Marvin X at the San Francisco's Juneteeth 2016 in Fillmore

Black Bird Press News & Review: Don't miss the discussion by Black Hollywood unChained contributors at the SF Main Library, July3, 1:30PM

Black Bird Press News & Review: Don't miss the discussion by Black Hollywood unChained contributors at the SF Main Library, July3, 1:30PM

Magazine for Black Parenting

BLACK IS BACK: The Incredible Story Behind the Relaunch of the First Parenting Magazine for Black Parents

 Successful Black Parenting magazine, originally founded in 1993 and launched in 1995 with 35,000 issues, debuted as the first national print magazine for African American parents. The founders closed the magazine in 1997. Twenty-one years later, they are bringing it back.

Continued after the jump ....

"The time is right to connect with issues being addressed by Black Lives Matter, like the way racism has resurfaced in our society, and to respond to the concerns and aspirations Black parents have about their children's future. There's also a vibrant spirit in our community that continues to work for a better world, so it's the perfect time to relaunch," said Janice Celeste, formerly Janice Robinson-Lopez, one of the founders and editor-in-chief of the magazine. "We started when my children were babies. Now, my three daughters are adults and successful in their career and family lives. I'm even a grandmother now." Success is key to everything Celeste does, right down to her own children. Her oldest daughter has her master's degree, another is a fashion designer and modeling agent, and her youngest daughter is supermodel, Sessilee Lopez, seen on Victoria's Secret runways and on the cover of Vogue. "All families need support. Black families are no different. Children also have to see positive images of themselves in the media," said Celeste, adding, "You cannot be what you cannot see."
"Recently, Janice and I have been saying, 'If we had had the resources we have today, the magazine would still be on newsstands,'" said Marta Sánchez, the magazine's co-founder and managing editor. Celeste agreed, "Today we have more connections, contacts and access to social media that can get the word out." Sánchez recalled, "This publication was our baby, we saw it walk, then run. At that time, we had just enough money to fail. We financed the venture with our money and donations from family and friends, but what we really needed was a million-dollar budget. We were like two fleas holding on to a bucking bull!"
Celeste and Sánchez have a big plan. The digital launch comes first with a crowdfunding campaign for research and development for print issues, which will launch in 2018. "Print is evolving," said Celeste. "It's definitely not dead. We have to cater to the needs of different readers, those who prefer digital and those who want to feel the quality of paper in their hands."
On the website, there is something for everyone. There are columns for single moms to grandparents.  "We are the voice of Black families," said Celeste, "Our magazine advocates for parents—all caregivers—and children. The magazine is just the start of much more to come."
For updates, sign-up on Successful Black Parenting's website atSuccessfulBlackParenting.com. The crowdfunding campaign is set to raise $20k for research and development. A second phase to raise $2m in venture capital is for the print publication. To contribute, visit Indiegogo.com or (http://bit.ly/SBPIndiegogo)
Contact: Janice Celeste
Email
(424) 272-6717
SOURCE: Successful Black Parenting
NAPLES, Fla., June 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Cal Shakespeare presents August Wilson's Fences

Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Cal Shakes presents August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize winner, FENCES, July 6-31

 

Press Contact: Marilyn Langbehn

Office: 510.809.3290

Cell: 510.910.3129

press@calshakes.org

CALIFORNIA SHAKESPEARE THEATER PRESENTS

ITS FIRST-EVER PRODUCTION BY AUGUST WILSON

WITH THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING FENCES

DIRECTED BY RAELLE MYRICK-HODGES, JULY 6-31

 

Berkeley, CA – California Shakespeare Theater’s 25^th anniversary season at the Bruns Amphitheater continues with August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning story of the American Dream deferred, Fences, directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges in her Cal Shakes debut. Fences, which plays from July 6 through July 31, marks the first time Cal Shakes has presented August Wilson’s work on its stage. For tickets and information, contact the Cal Shakes Box Office at 510.548.9666 or visit www.calshakes.org

 

Part of August Wilson’s monumental ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play, Fences is the playwright’s “finest and most credible portrait of a relationship between a man and a woman” (New York Times). Set in 1950s Pittburgh, former Negro League ballplayer-turned-sanitation worker Troy Maxson and his wife, Rose, struggle to keep their marriage afloat as Troy battles to retain his dignity and his family in the face of a rapidly changing America.

 

“I love Wilson; his work is ironic, painful, and sincere, but until recently, I ‘avoided’ working on it,” says director Raelle Myrick-Hodges. “It felt to me as if the comment on his work, coming mostly from white critics and white audiences, forced a singular perception of the black experience. My mentor (Guthrie Theater Artistic Director) Joseph Haj enlightened me to the greatness of Wilson’s writing, so now I feel safe as an artist to discuss a specific story without having to conjure an entire community’s idea of black community. I have learned so much about myself as a black woman from working on Wilson—as if the two of us are having our OWN conversation—and ANY audience is merely over hearing our conversation. I read what is on the page and feel joyous in serving Wilson, rather than the ‘idea’ of Wilson.”

