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Posts published in “Commemorations”

Jamaican Novelist Marlon James Wins Man Booker Prize

By goodblacknews on October 14, 2015
Marlon James won the 2015 Man Booker Prize for "A Brief History of Seven Killings" on Tuesday.
Marlon James won the 2015 Man Booker Prize for “A Brief History of Seven Killings” on Tuesday.  (photo via cnn.com)

Marlon James, the Jamaican novelist, has won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction for “A Brief History of Seven Killings,” his fictional retelling of the 1976 attempted murder of Bob Marley.

James, 44, who now lives in Minneapolis and teaches at Macalester College, is the first Jamaican author to win the prize in the British award’s 47 years. It’s also the first for his publisher, Oneworld Publications.

‘It is a crime novel that moves beyond the world of crime and takes us deep into a recent history we know far too little about. It moves at a terrific pace and will come to be seen as a classic of our times,” said Michael Woods, chairman of the judging committee.

James didn’t expect to wow the critics, but that’s what he did with his 686-page epic novel.

“It’s like a Tarantino remake of ‘The Harder They Come’ but with a soundtrack by Bob Marley and a script by Oliver Stone and William Faulkner, with maybe a little creative boost from some primo ganja,” wrote Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times.

“It’s epic in every sense of that word: sweeping, mythic, over-the-top, colossal and dizzyingly complex. It’s also raw, dense, violent, scalding, darkly comic, exhilarating and exhausting — a testament to Mr. James’s vaulting ambition and prodigious talent.”

James’ other works includes two novels, “John Crow’s Devil” (2005) and “The Book of Night Women” (2009).

Last year, the prize was opened to any novel published in Britain and written in English. In previous years, winners had to come from Britain, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Commonwealth nations.

article by Katia Hetter via cnn.com

Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute to Top Confederate Memorial on Stone Mountain in GA

By goodblacknews on October 13, 2015

martin luther king jr
Stone Mountain in Georgia, which was once known for its Ku Klux Klan cross burnings, will soon be adding something very interesting: a tower/memorial in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The tower will feature a replica of the Liberty Bell. And accordingly it will give a literal interpretation to the line “Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia” from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
stone-mountain
The Stone Mountain Memorial Association, the authority that maintains the mountain and surrounding Stone Mountain Park, said in a statement that the “King Monument Bell” will “facilitate a more complete telling of the mountain’s history and an expansion of the park’s educational offerings.”
The statement also said additions will include a permanent museum exhibit to recognize contributions of African-American soldiers in both the Union and Confederate armies.

Though the association’s board has yet to take any formal action, its CEO, Bill Stephens, told Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jim Galloway that the King tribute is “a great addition to the historical offerings we have here.”
Galloway was instrumental in pushing for the idea.
In the aftermath of the killings of nine African-Americans at Charleston, South Carolina’s, historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in June, Galloway proposed that Stone Mountain — “a three-dimensional history lesson (that) has pushed a one-sided view of America’s bloodiest conflict,” in his words — be made more representative of Southern history.
Stone Mountain, he observed, is within a predominately African-American community just outside Atlanta. The mountain and surrounding Stone Mountain Park are popular gathering spots for multicultural metro Atlanta, with much-hiked trails to the 825-foot summit and bucolic landscaping.

Get the rest of the story at CNN.
article via eurweb.com

Black Men Rally In D.C. For 20th Anniversary Of Million Man March

By goodblacknews on October 10, 2015
(TIM SLOAN VIA GETTY IMAGES)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Black men from around the nation are gathering on the National Mall to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March and call for policing reforms and changes in black communities.

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who spearheaded the original march, will lead an anniversary gathering Saturday at the Capitol called the “Justice or Else” march.

“I plan to deliver an uncompromising message and call for the government of the United States to respond to our legitimate grievances,” Farrakhan said in a statement.

Attention has been focused on the deaths of unarmed black men since the shootings of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012 in Florida and 18-year-old Michael Brown in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Deaths of unarmed black males at the hands of law enforcement officers have inspired protests under the “Black Lives Matter” moniker around the country.

