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Posts tagged as “Father’s Day”

MUSIC MONDAY: “Juneteenth” – an African American Holiday Playlist for 2022 (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Juneteenth” – an African American Holiday Playlist for 2022 (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on June 13, 2022

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

I couldn’t believe I hadn’t done a #Juneteenth playlist for GBN. This year it shares a Sunday with Father’s Day.

While I didn’t grow up with the holiday, it’s believed to be the oldest African-American holiday, with annual celebrations on June 19th in some parts of the country dating back to 1866. Well.

[spotifyplaybutton play=”https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1W6idXYtb7tgnLuxNowXtL?si=7263a049c70f4c77″]

Since becoming aware of it, I’ve been all-in for years. As a father and son, I am thrilled with the one-two holiday punch.

I’ve tried to gather a set of tunes that can be enjoyed while the grill is full of food, with folk sitting around the table, or when you’re chilling around the crib.

From its Galveston, Texas roots, is now one of five date-specific federal holidays along with New Year’s Day (January 1), Independence Day (July 4), Veterans Day (November 11), and Christmas Day (December 25).

Juneteenth will coincide with Father’s Day not only this year, but also in 2033, 2039, 2044, and 2050. It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was declared a holiday in 1986.

Do enjoy another free-wheeling and eclectic collection celebrating this uniquely American holiday by your friend and selector.

And as always, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
GBN Wishes You and Yours a Happy Father’s Day (LISTEN)

GBN Wishes You and Yours a Happy Father’s Day (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on June 20, 2021

We’ve been wanting to post to acknowledge all the fathers, uncles, stepfathers and loved ones who have been parenting, raising and advising the next generations, but our site has been having serious server issues since dawn.

So even though we are nearing dusk, and we posted what we could on our social media, we’re taking advantage of this moment of connectivity to say “Happy Father’s Day” on our main page and offer a playlist dedicated to the dads called “Color Him Father” – A Father’s Day Collection:

This 20-songs compilation offers praise, introspection, dreams, admonition and advice from myriad genres and perspectives – from The Winstons‘ appreciation of a stepfather on “Color Him Father,” to Will Smith‘s heartfelt expression of how it feels to become a dad on “Just The Two Of Us,” to Beyoncé’s appreciation of different aspects of her father on “Daddy” and “Daddy Lessons.”

Also included are Prince‘s declaration of love for his father amid complexities on “Purple Rain” and Kirk Whalum‘s soulful, jazz cover of “Because You Loved Me” which Diane Warren wrote about her relationship with her father, DMX and Usher‘s heartbreaking plea “Letter To My Son (Call Your Father)”, and classics like “Daddy’s Home” – the popular cover by Jermaine Jackson as well as the original version by Shep and The Limelites.

We hope it’s been a great day for all those in the dad role today, and hope you enjoy the above, knowing you are seen, honored and loved through thick and thin.

Good Black News Wishes You and Yours a Happy Father’s Day 2020

Good Black News Wishes You and Yours a Happy Father’s Day 2020

By goodblacknews on June 21, 2020

Good Black News joins in the honoring and remembrance of the men who gave us life, nurtured and raised us, and also offered us solace, counsel and wisdom.

Many of us can’t be with the fathers or father figures in our lives today in person due to the global COVID-19 crisis, but we are with you in voice, online and always – in spirit!

To all the dads out there – be they Uncles, Grandfathers, Cousins or Friends – thank you for all you do!

Happy Father’s Day!

#AAMAM: “Summer Breeze” – Celebrating Soulful Summer Songs (LISTEN)

#AAMAM: “Summer Breeze” – Celebrating Soulful Summer Songs (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on June 20, 2020

by Jeff Meier (FB: Jeff.Meier.90)

Through good years and bad, years of triumph and years of struggle, there are some things that remain steady.  Like the seasons (at least before climate change).

Today, June 20, is officially the first day of summer, the longest day of the year (for us folks in the Northern Hemisphere), and the welcoming of our warmest weather season.

Packed together this year with Juneteenth yesterday and Father’s Day tomorrow, this weekend can be a true kickoff to summer vacation. Even amid ongoing protests and social distancing rules, school is now over, the grill is now out, the pool is inflated, and maybe, just for a few days, the mood is a little lightened.

