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August September 2020

Lots going on this Black August closing weekend!

Visit this calendar site: Black Cultural Events website

Watch: The Black National Convention 2020 on August 28, 2020

Watch: March on Washington 2020

Wanda’s Picks Radio Show:
August 28, 2020

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

1. Hurricane Katrina Report Back

Malik Rahim and Parnell Herbert are our first guests

We close in the second hour with Nana Sula Spirit, Baba Luther Gray and Sess 4-5

 

Wanda’s Picks Radio Show Special,
Tuesday, August 25, 2020

1. Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, joins us to talk about the Creative Justice Initiative, available through Aug. 31, 2020

2. Naru Kwina & Leroy Frankilin talk about their new film, The Joe Capers Legacy, airing Aug. 29, 2020, 7-9 PM PT

3. We speak to Dr. Shemell Bell, Shalom Cook, Fountainetta Coleman, about the 28-Day Global Meditation for Black Liberation Aug. 1-28, 2020 and other events such as Movement for Black Lives National Convention 8/29 and the NAACP Virtual & Actual March on Washington, 8/27-28.

4. We close with an interview with Rennie Harris, choreographer, “Lazarus,” set on Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre 2018 for its 60th Anniversary. We spoke when the work came to Cal Performances last year.

Visit the following link for Street Dance Activism for Black Liberation which sponsored the Aug.1-28-Day Meditation which is connected to the Virtual March on Washington (11 a.m. ET) and program this evening; and the M4BL National Convention 8/28.

Lecture Series Honors Rep. John Lewis, Friday, August 28
Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series hosts a Tribute to Rep. John Lewis, 7 p.m. PT, 8/28

JOhn Lewis Tribute at MLK Jr. Freedom Center, Aug. 28, 2020

White Nights, Black Paradise at Museum of African Diaspora, Aug. 29, 2020 

Virtual PERFORMANCE & DISCUSSION | White Nights, Black Paradise, The Play by Sikivu Hutchinson

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August 29, 2020 @ 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
WHERE:
Zoom Room
COST:
Pay What You Can

PERFORMANCE PANEL DISCUSSION MOAD LIT

 

Radio Show Interview with Sikivu Hutchinson, Ph.D., playwright,
“White Nights, Black Paradise,” Nov. 21, 2008:

1. Toni-Michelle Williams is an activist and co-director of Solutions Not Punishment Coalition (SNaPCO) in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a celebrated community organizer in prison abolition/prison reform issues, and the criminalization of poverty and Black transgender people. She is in town for Violence Against Trans Women: State of Emergency at Commonwealth Club of CA in SF, 11.26/2018, 6:30 p.m.

2. Sikivu Hutchinson, Ph.D. is an educator and author who has written and published extensively on the African American experience in Peoples Temple and Jonestown; CHARLOTTE WILLIAMS (Hy Strayer) charlotteevelynwilliams.com; ELVINET PIARD (Jess McPherson/The Night Watchwoman) is trained in communication and performing arts, Elvinet is an L.A.-based actor and voice-over artist. They join us to talk about the upcoming production of White Nights, Black Paradise, Fri., Nov 30 – Sun, Dec 02 at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. http://www.blackjonestown.org/events/

3. We close with an interview with Ntozake Shange, playwright, “for colored girls who’ve considered suicide when the rainbow was enuf.” The performance was at Black Rep in Berkeley.

 

By

July August 2020

Denise Adele Gums

We are losing so many loved ones this year. Beloved heroes like Rep. John Lewis (2/21/40-7/17/20) and his friend and mentor Rev. CT Vivian (7/30/24-7/17/20) and Rev. Joseph Lowery (10/6/21 – 3/27/20), Dean of the Civil Rights Movement.

Here in Oakland, we lost Wonder Woman Denise Adele Gums (10/26/53-7/22/2020). I met Denise when President Aristide was in exile. I think I sat next to her and after chatting at the event with her about Haitian politics, I knew this was a sister I wanted to know. Her work, grounded in Christ or God consciousness, like aforementioned honored ancestors, looked at African Diaspora unity. Denise saw the church as a sanctuary and its role one of liberation theology.

She wore colorful wraps, baubles on her wrists and hoops dangling from ears.  Denise’s smile, even masked, was palatable.  Oaktown to the core, the eldest of four, she attended Oakland public schools . . . then Bishop O’Dowd High School, class of 1971. She then attended Holy Names College.

A woman who knew how to have fun while working for systemic change, Denise worked as a community organizer and always knew where the pulse was on an issue. Denise was well-loved in the African immigrant community here and abroad and was first call for current events whether that was China’s treatment of African immigrants or Covid-19 in Congo. She got the information and immediately sent it out.

She was first to model African-centered face masks, riding the bus to Berkeley to support an African woman-owned business. A founding member of Bay Area Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) in 2006, Denise was a Race Woman, in the spirit of the Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey.

Muadi Mukenge, Board member of Priority Africa Network, and presenter at several Bay Area Friends of the Congo events says, “Denise was an ally in the struggle for women’s rights and for peace in the Congo. She attended many events and lent her voice and solidarity to the Congolese community. She is known by people from many African countries for her warmth and sense of justice.”

Pierre and Maria Labossiere, co-founders, Haiti Action Committee, write of that first meeting in 1982, “when Denise was emcee at an event for the late Father Gerard Jean-Juste then visiting from Florida. The community gathering was in support of Haitian refugees who were fighting for the right to political asylum. We became great friends that day and rarely has Denise missed an event or demonstration in support of the people of Haiti.”

Nunu Kidane, founder and director of Priority Africa Network, recalls Denise’s ties to African community, especially the Nigerian

Denise Adele Gums

community associations and elected officials.  “She was committed and intelligent,” Nunu says in a recent conversation. “I was impressed by the breath of her knowledge and strategic thinking.”

Melvin Phillips, neighbor and classmate, recalls Denise worked closely with the late Father Jay Matthews and Father Edgar Haasl; Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Pentecostal clergy and the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, in her role as community liaison for Clergy United of Oakland and the Bay Area Interdenominational Ministry Alliances. This was in the ‘70s and continued to the present. Denise helped in Black Panther Party co-founder, Bobby Seale’s campaign for Oakland Mayor and went to jail often while protesting for housing rights. Pierre said, she’d give her purse to one of them to hold for her until she was released. She made “Good Trouble.”

Gerald Lenoir, now Strategy Analyst, Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, recalls Denise fondly. He says, Denise was a big asset. She was a bridge between the church and the community and brought her cultural work to BAJI when he was founding director. A member of the St. Columba Catholic Church in West Oakland at that time—the choir took “good news” to other Catholic churches on Sunday mornings, so in demand were they (smile).  Denise shares a bit of that skill in a “We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest” freestyle tribute to Gerald at his retirement party in 2014 (video).

The last time I saw Denise she was standing at Lake Merritt smiling and waving as she documented our twice monthly (1st and 3rd Friday) car caravan. We waved at each other. Later she told me she crossed the street and explained to the curious men exercising near Embarcadero, the protest objectives: BLM, end police violence; Voter Rights; 2020 Census. I looked at my phone the day I learned she died, and saw two texts from July 20 in WhatsApp about Rep. Lewis date stamped 4:15 and 5:09 a.m. (Nunu and I both reflected on those last messages.)

Denise supported immigrant rights and African entrepreneurship. She loved film and volunteered at the Oakland International Film Festival. She worked at the American Red Cross training disaster relief volunteers. More recently she worked as a Special Education teacher; she loved children, especially those children she taught at Oakland Public Schools and worried about the effects of distance education and the digital divide in our community.

She is being interned at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. Visit the site for updates on funeral arrangements. You can also visit the website at Our Lady of Lourdes Church where Denise was a member. She is survived by her mom, Mrs. Thelma Gums and two sisters, Deborah and Karen Gums; aunts and an uncle, cousins and of course too many friends to count. She is preceded in death by her father, Mr. Louis Gums and brother Kevan Gums.