The original march on Oct. 16, 1995, brought hundreds of thousands to Washington to pledge to improve their lives, their families and their communities. Women, whites and other minorities were not invited to the original march, but organizers say all are welcome Saturday and that they expect to get hundreds of thousands of participants.

The National Park Service estimated the attendance at the original march to be around 400,000, but subsequent counts by private organizations put the number at 800,000 or higher. The National Park Service has refused to give crowd estimates on Mall activities since.

President Barack Obama, who attended the first Million Man March, will be in California on Saturday.

Life has improved in some way for African-American men since the original march, but not in others. For example:

-The unemployment rate for African-American men in October 1995 was 8.1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In September it was 8.9 percent.

-In 1995, 73.4 percent of African-American men had high school degrees. In 2004, 84.3 percent did, according to the Census Bureau.

-Law enforcement agencies made 3.5 million arrests of blacks in 1994, which was 30.9 percent of all arrests, the FBI said. (By comparison, they made 7.6 million arrests of whites that year, which was 66 percent of all arrests.) By 2013, the latest available data, African-American arrests had decreased to 2.5 million, 28 percent of all arrests.

Anti-Muslim protesters plan to demonstrate at mosques around the nation on the same day.

article by Jesse J. Holland via huffingtonpost.com

Jon Platt Named CEO of Warner/Chappell Music

By goodblacknews on October 6, 2015
Jon Platt 2015
Jon Platt speaks onstage at the 2015 SESAC Pop Music Awards at New York Public Library on May 4, 2015 in New York City. (Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for SESAC) 
Jon Platt will lead Warner/Chappell Music going forward.  As part of a transition plan, Platt, who joined Warner/Chappell in 2012, will be promoted to the company’s CEO on Nov. 1 from his current position as president, North America. Subsequently, in May 2016 (most likely when Cameron Strang’s contract ends), Cameron Strang, currently chairman & CEO, will step down to devote his full focus to serving as chairman & CEO of Warner Bros. Records.
Platt is known for being a doubled-edged sword, having great creative skills combined with top-notch leadership. On the creative side, he has helped attract such artists and songwriters as Jay Z, Beyoncé, Vance Joy and Echosmith to Warner/Chappell.
“Jon has a deep understanding of the creative process, an outstanding devotion to songs and songwriters, and an innate ability to nurture the next generation of talented publishing executives,” Warner Music Group CEO Steve Cooper said in a statement. “His combination of artistic sensibility and commercial savvy is very rare, and is clearly why so many of the world’s greatest songwriters want him as their partner and champion.” Cooper added that Platt will enhance Warner/Chappell’s “position” as the best home for songwiters.
Over the last five years, Warner/Chappell’s revenues have steadily declined, from $582 million for the year ended Sept. 30, 2009 to $503 million for the year ended Sept. 30, 2013, before rebounding last year to $517 million. In the first nine months of this year, Warner/Chappell revenue stands at $359 million, down from $387 million, or 7.2 percent.
Platt’s ability to attract top flight songwriters should help boost the company’s bottom line. Over the last several years, Warner/Chappell has added such songwriters as Pharrell Williams’ pre-2010 repertoire, Taio Cruz, Aloe Blacc, Sean Douglas, Belly, Mano, Julia Michaels, Steve Kipner, Nico & Vinz, Slash, Dave Mustaine, Mike WiLL Made It, Lady Antebellum, Liz Rose, and Lee Miller, as well as the Roc Nation publishing catalog.
“Ever since Jon came on board in 2012, he has played a pivotal role in our success story, making enormous contributions to the company’s rapid development,” Strang said in a statement.”Warner/Chappell is now ready for the next phase of its ongoing evolution, and Jon is exactly the right executive for the job. He is a force of nature: a brilliant creative collaborator; a principled leader; and an inspiring mentor. He will be a terrific CEO, as he brings his dynamism and expertise to our songwriters, teams and business around the world.”
Cooper added that “with a smooth transition underway at Warner/Chappell, Cameron will lead our plan to build on [Warner Bros. Records] existing success, turbocharge its long-term growth and deepen our commitment to A&R and artist development.”
Prior to joining Warner/Chappell Platt, who received SESAC’s Visionary Award in May, spent 17 years at EMI Music Publishing, where he signed an early-career Jay Z, Kanye West, Usher, Drake, Ludacris, Mary Mary, Young Jeezy, Fabolousand Snoop Dogg, according to Warner/Chappell’s announcement.
“Warner/Chappell is an iconic music company with an incomparable roster of extraordinary songwriters,” Platt said in a statement. “Our mission is to develop, grow, reward and sustain a prosperous and healthy creative community — the community of songwriters who make it possible for music to have such a special place in all of our lives. My vision for Warner/Chappell is one of peerless commitment to the songwriter and unmatched advocacy for the value of music.  I see us leading the industry in our service not only to our songwriters, but also to the partners and fans that help make their livelihoods possible.”
article by Ed Christman via billboard.com

