Culture Currents

Some members of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community would rather divide than build bridges between communities. For instance, Charles Knipp, a racist and culturally insensitive White gay male, dons a Black face, becoming Shirley Q. Liquor and telling jokes that reinforce stereotypical images of Black women and Black culture.

A good MC is a song writer, a poet, a storyteller etc. So when we take the talent and passion of our craft and apply it to other forms of creative writing, we shine. The more you can master the language and break words up and down, the more ammunition and intelligence you have. The more intelligence you have, the more power. Look at what happened to Malcolm after reading the dictionary.

The fundraiser at the College of Alameda on May 18 was a great success, thanks to Maria Labossiere, Colette Eloi, Carolyn Brandy, Michelle Jacques and the ASCOA representative. The Social Welfare Club raised $170 for Jean Ristil’s organization in Cite Soliel.

PeopleSkool is a six-week seminar of Poor Magazine, an indigenous, community-based, revolutionary news organization. A group of eager students of all races and ages meet twice a week and share from one another. We learn about migration, about disability, about poverty. Summer Session begins June 15. Register now!

My comrade Erika Walker is a phenomenal organizer I met while we were both organizing on the Justice for Oscar Grant Campaign. I had no idea she was a semi-pro soccer player. Soccer, otherwise known as football around the world, is the most popular sport on the planet with rich and poor countries alike competing in the upcoming World Cup.

On the eve of Oscar Grant triggerman Johannes Mehserle’s trial in LA, the first time a Cali cop has ever been tried for an on-duty murder, Rebel Diaz from NYC and Oakland's own Beeda Weeda are headlining ‘The Black and Brown Get Down for Oscar Grant’ benefit concert Wednesday, June 9, 9 p.m., at the Rockit Room. Meet Rod Starz of Rebel Diaz, some powerful allies, musically and politically! Pre-sale tickets - $15 at http://beedaweedarebeldiazsf.eventbrite.com/ - are going fast.

“Ain’t nothing free in this world, babe. Everybody gotta pay to play. The only issue is that most of us is broke to begin with. And we’ll take what we need, from anybody we can, just to get in the game.” This is a statement my husband made to me just two days before he was murdered – no, assassinated – on Third Street on Mother’s Day.

Carnaval is one of the biggest festivals in the Bay Area that is rooted in African-ness. Most of the people in the streets know about the half naked women dancers that are a part of this festival, but very few of us know what this festival is all about, so I wanted to talk to Hannah Moore, a Carnaval dancer, to give us the 411 and bring the hood up to date.

More African-American mothers are breastfeeding. When Dr. Young came to Howard University Hospital in 2004, only 22 percent of the mothers breastfed. Today, about 60 percent of the mothers who deliver at the hospital breastfeed, she said. “It’s improving, but for the health of babies, we need to get that number to 80 to 90 percent.”

On May 18, 1803, 207 years ago, the Congress of Arcahaie adopted the Haitian flag. Gen. Jean-Jacques Dessalines created it by ripping the white from the center of the French flag and uniting the red and the blue. Celebrate Haiti's Flag Day with exciting Haitian dancers and drummers and Wanda's account of her journey there.

We lost the great Lena Horne this month on Mother’s Day, May 9. She was 92, her birthday June 17, 1917 – her funeral Friday, May 14. I found out recently that Ms. Horne was at the March on Washington with sisters Mahalia Jackson and Dorothy Height.

Katie Washington, a biological sciences major from Gary, Ind., has been named valedictorian of the 2010 University of Notre Dame graduating class and will present the valedictory address during commencement exercises on Sunday, May 16, in Notre Dame stadium.

President Obama delivered the eulogy Thursday for our beloved Dr. Dorothy Height. Dr. Height never did receive the mainstream recognition that she more than deserved, so I am proud that my president lifted her legacy for all America and the world to see and honor.

For those wondering if hip-hop artists in Arizona would speak out against the state’s immigration laws, you got your answer. The hip-hop community in Arizona came together to protest by remaking Public Enemy’s song, “By the Time I Get to Arizona.”

It's your last chance to see Marcus Gardley's mythical epic “… And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi” at Cuttingball Theater in residence at the EXIT Theater, 277 Taylor St., San Francisco, Friday-Saturday, April 23-24, at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 5 p.m.

by Minister of Information JR In 2010, it is important for us to realize how vital it is for us to make our own media. We should all know by now that Fox News, KMEL...

“Death at a Funeral,” produced by actor and comedian Chris Rock, hits theaters today with an all-star cast of actors and comedians. I had the opportunity to chop it up with comedians Chris Rock and Tracy Morgan, two of the most talented Black comedians in the game right now.

The latest “evolutionary debutante” is Ardi – Ardipithecus Ramidus – whose complete skull and pelvis crowns her as the greatest grandmother of modern day humans. About 2 million years ago these women evolved into the species Homo erectus. They walked upright out of Africa to populate the world.

I regard Paul Robeson as my hero and one of the greatest men who has ever lived. His words have a relevance that continues to inspire us, decades after his utterance. Of his art, he said: “[It] is a weapon in the struggle for my people’s freedom and for the freedom of all people.”

Set on the banks of the Mississippi during the Civil War, "…and Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi" is a poetic journey of forgiveness and redemption inspired by the myth of Demeter and Persephone. This thought-provoking play combines traditional storytelling, gospel music and a wicked sense of humor to create a rich, imaginative world that allows trees to preach, rivers to waltz and Jesus to moonwalk. The run has been extended through April 25.