Culture Currents

"George and I" is Jahi and producer Korise' Big Tunes' newest creation where Jahi is rhyming to Korise's George Benson remake tracks. It's hot and innovative. I haven't heard a dedication/concept album like this. It feels good to be hearing these guys push Bay Area hip hop to new limits.

On March 7, Chef Eskender Aseged will open the doors to Radio Africa & Kitchen. The community-oriented restaurant, located in San Francisco’s Bayview District, will feature a sustainable, seasonable menu with dishes that reflect Aseged’s Ethiopian roots. There will be an opening night party at the restaurant on March 7 at 5 p.m. with food, drinks and live music.

One of the best events that is held annually in Oakland is the Oakland International Film Festival (OIFF). Since 2002, thousands continue to attend the OIFF each year. Oakland filmmakers and filmmakers from around the world continue to benefit from contacts made during the OIFF. Who will be there this year? Time will tell. Until then, read the words of the founding director of the OIFF David Roach ...

“Going home like a shooting star,” Iva Sojourner Truth stayed true to her path.

Dear friends, attendees at the Grassroots Radio Conference: Thank you for your invitation. I join y’all today, this way, by necessity; but we are joined by our common love of radio, still a vibrant medium. This is a challenging time for all of us, whatever our field of endeavor.

“This is survival radio, without- it-us-po’-folks-might-die radio, police-harrassed-criminalized-and-under-attack radio. Welcome to Poor News Network; thats PNN, not CNN, people.” – Introduction to the Poor News Network show once heard regularly on KPFA’s old Morning Show, now heard occasionally on KPFA’s Morning Mix

With the U.S. economy turning a blind eye to unemployment in the Black community, it is on us to create business and employment opportunities for our community, and Taiwo Kujichagulia-Seitu and her collective of dedicated women, known as the Lyric Dance and Vocal Ensemble, have answered the call by opening the Lyric Performing Arts Academy in downtown Oakland.

Colin Kaepernick, Yusef Lateef, Willie Dixon --- Prelude: It’s nev-er, it’s nev-er, ever the time, --- It’s nev-er, it’s never, never, ever the way --- Never, ever time for free-dom fight-ing --- It’s al-ways, it’s al-ways, always the wrong way --- It’s al-ways, al-ways, al-ways wrong and unwise --- Al-ways wrong and un-wise, to fight for free-dom (REPEAT) --- The Chinese had a saying --- About single sparks igniting prairie fires --- #7’s that spark – for The Fire This Time …

According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, there are 17 critical issues that should be considered by those working with fathers and, at the same time, issues fathers themselves, should take into consideration as well. In this article, I have covered 10 of these issues, but you can find the others by going to the NFI website, http://wwwfatherhood.org/fatherhood/17.

Guns and money, --- Guns and money. --- This isn’t about --- Dempsey & Tunney. --- It’s about the religion --- of the very unfunny --- United States and the --- 17 dead in Parkland --- at the hands of Santa --- Cross* with that metallic --- white supremacist look, --- Saint Nikolas Cruz, who --- hates Jews, Blacks, and --- announced himself as --- a future school shooter --- even before he pulled --- the trigger, (go figger, --- niggas and kikes), --- it’s all about stukas, --- lugers and dykes;

A decade in the making, Skrill Gates has been polishing his skills as a rap artist for this very moment. On May 1, he dropped his much anticipated new release, “1607 83rd Ave,” which was the address of our late grandparents’ house in East Oakland. Skrill Gates is my real life cousin.

From looking at the info that I have on the play, such as the voice of another great freedom fighter from the chattel period, Gabriel Prosser, being acknowledged and featured in the drama, it heightened my interest. “Nat Turner: Following Faith” will be playing at the Rogue Machine Theater, 5041 W. Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles. It closes this Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015. Check out playwright Paula Neiman in her own words ...

David Roach founded the Oakland International Film Festival to "create new opportunities for up and coming filmmakers." It runs Oct. 8-14 at five venues. See www.oiff.org. Catch Minister of Information JR’s new film “Operation Small Axe” on Saturday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m., at Merritt College; Sunday, 7:00, at the Uptown; and Tuesday, 6:30, at Jack London Theater No. 1 – see you there!

Amiri Baraka, one of the most fiery political poets and cultural critics in Black Amerikkka, recently celebrated his 75th birthday. He is the father of the Black Arts Movement of the ‘60s and after 2001, New Jersey abolished the poet laureate position because they couldn’t fire him, the incumbent, after he wrote his controversial piece, “Somebody Blew Up America.” On Sunday, Nov. 8, 1 p.m., Amiri will be speaking in the Koret Auditorium of the San Francisco Library, 100 Larkin St., as well as at the Black Dot Cafe, 1195 Pine St. at 6:30 in West Oakland on the same day. Here’s a quick Q & A that I did with Amiri Baraka ...

Growing up with an older brother like Sean was really a very special gift. Seven years of wisdom separated us. When I was still interested in Barbie and Ken, Sean had long been interested in music. Indeed, you could hardly escape him and his body-popping, breakdancing dance moves on the living room space any time there was company around.

Whether it’s raining or sunny, warm or cold, the sun comes up and goes down with or without our approval. No day should go wasted, especially when there are so many exciting ways to spend time with your child or children. As anyone with grown children will tell you, those “growing up years” fly by. As a way of encouraging this time together, I thought I’d provide a brief list of some activities and resources that you might want to check out.

Project Level is a non-profit youth organization that serves underserved communities by teaching them how to create opportunities for themselves by utilizing the arts and their own creative talents.

Under the system of lifelong forced servitude, Black people could be tortured to death at a moment's notice with impunity. White oppressors could sense that at some point the coin will flip. This mirrors today, where police continue to kill Black people with impunity.

Free medical, dental and vision care will be offered at a massive health clinic to be held by Remote Area Medical (RAM) April 1-4 at Cal Expo in Sacramento and April 9-12 at the Oakland Coliseum. Healthcare professionals are expected to provide care for an anticipated 1,000 people per day.

MacArthur Fellow Lateefah Simon, executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, will deliver the keynote address at the Fifth Anniversary Dinner and Awards Ceremony of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI).