The Liberator: Blog

Art in a time of war: Anna Deavere Smith

2009-11-06T16:25:00.006-05:00

Many thanks to Kintespace for [originally sharing] this compilation of video interviews with Anna Deavere Smith, noting: /////"Appropriately, Anna’s 2006 book, Letters to a Young Artist: Straight-up Advice on Making a Life in the Arts-For Actors, Performers, Writers, and Artists of Every Kind,...

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Liberator North Star monthly donors

2009-11-04T21:42:00.007-05:00

Thank you, Anonymous, our latest Liberator North Star monthly donor! In response to our [pledge letter], we currently have a group of thirty one Liberator supporters who have become Liberator North Stars. Each of these individuals has committed to contributing a dollar or more each month to...

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Roy DeCarava, R.I.P. [video]

2009-11-04T20:32:00.002-05:00

{© Roy DeCarava} Photographer Roy DeCarava (1919-2009) passed away last Tuesday at the age of 89. What I have always admired about him, besides his awe-inspiring body of work, is his ability to articulate his motives with precision and no small amount of humility. DeCarava, thoughtful, sensitive,...

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Bob Marley: "Work" [video | kiotd]

2009-11-04T20:30:00.002-05:00

Work (check it)

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Nneka: "Walking" [video | kiotd]

2009-11-04T19:42:00.002-05:00

Walking (check it)

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Toki Wright: "Devil's Advocate" [video]

2009-11-04T16:15:00.000-05:00

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DIRTY: One Word Can Change the World [film]

2009-11-02T14:45:00.006-05:00

Synopsis: "DIRTY: One Word Can Change The World" is an intimate look into the life and death of the ground-breaking rap and hip hop artist Russell Jones, aka Ol Dirty Bastard or ODB. This in-depth documentary traces ODBs life from his childhood in Brooklyn to his eternal influence on music, time...

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Inspiration Information Vol. 4 [kiotd]

2009-10-31T19:14:00.004-04:00

Inspiration Information Vol. 4 (check it)

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The story behind "Precious"

2009-10-31T17:03:00.003-04:00

“At the end of the day, I’m a promoter.” ~Lee Daniels, director (SOURCE: New York Times) At the Cannes International Film Festival in May, in the loud, chaotic bar at the Martinez Hotel, Lee Daniels seemed, as he often does, both ecstatic and nervous. He jumped, he slumped, his mood changing...

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2Pac: "God Bless The Dead" [kiotd]

2009-10-31T12:47:00.006-04:00

The homie Mike blessed me with this one. Happy Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, All Saints Day (for the Catholic folk), Qarqe'an (for some Muslim folk), etc. God Bless The Dead Keep It On The (Download)

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The Reckoning: the story of the International Criminal Court [film]

2009-10-30T17:16:00.004-04:00

WHY?: My trusted and brilliant scholar-brotha Lafayette Gaston (author of "Past Afrocentricity" in Liberator 8.1) sent this link over to a "powerful" PBS documentary called "The Reckoning". The film is about the formation and operation of the International Criminal Court. I'll be watching it this...

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Housing is a Human Right [trailer]

2009-10-28T13:29:00.003-04:00

From the producers: "Housing is a Human Right is an ongoing multimedia documentary portrait of the struggle for home in New York City. Composed of oral narratives and photographs, along with testimonies and memories of home, woven and remixed this collection of viscerally honest, first-person...

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The History of Jazz [visual art | kiotd]

2009-10-26T15:18:00.008-04:00

{"The History of Jazz" by Mary Lou Williams} Black Christ of the Andes (check it) Mary Lou Williams is perpetually contemporary. Her writing and performing are and have always been just a little ahead throughout her career. . . . her music retains--and maintains--a standard of quality that is...

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On Derrion Albert

2009-10-24T03:39:00.004-04:00

{liberatormagazine.com exclusive feature} I'm still having a hard time processing how I feel about the death of Derrion Albert, a 16-year-old Chicago high school student who was brutally beaten by a group of young men not much older than Albert. I'm sure by now you've all seen that devastating...

