History
Civil Rights Activist And Icon Dr. Bernard LaFayette On ‘Love Ultra Radio’ (Live Interview Tonight)
February 21, 2017
I felt such a rush, and a potent mix, of emotions once Love Ultra Radio green-lit this interview event. This will be something of a fireside chat with Dr. Bernard LaFayette – a living legend, civil rights warrior, and Kingian scholar (who even today teaches the history and methods of activism and nonviolent protest made known in the States by those aligned with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). And shout out and respect to the bredren Jah Prince and super-producer Iman Lexington for throwing open the doors and welcoming Dr. Lafayette warmly.
Oh… and that hey-I-know-that-name feeling you are getting… that is because I recently mentioned his name in the opinion piece I posted a few weeks back about the Talledega College marching band playing President Trump’s inauguration (link that here).
Want to know what is so awesome, inspiring, and awe-inspiring? I did not really get to know Dr. LaFayette as the man who boldly walked with MLK Jr. and Jesus Christ since his youth. Nah, I got to know him as my high school principal back in Tuskegee, Alabama. I got to know him as the guy that cheered us on our sideline win, lose or lose badly. And as husband to my late Grandma’s longtime friend and across-the-street neighbor, Mrs. Kate (Bulls) LaFayette, who with my Aunt Tammie (Cottrell), helped me get this all set up for tonight.
Yep, and I got to know Dr. LaFayette as the Reverend who eulogized my beloved Grandma (another Tuskegee Legend) and presided over her home-going a couple of years back. Yeah. Doc took time from the never-ending work of uplifting and educating the people of the world, of ensuring that more and more of us learn to love and respect each other, to even fight for each other… without raising fists or firearms to do so… That man, came to sit with the family; share some memories and food; and wipe away a few tears.
Long enough story made only a bit longer: I am honored to know the man honored with the 2016 Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace; and to know that he is NEVER to busy to talk to us… like he will tonight. I hope you will tune in to Love Ultra Radio tonight at 10pm EST to get to know him better, too. See the flyer above for details on the interview. And check out the linked article below for more info on the Doc.
MORE: CIVIL RIGHTS ICON STILL HAS WORK TO DO (DR. BERNARD LAFAYETTE)
– @ojones1
Posted in Activism, EVENTS, History, Human Interest, Interview, Podcast | 
Tags: Bernard LaFayette, Bloody Sunday, Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Edmond Pettus Bridge, Kingian scholar, Mahatma Gandhi International Award, Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace, Mahatma Gandhi International Award Honoree, Selma, Selma March, The March Across the Edmond Pettus Bridge | 
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Afro-Brazilian Hair Stories – Parts 1 & 2 (Video)
February 21, 2017
All jabs and jokes at the Chris Rock ‘Hair’ Movie aside, Black women’s hair is serious biz – monetary and cultural. This docu-miniseries from Essence mag is focusing on the cultural side. The women are beautiful; Afro-Brizilian beautiful. But some of the stories and struggles they share… not so.
While producing our August global issue in Rio de Janeiro, we interviewed women who are celebrating the “Afro” in Afro-Brazilian. However, their hair journey has been a battle of personal, family and social acceptance because of Brazil’s complicated history with race and identity.
– Essence
Start with Part 1 above, and continue with Part 2 after the jump.
Posted in Fashion, Film, History, Honeyz, Human Interest, Investigation, Lifestyle, Series, Travel, Videos | Tags: Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Brazilian Hair, Afro-Brazilian Hair Stories, Essence, Juliana Luna, Marina Marçal, Natural Hair, Part 1, Part 2 | No Comments »
1804: The Hidden History Of Haiti (First Look Trailer)
February 21, 2017
Director/producer Tariq Nasheed is bringing us “1804: The Hidden History Of Haiti” … letting us bear witness to OURstory (as opposed to the little HIStory we get) about Haitians’ struggle for independence. You can learn more, and even help out, by visiting 1804movie.com.
From the producer of the hit film series Hidden Colors, a new documentary film about the Haitian revolution called 1804 will be released in Fall 2017.
