Category Archives: Culture

New Film:: The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975



THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE 1967-1975 mobilizes a treasure trove of 16mm material shot by Swedish journalists who came to the US drawn by stories of urban unrest and revolution. Gaining access to many of the leaders of the Black Power Movement Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale , Angela Davis and Eldridge Cleaver among them the filmmakers captured them in intimate moments and remarkably unguarded interviews. Thirty years later, this lush collection was found languishing in the basement of Swedish Television.

Cinema 16:9
35 N. Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, PA
‎4:00‎ ‎6:00pm‎

New Book:: Plastics “A Toxic Love Story”



Plastic built the modern world. Where would we be without pacemakers, polyester, computers, cellphones, sneakers or chewing gum. (Plastic in gum? Yep!)

But a century into our love affair with plastic, we’re starting to realize it’s not such a healthy one. Plastics draw on dwindling fossil fuels, leach harmful chemicals, litter landscapes, and destroy marine life. And yet each year we use and consume more; we’ve produced as much plastic in the past decade as we did in the entire twentieth century. We’re trapped in an unhealthy dependence – a toxic relationship.

Journalist Susan Freinkel shows in this engaging and eye-opening book that we have reached a crisis point. Freinkel treks through history, science and the global economy to assess the real impact of plastic in our lives. She tells her story through eight familiar plastic objects: the comb, chair, Frisbee, IV bag, disposable lighter, grocery bag, soda bottle, and credit card. Each one illuminates a different facet of our synthetic world, and together they give us a new way of thinking about a substance that has become the defining medium—and metaphor—of our age.

Freinkel’s conclusion? We cannot stay on our plastic-paved path. And we don’t have to. Plastic points the way toward a new creative partnership with the material we love to hate but can’t seem to live without.

Revolution:: What Happens In Egypt Now?



By Jami Floyd WNYC

I have been watching the events in Egypt over these 18 days and it was clear that the country had risen together for a single cause — the removal of President Hosni Mubarak. But as I have suggested before, a revolution does not a democracy make.

There can be no orderly transition of government in Egypt in the midst of chaos. The protestors have made their point. They have won the day: Murbarak has resigned.

Now leadership must emerge to make choices for the future in a calm and deliberative manner. For true democracy to result there must be a peaceful and orderly transition of power — not to a military regime, but to a new republic. Vice President Omar Suleiman, the military, and yes, Mr. Mubarak himself, must work to calm the people and create the proper environment for a new Egypt to emerge. The Muslim Brotherhood has offered assurances that it is committed to nonviolence and has no special agenda in the current uprising. It, too, must work to achieve calm and restore order. It is essential, therefore, that the people return to their day-to-day lives in Egypt, to normalcy, while their leaders work to build an interim government. (They can, and should, return to the streets, if progress is unsatisfactory.)
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Today in Black History for February 28th


Today’s Black History facts for February 28th. Provided by our friends over @BlackFacts.comBe sure to stop by their site and check them out. I Hope everyone learn something new and discuss thing amongst themselfs. Celebrate Black Heritage. This is Green Culture. This is Black Culture. This is Hip Hop Culture. This is OUR CULTURE. Teach the youth.

Selected Black Facts For february 28th

1. 1990 – Singer Cornelius Gunter dies
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Cornelius Gunter, lead singer of the Coasters, was shot to death in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gunter joined the group in 1957 and was around for such hits as “Poison Ivy” and “Charlie Brown.”

2. 1990 – Computing’s Nobel Prize
Philip Emeagwali awarded the Gordon Bell Prize (computing’s Nobel Prize) for solving one of the twenty most difficult problems in the computing field.

3. 1984 – Michael Jackson, entertainer wins 8 Grammys
Musician and entertainer Michael Jackson wins eight Grammy Awards. His album, “Thriller”, broke all sales records to-date, and remains one of the top-grossing albums of all time.

4. 1977 – Death of comedian Eddie (“Rochester”) Anderson
Death of comedian Eddie (“Rochester”) Anderson (71).

5. 1948 – First Martyr in Ghanian Independence
Sgt. Cornelius F. Adjetey becomes the first martyr for national independence of Ghana.

6. 1942 – Race riot, Sojourner Truth Homes, Detroit
Race riot, Sojourner Truth Homes, Detroit.

7. 1940 – United States population: 131,669,275
United States population: 131,669,275. Black population: 12,865,518 (9.8 per cent). Richard Wright’s Native Son published.

8. 1932 – Inventors
Richard Spikes invented the automatic gear shift

9. 1879 – Southern Blacks fled political and economic
Southern Blacks fled political and economic exploitation in “Exodus of 1879.” Exodus continued for several years. One of the major leaders of the Exodus movement was a former slave, Benjamin (“Pap”) Singleton.

10. 1859 – Arkansas legislature required free Blacks to
Arkansas legislature required free Blacks to choose between exile and enslavement.

