Arts Today Ezine vol. 3.11 by Arts Today Ezine

Vol 3.11

January 18, 2017

Feat. Artist

Edna J. PATTERSON-PETTY pg #60

View this and past issues from our website.

WISE AFRICAN...

POWELL-COATES...

CALL FOR NOM'S

pg. #12

pg. #32

pg.#82

DR. MALAIKA HORNE

DR. JERRY WARD

WOMEN OF ACHIEVE...

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

IN THIS

ISSUE:

IN THE NEWS POLITICAL HISTORY...

INFINITE SCHOLARS OP/ED

32 POWELL - COATES - WIDEMAN DR. JERRY WARD

FEATURED POET TONYA "TW" HARRIS

110 YEAR OLD BOOK CLUB VICKIE NEWTON

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT

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LIVE / WORK / PLAY NATE JOHNSON

WISE AFRICAN WOMAN DR. MALAIKA HORNE

50 FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER CURTIS JERMANY

FEATURED ARTIST EDNA J. PATTERSON A writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, or because everything she does is golden. A writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway.

Junot Diaz, Professor of Writing,

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 2008

Established 2014 Volume 3.11 St. Louis, MO www.the-arts-today.com/ Layout/Design www.bdesignme.com

NOTE:

As the publishers of The Arts Today Ezine we take care in the production of each issue. We are however, not liable for any editorial error, omission, mistake or typographical error. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of their respective companies or the publisher.

This Ezine and the content published within are subject to copyright held by the publisher, with individual articles remaining property of the named contributor. Express written permission of the publisher and contributors must be acquired for reproduction.

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IN THE NEWS

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Volume 2.1 March 4, 2015

St. Louis

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OP / ED SECTION

Editorial Rebeccah Bennett TRUTH: This is not the first time that this country has been run by a bigot. It is not the first time that we have experienced political isolation and social rejection. Founder and principal of Emerging Wisdom LLC.

nd it is not the first time that we have had to figure out how to metabolize our grief and fear in ways that did not immobilize us, but caused us to actualize our power to change the world.

PERSPECTIVE:

Right

and forefathers lived through horrors that were generational in scope and scale. They persisted through times when there was little chance of a better tomorrow, much less a better life â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not even for their kids. Yet they responded to their lot in life by creating resistance movements, aid societies, educational and religious institutions, banks and co-ops, art forms, innovations and spiritual practices that continue to make our lives

better today. Remember that their blood is our blood. Their strength is our strength. They are the ROOTS and we are their FRUITS.

PRAYER:

We call upon our ancestors, those upon whom the sky fell. We call upon our ancestors who experienced all manner of degradation, humiliation, violation and death. We call upon our ancestors, people who swung from trees and were forced to live on their knees. We call upon our ancestors, many of whom persisted, survived and endured without destroying themselves or others. May whatever it is that nourished and sustained them come more fully alive in us. Ashe.

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The WISE African Woman Why it's Time to Fully Recognize Her

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The Wise African American Woman -Why it’s Time to Fully Recognize Her “Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.” ~~ Aeschylus

and hallowed are the halls of academia and yet it can Staid be notably deceptive. True – some pointy-headed college professors do lecture ad nauseam about the intricacies of brain-numbing minutiae, yet all sorts of real, raw and difficult conversations go on in classrooms throughout America’s institutions of higher learning. The Black female slave had to nurse her child, nurse the masters child, cook, clean, and be the help mate of the Black man all while maintaining her sense of self. Time has evolved and we are now in the 21st century and the Black woman is still EVERYTHING to EVERYONE. ~~The Feminist Griote

Teaching cultural diversity at Webster University, I presented the cold hard truths about the lessons of slavery, lynching and racism that seemingly made my mostly White students rather uncomfortable sometimes squirming in

their seats. Most importantly, the aim was to enlighten them. As you may know, much of lynching targeted Black men accused of raping White women based on the concept of the “Cult of true White womanhood.” In the minds of White men, White women were placed on pedestals, only to be taken down for few very specific purposes, such as coitus and childbirth. Remember the old saying, “barefoot and pregnant?” This of course is the height of sexism. But to be more historically specific, White women were viewed as the “true light of the home,” domestic goddesses as it were, representing “piety, purity, domesticity and submissiveness.”

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THE WISE AFRICAN WOMAN... cont.