The public ceremony and celebration of Denise Gums’s life is Saturday, August 15, 2020, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT in Zoom. Check the Chapel of the Chimes for the details for the virtual ceremony. There will also be a private family memorial.  If anyone is interested in helping with burial costs, please contact Mr. Osagie A.D. Enabulele, Community Leader, 510-393-6262.

Radio Show Tribute
Wednesday, August 5, 8-10 AM PT we will host a special tribute to Denise Adele Gums on Wanda’s Picks Radio Show. Call into the studio and share a story: 347-237-4610 ext. 1. Visit blogtalkradio.com/wandas-picks

Listen to the Tribute to Denise on Wanda’s Picks Radio Show


Car Caravan for Black Lives and Denise Adele Gums
Join us at August 7, 12-1 p.m. PT at Lake Merritt in Oakland, across from Our Lady of Lourdes Church, for our (1st and 3rd Friday monthly through Nov. 6) car caravan protest. Make sure you have signs on your vehicle. Add a photo of Denise. She can walk with us as we rally our people to register to vote and vote, complete the 2020 census and that we continue to celebrate and honor Black Lives as Denise Adele Gums did until her last breath.



Black August

Marcus Garvey’s Birthday, Aug. 17, 2020

Black August is a time of reflection on African Diaspora revolutionary politics, rebellions, resistance. We remember the lives of fallen comrades, especially those person, like George Jackson and Marilyn Buck and Safiya Bukari (now ancestors), behind enemy lines, bodies once confined but spirits free. We hosted a couple remarkable MAAFA Virtual Townhalls in June and July. The first, June 28, honored the legendary activist and artist, Beah Richards, whose centennial birthday was July 12 (1920-2020). We showed LisaGay Hamilton’s film, “Beah: A Black Woman Speaks,” which takes its title from her poem by the same title. The director joined us afterward for a discussion in Zoom. The second townhall, July 26, just a week ago, Melanie DeMore hosted a Gullah Stick-pounding workshop. If anyone is interested in joining us August 23, send a message through wandaspicks.com We post response narratives afterward in maafasanfranciscobayarea.blogspot.com/

August 1 is also Emancipation Day celebrated in the Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Barbados in the Caribbean and in the London, UK, Miami, Florida.

100 years ago, Marcus Garvey’s UNIA-ACL hosted the Convention of Negro Peoples in New York, August 1-31 in 1920.  It was the largest gathering of Pan Africans ever. At this convention the Pan African flag was unveiled, Garvey was nominated the provisional president of a United States of Africa.

Watch: https://ibw21.org/events/080120-marcus-mosiah-garvey-virtual-forum/

All Of Us Or None

We are so excited to welcome home Patricia Wright whose sentence was commuted and she was released July 21, just after her birthday, July 17. Snatched from her family 24 years ago, son Alfey Ramdhan, just 11 or 12 at the time, recalls how hard it was growing up without the person he trusted the most. Photos show Patricia surrounded by siblings, children, grandchildren and friends. Everyone has on masks and some hold “Welcome Home” signs and flowers. She is the first woman released on a list of incarcerated women with health conditions that make them especially vulnerable to Covid-19. Alfey said he and siblings took his mom to the beach and watched her enjoy the fresh air and spray on her face. The family went to get dinner and had ice cream for dessert. Patricia went shopping for new clothes; however, she had to sit in the parking lot to get her bearings, so much had changed since she was last home. When asked how he and the rest of his family stayed so devoted to Patricia Wright and fighting for her release all these years, Alfey said everyone knew she was innocent, that she had nothing to do with the crime. And Patricia, her faith in her creator never wavered. We hope to catch up with Patricia soon to talk to her about freedom and her short and long term plans.

N’COBRA Virtual Conference July 30-Aug. 2, 2020

31st Annual N’COBRA Virtual Conference

The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (NCOBRA) is the premiere mass-based coalition of organizations and individuals organized for the sole purpose of obtaining reparations for African descendants in the United States.

The N’COBRA conference this year, July 30-August 1, is virtual and focuses on the youth and how the old guard can support an agenda that embraces the new without discarding its foundation or what came before. There are two short days (3 hours) and Sat. all day program that focuses on epigenetics and African American survival.  Youth 20 and younger are free and there are scholarships for youth 21 up whose admission is $15. Grown folk are $30 for admission. Visit https://www.ncobraonline.org/national-coalition-of-blacks-for-reparations-in-america-31st-annual-virtual-national-convention/

Wanda’s Picks Radio, July 29, 2020: http://tobtr.com/11783480

Listen to an interview on Wanda’s Picks Radio Show with Nana Jomoke at the N’COBRA conference and to Delfeayo Marsalis speak about a new non-profit – Keep NOLA Music Alive  – designed to help keep New Orleans music culture thriving during these uncertain times.

 
Party on Sunday, August 2, 2020 with Delfaeyo Marsalis

Delfeayo kicks off the KNOLA fundraising effort with a “Double-Nickel Birthday Bash” virtual performance Sunday, August 2, 3 p.m. PT/5 p.m. CDT/6 p.m. EDT marking his 55th birthday.


Oakland Public Schools Fundraiser Rebroadcast

Elevate Oakland, a music program for Oakland Public Schools hosted a virtual concert in July featuring Sheila E, Ledisi, Goapele and concluding with Stevie Wonder—it was beyond amazing. Angela Davis spoke about the power of art and imagination and creativity to sustainable change. Well, for those who missed the show, it is having an encore broadcast, Friday, August 1, 5 p.m. PT in YouTube. Visit:
https://www.elevateoakland.org/programs-artists-in-residence

Film Openings

Ocean Film Festival
17th Annual International Ocean Film Festival Goes Virtual with Reconnecting Summer 2020  Featuring all 54 Films, plus online panels, discussions and audience Q&A July 30 – August 9  www.intloceanfilmfest.org


River City Drumbeat (95 mins), directed by Marlon Johnson and Anne Flatté opens August 7-21 at Roxie Virtual Cinema
Drum Corps Director, Albert Shumate

Imani and Jailen, elder RCDC members, lead the team.


River City Drumbeat directors, Marlon Johnson and Anne Flatté 

River City Drumbeat captures Edward “Nardie” White’s thirty year run as leader of the dynamic Louisville, Kentucky River City Drum Corps and chronicles his passing of the baton to former student Albert Shumake. It is a beautiful story of a legacy using art to build character. River City shows how community is what matters in a child’s life. The drum is the heart, it is a mother’s love, the first voice, the most important voice a child hears or perhaps feels. White’s program builds men and women as it provides space for parents to grow into their roles. The music is awesome, we dance as we cheer and cry and marvel at these young leaders groomed and step into responsibility with ease and joy. Art is what will save us. It keeps us human. Listen to Albert Shumate talk about how River City Drum Corps saved his life, literally.

Radio Show Special on River City Drumbeat:

The directors, Marlon Johnson and Anne Flatté join Albert, on Wanda’s Picks, July 13: http://tobtr.com/11773949

Tickets Available at bit.ly/rcdatroxie  View the trailer here: https://www.rivercitydrumbeatmovie.com/

 

Bob Marley

Robert Nesta MARLEY @75

This is the 75th Anniversary of Bob Marley’s birth, February 6, 1945. His family has been celebrating all year. Friday, July 31, “Marley,” (145 min.), directed by Kevin Macdonald opens virtually and in select drive-ins around the country. Locally, the film screens at Smith Rafael Center and Cameo Cinema in the San Francisco Bay, Tower in Sacramento. Visit https://www.bluefoxentertainment.com/films/marley Watch & Share the Trailer

The film is a nuanced story of a man who spent a lifetime searching for sanctuary. Born of a white man and a Black girl-child, he never quite fit in except when he was playing music. He knew his white family and the factory they owned, although his white family did not know their Black brother. When they are introduced to his work, his sister says Bob’s work lifted the family name. Bob and his friends worked hard for their success—one person says that they were so hungry when they were boys, they would have to fill up on water and go to bed. This is one of the reasons why his mother left the country for the city.