 

The cast for Fences features Bay Area powerhouses Aldo Billingslea as former Negro League ballplayer turned sanitation worker Troy Maxson (Cal Shakes’ Spunk, King Lear, A Winter’s Tale, and Lady Windermere’s Fan), and Margo Hall as his wife, Rose (Cal Shakes’ A Raisin in the Sun, A Winter’s Tale, and Spunk), whose enduring strength holds the family together. Also in the cast are J. Alphonse Nicholson (Seven Guitars, Actor’s Theatre of Louisiana; The Piano Lesson, Cape Fear Regional Theatre; Autumn Harvest, Lincoln Center Theater) as Cory; Donald E. Lacy, Jr. (Cal Shakes’ Hamlet: Blood in the Brain and Alleluia: The Road; Berkeley Rep’s The People’s Temple; The Miles Davis Experience, produced by Columbia Records) as Gabriel; Guiesseppe Jones (title role in Othello, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival; Race, CATF; Master Harold…and the Boys, The Weston Playhouse) as Bono; Lance Gardner (most recently seen as Don Pedro/Ursula in Cal Shakes’ season opener, Much Ado About Nothing), and Anaiya Asomugha and Kailynn Guidry, sharing the role of Raynell. Nicholson, Lacy, Jones, Asomugha, and Guidry are all making their Cal Shakes Main Stage debuts with this production.

 

The creative team for Fences includes set designer Michael Locher, whose previous designs for Cal Shakes include Spunk and The Winter’s Tale; costume designer Alina Bokovikova, resident costumer for North Coast Rep, whose work has been seen at The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Theatreworks, and San Diego Rep, among others; lighting designer Xavier Pierce, whose work has been enjoyed at regional theaters across the country, including the Guthrie, Long Wharf, Playmakers Rep, and Arena Stage; and sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman , an LA-based music producer who has sound-designed numerous theatrical trailers for the Weinstein Company, and created the soundscape for Raelle Myrick-Hodges production of Two Trains Running at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia.

 

At the request of director Myrick-Hodges, Cal Shakes worked with Community Partners Allen Temple Arms and Berkeley Food and Housing Project to gather a group of local African American women together to share their stories in response to the character Rose’s journey in the play. Excerpts of these stories (in addition to portraits taken by photographer Sonjhai Meggette) will be featured in an installation at the Bruns.

 

Born in North Carolina, raised in Washington, D.C. and educated internationally, Raelle Myrick-Hodges (Director) is a graduate of Ealing College of Humanities (London) and the University of Southern California. Artistically mentored by Mr. George C. Wolfe and Joseph Haj respectfully, she is the founder of Azuka Theater in Philadelphia (now in its 20^th year) and the former Artistic Director of Brava Theater in San Francisco. Raelle has worked with artists such as Geoffrey Arend, Meryl Streep, Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, Tony Kushner, April Mathis, and Keith David among others. Her work as a performance art creator/curator has been seen at the DeYoung Museum, Red Poppy Art House, Feroz Gallery (Germany), Theater Minnot (Beirut, Lebanon) and Ami Gallerie (Paris). As a producer/curator, her programming ranges from regional artists to high profile internationally-known ensembles and performers in music, dance and theater, including artists such as Denis O’Hare, The Rude Mechanicals, Sam Green, Double Edge Theater, Arturo Sandoval, and Joey Arias among others. She will present a new collaborative work with Urban Bush Women this fall and is slated to present works for PACE University and National Black Theater in the upcoming 2016-2017 season. She is currently creating a new work with Elephant Room entitled, “#BLKGRLSINGALONG” to premiere January 2018. 

 

Playwright August Wilson was born Frederick August Kittel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 27, 1945. His mother, Daisy Wilson, was of African-American heritage; his father was a German immigrant named Frederick Kittel. When his parents divorced, he, his mother and his siblings moved from the poor Bedford Avenue area of Pittsburgh to a mostly white suburb in the Oakland section. After facing the relentless bigotry of his classmates at Central Catholic High School, he left and at age 15 began to pursue an independent education at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, where he would earn his high school diploma. Following his father's death in 1965, a 20-year-old Frederick Kittel adopted the pen name "August Wilson"—reportedly as homage to his mother—and declared himself a poet. He wrote his first notable play, Jitney, in 1979, for which he earned a fellowship at the Minneapolis Playwright Center. Jitney marked the beginning of his work on a ten-play series, known as The Pittsburgh Cycle; each play is set in a different decade and depicts aspects of the African-American experience in the 20th century. In 1982 Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was accepted at the Eugene O'Neill Playwright's Conference; in that same year he was introduced to Yale School of Drama Dean Lloyd Richards, who went on to direct Wilson's first six Broadway plays. Fences premiered on Broadway in 1987, earning the playwright his first Pulitzer Prize as well as a Tony Award for Best Play. The remainder of the cycle followed in quick succession: Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1988), The Piano Lesson (1990), for which he earned his second Pulitzer; Two Trains Running (1991), Seven Guitars (1994), King Hedley II (2001), and Gem of the Ocean (2004). August Wilson died of liver cancer on October 2, 2005, in Seattle, Washington. His tenth and final play of the cycle, Radio Golf, had opened its pre-Broadway run in Los Angeles just a few months earlier.