Cleveland Cavalier J.R. Smith Sinks Half-Court Shot, Wins $30K for Member of the Military

By goodblacknews on October 6, 2015
J.R. Smith (CREDIT: Getty Images) 

J.R. Smith used his basketball powers for good when he sank a shot from half-court and won $30,000 for a military serviceman during an intra-squad scrimmage on Monday, Oct. 5 at the Quicken Loans Arena.

The Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard/small forward celebrated the basket in style by doing his signature air guitar move during Cleveland’s annual Wine and Gold scrimmage game, and we’re sure that military man was celebrating even more. Smith reposted the video of his shot on IG with the caption “#JustDoingWhatIDo #ForTheTroops30k.” They don’t call him “J.R. Swish” for nothing.
The Cavs’ first preseason game will be Wednesday, Oct. 7 against the Atlanta Hawks. Check out the impressive bucket below.


article by J’na Jefferson via vibe.com

Ta-Nehisi Coates Wins MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant

By goodblacknews on September 29, 2015
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Journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of 24 people selected for this year’s “genius grants” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced Tuesday.
Coates, the author of current New York Times bestseller “Between the World and Me,” is a national correspondent for The Atlantic, where he writes about cultural, political and social issues, most prominently racial issues. Recipients receive $625,000 over five years to continue work in their respective fields. Other winners include playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, puppeteer Basil Twist, poet Ellen Bryan Voigt and writer Ben Lerner.
“I wished I could be cool,” Coates told The New York Times. “But you just can’t be cool.”
“The Case for Reparations,” Coates’ 2014 centerpiece essay on the state of race relations in the United States, prompted a frenzy of online discussion and debate over the legacy of slavery and institutional racism in America.
article by Nick Gass via politico.com

Texas City Votes to Leave in Place Street Name Changed to Honor Sandra Bland

By goodblacknews on September 27, 2015
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Sandra Bland (photo via FACEBOOK)
The newly-minted Sandra Bland Parkway in Prairie View, Texas, will keep its name.
The Prairie View City Council voted Tuesday to keep the name for a road that leads into Prairie View A&M University and was renamed this summer in honor of Bland, who died at the Waller County Jail in July after she arrested during a traffic stop, according to KHOU.
Police said Bland was found hanging in her cell after the July 10 arrest. But suspicions arose after the release of a police dashcam video of Bland’s traffic stop and arrest. An officer had stopped Bland for failing to signal a lane change, but their encounter became confrontational, and the officer arrested her for allegedly assaulting him.
To ease tensions in the community, the City Council voted in August to change the name of University Boulevard to Sandra Bland Parkway. It is the same stretch of road on which she was stopped and arrested. Not everyone agreed with the name change, and city leaders on Tuesday heard from a divided community on the issue. But lawmakers decided to keep the new name in honor of Bland, who had moved back to Texas in July to take a job with her alma mater, Prairie View A&M University.
“The whole world is talking about Sandra Bland,” said one supporter from the council podium, reports the news outlet. “And Sandra Bland is putting Prairie View on the map.”
When the street was renamed in August, ABC 13 reported that hundreds of Prairie View A&M alumni gathered with current students to march from the student-union building to the site where Bland was stopped, and then on to City Hall, where the street was renamed.
“If every time they pull over a student, they have to be reminded of what took place here, then that will help the relationship to be more respectful between the officers and the students,” protester Hannah Bonner told the news station in August.
Read more at KHOU.
article by Lynette Holloway via theroot.com

A Tribe Called Quest to Release Special 25th Anniversary Edition of Their Debut Album

