November 26, 2024
Good Black News would like to kick off 2021 by thanking our readers and followers, old and new, for working so hard to persevere, create community and foster change in 2020 even in the face of a global pandemic, nationwide protests and political sea changes.
We sincerely wish the best of everything to you and your loved ones in 2021 and beyond. Happy New Year!
by Jeff Meier (FB: Jeff.Meier.90)
Maybe it’s the history of caroling in December. Or maybe its half a dozen years of NBC’s hit musical competition show The Sing Off – which also usually took place in December. In any case, beyond just Christmas music, December has us in the mood for some good a cappella music.
Today is also the sixth day of Kwanzaa where the principle of Kuumba — Creativity — is celebrated. So we’ve taken a different approach to today’s GBN playlist – combining a cappella singing with that superstar with the deep catalog of hits that we saluted here at Good Black News this past spring, Stevie Wonder (after all, we’re still in his 70th birthday year!)
So, if you are still in the mood for something cheery and fun to brighten up the waning moments of 2020 and welcome in the New Year, please check out “A Stevie Wonder Sing Off – The Wonders of A Cappella,” a playlist devoted to Stevie Wonder remakes done with voices only. Early in the playlist Stevie himself joins the all-male group Straight No Chaser on his iconic hit “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).”
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With The Sing Off in the early 2010s, and with hit musical dramedy series Glee and the trio of Pitch Perfect movies, vocal a cappella music hasn’t always been so culturally ubiquitous.
In the late 1970s, there was the famous vocal group Manhattan Transfer – but their hit “Boy From New York City,” while featuring doo wop styles, also featured plenty of instruments playing behind them. And then there was Bobby McFerrin‘s memorable “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” – which ultimately seemed to be a fun novelty more than a musical movement.
For many of us, though, college was where we were first exposed us to a cappella singing. It was at a Northeastern campus where this author first met GBN founder Lori Lakin Hutcherson, that we first ran into preppie kids in jackets and ties at Harvard and Yale singing in choral groups on campus that mixed contemporary pop songs with corny classics like “I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo.”
Harvard’s Krokodiloes and Yale’s Whiffenpoofs date back to 1946 and 1909, respectively, but the Fisk Jubilee Singers, established in 1871, were among the first American (and African American) college choral ensembles to gain international prominence for their a cappella prowess.
Contemporary versions of the Krokodiloes and Whiffenpoofs are featured in today’s playlist (no Jubilee Singers – they primarily perform traditional spirituals), along with groups from Howard, Dartmouth, Stanford, Syracuse, Duke and MIT and other colleges.
Boyz II Men, the all-Black group Committed (Season 2 winners of The Sing Off) and other non-collegiate a cappella purveyors like The Nylons and Rockapella are also represented.
So, we hope you’re in the mood to take a slightly different approach to the holidays with this uplifting list of year-round classics from Stevie and this list of a cappella masters. And if you don’t mind just a little more holiday cheer, we couldn’t resist throwing a cappella versions of Stevie’s “What Christmas Means to Me” and “Someday at Christmas” onto the list too.
And, a friendly reminder, for those who still haven’t jumped on the Christmas music train, but want to, you can also check out GBN’s already published holiday playlists:
Enjoy!
[Photo: Everett K. Sands, Lendistry Founder and CEO via Lendistry.com]
The state of California has selected Lendistry, a Black-led-and-operated financial firm in Los Angeles, to administer the disbursement of $500 million in COVID-19 grants to California small businesses and non-profits.
The California Office of The Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) has stated that small businesses and non-profit organizations across California which have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic can begin submitting applications for relief grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 from now until Jan. 8, 2021 at careliefgrant.com.
To quote from the San Francisco Bay View:
“As an organization dedicated to efficiently providing capital to underserved small businesses, and with a deeply experienced senior management team that mirrors the diversity of our home state of California, Lendistry is proud to partner with the CalOSBA in this bold and critical effort,” said Everett K. Sands, Lendistry’s founder and CEO.
