Quantcast
Channel: Black Bird Press News & Review
Viewing all 4040 articles
Browse latest View live

black goddess serena williams pregnant on cover of vanity fair


the anti-police terror project on oakland city council member lynette mcelhaney

0
0


Jun 27 at 1:44 PM


The Anti-Police Terror Project & The Oakland Justice Coalition just started a petition to Oakland City Council Member Lynette Gibson McElhaney demanding that she:
Withdraw the nomination of Sarah Chavez-Yoell to the Oakland Police Commission's selection panel.
Sign Now! → 
Oakland Police Commission
Dear Marvin,
The Anti-Police Terror Project & The Oakland Justice Coalition just started a petition titled: "We demand REAL community oversight of the Oakland police department."
Here's why this is important:
Oaklanders need to be safe and secure, we need housing and job security, we need a city that spends it's budget on jobs for the youth, housing protections, and the arts. And we need a city that spends less money on the police. We need to be living in an Oakland where the OPD is held to the same level of responsibility as civilians and where residents have security in knowing that if they are victimized by the police, such as Jasmine Absulin was, that the OPD will be held accountable. Currently we do not live in this type of Oakland but we're ready to fight in order to create it! 
In fighting for a better Oakland we're highlighting the egregious conflict of interest that currently exists within the Oakland Police Commission, an oversight panel that is supposed to keep the police in check. We deserve a police commission that can objectively analyze the misconduct of officers and a selection panel, currently chaired by Sarah Chavez-Yoell, the wife of a violent officer is a conflict of interest that residents can not afford. 
Marvin, join us in demanding Sarah Chavez-Yoell, wife of a known violent officer, Lieutenant Mike Yoell, be removed from the Oakland Police Commission immediately!
In Oakland, we know far too well the outcomes of an unchecked police force. From the COINTELPRO attacks of the 1960s, the current Negotiated Settlement Agreement stemming from the Rider's case, and the more recent child rape case of Jasmine Absulin (also known as Celeste Guap), accounts of corruption, scandal, and violence are all too familiar and can have deadly outcomes.
When elected officials at the highest levels of city government know what's going on but turn a blind eye to police abuse bad outcomes will occur. Oakland officials ignore the intrinsic criminality of police behavior while calling for more cops to address crime on the street. It is the height of hypocrisy.
The Oakland Police Commission is supposed to address the lack of oversight of the Oakland Police Department. It is supposed to put civilians in roles to hold the department accountable for misconduct. But how does this occur when the selection panel appointed to choose commissioners has a bias toward violent officers?
District 3 City Council Member Lynette Gibson McElhaney’s recent appointment of Sarah Chavez-Yoell to the police commission raises considerable red flags. Chavez-Yoell is the wife of former OPD Lieutenant Mike Yoell, an officer with numerous incidents of violence. His "checkered past" includes excessive force, hitting a teen with a car, sexual harassment and "many other high-profile incidents”.
The commission used to hold Oakland police accountable cannot consist of people that sympathize with and are married to violent officers. We demand a fair and just police oversight commission and for this to happen Sarah Chavez-Yoell must go!
The Anti Police-Terror Project and the Oakland Justice Coalition request your support in demanding that Oakland City Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney:
  1. Immediately withdraw her appointment of Sarah Chavez-Yoell from the Oakland Police Commission's selection panel due to a conflict of interest.
  2. Select an individual from community who can objectively make decisions based on the needs of community.
  3. Create a community-centered vetting process for ​the replacement appointee prior to actual selection
"Conflicts of interest are the number one thing that can and will tank the credibility of the Oakland Police Commission. That process has begun with the appointments to the Selection Committee." - Cat Brooks
Sarah Chazed-Yoell must go!
Thank You,
Anti Police-Terror Project & The Oakland Justice Coalition
Sign Now! →


Join us and start your own petition on OrganizeFor today!
Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Help keep our movement strong.

oakland city council budget meeting shut down

0
0

MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2017

Oakland Council Meeting Disrupted, Vote on Budget Prevented

By Darwin BondGraha


GABREILLE CANON
  • GABREILLE CANON
The City of Oakland was supposed to end up with a new two-year budget after its Tuesday night council meeting. Instead, a large assembly of activists shut the meeting down and prevented a vote.

Chanting "defund OPD," in reference to Oakland's police department, and urging more spending on housing, homeless services, and similar programs, the group took over the chambers and prevented the meeting from continuing before the actual discussion about the budget began.

Members of the council appeared caught off-guard by the disruption, but then declared a recess and slowly exited the room.

Councilmembers Desley Brooks, Rebecca Kaplan, and Noel Gallo left City Hall shortly after the disruption. The remaining councilmembers then quickly reassembled inside the locked council chambers, but only to vote to adjourn. Although a typical budget resolution only requires five councilmembers' votes to pass, certain parts of the proposed budgets this year require six votes. As a result, there was no quorum last night after the disruption.

The city council and mayor are still millions of dollars away from agreeing on a final budget plan. There are four different council proposals that modify the mayor's basic plan.

The council must approve a new budget by June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

A new budget meeting has been scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m.

stamped from the beginning

0
0


the problem is you don't know you're the problem!--marvin x

In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti–Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the Beginning uses the lives of five major American intellectuals to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W. E. B. Du Bois to legendary anti–prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro–civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America.In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti–Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the Beginning uses the lives of five major American intellectuals to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W. E. B. Du Bois to legendary anti–prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro–civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America.

AMAZON SELLING ONE COPY OF MARVIN X BOOK FOR $2,499.00

0
0
‹ Return to product information  Have one to sell?  Every purchase on Amazon.com is protected by an A-to-z guarantee Feedback on this page? Tell us what you think
Return to product information
More buying choices for

How to Recover from the Addiction to White 

Supremacy (A Pan African 12-Step Model for a 

Mental Health Peer Group) (Paperback)

by Dr. M (MARVIN X), Nathan Hare Dr (Preface)
Who knows but it may be that Dr M's movement of recovery from addiction
to and from white supremacy is offering us a final and effective chance to
begin to "sit down together," to get together and get our heads together. In
the ancient Kemetic language, Imhotep means, "come in peace." Dr. M proves
to be a true healer, coming in the spirit of Imhotep to bring peace of mind to
the world. Now we can begin to learn to love, encourage others to love, and
finally end the vicious cycle of self hate. Enjoy...
Price + Shipping
Condition (Learn more)
Price + Shipping
Condition (Learn more)
Delivery
Seller Information
Buying Options

$2,499.00
$3.99 shipping
Used - Good


help the movement newspaper keep moving--pledge a donation, call 510-200-4164

0
0
 www.bambd.org
vol. 1, issue #8, july-aug 2017

 a tale of two gold brothers--michael basquiat and tupac shakur--dr. nathan hare

the black woman is god

contributing writers
adyodele nzinga, phavia kujichagulia, fritz pointer, nefertiti jackmon,  aries jordan
dr. nathan hare, menuaim ayele, jahahara, marvin x












Marvin X, The Movement Publisher, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Movement writer Prosperity Carter

black expo 2017

oakland city council budget meeting, thursday, 4pm, b there or b square

0
0
Dear Oakland Creative Neighborhoods Coalition Members,
 
Monday's Special Budget Meeting at City Hall could not have been more of a success! Big shout out to all who attended - APTP, ReFund Oakland Coalition, ACCE Action, APEN, Causa Justa::Just Cause, Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), CURYJ,  East Bay Housing Organizations, EBASE, SEIU 1021, IFPTE Local 21, Oakland Tenants Union, Oakland Rising, Dellums Institute for Social Change, PUEBLO, Street Level Health Project and others. By joining forces, our voices were so loud and strong that City Council had to end the meeting early.
 
