oakland black arts movement business district doesn't win state certification

EMERYVILLE AMONG ‘CALIFORNIA CULTURAL DISTRICTS’ STATE PILOT PROGRAM WINNERS

Published On July 12, 2017 | By The City of Emeryville | Arts & Culture, In the Neighborhood

bambd co-founder marvin x suggests city councilwoman lynette mcelhaney take an acting class from dr. ayodele nzinga's lower bottom playaz. clearly her fake performance with the cal arts council was not convincing. cac didn't go for her top down domination of the bambd. she has yet acted on marvin x's long request for banners, specifically, the african red, black and green flag, and black/african vendors in the streets along the bambd corridor, 14th. street. such a cosmetic appearance might have convinced the cac to certify our district. next time around, lynette, improve your acting and stagecraft. see dr. nzinga at the flight theatre asap. --marvin x, bambd co-founder

Newly launched program celebrates the state’s diverse and abundant cultural treasures

The “Rotten City-Emeryville” Cultural Arts District has been selected as one of California’s premier state-designated cultural districts, the California Arts Council announced today. The City of Emeryville’s “Rotten City-Emeryville Cultural Arts District” is located in the San Francisco Bay area where it joins 13 other districts that will launch the innovative new program highlighting thriving cultural diversity and unique artistic identities within California, home to the country’s leading creative economy.

A cultural district, as outlined by the program, is a well-defined geographic area with a high concentration of cultural resources and activities. The 14 districts that comprise the program’s first cohort were selected with variety in mind, intended to help tailor the program to meet the complex needs of a state kaleidoscopic in nature.

Located across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco, this “big little city” has been a historic center of industry. After the turn-of-the-century, Emeryville also became known for their gambling establishments. This led former California Governor/Federal Chief Justice Earl Warren to name them the Rotten City. The arts colony began in the early 1960’s when guerrilla art known as “Mud Flat Art” started appearing on the Emeryville shoreline. As they transitioned from heavy industry to the modern economy, artists moved into available warehouses, and the City underwent significant redevelopment. They have seen a significant renaissance and are now considered a destination for shopping, business, and art production.

In addition to the many artists and other community members who contribute to this vibrant city-district of Art and Innovation, the following partners are instrumental in creation of the district and the extensive production-oriented arts programing that occurs within this urban village. Partners who helped form the district include:

• The City of Emeryville (dedicated to municipal support of the arts)
• Pixar Animation Studios (bringing their contemporary art form to an international audience)
• Emeryville Celebration of the Arts (produces annual month-long juried art exhibit)
• Wareham Development (supportive of STEAM education, which recognizes the nexus between the arts and the creative mindset needed for science/tech industry) and
• Bullseye Glass (provides artist workspace and serves as an artist incubator).

Even the city’s mayor is a well-known artist  ̶  sculpture artist Scott Donahue. The Mayor has been quoted as saying about the district:

“I am proud to be an elected representative of a city that promotes the work of the creative class and celebrates our city’s unique cultural history through the arts. The art we produce here in Emeryville is distinct; it is an authentic representation of who we are as a community and it defines our character as a people.”

Our outreach efforts to promote our public art program far exceeds anything that you will find in one of our larger neighboring cities. On a per-capita basis, Emeryville is a leading investor in public art production. We also participate in an annual purchase award program that, for artists that live or work in our city, is both competitive and highly sought after by artists all across our city. The Artists-in-Schools program we support extends our leadership on public art for students beyond our borders, touching young people in the adjoining communities of Oakland and Berkeley…the District designation will not only raise the awareness of our city as an art community, but will help provide the additional leverage and support needed to build out the larger vision we have for our community as a haven and incubation hotspot for artists in the Bay Area.

Emeryville and San Francisco front the San Francisco Bay on its eastern and western shores. It is evident that this beautiful region has inspired these two cities to develop their arts communities and be among the first to obtain the State Cultural District designation. Rotten City-Emeryville Cultural Arts District participants represent a wide cross section of the community and join Emeryville-based artists in making the district a dynamic catalyst for art production. For example, the development community and the district’s multiple colonies of artists work together in efforts to support STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education connecting the creative process to innovations in industry. District members were thrilled to hear about the designation as they feel it will help the general public to understand this “other city by the bay” is more than a center of regional retail development, but also a center of art and innovation with an inclusive attitude toward its art community and priority of public investment in art, community livability, social equity and advancement through the arts.

