90 years ago in 1926,
Carter G. Woodson (19 Dec. 1875-3 Apr. 1950), historian, scholar, author, and maverick for black self-determination, founded Negro History Week. In 1976 the name changed to Black History Month. Dr. Woodson was the first black American of formerly enslaved parents to earn a Ph.D. in history (the second African American after W.E.B. Dubois from Harvard). His Association for the Study of African American Life and History was the institution or vehicle through which he published scholarship and research on Black Americans and the African Diaspora. He is considered the Father of Black History and his book The Miseducation of the Negro is still widely read and referenced.
#black lives matter Theme at 26th Annual African American Celebration
The 26th Annual Celebration of African Americans and Their Poetry theme this year is “#black lives matter.” Join us at the West Oakland Branch Library, 1801 Adeline Street, Saturday, February 6, 1-4 p.m. For information call (510) 238-7352. There will be an open mic if anyone missed the rehearsal. The event is free and open to the entire community.
Art Exhibits
Invisible Black Male at Warehouse 416 through February 28
Damon Powell has curated a wonderful exhibit featuring the work of black men artists in “Invisible Black Male.” Special series of panel discussions all day on Saturday, February 27. Opening night is Friday, February 5, 6-10 p.m. The gallery is located at 416 26th Street in Oakland, (510) 922-1653 https://www.facebook.com/Warehouse416/
“Black Love” @ JanRae Community Art Gallery, Women’s Cancer Resource Center, through March 24, 5714 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, (510) 350-1311 www.wcrc.org
Congratulations to Tabia Theatre Company on 30 Years of Black Theatre!
Join Tabia African American Theatre Ensemble, one of three (3) performing arts groups of the San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild (SJMAG), in its celebration with the phenomenal Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Friday-Saturday, February 26-27.
Based in San Jose, CA, Tabia is in its thirtieth year of performances in the Bay Area. The Ensemble has earned a reputation for presenting high quality productions that celebrate and explore the African-American experience ranging from touching dramas to clever comedies. Tabia is also a traveling troupe taking its creative voice to schools, corporations, conferences, and festivals throughout California. Tabia’s purpose is to promote cultural enrichment, celebrate and explore African-American experiences and culture.
The dynamic performers of Lula Washington Dance Theatre know how to create electrifying events of movement and music — in fact, the New York Times declares that the troupe, “displays a sure theatricality that is captivating.” Now celebrating its 35th anniversary, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, with choreography deeply influenced by the social and political issues of African-American culture, returns to San Jose’s School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza for Search for Humanism, an explosive blend of modern dance, ballet and Afrocentric rhythms that’s as powerful as it is stylish.
Tammy Hall Plays California Jazz Conservatory
After a wonderful run in Petaluma with Sharon Scott as Mahalia Jackson, Tammy Hall is performing in Berkeley before heading overseas. So you don’t want to miss this rare opportunity to hear Hall create magic on piano as she celebrates the genius of Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder and Dr. Billy Taylor (not necessarily in that order), Saturday, February 20, 8 p.m., at California Jazz Conservatory, 2087 Addison St., Berkeley, 510-845-5373. Tickets are $18.00 With Hall will be Ruth Davies on bass and Darian Gray on drums.
Malik Seneferu’s Ancestral Portals at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th Street, Oakland, through 2/27.
There is a closing reception, 2/27, 1-3.
TAOLB
The 19th Annual Art of Living Black at the Richmond Art Center through February 27 features 75 Black Artists
See http://richmondartcenter.org/exhibitions/19th-annual-art-living-black/ Artist reception, Feb. 7, 1-5 p.m. at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, (510) 620-6772.
Artist Talks Sat, Feb 7, noon – 1:30 pm
Artists: Valerie Brown-Troutt, Will Johnson, Karen Oyekanmi, Atiba Sylvia Thomas and Jim Dennis. Moderated by Stephen Bruce.
Artist Talks Sat, Feb 14, noon – 1:30 pm
Artists: Dania Frink, Alix Magloire, James Knox, Julee Richardson, Hilda Robinson, Arthur Norcome. Moderated by Raymond L. Haywood
The Art of Living Black Open Studio Sat, Mar 7, 11 am – 5 pm
A unique opportunity to meet a selection of artists and purchase their work in our main gallery.