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Frontline: "The Warning" to the financial crisis

2009-10-24T03:28:00.003-04:00

Two revealing quotes: "I was very hopeful that in the aftermath of a crisis we could see what had gone wrong and say "let's fix it". But it may be that we are passing that critical moment. And in that case, the necessary reforms will be just much more difficult to come by." ~Joseph Stiglitz,...

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Nicholas Ryan Gant: "Before The Fall" [video]

2009-10-23T17:26:00.004-04:00

Live From Planet Earth Alumnus: "Before the Fall, co-written by Bilal Salaam, is the first single from the project "Border Breaker". Video directed by Matthew Henderson, after the break. Production by Slimkat78. The song deals with the struggle between spirit and the desires of the flesh. Before...

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Olukemi's Picks.

2009-10-21T22:43:00.013-04:00

{"Untitled Self-Portrait," © Nafeesah Shabazz} There's nothing like a "you need this in your life"-like recommendation from folks whom you respect. You just know you're about to be put on to something grand. The good people of The Liberator community are always sending in jewels that we can't wait...

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Bill Withers: "Grandma's Hands" [video]

2009-10-20T22:23:00.006-04:00

Wiki: "Grandma's Hands is a song written by Bill Withers about his own grandmother. It was included on his 1971 debut album "Just as I Am", and was also released as a single, reaching number 18 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart and 42 on the Billboard Hot 100." Video after the break. I'll post...

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Shabazz Palaces: "Belhaven Meridian" [video]

2009-10-17T15:31:00.008-04:00

Description from Kahlil Joseph: An allegorical short film/music video for Shabazz Palaces shot in Watts, Los Angeles, directed by Kahlil Joseph, cinematography by Matt Lloyd. Featuring a cameo of Dante (Ernest Wadell) from "The Wire" in homage to Charles Burnett's 1977 classic film "Killer of...

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Raheem DeVaughn: Bulletproof f/ Ludacris [kiotd]

2009-10-15T01:27:00.008-04:00

Sorry we've been slacking on the music end. I'm taking some time to get my music re-organized as we gear up for the next issue of the magazine to drop (we have just over $100 more to raise to allow us to print). All that to say, things are heating up, just in time for winter. For now, here's a...

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Real Food

2009-10-14T23:55:00.006-04:00

{Quick Gyros} ^^ [Lunch By Nature] gets infinite love from me. Check out a few of Nira's latest recipe postings. She hooked [Live From Planet Earth] up with Chicken and Tofu for all (she always encourages organic and local). Now she bout to have me making Gyros at home. Do you hear me?! Gyros! At...

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Gjon Mili

2009-10-14T23:46:00.006-04:00

WHY?: Reading Gordon Park's autobiography has brought me deeper into his relationship with Life Magazine, which has brought me deeper into the universe of Life Magazine itself, which has brought me into the universe of Gjon Mili. More pictures after the continued. {Ella Fitzgerald} {Gene...

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$1000 3BR in Decatur + $1050 1BR in Chicago

2009-10-14T19:09:00.004-04:00

We've got a few pretty nice places listed by readers in our [new classifieds section in the Liberator forums].

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Google Voice invites

2009-10-14T19:05:00.005-04:00

{via Google Images} I have some [Google Voice] invites available for regular Liberator blog commenters (I know who you are). Drop a comment if you'd like one. I'm still a little creeped out about having a huge archive of text and voicemail messages, so I delete most of mine. But aside from that,...

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Kobe Doing Work

2009-10-14T18:35:00.005-04:00

WHY?: Kobe explains the triangle offense among other things (full movie after the break): "Lotta people put too much on it. They think it's some mystical, magical, extremely complex Albert Einstein offense. It's really not. It's just basketball. You have your spots on the floor that you go to, to...

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Steph

2009-10-13T20:32:00.004-04:00

^^ Associate Editor Stephanie holding it down in DUMBO caught the eye of [le coil].

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James Baldwin on Cheikh Anta Diop

2009-10-13T17:04:00.006-04:00

{via Flickr} {liberatormagazine.com feature} WHY?: One reason The Liberator exists is to create spaces where dialogue, that may otherwise not take place, can take place. Our challenge to ourselves and readers is often, simply, to read. This is a re-post from Kintespace where the author, after...

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Eder Muniz.

2009-10-13T16:59:00.004-04:00

WHY?: [Eder Muniz] is a [Live From Planet Earth] alumnus. He sent over these images of a few of his newest pieces. More after the break.

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The Big Takeover. Empire's end game...

2009-10-12T02:45:00.008-04:00

WHY?: Liberator Associate Editor Melvin Barrolle names this essay a must-read. It's lengthy, but I couldn't agree more. If you plan on being an American for a while, you should probably read this. It's definitely [red pill material]. (SOURCE: Rolling Stone) The Big Takeover; The global economic...

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Kevin Phillips: "Bad Money: Reckless Finance"

2009-10-12T02:44:00.001-04:00

WHY?: I know this [red pill material] is best distributed in doses, but I had to squeeze in this interview with Kevin Phillips, author of the new book Bad Money: Reckless Finance, because of how relevant and timely the information he shares is. If you're someone like me who is trying to grasp what...

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Food Inc. [film]

2009-10-12T01:28:00.006-04:00

WHY?: In the 1980s the U.S. Supreme Court said that companies can patent life. Soon after, Monsanto patented a special soybean breed resistant to a special pesticide that they just so happened to sell. In just over 10 years Monsanto's soybean breed went from being 2% of all soybeans grown in the...

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Electric Wire Hustle: "Perception" [video]

2009-10-11T11:44:00.002-04:00

WHY?: Electric Wire Hustle makes beautiful concoctions of Hip-Hop, Soul, Electronic flavors. And their self-titled debut album is out now. Video after the break.

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The railsplitter's stew, Obama serves up contempt

2009-10-08T18:53:00.002-04:00

{via Flickr} {liberatormagazine.com exclusive feature} The Railsplitter's Stew, Obama Serves Up Contempt essay: Frederick B. Hudson An historically spliced rendering of the ironic symbolism that Barack Obama chose to "cling to" throughout his presidential campaign and into the...

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A film rings the bell of liberation for English teens

2009-10-08T18:49:00.004-04:00

{David (Peter Sarsgaard) opens the door of his car and a new life to Jenny (Carey Mulligan) in An Education} {liberatormagazine.com exclusive feature} “An Education,” A Film Rings the Bell Of Liberation for English Teenagers review: Frederick B. Hudson The London schoolgirl leaves a brutal...

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K'naan: T.I.A. (this is africa) [video]

2009-10-08T13:47:00.004-04:00

WHY?: Director [Nabil Elderkin] [also directed Mr. Hudson's "White Lies"] does ultimate justice to K'naan's "T.I.A.". The collaboration is a true pleasure to watch. (Thanks Esta.) Video after the break.

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Speaking of Brazil: "Maestrina da Favela" [trailer]

2009-10-08T10:39:00.003-04:00

WHY?: Gotta love when things come right on time. Fresh off the news that [Brazil will host the 2016 Olympics], Falani Spivey sends over the trailer for her new film, "Maestrina da Favela"... "At the tender age of eight, Elen created a band infused with Samba, Swing, Reggae and African rhythms for...

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Nicholas Ryan Gant: "Before The Fall" [kiotd]

2009-10-02T23:22:00.003-04:00

WHY?: True Soul singer and [Live From Planet Earth] alumnus, Nicholas Ryan Gant releases his debut album Border Breaker on iTunes October 6th. The project features production by the Muhsinah, Slimkat78 and Dre King. According to Gant, the album's mantra will be all about "redefining divine...