WE SHUT THE MEETING DOWN!
Councilmembers were not pleased, but they gave us no choice. We were not going to let them vote on a budget that was not reflective of the community’s asks. We need City Council to vote on a 2017-19 City budget that ReFunds & ReInvests in Oakland.
What can YOU do now?
 
We need your help to pick up the phone & make a call TODAY!
 
KEEP THE PRESSURE ON! It is time for city leaders to move away from “crumbs off the table” budgeting to a comprehensive approach that ensures we FULLY fund reinvesting in housing for the homeless and unhoused, increasing legal and tenant counseling for renters, increasing resources for affordable housing, protecting our workers and investing in arts & culture.
 
Here’s what you can do to ReFund & ReInvest in Oakland. We are asking supporters and allies to help with Call in & Social Media Action from 1-3PM:
 
·         Call Councilmembers Kalb, Gallo & Campbell-Washington using thePHONEBANKING SCRIPT AND TALKING POINTS TODAY from 1-3pm
·         Send a brief message to the Councilmembers on Facebook or twitter using #Refundoakland.  Suggested messaging:  “Support ReFund Community budget by delaying this evening’s vote to allow more input from community & other Councilmembers”—but please message this as you see fit
o   @NoelGallo5
o   @annieforoakland
o   @DanKalb
THURSDAY, June 29th - The LAST City Council meeting
for the 2017-19 City Budget
 
This Thursday, 6/29 at 4pm is the next time City Council will be able to vote on the 2017-19 budget before their deadline - JUNE 30th. This is our last time for us to SHOW UP and voice our concerns. Please join us, along with join renters, residents of affordable housing developments, city workers, seniors, artists, immigrants and low wage workers to call on City Leaders to ReFund our communities and support a “Community Budget” that ensures a healthy, livable and sustainable Oakland for EVERYONE!
 
IF YOU ARE NOT PLANNING TO SPEAK, FILL OUT A SPEAKER'S CARD HERE SO THAT YOU CAN GIVE YOUR TIME TO ANOTHER COALITION MEMBER!
[ITEM 11]
 
We are watching and we won’t forget how they vote!!!
 
Thank you again for your ongoing support!
OCNC Project Management Team 
 
 
If you have any questions, please send an email to keepoaklandcreative@gmail.com
  
Please be on the look out for our reminders and updates on developments with the budget.
  
Until Thursday!
#KEEPOAKLANDCREATIVE

black woman is god exhibit needs your support

0
0
The Black Woman Is God Exhibition Needs Your Support!

  • Karen Seneferu 
    Jun 28 at 11:16 PM


    We are transforming the Bay Area art scene and the world, so we need your support! With your help, we look forward to bringing you beautiful gifts of art and community.

    Our names are Karen Seneferu and Melorra Green. We are artists, activists, and change-makers. We love Black art and work to create spaces for Black women artists who are often marginalized in the art world. 

    Last year we had 2,000 people come out to the opening reception of The Black Woman Is God at SOMArts in San Francisco. So many performers, artists, healers, and stewards helped make this mammoth exhibition possible — providing a platform for 60 Black visual artists to contribute over 100 pieces of artwork and over 75 dancers, drummers, and performers to activate the exhibition at the opening reception. 

    Since then, SOMArts has created space for us to bring The Black Woman is God back in 2017 and the exhibition has gotten bigger. We are reaching out to you for financial support to show appreciation for those who continue to give without requesting to be paid. Let's show the artists, the communities and the world that The Black Woman is God is not only an exhibition but a movement that has the power to bring about healing and transformation.

    This is what we have done so far and what we are asking you to support:




    Thank you,


    Karen Seneferu
    Founder and Co-Curator
    The Black Woman Is God
    ©2013

    www.theblackwomanisgod.com

    "Space dictates meaning. What enters that space is dictated to by the meaning of the space or can change the meaning of the space." Karen Seneferu

parables and fables by marvin x, aka, plato, rumi, hafiz, saadi

0
0

Parable of the No People






No, no, no! That is all you say. Everything about you is no. Your lips say no, your eyes, your heart, your mind, your arms, your legs, your feet. You are a no person. I run from you. You say no to God. I am afraid of your no touch. I cannot expand my mind around no people. You will kill my spiritual development. No no no no!
When you say yes to life you open the world of infinite possibilities. I understand no part of no, only infinite possibilities. No does not exist in my world, only yes. Yes to love. Yes to success, yes to hope, yes to truth, yes to prosperity, yet to divinity, yes to resurrection, yes to ascension, yes to eternity. I am the language of yes. If you cannot say yes, get away from me. I run from you, want nothing to do with you. There is no hope for you until you open your mouth to yes.

Cast away the yes fear. Let it go, let God. Yes. No matter what, yes. No matter how long, yes.
No matter how hard, yes. Let there be peace in the house, yes. Let there be love between you and me, yes. Let there be revolution in the land, over the world, yes. We will try harder, yes, we won't give up, yes. We shall triumph, yes. Yes is the language of God. Yes is the language of Divinity, Spirituality.

All the prophets ssaid yes. Adam said yes, Abraham said yes. Moses said yes. Solomon said yes.
Job said yes. Jeremiah, Isaiah said yes. The lover in Song of Solomon said yes. David said yes.
John and Jesus sasid yes. Muhammad said yes. Elijah and Malcolm, Martin and Garvey, Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth said yes. Fannie Lou and Rosa Parks, Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott ssaid yes.

Mama and daddy said yes. Grandma and grandpa said yes. All the ancestors said yes. Forevermore, let go of no and say yes. Dance to yes. Shout to yes!
--Marvin X
from Beyond Religion, toward Spirituality, Black Bird Press, Berkeley, 2007

Parable of Family


Family is all there is, nothing else exists, no love, no hate, more than family. No matter the pain, shame, envy, lust, murder, let there be family. Revolution is for family, a unity, reconstruction of trust, faith, all for family. No matter the abandonment, mental illness, incest, yet it is family for the new day, for the tradition of ancestors, for the living and yet unborn. Family. Hate them, love them, but they are there live in breathing color, in blood, sweat and tears. Family.

Jesus said to hell with them. Godfather Part II taught us beware of them, they will plot against you, murder you, lie to you. Family. But to see them gathered together, even with their negrocities is a wonder, the generations, the elders, adults, youth, children, grandchildren. This is the best it gets on this earth.

Hide from them, run from them, deny them will not suffice for they shall rise again into the sun, they are there in the moon, family, gushing forth like some volcano to spill forth the lava of love in the midst of pain, sorrow, remorse, grief, the love is there in the wind, see it, smell it, family. My family is the united nations, the African, European, Latin, flowing in the blood of us, tweeking us for some future time of understanding, not now in the chaos of the cross and lynching tree. Family. Beaten by storm and money, depression and memory, yet must come together to form the forbidden tree of unity, like the garden we must no longer eat forbidden fruit, but eat of the tree of truth and righteousness. Family.

How will it end, how did it begin, no matter, we are here and beautiful, full of the God spirit beyond ourselves, our fears and years of hidden truth, the closet tales, wails, horror in the night, ghost stories and myths revealed only at the cemetery, the secret trauma of children keep hidden til uncle joe died and cousin mary. We didn't know dad had all those other kids, we didn't know him at all really. He was a preacher and man of the road, but then we found his truth on that fateful day when God reveals all. Family.

Watch the children grow tall, then the grandchildren. What wonder is this, what drama, what awesome revelation of God. The DNA leaves no doubt, the blood of ancestors is alive and well, who can deny, don't even try, the cause is lost to glory of the King.


Parable of Dr. Yacoub's America


In the populist black studies of Elijah Muhammad, we are taught a big-head
scientist genetically engineered the white man by separating the
dominant and recessive genes from the aboriginal Asiatic black man.
Yacoub's bio tech lab was not much different from the bio-tech labs
operating in Berkeley and Emeryville, a few blocks from my house. We
have no doubt they have cloned a man in these labs, but are simply
delaying the announcement.

