TIME LISTS '25 MOST IMPORTANT FILMS ON RACE': Works span nearly 100 years; shows transformation through eras.
*Time Magazine, in partnership with CNN, has marked Black History Month with the selection of 25 movies it believes honors the artistry, appeal and determination of African Americans on and behind the big screen.
"The 25 Most Important Films on Race," spanning nine decades, includes such works as "Hallelujah!" (1929), "Imitation of Life" (1934), "Gone With the Wind" (1939), "Carmen Jones" (1954), "Killer of Sheep"
(1977), "Boyz N the Hood" (1991) and Will Smith's latest film "I Am Legend."
The list "reveals a legacy that was tragic before it was triumphant,"
writes Time magazine's Richard Corliss. "At first, blacks were invisible; when they were allowed to be seen, it was mostly as derisive comic relief.
The 1950s ushered in the age of the noble Negro, in the imposing person of Sidney Poitier — the Jackie Robinson of movies.
"Only when Hollywood realized that a sizable black audience would pay to see films more reflective of their lives, whether funny, poignant or violent, were they given control of the means of production. Sometimes. The fact remains that of the 25 films here, chosen to cover the widest range of black films, fewer than half were directed by blacks."
The 25 films are listed below:
Hallelujah! (1929)
Judge Priest (1934)
Imitation of Life (1934)
God's Step Children (1938)
The Duke Is Tops (1938)
Gone With the Wind (1939)
The Blood of Jesus (1941)
The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
Native Son (1951)
Carmen Jones (1954)
The Defiant Ones (1958)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Sweet Sweetback's Baad Asssss Song (1971) Lady Sings the Blues (1972) Cooley High (1975) Killer of Sheep (1977) Richard Pryor Live in Concert (1979) A Soldier's Story (1984) Do the Right Thing (1989) Boyz N the Hood (1991) Eve's Bayou (1997) Bamboozled (2000) Madea's Family Reunion (2002) I Am Legend (2007)
VH1'S TAILOR MADE GIVES COP MIDDLE FINGER: New York's fiancé tagged for disorderly conduct.
*George "Tailor Made" Weisgerber, the winner of VH1's "I Love New York 2," received a disorderly-conduct summons for raising his middle finger to a police officer in Chelsea.
The New York Daily News reports that Weisgerber, a fashion planner out of Queens, allegedly cussed out the cop in addition to flipping him the bird outside a nightclub.
A friend of Weisgerber's said the reality show vet was in front of Taj on W. 21st St. when he got caught in a dust-up involving clubgoers outside of Duvet.
Weisgerber acknowledges "raising his finger in the air," but believes the summons had more to do with jaywalking, says his buddy.
Meanwhile, Tailor Made and New York have yet to announce a wedding date.
J.LO'S DELIVERY ROOM ON STANDBY: No one allowed in private space reserved at Long Island hospital.
*When Jennifer Lopez finally goes into labor to push out those twins, her delivery room at North Shore University Hospital on Long Island will be good and ready for the drama. After all, it's been on standby for the past two weeks.
"No one's even allowed in there until she gets here. It's just sitting there for her," a staffer told the New York Post's Page Six.
According to the column, J.Lo's people reserved the private, furnished room two weeks ago in anticipation of the twins' arrival.
The room reportedly contains a brown leather couch, among other furnishings. Word has it that the hospital has also beefed up security.
SLATE.COM HAS FUN WITH OBAMA'S NAME: Plus, were Senator's New York primary results underrecorded?
*Barack Obama's name has become somewhat of a creative outlet for the team at Slate.com, a Web site said to be experiencing "Obasms" over the Democratic presidential candidate.
According to the New York Post, the Internet space has launched the Obamaficator - or Obama word generator that "Obamifies" words and gives definitions.
Here's a sample: Obamatose: in a deep slumber, dreaming of Obama.
Baracktail: a mixture with the main ingredient being Obama. Barackwurst: a short, thick, highly seasoned Obama. Barackcupied: fixed on Obama.
Obambination: a union of warring parties brought together by Obama.
Meanwhile, the Post is also reporting that Obama's New York Primary results were underrecorded in several districts, in some cases leaving him with zero votes when, in fact, he had pulled in hundreds, the Board of Elections said Sunday.
Unofficial primary results gave Obama no votes in nearly 80 districts, including Harlem's 94th and other historically black areas - but many of those initial numbers turned out to be flat out wrong, the board said. In some districts getting a recount, the senator from Illinois is even closer to defeating Hillary Clinton.
Initial results in the 94th, for example, showed a 141-0 sweep for Hillary Clinton, but the recount changed the tally to 261-136.
As yet, none of the results have been certified, but a ballot-by-ballot canvassing of all voting machines has begun, a board spokesperson said. Human error was blamed for many of the mistakes.
IS NAOMI CAMPBELL ENGAGED? Word has it she's about to marry her Brazilian boyfriend after a two-week courtship.
*Britain's News of the World is reporting that supermodel Naomi Campbell is about to jump the broom.
According to the newspaper, the 37-year-old catwalk star is newly engaged to Brazilian businessman Marcus Elias, whom she reportedly met two weeks ago at a Vogue party in Sao Paolo.
“They were all over each other and looked perfectly suited,” said one source. “Now Naomi’s wearing a sparkling diamond ring and everyone is wondering if they’ve had a whirlwind engagement.”
Marcus, 49, apparently showed up at the Vogue party with another woman, but was later caught snuggling with Naomi as the evening drew to a close. He then whisked her by private jet to the coastal resort of Trancoso, the paper claims.
At yet another party in Brazil, hosted by the country's minister of culture Gilberto Gil in Salvador, Campbell was reportedly overheard saying:
“Marcus and I are so happy together," and "I want to have a Brazilian baby this year.”
Marcus, owner of Latin America Equity Partners, said of the Naomi engagement rumors: “I don’t know what you are talking about. It’s not elegant to speak about such things. That was my upbringing—Mum told me not to speak on such matters.”
