FROM MY BROWN EYED VIEW

WORD ON WEDNESDAY

2012-02-16T01:09:00.000-06:00

"That Word Nigger" Spoken Word Artist: Harvard Blue

THE INTERRUPTERS: A DOCUMENTARY FILM RECOMMENDATION

2012-02-15T11:47:00.000-06:00

The Interrupters aired on Feb. 13 on Frontline. I watched the graphic version of this documentary and it is so powerful! This film focuses on the violence that occurred in Chicago. I know a little something about this trend because it was occurring when I resided there and it has escalated over the decades. One of the stories featured in the film is the death of Derrion Albert, the young

SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME: A DOCUMENTARY FILM RECOMMENDATION

2012-02-15T11:23:00.000-06:00

Watch Slavery by Another Name Clip on PBS. See more from Slavery by Another Name. Slavery By Another Name is a documentary film that focuses on what happened to Black people at the end of the Civil War. It is definitely a myth breaker! This film exposes a reality in American History that has not been included openly in the national story. Slavery did not end with the

OUR CLASSICAL STORY: TODD DUNCAN

2012-02-15T01:42:00.000-06:00

Image of Todd Duncan from Harlem Renaissance Profile Todd Duncan (February 12, 1903-February 28, 1998) American baritone Robert Todd Duncan was the first African American to sing with a major opera company. He made his debut in 1945 with the New York City Opera Company. Todd Duncan was born in Danville, Kentucky. He obtained his musical training from Butler University in Indianapolis

OUR CLASSICAL STORY: WOMEN IN OPERA

2012-02-14T01:49:00.002-06:00

Kimberly Hawkins provides a historical perspective on Black women in opera. Kimberly Hawkins is an accomplished soloist who was born in Chicago and raised in Aurora, Illinois. She earned a Master's degree in music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Kimberly began her professional career as an undergraduate

REMEMBERING WHITNEY HOUSTON

2012-02-11T21:30:00.000-06:00

Whitney has made her final life transition. This is one singer that I had hoped would find a true point of restoration because she had a beautiful singing voice. Like millions of her fans, I wanted her to share more of that gift because it was so amazing (and it is still is) to hear Whitney singing. My sympathies go out to her family.

8,000 ALLEGED VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE IN MILWAUKEE

2012-02-11T19:29:00.000-06:00

I am going to share a story that has outraged me as a person. It is a story about a group of Catholic employees in Milwaukee who are accused of a major crime. I read this following headline yesterday afternoon: 8,000 New Catholic Child Sex Abuse Allegations Revealed in Milwaukee Archdiocese This information was revealed during a bankruptcy hearing for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

ALL MY BABIES: A MIDWIFE'S OWN STORY

2012-02-11T12:41:00.002-06:00

All My Babies is a documentary film that was produced in 1952. This documentary focuses on the subject of midwifery and the important role that these women played in the rural communities of the South. Here is a trailer from the film. There is a follow up film about Mary Coley that is about 15 minutes long. The original film was required viewing for nursing students in Georgia. The

NamUS: A PUBLIC RESOURCE TOOL FOR MISSING PERSONS

2012-02-10T20:52:00.000-06:00

NamUs is a government sponsored website that allows people to search for their missing loved ones online. Registration is free and open to the public. Information about a missing person can be entered into the system and the search spans out nationwide using a variety of resources. I would like to thank Black and Missing But Not Forgotten for sharing this information with me. Please take time

THE NAKED OPTION: A DOCUMENTARY FILM RECOMMENDATION

2012-02-09T20:06:00.000-06:00

The Naked Option Fueled by the determination for a better future, grassroots women in Nigeria's Niger Delta use the threat of stripping naked in public, a serious cultural taboo, in their deadly struggle to hold the oil companies accountable to the communities in which they operate. The women, at the risk of being raped, beaten or killed, are trained and armed, but not with anything you

WORD ON WEDNESDAY

2012-02-07T23:01:00.000-06:00

"What is Genocide?" Spoken Word Artist: Carlos Andres Gomez

OUR CLASSICAL STORY: MICHAEL MORGAN

2012-02-07T21:23:00.001-06:00

Michael Morgan (September, 1957) Musical Director Oakland East Bay Symphony Michael Morgan was born in Washington, DC, where he attended public schools and began conducting at the age of 12. While a student at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, he spent a summer at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, studying with Gunther Schuller and Seiji Ozawa. It was during this summer

I AM MY BROTHER/SISTER'S KEEPER: BLACK AIDS/HIV AWARENESS DAY 2012

2012-02-06T20:59:00.000-06:00

Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2012 Today marks the twelfth year for Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This year's theme is I Am My Brother/Sister's Keeper Educate yourself on the facts about HIV/AIDS in the national Black population. If you have not been tested there is information available on testing sites in your area. Advocate for funding and care for people infected with HIV/AIDS by

THE ALTERNATIVE QUARTET CREATING CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL MUSIC

2012-02-05T10:28:00.000-06:00

The Alternative Quartet came through the ranks of the National Youth Orchestra of Trinidad and Tobago and leaders in their chosen instrumental field. You can learn more about The Alternative Quartet by visiting their website. You will find some free MP3 downloads of their music available.