Today in Black History For February 25th


Today’s Black History facts for February 25th. Provided by our friends over @BlackFacts.comBe sure to stop by their site and check them out. I Hope everyone learn something new and discuss thing amongst themselfs. Celebrate Black Heritage. This is Green Culture. This is Black Culture. This is Hip Hop Culture. This is OUR CULTURE. Teach the youth.

Selected Black Facts for February 25th

1. 1998 – I Believe I Can Fly
R. Kelly’s hit single “I Believe I Can Fly” win Best Male R&B Vocal, Best Song Written for TV or a Movie and Best R&B Song Grammy Awards.

2. 1991 – First African American woman to die in combat in the Persian Gulf War
Adrienne Mitchell, first African American woman to die in combat in the Persian Gulf War is killed in her military barracks in Dharan, Saudi Arabia

3. 1980 – Robert E. Hayden dies
Robert E. Hayden, poet and poetry consultant to the Library of Congress, dies

4. 1978 – Daniel “Chappie” James
2/25/1978: On this day Daniel “Chappie” James, first African American four-star general, dies in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

5. 1975 – Death of Elijah Muhammad
Death of Elijah Muhammad (77), leader of the Nation of Islam, in Chicago. He was succeeded by his son, Wallace D. Muhammad.

6. 1964 – Cassius Clay becomes world heavyweight boxing champion.
Cassius Clay becomes world heavyweight boxing champion.

7. 1964 – Nat “King” Cole dies
Nat King Cole, the singer with the “Golden Voice”, dies.

8. 1948 – Martin Luther King,Jr. Ordained
Martin Luther King ordained as a Baptist minister

9. 1928 – One-Man Show of Art
“One-Man Show of Art by Negro, First of Kind Here, Opens Today,” read the headline of a front-page article in ‘The New York Times’ on this day. The article announced the opening of Archibald J. Motley, Jr’s show at the New Gallery on Madison Avenue. This was the first time in History that an artist had made t…

10. 1870 – Hirman R. Revels
Hirman R. Revels of Mississippi sworn in as first Black U.S. senator and first Black representative in Congress.

Today in Black History for February 24th


Today’s Black History facts for February 24th. Provided by our friends over @BlackFacts.comBe sure to stop by their site and check them out. I Hope everyone learn something new and discuss thing amongst themselfs. Celebrate Black Heritage. This is Green Culture. This is Black Culture. This is Hip Hop Culture. This is OUR CULTURE. Teach the youth.

Selected Black Facts for February 24

1. 1966 – Kwame Nkrumah ousted in military coup
Elected leader and first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, ousted in military coup while he is away on a peace mission to Vietnam.

2. 1940 – Heavy weight boxer Jimmy Ellis born
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Jimmy Ellis was born James Albert Ellis in Louisville, Kentucky. Ellis won the World Boxing Association title after beating Jerry Quarry in April 1968.

3. 1868 – House of Representatives voted, 126 to 47, to
House of Representatives voted, 126 to 47, to impeach President Andrew Johnson.

4. 1864 – First Black Woman to receive an M.D.
2/24/1864: Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes the first black woman to receive an M.D. degree. She graduated from the New England Female Medical College. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was born in 1833. She worked from 1852-1860 as a nurse in Massachusetts.

5. 1811 – Bishop Daniel Payne born
Bishop of AME Church Daniel Payne born

Selected Black Facts For February 23rd


Today’s Black History facts for February 23rd. Provided by our friends over @BlackFacts.comBe sure to stop by their site and check them out. I Hope everyone learn something new and discuss thing amongst themselfs. Celebrate Black Heritage. This is Green Culture. This is Black Culture. This is Hip Hop Culture. This is OUR CULTURE. Teach the youth.

Selected Black Facts for February 23rd

1. 1995 – Melvin Franklin dies
Bass Singer Melvin Franklin of The Temptations died of complications following a brain seizure in Los Angeles. He was 53.

2. 1979 – Frank E. Peterson Jr.
Frank E. Peterson Jr. named the first Black general in the Marine Corps.

3. 1965 – Constance Baker Motley elected Manhattan Borough President
Constance Baker Motley elected Manhattan Borough president, the highest elective office held by a Black woman in a major American city.

4. 1929 – Baseball catcher Elston Gene Howard born
Baseball catcher Elston Gene Howard was born in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1965, Howard signed a $70,000 contract with the NY Yankees and became the highest paid player in the history of baseball at the time.

5. 1925 – Politician Louis Stokes born
Louis Stokes, former mayor of Detroit, Michigan, and member of the US House of Representatives, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Stokes was the first African American elected to the House from Ohio.

6. 1915 – Death of Robert Smalls
Death of Robert Smalls (75), Reconstruction congressman, in Beaufort, South Carolina.

7. 1895 – William H Heard
William H. Heard, AME minister and educator, named minister to Liberia.

8. 1869 – Louisiana governor signed public accommodations
Louisiana governor signed public accommodations law.

9. 1868 – W.E.B. DuBois born
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (W.E.B. Du Bois) was born on this day.

10. 1868 – Dr.William Edward Burghardt DuBois
On this day Dr.William Edward Burghardt DuBois, educator and civil rights advocate, is born in Great Barrington, Mass.