Lecture
An Afternoon with Ms. Jerri Lange
Join Jerri Lange, Professor of Broadcast Communications, Author, and Lecturer discussing her new book, “empowering Black women,” Wednesday, February 24, 1-3 p.m. at the West Oakland Senior Center, 1724 Adeline Street, Oakland, (510) 238-7016. Books are available for a $5.00 donation.
Stop Sexual Trafficking Subject of Regina Evans’s 52 Letters
“52 Letters: A One-woman Poetic Stage Play” bringing awareness to the issue of sex trafficking in America, Friday, February 5, 8 p.m., will launch Eliza’s Pearl, an intimate and safe performing artist space for Black and Brown female artists to present their creativity. Space is limited so please purchase your tickets in advance at Regina’s Door, 352 17th St, Oakland or online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2492844 For information call (510) 423-8157 or evans.regina@gmail.com
Berkeley Public Library Event
Phavia Kujichagulia & MA’AT present The Evolution of African-American Classical Music / JAZZ
Join Phavia Kujichagulia & Ma’at for an eclectic journey of creativity, ingenuity, and revolution through the evolution of African-American Classical Music/Jazz, 2:00 to 4:00 PM, Saturday, February 20, Berkeley Public Library 3rd floor Community Meeting Room, 2090 Kittredge Street, Berkeley, (510) 981-6100. This is a free event and all are welcome. (Featuring: Achyutan/drums, Kash Killion/bass, Phavia Kujichagulia/trumpet percussion & spoken word, Yemenya Napue/dance & vocals, Val Serrant/percussion, and Ron Williams/guitar & percussion: www.kujichaguliaphavia.com)
Dance in Revolt(ing) Times (D.I.R.T.) Festival 2016
Final week of DIRT features site-specific “Stories of Revolt” scattered throughout the Mission Saturday, Feb. 6. Feb. 6 (8 p.m.) and Sunday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m., at Dance Mission, 3316 24th Street, San Francisco, Amara Tabor-Smith’s new work premieres this week as well. It conjures the spirit of Sandra Bland to examine the general lack of compassion for Black women who are victims of police terror as well as other forms of violence. Smith uses Sojourner Truth’s seminal speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” to analyze and question violence against black women here and abroad. Program C also features new work, site specific by Krissy Keefer for Dance Brigade. For tickets visit dancemission.com or call (415) 826-4441.
Film & Discussion
Million Man March 20 Years Later Film Discussion
Relive the Rally: A Family View of Highlights from the Million Man March & Justice or Else, Friday, February 26, 7-9 p.m. free at The Altenheim Community Hall, 1720 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. For information: bandzbolling@yahoo.com, kwalin.kimaathi@gmail.com, info@wandaspicks.com
For all those who went to the Million Man March 20 years ago and more recently, October 2015, join us for film and discussion on February 26, join us on this Savior’s Day 2016.
Ubuntu Theatre
Ubuntu Theatre opened its 2016 Season with a superb production of Marcus Gardley’s “The Gospel of Lovingkindness.” Don’t miss “Exit Cuckoo” by Lisa Ramiez, Feb. 11-28. In its inaugural season, the theme is threatened homes. Visit http://www.ubuntutheaterproject.com/tickets For a review of Gospel visit Interchange
Exciting Films on Independent Lens in February (ITVS)
“A Ballerina’s Tale” explores the rise of Misty Copeland, who made history as the first African-American female principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theater. Get an intimate look at this groundbreaking dancer during a crucial period in her life. – Monday, February 8, 10:00 p.m.-11:30 p.m. ET
Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Stanley Nelson’s “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” premieres on Independent Lens Tuesday, February 16, 9-11 ET on PBS (check local listings). For information pbs.org/independentlens To listen to an interview with the director visit: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wandas-picks/2015/10/02/wandas-picks-radio-show
Art Exhibits & Lecture
Black Panther Party@ 50
Celebration of the Life of Huey P. Newton, February 13, 2-5, at the West Oakland Branch Library, 1801 Adeline Street, Oakland, (510) 238-7352.
Richmond and the Legacy of the Black Panther Party, at the Richmond Museum of History, 400 Nevin Street,
(510) 235-7387.