According to Elijah's Myth of Yacoub, the young scientist found the 
magnetic attraction between two pieces of steel. We maintain America 
is the land of Yacoub's children who love playing with steel. America 
spends a trillion dollars making weapons of steel, making her the number 
one arms merchant of the world. Children in the hood (and the suburbs) are addicted to steel
as well, whether guns to mainly kill each other or cars they turn into weapons 
of destruction, using cars in "side shows" where people are needlessly injured 
or killed. The children will stand in the street or walk directly into a two thousand pound
piece of steel and plastic, fearing nothing. If you stop before hitting
them, they will curse you and/or pull out a piece of steel to shoot you.
They use steel to resolve all disputes, sometimes before a discussion
or conflict resolution.

Yocoub utilized three workers on his bio-tech project: the doctor, nurse 
and undertaker. These workers conspired to create the man of steel or devil. 
They practiced a form of selective breeding, allowing the black to mate with
a brown and a brown with a lighter person until the white devil was created 
after hundreds of years, 600 to be exact. Two blacks were not allowed to mate in this
experiment. Even today, there are some blacks who demand their children
not marry another black skinned person, only someone lighter. This is no
doubt residue from the Yacoubian psychopathology. If two blacks
produced a baby, the doctor, nurse and undertaker would conspire to
murder the baby to keep the experiment on track.

In modern America, we must note the three workers, doctor, nurse and undertaker,
are aided and abetted by workers from the petrochemical and
pharmaceutical industry, who are determined to fulfill their wish, "let
us make a man." The petrochemical workers produce the food in oil, not
earth. As much as possible the crops are genetically engineered. If not,
they are created by a healthy dose of insecticides, pesticides,
herbicides, fertilizers and dyes.

Naturally, the oil based rather than soil based food leads Yacoub's children 
directly from the fruit of petrochemical workers into the hands of pharmaceutical workers in
league with the doctor, nurse and undertaker. The prescription drug
dealers connect with insurance companies to guide the patient into the
hands of the doctor, nurse and undertaker.

When poor Michael Jackson was found dead at the hands of his doctor, we knew the Myth of
Yacoub was alive and well. Michael was so addicted to the Myth of Yacoub
that he exceeded the limit of propriety in attempting to alter his
blackness in favor of the Yacoubian ideal of whiteness. But note his
doctor administered the hemlock that took him into oblivion.

There is almost no way to avoid the scheme or conspiracy of the Yacoubian
team of workers, the petrochemical, pharmaceutical, medical and funeral
agents.

When a man entered prison, the inmates warned him, "Don't get sick. 
Whatever you do, don't get sick up in here. There's a prison graveyard 
full of nigguhs who got sick." And so it is the same in America, don't get sick. 
Yacoub's team of workers are eagerly awaiting you, sharpening their knives 
until you get to the doctor and nurse, and finally the undertaker.

The only solution is to avoid living in the stress zone, for dis-ease is brought 
about from stress, thus the food (petrochemical) is useless and dangerous; the medicine
(pharmaceutical) is useless and dangerous as it is not designed to heal
only prolong the illness unto death. Part of the last rites administered
to the victim of Yacoubism is that ride in a black steel hearse.
--Marvin X
11/21/10

Parable of the Rats by Marvin X




The rats all have the same gait: they scurry about, back broken by an abundance of lies, half-truths and disinformation, defamation and other tactics of rat behavior. Even their facial expressions have a rat like appearance, so you can see them coming a mile away. You can smell a funky rat. We suspect the two legged variety even has a tail hidden inside their pants or underneath their dresses, yes, there are rats of every gender, every color, class. Some are sewer rats, some are wharf rats, some are subway rats, church rats, house rats. But their behavior is the same. They are on the lower level of humankind, these two legged rats. They can do nothing right. They cannot give justice even with the scale in view while they weigh goods. They will lie while you look at them playing with the scale. They will try to convince you the scale doesn't work while it is their minds that have not evolved to work on the human level.

There is only one thing to do with such rats: set a trap for them or feed them poison cheese and watch them puke and vomit until they die. Better yet, let the cat catch their asses. It is beautiful watching the cat catch a rat, seeing how still the cat will become while stalking his prey. But the cat will lie in wait for the rat as long as it takes, never moving, never batting his eye. And then he leaps upon his prey and devours him. It is a beautiful sight when when the cat and rat game reaches the climax and ends with the consumption of the rat by the cat.
--Marvin X
7/15/15
Parable of the Penguin

The news broadcaster announced several motorists thought they spotted a penguin waddling along the freeway. Since the freeway was inland, the announcer wondered how was it possible for the little creature to find its way to the freeway. He said the highway patrol was coming to the scene and would try its best to safely rescue the little bird, but when the patrolman arrived at the scene, the creature was elusive, but he was certain they could capture the bird as it waddled along.

A short time later the newsman interrupted the program with a correction. They had made a mistake about the penguin. It wasn't a penguin as originally reported. The waddling creature was actually a diminutive teenager with his pants sagging.

He was arrested for being under the influence of drugs and taken to the mental hospital for observation. He was also given a citation for indecent exposure.
--Marvin X
4/25/10

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2007



Parable of the Pan African Hood
By Marvin X

"The reactionaries will never put down their butcher knives,
they will never turn into Buddha heads."--Mao

We are talking about a condition in the hearts of men, an evil sore festering and stinking like rotten meat, to use that Langston Hughes metaphor. It is a spiritual disease more prevalent than HIV, for it consumes whole countries, not only Pan Africa, but it may be said to originate in Europe because lying and murder is the great theme of this culture, and Africa and Africans throughout the Diaspora are victimized and suffer this malady equally with their colonial Mother. See how Europe butchered the butcher's sons in Iraq, or is this the democratic way of life she is bringing to the sand nigguhs?

The problem is how to throw off the vestiges of colonialism to become the New Man and New Woman. Of course, we must first recognize how sick colonialism has made us throughout Pan Africa. Somehow we must bow down and ask forgiveness of our Higher Power, the ancestors, the living and the yet unborn. There must be a cleansing ritual performed until the mud and slime of Western culture is purged from our minds, bodies and souls.

The Western gods must be destroyed, crushed to the earth and stomped into eternity, for they have blessed us with ignorance, superstition, greed, lust and pure evil, allowing us to become worse than beasts in the field, committing the worse atrocities, yea, even worse than all the teaching of our colonial masters.

No doubt Africa is paying for the great sin of sending her sons and daughters into slavery. Has Africa asked forgiveness of herself, yet she wails for apology from the slave master's children. Has she given reparations to her descendants lost in the wilderness of North America? Has she ever sent a symbolic ship or plane to bring them home? So Pan Africa lives a slow death because she allows corrupt, boastful, arrogant leaders to control her nations, her leaders shelter each other, covering their multiple sins, protecting themselves from people's justice who would rightfully hang them like Mussolini and his wife.

Like jack in the box, Pan Africa must jump out of her iniquities, she must call forth the divine energy within the bowels of her soul and step into the New Day of light, breath and health. She cannot allow her children to devour her from coast to coast, sea to sea, from America to Africa, but children only mock the behavior of adults, so we cannot blame them, children are children, so adults must step to the front of the line, no matter how busy they are doing nothing, for they are surely doing nothing if the village is in chaos, security being the top priority of civilization.

Everyone must become the central command, every man and woman must be about the business of teaching new values, new ways of thinking and acting that are not harmful to the human soul and the human condition.

The world is so full of wisdom it escapes us because our quest is for the trivial, the low things of life, not the things in the upper room, but those in the basement, in the gutter of our minds and hearts, that is were we dwell, that is our focus and this is why we suffer. Kobe gives his wife a four million dollar rock, but will it placate her soul, will material things correct a spiritual problem of faith and trust?
The West has a sordid history buying people as Pan Africa can attest, but everyone is not for sale, those of integrity will jump ship, will eat the whip and the gun, for persecution is worse than slaughter, the Qur'an teaches.