And with that, we offer this playlist of “summer” songs – and by that, we mean songs that literally tell you in the title they are about “summer.”

[spotifyplaybutton play=”spotify:playlist:1xgE7qFwobhbEshljcxyPs”/]

From the swaying Isley Brothers cover of Seals & Croft‘s “Summer Breeze” to DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince‘s rap anthem “Summertime” to Sly & The Family Stone‘s warm, feel good “Hot Fun in the Summertime'” to the contemporary mellow moods of Childish Gambino‘s “Summertime Magic” (with over 156M Spotify spins), our list is packed with summer classics.

In the process we’ve also hopefully rediscovered some “shoulda-been” classics, like the mostly forgotten Nat King Cole standard ‘This Morning It Was Summer” (with arrangements by Nelson Riddle), the breezy Larry Graham album track “I’m So Glad It’s Summer Again” (trying to capture a little of the “Hot Fun In the Summertime” mood) and the driving ’60s Joe Simon track “Long Hot Summer.”

In the last couple decades, music archivists have uncovered hundreds of previously unreleased Motown tracks – many that measure up to the hits from the ’60s we all know and love. In that vein, we’ve included two sunny Marvelettes tunes “I Can’t Wait Til Summer Comes” (co-written by Gladys Knight) and “So Glad It’s Summertime” that both remained unreleased in the Motown vaults until a 2011 rerelease.

Finally, no soulful “summer” playlist would be complete without the haunting “Summertime” from Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess,one of the most recorded songs in history.

We’ve sprinkled our playlist with musically different takes on this classic, ranging from the ’60s pop hit version by Billy Stewart to the disco instrumental from MFSB to the recent American Idol revival by Fantasia, also including versions by icons like James Brown, Sam Cooke, Ethel Waters, Miles Davis, opera legend Leontyne Price, world music star Angelique Kidjo, and a funky treatment by Bobby Womack with The Roots.

Enjoy!

Jay Z to Bail Out Dads on Father's Day and Take On the Bail-Bond Industry

By goodblacknews on June 18, 2017

Jay Z (photo via eurweb.com)

by eurweb.com
Jay Z, who just became a father all over again earlier this week, is also making news for a different reason. It seems he’s stepping up his involvement in social issues. One way he’s getting involved is what he’s doing this Father’s Day. He was inspired by what he saw last month by what various organizations did on Mother’s Day.
“Last month for Mother’s Day, organizations like Southerners on New Ground and Color of Change did a major fundraising drive to bail out 100 mothers for Mother’s Day. Color of Change’s exposè on the for-profit bail industry provides deeper strategy behind this smart and inspiring action,” he wrote in an essay for Time, in the closing of what was an ultimate indictment of the bail-bond industry, as a racist institution that exploits people who are poor and Black.
His mentioning of Color of Change was essential seeing how Black women are the fastest growing prison demographic. This Father’s Day weekend, however, he put forth a plea in hopes of generating help for incarcerated dads who remain sidelined by one of the numerous broken parts of the criminal justice system.
“This Father’s Day, I’m supporting those same organizations to bail out fathers who can’t afford the due process our democracy promises. As a father with a growing family, it’s the least I can do, but philanthropy is not a long fix, we have to get rid of these inhumane practices altogether. We can’t fix our broken criminal justice system until we take on the exploitative bail industry.”
To read more, go to: Jay Z to Bail Out Dads on Father’s Day & Take on the Bail-Bond Industry

Jill Scott Releases New Poetic Card Collection with Hallmark's Mahogany Brand

By goodblacknews on January 25, 2017

Jill Scott (photo via thegrio.com)

article by via thegrio.com
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Hallmark’s Mahogany brand announced that it will be releasing the Jill Scott Collection, a line of new greeting cards with design, sounds and an editorial ‘voice’ from none other than Jill Scott herself.
“The Mahogany brand is genuine, progressive and optimistic – values that are important to me and reflected in my music and poetry, and now, through my card collection,” said Jill Scott. “I was inspired by highlights within my own life – love, marriage, motherhood – in the writing behind these cards, and I am excited to be involved in a project that will give others another way to express their love to the people that matter most to them.”
The collection features 20 cards for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, as well as cards celebrating graduation, friendship, love and support.  “Ms. Scott is more than a singer, songwriter and actress – among other things, she is a busy mom and wife, like many Hallmark shoppers who cherish and celebrate the important relationships in their lives, and this card collection is a reflection of that,” said Philip Polk, Vice President of Multicultural Strategy for Hallmark Cards.
To read more, go to: Jill Scott releases new poetic card collection with Hallmark | theGrio

