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I can afford college!
March 2 is the deadline for new and returning community college students to apply for a Cal Grant for the 2011-2012 academic year. Cal Grant awards of up to $1,551 can be used to help students pay for fees, books, supplies and sometimes even rent while attending a California community college.
‘Losing Just the Same’: Classic 1966 film on West Oakland
This documentary reflects on the lives and aspirations of a West Oakland family, “a story of people caught in a lifelong struggle between their hopes and their abilities and their discovery that no matter how hard they try they will be losing just the same.”
‘Take This Hammer’: Classic 1963 film of James Baldwin touring the hoods of San...
KQED’s mobile film unit follows James Baldwin in the spring of 1963 as he’s driven around San Francisco to meet with the Black community and discover “the real situation of Negroes in the city, as opposed to the image San Francisco would like to present.”
Revolutionary and Gangsta: an interview wit Aisha Sekhmet
Revolutionary gangsta rap artist Aisha Sekhmet is bold, passionate and intelligent. Check out this fiery much needed newcomer to the rap world in her own words.
Trion is top in his class
We care for him so much that it now shows in every way possible. Trion is now top in his class, just made the final of the Center Unified School District Spelling Bee. He had never played on a football or basketball team; now he has excelled in both sports in the community.
‘Ashti Meets Birdman Al’: Children’s book melds music and message
“I hope that this story will introduce children to music, specifically jazz music, jazz musicians past and present, and to instruments and the many different sounds of music they can create.” - Carmen Rubin, author of “Ashti and Birdman Al”
A rose growing from concrete: an interview wit’ poet Jazz Hudson
Jazz Hudson is one of the new up and coming poets out of the Bay who has been making a name for herself at poetry readings - one of the most loquacious and passionate young sistas to come out of the concrete jungle of Oakland in a long time.
Wanda’s Picks for February 2011
On Feb. 18, 7 p.m., at Modern Times Bookstore, Krip-Hop Nation will present an author panel of new books by Black disabled writers and friends, including Toni Hickman of Texas, Adarro Minton of New York, Allen Jones of San Francisco and friends of Krip-Hop Nation, DC Curtis and Bones Kendall of Los Angeles.
The People’s Human Rights and Hip Hop Film Festival
The People’s Human Rights and Hip Hop Film Festival is a four-day event that will be kicking off on Friday, Feb. 11, at the Twinspace, 2111 Mission St. in San Francisco, that captures the aura of the Bay, politics and young people’s art.
Punany Poets 2011 Tour: a Q&A wit’ Arekah Kane
The Punany Poets, who do AIDS awareness through erotic poetry and are going on a nationwide tour, will bring the interactive, adult dinner theater show, “Aphrodisiac,” to the El Rincon Restaurant in San Francisco on Saturday, Feb. 12.
Boys to Eagles: an interview with Jesus El
Jesus El, a member of the Golden State Warriors acrobatic dunk team, has started a youth program, Boys to Eagles, to help young men who grew up in single parent homes in the ghetto just like him. The program not only helps train acrobats, but musicians, video journalists, dancers and entrepreneurs.
Welcome to the beautiful Bayview Opera House
With the original floor from 1888 restored, The Bayview Opera House continues to provide arts education and cultural enrichment to San Franciscans on a low or no cost basis. The recent Dare To Dream arts program and upcoming Black History Month celebrations are just a few of the events.
AeroSoul 2: Urban Hieroglyphics
In honor of African History Month, the Bay Area Aerosol Heritage Society is proud to present AeroSoul 2011, which will kick off on Feb. 4 at the Joyce Gordon Gallery in Downtown Oakland and be followed by a month-long series of events showcasing some of the most cutting-edge, dynamic Black urban calligraphers in the world. Refa 1 is the event curator.
‘In My Country’ is in his heart
“In My Country” is a country that knows no borders; it’s a country of the heart,” Tony Robles said about his inspiration for the beautiful short story published in Mythium magazine and nominated by Mythium editor Crystal Wilkinson for the literary honor, the Pushcart Prize.
‘Poems About This Roller-Coaster Ride Called Life’: an interview with poet Kaira Espinoza
Kaira Espinoza is a poet from the Mission district of San Francisco who recently completed her debut book of poetry called “Poems About This Roller-Coaster Ride Called Life.”
Wet paint: an interview with visual artist Sophia Dawson
Sophia Dawson is an artist I met in Harlem, New York, at this year’s Black Panther Film Fest, where she had a striking painted piece of Black Panther co-founder and Chairman Bobby Seale. I have seen a lot of dope, conscious-minded Black visual artists over the years; she is definitely one of the more talented ones.
New book highlights MLK’s labor and social justice work
“People forget that Dr. King was every bit as committed to economic justice as he was to ending racial segregation,” author Michael K. Honey said. “As we struggle with massive unemployment, a staggering racial wealth gap and near collapse of our financial system, King’s prophetic writings and speeches underscore his relevance for today.”
Teena Marie
The news came as a shock from a phone call with my wife, a die-hard fan, who broke the news that Teena Marie, the best musical half of the Funkster, Rick “Super-Freak” James, had died.
In memory of John Maxwell
John Maxwell is one of those rare human beings, one of those rare souls, and one of those rare minds whose death leaves us naked. Bare. Smaller.
Dedoceo Habi explores juvenile rape
The critically acclaimed film “Precious” dealt with the touchy subject of family incest and how it affects people, from the instigator to the survivor. Within the Black community, incest – unwarranted or wanted sexual contact between an adult and a minor – is a subject that often is a secret tightly held within families.