There are archival scenes of older bands playing instruments they probably made, guitars, banjos. Bob and his friends made their instruments too. There is a great conversation with the record producers who noticed Bob’s writing style – it had depth. His topics weren’t shallow. Religion also gave Bob a sense of place—Rastafari aligned with his beliefs – there is a great scene where Emperor Haile Selassie visits Jamaica and when the door opens and he sees so many people awaiting his arrival he goes back into the cabin and closes the door.

I guess it is unnerving to be greeted as a god.

Intelligent, shy with trust issues Marley found within his creative voice a stage where he had a place. MacDonald’s Marley features interviews with Marley’s musician friends, children, lovers and producers, archival footage of Trenchtown ghetto where Marley lived, the studio that gave him and another friend shelter when his mom left for the US.

Outside of reading a book about Marley, this film is an audio tour of a remarkable life, albeit short.

He grew up with gangsters, but he wasn’t a gangster. He was poor, yet ended up with wealth which he shared. He was disciplined and old fashioned, even patriarchal regarding gender roles and expectations.

Marley is both genius and flawed, especially with his relationships with women. His relationship with his wife Rita Marley is complex, perhaps as complex as the politics of the music business. The search for a unique sound as the group performs covers of boy bands and become famous in Jamaica. I love the Lee Scratch Perry studio sessions and Peter Tosh with the Wailers and an interview regarding why he left the band.

Marley suffers exile for his art. His philosophy is simple– he wants people to live as brothers and sisters, regardless of their race.

The music is amazing and watching the Wailers in the small joints with the audience right next to the performers. Given the Covid-19 reality, this film and that time seem lifetimes ago. At the peak of his career Marley is diagnosed with cancer and the man doesn’t miss a beat, literally, to the point everyone forgets he had the diagnosis.

Marley wonders why his audiences are white, why don’t Black people attend his concerts until he performs at Madison Square Garden, the opening for the Commodores. The narrator said respect brought the audience to its feet when Marley took the stage. Also in 1980, earlier, Marley played in Zimbabwe. The country was changing power and wanted the Rasta man to attend but they couldn’t afford his fee. Marley shipped his sound equipment there and the concert was pretty amazing. Marley had already written a song which became a work the soldiers sang. When the men and women could not get into the concert, they pushed down the wall and the police sprayed tear gas on everyone, which meant the artists felt the burning in their eyes and throats and left the stage, while Bob, kept singing.

He was down for the people. We get to see Marley when he performs his last concert and later when he is in Switzerland  getting treatment for the cancer which has metastasized.  The funeral is beautiful as are the reflections as Marley is not getting well. It is a great story– Bob Marley lived so much life in 36 years.

With each ticket purchase, recipients will receive an exclusive Ziggy Marley song download pack. Additionally, all ticket purchases will be entered to win a grand prize package, including a yet to be released Bob Marley photo book, Marley vinyl and select other Marley merchandise.

Online Art Exhibition

Recovery ACT: Art, Culture, Technology @ Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th Street, Oakland, CA, and online: July 10  through August 29   http://www.rootsartistregistry.com/recoveryact.html

Gallery Featured Artists are: Alexandra Antoine, Alex Bershaw, Ellen Bepp, Rohan DeCosta, Patrick Dougher, David Graves, Kay Hickman, Al Johnson, Oding Muata, Eric Murphy, Najee Omar, Martin Segobia, Malik Seneferu, Amir Abdul-Shakur, Katie Sugarman, Lordy Rodriguez, William Rhodes, and Leisel Whitlock

Artist Talk: Friday, August 7th  6pm – 9pm (In gallery and via ZOOM)

Poetry Reading: Saturday, August 8th  2-4pm | Hosted by TeaRoots.org featuring Genny Lim (SF Jazz Poet Laureate), Wanda Sabir (Journalist), Michael Warr (Former Deputy Director, MoAD) and more.

Additional programs to be announced.  To Register for events, visit: https://recoveryactexhibit.eventbrite.com


More Webinars, Online ZOOM Meetings. . .

Paths to Empowerment: A Conversation about Cooperative Governance in Arts Organizations, Thursday, August 27, 2020, 7 p.m., Online (Zoom meeting)

Cost is free. Eventbrite RSVP required: www.eventbrite.com/e/paths-to-empowerment-a-convesation-about-cooperative-governance-tickets-114463810338

Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/1617729515085813/

The Berkeley NAACP; the African American Holistic Resource Center (AAHRC), Community Leadership Committee; NAMI Contra Costa County; and the African American Steering Committee for Health and Wellness invite you to attend this webinar:

“BLACK BODIES IN BLUE”- PART II A WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE, August 1, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM PT

REGISTRATION LINK: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3zS4JliWRHSJHJ7W5AXBSQ

Presenters:” Richmond Police Department, Chief Bisa French; BART Police Department, Sergeant Anisa McNack; Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, Sergeant Tya Modeste

President Obama and Rep. John Lewis. President Obama will deliver the eulogy on BET at 10:45 AM ET


Rep. John Lewis, Good Trouble

Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker, called him the moral conscious of Congress, Rep. John Robert Lewis from the little town of Troy, Alabama. Friday, July 17 was a seismic event—two major leaders, Rev. CT Vivian (95) and Rep. John Robert Lewis (80), made their transitions. The day before he passed with instructions to publish his letter in the NYT the day of his funeral, here is one final message ­­­____ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/opinion/john-lewis-civil-rights-america.html

As the carriage carried Rep. Lewis’s still body across the EP Bridge, a place where he led the 1965 march which came to be known as Bloody Sunday, I wondered, why at a time when monuments to civic criminals are being removed that EP Bridge still carries the name of an avowed racist? Why hasn’t this honorific been removed? A few days later, in Washington at the Rotunda, this sentiment was articulated.

Horse-drawn carriage carries the-body of civil rights leader, Rep. John Lewis

Every time EP’s name is evoked it honors its namesake. Such juxtaposition is a hypocrisy no more stark than this image– human rights greatest defender, John Lewis’s presence in a casket crossing in horse drawn carriage this place one last time.

Red rose petals on the ground recall all the blood that Sunday morning, a lot of it running down the face of a young John Lewis. Alabama residents should rename the bridge John Robert Lewis Bridge for a man whose life was a bridge for justice and freedom for his people.

For those young people 18 this year, too young to have known Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., this young son of former enslaved ancestors was King’s emissary. Rep. Lewis continued his hero’s walk to freedom traversing bridges like this first one philosophically and later materially all the days of his life as a Freedom Rider, SNCC President and later on as Atlanta City Council person and finally as Congressional leader for 7 terms (30 years). It was as if Dr. King never died, the oath he pledged at 18 just as prescient then as now at 80. He was an active member of this democratic society. He was a visible opponent to injustice. He used his pen to enact laws, his voice to say no to unethical policies and his body to interrupt or halt what he felt was detrimental to American people.

Register to vote and vote. Nothing is guaranteed except times passage and our eventual demise. We can take nothing for granted; there is no such thing as retirement—the devil is always busy.

JOhn Lewis Tribute at MLK Jr. Freedom Center, Aug. 28, 2020

 

 

The Black National Conference, August 28, 2020

 

White Nights, Black Paradise

White Nights, Black Paradise at Museum of African Diaspora, Aug. 29, 2020

 

PERFORMANCE & DISCUSSION | White Nights, Black Paradise, The Play

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WHEN: August 29, 2020 @ 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
WHERE: Zoom Room
COST:  Pay What You Can

 

By

Wanda’s Picks July 2020

N’COBRA Virtual Conference July 30-Aug. 2, 2020

What to the American Slave is the 4th of July? Frederick Douglas asked. We are still waiting for a response or are we?  Tune into Wanda’s Picks Radio Show on Wednesdays and Fridays 8-10 AM PT
Summer schedule might vary, so check the listings. 

July 1, we will play an interview with Dawn Porter, director of John Lewis: Good Trouble. June 19, the director took the film to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a screening. I am sure it was a powerful event given recent events and the centennial of the massacre and destruction of Black Wall Street. 