– Tariq Nasheed
Posted in Film, History, Trailer, Videos | Tags: 1804, 1804: The Hidden History Of Haiti, First Look, The Hidden History Of Haiti | No Comments »
Crazy Like That Glue: The Craig Mack Story (Documentary)
February 8, 2017
Heads know that Notorious B.I.G. hit hard in the mid-90s and Bad Boy Records was knocking the competiton out the damn ring! Okay, but heads who really know know that there was another emcee that was right there, that was the first, the premiere artist that was actually supposed to be the Bad Boy standard bearer… the one they call Craig Mack! You remember “Flava In Ya Ear” was the business! But somehow business got eff’d up along the way.
This Craig Mack documentary tells us how, and how “Crazy Like That Glue” things really came to be. You know, heads are probably wondering, “Whatever happened to Craig Mack anyway?”
This doc covers that, too. Fascinating viewing. If you pay close enough attention, you’ll probably be as intrigued by folks who had NOTHING to say in this as you’ll be by what folks appearing in the doc had to say. Go on, settle in, and press play.
(Film produced by James Billings.)
– @ojones1
Africa’s Great Civilizations (Documentary Series Trailer)
February 3, 2017
#AfricasCivilizationsPBS premieres February 27 on @PBS. Will you be watching? pic.twitter.com/zAQ60ctWRr
— Henry Louis Gates Jr (@HenryLouisGates) January 16, 2017
It’s February. Black History Month to those who want to celebrate it as that. But since we make history every month, and we predate history, let’s go with the LOVE theme (not even waiting until the 14th *wink*).
So, on everything we LOVE, the late author & renaissance man Dr. Henry Louis Gates is at bringing us this POWERFUL docu-series on “Africa’s Great Civilizations.†Stirring, speaking truth for the ages… A must-watch when it drops Monday, February 27th on PBS. Peep the trailer above.
(And don’t let “them”… any “them” tell you YOUR history. “They” should not determine YOUR place in the universe. YOU should!)
Posted in Education, Film, History, Investigation, Series, Television, Trailer, Travel, Videos | Tags: Africa’s Great Civilizations, black history, Black History Month, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., Henry Louis Gates, Henry Louis Gates Jr., PBS, Public Broadcasting System | No Comments »
James Baldwin: ‘I Am Not Your Negro’ (Official Trailer)
January 6, 2017
“In his new film, director Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished – a radical narration about race in America, using the writer’s original words. He draws upon James Baldwin’s notes on the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. to explore and bring a fresh and radical perspective to the current racial narrative in America.”
“One of the best movies you are likely to see this year.”
– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
In theaters February 3rd
IAMNOTYOURNEGROFILM.COM
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Human Interest, Interview, Trailer, Videos | Tags: Documentary, I Am Not Your Negro, James Baldwin, Samuel L. Jackson, Trailer | No Comments »
NYFF: ’13th’ Documentary Film Panel Discussion (Video)
January 5, 2017
The day after Ava DuVernay’s new film, 13TH, opened the 54th New York Film Festival, subjects interviewed in the film came together for an extended conversation exploring the many issues explored in this powerful documentary about race and criminal justice.
From the portrayal of black men in popular culture, dating back to D. W. Griffith’s 1915 Birth of a Nation, to the progression from slavery to mass incarceration and the persistent demonization and killing of black men by police in our cities today, the discussion will consider how the past connects with our present reality. Participants will include Ashley Clark (BFI), Jelani Cobb (The New Yorker, The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress), Malkia Cyril (Center for Media Justice), Kevin Gannon (Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning), and Khalil Gibran Muhammad (Harvard Kennedy School; former Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture). 13TH is a Netflix original documentary.
PREVIOUS: 13TH DOCUMENTARY TRAILER (VIDEO)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Activism, Cover Story, Education, History, Human Interest, Interview, Investigation, Politics, Progressive, Videos | Tags: 13th, 13th Documentary, Documentary, New York Film Festival, NYFF | No Comments »
Africa: This Magnificent African Cake (Documentary)
December 29, 2016
Appropriate title, seeing as how the Europeans did in fact cut up The Motherland like cake. Check out Episode 6 of the “Africa” documentary series, “This Magnificent African Cake,” and you will see.
Posted in Film, History, Series, Videos | Tags: Africa, Ep. 6, Episode 6, How The Europeans Divided Africa, This Magnificent African Cake | No Comments »
Haiti & ‘The Forgotten Occupation’ (Trailer)
December 13, 2016
Damn. Just damn. When we look at ‘poor Haiti’ from America, we should hold more rage in our hearts than pity. The U.S. have just done wrong by that Black nation. WRONG!
