Posts Tagged ‘Civil Rights’
The Police Don’t REALLY Treat Black People Differently. Do They? (Video)
May 23, 2018
You know the answer. But to have [even more] solid evidence of such, laid out in the form of a solid argument… Sure the affirmation is depressing, but at least you know you are signifying (not just ‘theorizing’). So, here you go. Share and discuss.
Santa Fe School Shooter is armed, yet apprehended peacefully, so why can’t police exercise that self-control with Black people?
– The Young Turks
– @ojones1
Civil Rights Activist James Baldwin At Cambridge University Union In 1965… Speaking Like He Is With Us Today (Video)
October 17, 2017
Is 400 years of slavery building this country (and oppression thereafter) plus many wars of service not enough to justify our right to have some say in its running… without having to hear, “You can leave it if you don’t love it”… Well, isn’t it? Answer: YES! Moreover, we are not going to be ousted by anyone. We helped BUILD this place ‘they’ say we can ‘leave’ (like it isn’t OURS, too)! Sure, this declaration has an angry tone. So I will let activist/scholar James Baldwin say it. Words from so long ago. Could he have known they’d still be so applicable today?
Prior to the UK release of the Oscar-nominated documentary, I Am Not Your Negro, we take a look at a seminal speech by the film’s subject – writer, essayist, poet and civil rights activist James Baldwin. At Cambridge University Union in 1965, Baldwin debates whether the ‘American dream’ has been achieved at the expense of African-Americans.
– The Guardian
Yeah. And Baldwin even has something to say about the flag in this. So on point.
– @ojones1
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Politics, Speech, Travel, Videos | 
Tags: activist, American Dream, Cambridge University, Cambridge University Union, Civil Rights, civil rights activist, essayist, I Am Not Your Negro, James Baldwin, poet, Respect for the flag, take a knee, TakeAKnee, The Guardian, UK, United Kingdom, writer | 
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RIP Hugh Hefner (Video)
September 29, 2017
Hugh Hefner. Playboy Magazine (and related enterprises) founder and mogul… All around player and lover of life… and young ladies (no hate, at all)… has passed at the age of 91… at the Playboy Mansion… of natural causes. A peaceful end to a remarkable life!
Actually, something about the way we saw him live, makes his passing from this mortal plane a bit less painful, doesn’t it? Forever in chill mode, cool parties, packed with the hottest people. A mag loaded with ‘unwrapped’ Eye Candy (that we actually did read for the articles… sometimes). So dope a player, that being his girlfriend took ‘girls from next door’ to Entertainment Television (E!) stardom (shout to Kendra Wilkinson).
And you know how we sometimes struggle to find noble things to say about the departed? Not even a struggle with Hugh Hefner. Black people like 1990 Playboy Playmate of the Year Reneé Tenison and legendary entrepreneur/activist/comic Dick Gregory will likely tell you about how Hefner was a player in a different way in life… hiring Black performers and integrating his Clubs (risking the business in some regions of the country). Yep, Hef was an impact player in the struggle for Civil Rights, a de facto activist, too.
Gonna miss you Hef. Thanks for the good times and good works. And farewell.
#RIPHughHefner
– @ojones1
Posted in Activism, Business, Celebrity, Human Interest, Lifestyle, Relationships, Videos | Tags: Civil Rights, CNN, Douglas Brinkley, Hugh Hefner, Integration, RIP Hugh Hefner | No Comments »
Black Women’s Defense League (Video)
March 28, 2017
Something about that U.S. Army Oath Of Allegiance comes to mind: ‘support and defend… against all enemies foreign and domestic.’ The documentary above starts off getting right into the range of threats posed to the Black woman by a myria of factions, all the way down to Black men. In the tradition of the Black Panthers, and holding to their radical activist philosophical underpinnings in many ways, the Black Women’s Defense League (BWDL) is all about Black women fighting against the oppressor for each other.
VICE’s Wilbert L. Cooper meets the Black Women’s Defense League, a Dallas-based womanist organization notable for its pro-gun stance. As he follows them from their political education classes to their firearms training, he sees how they fight against White supremacy and patriarchal violence.