No, physical weapons cannot solve the problem. Look at Israel, she has the all the modern weapons but she cannot defeat the spirit of a people determined to be free. So Pan Africa's children can and must be disarmed by a new consciousness. Even Fidel Castro has said the new weapon is consciousness!

Like Johnny Apple Seed, we must go about spreading consciousness, teaching unconditional love and forgiveness, sharing knowledge and wealth with the poor and ignorant, the brokenhearted and oppressed. I am not trying to be sentimental, but we can and must flip the script as they say in the hood.

Again, like Jack, we must jump out the box of mental and physical oppression by taking a new look at reality, by stopping a moment to wonder at the pleasure in the sun, the trees, the sea and mountains, the glory of being alive each moment to share human love, being grateful we have a moment on this earth to whisper truth to children that they may rise and be a pleasure to the ancestors watching from everywhere. Yes, we must transcend block man and block woman, the block within ourselves even, and reach forth into the realm of new possibilities, not allowing evil and her brothers and sisters to control the air and sun that comes each day blessing us with another moment to walk in the light, escaping the darkness of ignorance, greed, lust and violence.

Black men, go into the hood and take the guns from your sons, yes the sons you abandoned, neglected and rejected, the sons who look like you although you deny this, the sons who walk with sad hearts, hardened because they long for you, for your love and guidance, for your wisdom and strength, after all, Mama did all she could to raise her manchild in the promised land.

--Marvin X

Sunday, April 18, 2010



Parable of King Tut



Parable of King Tut
There was a man spoiled rotten by women, wives and lovers. One of his several mother-in-laws said she never saw a man treated so royally as her daughter treated him. He got breakfast in bed, lunch in bed, dinner in bed. Her daughter waited on him as if he were King Tut!
And other women did the same. He wished they would not do this to him, but of course he went along for the ride.

The people, men and women, loved him because he was intelligent and dedicated to the people. His life was a sacrifice to the people and their struggle for freedom.

Actually, he lived a spartan life with nothing of value except his writings. And they would only become valuable on the day he died, according to friends who kept his writings in their archives for that fateful day no man escapes. They made sure he autographed everything he gave or sold them.

The men loved him as much as the women. He couldn't understand why men wanted to kiss him on the cheek. He wondered if they were gay or just sincerely appreciative of the good works he did for the people.

One brother from his childhood in West Oakland told him the people were proud of him and could see he was doing something unique that no one else was doing, making himself accessible to the common people as few intellectuals and artists would dare attempt.

One of the bourgeoisie intellectuals said selling his books to the common people would be like trying to sell stakes to vegetarians. But brotherman either sold or gave away freely his books to the common people. Or he would give them credit and the people would come by weeks later with the money.

His latest book is priced at $100.00 (one hundred dollars), not because he gives a damn about money, but he wants people to appreciate the value of his labor, often writing 24/7 without a break except for a brief nap or two.

He noted the true value of a hamburger is priced at $200.00 when factored in the slave labor of tomato pickers, lettuce and cucumber pickers, also the damage to the health of field workers subjected to dangerous insecticides and pesticides. And the animals do damage to the environment and the health of consumers because the beef producers use growth hormones to expedite meat to the market place. The growth hormones in the meat have a negative effect on the health of consumers, causing a variety of diseases the cost of which is astronomical.

So why should he not charge $100.00 for his book that he labored intensely to produce, doing all the work himself, writing, editing, proofreading, supervising the printing and promotion?

Maybe he deserved having sisters clean his house on their hands and knees. Maybe he deserved his meals in bed, or getting his sexual needs met by prostitutes since he was a single man.

Some say he is the most prolific writer in America, authoring a book a month, according to his comrades in the arts, the Last Poets. He finished his memoir of Eldridge Cleaver in three weeks, in public view online as he published each chapter daily, probably the first book in history written in public view.

Believe it or not, he hated praise and was the frequent victim of theft by friends. But he didn't care, it was flattering and gave him material to write about. As Bob Marley said, with my friends I don't need enemies!

He was a recluse who rarely comes out except to teach at his Academy of Da Corner, downtown Oakland at 14th and Broadway or at the Berkeley Flea market.

Sister Aeshah Kokoman said he was a deep sea diver who rarely comes up for air, and when he does it is only for a moment.

Parable of a Square Bitch by Marvin X

Re: Good Places For Black Men to Meet Eligible Black Women...

She was a square bitch, sophisticated Spelman bitch, til Dante turned her out, made her a stripper, climbing up and down poles like a monkey.



She stripped til her mama and daddy came and got her and took her home for a rest. But she soon returned to college and Dante turned her out again, this time at the dope house, stripping, sucking and fucking  the brothers and sisters in the dope house. Strung out so tough she rented out to the dope man  the BMW her daddy bought for her when she first got to college. She waited outside the dope house all weekend til the dope man returned her car. Square bitch. Know everything dumb ass bitch.

Took two courses in Black Studies and claimed she knew all of African history, knew who she was and nobody could tell her shit. She was an educated black woman. But when she got a chance to travel abroad, she went to Europe rather than Africa. Said she wasn't ready for Africa. Nor was she interested in that Black Lives Matter bullshit, all lives mattered to her, specially when she met a hipster named Brando. Brando taught her color doesn't matter, so she believed him, until they got drunk one night and he called her his nigger bitch. The real nigguh came out of her and she slapped him, called him a low life peckerwood white trash bastard. When neighbors heard the noise and called the police, they came and saw Brando had bruises on his face, so they took her black ass to jail. Her mama and daddy sent money to bail her out.


She left Brando and slipped back into the hood looking for Dante. Dante told her, "I don't want yo punk ass, bitch. Go back to that peckerwood motherfucker, you funky ho!" She begged Dante, "Please, please, Dante, I just wanna be black again, please take me back, I'll do anything.""Ok, bitch, get me a choosin fee and hurry up. You know what to do." Miss Square bitch got on the phone to some tricks so she could get Dante's choosin fee. She got it together and presented it to Dante. He said, "Ok, bitch, don't give me no motherfuckin trouble. Don't you ever again tell me about some motherfuckin boundaries. You do whatever the fuck I tell you quick and in a hurry, you hear me, bitch?""Yes, Dante."

She moved in with Dante and his other ho's and they were all happy together for a time.
--Marvin X
7/31/15 


hapi b day, iyaluua ferguson, 85

0
0
IYALUUA
By
George Edward Tait
(On the Octogenarian Occasion of the 85th Birthday of Iyaluua Ferguson – June 29, 2017)
Iyaluua!
She shuns the limelight, avoids the spotlight
A soldier in the shadows
The moonlight methodologies of a militaristic matriarch
Maternal maneuvers against the missing-in-action malevolence of mainstream media
With endearing and enduring editorship of the Nation Time newspaper:
A political prisoner protection platform and project and program –
Fueling a frontline family of fail-safe freedom fighters. Iyaluua:
A nonpareil nurturer, a natural nationalist, a Nubian New Afrikan.
Iyaluua!
Queen Mother and Warrior Queen
A blessed bond with Yemoja and Yaa Asantewaa
Parental passion for a Pan-Afrikan populace
Watchful wife and wisdom worker
A blessed blend of marital ubiquity and martial uniformity
A revered representation of revolutionary royalty
A paradigm of persistence and perseverance –
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
© 2017

Notes on The Black Woman is God: from Sarah Baartman to Serena Williams by Marvin X

0
0
Notes on Sarah Baartman and Serena Williams by Marvin X


k
Sarah Baateman, "Hottentot Venus" aka, Miss Universe



The Black Woman Is God Exhibition Needs Your Support!



  • Karen Seneferu 
    Jun 28 at 11:16 PM



    We are transforming the Bay Area art scene and the world, so we need your support! With your help, we look forward to bringing you beautiful gifts of art and community.