(T)ERROR on Independent Lens
“(T)ERROR” premiers on ITVS Monday, February 22, 10-11:30 p.m., on PBS. This riveting film is the first film ever to capture an FBI counterterrorism sting operation as it unfolds. (T)ERROR is the story of “Shariff,” a 63 year old black revolutionary turned informant. He is conflicted and troubled as he is tries to live a normal life which given his circumstances is impossible. The FBI’s use of informants to set up supposed suspects for arrest, the questionable evidence and the way innocent lives are disrupted just because a person is Muslim shows how far this government will travel on roads without pavement. We meet suspect after suspect who languish in prison without due process. Even though innocent, the men take plea bargains to cut down on the time they feel they will serve anyway. Guilt or innocence is not a consideration when one has a Muslim name. The directors film a press conference where there are hundreds of names of “terrorists” on FBI lists. The lists a form of character assault and slander, the FBI refuses to explain the list or respond to questions about the men Shariff implicates and through his assistance the FBI arrests and imprisons. Why Shariff agrees to being filmed is not clear; however, Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe certainly present an aspect of a story not often, if ever explored.
“Wilhelmina’s War” dir. June Cross
“Wilhelmina’s War” premiers on ITVS Monday, Feb. 29 on PBS, 10-11:00 p.m. ET. Directed by June Cross, this is the story underreported and hidden. Do you know that South Carolina is the HIV/AIDS capitol for heterosexual transmission? Well I didn’t. I also did not know that South Carolina numbers are larger than all the HIV/AIDS cases in San Francisco and New York combined, that of the 50,000 new HIV cases diagnosed yearly, half are in the south, especially rural communities like Williston where we meet 14 year old Dayshal, whose mother gave her the virus at birth. Raised by her grandmother, Mrs. Dixon, Dayshal faces prejudice and stigma everyday of her life. Dayshal’s grandmother has been taking care of sick people all her life. She says she started as a child, taking care of younger siblings so she would have to pick cotton in the fields. Mrs. Dixon’s husband has cancer, her mom is 92 and she has five family members (including Dayshal’s mother, Toni Dicks).
The film addresses the absence of not just care, but resources to help people with prevention education, testing and resources. South Carolina governor Nikki Haley rejects billions of federal dollars available through the Affordable Care Act which would have addressed the inadequate Medicaid and facilities for communities like that where Dayshal lives. “South Carolina would have received $11 billion dollars, the third highest amount of any state in the nation, [and] we turned it down,” South Carolina Representative Joe Neal says. He is the only African American on the Ways and Means Committee. He continues, “We have perennial poverty. Generational poverty. And it has a cumulative effect on children and communities. This would have been a big step in eliminating some of the impacts of that poverty.” More people die from AIDS than in any developed country. Those people are in the rural south.
Medicaid would only pay for certain types of drugs for Dayshal, so while elsewhere HIV patients are taking one pill, Dayshal has to swallow 10-11-12 twice a day. Every month Dayshal and her grandmother would have to drive 90 miles to the capital so Dayshal could see her doctor. Many times the gas tanks had just enough fuel to make it. They would get a gas stipend to drive home, but again, sometimes they barely made it, especially when the gas prices were high. Programs which helped HIV/AIDS patients with rental or mortgage payments were cut, and if a person had a prison record . . . he could start digging his own grave. There might be medicine, but no housing or psychological support.
“Wilhelmina’s War” shows how predatory systems take advantage of vulnerable people like Dayshal’s mother who died in hospice, because the facility did not give her, her medicine, nor did they feed her or give her water. After just three months Tony Dicks had fallen over ten times from her bed and lost so much weight she looked like a scarecrow. As she suffered unnecessarily, Mrs. Wilhemnia (her mom) could not get her released into her custody.
Though illiterate, Mrs. Wilhemnia Dixon is resourceful and smart. She hosted a HIV/AIDS awareness and testing program and teamed up with local HIV/AIDS health advocates like Vivian Clark-Armstead whose organization has the only mobile testing van in the state. Clark-Armstead (who lost a sister to the epidemic) and Mrs. Dixon visit the few churches which are open to educating their congregations about the disease and more than one pastor is surprised that the disease is at epidemic levels among black women (80 percent of the new transmissions) and heterosexual men. Ms. Clark-Armstead says, “If you are waiting for the government to help you, to ride in and save you, look at what happened during Katrina. We are going to have to save ourselves.”
Mrs. Wilhemnia loves her granddaughter with courage and a wisdom, and even though we can’t imagine what it must be like to live in the backwoods without friends her age or support, we root for Dayshal because she comes from strong roots and as she grows older and continues to get the support from women in Positive Voices, HIV positive black women, the filmmaker, June Cross and others, things will work out for her. Visit http://minaswar.wix.com/wilheminaswar#!videos/cb3i
San Francisco Indie Festival
The 18th Annual San Francisco Indie Festival is February 11-25 @ the Roxie Theater, Brava Theater and Alamo Drafthouse in San Francisco. Visit sfindie.com for film parties and sing-a-longs.