In 1915, more than a century after having eradicated slavery from their country, the people of Haiti suddenly find themselves the victims of a brutal American occupation, reigniting an all too familiar past for the proud, independent nation.
Watch the trailer for “The Forgotten Occupation” above. Shout to Radio Rebel Tayla Andrè for sharing. For more info, check out TheForgottenOccupation.com.
Posted in Activism, Film, History, Investigation, Politics, Trailer, Videos | Tags: American occupation, Haiti, The Forgotten Occupation, U.S. Occupation Of Haiti | No Comments »
Victims Of Misfortune (Extended Trailer)
December 12, 2016
The American criminal justice system is more about addressing the ‘criminal’ part rather than the ‘justice’ part of its moniker. A quick search on ‘prison’ on here will tell you that. But this “Victims Of Misfortune” shows how deep the dung is; addressing what happens to the imprisoned after they have served their time. Facts and nearly two decades of research folks. Don’t argue with folks who disagree, as this is no longer a debate. This is a documentary that exposes truths and shares knowledge.
Victims Of Misfortune is a feature-length, social change documentary that will give a historical and current look at America’s criminal justice system and the discriminatory policies that people with a criminal background face, post conviction/release. Victims Of Misfortune will also take a closer look at America’s system of indentured servitude putting the practice in proper historical context. The United States has 5 percent of the world population, with around 25 percent of the world’s prisoners (over 2.4 million people behind bars). Nearly $70 billion is spent annually on probation/parole, prison and detention centers for immigration detainees. Once these people are released from prison or have a criminal record, they are then discriminated against for employment, housing, education, governmental benefits and some even deported.
Posted in Activism, Cover Story, History, Investigation, Trailer, Videos | Tags: criminal justice, criminal justice system, criminal record, Dr. Umar Johnson, ex-con, ex-convict, indentured servitude, Levon Hinton, parole, Prison, Prison System | No Comments »
ESPN’s 30 For 30: This Was The XFL (Trailer)
December 12, 2016
This trailer is intriguing. Check it out.
ESPN, the world’s sports leader, is going to do a documentary on the XFL, the failed football league borne of and bearing more than a slight resemblance to Vince McMahon’s leading sports entertainment franchise, World Wrestling Entertainment. Any televised sport has to be entertaining enough to bring eyeballs and ad revenue, right? So maybe Vince thought he could put out an entertaining football program with no sweat. Whatever the motivations and machinations behind the result and resulting demise, we should learn something watching this 30 For 30.
(Speaking of learning something… Do you know what XFL stood for? Answer: It was NOT Xtreme Football League! It was not an acronym at all. Learned something already, huh?)
Posted in Business, Film, History, Investigation, Series, Sports, Television, Trailer, Videos | Tags: 30 For 30, ESPN, NBC, This Was The XFL, Vince McMahon, World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE, XFL, Xtreme Football League | No Comments »
History Of Social Dance (Video)
December 10, 2016
You know, we really ought to be smiling (at least on the inside) when the babies are going hard with the dances they do. May not be WHAT we used to do, but you KNOW we used to go just as HARD with the moves.
Turns out that there is a reasoning and history behind it all. And it’s all good. Now, excuse me while I get my Whip-Nae-Dab on!
– @ojones1
Posted in Dance, History, Human Interest, Investigation, Lifestyle, Recreation, Videos, Youth | Tags: A visual history of social dance, Camille A. Brown, history of social dance, social dance, TED, Ted Talk | No Comments »
U.S. Veterans Deliver Powerful Apology To Native Americans At Standing Rock (Video)
December 9, 2016
Someone is probably going to find a way to be mad at these vets about this, but oh well. I salute these troops who likely served proudly with reverence, demonstrated humility and purity of heart. They still serve, in a different way here, with this bold, sincere, and timely formal apology. On bent knees at Standing Rock. Watch and be moved.
“We fought you, we took your land, we signed treaties that we broke…we beg for your forgiveness.”
– Wesley Clark Jr.
Note the chosen pronoun ‘we’… not shirking the legacy (good & not-so-good) they joined when they joined to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. And they were granted forgiveness in front of those assembled. A largely symbolic ceremony to be certain; but still very powerful!