“John Lewis: Good Trouble,” A film by Dawn Porter  opens July 3, 2020

96 minutes, 1.85, USA

Congressman John Robert Lewis is such a presence on the American landscape. He has lived long enough to have a perspective in his lived life few can match. From an early age he has been a person who is fearless when it comes to justice. However, unlike many heroes, Rep. Lewis would intentionally get in the way, his body sacrificed for rights many nations see as fundamental for all its citizens.

Lewis is the youngest child in a family that owned its own land in Troy, Alabama, at a time when Black people in the south sharecropped. Not skilled in cotton picking, Lewis’s siblings speak in a new film, “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” (2020) dir. Dawn Porter, of pulling their brother along on their sacks as they walked the rows of cotton.  Lewis says that he didn’t want to spend his life picking cotton and excelled in school. He’s says in the film that he had excellent teachers who taught him the value of reading every day.

“Good Trouble” is the story of a key strategist, John Lewis, in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s army. Rep. Lewis spoke at the first March on Washington, at that time in his early twenties. He also led the march across Pettis Bridge in Selma where he suffered a severe concussion. Bloody Sunday, as the day was afterward called, exposed to the country and world, the plight of African Americans. Lewis says, when he lost his fear that day, he was truly free.

Harvard scholar, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. shares with Rep. Lewis the story when his great-grandfather registered to vote in 1857 before such rights were taken away, it wasn’t until Rep. Lewis’s generation that his family had its civil rights restored. Rep. Lewis replies, “I guess it’s in my DNA.”  This work which began officially at 15 years old continues now that the Congressman is 80. Lewis says proudly, “I got arrested 40 times, 5 times in Congress. I’ll probably get arrested again. When you see something that isn’t right—do something.”

If the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement was the murder of Emmett Till, this young Black boy on Mrs. Rosa Parks’s mind when she refused to give up her seat a year later in Montgomery, then George Floyd’s horrific killing has set off the still simmering keg beneath unaddressed inequities and structural injustices, legal terrorism and historic violence against Black people. One cannot legislate love; however, if the laws are not enforced such injustices continue and continue and continue.

Figurative and literal fires are burning; however, it is a rage that produces lasting change that we need to focus on now. “Good Trouble” highlights Rep. Lewis as an intelligent strategist who despite disagreement with legislative opponents always maintains a level of decency and conscience (some people might say, they don’t deserve). Lewis was there when the Voting Rights Act was signed into law; he was also present when Supreme Court put the VRA on life support seven years ago.

There are many amazing moments in this remarkable well-crafted film, such as his campaign support for Georgia Representative Stacey Abrams in her run for the governor seat and interviews with Elijah Cummings (D-MD) (to whom the film is dedicated) and Civil Rights Movement giant, Congressmen James Clyburn (D-SC).

Newly inaugurated Congresspersons in 2019 who speak about Rep. Lewis’s influence on them— in Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s (D-MI) case, as a child are also a high point in the wonderful film. Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), are featured along with several former presidents, among them Jimmy Carter for whom Lewis cut his political organizing teeth. Later we see the more seasoned Lewis with his organizing buddy Julian Bond both during Freedom Summer and then much later in debates for the contested Georgia Congressional seat.

In an interview with Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian, and founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Godfather of the Smithsonian’s NMAAHC sits with (if we are to continue this analogy) his son, at the reflection pool, water cascading down in front of them. Lewis signed the legislation responsible for its completion (2003-2016).

The skilled director weaves a story those persons’ peripheral to Rep. Lewis’s inner circle do not know.  His 60 years of service are amazing to viewers – Lewis often appears amazed himself as the director’s team surrounds Lewis (seated in a studio) with larger than life-size photos of key moments in his life, people, events, some tragic others poignant and sweet.   These studio sessions are freestyle moments where we see the Congressman dancing theoretically and philosophically as he reflects on his life.

The film opens for viewing July 3, perfect timing—Around the country and the world, youth and adults are as Lewis would put it, making “Good Trouble.” Visit https://www.johnlewisgoodtrouble.com/

On the Fly:

The free Virtual Film and Discussion about Ella Baker is a part of the African Diaspora International Film Festival

Watch the film in advance. Fundi: The Story of Ella Baker, 1981 (48 mins) United States. 

 

ABPsi Webinar
The Association of Black Psychologists International Webinar looks at Art and Healing

 

ADRSA Film Friday, July 31, 2020, 5 p.m. PT.  RSVP @ http://www.adrsa.org/

 

African Films Online Conversation. Register here___
Women Empowerment in MADE IN BANGLADESH

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On Thursday, July 30 @ 8pm ET, learn about women empowerment in the textile industry in Bangladesh with Herrana Addisu, Advocacy Officer with Freedom United and MADE IN BANGLADESH director Rubaiyat Hossain who will also discuss the making of her film.


The 2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF) Online & Worldwide

Week II Panel Discussions 7/22, 7/25 & 7/26

The Festival offers public readings live streamed and hosted on Vimeo in addition to panel discussions on Facebook Live, Youtube, and directly on Playwrights Foundation’s website.  Tickets are available now on a sliding scale of $5-45 for wider accessibility. Theatre Professionals Weekend will take place July 24-26. Panels are free.

Wednesday, July 22 
Bay Area Playwrights Festival Panel @ 5-6 pm (PST). For tickets to plays:
https://playwrightsfoundation.org/2020-bay-area-playwrights-festival/
Watch LIVE on Playwrights Foundation Facebook or website

A conversation with Festival playwrights Tyler English-Beckwith, Stefani Kuo, Jordan Ramirez Puckett, Deneen Reynolds-Knott, and Noelle Viñas moderated by Executive Artistic Director Jessica Bird Beza. 

Saturday, July 25

Decolonizing New Play Development @ 10:00 AM-11:30 AM (PST)

Watch LIVE on Playwrights Foundation Facebook or website
Presented by Playwrights Foundation, NNPN and Calling Up Justice 

Guests: Claudia Alick, Annalisa Dias, Mina Morita, Tara Moses, Maddy Sayet, and Nan Barnett

A roundtable conversation between theatre artists centering Indigenous and Black voices around decolonization in the new play development process discussing the definition of decolonization and its hyperlocal impact, how we can decolonize the development process, and examples of people and organizations who are doing the work.

 

Sunday, July 26, 
Love and Desire @ 3:00 PM  (PST)
Watch LIVE on Playwrights Foundation Facebook or website 
 

A discussion with Black female identifying panelists about their desires for love, career, home, identity and/or family. This panel will be in conversation with the plays Mingus and Babes in Ho-lland.

 

Congressional Black Caucus Townhall on Black Mental Health

 

Guest Column: Wake-Up America! Part II Healing Racism by Dr. Kim McMillon, Professor & Author > N

 

http://us4.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=e6189a823089ae11cbac775af&id=7f5979823b


The San Francisco Mime Troupe’s FREEDOMLAND available online Monday, July 6 – Sunday, July 19!

In 2015 the Tony award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe presented an original tragic farce – FREEDOMLAND – to critical praise in parks around the Bay Area, and in theaters across California. FREEDOMLAND is the story of the lengths a Black man will go to in order to keep his grandson safe and alive in a country that seems to prefer Black men in jail or dead. Pulling no punches while still managing to be comedic, FREEDOMLAND was a brutal, tragic, yet in the Mime Troupe tradition sardonic look at the results of the War on Drugs, how fear is used as a weapon of racial oppression, and how police violence destroys Black lives in our police state. And now, for the first time, the San Francisco Mime Troupe will be making one of its most hard-hitting shows available for a limited time online!

Visit www.sfmt.org for more details, and see the show anytime between July 6 to July 19 on Vimeo.  See FREEDOMLAND for FREE but a suggested donation of $20 is greatly appreciated!

Here is a link to the interview I had with Michael Gene Sullivan, playwright, actor, Malcolm Haywood,, on Wanda’s Picks Radio Show about the play: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/wandas-picks/2015/07/01/wandas-picks-radio-show-freedomland

Show description:
This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

1. Dr. Mark “Ogunwale” Lomax speaks about the recent attack on the Black Church Community. The founding pastor of the First African Presbyterian Church of Lithonia, Georgia, has served there since 1993. The Rev. Dr. Lomax is also Assistant Professor of Homiletics at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) since 1998. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio; a Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio; and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Lomax has served on various Presbytery and General Assembly committees and task forces, and as Interim President-Dean of the Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary. He is a published author who preaches and lectures and has ecumenical and interfaith appeal and experience.

2. Joanne Griffith, Awardwinning Journalist, author, Redefining Black Power:Reflections on the State of Black America http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=87286100003110&fa=description

3. Michael Gene Sullivan,playwright, talks about the Tony Award-Winning San Francisco Mime Troupe’s 56th Annual Production, “Freedomland” June 24-Sept. 7. http://www.sfmt.org


Friday July 3, 2020 

6-8pm Pacific time / 9-11pm Eastern time  (Zoom link removed.) Look for recording in YouTube. Contact UpSurge for the details.

For information: https://youtu.be/hahcmffCMqI


AMAZON STUDIOS AND MICHAEL B. JORDAN’S OUTLIER SOCIETY PRESENT “A NIGHT AT THE DRIVE-IN”

A CELEBRATION OF MULTI-CULTURAL VOICES IN FILM 

Summer Screening Series Curated by Michael B. Jordan will Launch at Select Drive-Ins Nationwide and Play Throughout the Summer at No Cost to the Community

For details on locations, show times and ticket information, please visit:  ANightAtTheDriveIn.com

(http://amazonscreenings.com/anightatthedrivein)

Starting Wednesday, July 1, Amazon Studios will host double-features curated by Michael B. Jordan with help from his newly formed marketing arm 8788 and Outlier Society, every other week through the end of August.

“When Michael and our friends at Outlier proposed this idea, we instantly agreed there was no better time to celebrate these inspired films featuring diverse stories while bringing communities together to share in the experience” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “Drive-in theaters offer a unique experience in that they provide an inspiring and joyful communal experience while still maintaining safe social distance.  A special thanks to our friends and colleagues at Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Disney, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures.”

“With this drive-in summer series, I hope that friends and families are able to not only enjoy, but to learn and grow,” said Michael B. Jordan, Principal of Outlier Society. “Now more than ever, amplifying Black and Brown stories means engaging culture to speak to hearts and minds about the world we live in. As we use this opportunity to reimagine community and proximity, I am excited that these films will be shared and celebrated all across the country.”

As part of the concessions for the screenings, all attendees will receive refreshments provided by Black and Brown owned businesses, which are Path Water, Pipcorn Popcorn and Partake Cookies.

Jordan and Outlier Society, who have a TV first-look deal with Amazon Studios, selected films from Prime Video’s vast portfolio of content. Each week the featured titles will focus on a specific theme:

  • Movies to make you fall in love – Wednesday, July 1st:

o   Love & Basketball (Warner Bros. / New Line)

o   Crazy Rich Asians (Warner Bros.)

  • Movies that make you proud – Wednesday, July 15th: 

o   Black Panther (Disney)

o   Creed (Warner Bros.)

  • Movies to inspire your inner child – Wednesday, July 29th:

o   Hook (Sony Pictures)

o   Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)

  • Movies to make you open your eyes – Wednesday, August 12th:

o   Do The Right Thing (Universal)

o   Get Out  (Universal)

  • Movies to make you laugh – Wednesday, August 26th:

o   Coming to America (Paramount Pictures)

o   Girls Trip (Universal)

The program will kick off Wednesday, July 1 and run through the end of August. Below is the list of theaters.

Vineland Drive-In – Los Angeles, CA

Overlook Drive-In – New York, NY

Solano Twin Drive-In– San Francisco, CA  (Concord, CA.)

Sacramento Drive-In 6 – Sacramento, CA

Las Vegas 6 Drive-In – Las Vegas, NV

Shankweiler’s Drive-In – Philadelphia, PA

Galaxy Drive-In – Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX

Showboat Drive-In – Houston, TX

Ford Wyoming Drive-In – Detroit, MI

Springmill Drive-In – Cleveland, OH

South Drive-In Twin – Columbus, OH

Jesup Drive-In Twin – Savannah, GA

Bengies Drive-In – Baltimore, MD

Ocala Drive-In – Orlando, FL

Parkway Drive-In – Knoxville, TN

Midway Twin Drive-In – Cleveland, OH

Glendale Drive-in – Phoenix, AZ

Transit Drive-In – Buffalo, NY

Badin Drive-In – Charlotte, NC

Monetta Drive-In – Augusta-Aiken, SC

Thank you to Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Disney and Paramount Pictures for providing the films.

For additional details on locations, show times and ticket information, please visit: ANightAtTheDrive-In.com (http://amazonscreenings.com/anightatthedrivein)
JUSTICE AND BEYOND
WEEKLY FORUM
ZOOM VIDEO/PHONE MEETING
MONDAY  JULY 20  5-7PM
ALL LOCAL GROUPS, WORKERS AND  
RESIDENTS ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US!
MOBILIZING BLACK VOTERS
WHAT’S BEING DONE IN LOUISIANA TO GET OUT THE VOTE IN 2020 AND HOW CAN WE GET INVOLVED? ALSO, WHAT VOTING RIGHTS DO THE FORMERLY INCARCERATED HAVE?
 
GUESTS
KAITLYN JOSHUA
  COMMUNITY ORGANIZER
POWER COALITION
BRUCE REILLY  
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
VOICE OF THE EXPERIENCED
 
PLUS ATU PRESIDENT VALERIE JEFFERSON
TALKS ABOUT WHY SHE’S FASTING & PRAYING IN ADVANCE OF FRIDAY’S CARAVAN FOR OUR LIVES & LIVELIHOOD
AND A TRIBUTE TO AVERY ALEXANDER,     
BY OUR YOUTH MODERATOR, TREVIE DAVID BRYAN 
 

CLICK ON ZOOM LINK HERE

OR BY PHONE CALL 1-312-626-6799   
ENTER MEETING# 823 050 5617 WHEN PROMPTED  
(Sorry, no local numbers available for NOLA)
ALTERNATE # 1-646-558-8656  
 
We’re asking, if you join late – please enter your name in the zoom ‘Chat’ to help us prevent Zoom ‘bombing’.  
If someone isn’t identified, we have to disconnect them.  Thank you!    
 
LOUISIANA RENTAL EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM JUST ANNOUNCED – DIAL 211 OR: 
MONDAY JULY 20 NOON  NATIONWIDE
STOP WORK, TAKE A KNEE OR HOLD SILENCE FOR
8m 46s IN MEMORY OF GEORGE FLOYD & ALL THOSE KILLED BY POLICE VIOLENCE & IN SOLIDARITY WITH STRIKING BLACK WORKERS.
HAVE YOU & YOURS
ANSWERED THE CENSUS?
VALERIE JEFFERSON, ATU President & J&B pillar asks us to sign to support NOLA Transit Workers
 AND TO JOIN ATU’S CARAVAN FOR OUR LIVES & LIVELIHOOD ON FRIDAY, JULY 24TH AT 12:15PM TO DEMAND HAZARD PAY, DRIVER SAFETY & SECURITY, MORE SERVICE ON OVERCROWDED ROUTES, CLEAN BATHROOMS FOR DRIVERS, SMARTER SCHEDULES & COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS! DEPART FROM THREE LOCATIONS AT 12:15PM:
*CARROLLTON CAR STATION – 8140 WILLOW
*EAST N.O. RTA BUS STATION – 3901 DESIRE PKWY
*ALGIERS PARK-N-RIDE ON WALL BLVD AT 2700 GEN. DEGAULLE DRIVE
MEET AT 1PM AT RTA 2817 CANAL ST.