Rick Lowe, Project Row Houses Lectures @ Stanford University
The Cantor Arts Center is pleased to co-sponsor the Mimi and Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor Lecture featuring Rick Lowe, Thursday, February 4, 5:45 p.m. Lowe is a Houston-based artist who has exhibited and worked with communities nationally and internationally. The event is free and open to the public; RSVPs are required. The reception is at 5:15 p.m., lecture follows at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, McCaw Hall, 326 Galvez Street, Stanford University, Palo Alto.
Lowe is best known for Project Row Houses, a community-based art project he started in Houston in 1993. Further community projects include the Watts House Project in Los Angeles, the Borough Project in Charleston, the Delray Beach Cultural Loop in Florida, and the Anyang Public Art Program 2010 in Anyang, South Korea. President Barack Obama appointed him to the National Council on the Arts in 2013; in 2014 he was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant.
Berkeley Black Repertory Group presents: UNFORGETTABLE-The Natalie Cole Story February 12-27
National Winner of Steve Harvey Neighborhood Awards Ms. Dee Dee Simon acts and performs a living tribute fitting Natalie Cole’s Legacy. For more information visit www.deedeesimon.com For tickets call 510-652-2120. For Group sales email Nataliecolestory@blackrepertorygroup.com
African American Shakespeare Company presents: George C. Wolfe’s “The Colored Museum,” February 13-March 6
African American Shake continues its 21st year with its first time staging an American classic satire on race, George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum. The production features four directors collaborating to bring the eleven vignettes to life as a part of what Artistic Director L. Peter Callendar calls the Company’s “season of purpose.” The directors are: Velina Brown, L. Peter Callendar, Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe, and Michael Gene Sullivan, the cast features: Paige Mayes, Clara McDaniel, Aejay Mitchell, Tavia Percia and Todd Risby. Shows run Saturday and Sundays, Sat at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. For information visit african-americanshakes.org and for tickets: brownpapertickets.com/event/1641586
The Call at Theatre Rhinoceros
The Call, by Tanya Barfield, directed by Jon Wai-keung Lowe, runs Feb. 20-March 12, at Theatre Rhinoceros @ The Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson Street (between Front and Battery Streets) in San Francisco. “The Call” is the story of Annie and Peter who plan to adopt a child from Africa, but when they receive surprising news from the adoption agency, their marriage is put to the test. Secrets from the past are exposed and this couple facing midlife is left with an unexpected choice. Politically charged, funny and tack-sharp, the Call is a startling portrait of cultural divides, casting global issues into the heart of an American home. Visit therhino.org/buy.htm or call (800) 838-3006. Shows are Wednesdays-Saturdays, with previews Feb. 20-Feb. 24. Shows are 8 p.m. with a 3 p.m. matinee on Saturdays as well.
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August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” at Marin Theatre Company
August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean,” directed by Daniel Alexander Jones continues at Marin Theatre Company through Feb. 14, 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley. For ticket discounts use code DATENIGHT to get buy 1 ticket and get 1 free ticket to bring a friend. The short link to the ticketing site is: http://bit.ly/AWGemTix Listen to an interview on Wanda’s Picks Radio: http://tobtr.com/8189113 Read a review: http://wandasabir.blogspot.com/2016/01/review.html
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
PBS’s American Masters episode on August Wilson, August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand, which premiered on February 20, 2015, the 70th anniversary of Wilson’s birth and 10th anniversary of his death, airs again February 2016 in celebration of Black History Month, underwritten by MTC in conjunction with this production of Gem of the Ocean. Check: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/august-wilson-the-ground-on-which-i-stand-full-film/3727/
Book and Art Tour (Jan. -Feb.)
When We Fight, We Win!
“When We fight We Win! Twenty First Century Social Movements and the Activists that are Transforming Our World” by Greg Jobin-Leeds and AgitArte, New Press (Jan. 2016) with an interview and art by Kevin “Rashid” Johnson (Prison Radio Correspondent).