EDITORIAL: Disadvantaged Fathers Should Be Supported, Not Stigmatized

By goodblacknews on June 19, 2016

DDG Still.jpg
by Omar Epps, Malik Yoba and Emily Abt

The image of the “deadbeat dad” has been and remains pervasive but there are millions of men in America who live in defiance of this stereotype. Our film “Daddy Don’t Go” was born from these parallel and enduring realities: that one in three American children is fatherless but there are also countless fathers fighting to be active in their children’s lives who deserve to be seen.

In an effort to better understand the obstacles these men face, we followed four disadvantaged dads –Roy, Nelson, Omar and Alex – over the course of two years as they struggled to be present fathers. The issues in the film are close to our hearts. Omar is the product of a fatherless household but now a proud father of three.  Malik credits his own father with being the inspiration for his perseverance during a tough custody battle. Emily’s grandfather was excluded from her father’s life for his inability to pay child support.  So we were all deeply committed to exploring the issue of fatherlessness when we began making the film three years ago, what did we learn along the way?
Persistent unemployment is a major problem for disadvantaged fathers.  All four of the fathers in “Daddy Don’t Go” very much wanted to work but struggled to get and keep steady jobs.  They are certainly not alone in this struggle.  Working, in America, is in decline. The number of men ages 25 to 54 who are not working has more than tripled since the late 1960s.
Making this film had us yearning for the work programs of the New Deal era when millions of men were given the opportunity to work and provide financial security for their families. Our current government has made great efforts to enforce child support payments but where are the large-scale job programs for disadvantaged men that could really make a difference?
Our second big take-away from making “Daddy Don’t Go” is that while there have been vast improvements; our family court system still treats men like second-class parents.  Child support payments are mostly shouldered by men but only 18% of fathers have custody of their children.  This means that a man’s financial role in his child’s life continues to be prioritized above his emotional one.

FATHER'S DAY: Powerful Photos That Challenge Prejudiced Notions of Black Fatherhood

By goodblacknews on June 19, 2016
These Powerful Photos Will Challenge All Your Notions of Black Fatherhood
Image Credit: Campaign for Black Male Achievement

Happy Father's Day from GBN

By goodblacknews on June 16, 2013

President Obama Hosts Father’s Day Luncheon At White House

By goodblacknews on June 14, 2013

barack obama fathers day
This morning, President Barack Obama hosted a special Father’s Day Luncheon inside the White House’s State Dining Room as part of his ongoing commitment to fatherhood and families. Joining the president at the lunch were fathers and their children, along with students and officials from the Becoming A Man (BAM) program in Chicago.
Stressing a message regarding the importance of strong families bonds and the value of mentorship, Obama has made fatherhood a focal point of conservation since his first term. Today’s lunch was an informal affair, and served as an unofficial follow-up from the president after a February visit to Chicago’s Hyde Park Academy High School. From the BAM program, 14 students and five chaperones were present to partake of simple fare such as burgers, fries, salads, and other snacks.
“It is good to see all of you here, so many young people, so many outstanding dads, a few moms chaperoning,” said Obama to his guests, according to a Chicago Tribune report. “Obviously, this is a great way for us to celebrate Father’s Day and just to remind ourselves, those of us who are fathers, how lucky we are.” After lunch, Obama gave his visitors a quick tour of the Oval Office before breaking with the group who went on to participate in a roundtable discussion focused on mentoring with White House officials.
Obama, a father of two daughters, 14-year-old Malia, and 12-year-old Sasha, said at the event that fatherhood is “the best job I’ve got.”
article by D.L. Chandler via newsone.com