On ‘support and defend’… These sistas are definitely doing community education, empowerment and nutrition programs the Panthers intiated and implemented. But note the use of the word ‘many’ when it comes to what Pather traditions BWDL will support and defend… Founder Neicy X says that, unlike in the past, BWDL is NOT toeing the line for ‘the cause’ so far that it even compromises the liberty of women – like not standing against the abuse of their mates. No! ANY enemy, including an abusive husband/mate/relative, can catch a bad one!
Interesting viewpoints – about the right to self-defense, gun ownership (and the U.S.’s racist historical stance against Black ownership) and the inherent dangers, how some see women with guns as sexy (which BWDL does not mind, but stresses that the guns ‘are for USE’) and more – shared in this VICE short documentary.
Do Not Resist (Trailer)
August 18, 2016
Trailer for the new film I helped to produce, DO NOT RESIST, about warrior cops and the militarization of police. https://t.co/tKgVuGd4XO
— David Menschel (@davidminpdx) August 17, 2016
Damn. Come September 2016, film producer David Menschel is gonna give us yet another look at ourselves that some (maybe the majority) of us do not want to see. But we HAVE to! When will the U.S. police forces realize that when your tool of choice is a hammer, everything looks like a nail? To break that down to simple compounds: When all you have to respond to even civil ‘threats’ is a MILITARIZED police force, you confront an unarmed gathering with an overly armed force… With sticks and stones they may threaten to break cops’ bones… so why not run ’em the f*ck over with our new tanks??!
See Rand Paul, yeah even Rand Paul, say the cops’ Army toys are NOT to be used in riot suppression? Let alone against unarmed, lawful protestors? Wow. Watch the trailer.
Images Exposing America’s Racism: The Murder Of Emmett Till (Video)
July 26, 2016
1955. Your parents and/or grandparents REMEMBER this. The killing of Emmett Till happened not even ONE full lifetime ago. Anybody wanting to tell you that revisiting such a ‘distant past’ is divisive, that you should just ‘move on’… well you should. They would have been the same people who would have believed Emmett was ‘flirting’ and that his death was his fault or just a fact of life. The fact is that the loss of Emmett’s life was a TRAGEDY. That a movement found life and strength provides some solace but in no way lessens our sadness and mourning.
Anyone telling you to move on is right. Do it. Move on… AWAY FROM THEM! Anyone telling you that to keep bringing up race, protest or even talk frankly about race-motivated violence against Black Americans that is going on in the same lifetime as the murder of Emmett Till is ‘divisive’… Move on. But remember who they are.
“The irresponsible rhetoric of our President, who has used the pulpit of the presidency to divide us by race and color, has made America a more dangerous environment for everyone.”
– Donald Trump
So, The President, a Black American (whose citizenship Trump consistently contested, remember?), even talking about what has happened to Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Walter L. Scott, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner or others divides us and makes for a dangerous environment? Hmmm… okay… Glad the cameras caught that tidbit in the midst of your nomination acceptance speech.
Yeah. I heard you RNC. I heard you, Donald Trump. And I am moving on!
But back to the video above: Watch. Grieve. Get focused. Get motivated. Get moving. Get more informed. And never forget Emmett Till!
#BlackLivesStillMatter
MORE: THE PHOTO THAT CHANGED THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT (TIME)
– @ojones1
Posted in Activism, Film, History, Videos | Tags: Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Still Matter, BlackLivesMatter, BlackLivesStillMatter, Civil Rights, duty of the press, Emmett Till, images, Media, MURDER, photos, press, Racism, Violence | No Comments »
Jesse Williams Delivers A Powerful Acceptance Speech At The BET Awards (Video)
June 28, 2016
A system meant to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do.
– Jesse Williams
Time to stand up Black people!
By now you have probably heard, or at least heard about the speech Jesse Williams gave in acceptance of the Humanitarian Award. We will steal NONE of its fire. PLEASE click the pic above or the link below and watch the full speech given at the BET Awards. Best three minutes you will spend today. Guaranteed to light a fire that burns in the depths of your soul. Let’s go!
#BlackLivesMatter
JESSE WILLIAMS ACCEPTS THE HUMANITARIAN AWARD (BET.COM)
(The speech is transcribed after the jump.)