Emeryville represents a different type of district devoted to art production and including a wide variety of modern art forms such as animation, digital/video mapping compositions, and light as a medium. California is often seen internationally as a progressive innovator; Emeryville is one of the State’s best innovators in support of its artists. The district is the heart of this center of art and innovation where an active artist colony produces art enjoyed locally and internationally. The Rotten City has become fertile ground for art.

By way of background on this new designation…

“State-level designation of Cultural Districts, with California’s diverse geography and regional variety, allowed for an entirely new and comprehensive look at our deeply valued cultural assets,” said Donn K. Harris, California Arts Council Chair. “Rotten City-Emeryville Cultural Arts District’s personal and generational commitment to these assets speaks of a state deeply invested in the places and people that celebrate local traditions and creativity. Our goal with the pilot launch of this new program was to support a group of districts that met high but broad standards of coherence, vision, and purpose – ones that could set an example for districts that will follow as the program develops and grows.”

“These Cultural Districts showcase California’s cultural diversity and vibrant experiences,” said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California. “The districts are one more way to highlight the one-of-a-kind places throughout our state that inspire residents and visitors alike.”

Originating with the adoption of Assembly Bill 189 in 2015, authored by Assemblyman Richard Bloom, the California Cultural Districts program aims to leverage the state’s artistic and cultural assets. Aligning with the mission and values of the California Arts Council, the districts will celebrate the diversity of California while unifying under an umbrella of shared values—helping to grow and sustain authentic grassroots arts and cultural opportunities, increasing the visibility of local artists and community participation in local arts and culture, and promoting socioeconomic and ethnic diversity. Districts will also play a conscious role in tackling issues of artist displacement.

Rotten City-Emeryville Cultural Arts District will receive the designation for a period of five years, per state legislation. Designation, under this pilot launch of the program, includes benefits such as technical assistance, peer-to-peer exchanges, and branding materials and promotional strategy. The California Arts Council has partnered with Visit California and Caltrans for strategic statewide marketing and resource support.

A video collage of all 14 winners

Rotten City-Emeryville Cultural Arts District and 13 other pilot districts will offer feedback to the Council to ensure the subsequent launch of the full program will be supportive, accessible and appropriate for all types of cultural centers. The pilot cohort program will run until 2019, after which additional new districts will be eligible to apply for a state designation through the finalized certification process.

Selection for the California Cultural districts was conducted through a multistep process, including an open call for initial letters of intent, a peer panel review, site visits for semi-finalists, and an invited finalist application. The program was highly competitive and received interest and submissions from dozens of communities across the state.

Learn more about the program at caculturaldistricts.org/emeryville →.
View the entire list of winners at caculturaldistricts.org/announcement →

— The official announcement of the award with representatives on hand will be held on Friday morning at 9 am on the steps of Old Town Hall —

---

The mission of the California Arts Council, a state agency, is to advance California through the arts and creativity. The Council is committed to building public will and resources for the arts; fostering accessible arts initiatives that reflect contributions from all of California’s diverse populations; serving as a thought leader and champion for the arts; and providing effective and relevant programs and services.

Members of the California Arts Council include: Chair Donn K. Harris, Vice Chair Nashormeh Lindo, Larry Baza, Phoebe Beasley, Christopher Coppola, Juan Devis, Kathleen Gallegos, Jaime Galli, Louise McGuinness, Steven Oliver, and Rosalind Wyman. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.