C. DELORES TUCKER'S DEATH ROW SUIT CONTINUES: Husband of late gangster rap opponent files appeal on behalf of Tucker estate.
*Nearly three years after the death of gangster rap opponent C.
Delores Tucker, her lawsuit against Death Row records continues on with a new appeal filed by her husband William Tucker on behalf of her estate.
Filed Feb. 8, the appeal asks the court to reconsider lawsuits filed by Death Row and Interscope Records against the civil rights leader to determine if malicious intent was involved.
Summary judgments were awarded in both cases, which are rooted in an August 1995 meeting between Mrs. Tucker and Death Row CEO Marion "Suge" Knight. The label's lawyer, David Kenner, stated that Suge was offered $80 million dollars and two recording studios if he would agree to break Death Row’s contract with Interscope and sign a new contract with Warner Music Group.
Interscope charged Tucker with inducement to breach contract, interference with contractual relations and prospective business advantage and attempting to induce breach of fiduciary duty in its suit, which was filed days after Tucker’s offer was made. Death Row later sued Tucker and others on allegations of racketeering and/or aiding and abetting racketeering, conspiring to violate and abuse of process.
The latest appeal references an ad placed in the Source magazine that, according to Tucker, was "a call for her death," as well as lyrics from two songs from former Death Row artist Tupac Shakur.
"The two songs made by Tupac under the Death Row record label during the litigation demonstrate the strongest antipathy to Tucker, who is assailed in vile language," the appeal noted, citing the songs "How Do You Want It?" and "Wonda Why They Call U B***h."
"A jury could well conclude, If this evidence does not exhibit malice, what would?," the appeal states.
Although Kenner did not create the Source advertisement or co-write Tupac's lyrics, the Tuckers believe that the attorney is "responsible for setting out the malicious imaginings of a client with such hate, or so a jury could conclude."
If the appeal stands, Kenner could be found guilty of filing a false report and or malicious lawsuit against the Tuckers.
T.I. DESIGNS CHARITY T-SHIRTS FOR PLAYBOY: Rapper joins other celebs for Rock the Rabbit Program.
*T.I. has found a way to kill time while on house arrest pending his trial on gun charges.
AllHipHop.com reports that the rapper has designed a custom line of t-shirts for Playboy magazine as part of its second annual Rock the Rabbit Program.
T.I.‘s limited edition Rock the Rabbit custom-designed line will be available at select Bloomingdales nationwide, as well as at www.rocktherabbit.com. Additionally the original prototype for each T-shirt will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to Rock the Vote.
The rapper is currently awaiting trial on two felony charges:
possession of three unregistered machine guns and two silencers, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. His lawyers are due to attend a suppression hearing today in Atlanta.
VINNIE, SHAKIM LAUNCH 'LADIES FIRST' CLOTHING LINE: Celebrity singers to endorse product due in stores next month.
*Naughty by Nature rapper Vinnie Brown and Shakim Compere of Flavor Unit Entertainment are launching Ladies First, a new clothing line of junior plus sportswear.
The fashion line was created under a partnership between the duo, J&V Brand Management and Johnny Sajnani of Johnny Signature Inc., the company that manufactured and distributed Naughty by Nature’s Naughty Gear.
The Ladies First brand will be distributed by Next Inc., an emerging leader and distributor of sportswear products.
"We are glad to have now finalized this all important agreement with Ladies First,” said Robert Budd, Next Inc.’s CEO. “We believe this relationship will prove important to us for a multitude of reasons.
Primarily, it is well known that our business has traditionally been very seasonal due to our reliance on our collegiate branded apparel offerings.”
Ladies First, named after Latifah’s 1989 female empowerment anthem, will debut in stores next month with endorsements from a number of celebrity singers and rappers.
LEON RETURNS TO STAGE AND SCREEN: Actor also books date for his reggae band.
*Actor/singer Leon has a busy February that includes his current role in the touring stage play "3 Ways to Get a Husband," the upcoming release of his film "Cover" and a gig with his reggae/soul band.
In Je’Caryous Johnson’s play “3 Ways to Get a Husband,” Leon stars as Devon Warren, a soldier returning from Iraq who must now fight for the heart of the girlfriend at home. His co-stars are Billy Dee Williams, Shirley Murdock and Lenny Williams.
The tour includes such cities as Newark, NJ; Dallas, Texas; Providence, RI; Philadelphia, PA; Baltimore, MD; and Washington, D.C.
Tickets are available through TicketMaster or via www.imreadyproductions.com which list all the dates and venues.
Leon also stars in the 20th Century Fox murder mystery “Cover." Due Feb. 22, the film deal with the subject of “down low” brothers and the spread of HIV/AIDS. Co-stars include Vivica A. Fox, Louis Gossett Jr., Paul Jai Parker, and Anjenue Ellis with Bill Duke as director.
Leon also continues to perform with his reggae/soul band "Leon and The Peoples" www.LeonandThePeoples.net, which has recently received a 2007 International Reggae and World music award for their debut CD "The Road Less Traveled." The band will perform Saturday (Feb. 23) at 10 p.m. at Rebel (351 West 30th St. NY) for the official afterparty for "3 Ways to Get a Husband."
PAFF ANNOUNCES 2008 FILMMAKER AWARDS: Categories include documentary, feature, director and narrative short.
*The 16th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) announced the winners of its 2008 Pan African Film and Arts Filmmakers Awards and Audience Favorite Awards.
Jury Prizes were awarded in the following categories: Best Documentary, Best Short Documentary, Best Narrative Short, Best Feature and Best Director-First Feature. (Scroll down to view winners.) New for the
2008 PAFF is the addition of The Oscar Micheaux Award, named after the first African-American filmmaker.
In addition to the Jury Prizes, Audience Favorite Awards were voted on in the following categories: Best Feature, Best Documentary, and Best Short Narrative. The PAFF Vision Award was given to the film that the Festival chose that best exemplified its mission of reinforcing positive images and helping to destroy negative stereotypes.
The Winners of the 2008 Pan African Film and Arts Filmmakers Awards Winners are:
PAFF VISION AWARD
NAMIBIA: THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION (Namibia/US/Director: Charles Burnett) – The film follows the long struggle waged by the people of Namibia for their independence that was ultimately won with the help of Cuban military volunteers fighting in Angola.
BROTHERS IN ARMS (South Africa/Doc/73min/Director: Jack Lewis) The fascinating story of Ronald Herboldt, an ordinary man whose sense of justice and decency led to his making his own unique contribution to Cuba and the liberation of Southern Africa.
VICTIMS OF OUR RICHES (VICTIMES DE NOS RICHESSES)
(Mali/France/Doc-short/58min/Director: Kal Touré) The economic and political background of the criminalization of undocumented African workers in Europe is the subject of this eye-opening indictment of the issues of illegal immigration exposed by the testimonies of Africans who attempted to immigrate to Europe to find work.
BEST DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
RETURN TO GORÉE (Senegal/Switzerland/Luxembourg/Director: Pierre-Yves
Borgeaud) - A very special musical road movie of African singer Youssou N'Dour's epic journey following the trail left by enslaved Africans and the jazz music they invented.
• Honorable Mention THIS IS THE LIFE (US/Director: Ava DuVernay) - In 1989, a collective of young artists gathered weekly at a small health food store in LA called "The Good Life."
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
HIP-HOP: BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES (US/Director: Byron Hurt) - A riveting documentary that examines representations of gender roles in hip-hop and rap music.
• Honorable Mention THOMAS SANKARA: THE UPRIGHT MAN (France/Director: Robin
Shuffield) - As Africa looks desperately for leaders of integrity and vision, the life and ideals of the late Thomas Sankara seem more and more relevant and exemplary with the passage of time.
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT COMPETITION
PARIAH (US/Director: Dee Rees) - A Bronx lesbian teenager juggles multiple identities to avoid rejection from friends and family but pressure from home, school, and within corrodes the line between her dual personas with explosive consequences.
• Honorable Mention WE ARE ALL RWANDANS (Rwanda/UK/Director: Debs
Gardner-Paterson) - NyangeSchool, 18th March 1997: a day in the life of six normal students who had to make the decision of their lives. Recreated in dramatic form, this is the true story of a rebel attack in post-genocide Rwanda, filmed in the school and village where the real events took place.
BEST FEATURE COMPETITION
POOR BOY'S GAME (Canada/Director: Clément Virgo) - Donnie Rose went to prison for beating a young man so brutally it left him handicapped for life.
Nine years later, Donnie is out. He's a different man with only one place to
g back home to the same violent and racist neighborhood that created him.
At the other end of town, the black community still wants revenge.
• Honorable Mention EZRA (Nigeria/France/Austria/Director: Newton I. Aduaka)
- Told in a non-linear style, the story centers around a Truth and Reconcilliation Commission during which the story of Ezra's life as a child soldier is retold in flashbacks from both his point of view and that of his sister.
BEST DIRECTOR-FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION
SOUTH OF PICO (US/Director: Ernst Gossner) - The day starts off like any other for five ordinary people. As they go about their day, there are ups and downs. They bask in the joy of hope and the disappointment of lost possibilities • Honorable Mention THE DISCIPLE (US/UK/Director: Rodney Charles) - Seemingly free-spirited trans-cultural friends, Pete, an American mid-westerner, Jud, a Black European, and Lisa, a first generation Polish American, share a house in Los Angeles.
THE OSCAR MICHEAUX AWARD COMPETITION
SOMETHING IS KILLING TATE (US/Director: Leon Lozano) - Tate Bradley, a 25-year-old African American man, attempts to commit suicide. Surviving the ordeal, he isolates himself in his apartment--hiding from the world. The significant players in his troubled life come to check on him. With each visit, Tate is forced to face his demons.
• Honorable Mention KINGS OF THE EVENING (US/Director: Andrew P. Jones) - Homer Hobbs, after serving two years in jail, returns home to a bleak town caught in the depths of the Great Depression - no jobs, no prospects and no hope.
EUR FILM REVIEW: Definitely, Maybe
Dad Shares Checkered Past with Daughter in "Who's Your Mama?" Melodrama
Film Review by Kam Williams
*The midst of a divorce probably isn't the best time for a father to share the intimate details of his messy love life with a pre-pubescent daughter.
In fact, there might never be an appropriate moment for such a confession of one's checkered past.
But that doesn't prevent Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) from spilling the beans to 11 year-old Maya (Abigail Breslin) in Definitely, Maybe right after the little girl's curiosity has been whetted by her first sex education class.
When he picks her up from school that day, she greets him with "We need to talk," demanding, "Tell me the story of how you and my mother met." However, rather than restrict his ensuing narrative to his soon-to-be ex, divulging daddy decides to reminisce about all three of his great romances, only changing their names to keep Maya intrigued and trying to guess which one was with her mom.
This flashback flick shifts back to Madison, Wisconsin in 1992 which is where we find Will already involved with one of the trio, Emily Jones (Elizabeth Banks), his college sweetheart.
He soon leaves the blonde in the care of his best friend Charlie (Daniel Eric Gold) in order to move to New York City for a few months to work on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign.
Emily asks Will to deliver a diary to her best friend, Summer Hartley (Rachel Weisz), a brunette beauty living on University Place in Greenwich Village with Hampton Roth (Kevin Kline) a very open-minded professor. Before returning the journal, he peeks inside and learns that the girls once had a steamy lesbian liaison. Then, to complicate matters, Summer pounces on him the day they meet, explaining that it's all with Hampton's approval.
Does any of this sound appropriate for an adolescent's ears? Wait it gets better. At Clinton campaign headquarters, Will develops a crush on co-worker April Hoffman (Isla Fisher), a ravishing redhead who is apolitical and couldn't care less about the candidate. Trouble is, she's already in a relationship.