The tour stops in San Francisco with Noelle Hanrahan at Book Passage, Corte Madera, 7 p.m., and with Noelle Hanrahan again Thursday, Feb. 4; Marcus Books in Oakland, 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 5, and Green Apple Books on the Park, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 9, with Favianna Rodriguez, Cultural Strike, in San Francisco. Visit prisonradio.org or www.whenwefightwewin.com
Solitary Confinement Topic of Charlie Hinton’s Performance
Charlie Hinton’s Solitary Man: My Visit to Pelican Bay State Prison is up at various venues in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose:
Saturday February 6, San Jose, School of Arts and Culture, Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1600 Alum Rock Avenue, San Jose. This event honors Leonard Peltier on the 40th anniversary of his illegal arrest.
Tuesday, February 23, 518 Valencia, San Francisco 94110, 7 pm $5-20, no one turned away.
Sponsored by Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition to END SLEEP DEPRIVATION TORTURE IN PELICAN BAY SOLITARY caused by 30 cell checks that wake prisoners up every 30 minutes and as part of protests against solitary confinement that take place statewide the 23rd of every month.)
Black Choreographers Here and Now 2016
The Black Choreographers Festival presents the Next Wave Choreographers Showcase: New Voices/New Works featuring: Gregory Dawson with William Fowler and Frankie Lee Peterson, Chris Evans with Byb Chanel Bibene and David Boyce, Cherie Hill, Wanjiru Kamuyu, Erik Lee, Joslynn Mathis Reed, Dazaun Soleyn, Phylicia Stroud and Jamie Wright, February 20 – 21, Saturday and Sunday @ 7:30 pm @ Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th Street, San Francisco. Tickets are $10 – $30. For tickets visit brownpapertickets.com/event/2487396. Group discounts call 866-553-5885. For information: bcfhereandnow.com
Saturday Program:
Gregory Dawson with Frankie Lee Peterson and William Fowler /dawsondancesf
Chris Evans with Byb Chanel Bibene and David Boyce
Dazaun Soleyn
Wanjiru Kamuyu / Mills Repertory Dance Company
Cherie Hill / IrieDance
Erik Lee / soloist Justin Sharlman
Joslynn Mathis Reed / Mathis Reed Dance Company
Sunday Program:
Gregory Dawson with Frankie Lee Peterson and William Fowler / dawsondancesf
Dazaun Soleyn
Cherie Hill / IrieDance
Erik Lee / soloist Justin Sharlman
Joslynn Mathis Reed / Mathis Reed Dance Company
Phylicia Stroud / On Demand
Jamie Wright / The DanceWright Project
Black Dudes Die First?!
Andre Le Mont Wilson is Back with a New Play at the Tell It on Tuesdays Night at the Marsh in Berkeley present: Tell It on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 7 p.m.
Wilson shares his “The Black Dude Dies First,” at “Tell it on Tuesdays” which celebrates the expression of individual storytelling and solo performance. Andre Le Mont Wilson performs stories at festivals, story swaps, and open mics throughout the Bay Area. In “The Black Dude Dies First,” Wilson recounts his first performance on stage in a grammar school’s Bicentennial production in which, you know. . . . Tickets at the door at $8-$15. Though Wilson’s story is appropriate for the entire family, all performer’s work that evening may not.
Wilson will perform the work at the 26th Annual Celebration of African American Poets and Their Poetry, Feb. 6, 1-4 at the West Oakland Branch Library. He will also host a Black History Month Event later this month:
Wilson Hosts Black History Month Poetry Benefit
Friday, February 19, 7-8:30 p.m. “400 Years of History Distilled into Stories,” featuring local storytellers: Malcolm Grissolm, Linda Wright, Beverly Harris, Beverly Miles, and Beverlee, at The Storytelling Association of California Third Fridays at The Silk Road House, 1944 University Avenue, Berkeley. For information awilsonpoetwriter@gmail.com
Tickets sales, $10, benefit The Storytelling Association of California. Seating is limited to 30 people. Purchase tickets at Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sac-at-silk-road-house-tickets-18832764305?aff=erellivorg
Multi Ethnic Theatre at Gough Street Playhouse present: A Shakespeare Valentine, Harlem Renaissance 1919-1929, February 9-27
A Shakespeare Valentine and The Harlem Renaissance. Multi-Ethnic Theatre presents a two-part program celebrating true love and Black History Month. It features eight actors, four women and four men, with the words of 47 of The Bard’s Sonnets to present stories of five couples. After intermission the same actors present great words from the Harlem Renaissance, poems and a story by Langston Hughes (“Thank You, Ma’am”), a story by Zora Neale Hurston (“Spunk”), and additional poems by James Weldon Johnson and others.