One time, a White female student wasn’t having it. She blurted out in the midst of one of the lectures. “I don’t know why they put us on pedestals,” she protested. “They treat us like crap.” The class discussion fell suddenly silent and we soldiered on, yet I kept her comments in the back of my mind. But that’s not the point of this article. This is about the indomitable spirit of Black American women who’ve never been placed on a pedestal but excelled despite obstacles. Harlem Renaissance writer, Zora Neal Hurston said: “The Black woman is the mule of the world.” For centuries we were the cotton-pickers/field workers (right along side Black men) the wet nurses, the maids, the cooks, to lighten the load and also the household drudgery and childcare of White women. This is compounded by Black women having to perform her own duties as wife, mother and homemaker. What’s more, many less fortunately situated risked the ravenous sexual appetites of slave owners, overseers and others, who raped and molested with impunity. That’s one of the reasons descendants of house enslaved tended to be of lighter hue. While being under fierce assault, White males simultaneously targeted and negatively stereotyped Black women in the media, such as magazines, movies and TV primarily as the mammy, the Jezebel and the sapphire (emasculator). Later, other scornful images were imposed such as welfare queens, drug addicts, poverty-stricken single mothers, immoral and shameless (either asexual or over-sexualized). The war on Black women’s bodies and status in an attempt to relegate her to the lowest rung of the social ladder has not stopped, but with remarkable pg.

steadfastness and resilience she continues to overcome. To trot out a meme: seldom do they showcase our best, but always they magnify our worst. Not only do Black women have to navigate perilous social and psychological stereotypes -- as the website The Feminist Griote so aptly put it, they are “everything to everyone.” This has got to change. No one group should bear the burdens, hardships and emotional toils of a culture while simultaneously being demonized. Take the latest presidential election. Black women overwhelmingly voted for the Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at 96 percent, 49 percent more than White women, 58 percent more than White men and nine percent more than Black men. By and large, they were not seduced into thinking that a businessman of questionable dealings and with no governmental experience could solve difficult and complex problems better than a highly capable veteran woman politician. According to the December 11, 2016 New York Times article, Low

Expectations for Husbands and Presidents by Irin Carmon, a recent poll showed African American women were “23 points more likely to be the primary wage earners at home.” Carmon added: “These women’s lives . . . the poll also revealed that Black women were 14 percentage points more likely than White women to view themselves as leaders.

whether by necessity or choice, already belie the fiction that a man’s job is to provide not much else.” Others have painfully assessed the attitudes of 53

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THE WISE AFRICAN WOMAN... cont.

percent of White women who voted for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Essentially, they concluded that women Trump supporters tend to feel more secure and believe more in White male leadership, buying into the belief that White men are their saviors and protectors. As Trump himself said: “I alone can fix it.” Equally troubling were their casual dismissal of misogyny, sexual harassment and abuse as “good ole boy locker room banter and towel snapping.” Sadly, in this country there is an entrenched view that White males are smarter, stronger and the most effective leaders. Hence, leadership still has a White male patina. In bold contrast, the poll also revealed that Black women were 14 percentage points more likely than White women to view themselves as leaders. This all makes sense to Gwen Moore, curator, Urban Landscape, Missouri History Museum: I think that Black women have always played a leading role in the African American community. Even before coming to this country, If you go all the way back to Africa, they were always workers. Women controlled the market, there was a sexual division of labor, between men and women, but again women in Africa always worked. It was unlike western culture where women’s roles were generally devalued. She continued: Even when African women came to the new world they continued to have a (public) presence. Angela Davis, (activist and scholar) said this is a western idea that White women (mostly middle-and upperclass) were supposed to be relegated to the private sphere, but this wasn’t true for African American women, so we have this tradition. Even under slavery, this ‘rough equality,’ as Davis said, existed for Black men and women, but didn’t necessarily exist between White men and women. They thought White women should be on a pedestal; they idealized White women.

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There are many examples of Black women at the epicenter of cultural, economic and political life. Putting high-wattage luminaries aside for a moment, such as Oprah Winfrey and First Lady Michelle Obama, the following is a formidable sampling of a long list: Partial List of Audacious Black Women • • • • •

• • •

•

• • •

Tyra Banks, TV producer, businesswoman, former model Kathleen Battle, opera singer Beyonce, Grammy award winning singer/performer Simone Biles, Olympic gymnast gold medalist, 2016 Donna Brazile, Democratic National Committee, chair & political analyst Ursula Burns, chairman and CEO, Xerox Misty Copeland, renown ballerina Sheila Crump Johnson, billionaire CEO, Salamander Hotels and Resorts Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza, founders, Black Lives Matter Gabrielle Douglas, Olympic gymnast gold medalist, 2012 Ava DuVernay, award winning filmmaker Tamron Hall, host, NBC Today Show