 

As part of its commitment to exploring the intersection between theater and civic practice, Cal Shakes is hosting a Civic Dialogue series, with topics designed to deepen the connection between the theater’s Main Stage work and its ability to highlight the voices of marginalized communities through partnerships with community organizations and presentations by community-based artists. On July 11 from 5-9pm, Cal Shakes will host “The Construction of Gender: Actualizing Women’s Empowerment” at the Impact Hub in Oakland; this facilitated dialogue will explore representation and societal expectations of women, (particularly within the family structure), and the importance of self-determination in creating depictions of women that better explore the intersections of gender and race. This event is free and open to the public; RSVP online at http://bit.ly/1U4MqEX.

 

Single tickets for Fences range from $20 to $84, with discounts available for seniors, youth, students, military families, persons age 30 and under, and groups. Prices, dates, titles, and artists are subject to change. For information or to charge tickets by phone with VISA, MasterCard, or American Express, call the Cal Shakes Box Office at 510.548.9666. Additional information and online ticketing are available at www.calshakes.org.

 

California Shakespeare Theater’s 2016 season is supported in part by the generosity of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation, The Bernard Osher Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation. Corporate partners include BART, City National Bank, John Muir Health, Meyer Sound, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, and San Francisco magazine; production partner for August Wilson’s Fences is The Bay’s R&B 102.9 FM KBLX Radio. Fences is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

 

ABOUT CAL SHAKES

California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes), under the leadership of Artistic Director Eric Ting and Managing Director Susie Falk, is now in its 42nd season as a nationally-recognized leader in drawing on the power of authentic, inclusive storytelling to create more vibrant communities. Serving more than 43,000 people annually, Cal Shakes invites people from all walks of life to make deeply-felt connections with our shared humanity through its work onstage, in schools, and with people in non-traditional settings throughout the Bay Area who have little or no access to theater. Cal Shakes is also proud of its role as an steward of the protected watershed that houses its artistic home, the magnificent Bruns Amphitheater; in 2012 the Bruns became one of the largest solar-powered outdoor professional theaters in the country. In 2016, Cal Shakes celebrates its 25^th anniversary at the Bruns, named “one of the most beautiful outdoor performing spaces in America” by the Wall Street Journal. For more information, visit www.calshakes.org.

 

FAST FACTS ABOUT AUGUST WILSON’S FENCES

WHAT                   California Shakespeare Theater’s production of August Wilson’s Fences

 

WHO                     Directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges

 

Designed by Michael Locher (set designer), Alina Bokovikova (costume designer), Xavier Pierce (lighting designer), and Mikaal Sulaiman (sound designer).

 

Featuring: Aldo Billingslea, Margo Hall, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Donald E. Lacy, Jr., Guiesseppe Jones, Lance Gardner, Anaiya Asomugha, and Kailynn Guidry.

 

WHEN                   July 6-July 31, 2016

Previews Jul 6, 7, and 8 at 8pm
Press Opening Jul 9 at 8pm
Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7:30pm
Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm
Saturday Matinee July 30 at 2pm
Sunday Matinees at 4pm
Grounds open two hours prior to show time for picnicking. Café and full bar are available on site.

 

WHERE                 Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda, CA 94563

(just off Highway 24 at the California Shakespeare Theater Way/Wilder Rd. exit, one mile east of the Caldecott Tunnel.)

Complimentary shuttle from Orinda BART beginning 2 hours before curtain.
Complimentary parking onsite.

 

TICKETS                Single tickets range from $20 to $84, with discounts available for seniors, students, persons age 30 and under, and groups. Cal Shakes makes twenty tickets available for $20 on a first-come, first-served basis for every performance throughout the season. Call Cal Shakes’ Box Office at 510.548.9666 between noon and 2pm to purchase. Prices subject to change.

 

All tickets are available through the California Shakespeare Theater Box Office, 701 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley CA, 510.548.9666, online at www.calshakes.org, or at the Bruns box office on the day of the performance (pending availability).

