Author: Warin
The Earth Raps Back
Today is Earth Day, and since environmental friendliness and conservation is a big part of it, why not a rap song about it? Also, who put Quincy Jones up to this?
Richard Pryor on Race, Education and Success
“I live in racist America and I’m uneducated, yet a lot of people love me and like what I do, and I can make a living from it.You can’t do much better than that.“
– Richard Pryor
Melissa Harris-Perry and Co. Speak on "Scandal"
So I caught the Melissa Harris-Perry show last week on MSNBC and really enjoyed many of the segments that were featured. She and her panelists spoke on voter disfranchisement in North Carolina, the women’s NCAA Tournament, and the use of language in regards to the immigration debate here in the U.S, among other things.
It was the discussion on the ABC hit show “Scandal” that really caught my attention. Not so much that I’m a regular viewer (I haven’t watched “Scandal” in more than a year) but the makeup of MHP’s panel was striking in that it was entirely made up of black women. The panel consisted of Janet Mock, Andrea Plaid, Heather McGhee, and Joy-Ann Reid. In more than 20 years of watching TV on a fairly regular basis, I don’t ever recall seeing a panel featuring just black women on a major news network. Hat tip to Melissa Harris-Perry and MSNBC.
Dave Hollister – Keep Lovin’ You (2002)
Remembering Roger Ebert
Last week the world — not just the film world — lost an icon in Roger Ebert.
Though Ebert’s official title was that of film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, he was much more than that to the movie going American public. “Two thumbs up” was a phrase that originated with Ebert and his former film critic Gene Siskel, that became synonymous with a positive review of a new film. How esteemed was Roger Ebert in the movie industry? He’s the only film critic with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
When it came to race and the social dynamics of the Hollywood studio system, Ebert didn’t shy away from those subjects either. During the 1990s, two of his choices for movie of the year centered around protagonists of color: “Malcolm X” in 1992 and “Hoop Dreams” in 1994. Lauren Williams of The Root does an excellent job of compiling Ebert’s reviews on some well known black films at the time. Ebert goes beyond the characters and main story of the films and asks larger hard hitting questions about the impact of these films within cinema.
On “Love Jones” Ebert writes:
“As the characters move from record stores to restaurants to the Sanctuary, we realize how painfully limited the media vision of black life is. Why do the movies give us so many homeboys and gangstas and druggies and so few photographers, poets and teachers? …”
On “Glory” Ebert writes:
“Watching ‘Glory,’ I had one reoccurring problem. I didn’t understand why it had to be told so often from the point of view of the 54th’s commanding white officer? Why did we see the black troops through his eyes — instead of seeing him through theirs? To put it another way, why does the top billing in this movie go to a white actor? I ask, not to be perverse, but because I consider this primarily a story about the black experience and do not know why it has to be seen largely through white eyes…
‘Glory’ is a strong and valuable film, no matter whose eyes it is seen through. But there is still, I suspect, another and quite different film to be made from this same material.”
Things to think about. Roger Ebert, you will be missed.
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King and His Enduring Legacy 45 Years Later
April 4th, 1968, is a day that many people of an older generation will never forget. Neither should any of us.
For that was the day of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in Memphis,Tennessee. Following his assassination, President Lyndon Johnson announced a day of mourning for the man who was instrumental in the struggle for racial equality in the United States. In the aftermath of King’s death, there was grief, despair, anger, rage, and sadly, riots. Despite this however, King’s legacy in the 45 years proceeding his death, has only become more emblazoned in our national consciousness.
Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the select few African Americans to have their story told and taught on a national level within our school system. The man certainly has earned the recognition to say the least. From attending Morehouse College at 15-years-old, to starting out as a young preacher in Alabama, to leading and organizing the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955-56, King certainly did much in a short period of time. King is perhaps best remembered for the March on Washington, where it was on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, in which he gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech in front of more than 200,000 people. If there’s one memory that people have of King, it’s probably that one.