Deray McKesson Speaks On Bernie Sanders, ‘Black Lives Matter’ And More (Video)
June 20, 2016
Outspoken activist Deray McKesson stopped by The Breakfast Club to chat with the crew on a variety of relevant current topics… issues that Bernie Sanders’ campaign has brought to light, how the Black Lives Matter movement matters, how more celebs should use their platform like Beyonce did in her Super Bowl performance. Lots of good content. Great interview.
Posted in Activism, Interview, Radio, Series, Videos | Tags: Black Lives Matter, Breakfast Club, Civil Rights, Deray McKesson, Power 105, Power 105.1 | No Comments »
Neshoba: The Price of Freedom (Documentary Trailer)
February 29, 2016
“Neshoba: The Price of Freedom” tells the story of a Mississippi town still divided about the meaning of justice, 40 years after the murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, an event dramatized in the Oscar-winning film, “Mississippi Burning.” Although Klansmen bragged about what they did in 1964, no one was held accountable until 2005, when the State indicted preacher Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old notorious racist and mastermind of the murders. Through exclusive interviews with Killen, intimate interviews with the victims’ families, and candid interviews with Black and White Neshoba County citizens still struggling with their town’s violent past, the film explores whether the prosecution of one unrepentant Klansman constitutes justice and whether healing and reconciliation are possible without telling the unvarnished truth.
Posted in Activism, Film, History, Trailer, Videos | Tags: African American, American Civil Rights Movement, Andrew Goodman, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, conspiracy, cover up, Edgar Ray Killen, James Chaney, Klansmen, Ku Klux Klan, Michael Schwerner, Mississippi, Mississippi Burning, MURDER, Neshoba County, Neshoba: The Price of Freedom, race relations, Racism, reconciliation, The Price of Freedom | No Comments »
PBS: Freedom Riders (Documentary)
February 28, 2016
Wow. Another moment in American History that just so happens to fall into the Black History category. You know how when someone gets in over his head and exclaims, “I did not sign up for this!” Well, in the first few minutes of this film you see that these young adults knew EXACTLY what they signed up for… and they went anyway. Civil Rights fighters of the highest caliber. Man, the courage it must have taken for CORE (Council On Racial Equality) to get on those buses.
Watch the story of the “Freedom Riders” – expertly told by PBS.
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Television, Videos | Tags: American Civil Rights Movement, black history, Black History Month, C.O.R.E., Civil Rights, CORE, Council On Racial Equality, Freedom Riders, John Lewis, PBS | No Comments »
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross (Documentary Series)
February 27, 2016
Five centuries of history… Black History… our history. Encapsulated in an outstanding documentary mini-series you’ve gotta watch if your Black History Month is to be truly complete. Dr. Robert Louis Gates already does fine work helping celebs learn about their ancestries and themselves on “Find Your Roots.” But to teach a people, a nation, a WORLD about itself through something like this? Outstanding!
(Above is Episode 1 to get you started. Hit the jump for Episodes 2-6.)
Posted in Activism, Education, History, Series, Television, Videos | Tags: African Americans, American Civil Rights Movement, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Many Rivers to Cross, PBS, Public Television, Robert Louis Gates, The African Americans, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross | No Comments »
4 Little Girls: Spike Lee Speaks On The Heart-Wrenching Decision He Had To Make (Video)
February 26, 2016
Another must-see before the focus on Black History for 2016 is lost…“4 Black Girls” (a real gut punch; but you still MUST watch). It will be hard to watch. Let Spike tell you (as he tells Oprah, above): It was hard to make.
In 1997, Spike Lee released “4 Little Girls,” a moving documentary about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed four African-American girls. The film went on to earn an Oscar nomination for best documentary. Watch as Spike discusses one of the most difficult decisions he’s ever made as a director and how the birth of his daughter, Satchel, changed his perspective.
You can see a trailer for the actual documentary here.
Posted in Activism, Education, History, Interview, Series, Television, Videos | Tags: 16th Street Baptist Church, 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, 4 Little Girls, American Civil Rights Movement, Birmingham, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Oprah, Oprah Winfrey, Oprah Winfrey Network, Oprah's Next Chapter, OWN, Spike Lee on a Pivotal Moment in the Civil Rights Movement | No Comments »
The Murder of Fred Hampton (Documentary Trailer)
February 26, 2016
‘All Power To The People’ as a concept should not scare us. Fred Hampton’s stance in the above trailer comes through just as plain and clear on grainy archival footage as it would were he standing flat-footed saying it to our faces today: ‘If you are scared of socialism…you are scared of yourselves.’Â How deep is that?!
