Brothers Network bringing Marvin X to City of Brotherly Love, Philly

Gregory Walker, Founder and Creative Director of the Brothers Network and Poet/essayist/activist Marvin X. Gregory is holding Marvin's latest book Notes of Artistic Freedom Fighter Marvin X, Introduction by Dr. Nathan Hare, Black Bird Press, Oakland, 2019. While in Oakland, Mr. Walker met with Marvin to make final plans for the poet to read and sign books in Philadelphia during Black History Month. Marvin X is living Black history! "He's the freest Black man in non-free America!" says James Sweeney.  "When you listen to Tupac Shakur, E-40, Too Short, Master P or any other rappers out of the Bay Area of Cali, think of Marvin X. He laid the foundation and gave us the language to express black male urban experiences in a lyrical way," wrote James G. Spady, Philadelphia's master literary critic. Oakland's Fritz Pointer, scholar and brother of the Pointer Sisters, says of Marvin X,"Supreme, Courageous, Relentless, Eloquent, Prolific, Unstoppable, GRIOT."

Philadelphia literary critic James G. Spady on Marvin X

"Marvin X has been teaching for a long time. He has established his tenacity. As one of the founders of the Black Arts Movement (BAM), he became a teacher in an emerging field called Black Studies. Like Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Larry Neal, Askia Toure and others, Marvin X both contributed to and later taught those pivotal courses that constituted a new discipline.

Marvin X at the St. Louis Mo. Book fair of Akbar Muhammad

For the last thirty years, this gifted poet, journalist, dramatist, oral historian (he appears to be the only participant in the Black Arts Movement that conducted intensive and extensive oral interviews with the key participants, as well as international political, cultural and educational leaders)and teacher, has established an unusual record. Marvin X has taught at the University of California at San Diego, Mills College, San Francisco State University, Fresno State University, Laney and Merritt Colleges in Oakland, University of Nevada,Reno, and the University of California at Berkeley....."

Copyright James G. Spady, 1997,
Philadelphia New Observer

Marvin X turns 75, May 29, 2019. We urge you to invite him to share his wisdom, even if you don't agree with him. After all, he talks about the life he lived, not theory! When you lived the life, you don't need footnotes!

photo Adam Turner

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Marvin X: The Philadelphia Negro

A brother now living in the Bay Area told Marvin X, "Marvin, I heard more about you in Philly than here in the Bay. You are well known and well loved in Philadelphia."


 Keyboard genius Elliot Savoy Bey works with Marvin X coast to coast.

After listening to Marvin X interviewed on Laney College Radio, http://www.9thfloorradio.com/…/1/22/yakety-yak-with-marvin-x his Philly musician friend, keyboard genius Elliot Savoy Bey said "Marvin X must be read and listened to like one is at a buffet--don't take too much at one time, just a little, then go back for more. Don't pile the plate--too much will make you sick, you will have a nervous breakdown." After listening to the interview, another Philly brother said, Marvin X is the Clifford Brown of spoken word. He put on a Clifford Brown album for Elliot Bey to
hear. 

 Pam Africa

Philly's Harriet Tubman, i.e., Pam Africa, told Marvin that he needs to come set up shop in Philly, especially if he wants to do the Philly leg of his Black Arts Movement 27 City Tour.  Philly poets told Marvin don't bring all them West coast poets to Philly, we can handle this! 

Marvin X and Philly's legendary musician/philosopher Sun Ra. Marvin worked with Sun Ra coast to coast. Marvin's mythological extravaganzas reveal Sun Ra's influence as well as Amiri Baraka's. Sun Ra and Marvin taught in Black Studies at UC Berkeley until the entire faculty was removed for being too radical. More pliant Negroes were hired.

Sarah Lomax Reese, owner of WURD Radio, Marvin X, Muhammida El Muhajir and Mrs. Amina Baraka. WURD sponsored Muhammida's production of Black Power Babies on Philly's Theatre row.

Marvin X reading at Black Love Lives, accompanied by Philly pianist Alfie Pollitt. Event was produced at the University of Penn by Nisa Ra.

Michael Shoatz, Jr., son of imprisoned Black Panther, Michael Shoatz, Sr., and Marvin X

Philadelphia's Queen of Poetry, Sonia Sanchez, co-founder of the Black Arts Movement

"Marvin, just the idea of a 27 city tour makes me tired."


Greg Corbin, founder of the Philly Youth Poetry Movement


 Philly Professor/poet/editor Ewuare Osayande

Philly native, Muhammad Ahmad, aka Max Stanford, during the 60s, he was  one of the most dangerous men in America as leader of RAM, the Revolutionary Action Movement. RAM was headed by exiled revolutionary Robert F. Williams, author Negroes With Guns.

Dr. Tony Montiero, ousted Temple University professor. Dr. Muhammad Ahmad was ousted as well in a conspiracy with the administration and the Afro-centric Negro Dr. Molefe Asante.

 Marvin with the Philadelphia Poets Award Ceremony produced by Maurice Henderson. Marvin was given a special award as an honorary Philly Poet.

Marvin X and Sarah Lomax Reese, owner of WURD Radio. She was in Oakland for A Conversation with Angela Davis and Sonia Sanchez, which she produced. She told Marvin X, "Don't think about coming to Philly with your BAM 27 City Tour and not have WURD as a sponsor."

Philly comes to Oakland: L to R: Sarah Lomax Reese, Angela Davis and Sonia Sanchez

 Marvin X, accompanied by David Murray and Earl Davis at the Malcolm X Jazz/Art Festival, Oakland, May 17, 2014

 The Black Arts Movement Poet's Choir and Arkestra, University of California, Merced, Feb/Mar, 2014. A Kim McMillan/Marvin X production

The BAM Poet's Choir and Arkestra Divas: Tureada Mikel, Mechelle LaChaux, Dr. Ayodele Nzinga and Tarika Lewis on violin. They performed at the 80th Birthday Party for Dr. Nathan Hare, father of Black and Ethnic Studies, founding publisher of the Black Scholar Magazine. He will be at the Laney BAM celebration, facilitating a mental health peer group: How to Recover from the Addiction to White Supremacy.

 Dr. Nathan Hare, PhD sociology, PhD clinical psychology

Fired from Howard University--too Black; fired from San Francisco State University--too Black!

 Hare was a professional boxer while teaching at Howard. They didn't like that either. As Paradise Jah Love says in his classic poem (which he will read at the BAM celebration at Laney College), "They like everything about you but you."

 Marvin X with BAM co-founder Danny Glover. Danny may show.

photo South Park Kenny Johnson

 "Oh, how I miss my drinking buddy." "Marvin, you get drunk and say the damnest things."

 Philadelphia's Muhammida El Muhajir, creator of the Black Arts/Black Power Babies Conversation, now living in Ghana. Right: Samantha Akwei visited Ghana during the holidays, connected with Muhammida, Marvin and Nisa Ra's daughter.