Sands, who has broad experience in small business and commercial lending, says since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lendistry has assisted over 19,000 small businesses in a dozen states. The organization has also deployed nearly a half-billion dollars in capital.
“We are bringing the full force of our technology, expertise and relationships with partner CDFIs and community organizations to bear on CalOSBA’s landmark commitment to California’s small businesses,” he said.
by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)
Here’s a playlist of music artists who died this year. Although their beautiful voices and talents were lost in 2020, we can enjoy them for years to come.
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Musicians are often our collective voices, sharing ideas and feelings through their lyrics and melodies that the rest of us struggle to express. It’s why the deaths of musicians are often difficult to process.
It’s hard to say goodbye to the people who made the art and culture that define our times and speak so directly to us. This collection features soul, hip-hop, country, jazz, and other artists that have been taken by COVID-19, long illness, natural causes, gun violence, and overdoses.
There’s only one way into this world, yet they keep making up new ones to take us out. But I digress. Please enjoy this collection of music that will resonate for eons by folks we’ve lost on this trying trip around the sun.
An early Happy New Year to you all. I can’t scrape 2020 off the bottom of my proverbial shoe fast enough.
Stay safe, sane, and kind you all.
[Photos: Naomi Osaka and LeBron James via commons.wikipedia.org]
Tennis champion and NBA champion Naomi Osaka and LeBron James were recently voted Female Athlete of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year, respectively, by the Associated Press.
Although this year marks Osaka’s first AP victory, James has won the honor three times before, in 2013, 2016 and 2018, becoming the male athlete to win the AP top spot the most times in history. Michael Jordan, a three-time winner, is the only other basketball player to win the AP award more than once.
2020 U.S. Open title holder Osaka and NBA Finals MVP James also stand out for their activism and contributions to society.
Osaka spoke out about racial injustice and police brutality, famously wearing masks with the names of victims of police violence before each U.S. Open match along with joining the protests in Minneapolis demanding justice for George Floyd.
James’ More Than a Vote organization drew more than 42,000 volunteers to work at polling stations for the November election, and pushed for turnout among Black and young voters.
“The tragic death of George Floyd, everyone getting a chance to see that, and also hearing the story of Breonna Taylor, her tragic story, and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia … my people have had enough and I have had enough,” James said. “That’s why I called for action, and with my platform, I believed I could get people to join me.”
In 2018 James founded the I PROMISE school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio and most recently broke ground on an affordable housing project for 50 families this year. This month, plans for House Three Thirty (a nod to Akron’s area code) were announced, explaining how James plans to also offer things like accessible family financial health programming, job training and a community gathering space.
Donny Hathaway‘s recording of “This Christmas” is a holiday staple on Black radio and in Black households, and we are honored to celebrate its 50th anniversary today.
It’s difficult to remember a time when “This Christmas” wasn’t a popular seasonal tune, but when the song was released on December 9, 1970, the single failed to register on the R&B and Pop charts and didn’t get much airplay.
Decades later, however, Hathaway’s vision for African American representation in modern Christmas music shone through.
Co-written with Nadine McKinnor, Hathaway’s celebration of the season grew in popularity thanks to a 1990s re-release and covers by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Alexander O’Neal, Ne-Yo, The Braxtons, Seal, Mary J. Blige, Patti LaBelle, Destiny’s Child, and Pentatonix.
Preston Whitmore‘s 2007 film This Christmas starring Loretta Devine, Regina King, Delroy Lindo and Chris Brown (who also recorded the title track) helped maintain the popularity of the song.
Today, “This Christmas” has since become one of the most-performed holiday songs of all time, and in honor of its golden anniversary, Rhino Records released the animated video above drawn by famed cartoonist Lonnie Milsap for all to enjoy.
This Christmas, unlike any other in our lifetime, is a time to forgive, be thankful, grateful, generous, kind and compassionate.
Good Black News thanks you all for your support and goodwill over the years and especially in 2020 when we have collectively experienced so much challenge.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas, a blessed and bountiful Kwanzaa and what we all hope will be a healing new year.
