Modern Griots: It’s All About the Benjamins Baby

Banneker, that is. The areas of science, engineering, technology and mathematics have been colonized for the past few centuries. Media and other institutions often highlight white inventors, scientists, mathematicians and engineers, but neglect the people of color who have made significant contributions to these areas pre-, during and after slavery and colonialism. Although Benjamin Banneker […]

Otherworldly Videos: Black Gold

Esperanza Spalding recently released “Black Gold” from her upcoming album Radio Music Society. In her explanation about the song, she said: “This song is singing to our African American heritage before slavery. Over the decades, so much of the strength in the African American community has seeded from resistance and endurance. I wanted to address […]

Moving on the Wires: Schomburg Digital Exhibitions

This is amazing and I recommend that you all visit these sites: schomburgcenter: On February 1, the Schomburg Center will join thousands of schools, libraries, and education institutions nationwide for Digital Learning Day—sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education—for a celebration of innovative teaching and learning using digital media and technology. Digital Schomburg offers you […]

I Could Dance, Dance, Dance All Night…

Pierre Bennu’s (Exit the Apple) “Sun Moon Child” video highlights the connections between various black dance styles throughout history. Soda Jerk created a video, Tap Hop, which compares jazz tap dance and hip-hop breakdance. African dance has been a major influence not only throughout the African Diapora, but also throughout popular culture in general. The […]

Haiti, Voodoo and Rebuilding…

Black Public Media released a video about the historical and present-day misconceptions about Voodoo. A voodoo priest, or hougan, Ati, gives a more accurate description of what voodoo is and its place in the rebuilding of Haiti after the earthquake. To learn more about the Haitian culture, please visit ZOE Magazine/Defend Haiti.

Otherwordly Videos: Alaalo

An African Epic. Alaalo (Someone Has a Story), is a short film by a Pratt Institute student, David Adeogun. The coming-of-age film deals with a “group of young African American children and their mentor, and their various struggles as young black people in a culture where Africa is hardly talked about.” To watch the whole […]

Modern Griots: Ayiti Resurrect

Carmen Mojica posted about Ayiti Resurrect, a grassroots organization whose work is centered around helping to rebuild Haiti: “Ayiti Resurrect is a team of visionary artists, community builders, mental health specialists, and holistic healers with bloodlines in Haiti and the African Diaspora. We have organized ourselves as a grassroots delegation working in collaboration with local […]

The My-Stery: He Is More Than a Dream: Martin Luther King Jr.

Jay Smooth‘s “Ten Other Things Martin Luther King Said” When most people think of Martin Luther King, Jr., they tend to think of only his “I Have a Dream Speech” and they usually only think of a small fraction of it. Often they will use the speech to make King seem less radical than he […]

Moving on the Wires: Mark Anthony Neal’s Left of Black

Professor of African & African-American Studies at Duke University and blog owner of New Black Man, Mark Anthony Neal began producing the weekly webcast Left of Black last year. Neal calls the series, “a contrarian view of blackness,” and it is due to his wide range of guests on the show who discuss a variety of […]

“I AM A MAN: Black Manhood & Sexual Diversity”

This film addresses the historical, social, political, media and religious contexts of black masculinity and black male sexuality in Africa and America. A panel, including Marc Lamont Hill, Esther Armah, Cleo Manago, Rev. Al Sharpton, Bishop John Selders, and Dr. R. L’Heureux Lewis, also contribute to the discussion of sexuality in the African Diaspora. This […]