instead, the media promoted the idea that the Black man was the enemy who must be destroyed. We were no longer “Brothers” or “Strong Black men”; we were Niggas—“real” Niggas doing “real” things, like busting a cap in another nigga. Passe was the idea that we were Nubian Kings, protecting our Nubian Queens; naw, Sun, we was now they pimps and they was our Hos.

It seems that the music that we created has become just another tool for the oppression of the Afrikan mind. So that is why today all of the music sounds the same. The music of 2007 sounds the same as the music of 1995. Our youth seem to be all talking, acting and
dressing the same. Why? Because it is easier to control a monolithic people. As Carter G. Woodson once broke down, “When you control a man ‘s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions.” Hip Hop has become White Supremacy’s multi-billion dollar marketing scheme.

But all is not lost. A group of some of the strongest Afrikan minds on the planet have gathered to form The Hip Hop Intelligence Project. Our goal: once and for all solve the Hip Hop Conspiracy.

Most people would not place the solving of the Hip Hop Conspiracy in the same category with the questions surrounding the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa or the assassination of Martin Luther King. But does it matter for those of us Afrikans still in the struggle?

You bet your Timberland boots it does….

For more information on the Hip Hop Intelligence Project, contact Scott at hiphopintel@yahoo.com .

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.

 

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

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 .

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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.

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.

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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 .

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