By goodblacknews on September 23, 2015

atcq25cover
On April 17, 1990, A Tribe Called Quest released their debut album, Peoples’ Instinctive Travels And The Paths of Rhythm and one of Hip-Hop’s most beloved groups began one of the culture’s most revered journeys. The group would go on to release several albums heralded as classics, including The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders, but it would be their debut album that helped cement an impending shift in Hip-Hop, led by the Native Tongues collective of The Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, Queen Latifah and Tribe.
Twenty-five years later, the foursome of Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhamad and Jarobi, along with Sony Legacy, have announced a special silver anniversary edition of ATCQ’s debut album, which will be released on November 13. A statement from the group reveals that the album will be remastered from the original tapes by Grammy-Award winning engineer Bob Power. Power is the legendary engineer whose handiwork can be heard on albums by ATCQ, De La Soul, The Roots, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Common and many more.
The 25th anniversary edition of Peoples’ Instinctive Travels And The Paths of Rhythm also will feature exclusive new remixes by some of today’s biggest hip-hop artists who have been influenced by Tribe over the years. According to the statement, details about the remixes will be revealed over the next few weeks, and this album’s re-release will be the first among a series of re-issues of ATCQ’s classic albums.
In speaking about the debut album, Q-Tip said “I had this album in my head for years before I did it. Looking at it overall, to see the thoughts of a 16 year old gain any kind of acknowledgement makes me feel like I have arrived… But to see it in this incarnation … I’m humbled.” Fellow group member Ali Shaheed Muhammad also added, “This album means a lot. It was the beginning of our careers; the beginning of our imprint; the beginning of seeing life the way we saw it, and being able to put it down in words and music.”
Here’s a look at a brief trailer for the forthcoming special edition LP.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkOKh7nZGCg&w=560&h=315]
article by Parfit via ambrosiaforheads.com

Richard Pryor, Moms Mabley, Redd Foxx to Be Inducted into Apollo Theater's Walk of Fame

By goodblacknews on September 23, 2015

Richard Pryor, Moms Mabley and Redd Foxx
2015 Apollo Theater Walk of Fame inductees Richard Pryor, Moms Mabley and Redd Foxx

The Apollo Theater in Harlem will induct famed comedians Richard Pryor, Moms Mabley and Redd Foxx into its Walk of Fame.
The ceremony, to take place on Oct. 1, will mark the first time that non-musical artists will be inducted. All three had long-standing relationships with the venue.  The historic theater also is launching a new comedy series on the same night. The Apollo Comedy Club will feature emerging comics.
Its fall and winter season also includes the return of the international hip-hop dance festival Breakin’ Convention that will feature French dance duo Les Twins.
Read more at http://www.eurweb.com/2015/09/richard-pryor-moms-mabley-redd-foxx-headed-to-apollos-walk-of-fame/#ZpJgecujOC5oZrfe.99

"KC Undercover" Star Zendaya Coleman is Getting Her Very Own Barbie Doll

By goodblacknews on September 22, 2015

Zendaya Coleman at 2014 Oscars; sketch of Barbie doll inspired by her (source: twitter.com)
Zendaya Coleman at 2014 Oscars; sketch of Barbie doll inspired by her (source: twitter.com)

Zendaya Coleman, the nineteen year-old star of Disney series “KC Undercover”, singer and former finalist on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” will now, according to Billboard.com, be immortalized as a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll.  Manufacturing company Mattel announced on Twitter that Barbie will commemorate Zendaya’s elegance and poise from the iconic 2015 Oscars moment when she responded to critics about her dreadlocks.


During a recent visit to the Mattel offices, Zendaya discussed her relationship with Barbie growing up:

“When I was little, I didn’t have one that looked like me, so I couldn’t connect with her in that way. But getting to visit the Mattel offices and see Barbie’s vision for the future…I was able to see how they plan to diversify, broadening the horizons and the image of Barbie, and make it more, you know, open. I left the office feeling it was definitely something I wanted to be a part of.”

Z will host an upcoming VH1’s Save The Music benefit entitled “Barbie Rock ‘N Royals Concert Experience” on Sept. 26 in Los Angeles, during which the doll will be on display.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)