 

GROUPS              Groups of 10 or more save $10 off the adult single ticket price; complimentary ticket available for groups of 15+. For more information, call 510.809.3290.

 

INFO                      www.calshakes.org

 

Fences Special Events

 

First Look, Saturday, July 2, 7-9pm, Bruns Amphitheater

Get a First Look into the process of creating the production the week before performances begin. Artistic Director Eric Ting will moderate a Q&A with the director and select designers, followed by an opportunity to observe a technical rehearsal. Free and open to the public; to RSVP call 510.899.4840, or email FirstLook@calshakes.org.

 

Pay-What-You-Can Preview, Wednesday, Jul 6, 8pm

The first preview of each show is a special Pay-What-You-Can performance. Tickets are first-come, first-served, and available beginning at 6pm day of show only; to purchase, call the Cal Shakes Box Office at 510.548.9666 or visit the Bruns Amphitheater Box Office. Supply is limited.

 

Opening Night Post-Show Party, Jul 9, following the performance
Experience the excitement of the opening night performance and then mingle with the cast and creative team at a complimentary post-show party.

 

Civic Dialogue: “The Construction of Gender: Actualizing Women’s Empowerment”, Impact Hub in Oakland;
Wednesday, July 11, 5-9pm

A facilitated discussion to explore representation and societal expectations of women, particularly within the family structure), and the importance of self-determination in creating depictions of women that better explore the intersections of gender and race. This event is free and open to the public; RSVP online at http://bit.ly/1U4MqEX.

 

Open-captioned performance, Wednesday, Jul 13, 7:30pm

Special seating and opening-captioning for hearing-impaired patrons, who can read the text and dialogue on a digital screen. Purchase tickets for section A online www.calshakes.org or call the Box Office at 510.548.9666. For groups of 10 or more, email groups@calshakes.org or call 510.809.3290.

 

Meet the Artists, Sundays, Jul 10 and Jul 24, following the 4pm performance
Audience members enjoy an opportunity to engage in a lively discussion about the production with cast members following select 4pm matinee performances. Free and open to all.

 

InSight Matinee, Sunday, Jul 17, following the 4pm matinee
Explore the world of the play through an informal dialogue with the production’s dramaturg. Free and open to all.

 

Grove Talks, 45 minutes before each performance
Led by resident Grove Talks speakers, these free, informal 20-minute talks are held on site 45 minutes before each and every performance in the ADA-accessible Grove Talk grove, offering invaluable insight into the play and the production.

 

###

 

 

Marilyn Langbehn

Marketing and PR Manager

California Shakespeare Theater
510.809.3290

 

Subscribe now to our 2016 Season:
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING	AUGUST WILSON’S FENCES	YOU NEVER CAN TELL	OTHELLO
Shakespeare’s sharpest comedy	Cal Shakes debut of Pulitzer-prize winning playwright	Shaw’s romantic farce for modern audiences	Eric Ting’s Cal Shakes directorial debut
May 25–June 19	July 6–31	Aug 10–Sept 4	Sept 14–Oct 9
Single Tickets On Sale April 4
Register your child for our Summer Conservatories!

 

 

 

Save the date: Memorial for Kamau Amen-Ra and Photo Exhibition, Friday, July 15, 5-9PM

Memorial for Kamau Amen-Ra and Photo Exhibition honoring his work.  FRIDAY, JULY 15 EASTSIDE CULTURAL CENTER,  2277 International Blvd, 5-9PM.  Bring a dish to share. - Please spread the word!

The family of Kamau Amen-Ra has given his archives to Eastside Cultural Center.

Photos by Kamau Amen-Ra

Marvin X archives

A student reflects on the Wild Crazy Ride of the Marvin X Experience

Reflections of a "Human Earthquake" Victim who suffered the wild crazy ride of the Marvin X Experience and survived!

Meet Marvin X

 

I’m sure we all have those teachers from our past who have impacted our lives. Some have encouraged us to dig deep within and unleash untapped potential. Some have inspired us to think beyond our little world and reach new heights. I can’t remember, though, very many teachers who have shocked me into a dizzying stupor, made me laugh, then ultimately made me love them for their unbridled “Hootspa” (or as we were fond of saying in my hometown….“Huevos”)

Meet Marvin X

 

I believe it was the fall semester of 1982 when I walked into the first day of my English class. I was attending Kings River Community College in the small, heavily Mennonite town of Reedley, CA. Our quaint little town was your typical white-bread, very conservative, farming community. So when we all took our seats and noticed that our instructor was not your typical white, middle-aged teacher with patches on his jacket sleeves, but was in fact an african american man, staring us down, we were all a bit off of our game.