Love and Peace,
The Good Black News Team
by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)
Whether you are among those celebrating the Christmas holiday with loved ones (via Zoom or in the same room) or doing it solo, you may want some mellow-yet-festive holiday music playing as you spend the day.
Earlier this month, Good Black News offered the comprehensive, 465-song Ultimate Soul of the Season Christmas Soundtrack on Spotify as well as Silver Bells: An Afroclectic Christmastime Playlist for 2020. Today, on Christmas Eve we offer Cool Yule: A Jazzy Christmas Collection.
From Take 6 to Duke Ellington to Geri Allen to Oscar Peterson, this playlist includes vocal and instrumental jazz renditions of traditional and modern Christmas and end-of-year classics for all to enjoy.
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Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, Lena Horne, Betty Carter, Dianne Reeves, Etta James, Dinah Washington, Esperanza Spalding and Billie Holiday are among the female jazz vocalists represented on “Cool Yule,” with Billy Eckstine, Nat King Cole, Leslie Odom, Jr. and Louis Armstrong lending their deeper pipes to the playlist.
Also represented are jazz titans Miles Davis, John Coltrane, the Count Basie Orchestra, Benny Carter, Kenny Burrell, Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, the McCoy Tyner Trio, Jimmy Smith, the Elvin Jones Quintet and the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
Wishing you all the best tomorrow and in the coming new year. Enjoy!
[Photo: Meek Mill via facebook.com]
Yesterday hip hop artist and activist Meek Mill along with his Dream Chasers record label delivered toys, clothes, and new Xbox consoles to 35 families in Philadelphia impacted by the criminal justice system.
In partnership with the REFORM Alliance, Puma, GoPuff, and DocuVault, the rapper helped arrange the deliveries, and saw the families receive everything from MacBook Air laptops or iPads, to baby clothes and Xbox Series X consoles.
To quote from complex.com:
“It’s been a tough year for all of us, but through all the ups and downs, I’ll always do my part to support and give back to the Philly community that raised me,” said Meek. “I remember not having much growing up, so it’s important to use my platform to give back, especially to the families trying to provide for their kids while also dealing with the criminal justice system.” Among the recipients was Anthony Morse, who fosters five kids as well as raising his own children.
Conducted with social distancing protocols, Meek personally FaceTimed some of the families to hear their stories as the deliveres were conducted. He also announced that he has donated $30,000 to the Philadelphia chapter of volunteer organization Twelve Days of Christmas, which aims to help families make it through the holiday season. His contribution will go towards 30 families across North Philadelphia, include those who went to his old school, James G. Blaine Elementary School.
Robert Rihmeek Williams aka Meek Mill was born and raised in Philadelphia and was executive producer and subject of the 2019 Free Meek documentary on Prime Video detailing his own personal battles with the criminal justice system.
[Photo: Workers removing a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington. | Jack Mayer/Office of Governor of Virginia]
According to huffpost.com, the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was removed from the U.S. Capitol early Monday morning.
The statue has been one of two representing Virginia (every state gets two; Virginia’s second is of George Washington) in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall since 1909.
There is already a movement to replace Lee’s statue with one of Black civil rights activist Barbara Johns, who led an all-Black student walkout to protest school segregation in 1951.
To quote from the huffpost.com article:
In July, the Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol ― an eight-member commission tasked with deciding whether to recommend the removal of Lee’s statue from the Capitol ― unanimously voted to have the monument removed.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who had testified before the commission in favor of the removal, called the moment an “important step forward for our Commonwealth and our country” in a statement on Monday.
“The Confederacy is a symbol of Virginia’s racist and divisive history, and it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance, diversity, and inclusion,” he said.
Earlier in December, the eight-member commission voted to replace Lee’s statue with one of Johns, whose organizing and ultimate court case later became one of the five cases reviewed in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision.
The statue of Johns must be approved by the state’s General Assembly, according to Gov. Northam’s office.
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/robert-e-lee-statue-us-capitol-removed_n_5fe0af61c5b6e5158fa8f910