 

Environmental Justice is racial justice!
Ask Gov. Edwards and LDEQ to revoke the air permit for Formosa Plastics. St. James residents are fighting against more industrial pollution in their community
Also in St. James: Sign to prevent a toxic methanol plant & save Welcome Park! Please click here: Justice for St. James
 Rest in power, Reverend Barnwell.  Thank you, William! 
Justice and Beyond is a 9-year-old open table coalition of justice seeking organizations that hosts a weekly forum aimed at amplifying voices of color.  Multi-ethnic and led by progressive African-Americans, the coalition has three moderators, Rev. Gregory T. Manning, Ms Sylvia McKenzie and Mr. Myron Miller.  J&B’s weekly pillar’s planning meeting is Tuesdays at noon, currently via Zoom due to the COVID19 emergency.
Resources
If you want to join the fight to make Sewerage and Water Board be just and fair to citizens of New Orleans, contact A Community Voice,
2221 St. Claude Avenue, New Orleans, La 70017. Call 504-941-2852.
If your organization would like training on building power and fighting racism, contact: The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond:  
www.pisab.org or 504-301-9292.
 
If you would like to fight Entergy’s bad practices & support 100% Renewable Energy by 2040 in N.O., please contact the
Alliance for Affordable Energy: (504) 208-9761 or go to www.all4energy.org

If you are a young person who wants to tackle the climate crisis and inequality with a just & green economy, please contact Sunrise Movement New Orleans:

If your family is affected by youth incarceration and needs assistance, please contact Ubuntu Village: (504) 267-4294 or go to: ubuntuvillagenola.org.
 
If you want to advocate for voting rights & getting out the vote, contact The Power Coalition: (504) 766-9289 or go to: info@powercoalition.org.   
 
If you want to build political power for education & economic justice for all, please contact Step Up Louisiana: (504) 322-4663 or email: info@stepuplouisiana.org.

By

Wanda’s Picks June 2020

Happy Juneteenth or Black People’s Liberation Day, June 19, 1865! Stay strong folks and be safe. Happy Birthday to the June Geminis and the Cancers. Fists up to the Youth who are leaders in this Movement for Racial Justice and their parents who raised them righteous. Don’t forget to keep the physical distancing, wear your masks, wash your hands often and keep your hands out of your face. For our brothers and sisters behind the wall in steel cages, we have not forgotten you.

 Congratulations Graduates
YouTube Original: Dear Class of 2020: A Virtual Graduation Event, 12 noon PT (3 PM ET) Sunday, June 7, 2020 opens with Lizzo and the New York Philharmonic performing ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ and remarks by Alicia Keys addressing graduates and their families with a heartfelt message that speaks to the current state of the world.  Mrs. Obama’s Reach Higher initiative will also host the first hour of the special which includes a welcome message from President and Mrs. Obama, and commencement addresses from Michelle Obama and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. President Obama will also address the graduates later in the program, marking the first time both President and Mrs. Obama  will appear on the same “stage” for commencement speeches.  Additional commencement speakers include: BTS, Lady Gaga, former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, CEO of Google and Alphabet Sundar Pichai, former Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice, and Malala Yousafzai. It is going to be a full program.  Again, here is the link ___


Annual Global Libations & Prayers for African Ancestors of the Middle Passage

Global International Libations for African Ancestors of the Middle Passage are Sat., June 13, 2020, 8:30-11:30 AM PT in Facebook Live; Facebook.com/remembertheancestors For information visit: RemembertheAncestors.com

 

Protest in a Pandemic, A Covid 19 Response

Event: Black Lives Matter – Vehicular Hands Around Lake Merritt: An Elder Response June 5– Nov. 6, 2020

Where: Get in your car and join MAAFA SF Bay Area and Wanda’s Picks in a Vehicular Hands Around Lake Merritt, 1st & 3rd Fridays at 12 p.m. beginning Friday, June 5 & June 19 – Nov. 6.  Meet in your car, on the lake side, across the street from Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 2808 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland, CA 94610.

We need 1,247 cars to cover the 17,952 feet (3.4 miles). 

Who: Everyone, esp.: People 55+, People with Disabilities, People who are high risk

Honor and Celebrate Black Lives FIRST & THIRD Fridays, June 5 & June 19, July 3 & July 17-Nov. 6, 12 p.m. at Lake Merritt. Facebook.com/

To Prepare
Make signs with SIMPLE MESSAGING.  BE CREATIVE. IF you are directly impacted by police violence, list your names. Also list the names of Bay Area citizens & others killed by police. Police have killed 400 people to date.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/
Bay Area: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/tag/police-shootings/


Suggestions: “Prosecute Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng and Tou Thao”; George Floyd, Aṣẹ; No Justice, No Peace; The Future Is Black;“8 MINS. 46 SECS”; BLACK MEN CAN’T BREATHE; CHECK YOUR RACISM; CHECK YOUR WHITENESS; I LOVE BEING BLACK; BLACKNESS IS NOT THE PROBLEM; ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE; BLACK LIVES MATTER; SAY IT LOUD: BLACK LIVES MATTER; SAY IT LOUD: I’M BLACK AND I’M PROUD!; STRUCTURAL RACISM IS REAL; REGISTER TO VOTE & VOTE; NO MORE POLICE STATE; FISTS UP FOR BLACK LIVES; BLACK PEOPLE COUNT: COMPLETE THE 2000 CENSUS, Breath with Me.

Put the name of organizations you are affiliated with on your car signs so bystanders can join the movement.  We will have a soundtrack. We will make one revolution starting at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, we will creep around the Lake slowing traffic (5 miles an hour).  For information call Ms. Sabir, 510-255-5579 or email: racewoman@gmail.com

This vehicular hands around Lake Merritt needs your commitment. Tell 20 friends and if you can’t come, send a substitute.

Goal: Link with other Covid-19-safe protests for Black Lives. We can share resources and want to let everyone know about the movement for Black Lives. What about organizing a “Standing Our Ground at the CA State Capitol” (6 feet away)? Let me know.

4th Sunday, MAAFA Virtual Village Townhall

The next 4th Sunday MAAFA Virtual Village Townhall is June 28, 5-7 PM PT in Zoom. It is a Black Space, that is, only African Diaspora identified persons are invited. For information and if you’d like to attend, visit Facebook.com/maafabayarea; maafasfbayarea.com@gmail.com or 510-255-5579 Host: MAAFASFBayArea.com (see blog link for details).

Sunday, May 24, the day before Africa Day, African Liberation Day (and Memorial Day), George Floyd was killed. Mama Earth is certainly speaking to us—distancing, sheltering in place—going within literally when we add a “curfew.”

At the MAAFA Virtual Townhall, we continued our conversations that day on ancestors, with Ava Square-LeVias, dir.” Sacred Space,” a film about the work of Queen Ifa Sade Hollins, founder, Earthlodge Center for Transformation in Los Angeles. Hollins says: “SACRED SPACE is not outside of ourselves. SACRED SPACE is within. It is a space that we hold in a place of reverence. SACRED SPACE comes from the inside out.”  Ava’s workshop was a continuation of April’s reflection on ancestor altars with focus on the “ancestor staff”. The presenter shared two of hers and one of the participants shared his with me later.

We had two smaller group sessions May 24, one where participants shared a song that made them smile or brought them joy; the second was a sharing of grounding practices. How do you commit to your body and stay present in it?

This second breakout followed acapella (with small percussion) musical meditation with Bisola Marignay. She performed McCoy Tyner’s “Contemplation ” (1967) arranged by Jean and Doug Carn (1973).

Māhealani Uchiyama, master teacher, scholar, taught us a hula calledʻAumākua in our closing workshop. The word”ʻaumākua” is the Hawaiian word for “ancestors.”  See  https://www.mahea.com/

Ann Marie Davis was prepared to share two poems: “Ourselves Walking” and “We Are the Universe,” but we ran out of time. Visit annmariedavis.com

We concluded with Ajuana Black’s “Keep Walkin’“, our theme for May 24. We find inspiration from African Ancestors who kept walking, so we can keep walking.

House Judiciary Hearing on Racial Profiling, Police Brutality

Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. ET, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to examine the crisis of racial profiling, police brutality and lost trust between police departments and the communities they serve. Witnesses to be announced. Location: Congressional Auditorium, U.S. Capitol Visitors Center, Washington, D.C.   Livestream: The hearing will stream live here.

Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Congressional Black Caucus Chair and House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Chair released the following statement:

“Our nation needs Congress to act. This is our moral moment – we must look at legislation to address laws that shield police officers from ever being accountable. We must address the structural conflicts of interest.  We must create a database so that abusive law enforcement officers lose the privilege of being an officers anywhere, not just in a given precinct. For years, we have introduced legislation addressing police brutality. This hearing is our next step in implementing change to our system. ”

Film Review


“John Lewis: Good Trouble,” A film by Dawn Porter

96 minutes, 1.85, USA

Congressman John Robert Lewis is such a presence on the American landscape. He has lived long enough to have a perspective in his lived life few can match. From an early age he has been a person who is fearless when it comes to justice. However, unlike many heroes, Rep. Lewis would intentionally get in the way, his body sacrificed for rights many nations see as fundamental for all its citizens.

Lewis is the youngest child in a family that owned its own land in Troy, Alabama, at a time when Black people in the south sharecropped. Not skilled in cotton picking, Lewis’s siblings speak in a new film, “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” (2020) dir. Dawn Porter, of pulling their brother along on their sacks as they walked the rows of cotton.  Lewis says that he didn’t want to spend his life picking cotton and excelled in school. He’s says in the film that he had excellent teachers who taught him the value of reading every day.

“Good Trouble” is the story of a key strategist, John Lewis, in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s army. Rep. Lewis spoke at the first March on Washington, at that time in his early twenties. He also led the march across Pettis Bridge in Selma where he suffered a severe concussion. Bloody Sunday, as the day was afterward called, exposed to the country and world, the plight of African Americans. Lewis says, when he lost his fear that day, he was truly free.

Harvard scholar, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. shares with Rep. Lewis the story when his great-grandfather registered to vote in 1857 before such rights were taken away, it wasn’t until Rep. Lewis’s generation that his family had its civil rights restored. Rep. Lewis replies, “I guess it’s in my DNA.”  This work which began officially at 15 years old continues now that the Congressman is 80. Lewis says proudly, “I got arrested 40 times, 5 times in Congress. I’ll probably get arrested again. When you see something that isn’t right—do something.”

If the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement was the murder of Emmett Till, this young Black boy on Mrs. Rosa Parks’s mind when she refused to give up her seat a year later in Montgomery, then George Floyd’s horrific killing has set off the still simmering keg beneath unaddressed inequities and structural injustices, legal terrorism and historic violence against Black people. One cannot legislate love; however, if the laws are not enforced such injustices continue and continue and continue.

Figurative and literal fires are burning; however, it is a rage that produces lasting change that we need to focus on now. “Good Trouble” highlights Rep. Lewis as an intelligent strategist who despite disagreement with legislative opponents always maintains a level of decency and conscience (some people might say, they don’t deserve). Lewis was there when the Voting Rights Act was signed into law; he was also present when Supreme Court put the VRA on life support seven years ago.

There are many amazing moments in this remarkable well-crafted film, such as his campaign support for Georgia Representative Stacey Abrams in her run for the governor seat and interviews with Elijah Cummings (D-MD) (to whom the film is dedicated) and Civil Rights Movement giant, Congressmen James Clyburn (D-SC).

Newly inaugurated Congresspersons in 2019 who speak about Rep. Lewis’s influence on them— in Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s (D-MI) case, as a child are also a high point in the wonderful film. Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), are featured along with several former presidents, among them Jimmy Carter for whom Lewis cut his political organizing teeth. Later we see the more seasoned Lewis with his organizing buddy Julian Bond both during Freedom Summer and then much later in debates for the contested Georgia Congressional seat.

In an interview with Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian, and founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Godfather of the Smithsonian’s NMAAHC sits with (if we are to continue this analogy) his son, at the reflection pool, water cascading down in front of them. Lewis signed the legislation responsible for its completion (2003-2016).

The skilled director weaves a story those persons’ peripheral to Rep. Lewis’s inner circle do not know.  His 60 years of service are amazing to viewers – Lewis often appears amazed himself as the director’s team surrounds Lewis (seated in a studio) with larger than life-size photos of key moments in his life, people, events, some tragic others poignant and sweet.   These studio sessions are freestyle moments where we see the Congressman dancing theoretically and philosophically as he reflects on his life.

The film opens for viewing June 3, perfect timing—Around the country and the world, youth and adults are as Lewis would put it, making “Good Trouble.” Visit https://www.johnlewisgoodtrouble.com/


On the Fly:

Join Black Womxn United for a 4th Annual (1st VIRTUAL) Black Womxn’s March, Sat., June 27

10AM: We’re kicking off the day by Making Moves in Your Community! We may not be able to march together this year, but that isn’t going to stop us from making moves! Whether you getting up and getting moving at home or in your neighborhood tag #BETTERTOGETHERBWU to show us how you are making moves. 11AM: Join us for the main event the BLACK WOMXN’S MARCH, we have an amazing line-up of speakers and performers, who are ready to empower, educate, and uplift you!

6PM: What would the Black Womxn’s March be without our Black Girl Magic Mixer?! Join us and DJ Stace Lace for a turn up in your living room, we’ll be streaming live on FB and Instagram!  We can’t wait to see you there! Visit @ www.bwusac.org/bettertogether to register!

To stay in the loop for Sacramento events visit: https://www.facebook.com/The-Talking-Drums-Newsletter-149912881711912/

Happy 50th Pride: A Week Long Virtual Pride Celebration

CELEBRATING PRIDE WITH A WEEK OF FREE COMEDY, FILMS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND A DANCE PARTY! JUNE 24–30  View flyer for more information.

LGBTQQI2-S PEOPLE OF COLOR Wellness Webinar June 30
LGBTQQI2-S PEOPLE OF COLOR on HEALTH AND WELLNESS, TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2020 – 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.  To Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_goO8qTyqR322sLcb92nF9g 

VIRTUAL SEMINAR: RACE, RACISM AND ANTI-RACISM: REDEFINING THE SOCIAL CONTRACT COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS, Temple University

Tuesday, June 30, 2020 // 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Online Only: Visit Host Site

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“Race, Racism, and Antiracism: Re-defining the Social Contract” is a virtual seminar led by the Department of Africology and African American Studies. Invited speakers include Ibram Kendi, Maulana Karenga, Patricia Reid Merritt, Melina Abdullah and several other outstanding scholars on racism and white supremacist doctrines. Several Temple faculty and graduate students will also present ten minute talks. Everyone is invited to attend.  Join via Zoom.


 

More Workshops and Community Events
Lorraine Hansberry Theatre with MoAD and Playground has a play reading, June 6-7, 2020. See https://www.lhtsf.org/

Paul West Facebook Live, Sat., June 6, 2020, 5 p.m. PT
https://www.facebook.com/paula.west.378/videos/10158239538592487/


Sunday June 7th at 10 am EST is a National Interfaith Service to recognize the more than 100,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19, especially poor and low-income workers. While President Trump wants to divert attention away from the pandemic and to his misinterpretation of protests in the streets, the Poor People’s Campaign will insist that the country doesn’t forget those who died.

The service will be co-led by Revs. Barber and Theoharis and Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Imam Omar Suleiman and Valerie Kaur. Tune in at FB.com/ANewPPC

Statewide Coalition Against Racist Symbols Calls on Governor Newsom to Remove Racists Statues from California State Capitol, Thursday, June 18, 2020 @California Capitol – East Side – 2PM

On Thursday, June 18, 2020, at 2PM Indigenous People from throughout California are convening at the East Side of the California Capitol to demand that Governor Newsom and the California State Legislature, including support from the California Office of the Tribal Advisor and California Arts Council, to remove the statues of Columbus’ Last Appeal to Queen Isabella and Juniper Serra from the Capitol immediately and replace it with a statue honoring our California Indigenous People. In addition, we are demanding the State of California recognizes Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus Day.