“Hello, welcome to my English class. My name is Marvin X. My legal name is Marvin Jackmon, but I don’t use that name because that was given to me by some white slave owner”! The classroom did a collective head scratching, while some more disturbed students got up and walked into the wall several times, then returned to their seats and joined the head scratching asking panically “Um…your just a sub, right??”

 

 Everyday in Marvin X’s class was like a field trip though a box of Cracker Jacks. There was always some prize waiting for our small town J.C. minds to grapple with. Mr. X always encouraged lively conversation and I took full advantage of that, because we all know that asking a thousand questions equals a passionate interest in the subject which equals a passing grade!!!!

   

The thing I love most about him was that he loved…no, he fed on tossing little “shock and awe” bombshells our way. Which was always followed by that jubilant grin and sparkle in his eye’s. He kept taunting us that some day he would share some of his poetry with us. But he warned us, “My poetry is really “street” …so I’m not sure your ready for it”.

 

Several more weeks passed, full of lively conversations, debate and complete pandemonium swirling through our young impressionable little minds. Finally, one day he came to class and announced that we were now officially ready for one of his poems. Once again, he reiterated that his poetry was pretty “street” and not for the faint of heart. We did a collective gulp and nodded our heads.

This poem is called…

(wait for it)

“Confession of a Rapist”

(Oh dear Lord!!….um…uh…OK,, I can handle this! I can be street…or at least avenue)

He looked up with that sly grin and glimmer in his eyes, then proceeded with the opening line…

“I took the P***Y”

(we’re not talking about sweet little kittens here, folks.)

   He just piloted his Enola Gay B-29 and dropped a bomb (a “P” bomb at that) amongst us citizens of Hiroshima Junior College!

   Visualize those old black & white films of Atomic bomb testing somewhere in the deserts of Nevada. The “Shock Wave” was so insanely intense, our faces were wobbling and contorting to the massive G-forces, that I’m pretty positive not one person heard another line from that poem. Outside, after class, we quickly and hastily put together an emergency Triage unit to asses the damages and re-attach any limbs or brain matter that may have needed attending to.

   Some fellow Christian students from the class were discussing the possibility of assembling a mob with torches and pitch forks, the likes of your typical Frankenstein movie. We soon realized that we were all fine. A little shaken, but fine.

   Oddly enough, there was maybe one complaint in class from a student, and he very patiently and lovingly discussed it with us. In the end, we all came through it like old trench buddies. Mr. X helped lift, perhaps rather firmly, us out of our little comfort zones.

   In the last few remaining weeks of class, we had several more great conversations and debates. One sunny day he even held class outside under a tree and we studied the book of Job from the Bible. I believe he said he loved it because it read like a screenplay. He had lots of great insight and challenged us daily.

   There are only a handful of teachers from my two and a half years of college (and no degree to show for it) that I have maybe a millisecond of memory of them. Mr. X, however, made such an impact on me that his memory is burned into the synapses of my brain. Was he shocking? Yes! However, even more, he loved reaching through to us. He made us think….really think!

Before I began writing this, I Googled him. Sure enough, there he was…

 

with that sly grin and glimmer in his eyes!

Thank you, Mr. X!


Comment Marvin X:

Let me thank all those beautiful students who attended my English class at Kings River College, 1982. I had the time of my life, but my academic career ended there, even though I received a 97% retention rate. I simply no longer desired to teach again. It is indeed ironic that my career ended not far from where my life began in Fowler, Ca., a few miles down the road from Reedley. My mother was also born in Fowler but never went to Reedley because the town was too racist. But during my brief tenure at Reedley, the students treated me royally, bringing me gifts of fruits, vegetables and herbs from their farms. Two of my greatest poems were written during this time, i.e., For the Women and Black History is World History. My students, nearly all White and/or Chicano, did research papers on Black History is World History. One of my Black students was from an Alabama town that hanged  his friend from a light post during the semester. Yes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Don't miss the discussion by Black Hollywood unChained contributors at the SF Main Library, July3, 1:30PM

Some of you know that last year, Third World Press published Black Hollywood Unchained. Edited by Ishmael Reed, the book contains a collection of critical essays by various authors around the country in reaction to Quentin Tarentino’s movie Django Unchained.

On Sunday, July 3, 1:30-3:30 pm, several of the authors will participate in a panel discussion at the San Francisco Public Library Main Branch to discuss the impact of Django Unchained as well as other Hollywood movie depictions of African-American life. Included with author presentations will be a time for questions and answers.

Along with Ishmael Reed, other participants include Halifu Osumare, Cecil Brown, Marvin X, Justin Desmangles, and myself.

If you’re in the Bay Area that weekend, hope you can make it.