– @ojones1
Posted in Activism, Cover Story, History, Human Interest, Speech, Videos | Tags: apology, Chief Leonard Crow Dog, First Nations, forgiveness, Forgiveness Ceremony, Lakota Sovereign Nation, Military Veterans, Native Americans, Standing Rock, Standing Rock Forgiveness Ceremony, U.S. Military, U.S. Veterans, Veterans, Wesley Clark Jr. | No Comments »
Dutch Christmas Celebrations Still Include Blackface (Video)
December 6, 2016
With minor cultural considerations, Christmas is the same worldwide right? Well, that depends on what you call ‘minor’ (or translated… HELL NO)! Especially not in the Dutch tradition. Watch the Zox expose on Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) in the Netherlands. Blackface! They are still pushing the use of blackface and human caricature as a part of the Winter holidays; dissing Black people over there in the worst ways while totally oblivious (yeah, right). But the times, they are a-changing…slowly.
Posted in Activism, History, Human Interest, Investigation, Politics, Travel, Videos | Tags: Black Pete, blackface, Dutch Christmas, Netherlands, Stereotype, Vox, Why blackface is still part of Dutch Christmas, Zwarte Piet | No Comments »
Fidel Castro Ruz: The Untold Story (Video)
November 30, 2016
Like most world leaders, the “Untold Story” of Fidel Castro (RIP) is compelling. It is an hour-and-change long, but the presentation and content shared might provide different insights on the man who was once the West’s preeminent dictator. Watch with your eyes and mind fully open.
Posted in Film, History, Politics, Travel, Videos | Tags: Cuba, dictator, Fidel Castro, Fidel Castro ruz, Jose Sanchez, socialist, socialist dictator, The Untold Story Jose Sanchez, Untold Story | No Comments »
Turkeys Have Doubled In Size Since The 1940s (Video)
November 20, 2016
Okay, if you are planning on eating a big azz turkey for the holidays, you may not want to watch this. But, of course, now you feel like you HAVE to watch, right?
The Thanksgiving turkey on your table looks nothing like the one your grandparents ate as kids.
But bigger does not always mean better. When it comes to turkeys nowadays, it’s probably rarely going to mean better; especially when you learn the how and why your holiday turkey is so huge. Maybe spend a bit more to get a turkey raised the old-fashioned way. Maybe…
Posted in Health and Wellness, History, Investigation, Science, Videos | Tags: Frankenbird, Frankensteined, Frankenturkey, Holiday, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving turkey, TURKEY, turkeys have gotten bigger, Vox | No Comments »
Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise (Trailer)
November 16, 2016
New docu-series from noted history scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Debuted last night. Next scheduled national broadcast next Tuesday, November 22, 2016. Check local listings for other air times.
In his new four-hour series, BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. embarks on a deeply personal journey through the last fifty years of African American history. Joined by leading scholars, celebrities, and a dynamic cast of people who shaped these years, Gates travels from the victories of the civil rights movement up to today, asking profound questions about the state of Black America — and our nation as a whole.
– PBS
…And Of The Son: The Legacy Of David And Jackie Robinson (Mini-Documentary)
October 25, 2016
David’s story begins by him talking about his going back home to Africa…Tanzania specifically. It’d be an interesting human interest piece if this was just that. But this is a Spike Lee [Lil] Joint. Why the Spike Lee treatment? And why on ESPN? David is activist & baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s son. ESPN’s headline – “Jackie Robinson’s son is a coffee farmer in Tanzania” – rather oversimplifies what this documentary is covering, but it’s a good watch!
Posted in Activism, Business, Celebrity, Film, History, Human Interest, Relationships, Sports, Travel, Videos | Tags: Baseball, Coffee, David Robinson, farm cooperative, Jackie Robinson, Jackie Robinson's son is a coffee farmer in Tanzania, Rachel Robinson, Sharon Robinson, Sweet Unity, Tanzania | No Comments »
Romany Malco Reveals ‘The Racket Of Racism’ (Video)
October 5, 2016
Romany ‘Q’ Malco has been spitting facts since he was spitting rhymes back in the day with College Boyz (yeah, Google that sh!t). But this vid right here? Wooooo… KNOWLEDGE METER ON OVERLOAD! Malco calls this one “The Racket Of Racism.” Very thorough. Takes a bit of time (well spent) to get through. But the time will fly. Necessary viewing.
(Unpacking complex issues to simple truths. Great work!)
– @ojones1
Posted in Activism, Celebrity, History, Lecture, Videos | Tags: Romany Malco, The Racket Of Racism | No Comments »