So, Will takes to confiding in his roommate, Russell McCormack (Derek Luke), a black guy worried that his dating a white woman (Liane Balaban) might deleteriously effect his presidential aspirations. Luckily, Russell is a brother who can be counted on to cover for a buddy if his girlfriend should show up unexpectedly.
Needless to say, there's quite a bit of kinky coupling and uncoupling over the course of Definitely, Maybe, a "Who's Your Mama?" melodrama written and directed by Adam Brooks. Brooks is previously best known for having adapted best sellers Practical Magic and Beloved to the big screen with scripts which were strikingly similar to each other in certain salient respects. This was embarrassing because the movies ended up being released in theaters on the same weekend in the fall of 1998, one almost the blackface version of the other.
The only thing embarrassing this go-round is that the tawdry tale is being recounted for the benefit of a suddenly-spousified 11 year-old who understandably interrupts her father to complain, periodically, saying things like, "I can't believe you smoked and drank and were such a slut." Provided you can ignore the inappropriateness of that underlying aspect of the narrative, you're apt to enjoy the unpredictable hijinks along the path to this implausible romp's carefully-concealed resolution.
Who's Maya's mommy? Who cares, when her daddy's a playboy dating up a storm.
Excellent (3.5 stars)
Rated PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, smoking and frank dialogue.
Running time: 110 minutes
Studi Universal Pictures
EUR DVD REVIEW: American Gangster
Harlem Heroin Kingpin Bio-Pic Starring Denzel Due on DVD
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*At the height of his reign as New York's heroin kingpin, Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) was raking in over a million dollars a day.
This was no mean feat for a former sharecropper who had arrived from rural North Carolina penniless and with no formal education.
He built his drug empire as a family-run business, restricting membership in the gang to relatives and friends from his hometown. However, what really made his operation so successful was the fact that he figured out a way to cut out the middleman.
With the help of soldiers stationed overseas, he smuggled uncut drugs into the country in the caskets of deceased Vietnam vets. Before he and his confederates were finally caught and carted off to prison, Lucas would amass a personal fortune in the hundreds of millions.
While some might be tempted to admire Frank, never forget that this was a cold-blooded killer who never gave a second thought about exploiting the human condition or assassinating any cop or competitor who stood in his way.
Yet, since nothing is more meta-typically American than a graphic gangster saga, it comes as no surprise that the story would find its way to the big screen.
Co-starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, this elaborate epoch of Shakespearean proportions explores an array of universal themes, ranging from loyalty and betrayal, to love and hate, to ambition and corruption, to sin and redemption. Regrettably, despite these classical pretensions and a stellar cast, the picture still somehow adds up to less than the sum of its parts. For the film feels like an R-rated rap video, laced with graphic displays of gratuitous violence and topless women.
Overall, an irresistibly seductive celebration of a monster likely to deliver the wrong message to many an impressionable young mind.
Fair (1.5 stars)
Rated R for female frontal nudity, sexuality, profanity, ethnic slurs, gratuitous violence and pervasive drug content Running time: 158 minutes
Studi Universal Studios Home Entertainment 2-Disc DVD Extras: 18 minutes of never-before-seen footage, an alternate ending, deleted scenes, alternate opening, three "Behind-the-Scenes" segments, "The Making of" and five other featurettes.
THE BRIDGE: Black History—Cops And The People
By Darryl James
*America is a funny land.
Not funny as in “ha ha,” but funny as in strange.
So strange that even though cops have historically been at odds with Blacks, people try to pretend that there is something else going on in a so-called justice system that sometimes seems like it persecutes just us.
But anyone who has lived in a poor neighborhood with their eyes and mind open realizes that the “Thin Blue Line,” is typically erected between the “haves” and the “have nots,” frequently doling out abuse to the “have nots.”
And, the “have nots” don’t always get their day in court when there is abuse, which is why periodically, the people speak in the loudest voice possible — riots.
Perhaps no city has the reputation for rioting that Los Angeles has earned. And some of its policies with regard to policing ostensibly add fuel to the fire.
Recently, the Los Angeles Police Commission made a radical change in policy, now withholding the names of officers involved in shootings, as well as incidents in which cops use fists, flashlights, batons or other objects to subdue suspects.
What this portends is a severe threat to police accountability in an environment where police are a severe threat to citizens who pay cop salaries through taxes. This is of great concern because of the enduring friction between officers of the law and people of color.
According to Rev. Cecil "Chip" Murray, "when you have the 'haves' and the 'have-nots,' the police powers are meant to keep the haves having and that forces the have-nots to have-not."
Henry "Kee Kee" Watson, one of a group now known as The LA Four in the beating of Reginald Denny, said that people might act shocked, but "it's no secret that Black people have no love for police. People try to act like it’s a secret that police have no love for poor people, especially poor Blacks.
"People also tried to say that King's beating was an isolated incident," Watson added. "The only thing isolated was that it was caught on tape. But we know that in South Central, that's business as usual."
And it is business as usual, from Amadou D’iallo in New York City to Timothy Thomas in Cincinnati, Ohio and countless Black men and women in between, as well as throughout American history.
On August 11, 1965, a Los Angeles police officer in the Watts area of South Central Los Angeles stopped a twenty-one year old Black man on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. When a crowd gathered, the officer called backup. The second officer on the scene lost his temper and struck members of the crowd with his baton.
One version of the story has the crowd rebelling against the officers on the spot, and yet another version has the crowd diverting the officers while the young man escapes to his mother’s home. When the police go to arrest him, they get into an altercation with the mother and the neighborhood erupts in a rebellion against the police.
Whichever version is correct, rumors of a clear incident of police brutality spread throughout the city and a full-scale rebellion ensued. In the 1990’s in Los Angeles, African Americans were still at odds with the police force, which viewed them as a group to be dealt with, not as part of the population to be protected and served.“Racial Profiling” is simply too mild a term for the wonton search and seizures; the regular practice of making citizens of color lay face down on the concrete and the physical abuse that was occurring with regularity during routing traffic stops across the nation.