    Our names are Karen Seneferu and Melorra Green. We are artists, activists, and change-makers. We love Black art and work to create spaces for Black women artists who are often marginalized in the art world. 

    Last year we had 2,000 people come out to the opening reception of The Black Woman Is God at SOMArts in San Francisco. So many performers, artists, healers, and stewards helped make this mammoth exhibition possible — providing a platform for 60 Black visual artists to contribute over 100 pieces of artwork and over 75 dancers, drummers, and performers to activate the exhibition at the opening reception. 

    Since then, SOMArts has created space for us to bring The Black Woman is God back in 2017 and the exhibition has gotten bigger. We are reaching out to you for financial support to show appreciation for those who continue to give without requesting to be paid. Let's show the artists, the communities and the world that The Black Woman is God is not only an exhibition but a movement that has the power to bring about healing and transformation.

    This is what we have done so far and what we are asking you to support:




    Thank you,


    Karen Seneferu
    Founder and Co-Curator
    The Black Woman Is God
    ©2013

Notes on the Black Woman is God--from Sarah Baateman to Serena Williams
by
Marvin X

The African and/or black body has always been supreme universally, male and female. As per Greeks, Africans were models for their sculpture, just as African thought and mythology was the model for Greek philosophy and mythology (see George M. James, Dr. Ben, Cheikh Anta Dioip, et al.)

The Europeans can claim Sarah was primitivo,i.e., savage, yet  she exhibited the finest example of the female physiognomy.  Otherwise, how did she become the "Hottentot Venus"? Was she a freak descending from baboons or the model of feminine physiognomy caught in the patriarchal white supremacy mythology that honored, praised and worshiped the African body (and mind), while simultaneously pathologically envious and jealous of such?

In modern times, we have the African goddess supreme, Serena Williams, not to leave out her sister Venus. I must mention the most powerful reaction to a poem I ever heard  was at Spelman College in Atlanta, after BAM Master poet Askia Toure' read his praise poem in honor of the William sisters. The applause from the audience of mostly women was deafening, like an earthquake of pure female joy exploding in the room. It frightened me and when I looked at Askia, he seemed shocked and frightened as well. His poem simply praised the two sistas for their primordial, primitivo, African beauty, more precisely, their Black African beauty as well as their overwhelming skills on the tennis court, comparing them to two black panthers devouring their foes with consummate skill.


And for this moment at Spelman College, Black African women were praised, honored and respected for enduring the degradation  of centuries, experimentation, examination, mutilation of the Black Goddess body, heart, mind, soul and color.. See the book  Medical Apartheid. From Sara to Serena, the Black Goddess has been the subject of experimentation, alas, she was the foundation of the medical profession known as gynecology. She we begin with Sara? Is not Serena the modern version of Sara, exhibiting her physiognomy and prowness in the present era?  

Let’s dispel the patriarchal mythology!  Alas, my Mother raised nine children of her own and two grandchildren by herself, a single women. Who do you think god is in my eyes, Mama!.

Little has changed since the era of the socalled "Hottentot Venus." She was from a tribe that was free, not slave, since the Dutch could not conquer them. A socalled free African man assisted and managed her European "tour". Yet, she was a de facto slave. Well, Serena must be considered a free African woman who excelled to the heights with her physical skills at tennis. And yes, she exhibited the consummate African body beautiful, artful, skillful to smash her European Barby Doll opponents  so gloriously described in Askia's poem.

So what is the connection between Sarah and Serena, two African goddesses in two eras centuries apart?Well, in the post-black era, we would like to say Serena is just as free and  powerful as Sara claimed to be with her exhibition contracts, though most people suspect the contracts were a fraud and she was a de facto slave.

On the other hand, Serena is technically a free North American African woman, though we wonder if she is among the truly free North American Africans, why does the Voting Rights Act need to be renewed to insure her citizenship and voting rights?

Is there really a distance in time and space between Sara and Serena? For sure, Serena did not need to pose nude and pregnant to earn a dollar. We know Serena is rich and yet how similar the pose of Sara and Serena on page nine. How can a socalled free African and her modern counterpart strike the same pose?

Unless she is simply proud of her body as we are of her's and ours, why did she need to pose pregnant in the nude? Sara did try to pose with trappings of civility as per her genitalia.

I am with those in love with our bodies, unashamed of our bodies no matter what shape or form. If my grandchildren would see the pregnant Serena, they would say, "Grandpa, you look like Serena!" And then I would let them punch me in the belly to show them there was strength in my fat pregnant looking belly, so similar to Serena's, especially in the mind of my grandchildren. y

One of my partner’s said she appreciated me because I went nude in the house without shame of my obesity, which didn’t bother me at all.

So we suspect Serena is secure within herself as per her body, thus it was no problem for her to pose nude and pregnant, no matter that some would and did say to me, "She looks like a gorilla," though we suspect they ignore her royal African beauty in league with her ancestor Sara, especially since she was impregnated by a European and many North American African men find this most disgusting in the biological war over the Black sperm between the white and black woman. This white woman/black woman war over sperm is a war of the most pervasive nature. This is biology at its greatest, alas, a life and death battle over the generations to come.

Chancellor Williams told us in his classic Destruction of African Civilizations, this war began 6,000 years ago when the invaders took Kemet and thus began the 6,000 year struggle with mulattoes and their crisis that persisted down to Prince and Obama, “Am I Black, Am I White?” Purple Rain!

Without a doubt, there is  war between the white woman and black woman over the black sperm, although on another level the black woman is in desperate straits to answer the call of her body clock! You don't hear me. Maybe if you had daughters and bothered to listen to them, you would be concerned about the Mythology of Pussy and Dick, title of my most controversial book, printed as an 18 page pamphlet, expanded to 400 pages.

As the father of three unmarried daughters, although they are mothers and highly successful women, I am without words when it comes to their choice of a man. Of course, as a revolutionary Black nationalist, I want my daughters to marry Black, but one daughter informed me 75% of her friends have connected with "others".


Let us not berate Serena for hooking up with a European, after all, as one of my daughters told me, "Dad, my biological clock is ticking, please don't answer my phone, I'll never get a man!"

I am not mad at Serena for finding love. Any one of us shall be lucky to find love in this Crazy House Called America. Go for it!
--Marvin X

federal help to stop chicago violence

0
0
Trump Says He’s Sending ‘Federal Help’ to Chicago Amid Gun Violence

After countless shootings and hundreds of murders during the first half of 2017, Chicago is getting more federal aid.

Twenty additional federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) have been sent to the city after President Donald Trump tweeted Friday that: “Crime and killings in Chicago have reached such epidemic proportions that I am sending in Federal help.”
screen-shot-2017-06-30-at-1-40-50-pm
Local Chicago website DNAInfo says at least 332 people have been shot and killed in Chicago in this year. Last year, 751 were gunned down and more than 4,300 people were shot, according to local reports.

Notes on a tale of two gold brothers and a gold sista

0
0
 michael basquait

tupac shakur

I asked Dr. Nathan Hare to write something on two young genius brothers who departed this earth before their thirties. When Dr. Hare wrote on the suicide of my son at 39, he compared my son's death to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., both of whom were taken from us when they were 39 years old. Dr. Hare said my son just took another route but he noted suicide and homicide are  two sides of the same coin.