This trailer was made before Fred Hampton’s death when the film was to be called “Black Panther.” It shows Hampton (August 30, 1948 — December 4, 1969) giving a speech on revolution and racism in front of a large audience. Includes glimpses of Panthers Bobby Rush and Bobby Seale and filmmaker Howard Alk. This trailer is not included in the DVD release of the film.
– Chicago Film Archives
Black History is OUR history, all of ours (not just Black people’s). You should watch this; even after February 29th.
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Speech, Trailer, Videos | Tags: American Civil Rights Movement, black history, Black History Month, Black Panther, Black Panthers, Bobby Seale, Chicago Film Archives, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, Fred Hampton, The Murder of Fred Hampton | No Comments »
Nine From Little Rock (Documentary)
February 25, 2016
“Nine From Little Rock” is the Academy Award-winning (1965) documentary short that chronicles the experiences of the nine students selected to integrate Central High School in Little Rock (Arkansas, USA) in 1957. One of those nine students, Jefferson Thomas is the narrator. Famed doc director Charles Guggenheim helmed the storytelling effort. Though scripted, Thomas’ polish does not prevent viewers from understanding the realness of what the nine – Ernest Green (b. 1941), Elizabeth Eckford (b. 1941), Terrence Roberts (b. 1941), Carlotta Walls LaNier (b. 1942), Minnijean Brown (b. 1941), Gloria Ray Karlmark (b. 1942), Thelma Mothershed (b. 1940), and Melba Pattillo Beals (b. 1941), and Thomas himself (1942–2010, RIP) – went through.
Sure, first days at school can make you nervous. But how about riding there and being walked in by armed military escort; being eyeballed by the overly curious and malicious haters alike. Then imagine the pressure to perform! Folks already thinking you should not be there; expecting you to fail!
Watch. Make your Black History Month OFFICIAL!
Posted in Activism, Film, History, Videos | Tags: Academy Award, American Civil Rights Movement, Arkansas, black history, Black History Month, Bobby Seale, Central High School, Charles Guggenheim, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, Documentary Short Subject, Integrate, Jefferson Thomas, Little Rock, Nine From Little Rock, Short Subject | No Comments »
The Black Power Mixtape (1967-1975) [Trailer]
February 24, 2016
Another must-see for your Black History Month experience: “The Black Power Mixtape” (1967-1975). That’s right man. We wouldn’t lead you wrong. A mixtape, before we really recognized the term for the most part, of powerful stuff on the Civil Rights Era struggle. Peep the trailer above ( rent/buy link below), teasing footage of Black Pathers co-founder Bobby Seale, reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., activist Angela Davis, and others; with commentary from contemporaries (like Talib Kweli).
The Black Power Mixtape is an award winning compilation feature documentary that displays the story of the African-American community 1967-1975, the people, the society and the style that fueled a change. Told with sparkling, beautiful and deep footage, lost in the archives in Sweden for 30 years.
WATCH THE FULL FILM NOW: THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE (IFC FILMS)
Posted in Activism, Film, Hip-Hop, History, Trailer, Travel, Videos | Tags: 1967-1975, African American, American Civil Rights Movement, Angela Davis, black history, Black History Month, Bobby Seale, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Goran Hugo Olsson, Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King Jr., Sweden, TALIB KWELI, The Black Power Mixtape, The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 | No Comments »
Eyes on the Prize Parts 1 & 2 (Documentary Series)
February 23, 2016
Not to say that any print, audio, or audio-visual work is the end-all of what Black History Month should be… But if you have not watched the PBS American Experience documentary “Eyes On The Prize,” you have NOT had Black History Month! Above, you have your chance: Part 1 (“Awakenings”) and Part 2 (“Fighting Back”) are ready for your viewing and enrichment. Arguably, the best series on the decades-long American Civil Rights Movement. Filmmaker Henry Hampton and PBS have, no doubt, taken tremendous pride in bringing this presentation to the masses over the years.
Watch. Now.