Previews Feb 9 &11, 8:00 pm. The work opens Feb. 12, 8:00 pm. Runs Feb. 12-27; Thurs-Sat. 8:00 pm plus Sats at 2:00. Tickets are $10-$40. Proceeds to benefit renovation of Trinity-St. Peter’s Church and the Gough St. Playhouse: www.wehavemet.org
Bridges at Berkeley Playhouse
Berkeley Playhouse is proud to present the world premiere commissioned work, Cheryl L. Davis and Douglas J. Cohen’s “Bridges: A New Musical,” Feb. 11-Mar. 6 at 2640 College Avenue, Berkeley. For tickets: Box Office 510-845-8542 x351 boxoffice@berkeleyplayhouse.org
In 1965, a young woman boldly joins a march to fight for her civil rights. Decades later, another young woman faces her own battle for equality. As their stories collide across time and distance, each must come to terms with who she is in the context of a changing and complicated world. Full of soulful melodies, Bridges: A New Musical is an empowering story that explores our country’s past and present – how far we’ve come, how far we have to go, and the bridges we must cross to get there.
CounterPulse, in partnership with Jess Curtis/Gravity Present: Yellow Towel by Dana Michel, February 13 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.
Exorcisms in Technicolor. As a child, Dana Michel would drape a yellow towel on her head in an attempt to emulate the blonde girls at school. As an adult, she now revisits the imaginary world of her alter ego in a performative ritual free of cover-ups or censorship.
Blending austerity and absurdity, she digs into black culture stereotypes, turning them inside out to see whether or not she can relate. We witness her allowing a strange creature to emerge from this excavation in a slow and disconcerting metamorphosis that we follow with fascination. Strongly influenced by the aesthetics of fashion, music videos, queer culture and comedy, Dana Michel quickly stood out as an emerging dance artist. With Yellow Towel, which was developed in Vienna, Brussels, New York, Toronto and in Montreal, she explores new creation territories and most decidedly asserts herself as an artist to watch. A figure of the Montreal underground scene well worth discovering.
RACE: The Jesse Owens Story
A Review
“RACE” (2016) is the story of Jesse Owens’s triumphant wins in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin just before WW2. Nicknamed “The Buckeye Bullet” for his legendary speed – the Owens story or “RACE” shows how he distanced himself from socially constructed hurdles which ran counter to his personal goals. Directed by Stephen Hopkins, the film features rising star, Stephan James (“Selma”) as Jesse Owens, cute Kayla Stewart (as “Gloria Owens” at 2 ½), Shanice Banton (as Ruth Solomon Owens, wife), Jason Sudeikis (as Coach Larry Snyder), David Kross (as Carl “Luz” Long, Olympian long jump competitor) and Eli Goree (as Dave Albritton, Olympian high jumper).
1936 is a time in world history when Hitler’s Germany and America vary only slightly in their treatment of non-Aryans (WASPs). At one point in the film, after earning his first gold medal, Hitler refuses to greet the winner as is customary. This déjà vu moment echoes loudly when Owens returns home and President Franklin D. Roosevelt does not acknowledge Owens, just the white Olympians at a state dinner Owens is not invited to.
However, the outstanding track and field athlete, Owens (Sept. 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) doesn’t waste anger on white noise – There is a scene in the locker room at Ohio State University where the black athletes are insulted by another coach who wants the these students to leave the locker room so white students can shower. Snyder, Owens’s coach, shouts the man down and tells his champion that at home and abroad he will meet bigots and racists who will try to upset him and to ignore them. Snyder tells Owens to focus his attention inside where a voice lives which is his center, his ally, his coach, his conscience. We watch as the young man hears this voice speaking to him until that is the only voice audible – it is a great moment in the film.
In “RACE” we witness Owens earn his greatness as he trains through rain storms and chilly winter days. We see him drink water with lime and Coca-Cola instead of alcoholic beverages. His cigarette smoking must be a bad habit he picked up when he returned home and could no longer pursue a career in what he loved: running. Lung cancer killed him. However, at the height of his game, we see in James’s portrayal of Owens a success through diligence and hard work. He never took his gift for granted.
