A Name to Call: Johnnie Carr

Another fameless, yet tireless Civil Rights activist has passed away.

Those of us who learned about Johnnie Rebecca Carr through history books may remember her as “the woman who refused to give up her seat before Rosa Parks did it.” A lifelong friend of Ms. Parks’, Mrs. Carr organized carpools during the legendary Montgomery bus boycott. She later went on to head the Montgomery Improvement Association after MLK, a position she held until her recent death of a stroke at age 97.

Bless her spirit. May her family be comforted by her life and legacy.

NY Times Article

reflecting on black history month

Visit the Carter G. Woodson Institute

The Copper Sun recently sparked an interesting and lively discussion about Black History Month called “The Utility of Black History Month.” His original post included a quote from M-1 denigrating the month and ended questioning the importance and limitations of Black History Month.

In my response, I reflected on the limitations I perceive in the implementation of Black History Month. This is part of my comment:

it either becomes about romanticizing, mourning, or dreaming…but, what about really understanding our history and cultures and working to make a change? as a public school teacher, i’ve found that this separation results in whole generations not knowing anything about ‘black history’ other than notable civil rights figures…there’s no connection made of ‘blacks’ (american or others) to the sciences, literature, math, government, etc. clearly, the only meaningful, scientific, and/or civilized contributions to these disciplines have only come from caucasians and asians. it’s really like being beaten…or ignored…all year, then hugged all month and expected to go out and leap mountains. it’s actually kinda schizophrenic.

Supreme Court to ACLU: “Fall Back”

The Supreme Court refused to hear the American Civil Liberties Union’s challenge to the NSA’s warrantless wiretap program.  As anticipated, the Courts continued with their previous position that the ACLU’s suit had legs that wouldn’t walk because the plaintiffs (the ACLU, other lawyers, scholars, and reporters) could not prove that they had been wiretapped by the NSA. 

“It’s very disturbing that the president’s actions will go unremarked
upon by the court,” said Jameel Jaffer, director of the ACLU’s national
security project. “In our view, it shouldn’t be left to executive
branch officials alone to determine the limits.”

The ACLU clearly points out that the situations is a catch-22.  On the one hand, the Court makes it plain that a person would need firm proof that they were being surveilled without a warrant, yet this very information protected from public knowledge because of the carte blanch powers relinquished to Bush through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.  The activity is said to be part of the Terrorist Surveillance Program, which no longer exists.

For some reason, it’s not easy to find articles covering this topic.  Here’s one.
Read the ACLU’s Press Release.

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A Name to Call: James Orange

Rev. James Orange and Obang Metho @ King family tombs

A long-time activist, whose name many of us have never heard before, has made his transition: James Orange. He was a field staffer Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1965, which was only the beginning of a lifetime of organizing, protesting, consciousness raising…and freedom singing to fight oppression and poverty. SCLC founder Joseph Lowery had this to say about Orange:

“Without James Orange, there would have been no movement across the deep South.”

and Andrew Young says:

“He was one of the first heroes. He is one of those people who never got the recognition, or the wealth or fame that he made possible for others.”

Coverage: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CNN

Heads of State Make History, Part 2

While BadBoy Records may have a resurgence in relevance with “the Bands,” many of us haven’t forgotten about one BadBoy a couple years into a 10 year sentence. Jamal “Shyne” Barrow, a former hopeful Bad Boy savior and rumored fall guy to Puffy, is almost seven years into his sentence and now in the news for a completely unexpected reason:

The father of jailed rapper Shyne made history last week by becoming the first black Prime Minister of Belize. Dean Barrow won the election by a landslide, ending a decade of one-party politics in the the small Central American country. (source: livesteez)

Heads of State Make History

Newsfeeds are abuzz with the news that Fidel Castro has resigned from his reign as el comandante of the communist island, Cuba, just shy of the 50 year mark as president. Castro, 81, names his brother, Raul Castro, 76, as acting President in 2006 as he battled an unspecified illness.

I can’t imagine what one of the most hated, feared, and romanticized political figures of the past 5 decades does after retirement, but Castra says that he will continue to address the Cuban people through his writings under the title “Reflections of Comrade Fidel.”

Underdogs Make a Come-up

The NAACP Image Awards aired this past Thursday. I’m normally a huge critic of the NAACP, but I have to give credit where it is due and give a shout out to the awards show for acknowledging the people and productions in various popular media that perpetuate complex and positive images of Blacks and other POC. Some of my favorite winners were:

Nonfiction Literature: “Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond,” Don Cheadle, John Prendergast.

Song Recording: “Like You’ll Never See Me Again,” Alicia Keys

**BREAKING NEWS**

Breaking news you’ve been holding your breath all day for…

Actor Gary Coleman revealed today that he was secretly married last summer!!

Valentine’s Day comes early just for you…

rundown of e. badu ‘honey’ video

Last week i posted about the latest bangin’ video for ‘Honey’ from the inimitable Erykah Badu video and her replication of my Minnie’s Perfect Angel (1974) cover:

(borrowed from soulbounce)

…and, if you were waiting for the rundown matching up the original album covers with badu’s interpretations, wait no longer, Soulbounce has you covered. Scope out the rest.

Also, the street beaters at squarerootz have the latest word from Ms. Badu’s camp on where’s she’s been and what she’s been into since the Worldwide Underground LP. Regarding what made “Honey” an irresistable first single for New Amerykah, she says

Boondocks slams BET – the banned clip

I finally found a way to post the clip of Aaron’ McGruder’s Boondocks airing out BET from “Hunger Strike” an episode that seems to have been banned from ever airing.