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Series, Television, Videos | Tags: American Civil Rights Movement, american experience, Assassination, Awakenings, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Fighting Back, Henry Hampton, March, marches, PBS, PBS American Experience, Protest, Protests, Public Television, rallies | No Comments »
Ryan Coogler Interviews J. Cole For #MLKNow (Video)
January 25, 2016
Above: Ryan Coogler (Director of “Creed” and “Fruitvale Station”) with a deeper than in-depth interview with J. Cole. You can tell it was more a frank discussion than an interview though; Coogler admitting to this being his first time as an interviewer and Cole admitting to a gang of things: the tragic death of Oscar Grant as told in “Fruitvale Station” makes him cry every time… fear-frustration-sadness and artistic motivations that came from subsequent incidents of police brutality… feelings on Black-on-Black crime… life as a married man (stunned the crowd, and toned down the ladies’ screams…for the time being).
Watch the whole 20 minutes. Very appropriate conversation in the wake of the Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration. Engaging, enlightening and empowering! The web was on fire due to news of Cole’s nuptials being dropped like a bomb in this clip, but the most powerful moment was when the brothers were exchanging thank-yous to end the interview.
Stop thanking me… We a part of the same body. Bruh, my hand don’t wake up and thank the other hand.
– Ryan Coogler
Wow… feel that chill? That surge of pride? That’s #MLKNow and hopefully motivation to take strides.
Jeremiah Camara Says ‘Blacks Screwed Up’ In Handling The Controversy Surrounding Former NBA Owner Donald Sterling (Video)
May 6, 2014
“As usual, Blacks were left with nothing but a moral victory…Donald Sterling was never the problem in the first place.”
After banning Donald Sterling from the NBA for life, there was much celebrating, specifically amongst African Americans, but in reality what was actually accomplished? As usual, Blacks were left with nothing but a moral “victory.†Black leadership, in an outside of the NBA blew perhaps the greatest opportunity to advance the conditions of African Americans since the so-called Civil Rights Movement.
History/Politics: After 50 Years, Civil Rights Pioneer John Lewis Still Says ‘We Cannot Give In!’ (Video)
August 26, 2013
RESPECT to the only living speaker/organizer from the 1963 March on Washington DC, Congressman John Lewis! What were you (or will you be) doing at 23? Probably not getting beaten trying to achieve the right to vote, thanks to the Congressman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Bernard LaFayette and other activists who marched and fought for for that right for us! Check out the video of the Civil Rights pioneer still speaking on it above. We cannot give up… we cannot give in!
Representative Lewis, referencing his suffering at ‘Bloody Sunday’ in Selma decades ago, is talking about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent stripping of the Voting Rights Act; as Dixie-crat states in the South are now allowed to make voting laws without having them cleared by the Federal Court or Government. Come on! There was a REASON we needed to have Federal oversight of Southern states’ voting policymaking… to make/keep things fair! If you need a ‘refresher’ course, Google ‘Gomillion v. Lightfoot’ (and Tweet me if you like; as I am from Tuskegee, Alabama… we can talk).
READ: REP. JOHN LEWIS – MARCH ON WASHINGTON 2013 (NEWSONE)
– @ojones1
Posted in Cover Story, History, Politics, Videos | Tags: Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, John Lewis, March on Washington, Rights, Voting, Voting Rights, Voting Rights Act, Washington DC | No Comments »
R.I.P. James Hood, First Black Man to Enroll at The University of Alabama (Video)
January 19, 2013
I just learned that an often under-recognized civil rights figure has passed. My eternal respect and thanks to you, Mr. James Hood. Because of the courageous steps you and Vivian Malone took into Foster Auditorium long ago, I was allowed to walk the halls and earn two degrees from The University of Alabama decades later. Many of those young men who took the field to reclaim the NCAA Football Championship this year owe their right to do so to you and a faithful few who saw the battle for our civil rights through in those tough times.
R.I.P. Mr. Hood. Roll Tide!
– @ojones1
Special thanks to Vkoot for the YouTube post embedded above. See bonus video that puts the clip above into perspective after the jump.
Posted in Cover Story, History, Human Interest, News, Television, Videos | Tags: Civil Rights, James Hood, R.I.P. James Hood, Stand in the School House Door, University of Alabama, Vivian Malone | 1 Comment »