Related Stories:

Emeryville's "Rotten City" district a semi-finalist for California Cultural District designation

Pelco Building selected for 30th Emeryville Art Exhibition

City of Emeryville March 2017 Monthly Highlights: Short-Term Rentals, Cannabis Ordinance, Fair Work Week'

millions for prisoners march

Announcing Millions for Prisoners March for Human Rights

February 4, 2017

by Jailhouse Lawyers Speak

The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads as follows: “Section 1. Slavery prohibited. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

Salamu! Greetings of solidarity from behind enemy lines. I am a New Afrikan freedom fighter from the ranks of JLS (Jailhouse Lawyers Speak), a collective of jailhouse lawyers organized to educate and fight for prisoners’ human rights, against a system that is designed to dehumanize its captives. I am also the national secretary for Amend the 13th, an inclusive coalition-based national campaign and community-based organizing effort to address the legal and social basis for dehumanization in Amerika.

The purpose of this press release is to notify prisoners, community organizers and all those who care of the upcoming Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March in Washington, D.C., scheduled for Aug. 19, 2017. This is a national effort to bring world attention to the 13th Amendment enslavement clause, its ramifications, and to solidify organizing efforts to amend it.

Millions For Prisoners Human Rights core demands for action:

A)  We DEMAND the 13th amendment ENSLAVEMENT CLAUSE of the United States Constitution be amended to abolish LEGALIZED slavery in America.

B)  We DEMAND a Congressional hearing on the 13th Amendment ENSLAVEMENT CLAUSE being recognized as in violation of international law, the general principles of human rights and its direct links to:

1. Private entities exploiting prison labor
2. Companies overcharging prisoners for goods and services
3. Private entities contracted by states/federal government to build and operate prisons. This would also include immigration detentions
4. Racial disparities in America’s prison population and sentencing
5. Policing: the disproportionate (unaccountable) killings by police in the black and brown communities
6. Felony Disenfranchisement laws
7. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 34,000 detention quotas
8. Producing the world largest prison population

In essence this is an abolitionist movement to abolish legalized enslavement, a practice that is not solely limited to prisoners making products, but extends to a prisoner’s mere body in an isolation cell being profitable.

The U.S. Supreme Court states in its longstanding precedent, Ruffin v. Commonwealth, 62 Va. (21 Gratt.) 790, 796 (1871): “A convicted felon, whom the law in its humanity punishes by confinement in a penitentiary instead of with death, is subject while undergoing that punishment, to all the laws which the Legislature in its wisdom may enact for the government of that institution and control of its inmates. For the time being, during his term of service in the penitentiary, he is in a state of penal servitude to the state. He has, as a consequence of his crime, not only forfeited his liberty, but all of his personal rights except those which the law in its humanity accords him. He is for the time being a slave of the State. … They are slaves of the State undergoing punishment for heinous crimes committed against the laws of the land.”

In other words, prisoners themselves are the commodity. Which explains why law enforcement’s entire apparatus is geared towards capturing and bottling humans for the highest bidder, dead or alive.

In essence this is an abolitionist movement to abolish legalized enslavement, a practice that is not solely limited to prisoners making products, but extends to a prisoner’s mere body in an isolation cell being profitable.

It should not be any surprise that the Black and Brown communities are prime targets for extractions. We cannot overemphasize the connection between slavery and the Prison Industrial Enslavement Complex.

Prison slavery is a direct outgrowth of the 13th Amendment and the 13th Amendment enslavement exception clause is a direct outgrowth of the pre-1865 chattel enslavement period. You can analyze the different periods of transition from convict leasing, Black Codes, Jim Crow, Nixon’s war on drugs to Bill Clinton’s 1994 crime bill to see the connections and the architectural designs developed to maximize profits through the INjustice system’s criminalization of generations.

All across Amerika, people are becoming more aware of the 13th Amendment exception clause – particularly prisoners around the nation, who have been strategizing and directly challenging the 13th as witnessed by the Sept. 9, 2016, prison strikes. Jailhouse Lawyers Speak has been planning its challenge to the 13th in collaboration with iamWE Prison Advocacy Network since mid-2015.

This challenge is the Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March, hosted by iamWE Prison Advocacy Network. Presently, coalitions are being formed that we envision will become a recognizable force for change beyond the March. Just as we envision every Aug. 19th afterwards being a day of solidarity and demonstrations in recognition of Prisoners Human Rights and highlighting the violations of such for collective action.

In the words of Mumia Abu-Jamal, “Black August is a month of divine meaning, of repression and radical resistance, of injustice and divine justice; of repression and righteous rebellion; of individual and collective efforts to free the slaves and break the chains that bind us.”