Global Peace Meditation, June 14, 2020 (3:10 PM UTC/11:10 AM EDT):
 http://www.globalpeacemeditation.com/

“Ancient Tools for Successful Living – Virtual Workshops”

$13 Total/2 workshops (Registration below)

Sunday: May 24, 2020 (please join session 10 min earlier to allow for Zoom meeting to connect)

12 noon: Transcending Stress/COVID 19

Instructor: (HSA) Hri Sa Men Ab (Jamila Makini)

When this pandemic is over the stress resulting from the fear of the virus, the quarantine and the damage to the economy may claim more victims than the disease itself. The “Stress Response” is the biggest threat to our immunity and well being. The groundbreaking book “Stress Free for Life” lays a foundation for transcending stress that will empower you to tap the Peace within your spirit that protects from all adversity.

Meditation included

Ref: Stress Free for Life : Dr. Ra Un Nefer Amen

1pm: Herukhuti (Ogun) Meditation and Workshop

Instructor: Sh. Samerit Kau (Marcus Gary)

Our ancestors cultivated talents that existed within their spirits…through meditation and the use of colors, sounds and scents.  Understanding that energy moves in cycles, they knew it was best to cultivate the energy (that related to the desired talent) during the cycle when the energy was strongest (known as a Lunar Cycle).  The upcoming new moon on May 22nd, marks the time of the year for the Herukhuti Lunar Cycle.  The optimal time to nurture your talent for being a risk taker, entrepreneur, leader and trail-blazer.

Ref: Metu Neter Vol. 1 and the Herukhuti Guided Meditation CD by Dr. Ra Un Nefer Amen

Workshops based on Dr. Ra Un Nefer Amen’s resources. Contact Marcus 510-866-6644 or aas.westcoast@gmail.com
www.ausarausetwestcoast.com

Note: Workshops start at 12 pm, we cannot guarantee you will be able to join the class if you register after 1pm. Anyone attempting to register from a state outside of Oregon, California, Hawaii, Nevada needs to contact an Ausar Auset Society Chapter near you.

Poor People’s Campaign
Sunday June 7th at 10 am EST for a National Interfaith Service to recognize the more than 100,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19, especially poor and low-income workers. While President Trump wants to divert attention away from the pandemic and to his misinterpretation of protests in the streets, the Poor People’s Campaign will insist that the country doesn’t forget those who died.

The service will be co-led by Revs. Barber and Theoharis and Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Imam Omar Suleiman and Valerie Kaur. Tune in at FB.com/ANewPPC

The violence we confront today from the police, from the economy and from our political leaders represents a system that is far too comfortable with the suffering and deaths of black, brown and poor people. In honor of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others who have been brutally murdered, The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival calls for an end to systemic racism and a comprehensive reconstruction of our society. Click here to read our Demands.

Join us Monday June 8th, two weeks after George Floyd’s death, for a Day of Fasting and Focus which will culminate at 5:00pm when we are asking people to stop where you are for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in silence in honor of the time George Floyd had the literal knee of the state on his neck.

Take the pledge to participate in a National Moment of Silence in Honor of George Floyd and other victims of police brutality on Monday at 5pm EST.

Whether in your homes, at work or in the streets, we are calling for people of conscience to stop wherever they are to join us for a live-streamed moment of silence, litany and a message of support for the uprisings across the country and a call for organizing a movement in this moment from Bishop William J. Barber, II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. You can tune in at fb.com/anewppc and click here for a litany you can read after the moment of silence.

As part of this National Day of Fasting and Focus we will be holding a We Won’t Be Silent Virtual Art Build at 12 pm EST/ 9am PST to be together and heal together through art-making, share messages of justice and get prepared for the day of action. Register here.

George Floyd died from the knee on his neck, we still do not have justice for Breonna Taylor or the thousands and millions of others who have been killed from systemic racism, police violence, mass incarceration, health inequity and poverty. This is the time to make economic and structural demands on our government to end the multiple pandemics of systemic racism and poverty, and to end the militarized force that is used against people who just want to breathe.

Forward together, not one step back!

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis

Co-Chairs, Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival

POLAR BEARS, BLACK BOYS & PRAIRIE FRINGED ORCHIDS
by Vincent Terrell Durham, and directed by Peter J. Kuo

This Friday, June 19th, Bay Area theatres collaborate to present POLAR BEARS, BLACK BOYS & PRAIRIE FRINGED ORCHIDS by Vincent Terrell Durham, and directed by Peter J. Kuo. Vincent’s play (a finalist for last year’s NNPN National Showcase of New Plays) speaks to gentrification, white fragility, the Black Lives Matter movement, and police violence against Black people, and does so with a surprising amount of humor. Organized by The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre and Playground, the Bay Area Theatre community is joining forces to present a live-streamed staged reading (via Zoom) on Juneteenth.

June 19, 2020 at 7pm (PT) via Zoom Live Stream. Admission Free. Admission Free. Purchase tickets online (required). Approximate running time: 75 minutes

CONTENT WARNING: Intended for mature audiences. Contains references to police violence.

Vincent Terrell Durham is a scriptwriter, author and poet who first honed his storytelling skills as a stand-up comic in comedy clubs across the country. His plays include The Fertile River, Vol. 1, A Post Racial America, and Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids, among others. Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids was co-commissioned and developed by PlayGround and Planet Earth Arts and is a 2019 NNPN National Showcase of New Plays finalist.

Synopsis: A liberal white couple open the doors of their renovated Harlem brownstone to host a cocktail party for a Black Lives Matter activist, his gay white lover, a sistah named Shemeka and the mother of a slain 12 year-old black boy. A night of cocktails and conversation spark emotional debates ranging from under-weight polar bears, Lana Turner, saving the planet, gentrification, racial identity and protecting the lives of black boys.

Featuring: Carrie Paff, Michael Ray Wisely, Britney Frazier, Jennifer Bradford, Rodney Jackson, Patrick Russell, and Gabriel Q. Solomon.

Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day commemorates the emancipation of the last remaining enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy on June 19, 1865. Although Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1863, it took nearly two and a half years for the Union Troops charged with enforcing the law to reach Texas, the most remote of the slave states. Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in 47 of the 50 U.S. states.

Presented by Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, PlayGround, Planet Earth Arts, African-American Shakespeare Company, American Conservatory Theater, Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Cal Shakes, Center Rep, Central Works, City Lights Theater Company, Crowded Fire, Custom Made Theatre Company, Cutting Ball Theater, Golden Thread Productions, Livermore Shakespeare Festival, Magic Theatre, Marin Shakespeare Company, Marin Theatre Company, National Center for New Plays, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pear Theatre, Perspective Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, San Jose Stage, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Santa Cruz County Actor’s Theatre, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Shotgun Players, Silicon Valley Shakespeare, Stanford Repertory Theater, TheatreFIRST, and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley.

Theatres across the country are invited to set up their own free readings of Vincent’s play on Juneteenth. For more information visit Playground-SF.org/Juneteenth.

The African American Steering Committee for Health and Wellness (AASCHW) Host a Webinar Series with Nationally Recognized African American/Black Experts: “SANKOFA: AFRICAN AMERICAN HEALING AND WELLNESS STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS COVID-19” (Saturdays: June 13, 20, 27, 4-6 PM PT)

PRESENTERS

Dr.  Blackstock          Dr. DeGruy           Dr. Mensah

June 13th                     June 20th                  June 27th

REGISTRATION LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dk7NGwkkSDWt-MiJjnDsGA

WEBINAR SERIES DESCRIPTION

This three part webinar series will focus on COVID-19 and its attack on the African American community, as it relates to illness, economic hardship, and emotional trauma within families and the community-at-large.

Presenters will speak to the resiliency of African Americans, their ancestry connection, faith and spirituality, the use of alternative healing tools, and non-pharmaceutical interventions. It is believed these key aspects along with prevention measures can assist in decreasing the spread of COVID-19 within the African American population and increase healing and wellness.

Each webinar presentation will provide participants with the opportunity to ask questions.

 

The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth

Juneteenth, a 155-year-old holiday celebrating the emancipation of Black Americans from slavery in the U.S., has been in the news

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

Please see the various events and attachments!!  Themes: #StoptheViolence in our communities, #ReImagineJustice in our communities, to #InvestInCommunity, and to support and liberate Black Lives in this community, #BlackLivesMatter.

Virtual Events:

To learn more about Juneteenth please visit the