IN PARTING WE WISH YOU LOVE, PEACE AND SOUL!

2012-02-03T23:53:00.003-06:00

I am a Soul Child of the Seventies. This week the man who helped us to make the transition from American Bandstand, Shindig and Hullabaloo by inviting us to ride on the Soul Train on Saturdays for sixty minutes of nothing but the best music and dancing of the times. Don Cornelius was truly a media liberator for my generation of soul music lovers. He created a nationally syndicated show

OUR CLASSICAL STORY: FEATURING CAMILLA WILLIAMS

2012-02-03T03:08:00.000-06:00

Camilla Williams (October 18, 1919-January 29,2012) First African American to receive a major contract from a major American opera company. Here is a short documentary about her career.

OUR CLASSICAL STORY: FEATURING ROBERT MCFERRIN SR.

2012-02-02T03:30:00.000-06:00

Robert McFerrin Sr. (March 19, 1921-November 24, 2006) Robert McFerrin was the first African American male to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. He is also the father of Bobby McFerrin. This short documentary film provides information on his career.

THE KOMEN FOUNDATION LANDS A KNOCK OUT PUNCH TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD BY REMOVING FUNDING FOR BREAST-HEALTH SERVICES

2012-02-01T22:44:00.000-06:00

The Komen Foundation Delivers a knock out punch to Planned Parenthood I have been a long time supporter of Planned Parenthood and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. My mother is a 20 year breast cancer survivor and I participate in the Race for the Cure annually. I use to visit Planned Parenthood for my women's health related needs and the staff always treated me in a respectful manner.

WORD ON WEDNESDAY

2012-02-01T01:20:00.000-06:00

"Ego Tripping" Spoken Word Artist: Nikki Giovanni

Banned 500 Years of Chicano History offered free to AZ students by ABQ publisher

2012-01-31T13:09:00.000-06:00

MBEV recently featured a post on the ethnic studies ban that has been imposed upon the students of Arizona. The books written by Chicano and Native American authors were removed from the classroom and have been taken to a depository. The South West Organizing Project in response to the current ban and the overall climate of fear and scapegoating of the people of color in Arizona, is

INDIANA LAWMAKERS PREPARE FOR SUPERBOWL XLVI BY TOUGHENING SEX TRAFFICKING LAWS

2012-01-31T11:59:00.003-06:00

Super Bowl Image by NFL Indiana lawmakers are preparing for Super Bowl XLVI by forwarding legislation to Governor Mitch Daniels to toughen laws associated with sex trafficking in and effort to combat increases in this activity during large sporting events. Religious leaders and groups have been meeting for several months to work on combating this problem before the game is played

AM I NOT HUMAN?

2012-01-31T00:15:00.001-06:00

This month’s Am I Not Human? post focuses on Gladys and Jamie Scott once again. Former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour granted pardons or clemency to 215 people who were convicted of manslaughter, rape, murder and other crimes. Of these 189 were not in prison; most had been out of prison for years, often many years (ABC News, 2012). Noticeably absent from that list of former and

2012 FROM MY BROWN EYED VIEW

2012-01-29T02:13:00.001-06:00

Public Radio International (PRI) international news program titled, The World aired a story about the press and Nelson Mandela that has me shaking my head in disbelief. Nelson Mandela is now 93 year old and in declining health. Media outlets have been staging a death watch in his home town. There are reporters who are literally waiting on Mandela to die so they can be the first ones to

WORD ON WEDNESDAY

2012-01-26T00:50:00.000-06:00

"Education System" Spoken Word Artist: Aadil Malik

LET ME DOWN EASY : A CULTURAL PERFORMANCE RECOMMENDATION

2012-01-25T05:29:00.000-06:00

Great Performances is currently featuring a one woman titled Let Me Down Easy featuring Anna Deavere Smith. Smith portrays a group of people from personal interviews who are dealing with health care issues. It is a stunning live performance that provides a look at how people relate the cycle of life from birth to death. Smith does an amazing job of moving from one character into