Black August was selected by JLS prisoners, due to its significance as being a historical month of commemoration of fallen New Afrikan freedom fighters and resistance. This is a month in which the spirit of liberation is encouraged amongst prisoners and within our communities.

Black August is a special month to many of us confined. Comrade George L. Jackson is a light to many of us struggling to maintain our sanity and dignity within these concentration camps. It is only fitting that this event be scheduled during this month, in hopes of connecting more people to the prison resistance movement history, challenges and needs.

Today as I write, confirmation is coming in that prisoners are in collective discussion around the country to be in solidarity with the Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March. For those prisoners who would like to participate, it is asked that you:

• Fast from sunrise to sunset
• Participate in intense political studies with emphasis on the 13th Amendment.
• Daily prayer or meditation
• Daily exercise regimen
• Refrain from purchasing any and all prison products to that require spending of money during this month
• Refrain from smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages
• If possible, wear a black arm band or wrist band (i.e. shoelace) around left wrist.

Around the nation and across the world, Aug. 19, 2017, will be remembered as a day of collective action, strategizing and execution of the national objective to abolish legalized enslavement in Amerika. People from all walks of life from both sides of the walls have answered the call. Many are organizing their areas to be at the march, others will be hosting local solidarity demonstrations in their state or country, others are distributing info and many others are sharing resources and time.

To learn more about this event and how you can get involved, visit www.iamweubuntu.com or write iamWE Prison Advocacy Network, P.O. Box 58201, Raleigh NC 27658. Also involved in the organizing is the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC), a committee of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), 816-866-3808, iwoc@riseup.net.