• • • •

• • •

•

• •

•

Kamala Harris, U.S. senator, California Cathy Hughes, owner, TV One Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor, Obama Administration Toni Morrison, novelist, Pulitzer Prize & American Book Award winner Lupita Nyongo, Academy award winning actress Joy Reid, host, AM Joy, MSNBC Susan Rice, national security counsel advisor, Obama Administration Rihanna, singer, songwriter, Grammy award winner & fashion icon Shonda Rhimes, TV producer, screenwriter & author Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State, George W. Bush Administration Alice Walker, novelist, Pulitzer Prize & American Book Award winner

Coming out soon to a theater near you is the biographical film Hidden

Figures, portraying three African American women physicist, space scientist and mathematician who calculated flight trajectories for Project Mercury and the 1969 Apollo flight to the Moon. Using their calculations, John Glenn (who recently passed) became the first American astronaut to make a complete orbit of the Earth. Taraji P. Copyright © 2017 - All rights reserved.

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THE WISE AFRICAN WOMAN... cont.

Henson plays Katherine Johnson; Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan and Janelle Monae as Mary Jackson. Until recently, why haven’t most people heard of these incredible Black women? Why were they swept into the dustbins of history and Glenn celebrated as an American icon? No pedestals for them. American history and their heroes are fraught with founding fathers, robber barons and stars of the silver screen -- as whole swaths of Americans, not just Black women, have been erased to cultivate an impression that White men “alone can fix it.” Occasionally and throughout history, Black males have barred Black women from leadership involving business dealings, politics, activism and the like. They see these areas as the sphere of men alone. But this is the height of folly for any male, particularly for African Americans. Here is what Michelle Obama said about Hidden Figures, recently viewed at the White House: It’s the story of how time and again, when we have tapped the talent and energy of all or our people; all of it. . . . (And) If everyone at the table looks the same and thinks the same and has the same experiences, you never come up with the best answers. . . . Your obligation is to make sure these conversations are diverse because we saw in this film when we pull together, men and women, people of every background and color and faith, immigrants who came here from across the globe to make America their home. When we bring all of that brainpower to the table, anything is possible.

Now, that’s one wise African American woman. Malaika Horne, PhD, is a journalist and academic writer pg.

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

IVE WORK PLAY

Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017 St. Louis

s promised, 2016 was an incredible year! We all experienced a broad range of emotions and experiences while learning about each other and ourselves. Like you, I am looking forward to an awesome 2017. Neil Gaiman said "I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something." Speaking of doing something, I have a few somethings that you can do over the next month. Hopefully, you will join me in getting out around St. Louis this month and we'll make a great start to a great year!

JANUARY

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JANUARY

While your family is gathered together for the holidays, you can attend the annual New Year's Day Downtown Kirkwood Winter Fireworks Festival, a delightful post-Christmas event with musical groups and merchants offering specials. Have dinner at one of the local restaurants either before or after the fireworks. Perhaps you are in the mood to start the new year with an invigorating 5-mile run? Sign up for the New Year's Day Run in Forest Park, part of the Fleet Feet Snowball Series. Registration is open on race day. Also... New Year's Day is your last chance to see the Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Be dazzled by the spectacular lighting displays and creative installations among favorite attractions: the Climatron, Japanese Garden, Children's Garden, and more. Head downtown to the Arch Winterfest and lace up your skates. What a treat! The St. Louis Blues and CityArchRiver have teamed up to bring an ice skating rink to the Gateway Arch, in the Luther Ely Smith Square between the Arch and Old Courthouse. A variety of activities are scheduled. Hurry... the rink is open through Sunday. Tuesdays mark free wine tastings at Garland Wines in Webster Groves. You can sign up for classes to learn about the many types of wines -- both regional and from around the world. On Wednesday night Sean Canan's VooDoo Players performs at Broadway Oyster Bar.

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Local Events JANUARY

The International Photography Hall of Fame Induction and 50th Anniversary Celebration Exhibition is on display Thursday in Midtown. Inductees include Ken Burns and Steve Jobs. On Friday at Scottrade Center, you and the children will have an awesome time with the Harlem Globetrotters who will entertain fans with their amazing ball handling skills and comical tricks and interactions. Are you or someone you know getting married soon? On Saturday and Sunday the Wedding Show at America's Center offers great ideas for gowns, reception decor, and more -- everything you'll need to consider in preparing for the big day.

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IVE WORK PLAY

On Monday see Real/Radical/Psychological: The Collection in Display at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.This building-wide exhibition celebrates the museum's first ten years in the renowned Fumihiko Maki-designed structure on the Washington University campus. Highlights include works by Jackson Pollock and Thomas Eakins. Capturing the City: Photographs from the Streets of St. Louis, 1900-1930 is on display at the Missouri History Museum. You'll feel nostalgic making comparisons of familiar neighborhoods from then to now. Love gaming? The Cherokee Performing Arts Center hosts RKDE's Open House on Wednesday evenings. For $0.25 you can play arcade games late into the night, test your skills on the pool tables, and dance to a variety of DJ mixes.