The local gangs, the Crips and the Bloods, had begun efforts to create a truce to quell the rampant violence over gang territories, often defined by drug sales. Some say those efforts were being thwarted by police, creating more friction between cops and people of color in an environment of fear and hatred of police.
In March of 1991, four police officers pursue Rodney Glen King on an alternating high speed and low speed chase, eventually apprehending him and summarily beating him savagely, while more than twenty other officers stood watching. The beating is captured on videotape.
All charges against King are ultimately dismissed and the “real” Trial of the Century (the magnitude of O.J. Simpson’s trial pales ridiculously in comparison) begins--Sergeant Stacey Koon and Officers Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind and Theodore Briseno stand trial for felony assault and related charges to the King beating. Warren Christopher, who was the vice chair of the McCone Commission in 1965, is appointed by then-Mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley to lead an independent commission on the Los Angeles Police Department.
In July of 1991, the Christopher Commission reports the systematic use of excessive force and racial harassment in LAPD, calling for police reform and the resignation of Chief Darryl Gates, who announces that he will retire the following year.
Under the LA Police Commission’s current policy, the Christopher Commission would have been limited in what they could have shared with the public. The public would have been limited in their response and involvement for change.
On April 29, 1992, an all-white jury in Simi Valley finds all four officers “not guilty” of any crimes in the beating of Rodney King.
Los Angeles erupts in rapidly widespread protests, riots, fires, looting and mayhem.
Days later, forty-two people are dead, five thousand have been arrested and the city has more than one billion dollars in damage.
For many of the people who were burning and looting, the event was simply opportunistic. For Blacks, the uprising actually was targeted and specific.
Bo Taylor, founder of Unity One, which organized a gang truce in Los Angeles between the Bloods and the Crips prior to the 1992 Riots, asserts that there was truth to the rumor of a planned war between the police and the gangs under the newly-formed truce.
"It was all organized," said Taylor. "It wasn’t just a bunch of people freaking out--at least for Blacks. The police say to hell with the community and feel like that’s not their concern. They want to talk about police morale and community policing, but people are not stupid."
Many police officers, including Officer Bruce Stallworth, who was assigned to the Southwest Division of the Los Angeles police Department, (which encompasses Florence and Normandie) will admit that there are difficulties between police and people in impoverished areas.
"The most important thing that would have stopped the riots is if the police had had a better relationship with the community," said Stallworth. "The only way you can get a better relationship is if the people trust the police."
"We must build a police department that not only protects," said Hahn, "but also respects every community in Los Angeles led by a Police Commission that understands its role as an overseer of the Department."
The debates go back and forth and go from police brutality to people asking the question: “Why tear up your own neighborhood?”
Public Enemy's Chuck D answers: "If you ain’t controlling the commerce in your neighborhood, or the education, and at the same time the police ain’t yours-they protect and serve the property owners and that’s not you--then of course a (man or woman) will say “F--- it. I’m going to rip up the closest thing to my face."
The police are provided anonymity when involved in acts of violence against citizens, yet when citizens are involved in violent crimes, their names are a part of public record.
Are police officers above the law?
Of course the answer is no, but when criminal police officers are given preferential treatment over criminal citizens, the rift between cops and the people will become more obvious and serve as the root of further problems.
Darryl James is an award-winning author who is now a filmmaker. He released his first mini-movie, “Crack,” and in Spring of this year, will release his first full-length documentary. James’ latest book, “Bridging The Black Gender Gap,” is the basis of his lectures and seminars. Previous installments of this column can now be viewed at www.bridgecolumn.com. James can be reached at djames@theblackgendergap.com.
THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: A Political Quagmire
*Have you ever spoken in support of an issue only because it was politically correct to do so and you didn’t have to back up your words with actions? It’s a situation most white men probably are faced with in 2008.
In mixed company a majority of them would claim to support the most qualified presidential candidate regardless of race or gender, because for the past two hundred years their declarations have not been put to the test.
Although there have been people of color to run for president, only white men have been in the position to be voted as president of the United States – until now.
In all fairness, simple psychology revealed that most people (of any race or gender) will choose a person who most resembles them – regardless of the situation - because that’s who they can most identify with. But when nobody is looking over their shoulders in the voting booth, are white men willing to vote for the best candidate, even if it’s a woman or a non-white man? Will they put their votes where their mouths are and actually give a Black man or a woman their support, or will they cross party lines or abstain from the process to keep their (real or perceived) political power in the hands of those who look like them?
If this political season does nothing else it will cause some people who claim to be down for the cause to weigh what they say against what they do when nobody is watching.
Lest you conclude that I’m just venting against people of the Caucasian persuasion, ponder this: If people of color expect white men to act for the greater good when casting their vote, they should do the same.
So long as nobody Black (qualified or unqualified) was a viable candidate some of you were vocal FOC’s (Friends of the Clintons). Now that Sen. Barack Obama is the presidential flavor of the month some people have thrown the Clintons overboard.
I’m still undecided on who I will support. And of course it’s your choice to support whomever you want. But don’t vote for Obama simply because he is Black or for Clinton just because she is a woman. Take time to evaluate the issues and every candidate’s proposed solutions. That way in the day after Election Day you can look yourself in the mirror and know you made the best decision for the right reasons.
Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in the Washington, DC metro area. Send your comments and questions to teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com.
TURNER’S TWO CENTS: From “Gangster” to “Raisin”
*The most compelling and important moment in the brilliant film “American Gangster” is the shot of a baby crying next to the corpse of its heroin-addicted mother. This agonizing image punctuates a montage contrasting the luxurious lifestyle of drug lord Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) with the hell lived by his customers. It’s a crucial sequence that provides the moral context needed to understand the story. That screaming baby forces us to face the fact that Frank Lucas -- despite his charm, business acumen and love of family -- is an evil man who profits from the death and misery of others – including children – and must, therefore, fall.