Jesse Allen-Taylor

Navigating the Perilous Mental Landscape in the Crazy House Called America

Saturday, December 7, 2013

 

Watch the zombie in the car ahead of you. He may be sleep walking, sleep talking, texting or sexing--his blinker says left turn or right turn, but the light changes and the car doesn't move, just sits still on the green light, until you finally blow your horn, then, slowly, the car turns and heads down the street. You wonder what is going on and the answer is nothing, it is a zombie car with a zombie driver. Whatever you do, be courteous, don't be rude, don't go into road rage for the zombie may pull a weapon, after all, the zombie is a danger to himself and others, so be careful, don't add fuel to the fire. 

This is how we must navigate the perilous mental landscape in the last days of the devil's world. Jesus told you this is only the beginning of sorrows, there shall be pestilence, drought, famine, earthquakes in diverse places, mudslides, tsunamis, planes disappearing from the sky, jails and prisons full of those suffering poverty, drug addiction and mental illness. 

The global bandits, the blood suckers of the poor, suffer no jail or prison time. They pay a simple fine then continue in their inordinacy, as the Qur'an says. They are zombies too, so smart they outsmart themselves, thinking their wickedness shall last forever, they have enough guns and a monkey mind media that perpetuates the world of make believe that the deaf, dumb and blind inhabit as they make their daily round in the big yard, suffering their myriad addictions and afflictions and conspicuous consumption. 

As we see, there is murder in the hood and murder in the suburbs, murder in the schools, colleges, universities churches, night clubs, sports events, homes and workplaces. So hold onto your hat or hold onto the rope of Allah, whatever is your choice-- hold on Snoopy!--Marvin X

Navigating the perilous Mental Landscape in the crazy house called America

Like the earthquake in Japan, man too is in mental motion, a mind quake of the most devastating degree that is rocking his mental equilibrium to the core! 

We must be aware of the times and what must be done. A blind man named Ray Charles told us "the world is in an uproar, the danger zone is everywhere...." And so it is, ancestor Ray, there is turbulence in the land and in man, woman and children. As the earth enters another 25,000 year cycle of history with the coming New Age of high spiritual consciousness, there are many who remain deaf, dumb and blind to present and future events, even though the news is full of rapidly changing events in the global village. One would need to be in worse shape than Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder not to see the earth is in transformation, even Nature itself. The ice is melting, the sea rising, the forests burning, earthquakes and tsunamis , drought, famine, pestilence, in diverse places, just as Jesus predicted.

Apparently, many do not believe what Jesus said even when they see events he predicted before their very eyes, on the news, Twitter, Facebook, Cable TV and elsewhere. He said mother would be against child and child against mother and father. Did he not say brother would be against brother and sister against sister? And do we not see this in our social relations today.

It is crystal clear to me we are in times in which a friend is no longer a friend, a wife and husband no longer wife and husband. There is no love between them. Husbands and wives say the most horrible things to each other. Daughters and sons say the most wretched things to their parents, often when the parents are helping them.

But when the danger zone is everywhere, no one, no relationships are exempt from the turmoil sweeping the old order out and ushering in the New Era. But there is an almost organic relationship between the earth quaking and the minds of men, women and children becoming totally unbalanced.

In this time of radical change of Nature and man, those with no understanding shall become unglued, losing their fragile mental equilibrium or simply tripping out. Ultimately, they become a danger to themselves and others and must be committed, for they are not the person we knew only yesterday. Today they are a total stranger who does not know us, cannot even recognize us, yet we have known them since childhood. They could be a sibling yet they do not act like there is any blood relationship between us. We behave like total strangers.

It could be parent/child relationships that come to such a low point children will sue parents or visa versa. In short the love is gone. Amiri Baraka tells us in his play A Black Mass, "Where the souls print should be there is only a cellulose pouch of disgusting habits...."



So as we walk the streets be very careful what you say to people, for they are on edge, on the precipice, ready to strike out at the slightest perceived negative incident, or wrong word uttered.
Yes, they are ready to kill, so be aware as you make your daily round.

The political/economic atmosphere is charged with venom, but it is misplaced aggression, for no one is going after the bankers, the loan sharks, the Wall Street financiers who were casino gamblers with the wealth of the people, stealing 13 trillion dollars in the sub prime housing scam.
And yet hardly a banker is in jail, meanwhile 2.4 million mostly poor are incarcerated for petty crimes, additionally they suffer drug abuse and mental illness, not to mention lack of proper legal representation at the time of their trials. The only white man doing time is the one who stole from the rich, not the poor. Those who robbed the poor are yet receiving multimillion dollar bonuses while 30 million workers are unemployed and millions are now homeless.

It is this atmosphere that is so unsettling to the mental state of those who were already suffering stress from the general hostile environment,i.e.,  from toxic food, air, water; the media dispensing
information from the world of make believe and promoting the addiction to white supremacy conspicuous consumption.