Writers’ Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse’s “RACE” is a politically astute spin on the phenomenon “white noise.” Owens’s body, at least in the film, is sacrosanct—no one touches him; his enemies just yell obscenities, so the young athlete learns to turn the sound down, then mute white supremacists’ collective voices over and over again. It is a skill black boys today would be well-suited to notice and utilize when this lesson is applicable.
“White Noise” is what Bob Moses and Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer and Bayard Rustin trained volunteers to note and then ignore, so the noise would not get in the way of their work. The students who signed up to register Southern black people to vote in places like Jesse Owens’s hometown of Oakville, Alabama, shut off “the white noise” to protest segregation in its many manifestations like inequality in education, employment and politics. Sometimes the noise got so loud, Owens and other black athletes expressed internal doubts, but their singular ability to pull the plug, pay the vendors, be still and focus allowed each to reach a state of certainty and peace.
The insults follow Owens from the locker room, the field(s), stadiums, even to events where he was the guest of honor. In the beautifully shot film, we see Mr. Owens dressed in a tuxedo and his wife also elegantly dressed, yet the doorman directs the honoree to the kitchen entrance and freight elevator. Like Jackie Robinson, Owens’s life was visibly shortened by white terrorism. Systemic and structural racism kills black people. White supremacists’ policies are antithetical to health and well-being.
When Tommie Smith and John Carlos held their fists up at another Olympic event, Mexico City, years later in 1968, I am certain they reflected on Owens whose shoulders they stood upon. While the “Hail Hitler” salute went uncensored in 1936, the “Black Power” salutes for justice and human rights for black people were greeted with scorn by the same Olympic organization.
Actor, Stephan James’s Owens is no caricature, nor are any members of the black community in Cleveland, Ohio, where Owens returns home as often as he can. “RACE” shows a black community with dignity even when faced with discrimination. It is this dignity that stands in stark contrast to a white population which really cannot fathom what James Cleveland “JC” Owens (renamed Jesse Owens) experiences. At one point, Owens’s coach agrees that he does not know what Jesse experiences as a black man; the coach also admits he is not a good listener.
Actor Andrew Moodie as Henry Owens, Jesse’s dad, doesn’t say much, but he holds himself with quiet strength, as does his son. He tells the NAACP representative that white people would hate his son when he returns with medals or if he stayed home. Racism was not logical nor was a strategic boycott guaranteed to do anything for black people at home. His mother, Emma Owens, portrayed by Michèle Lonsdale Smith shares some of Jesse’s early childhood illness. Amazingly, this frail, sickly child (who could still pick daily 100 pounds of cotton) grew up to be a world champion. She knows her youngest child, and first to attend college is bound for greatness. Owens is the son of a sharecropper and the grandson of slaves. Though young, he carries a legacy bigger than himself. The shackles continue to have tangible weight despite Owens’s success on a global stage. While in Berlin, segregated sleeping arrangements and eating in the cafeteria cease. However, Owens is not confused, even if others are. He is never allowed to forget his place.
“RACE” is a moment in a great man’s life; however, strategies his coach uses to prepare Owens for what he will experience as a black man on a white man’s field foreshadows what we see later in the Civil Rights Movement. Owens who was discouraged to attend the 1936 Olympic Games by the NAACP asked the representative if he ran. When the answer was no, he explained to his elder why he ran: It is the only time I feel free, he says. Running is freedom. On the field it doesn’t matter if one is black or white. “It is just matters if you’re fast or slow.” When a person runs, he controls the space. “You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.”[1] Owens says he spent as little time on the ground as possible. He liked being in the air.
Many times in the film when Owens’s coach would get angry because of the treatment Jesse and other black athletes received from other OSU coaches, players and white umpires, Jesse would tell his friend to not worry, that he would take the score, one second short, walk around to the kitchen entrance . . . not respond to the indignities because these people were not shouting his name. He did not answer to any of them—they did not know him. All they saw was RACE.
The closing of the film shows archival footage of the real Jesse Owens.
Can racism be normalized? Certainly. A human right so despicable can become the rule or the law much too easily. Note the contagions spread across multiple landscapes past and present. Legality does not necessarily equal morality, Robert H. King, Ph.D., (Angola 3), states. And he should know after spending 29 years in solitary confinement for his political beliefs—
“RACE” (134 mins). Rated PG-13, opens in theatres Friday, February 19, 2016. I don’t know why it is rated PG-anything. Is it the racism that parents should cautiously expose their kids too?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3499096/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt
[1] https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/784622.Jesse_Owens