It’s worth noting that in the days before he was assassinated, King had been meeting with Memphis sanitation workers who were fighting for better working conditions. In the five years following his “I Have A Dream” speech, the crowds weren’t as large, but King’s message nevertheless remained influential. His call for nonviolence as a means of protest was widely used by many in regards to the Vietnam War that was raging at the time. King steadfastly opposed the war and at the time of his death, was greatly concerned about the plight of the impoverished in America.
Since Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, America has indeed come a long way. The 1964 Civil Rights Act opened the door for many people of color to greater access to education, job opportunities, and political aspirations. Make no mistake, there is no Barack Obama without Dr. King and the countless others (not just black folks either) who gave their hearts and lives for a free and equal America. Dr. King, Thank You.
From the Black Media Archive Podcast:
18 Months of FilmSwaggin’
I’m always amazed at how fast time moves. 18 months has come out of nowhere just like that. Through it all, I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who reads/tweets/comments/recommends this site.
FilmSwag has continued to grow at an incredible pace and I have YOU the readers to thank for that. Also, big shoutout to those tuning in from Poland, Australia, Latvia, and Germany. I definitely appreciate it. Let’s keep getting educated together.
Alicia Keys – Superwoman (2005)
Considering the fact it’s Women’s History Month, this video feels rather appropriate.
2012: Difficult Year at Best for Black Media
A new article by the Pew Research Center indicates that 2012 was not exactly the best of times for black media, but not all is doom and gloom.
Covering the realm of black media from newspapers to TV, magazines, and the internet, The State of News Media 2013 highlights some downward trends that are being felt in media beyond that just geared towards African Americans.
State of Newspapers and Circulation
Newspapers around the country have seemingly been threatened by lower circulation, decreasing advertisement revenue, and staff cutbacks for the better part of a decade now. The same holds true for many black newspapers as well. The SNM 2013 chart shows 4 out of 5 major black publications saw circulation declines during a six-month period in 2012.
It should come as no surprise that when your circulation begins to dip, so too does the money from advertisers. This in turn often leads to cutbacks/firings affecting the publication’s ability to cover stories in a particular community. The fewer stories that are covered, may mean less people pick up your paper, hence continuing a vicious cycle.
I witnessed firsthand the effects that cutbacks can have on a newsroom. In 2004 and 2006 I had interned at my local newspaper in New Jersey and found out a few years later that they had moved out of the building where they were located because they could no longer afford the costs.
State of Cable News Programs
The SNM 2013 report indicates that while there were certainly more cable channels geared towards African Americans in 2012 then in the past, few really offered any news value.
This is significant because the report indicates 69% of African Americans get their news from television. If these channels aren’t showing many news shows, then it’s possible that there may be an opportunity at hand for some of these networks to take advantage of. One such network that has taken advantage of this has been TV One.
On Sunday mornings “Washington Watch,” a show hosted by (soon to be former CNN contributor) Roland Martin looks at the biggest political headlines from an African American perspective. The show has been on TV One since its debut in September of 2009. The best way I could describe it, its sort of like a black version of “Meet the Press,” except on this show there will always be a person of color at the table offering their perspective. I definitely recommend it.
It’s worth noting that BET has also dabbled in the news department. I remember in 2001 watching “BET Nightly News,” which was hosted by Jacque Reed. Then there was “Weekly With Ed Gordon” in 2010. More recently there was “Don’t Sleep!” which was hosted by former CNN anchor T.J. Holmes. “Don’t Sleep!” started off as a half-hour program airing from Monday – Thursday. Then in November it was scaled back to once a week. By December 2012, the show was gone and has yet to return.
The SNM 2013 also looks into the online spectrum and the reach of sites like HuffPost Blackvoices and The Root have with audiences. Also, it looks into the rise of social media and the importance it holds moving forward in terms of reaching audiences of color.
For the full article and more, check it out here.
FilmSwag 