This point bears repeating since “American Gangster” is coming home on DVD this week (Tuesday, February 19). Universal Studios Home Entertainment is releasing “American Gangster” in special two-disc and three-disc DVD collector’s editions. Universal is also re-releasing the crime epics “Casino,” “Carlito’s Way” and “Scarface” alongside “American Gangster” as “Gangsters: the Ultimate Film Collection.” That should be an effective marketing plan. Hopefully, young movie fans won’t misinterpret “American Gangster” and its protagonist, Frank Lucas, the way they’ve missed the point about “Scarface” and its ill-fated character, Tony Montana.
Director Brian DePalma intended “Scarface” to be a tragic, cautionary tale. But in the 25 years since it first shocked and exhilarated filmgoers, “Scarface” has come to be seen as some kind of tribute to the American dream. Tony Montana is regarded by legions of young, inner-city fans as a hero who rose up from nothing and achieved success against tremendous odds. Okay, but success at what price? Tony Montana was a selfish, arrogant, greedy criminal who got rich off of drug addiction and destroyed those who were closest to him: his lifelong friend, his sister, the woman he loved and, ultimately, himself. Frank Lucas was no better. And he’s admitted that.
“American Gangster” grossed $127 million at the box office. The DVD will probably make a grip, too. And it should because it’s a great movie. But, if we’re lucky, we won’t have to see a bunch of our young men swaggering around in Frank Lucas t-shirts.
“American Gangster” is a tremendous movie and it deserves all of the critical acclaim it has received, including the best supporting actress Oscar nomination for Ruby Dee, who is stellar (as always!) as Frank Lucas’ mother. Miss Ruby’s performance has already been honored with the Screen Actor’s Guild Award and her legacy honored by a NAACP image award. An Academy Award would be a well-earned honor in an esteemed career that flourishes after more than 60 years. The Oscars air live on ABC next Sunday, February 24.
The night after the Academy Awards, ABC will telecast the new film version of the landmark play which Ruby Dee helped originate on Broadway and on the silver screen almost 50 years ago. “A Raisin in the Sun,” Lorraine Hansberry’s timeless American play about working class black folks striving for a better life in 1950s Chicago, comes to television on Monday, February 25 as an expanded movie directed by Kenny Leon (artistic director for the Alliance Theatre Company in Atlanta) with new scenes scripted by Paris Qualles (“The Rosa Parks Story,” “Tuskegee Airmen”). NBC’s “Raisin” reunites the cast of the Tony Award-winning 2004 Broadway revival, giving the masses a unique opportunity to experience the brilliance that earned Tony Awards for Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald and a Tony nomination for Sanaa Lathan. The weak link in the cast is, of course, Sean Combs. His amateurish performance in this TV production justifies the generally bad reviews he received four years ago on Broadway. Diddy has no business onstage with these great actors. Everyone in the cast, including the little boy who plays his son, acts circles around him.
But “A Raisin in the Sun” is an extraordinary work, arguably the definitive play about the African-American Experience in the second half of the 20th century. Lorraine Hansberry captured the very soul of our people when she wrote this masterpiece five decades ago. “Raisin” should be cherished, cultivated and re-explored by every generation of our people. You’ll have the chance to do that next Monday.
I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents. Share yours on the message board or by e-mailing me at TurnersTwoCents@aol.com.
THINK! IT AIN’T ILLEGAL…YET~
BETWEEN THE LINES: The Biggest Lie Ever Told (*): Today's Republicans Need To Stop Claiming To Be The Party Of Lincoln
Anthony Asadullah Samad
*Every time I hear Republican Candidate John McCain refer his party as the "Party of Lincoln," I wince.
It is probably one of most factually inaccurate references in politics today. In fact, if you were to measure it against some of the biggest lies ever told, it would be right up there with the great "old lies" like Columbus discovered America and Lincoln Freed The Slaves, or the new lies like smoking doesn't kill (the greatest lie ever told to the America people) and "I did not have sex with 'that woman,' Ms Lewinsky!" Save those lies, this is a big lie-that's why I denoted it with an asterisk.
The only thing today's Republican Party has in common with the Radical Republicans of the 1850s and 1860s is the name. It's like saying the Ford at the turn of the 1900s is the same car Ford makes in the 2000s. Or the Jeffersons of 18th Century (related to Thomas) are the same Jeffersons (related to George) of the 20th Century.
Both the face and the mindset are different. The constant reference to Republicans being the Party of Lincoln is purposeful. It infers that there is a sentimentality in the party around being inclusive, being principled, being the party of new ideas and even newer practices.
While it couldn't be farther from the truth, McCain needs to say that to convince the conservative arm of his party to embrace him, a liberal moderate, as the leader of the party. McCain is trying to force a "culture change" in his party, while advocating against the culture change that is taking place before his eyes (the notion of a black or woman President) nationwide.
The Republican Party of the 19th Century led the culture change to abolish slavery, went to war (Civil War) to back it up and managed the reconstruction of a nation without slavery. That Republican Party was at the front of the change. This Republican Party is fighting change and will be the last to reform.
There's a big difference between bringing up the front and bringing up the rear. This Republican Party can't compare itself to its former self. There is no comparison. Here's why:
The Republican Party came together out of a coalition of old Federalists, disgruntled Democrats (forced out of the Party by Jacksonians), and the disbanning of the Whigs (the other major partying the National Two Party Rule Period) over their inability to come together on an ideological position over the expansion of slavery. The anti-slavery movement was at an all-time high as the Democrats sought to use the 1857 Dred Scott decision as a national referendum on the citizenship status of blacks and, more critically, the expansion of slavery. The party first appeared on the national ballot in 1856, but by 1860 had expanded the coalition broadly enough to elect a President that was thought to be anti-slavery, Abraham Lincoln. While Lincoln argued that he was personally against slavery on moral grounds, he wasn't opposed to the institution of slavery as long as it was held to its existing boundaries. Lincoln, in essence, was against the expansion of slavery and frequently stated that it didn't mean he was for black equality (he wasn't) but he did view slavery as America's curse. His party, however, were clearly for the total abolishment of slavery. They were called "radical" in their thought and were thus, labeled, "Radical Republicans." Southern states threatened that if Lincoln was elected President, they would consider it an affront to the culture of the South, and they would leave the Union. Lincoln was, and eleven southern states seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America before Lincoln took the oath of office. Lincoln never governed over a unified nation but the Radical Republicans looked up and found that they had a majority in Congress. They proceeded to work on Lincoln to deconstruct slavery.