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Grand Center is host to the exhibition Radar Home, 11.8.13 - New Work by Amy Reidel. Reidel combines St. Louis storm radar reports with MRIs and family portraits to depict a colorful and broad array of human emotions. Saturday and Sunday highlight several special events for your enjoyment: There's a cool happening in the Delmar Loop this weekend. Don't miss the 12th Annual Loop Ice Carnival. These are delightful days to enjoy ice sculptures and slides, a zip line, jugglers, magicians, fire performers, and more! Now that you're bundled up, make a day trip to Eagle Days Festival 2017 at the Chain of Rocks Bridge. How fascinating to watch bald eagles soar overhead, fish in the icy river, and roost in nearby trees. Attend demonstrations, educational activities. Thank goodness... there's a warming tent. Brrr! The popular Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up event at the The Arch Hyatt Regency benefits the team's foundation supporting kids. This will be a great time for the whole family. You can get Cardinals' autographs, bids on auction items, and support a worthy cause.

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IVE WORK PLAY

If you didn't have a chance to attend Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up over the weekend, the event continues Monday. Tuesday is opening night for An American in Paris at The Fabulous Fox. This is a romantic, Tony Award-winning story about an American soldier, a French girl, and the City of Lights. The Red Hot Chili Peppers Getaway Tour will definitely warm things up on Wednesday at Scottrade Center. Check out the newest cars, trucks, and SUVs on Thursday at the Saint Louis Auto Show downtown at America's Center. Starting Friday and continuing through Sunday, Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music will be on stage at the Peabody Opera House. The kids will enjoy spending time with Big Bird and friends as they search for missing instruments.

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Also on Saturday, I will be teaching The Keys to Homeownership at The Heights. This free monthly seminar is designed to educate people about the process of achieving home ownership. Real Estate Solutions believe that educating our clients is the best way to ensure that they are prepared to make good real estate decisions. Big Muddy Dance Company performs "Menagerie" on Saturday evening at the historic Sun Theater in Grand Center. On Sunday treat yourself to a performance of R&B, soul, and blues by The Jazz Edge Orchestra at the Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

JANUARY

22 Mark your calendars for the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference coming February 2-4. I will be moderating a discussion at this event and I'd love for you to join me downtown at Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel for "Practical Tools and Innovative Strategies for Creating Great Communities". You'll learn about our area's new technologies and sustainability efforts and discover why St. Louis is the #1 startup city in the country! You can hear many knowledgeable speakers and attend a variety of networking activities, information sessions, and unique workshops. See you there!

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IVE WORK PLAY

If you enjoy films,on Tuesday at Narwhal's Crafted Urban Ice it's The Best Worst Movie Night , a unique venue that combines cocktails and games that tie in with very good bad movies. On a more serious note, the Saint Louis Science Center OMNIMAX Theater is like no other movie-watching experience. And with the recent passing of astronaut John Glenn, it's a great time to see A Beautiful Plant. This documentary reveals footage of earth and the surrounding atmosphere from the International Space Station. The Pulitzer Arts Foundation showcases Medardo Rosso: Experiments in Light and Form, an exhibition by the Italian artist whose life spanned the 19th and 20th centuries. Objects include ephemeral works of sculpture, drawings, and photographs. #Fierce, the first gender-bending Drag Show at The Boom Boom Room is hosted by Kamiya Krush and is sure to entertain on Thursday nights.

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JANUARY

On Friday visit the Saint Louis Art Museum to see Textiles: Politics and Patriotism. Learn about the use of textile designs, long used to promote commemorative events in many cultures. The museum will be open until 9pm. Also on Friday, the Peabody Opera House opens Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a daring and hilarious rock musical. The St. Louis Classical Guitar Society presents Duo Noire at the Ethical Society of St. Louis on Saturday. These virtuoso guitarists are also educators who have taught master classes at Juilliard, Saint Louis University, and other institutions. On Sunday, before the weekend "ends", have some outdoor winter fun with your family at Hidden Valley Ski. Take in the crisp, cold air as you ski, sled, snowboard, and tube. The website details more opportunities awaiting you on the slopes. How about the Polar Plunge? Left Bank Books hosts poet and Washington University MFA alum and Fulbright Scholar Aaron Coleman on Monday evening. Coleman will read from his book St. Trigger, a compilation of verses that poses questions about the masculine identity in Black America.Also at the bookstore, on Saturday mornings, is Storytime with Cliff -- for the kids. Now through February 4, the Regional Arts Commission presents Humans of St. Louis, a virtual platform that tells the stories of local residents through street profiles and interviews. Watch and listen to diverse St. Louisans give their perspectives on a variety of topics such as economic development and social justice. Yes, we have another great month to kick off what promises to be a great year! Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you. All the best. -Nate P.S. The latest Housing Report is available to view. You'll see that the median home listing price is up 10% from last year. Let me know what questions I can answer for you. We would love to help you achieve your real estate goals! Nate K. Johnson ABR,CRS,GRI Broker/Owner Real Estate Solutions 314-575-7352 Direct | 314-558-6025 Fax | 314-514-9600 x 102 nate@livingstl.com | www.livingstl.com