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Ceewhy

2009-10-01T20:11:00.005-04:00

^The good homie Ceewhy demonstrating how he uses his Liberator Magazine.

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Trust your struggle

2009-10-01T03:53:00.010-04:00

WHY?: Just got these videos from Robert Trujillo who hit us up about illustrating for the magazine. He's part of the "Trust Your Struggle" artist collective who toured last year painting communal murals in communities around the country. A few dope videos of their journey (and a few other communal...

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New initiatve to boost South LA farmers markets

2009-09-30T18:45:00.006-04:00

{via flickr} WHY?: A new initiative promoted by LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is aimed at boosting participation by black farmers and residents in South LA farmers markets. A lot of the issues that come up in the article center around education and marketing (getting folks to believe that paying a...

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A open letter to radio-mogul Cathy Hughes

2009-09-30T18:30:00.005-04:00

Excerpt: "Fear tactics seem to be today’s replacement for news and information. Unfortunately, the listeners you are licensed to serve continue to get your commentary with only entertainment news. While in DC, you made your mark as the “Queen of information”, branding “Information is Power” on your...

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Ramadan In Africa.

2009-09-30T17:26:00.007-04:00

Excerpt: "Sabah Haroun whose Chadian husband works in Darfur said she is “exhausted,” with working a full time job, shopping, and preparing an elaborate feast every night during the month of Ramadan no wonder. In fact, as Maoulid stated in her editorial Tanzanian for that matter, African Muslim...

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Haiti news

2009-09-30T09:14:00.001-04:00

￭U.S Cancels Haiti’s Debt [with a catch] ￭Haitians up pressure for special immigration status

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Capitalism: A Love Story (+Detroit's black flight)

2009-09-30T09:10:00.001-04:00

Excerpt: "I've become all the more agitated, especially with what I've seen and with having a peak behind the curtain. Having the life I do, working in an industry that's owned by major corporations. [Moore's film is distributed by a unit of Liberty Media, whose CEO John Malone is a formidable...

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Capitalism in Africa this week

2009-09-30T09:06:00.000-04:00

￭EA to have a common currency by 2012 ￭S. Leone: Oil discovered in deep waters ￭China deal to double Ivory Coast manganese output ￭China Spreads Aid in Africa, With a Catch ￭China Apologizes To Nigeria Over Fake Drugs ￭Indian firms scramble for a piece of Kenya

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Debating the modern role of Africa's kings

2009-09-30T08:12:00.002-04:00

Riots [a'gwan down in Uganda recently] as the nation's leaders politic the relationship between traditional royalty and modern central government. It appears though that Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni [has made peace with the nation's largest kingdom], the Baganda, after meeting with their...

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Afro-Mexicans

2009-09-30T08:05:00.001-04:00

Excerpt: "The two races that are most discriminated against here are the blacks and the indigenous — but it is more accepted against blacks," says Hemeregildo Fernandez, a doctor in Yanga and one of the few blacks still living in town. His office is tucked on a narrow street that juts off the main...

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Ghana's Woman King

2009-09-30T07:52:00.002-04:00

Excerpt: "The 90-year-old king of Otuam, a town of 7,000 residents an hour's drive from Ghana's capital, had just died, the caller said. The king, as it happened, was Bartels's uncle. The town elders had performed a ritual to choose his successor, praying and pouring schnapps on the ground and...

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Congo in Harlem

2009-09-29T06:20:00.004-04:00

WHY?: Congo Week is held for the second time this year (make sure to check out their website!), with the goal of raising awareness and opinion about the natural resource plunder, proxy wars, and humanitarian catastrophe in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Should be very worthwhile to check out...

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Brother Ali: "The Freshest Kids" f. Evidence, Toki

2009-09-27T03:16:00.005-04:00

WHY?: You know what alchemy is? Okay then. This is not a cosign: Minnesota deserves your respect. Video after the break.

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