So in the era of Malcolm and Martin, the "man" would take you out,  one didn't need to walk into a train as my brilliant son did, yes, after traveling the to Brazil, Japan, Egypt, Europe, Syria and returning home to do graduate work at Harvard before his mental breakdown from mani-depression. And yes, I must admit, there came a point when I knew I was not capable of helping my son, especially after he tried to throw me into the water at San Francisco's Pier 39.


dr. nathan hare and his student/patient marvin x

When I asked Dr. Hare to write something on two young genius black men, Michael Basquait and Tupac Shakur, it was a rhetorical request  because he had already written about the topic of young black men experiencing homicide and suicide. And I had his comforting notes on the suicide of my son who walked into a train after graduating in Arabic and Near Eastern Literature at UC Berkeley, a Fulbright at the University of Damascus, Syria. Yet my heart yearned to understand the self-destruction of two of our greatest artists, Basequait and Tupac, not that my son was a lessor person because he certainly was not, yet he suffered the same fate of self destruction. Surely it did not matter that he was an intellectual rather than an artist. He was a young man trying to navigate the perilous mental landscape of Americana, just as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. attempted. What did it matter that Malcom, Martin and my son were in their late 30s rather than their late twenties as were Basquait and Shakur? Alas, we are told the most dangerous time for a black child is in the womb! Yes, thanks to Madam Sanger and her Planned Parenthood genocide project, black babies are more likely to suffer destruction than our young men.

We look at Tupac and Michael and wonder why and how could they leave us when we need them so much. And people beg me to stay here as long as I can so I can help the helpless, though I am totally exhausted with this life and wish to join the ancestors asap. Then I check myself and realize my life is not my life but for a greater cause, the liberation of my people--and I am yet standing because I am standing on the shoulders of my ancestors and elders and should shut the fuck up and do the work until every ounce of life has departed my body. Alas, not long ago I wanted to throw in the white flag but a true trooper came by and put the red, black and green in my hand, demanding I continue the fight. I thank him for handing me the red, black and green and making me put down the white flag of surrender.

And so when I consider Michael Basquait and Tupac Shakur, I must also consider Serena Williams since the brothers are gone and sister Serena is still here and about to give birth to the next generation, no matter a bi-racial baby, for we don't know what the next generation will accomplish. Alas, when he was three years old, my grandson told me, "Grandfather, you can't save the world, but I can!" I have no idea where he was coming from but I knew he was coming from somewhere beyond my imagination and perhaps somewhere on more solid ground than I could ever know.

Michael and Tupac were the very best of their generation and yet they self destructed and we must accept the wisdom they gave us and move on to the next level. Departing at 25, Tupac, 27 for Michael, they were closer to Jesus at 33 than Martin, Malcolm and my son, Darrel P. Jackmon, 39.

My son used to mock me and say he would preach my funeral and tell every secret thing about me, yet I had to speak at his funeral as many parents are doing these days. Surely nature is out of order when parents bury children rather than the reverse.

Imagine, I tried to work with the mothers of children, mostly sons, murdered in drive by killings in Oakland. I could not take the pain and grief of the mothers. Few fathers were in these meetings and I was yet to bury my son as a victim of suicide, though Dr. Hare comforted me with the knowledge that suicide and homicide are flip sides of the same coin! Alas, many of the homicides are in fact suicides because the young men put themselves in a position to be killed because they were too cowardly to take their own lives! Yes, they did some shit to make another brother take them out or the police. Does it matter that they were too cowardly to kill themselves?  Does it matter than Tupac got caught in some East Coast/West Coast bullshit? Does it matter that Michael Basquait overdosed because the NY police killed his friend? As Dr. Hare noted, "...nothing can sedate the angst and shattered cultural strivings...."

We called this story A Tale of Two Gold Brothers, yet, sadly, they never enjoyed the gold! Perhaps,  their lives were simply not about gold but a cause greater than gold and themselves. Let us then go into the deep structure of their young lives to unravel the conundrum that will help us heal and save ourselves from the world of make believe and conspicuous consumption Dr. E. Franklin Frazier told us about in his classic Black Bourgeoisie, followed by Dr. Nathan Hare in his sociological classic Black Ango-Saxons.



Yes, the brothers are gone but our beloved sister Serena Williams is yet with us and is about to give birth to the next generation. Need we wonder if her child will lead us on to freedom?

Well, don't put that pressure on Serena, ask yourselves if your children and grandchildren will fight the good fight. I am so relieved my grandson said, "Grandfather, you can't save the world, but I can!"

Can you imagine the pressure and stress he took off me, and he was only two or three years old at best? Yet I am confident, he knows something I don't know. Did not Gibran tell us our children come through us but they are not us? We are the bow, they are the arrow.

Thus, we are thankful Tupac shared his life and wisdom with us; we are thankful Michael Basquait gave us 27 years of his artistic life. And we are thankful for Serena and Venus Williams for being the Black goddesses in our lives.

venus and serena williams

--Marvin X
7/1/17

music meet paul tillman smith

0
0

MEET PAUL TILLMAN SMITH....

Friday, 30 June 2017 13:21 Bill BE-mailPrintPDF
altOakland's PAUL TILLMAN SMITH is not one of modern soul big "names", but the drummer/percussionist has been in the business for almost four decades and in that time he's created some quite beautiful music that deserves a larger audience and as items from his back catalogue are now being reissued and re-promoted, the time is right to get to know Paul Tillman Smith a whole lot better!
First a little history. In his career Paul has led several bands including Vitamin E, Bridge and Park Place. He's also the founding Board member of the "Bay Area Jazz Society" a non-profit music charity and the co-founder & Artistic Director of the Berkeley Juneteenth Festival, the longest running African American Music and Arts festival in Northern California history.
altTo offer an overview of his career, back in 2013 Mr. Tillman Smith released the retrospective album 'Bed Ballads' credited to 'Park Place Presents Paul Tillman Smith'. The long player brought together his best performances from his forty year career and amongst the vocalists on the album are dear Phyllis Hyman (on 'As You Are') and Lenny Williams (whose 'Invisible man' is one of his very best). Want more? Well the musicians number people like Pharaoh Sanders, the Brecker Brothers, Jon Faddis, James Gadson, Mtume, Bobby Lyles, Wah Wah Watson and David T. Walker. The producer, by the way, is someone called Norman Connors! 'Bed Ballads' is a wonderful piece of work and so aptly named! Indeed 'Bed Ballads' is like a Norman Connors' set for the 21st century!
altPaul's newest album is the equally excellent 'A Beautiful Heart' and the album's title track offers a link to 'Bed Ballads'. The song featured on that album too but here it's given a very different treatment – tough and funky with vocals from American Idol finalist LaToya London. There's input on it from Rosie Gaines too and she's involved in another cut – a remix of the sweet 'Summer Sky'. Other vocalists include Skyler Jet and Donnie Williams (another American Idol finalist). Amongst other cuts, Donnie features on the gospel tune 'Precious Song' (another re-recorded item from, 'Bed Ballads') and it's just one of countless highlights. Indeed there's just so much good on 'A Beautiful Heart' and 'Bed Ballads' that's it's impossible to cherry pick highlights.
Just know that both are currently available via your favourite outlet (digital or real) and they're both a must for investigation that is if you really care about proper modern soul music!

marvin x speaks at we love africa expo

0
0


Dear Marvin X,

On behalf of the organization, I want to thank you for your presence and rousing speech at the "Black And African Business Expo". The speech left us educated and inspired.
Judging from the comments of those who attended, the expo was very successful. Most of the credit goes to you and other vendors who made their presence felt. I hope your speech imparted into everyone, especially the youngsters, the importance of "Black Dollars".
Again, we were pleased to have your participation in this outstanding expo, and we thank you for your valuable contribution.
I will be sending you pictures and looking forward to your write up on the expo. GCEA will plan to do an interview with you about the Black Arts Movement Business District.
One last thing, is there any suggestion, critique or observation you can point out that can make us a better host in the future.
Best Regards
-- 







BAM Supporter Fantastic Negrito at Stern Grove, Sunday, July 2, 2017

0
0

We much appreciate the artistic personality known as Fantastic Negrito who offered his services to perform at the Laney College 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Black Arts Movement. A scheduling conflict didn't allow him to perform, but since then we had the pleasure of meeting him. We found him a humble person, and he agreed to support our long planned 27 City Tour of Black Arts Movement icons. Finally, I heard his music and was blown away by his neo-blues, spiritual, black classical music style. We will soon write a review of his music. We wish him well and appreciate him as much as his fans have expressed to me, and those who grew up with him in the hood. Our desire is to perform with him ASAP.
--Marvin X, Publisher, The Movement, Voice of the Black Arts Movement International

 Maestro Marvin X and the Black Arts Movement Poets Choir and Arkestra
photo collage Adam Turner

Founding performance of the Black Arts Movement Poets Choir and Arkestra, University of California, Merced, 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Black Arts Movement


 Maestro Marvin X with living legends of BAM, David Murray and Earle Davis, Malcolm X Jazz/Art Festival, Oakland CA

Marvin X in the light, Laney College reading at performance of Donald Lacy's Color Struck




Fantistic Negrito and BAM Master Poet/playwright Marvin X
photo Adam Turner

New Music - Out Today!
'Push Back' and 'The Shadows' 

Family, Friends and Fans - 

Been far too long! 