Selected Black Facts For February 22nd


Today’s Black History facts for February 22nd. Provided by our friends over @BlackFacts.comBe sure to stop by their site and check them out. I Hope everyone learn something new and discuss thing amongst themselfs. Celebrate Black Heritage. This is Green Culture. This is Black Culture. This is Hip Hop Culture. This is OUR CULTURE. Teach the youth.

Selected Black Facts for February 22

1. 1989 – DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince win the first rap Grammy for the hit single “
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince win the first rap Grammy for the hit single “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”

2. 1950 – Birthday
Julius Winfield( “Dr.J”) Erving, 49, former basketball player, born Roosevelt, NY, Feb 22, 1950

3. 1938 – Ishmael Reed, poet, born
Ishmael Reed, poet, born

4. 1911 – Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Passes
Activist and social reformer Francis Ellen Watkins Harper dies in her home in Philadelphia. Harper founderd the Naiontl Convention of Colored Women in 1864 and was involved in other projects for women’s rights.

5. 1911 – On this day, the “Bronze Muse” died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Frances El
On this day, the “Bronze Muse” died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper wrote more than a dozen books, including ‘Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects’(1854); ‘Moses, a Story of the Nile’(1869);and ‘Sketches of Southern Life’(1872). Harper was the most famous female poet of her day and the most…

6. 1898 – Black postmaster lynched and his wife and three
Black postmaster lynched and his wife and three daughters shot and maimed for life in Lake City, S.C.

7. 1888 – Painter Horace Pippin born
In West Chester, Pennsylvania, African American painter Horace Pippin was born. Pippin is considered one of the major American painters of his period. One of his more significant works, “John Brown Going to His Hanging,” is owned by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

8. 1841 – Grafton Tyler Brown, lithographer and painter, bor
Grafton Tyler Brown, lithographer and painter, born

Celebrate Black History:: Little Known Facts and History Firsts



Black History Month is almost over. But that doesn’t mean that we have to stop learning the history of our American Culture. Because if we take the word black away from the word history, that’s exactly what it is. History.

The Bio Channel has put together one of the nicest Black History Facts Charts I seen so far. I took the time to post the top 3 Little Known Facts and Firsts. Make sure you stop by their site to see all 366 facts. Biography Channel Celebrates Black History

Little Known Facts::

Fact #78
As a child Muhammad Ali was refused an autograph by his idol, boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. When Ali became a prize-fighter, he vowed never to deny an autograph request, which he has honored to this day.

Fact #79
Muhammad Ali the self-proclaimed “greatest [boxer] of all time” was originally named after his father, who was named after the 19th century abolitionist and politician Cassius Marcellus Clay.

Fact #80
Allensworth is the only California community to be founded, financed and governed by African-Americans. Created by Allen Allensworth in 1908, the town was built with the intention of establishing a self-sufficient, all-black city where African-Americans could live their lives free of racial discrimination.

* To read more Little Know Facts click here.

History Firsts::

Fact #208
Soccer phenom Freddy Adu was the youngest athlete to play in a professional American sports league.

Fact #209
The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon honored Ira Aldridge with a bronze plaque. He is the only African-American actor to receive this tribute.

Fact #210
BET was the first African-American controlled company to sell shares on the New York Stock Exchange.

*To read more History Firsts click here.

Black History Facts For February 18th


Today’s Black History facts for February 18th. Provided by our friends over @BlackFacts.comBe sure to stop by their site and check them out. I Hope everyone learn something new and discuss thing amongst themselfs. Celebrate Black Heritage. This is Green Culture. This is Black Culture. This is Hip Hop Culture. This is OUR CULTURE. Teach the youth.

1. 1973 – Palmer Hayden, Harlem Renaissance artist, dies
Palmer Hayden, Harlem Renaissance artist, dies

2. 1931 – Toni Morrison born
2/18/1931: On this day Toni Morrison, who will win the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved, is born in Lorain, Ohio.

3. 1931 – Toni Morrison born
Toni Morrison (born Chloe Anthony Wofford) was born on this day.

4. 1896 – H. Grenon patents razor stropping device
Grenon, H. Razor Stropping Device Feb. 18, 1896 Patent No. 554,867

5. 1894 – Paul Revere Williams, renowned architect, born
Paul Revere Williams, renowned architect, born

6. 1867 – Morehouse Predecessor Founded
An institution was founded at Augusta, Georgia which was later to become Morehouse College, following its relocation to Atlanta. Morehouse College is one of the most prestigious black colleges in the nation.

7. 1865 – Rebels abandoned Charleston
Rebels abandoned Charleston. First Union troops to enter the city included Twenty-first U.S.C.T., followed by two companies of the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteers.

8. 1688 – First Formal Protest Against Slavery
First formal protest against slavery by organized white body in English America made by Germantown (Pa.) Quakers at monthly meeting. The historic “Germantown Protest” denounced slavery and the slave trade.

9. 0 – National Independence Day in Gambia
National Independence Day in Gambia