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Exhibit Opening: The Colored Section. Provocative title. Provocative work

Visual artist John K. Blair opens his solo show tonight at UrbArts featuring 17 paintings from his collection. Join us from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm to view the art, for the artist talk, for open mic, and beat curation by Siddall tha Selecta. This event is free and open to the public. About the Artist John K. Blair is a photographer and an artist. He's also a contributing writer for All the Art. He describes his work as deeply rooted in postmodern perspective and assumes that meaning is primarily subjective, created between the interaction of what is observed and experienced.

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An intensive writer’s workshop for writers who are at the final stages of completing their project, but need time, space, and professional assist to push through. The retreat also includes a professional development module that will cover publishing, and marketing processes to make sure your work gets out to the world.

C O M P L E T E T H A T W O R K I N P R O G R E S S Submit application and writing to: nightwritersstl@gmail.com 6 tuition paid spots available Submissions due by: December 1, 2016 by 11:59pm Retreat at Paul Artspace: January 20-22, 2017 & January 28-29, 2017 www.stlnightwriters.com

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POWELL,

COATES,

pg.

WIDEMA

AN,

THE IMPLICATIONS OF TITLES

ABSTRACT: The titles which Kevin Powell and Ta’Nehisi Coates chose for their 2015 memoirs do matter as clues for interpretation, because they invite, and perhaps compel, us to assume particular postures in the making of meaning. Is Powell’s titular echoing of The Education of Henry Adams, a classic example of American autobiography, really a calculated gesture to emphasize the historical gap between privilege and disadvantage in American life? By deliberately borrowing Between the World and Me, the title of Richard Wright’s stunning poem, does Coates affirm lynching as a deathbound American ritual? Do the titles enlarge or limit the force of indeterminacy in our construction of meaning? How we answer these questions reveal deeper, more vexing questions about rhetorical options in the writing of what William Andrews identified as the “relativistic truth value of all autobiography” (3) in his influential study To Tell a Free Story: The First Century of AfroAmerican Autobiography, 1760-1865 (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1988). Do the rhetorical options John Edgar Wideman chose to use in Writing to Save a Life encourage critique of how black male autobiographical writing might evade death-bound entrapment?

Coates, Ta’Nehisi. Between the World and Me. New York: Spiegel and Grau, 2015. Powell, Kevin. The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood. New York: Atria Books, 2015 Wideman, John Edgar. Writing to Save a Life: The Louis Till File. New York: Scribner, 2016.

by Dr. Jerry Ward

Autobiography is one of the more intriguing mixed genres of American writing. Elizabeth Bruss’ Autobiographical Acts: The Changing Situation of a Literary Genre (1976) may lead us to believe that the “rules” governing autobiography are stricter than those which pertain to drama, poetry, and fiction; that is to say demonstrating competence in dealing with autobiography as genre may involve a more faithful observation of conventions (traditional expectations) and a greater belief in referentiality. Yet, the possibility of referentiality may immerse us in a cycle of interpretive problems that resist clear resolution. The awareness that generic “rules” are based on abstractions from histories of reading (traditional habits), however, invite us to amend them in our acts of interpretation, in the cognitive acts we use in order to grasp the meaning of texts. We are willing to break them, because we recognize that autobiography is not a static, unchanging form, but an effort to leave evidence (social, moral, aesthetic) of life experiences in this world. We allow the writer of autobiography great latitude in arranging language and rhetorical devices in her or his effort to bear witness to “a truth, “ because we associate the truth of what happened in verifiable reality or actuality with the individual’s subjective confessional, psychological egoinvestments. In this sense, the autobiographical writings of Kevin Powell and Ta’Nehisi Coates appear to be relatively “traditional” when they are read against the “avant-garde “ features of Wideman’s autobiographical detective work on the “lynching” of Emmett Till’s father. Wideman frustrates conventional expectations by dwelling in the deep space of his own creativity. For example, the pervasive discussion in the United States of why “Black Lives Matter” may seem to have a tremendous impact on how and why African American autobiographies are written from multiple “black life” angles in the first quarter of this century, because the simple sentence appears to be self-evident. It has been floating about in one language or another since antiquity. Nevertheless, the fact that contemporary variations of the sentence are circulating in arenas of social networking and mass media can tempt us to be skeptical , can tempt us to ask what precisely is the sentence designed to have us think. The terms “police brutality,” “racism,” and “tyranny of law and order” do not have to be spelled out in post-Civil Rights black autobiographies. Many American www.the-arts-today.com