Lincoln, like McCain, was a moderate. Lincoln's views were to the right of the original Republican party, while McCain's views are to the left of today's ideologically realigned Republican Party. But unlike McCain, Lincoln was viewed by his party as an agent of his party's change agenda. McCain is viewed as an anomaly to his party "status quo" agenda. Let's get one thing clear while we're on this topic-Lincoln DID NOT FREE THE SLAVES. Lincoln resisted his party's call for emancipation, for two years into the Civil War. Only when the North was losing the war, did Lincoln move to sign the Emancipation Proclamation-only in states rebelling against the Union. Lincoln could not afford to abolish slavery as six slave-holding entities fighting in the Union cause would have defected. Lincoln was assassinated five days after the Confederates surrendered at Appomattox. The "Radical Republicans" pushed forward with an even more conservative, pro-slavery President, Andrew Johnson, in place, passing the Reconstruction Amendments (13th, abolishing slavery, 14th-giving citizenship, due process and equal protection to Blacks, 15th-voting right to black males) and required re-admitted states to abide to the new culture. For nearly 100 years, Southerners said they would never be a part of the party of Lincoln for abolishing slavery and spent most of that time, first as Democrat "Redeemers" eroding the gains of Reconstruction (1877-1896) then as "Dixiecrats" (1901-1968) enforcing segregation politics When Conservative Democrat, Lyndon Johnson, succeeded JFK, and in the aftermath of the JFK assassination, picked the mantle of the 20th Century Civil Rights movement and signed the Civil Rights legislation of 1964, 1965 and 1968, southerners left the party. They showed up in the Republican Party in 1968 (as part of Nixon's southern strategy) and in full force in 1980 when Reagan announced his Presidential candidacy in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Former Dixiecrats Strom Thurman and Trent Lott (and others) became spokespersons for the party in the Reagan Revolution's Era of "New Optimism." Dixie's new optimists became the party's leaders in the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 (Newt Gingrich) and the New "Colorblind" Conservatism became entrenched by Bush I and through the 1990s, where by the time "W" came about, conservative ideologues ran (and still run) the Party. What McCain faces in the revival of the Republican Party is no where near what Lincoln faced. Lincoln faced a divided nation that wanted a change that Lincoln favored. McCain faces a divided party over change that his nation wants, but he and his most of his party resist.
There is no way this is the Party of Lincoln, and the Republicans need to stop invoking Lincoln, like they are somehow connected to the ideological mindset that Lincoln's party represented. Today's Republican Party doesn't want that kind of change. So, they need to stop telling that lie. They are not Lincoln's party. This is not your great, great grand-daddy's Republican Party. They just have the party of Lincoln's name.
Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D., is a national columnist, managing director of the Urban Issues Forum (www.urbanissuesforum.com) and author of the new book, Saving The Race: Empowerment Through Wisdom. He can be reached at www.AnthonySamad.com
WILLIAM REED: The Reality behind Bush's 'Good News' Trip to Africa Is Growing Chinese Power.
*American President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush are traveling to five African countries: Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia, Feb. 15th to Feb. 21.
Although his administration is viewed with suspicion among the continent's diverse populations, Bush says he is visiting Africa because "important progress" is occurring there in regards to economic growth, democratic reforms, and efforts to battle HIV/AIDS.
In his 2008 State of the Union address, Bush asked Congress to double current aid to Africa to $30 billion over the next five years.
"Human assistance" programs have been the focus of US policy toward Africa. Under that rubric, Bush will be visiting countries his administration deems "successful" in implementing grant/aid projects. President Bush's trip coincides with the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Department of State's Africa Bureau, and that may be the source of the problem.
Bush has a $30 billion purse for countries he determines "can continue supporting the development of democracies, human rights, free trade and economic investment". But, what Africans want is "trade, not aid." Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, for example, calls for "rich and middle-income nations to stop wasting Africa 's time with aid pledges and instead open their markets to African products. Rich nations such as the U.S. and European Union countries give aid with one hand while refusing to cut subsidies and tariffs with the other, making it impossible for poor countries to compete. If you talk about aid, I go to sleep," says Museveni.
Except for the people on the US's dole in Africa, America's "good news" and impact among the 54 countries on the continent are on the decline. For the first time since the era of the slave trade, Africa's trade is going "East"
instead of "North", replacing America and the European countries' checkered past in trade practices with substantive Chinese investment and trade.
US practices with Africa have been wrong-headed and heavy-handed. Trade, not aid" is what Africa needs from the U.S. While Bush touts $30 billion in aid packages, the Chinese have guaranteed the Africans $1 trillion in trade support. China's growth and close economic ties in Africa now negate America's and the European Union's ability to influence politics in many of the 54 countries on that continent. Africa is home to almost a billion people. The average African's income is $600 per year; and to increase standards of living in their countries many leaders are more in favor of Chinese policies and trade alternatives than ours.
Regional African powers such as Nigeria in the West, Kenya in the East and South Africa are missing from the president's itinerary. And, countries critical for Africa's stability - Sudan, Libya, Zimbabwe, the DRC - are "persona non grata" to Bush & Co. But, Bush's policymakers for Africa have yet to fully grasp the fact that positive transformation of the continent will come from increased trade activities to, and among, willing partners.