look for me vin the whirlwind, black panther 21

New from PM Press $26.95   |  648 Pages ISBN: 9781629633893 Look for Me in the Whirlwind     From the Panther 21 to 21st-Century Revolutions ______________  Contributions from Sekou Odinga, Dhoruba Bin Wahad, Jamal Joseph, and the New York Panther 21. Edited by déqui kioni-sadiki and Matt Meyer, with a foreword from Imam Jamil Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown) and afterword by Mumia Abu-Jamal.    ______________    Use coupon code JULY VALID THROUGH 07/31 DESCRIPTION Amid music festivals and moon landings, the tumultuous year of 1969 included an infamous case in the annals of criminal justice and Black liberation: the New York City Black Panther 21. Though some among the group had hardly even met one another, the 21 were rounded up by the FBI and New York Police Department in an attempt to disrupt and destroy the organization that was attracting young people around the world. Involving charges of conspiracy to commit violent acts, the Panther 21 trial----the longest and most expensive in New York history----revealed the illegal government activities which led to exile, imprisonment on false charges, and assassination of Black liberation leaders. Solidarity for the 21 also extended well beyond "movement" circles and included mainstream publication of their collective autobiography, Look for Me in the Whirlwind, which is reprinted here for the first time.   Look for Me in the Whirlwind: From the Panther 21 to 21st-Century Revolutions contains the entire original manuscript, and includes new commentary from surviving members of the 21: Sekou Odinga, Dhoruba Bin Wahad, Jamal Joseph, and Shaba Om. Still-imprisoned Sundiata Acoli, Imam Jamil Al-Amin, and Mumia Abu-Jamal contribute new essays. Never or rarely seen poetry and prose from Afeni Shakur, Kuwasi Balagoon, Ali Bey Hassan, and Michael "Cetewayo" Tabor is included. Early Panther leader and jazz master Bilal Sunni-Ali adds a historical essay and lyrics from his composition "Look for Me in the Whirlwind," and coeditors kioni-sadiki, Meyer, and Panther rank-and-file member Cyril "Bullwhip" Innis Jr. help bring the story up to date.   At a moment when the Movement for Black Lives recites the affirmation that "it is our duty to win," penned by Black Liberation Army (BLA) militant Assata Shakur, those who made up the BLA and worked alongside of Assata are largely unknown. This book----with archival photos from David Fenton, Stephen Shames, and the private collections of the authors----provides essential parts of a hidden and missing-in-action history. PRAISE "Listen to these voices of young men and women who poured their insights, courage, and creative energy into New York City's fledgling Black Panther Party. This edition allows a new generation to hear these amazing stories, and additionally, to read the authors' reflections and insights for today."  ----Kathleen Cleaver, Black Panther Party communications secretary, 1967-1971; senior lecturer, Emory University School of Law "This release of Look for Me in the Whirlwind challenges all of us----those who are active, and those who have yet to become activated----to step into our sacred duty to fight for our freedom and win."  ----Melina Abdullah, Black Lives Matter leadership team; chair, California State University, Los Angeles, Department of Pan-African Studies ABOUT THE AUTHORS Dhoruba Bin Wahad was a member of the Panther 21. Arrested in June 1971, he was framed as part of the illegal FBI Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) and subjected to unfair treatment and torture during his nineteen years in prison. During Dhoruba's incarceration, litigation on his behalf produced over 300,000 pages of COINTELPRO documentation, and upon release in 1990 he was able to bring a successful lawsuit against the New York Department of Corrections for their criminal activities.  Sekou Odinga was a member of Malcolm X's Organization of Afro-American Unity and was a member of the Panther 21. A citizen of the Republic of New Afrika and combatant of the Black Liberation Army, Sekou was captured in October 1981, mercilessly tortured, and spent the following thirty-three years behind bars. Since his release in November 2014, he has remained a stalwart fighter for justice and for the release of all political prisoners. Jamal Joseph was a member of the Panther 21 and the Black Liberation Army. Joseph earned his BA from the University of Kansas while imprisoned at Leavenworth. He is a full professor and former chair of Columbia University's Graduate Film Division and the artistic director of the New Heritage Theatre Group in Harlem. He is the author of a biography on Tupac Shakur, Tupac Shakur Legacy, and his own autobiography, Panther Baby. déqui kioni-sadiki is the chair of the Malcolm X Commemoration Committee and was a leader of the Sekou Odinga Defense Committee, which waged a successful campaign for the release of her husband. A tireless organizer, déqui is a radio producer of the weekly show "Where We Live" on WBAI Radio, an educator with the NYC Department of Education, and a member of the Jericho Movement to Free All Political Prisoners. Matt Meyer is a New York City-based educator, organizer, and author who serves as War Resisters International Africa Support Network Coordinator, and who represents the International Peace Research Association at the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Meyer's extensive human rights work has included support for all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, solidarity with Puerto Rico and the Black Liberation Movement, and board membership on the A.J. Muste Memorial Institute.

chris hall's love poem to his uncle marvin x

mrs. and mr. robin and chris hall

marvin x and oakland mayor libby schaaf

photo jahahara alkebulan

left to rt: paul cobb, dr. leslie stratford, rt. col. conway jones, jr.,  marvin x,oakland mayor libby schaaf holding marvin's granddaughter naeema joy, below, grandson jahmeel; laney college president elnora t. webb, dr. nathan hare, lynette mcelhaney, president, oakland city council

photo ken johnson

I got Jackmon in my blood

Marvin X has four living children and one son who preceded him in death.

There are some things only family can know. 

The great Marvin "X" Jackmon, one of the Leaders of the Negro, 
live Strong ,recreate for black Fate. 

Besides Trying to Understand a man against hate but will not WAIT to use it in a debate 

a man that 8 plus 1 one is what he comes from 

wasn't the oldest but defiantly the closest 

Uncle ollie is whole notha story, He was Quite the OG 
but back to the man with a plan . 

Peaceful Muslim at heart but still Christian in art 
continues to write books that preach but tend to reach. 

keep faith my brotha 

denounce hate my brotha 

you buried a brotha and sista in one year 

someone I was taught to fear 

but the reasons were unclear 

the world should see how I would be  

I wanna say thanks you see 

if it wasn't for the x man 
a father at heart

witty and sharp 

holds composure 
struggles with closure 

The war on segregation is over

I have known you my whole life  

growing up  thinking you didn't like nothin white 

thought you hated my mother

thought one half or another 

was never gonna be good or tough enough 

it was never quite there

when push came to shove. 