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POWELL, COATES, WIDEMAN... cont.

readers will assume these terms inform the texts. The terms are assumed to be unspoken elements in the special attention we give to the lives of African American males. And the assumptions have become especially relevant in discussing the lives of Americans who are not visually “white” (Caucasian) or self-identified as “white.” But such terms as “inferior,” “mental and physical abuse,” and “exploitation” apply as well to autobiographies by African American women. Black men don’t have a monopoly on being targets, because the gendered aspects of life do cross freely back and forth across borders. We do not forget (or should not forget) these possibilities as we read what Kevin Powell , John Edgar Wideman, and Ta’ Nehisi Coates offer us as examples of autobiography.

Powell’s autobiography or memoir is a trenchant disrupting of the enabling grounds (assumptions about entitlement, freedom and privilege) that inform The Education of Henry Adams. Thus, Powell secures his niche in the tradition of American autobiography by maximizing the oppositional potency of the African American autobiographical tradition, the telling a free story about what is universally recognized as unfreedom. And we ought not minimize the fact that Powell gives us both subjective and objective evidence of his character and courage through writing as an act of brutal honesty. It may be apparent to discerning readers that The Education of Kevin Powell is a gendered, medium-crossing, asymmetrical companion to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse Records CK69035), a musical witness that conjures Carter G. Woodson’s The Miseducation of the Negro (1934). Other readers may think of The Education of Sonny Carson (1972) and the 1974 film of the same title. They may think of the education that is actually located in the mean streets of our nation rather than in its “celebrated “institutions of public schooling and higher learning. The value of such associations is to highlight what an American education outside the questionable “safe” zones of formal institutions really is.

Adjustments, exaggerations, forgetting and remembering, and selective displacements are in motion as part of the shared authority of the writer and the reader. Our own egos and needs as readers are implicated in judgments about what is true or false. So too are our ideas about collective features of life histories. What social and cultural conditions affect the powerful motives in the act of writing? What counts most in our reading and interpretation of autobiography, perhaps, is the sense that the narrator as well as the persona who stands in for a Self are reliable witnesses.

We demand, in most cases, assurances that the autobiography is more than an absurd, commercial gimmick or a game of linguistic whim. If the assurances fail, we are

Focusing on American education prevents an automatic or passive reading of Powell’s book as yet another African American saga of abject disadvantage and noble struggle to transcend. His writing pertains more to flight into than flight from something. By way of learning-oriented approaches to his text, we might discover what that something might be and why we need to be better informed about it than most of us are. Giving priority to our education as readers frustrates the banal tendency to stereotype American and African American autobiographies as stories of radicalization and identity politics and racialization. An unorthodox reading of The Education of Kevin Powell can expose how phony is a tearful and self-serving reception of the book. Reading against the grain reduces indulgence in the delusion and bad faith of pity. It liberates us to grasp how raw will power enables an American male to prevail in the endless, uneven, traumatic attempt to reach the telos (desirable end) of being human, of being a good citizen in a chaotic universe.

not devastated. We all understand how American citizens “play” (manipulate) one another. These considerations allow us to have a rich transaction with The Education of Kevin Powell.

Even before we begin to read Powell’s autobiography, we may be given pause by his strategic choice of a title. The Education of Kevin Powell echoes the title of an older, privileged, and seldom read autobiography, namely The Education of Henry Adams. Perhaps the choice was not merely accidental. Perhaps the twenty-first century Kevin Powell actually wanted to expose the vast and crucial differences between his life journey and the one taken by Henry Adams, the elitist nineteenth-century descendent of two American presidents. To recall a well-known metaphor from Booker T. Washington’s autobiography, we can say that as writers Powell and Adams are connected in a national literary enterprise; as American citizens, they as separate from one another as the little finger is from the thumb. The exact circumstances of Powell’s choice are, and should remain, a tantalizing mystery. It suffices that The Education of Kevin Powell is a magnificent deconstruction of the fiction named the “American Dream.”