Traditional Western practices toward Africa haven't worked; African leaders say past US/EU/World Bank carrot/stick policies failed miserably. If he just talks "aid," the Africans may sleep on Bush. African Americans need to wake up assure that the Africans trade their way into more global markets and prosperity.
(William Reed - www.BlackPressInternational.com)
PEOPLE OF NOTE: Josh Gibson/Satchel Paige: Turning the Page of History
By Deardra Shuler
*The building momentum that may sweep a black man into the White House has awakened many African Americans to the realization that indeed America may be ready and on the verge of changing American history. And perhaps it’s a man of color who can heal the wounds of a shrinking world where people of color are the majority and also seek to rule their own destinies. As the pendulum swings, it’s CHANGE that makes the bell toll.
Change came too late for men like Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige, two baseball greats, who saw their hopes and dreams dashed because they were forced to live in a climate of Jim Crow, bound by the nightmare of segregation and racism that clipped their wings, delayed their progress and stymied their accomplishments.
Their story is being told in two parts via the collaboration of the New Federal and Castillo Theatres who have joined forces to tell the story of these two baseball champions throughout Black History Month (January 31 –February 24) at the Abrons Arts Center located at 466 Grand Street in Manhattan.
The first tale entitled Josh: The Black Babe Ruth, written by Michael A. Jones and directed by Eric Coleman, gives the viewer a portrait of a baseball luminary whose birth in 1911 in Buena Vista, Georgia, bore the promise of the major leagues, a promise unrealized due to the color of his skin. A disappointed Gibson (Marcus Naylor) died at age 35, just months before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball.
Known as “The Black Babe Ruth,” Gibson was said to be one of the greatest baseball players in the Negro League and indeed the best catcher of his era. Gibson spent the 1931 season with the Grays hitting a reported 75 home runs. He later joined the Pittsburg Crawfords, playing 5 seasons. Gibson won three home run titles with the Crawfords, hitting 69 in 1934 the same year he teamed up with Satchel Paige. Some say Gibson hit more home runs than any other player, reportedly racking up as many as 972.
Outside the Negro League, Gibson played in various All Star games batting .426 in 60 against white big league players of the time like Dizzy & Daffy Dean, and Johnny Vander Meer. It’s claimed that both the Pittsburg Pirates and the Washington Senators considered giving Gibson a tryout in the late 1930s, but declined due to the so-called “gentleman’s” agreement that team owners made to keep black players out of the major leagues. In 1943, Gibson was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Three years later his health declined and on January 20, 1947, Gibson died as the result of a stroke.
Part II of the series features the story of Satchel Paige entitled: Satchel: A Requiem for Racism, written by Fred Newman. Unlike his friend Gibson and fellow Negro League record breaker, Satchel (Rob Ashley Bowles) lived to be 75. Satchel, whose dream was to play in the major leagues had a career that spanned five decades. His 64 consecutive scoreless innings, 21 straight wins, and a 31-4 record earned him the tag of the greatest pitcher in the history of the Negro Leagues. In 1948, Paige realized his dream when the Cleveland Indians offered him a big league contract. Paige helped the Indians win the pennant.
Paige played for St. Louis and Kansas City as well and by the time his career with the Major league ended he had a 28-31 record with a 3.29 ERA. He also served as coach for the Atlanta Braves in 1968. What made Paige so memorable was his longevity in the game. At 59 years old, Paige was still playing ball, although the pitcher was never sure of his actual age. When asked about his age, he was known to say: "Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." In 1971, Leroy "Satchel" Paige was elected to join the Hall of Fame.
In Newman’s version of Satchel’s life, the famed pitcher and his young traveling companion, a young Harvard student (Michael Alcide) find themselves in death’s waiting room where Satchel’s life of being both naughty and nice flashed before him, as a female Saint Peter (Maryam Myika Day) judges his worthiness to cross over into heaven.
The talented cast who brought life and historical perspective to these two celebrated figures were: Henry Afro-Bradley, Gerard Catus, Cassandra Niambi Steele, Melissa Maxwell, and Toni Seawright.
This play is worth seeing and I highly recommend it to both baseball fans and devotees of history. Both Gibson and Paige were true trail blazers and it is commendable that the New Federal Theatre and the Castillo Theatre showcased their lives during Black History Month so that audiences are reminded of those who came before us and paved the way for a better tomorrow.
Go see it!
THE MO'KELLY REPORT: Black 'Kings' and 'Queens' - We Are Hilarious
*Boy, Black folks (my people) are a funny bunch. That's "funny" as in 'ha ha.' Yep, Mo’Kelly said it. Mo’Kelly loves you all, but he knows y’all too.
Only in the United States of Black America can Black folks send death threats to Tavis Smiley and his family because he asks Black folks to be informed before they go to the polls (if we go at all) and for arguing that Senator Barack Obama SHOULD put us on a pedestal.
Yes, what in the hell was Tavis Smiley thinking? Black people…pedestal? Shame on him. Doesn't he know that when you strive to keep African-Americans as a central component of the political discourse, you're by definition a crab, jealous, a hater or seeking to be "King of Black America?"
Like who the hell would want THAT job title, as ungrateful and indignant as we are?
Let the "enlightened discussion" of Tavis Smiley and Barack Obama be proof positive that we aren't quite ready to engage in the political debate unemotionally and intellectually. I guess the whole idea of political debate is still "too new" for many of us and unfamiliar territory, because we haven't learned how to disagree intellectually without reverting to childish and ignorant tendencies.
But Mo'Kelly is going to leave that alone...for now.
Also, only in the United States of Black America can Black folks get bent out of shape because one entertainer referred to another entertainer as “Queen.” Yes, Aretha Franklin was actually indignant over Beyoncé referring to Tina Turner as “Queen” at the Grammys last week.
Talk about "petty."
Don "King" would say, “only in America” but Mo’Kelly would say, “only in Black America" (eyes rolling).
But these “controversies” really got Mo’Kelly thinking. In this presidential election season as Black folks jockey to maximize their political clout and social capital, it reminds Mo’Kelly how a numb