Speaking the word of love 

but my skin makes me only half good enough. 

House nigga that's what you  call me  But

yet you my blood n know nothin about me 

 I know how to stay woke 

but sometimes it feels good to lay down without the fear of early stroke. 

You know how it goes for black folk

turn on the blinders pretend 

the shit I read aint the shit in real life 

Worry bout my son gettin shot by police

In flat out malice 

You probably think that's why I married a girl that could easily be named Alice 

Life its hard to imagine 

tunnel vision 

quickly dismissing my right to be 

livin 

you got three daughters all of em queens

trust I've seen. 

tho it may seem a half white half black shouldn't be able to dream 

fearing the world may no longer divide 

instead unite 

have you heard your own  words?

you preach the opposite of a white supremacist 

but you will lead black men in herds to fight your battle 

what makes you different than the honky moving cattle   

what separates you from the man in the klan 

how come their demise has to be part of the plan 

battle against America so called land of the free 

yet when set free we grow to hate.

ya I said it. it's true 

hate to say it but think about ray curruth goggle him 

baller Allstar killed his own kin because his ignorance made him believe that'd help him win 

just like the negro used to live next door to me got caught up 

the sight I saw as he begged and pleaded

covered in blood shot in front  of my door

find him bleeding by another black man that keeps him from breeding 

it's apparent to me 

you and whitey or Abdullah Hussein 

different parts of the world calls you terrorist 
does that make them insane 

we live in a world each culture finds a reason 
to be the definition of vain 

Looks and verbiage turbans and capes 

Not heroes at all 

now readers and viewers don't take this poem wrong  

a letter  no no it's  a song 
of  love to my uncle Marv 

no one will understand being treated like I should play with the Otha white boys or kick back be black 

and discover the lack of which I was man of color 

took awhile but found out 

so now I'm letting the sound out 

So hear me shout

black haters trying to fuck the so called shit outta us niggers

as the African black man hates his own self  so 

much 

all the punishment didn't deter him from raping a white lady who has his baby 

then feels too much responsibility runs down hills and trees 

Now that child faces hate from both sides 

Poor ol half breed 

Uncle Marv should I starve 

cause I'm light or called a nigger when I'm out of sight

1 2 3 4 I could count some more 

that's the number of fights over words 

I'm whiteafrican 

fuck the fact some times I get discriminated cuz someone thinks I'm actually Mexican 

I'm part German 

the part that thought gays jews and blacks were the closest thing to Vermin 

it could be simple  

you  see why its important to allow me to have my rite of passage 

my message 

to you brotha father grandfather uncle 

man black man  who is kin 

to me 

Gotta love the nigger and nazi in me 

heard your words that sparked thought 

like what if we put our minds off culture and color 

and blend one another 

it's because you fear we are too weak 

our minds don't show signs of elevating to the next level 

tell us to stay woke 

but shoot down any signs of peace and hope 

it's all right tho 

had a long night so 

you showed me love in oak town

thought I could provide you with som black nazi  poetry 

whose really not either as he sees him self for himself 

No I'm not oj or someone with that new playlist from jay z 

 I love you uncle seriously 

your heart your spirit 

feels reborn in me 

But what if I preach unity 

share my features with the evil white creature 

you my anti hero hero I want you to win 

because well you my  kin... 

you heard it a lot yes yes kin 

but you'll probably not gonna relate to your nephew 

cause of the different genetics that created white skin 

you family by dna 

never expected my offspring to become lighter then me 

but his mom had great energy 

it was meant  to be 

my god created me 

Can't you respect me?

hope you get chance to converse with me 
black love and god speed 

your nephew you know that house negro from Sac 

I'm from the  south to be exact (Georgia)

just hopes you will join me to bring end of hate and start spreading unity rather than call it diversity 

a place to call home

and see no history 

but aint afraid to speak or hear others' story

a grace land 

in which color is celebrated for all man 

in joy not separated with the intent of destroy destroy destroy

Tired of the whole

white versus black 

black versus white 

all hate the brown 

and the yellow 

So maybe you'll hear these words from this young fellow
--Your great nephew, Chris 

Marvin X reads "Dope" by Amiri Baraka