Powell’s autobiography makes a strong case for the power of the will. He reinforces the idea of responsible agency which is central in the essays he collected and edited in The Black Male Handbook (2008) and in his own essays in Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?: Manhood, Race and Power in America (2003) and Someday We’ll All Be Free (2006). Indeed, we can learn from this autobiography what the American entertainment/ disinformation industry wants us not to know about the essence of being hip-hop

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or the transformational complexity of oppositional stances. Powell exposes the education America imposes upon it male citizens outside and inside formal classrooms. This autobiography has two parts. Part 1 “trapped in a concrete box” contains seventeen chapters which deal with the spatial origins of Powell’s long, unfinished journey; the thirteen chapters of Part 2 “living on the other side of midnight” give specificity to the temporal, to the events and people in the unique trajectory of Powell’s life to the present. The introduction establishes the dominant image of violence and being beaten, the image that haunts us frequently in the autobiography and in our everyday lives.

Powell’s exact words --- “the beating as punishment for my life” --- operate in unsettling concert with the line “trapped in a concrete box” from his poem “Mental Terrorism” in Recognize (1995) and his plain assertion that “writing is perhaps the most courageous thing I’ve ever done.” Through writing Powell instructs us time and

again that “there is something grotesquely wrong with a society where millions of people face daily political, cultural, spiritual, psychological, and economic oppression by virtue of their skin complexion.” His recognition of what is at once explicit and implicit in an American education justifies his desire to have writing “open up minds, feed souls, bridge gaps, provoke heated exchanges” and authorizes a yearning, present throughout world history, to have writing “breathe and live forever.” Without saying so directly, Powell challenges Allan Bloom’s famous lamentations in The Closing of the American Mind (1987), and subverts Bloom’s complaint by writing to open the imagined mind of the United States of America in the 21st century. Critics who assign maximum value to aesthetics have no reason to fear that Kevin Powell minimizes craft in contributing to the production of knowledge, because he is appropriately literary in shaping autobiography. The title of his book is a very literary gesture, a discriminating invitation to use uncommon cultural literacy about the nature of American autobiography. He is even more recognizably literary in using the device of the catalog of discoveries (as Richard Wright used it in Black Boy) to hammer ideas about the journey from boyhood to manhood -----”like the rupture... like the longing...like the bewilderment...like the hostile paranoia...like the cryptic sense of great expectations.” And the latter allusion is one result of Powell’s having read both Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens in his youth. Powell’s anaphoric use of “I remember...I remember...I remember” attests to how he inserts his poetic sensibility to serve the Copyright © 2017 - All rights reserved.

rhetorical ends of creative non-fiction. And it is remarkable that he rewrites a passage from Black Boy about how adults use alcohol and words to “corrupt” a child for their careless amusement to dramatize an educational moment. Like Wright, Powell uses what purports to be remembered dialogue to intensify our sense of the affective properties of historiography and to suggest historical process always comes back to us as narrative not as objective reporting that is in denial of its inherent subjectivity. Powell is crafty and exceptionally skilled in creating literature that does not hesitate to critique the limits of moral imagination. Or, for that matter, to expose the innate immorality of twenty-first century societies. He targets those wretched circumstances, so permanent in our heritage of social and racial contracts, which cast light on the moral dimensions of his profound struggles with his own sexism and his anger, his male American and African American identities. The Education of Kevin Powell and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me are indebted to Wright and to The Autobiography of Malcolm X, a fact that legitimizes comparison. But the comparison ought to be tough-minded and should make a special note that Coates and Powell are writing from different but convergent class positions. Interpretive association of Coates with Benjamin Franklin (his autobiography was intended, in part, to be a guidebook for his descendents) and of Powell with Henry Adams enables us to have fresh perspectives on representing privilege, race, and power without falling into merely tendentious literary and cultural criticism or drowning in lakes of fickle public opinions. But we must remember that an understanding of these autobiographical writings also imposes upon us the need to assess what we know or do not know about our own existential choices which pertain to leadership and activism. The books complement each other as we try to make sense of individual plasticity in human response to Nature and multiple environments. Reading the two autobiographies compelled me to make a choice. I admit that the vernacular qualities of The Education of Kevin Powell instruct me more thoroughly about the problematic nature of autobiography than do the deliberate “literariness” of Between the World and Me. His writing encourages me to learn more about aligning the building of knowledge for everyday use with critical aesthetic response, while the ego-focused rawness of Powell’s confession invites me to agonize that the lessons in his openness may be casually dismissed by many young male readers who are enthralled with being macho . Reading Ta-Nehisi Coates is not easy. The difficulty is constituted neither by his prose style nor his subject matter, because the subject matter is familiar and his sentences www.the-arts-today.com

Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

POWELL, COATES, WIDEMAN... cont.