How do we move from problem to solution, from addiction to recovery, from sickness to healing?
The Buddhists say wisdom is  knowledge plus the right action. We must first understand the time and what must be done. These are perilous times, very dangerous, thus one must tip through the tulips, through the mind fields that lay before us, behind us, to the right and to the left, but most importantly, within us!

We must practice eternal vigilance and stay on guard against being deceived. There are those who wish to deceive us so that we remain victims of the slave system. They will not tell us all the institutions are exhausted, political, economic, educational, religious, marital. None of these shall continue with business as usual. They must and shall undergo radical structural change, if not simply thrown into the dustbin of history where they belonged long ago.

Those not prepared for radical change shall be blown by the wayside where they shall inhabit the lower realms of an animal existence until they die or recover from savagery and come into the era of civility and spirituality beyond religiosity.

Those who are a danger to themselves and others will need to be confined to a program of long term recovery, a rehabilitation of their disgusting habits, namely greed, ego, pride, lust, arrogance, and other deadly sins, and most importantly the inability to practice freedom, justice and equality, constitutionally unable to share the wealth and practice democracy or the consent of the governed.

The end is the beginning and the beginning is the end, or rather what goes around comes around. What we are witnessing and experiencing is not linear time but circular, for we shall continue, but only those who are able to jump out of the box of the old structures into the new.

The fearless ones, they shall be successful. Those not motivated by the illusions of the monkey mind shall be successful. We pray for the others who persist in their inordinancy, blindly wandering on, as the Qur'an says.
--Marvin X
4/7/11

The Mythology of Pussy and Dick: Oakland Police Department in moral or immoral meltdown: three chiefs in a week

Oakland Mayor Fires Interim Police Chief After 4 Days During Sex Scandal Involving Teen Girl

Anna Merlan

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announced today that she’d fired the police department’s interim chief after just four days on the job. The department is currently being rocked by a sex scandal in which more than a dozen officers are suspected of regularly having sex with a teenage girl.Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent resigned last week, at the end of a months-long investigation into allegations made by an 18-year-old woman, who said she is a sex worker and had sex with more than 25 police officers. The woman, who has used the name “Celeste Guap” in interviews, is the daughter of a police dispatcher, according to ABC 7. She says she had sex with 14 Oakland police officers and 11 from other departments in the area, beginning when she was 16 years old.

Guap expressed mixed feelings about the officers during an interview with KPIX, saying both, “I have no negative feelings towards any of them,” but also, “Thinking back on it, I do see myself as a victim, because I do feel I was taken advantage of.”
Some reports say Guap had sex with three officers while she was underage; Courthouse News reports that Guap wrote in a May Facebook post that she only had sex with one officer while she was underage, writing, “the only officer I messed with underage is sadly gone now.” That appears to be a reference to Brendan O’Brien, an OPD officer who died by suicide in May, leaving a note saying he and other officers had sex with a teenager. O’Brien’s wife also died by suicide in the same house 15 months before.
After Whent resigned, Interim Police Chief Ben Fairow was appointed in his place; today, though, Mayor Schaaf abruptly announced his removal, saying she’d learned information that “caused me to lose confidence” in his leadership. From her statement:

With the abrupt resignation of Sean Whent last week, we sought to have seamless leadership of the Oakland Police Department and selected an individual who understood the dynamics in Oakland and who, based on his previous employment with OPD, could hit the ground running.
However, I have just received information that has caused me to lose confidence in Ben Fairow’s ability to lead the Oakland Police Department at this particular moment in time. OPD staff, members of our community and City leadership deserve to have complete trust and confidence in our Chief, especially during this critical transition.
State law prohibits me from further elaborating on the specific factors that led to this decision.
I made the decision to appoint Ben Fairow, I also own the decision to remove him. I firmly believe that when you make a mistake, you need to own it, and act quickly to correct it.
I appreciate Ben’s willingness to come to the aid of our city, and regret that his appointment was not the right decision.

So far, two police officers have been fired as a result of the scandal. They’re not being criminally charged. The Oakland Police Department continues to investigate itself for misconduct; more promisingly, the Alameda District Attorney’s Office and an independent federal monitor are also looking into Guap’s allegations.

---

Celeste Guap being interviewed by KPIX 5. Screenshot via YouTube/KPIX

Ebony Magazine sold! Be careful, "they" sold you once and may try again!

Ebony and Jet, according to Dr. E. Franklin Frazier, perpetuated the Negro bourgeoisie's world of make believe and conspicuous consumption. Of course Jet was the Negro's bible: if it wasn't in Jet it wasn't true!