After our Grammy win, we took a moment to celebrate. But then we got right back in the studio, and today I'm excited to share the two tracks we added to The Last Days of Oakland: Push Back and The Shadows - which are available now through our new partner Cooking Vinyl. You can hear them HERE and order them HERE. They'll be available on vinyl soon!
Listen to 'Push Back' Now!
Order, Download or Stream The Last Days Of Oakland Here
I can't wait to get back on the road and share these songs with you.  We're kicking things off with dates in Portland and San Francisco, before heading to Europe for two months. Then we come home for a six week US tour with Sturgill Simpson. Get your tickets HERE.
2017 Summer Tour Dates
Supporting STURGILL SIMPSON**

June 30 – Portland, OR @ Waterfront Blues Festival
July 02 – San Francisco, CA @ Stern Grove Festival
July 07 – Suwalki, Poland @ Suwalki Blues Festival
JulY 09 – Rotterdam, The Netherlands @ North Sea Jazz Festival
July 13 – Pori, Finland @ Pori Jazz
July 15 – Paris, France @ Festival Afropunk
July 17 – Tuscany, Italy @ Festival delle Colline  
July 19 – Madrid, Spain  @ Joy Eslava  
July 20 – Majorca, Spain @ Claustre de Pollenca
July 23 – San Sebastian, Spain @ Jazzaldia
July 24 – Girona, Spain @ Tempo Sota les Estrelles
July 27 – Lucerne, Switzerland @ Blue Balls Festival
July 28 – London, UK @ Nell's Jazz and Blues
July 29 – Cambridge, UK @ Cambridge Folk Festival
July 31 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
Aug 03 – Nottingham, UK @ The Bodega
Aug 05 – Kato Drys Village, Cyprus @ Fengaros Festival
Aug 10 – Oslo, Norway @ Oya Festival (Øyamatt/Parkteatret)
Aug 11 – Haugesund, Norway @ Sildajazz
Aug 12 – Gothenburg, Sweden @ wayoutwest
Aug 17 – Trondheim, Norway @ Pstereo
Aug 18 – Mo-I-rana, Norway @ Verkat Festival
Aug 19 – Bodo, Norway @ Parkfestivalen
Sept 07 – Sugar Land, TX @ Smart Financial Centre**
Sept 08 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Verizon Theatre**
Sept 09 – Austin, TX @ Austin 360 Amphitheater**
Sept 14 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall**
Sept 15 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion**
Sept 16 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion**
Sept 17 – New York, NY @ The Meadows Music & Art Festival
Sept 19 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre**
Sept 21 – St. Louis, MO @ Fox Theatre**
Sept 22 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island**
Sept 23 – Louisville, KY @ Bourbon & Beyond Festival
Sept 25 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre**
Sept 28 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall**
Sept 29 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall**
Sept 30 – Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Amphitheater**
Oct 06 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre** 
I hope to see you on the road, especially now -- at this moment -- when it seems like people in power are trying to divide us. We will not give in to fear or hate. We're going to push back. Together. One world one love one race.

Sincerely,

Fantastic Negrito
Facebook
Twitter
Link
YouTube
Website
Copyright © 2017 Blackball Universe, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up on our website.

Our mailing address is:
Blackball Universe
230 Madison St.
Suite 2H
OaklandCa 94607

Add us to your address book


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp

Beyonce' is a true trooper for Pan African liberation--stop hatin' on a true trooper!

0
0


BeyGOOD: Beyoncé Partners With UNICEF to Bring Safe Water to Children in Remote Areas in Burundi, East Africa

Global entertainer and humanitarian, Beyoncé has teamed up with UNICEF through her BeyGOOD philanthropic arm to announce the launch of BEYGOOD4BURUNDI, a multi-year partnership to provide safe water to the most vulnerable children in Burundi, known as the "Heart of Africa." The partnership will support programs to improve water, sanitation and basic hygiene practices in the hardest-to-reach areas of the landlocked East African nation, where nearly half the population has no access to safe water.

BEYGOOD4BURUNDI INITIATIVE ANNOUNCED TODAY AT ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL WITH THE OPENING OF AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE SUPPORTED BY CHIME FOR CHANGE AND GLOBAL CITIZEN.
he water crisis in Burundi is a crisis for children. When children have to rely on unsafe water, they become weak, malnourished, and susceptible to water-borne diseases, which are among the leading causes of death in children under five. In order to walk for miles in search for wells, the lack of water also forces children to miss out on school. The burden of fetching water falls disproportionately on girls, who risk attacks along their journeys.
"Access to water is a fundamental right. When you give children clean and safe water, you don't just give them life, you give them health, an education, and a brighter future. I am committed to helping drive lasting solutions to the water crisis in Burundi," said Beyoncé.
"Addressing the global water crisis is one of the defining challenges of our time, and the children of Burundi are among the most vulnerable," said Caryl M. Stern, President and CEO of UNICEF USA. "This unique partnership combines UNICEF's decades of expertise in providing clean water to children in Burundi and around the world with the power and influence of the entertainment world to bring about social change. We are grateful to Beyoncé and BeyGOOD for joining forces with UNICEF, to highlight this critical issue to new audiences."
"BEYGOOD4BURUNDI is a continuation of the work that Beyoncé, her family and Parkwood Entertainment are doing to address water crises around the world, including right here in the state of Louisiana and in Michigan," said Ivy McGregor, ‎Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Relations at Parkwood Entertainment, who traveled to Burundi earlier this year. "In Burundi I saw myself, my sisters and my mother in the strength of the women and young sisters travelling miles to carry water for their families. Today young girls in the 'Heart of Africa' are given the gift of hope for a brighter tomorrow through our multi-year partnership with UNICEF and commitment to support safe water access solutions."
The first phase of the partnership includes the construction of new wells equipped with hand pumps, hygiene education and the improvement of water and sanitation facilities in schools in four priority regions, including Bukemba and Giharo in Rutana Province and Kinyinya and Nyabitsinda in Ruyigui Province. In these rural communities, children are chronically malnourished and more than 65 percent of the population is using unsafe water sources. Children and families have to walk long distances to water collection points, and even then the water access rate is extremely low.
More than 100 million people have gained access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services with the support of UNICEF in the last three years.  With over 70 years of field-tested experience and a network that spans the globe, UNICEF has unequalled expertise in providing immediate, lifesaving relief as well as driving long-term, sustainable solutions to the biggest development challenges facing the world's children.
Today's announcement in New Orleans, at the Essence Music Festival, is supported by CHIME FOR CHANGE, the campaign co-founded by Beyoncé, Salma Hayek Pinault and Gucci in 2013 to address critical issues facing women and girls around the world, and Global Citizen, the global social action platform that aims to solve the world's biggest challenges.  Global Citizen believes that it is only through partnership that the world can end extreme poverty by 2030.  In 2015 CHIME FOR CHANGE and Global Citizen joined forces to achieve measurable outcomes for girls' and women's issues, leveraging the combination of their powerful platforms, communities, partners and influence.
CHIME FOR CHANGE and Global Citizen support Beyoncé, BeyGOOD and UNICEF in opening an interactive experience at the Essence Music Festival that depicts life in a village in Burundi and the water crisis, complete with story-telling, photographs and moving images.  The BeyGOOD4Burundi experience occupies booth #450 at the New OrleansConvention Center and offers festival goers simple ways to help.  The experience is open now through Sunday, July 2.
To learn more go to www.beyonce.com 
About BeyGOOD Founded in 2013 during the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, BeyGOOD is an extension of Beyoncé's charitable heart. Through impactful dynamic partnerships, BeyGOOD's mission is to set an example of giving back and paying it forward while empowering others to do the same with what they have in their own communities. BeyGOOD is built on the belief that we are all in this together and each and every one of us can make a difference by giving back.
About UNICEFThe United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.
SOURCE Parkwood Entertainment
http://www.parkwood-ent.com
NEW ORLEANSJune 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -

jazz forever

0
0


jazz black classical music forever
let me have my sanity joy
jazz sun ra jc miles dizzy
jazz
milford graves mad drummer jazz
jazz
let me live in jazz world
wake up jazz night time jazz
children say oh dad yes
i named her naeema
think I didn't listen to your music
naeema joy
yes, dad, she was jazz to my soul
jazz i heard in yr house jazz
not mama music jazz
mad dad jazz
marijuana jazz
i heard in yr house
jazz dad yr jazz
sun ra crazy far out jazz
dad, i listened
i am jazz
yes, naeema jazz
jahmeel jazz
miles coltrane
beyond jazz jazz
your world jazz
other side of time jazz
black classical music you call it
ab calls it jazz
music of my mind
sitting still music
no standing
hip hop sounds
sitting still thinking music
jazz
then moving jazz
far out sounds on the other side of time
your buddy sun ra said
space in the place
jazz
beyond jazz sonny said
beyond time space jazz
no history only mystery
my story jazz
his story no jazz
his story mazz
mazz ain't jazz
jazz earle davis said is jazz blues
did he have bluese
cotton field blues
sugar cane cuttin blues
how he sing blues
lynching blues
auction block blues
how he sing auction block jazz/blues
triangular trade jazz/blues
king sold the farmer blues
kunta kenti toby blues jazz
mississippi delta muslim mali blues jazz
how he know jazz blues
maybe worker blues
trailer house trash blues
coal miner blues
treated worse than a nigger jazz blues
sing white boy blues
dolly parton blues
ass whippin blues
beer house blues
tobacco spitin blues
hog eatin blues
pain of a nigger blues
jazz
blues
jazz
beyond mississippi blues
charley parker jazz blues
on the other side of time jazz blues
be bop be bop
hip hop
be bob
hip hop
blues in the present era
rap blues jazz
can't pass charley parker jazz
bird lives
no matter dope pain insane
white supremacy post slavery jim crow games
charley no strings cept for heroin gain
play charley play
like bessie smith say
kiss my black ass
kiss my black unruly ass
ofay white peckerwood motherfucker
kiss my black unruly ass
baraka say charley and bessie say
baraka say up against the wall
motherfucker up against the wall
humpty dumpty sat on the wall
had a great fall
all the kings horses
all the kings men
couldn't put him back together again
jazz
blues
fusion
usion
conclusion
play Sun Ra
tell the devil he ain't shit
RA RA RA RA RA.
-Marvin X
7/2/17

we congratulate troy williams. new editor of the new bayview newspaper

0
0


 

 

 Welcoming Troy Williams, new Bay View editor

June 30, 2017
Editorial by Troy Williams

Dear Bay View,

Troy Williams – Photo: Uncommon Law


My name is Troy Williams. On Monday, Juneteenth, Black Liberation Day, I agreed to be the editor for the Bay View newspaper. It is with great honor, respect and much consideration that I step into this position.

I recognize that over the past 40-plus years the Bay View has been a voice for the people. Simply put, we speak truth to power, logic to the illogical, from the perspective of those who seldom have a platform to speak from. And, what greater truth is there than examples of people whose lives have been touched, transformed and empowered by what they read in the Bay View newspaper.
I first heard of the Bay View while serving time in prison. Two and a half years ago, I was serving a life sentence and paroled from San Quentin State Prison with $200 to my name, a skill set and a plan for my life. As we move forward, I will share more about me. But for the purposes of this introduction, I will state that I am most noted for founding a media organization inside the walls of San Quentin.


Dr. Willie Ratcliff, Bay View publisher since 1991, welcomes the Bay View’s new editor, Troy Williams. – Photo: Francisco Da Costa

My goal, much like I see the Bay View, was to create a platform for our voices to be heard. We were tired of the fearmonger shows and media outlets that portrayed us as one-dimensional and violent based on acts committed 20, 30 and in some cases 40 years ago. On a personal note, I wholeheartedly accept responsibility for the decisions I made that put me there. And still there is another side to this story that never gets told.

My resume includes working in some capacity to produce, write, direct, film, edit and/or assist with the organization of most video and radio productions done inside San Quentin between 2007 and 2014. I was one of the early members and among the first journalists reporting for the San Quentin News when it was reinvigorated in 2008 after a 25-year hiatus.

I cofounded the first satellite chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists inside a prison in the United States. I am also co-founder of the Financial Literacy Program at San Quentin and FEEL (Financial Empowerment Emotional Literacy) philosophy in partnership with Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll.

I have co-organized restorative justice symposiums, health fairs, job fairs, numerous self-help workshops, as well as initiated the efforts to present a TED talk at San Quentin prior to my parole. TED talks began in 1984 as a conference about Technology, Entertainment and Design. Today, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in more than 100 languages in communities around the world. Former presidents, famous activists, scholars and celebrities have given TED talks. I was fortunate to be able to walk back into San Quentin a free man with my eldest daughter to speak at TEDx San Quentin.


Troy founded the San Quentin Prison Report, but it wasn’t easy, he says. Guards weren’t used to seeing prisoners with cameras gathering news.


Keith Wattley of Uncommon Law was the attorney who helped Troy win his freedom, and on Nov. 16, 2016, Troy spoke at Uncommon Law’s 10th Anniversary Celebration in Oakland. – Photo: Scott Braley

Over the past two years I have worked as a columnist for the Oakland Post, founded a media company, continue to engage in restorative practices, speak truth to power, as well as attempt to repair the harms of my past. The bottom line is that people in society seldom if ever hear from the men and women, all across this country, whose perspectives of self, community and government have been shaped by the wisdom of life’s experiences.


Troy speaks often with decision makers – here with Congresswoman Barbara Lee – about urgently needed improvements to criminal justice law and policy.

In this country, too many have been taught to view the totality of a person based on what they heard about the worst day of that person’s life. The worst day of someone’s life too often becomes the book cover for the story of his or her life. And I am here to remind us never to judge a book by its cover.
For over 40 years, writers for the Bay View have shed the light of truth in some of the darkest of places. And now that some of us have been removed from those dark places, the time has come for us to stand together and share our insights in a manner that will continue to strengthen our voices and move us beyond the pitfalls that came before or lie ahead.

On that note, it is with humble gratitude that I accept the position as editor of the Bay View newspaper. I am grateful to all the elders who came before and will be looking to you for support and guidance. Thank you to all the staff, volunteers and supporters who have held this paper down throughout the years. Thank you, Willie and Mary Ratcliff, for believing in me.
Thank you, Paul Cobb, publisher of Oakland Post, for providing my first opportunity to work for an outside newspaper when I came home. And thank you to all the men and women across this country, whether still serving time or home free, for being examples of what real transformation looks like. You are not forgotten. It’s time for change.

Bay View Editor Troy Williams can be reached at troy@sfbayview.com or 415-671-0789.
Viewing all 4040 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images