 

Private-Equity Firm Buys Ebony, Jet Magazines

MJ 25 years after Thriller

Johnson Publishing sells magazines that have chronicled African-American life since 1945

• The new company Ebony Media Corporation will be chaired by Linda Johnson Rice
• Clear View Group CEO welcomes ‘great opportunity’
• Ebony Media Corp. will maintain Chicago office and half the staff

• Kierna Mayo is stepping down as editor-in-chief of Ebony
• Chicago-based Kyra Kyles, will add the title of editor-in-chief of Ebony behind her name
• Johnson Publishing will retain its Fashion Fair Cosmetics business and its historic Ebony photo archives
• 
  

“It’s a dream come true,” said Michael Gibson, co-founder and chairman of African-American-owned Clear View Group. “Growing up, we had Ebony and Jet in our household all along. You knew you made it when you made it to the cover of Ebony or Jet. It is just exciting — I pinch myself every morning.”

Exclusive photos of Michael Jackson shot in 2007 in the archives of Ebony/ Jet

It’s true after rumors ran the muck, the formal announcement was made Tuesday, Ebony and Jet magazines have been sold. After making a great run to go the distance
After a 71-years of publishing in Chicago, Johnson Publishing is leaving the publishing industry and retaining its Fashion Fair Cosmetics business and its historic Ebony photo archives, however it remains up for sale. In January 2015, Johnson Publishing put its entire photo archive up for sale, hoping to raise $40 million. The historic collection spans seven decades of African-American history, chronicling everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. to Muhammad Ali and beyond.


The Iconic Ebony, once the leading African-American lifestyle magazine and the now digital-only Jet magazine was sold to Clear View Group, an Austin, Texas-based private equity firm, for an undisclosed amount. The deal, closed in May, including the assumption of debt.

The Ultimate cool President Barack Obama

Founded by John H. Johnson in 1945 Johnson Publishing Company /JPC was a family-owned business throughout all of its history. As Black publications go it set the precedence that all aspiring Black magazine publishers sought to emulate. Ebony has documented the African-American experience since its first edition. Ebony and Jet both captured the spirit and culture of Black Americans for all the world to see and influence its perception of African Americans.

Historically, it has captured the story of  Black life in America from Emmett Till  to  Barack Obama and reported from the front lines of the civil rights movement to the rise of Black power during the 1960s through images and words keeping the nation and the world abreast of the coming of age of an oppressed people.

It has been so many things to Black people. Often it served as ambassador to the world representing African Americans at their best. It introduced Africa to its children and its children to its ancestors. It showcased the accomplishments of Blacks in sports, arts and entertainment, law, medicine, journalism, fashion, business, banking, architecture and more.

Like all printed media with the emergence of technology and the digital age coming to fore Johnson Publishing has faced declining revenue dollars as it struggled to change and advance from print to digital platforms and emerge victorious.

Martin Luther King Jr

Daughter of founder John H. Johnson, Linda Johnson Rice, chairman of Johnson Publishing will serve as chairman emeritus on the board of the new company.
“This is the next chapter in retaining the legacy that my father, John H. Johnson, built to ensure the celebration of African-Americans,” she said in a statement Tuesday.
Under the new the new publishing entity, Ebony Media Operations, will maintain the magazine’s Chicago headquarters and its New York editorial office. Many of the current staff, according to Mr. Gibson will remain in tack.
The purchase is a first of its kind for Clear View who is new to the publishing world. “We made this purchase because this is an iconic brand — it’s the most-recognized brand in the African-American community,” said Gibson, 59. “We just think this is a great opportunity for us.”
The changes include Cheryl McKissack, who has served as chief operating officer since 2013 assuming the CEO position of the new publishing entity under Clear View.
Sadly Kierna Mayo, who brought a certain timely brash to the publication is stepping down as editor-in-chief of Ebony to pursue other opportunities, according to Gibson.
Stepping into her shoes, Kyra Kyles, who has headed up digital content for Ebony and Jet since last June, will add the role of editor-in-chief of Ebony.
Both McKissick and Kyles will continue to operate from the Chicago office.
“When we make an investment, that’s what we look for — a strong team that can actually run the company,” Gibson said. “We’re not managers or experts by any stretch of imagination in the media business. What we bring to the table is very strong networking and the ability to raise financing and the ability to establish a vision for the company.”

The Greatest, Muhammad Ali

On the other side Desiree Rogers, who has CEO of Johnson Publishing since 2010, will remain on board, focusing on the cosmetics business, which represents about half of the company’s total revenue.
“The overall strategy of separating these two distinct businesses — media and cosmetics — will ensure that both iconic brands are positioned for future investment and growth,” Rogers said in a statement.
Like any smart businessman the 59-year old Gibson has vision. He recognizes that the publishing industry continues to face the future as print media revenue decreases. However Gibson said, Ebony will remain in print for the foreseeable future while recognizing the need enhance the digital side.