are music for the inner ear. Difficulty slams into you from a place he is not exploring, from the badlands where signs defy decoding. You feel that his having borrowed the title Between the World and Me from one of the stellar poems of 20th century American poetry transports you to a desert where the bones of David Walker, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, Alexander Crummell, Mark Twain, and Ralph Ellison are strewn helter-skelter and the air smells like Theodore Bilbo’s breath. In that arid, alienating place, you are hearing footsteps from In the American Grain by Williams Carlos Williams and Brothers and Keepers by John Edgar Wideman, although ultra-orthodox literary criticism wants you to hear a sermon from James Baldwin that simply is not available. Toni Morrison’s “amen corner” blurb for Coates’ book doesn’t persuade me to read Coates as Baldwin reincarnated. The blurb persuades me that Morrison is complicit in an enterprise of which she once was progressively critical. The difficulty is also constituted by the idiosyncrasy of how my mind reads, by my uncanny affinity with Richard Wright.

New Testament God to be an invisible shadow and act. After all, who told Jesus he could change his name? Who? Who? The owl and Amiri Baraka? Ah, Mr. Coates you use the word “body” too much in Between the World and Me and are too stingy in using the word “mind.” Do you not recall that after Richard Wright figured out what was truly between the world and himself and other black males, he figured forth the lynching of the mind in The Outsider and The Long Dream? When you play with allusions, do not half-step. Temptations strengthen idiosyncrasy.

You find it tantalizingly informative that Ta-Nehisi Coates chose not to imprison his letter to his son in the ancient form that letters can still assume. He begins “Son,”

(page 5) and ends “Through the windshield I saw the rain coming down in sheets.” (page 152) He did not begin “Dear Son,” and end “Your father, Ta-Nehisi”. The lack of formality says something about the 21st century, about the distance between what Mr. Coates deems to be the proper shape of correspondence and the outmoded antiquity of your ideas about how courtesy ought to be signaled. Coates operates against the formal properties of the model James Baldwin provided in his letter to his nephew. So be it. Although generic form is an action, it is superseded by substance. Substance is what you are looking for in Coates’s book. You find it in the possibility that Coates is saying something to his son from the region of mind that only he can access, that is curiously represented when he writes of becoming a writer without a degree from Howard University: I felt that it was time to go, to declare myself a graduate of The Mecca, if not the university. I was publishing music reviews, articles, and essays in the local alternative newspaper, and this meant contact with more human beings. I had editors ---more teachers --- and these were the first white people I’d ever really known on any personal level. They defied my presumptions --- they were afraid nether for me nor of me. Instead they saw in my unruly curiosity and softness something that was to be treasured and harnessed (62).

Idiosyncrasy begets temptations. Under the influence of Coates’s tip of the hat to Richard Wright and the space/time where an enormous number of males have no sanctuary, you are tempted to listen once more to Billie Holiday sing “Strange Fruit.” But wouldn’t the mood produced actually prejudice your reading of how Coates depicts the space of the hard place and the rock? Listen to Thelonious Monk, October and November 1947, Blue Note LP 5002. Monk and Art Blakey provide the jazz against which you to read Coates’s blues (echoes of Ellison’s calling Wright’s Black Boy a species of blues writing). You are tempted to ask why Coates romanticizes life at Howard University beyond the classroom as the Mecca. His idea of Mecca is a translation of comments on a pilgrimage by Malcolm X, a man whom Ossie Davis eulogized as one who made the cowardly “thoroughly ashamed of the urbane and smiling hypocrisy we practice merely to exist in a world whose values we both envy and despise.” Is it urbane or cosmopolitan to tell your son about that Mecca and tell him nary a word about Chicago’s Mecca, the 1891 apartment building, to tell your son nothing about what Gwendolyn Brooks said about that Mecca? She ordered us to “Sit where the light corrupts your face.” When you drop knowledge for your son, employ economy. Aretha Franklin’s beautiful phrasing of “And temptation’s strong” cuts across Monk’s “Humph.”

The slave trade treasured black bodies and harnessed them on plantations in a new world of capitalism.

Trying to accord Mr. Coates the sympathy and respect he accorded Wright’s illuminating habitation of the black male body, you are tempted to say unto him invest more in the vengeance of the Old Testament God for whom the pen is the sword. After Ferguson and the white magic of daily systemic murder in the United States, you are tempted to suggest that the human body in our nation professes the

You write on the margins of page 62: “Reconstructing the tragic chain of circumstances....” and “In the hope that there is something to learn from this account, something to salvage from the grief and waste, I’ve striven for accuracy and honesty.” You quote from John Edgar Wideman, Brothers and Keepers (New York: Vintage, 1984), page xi,

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hoping (with genuine desperation) that Wideman’s honesty will anoint your reading of Between the World and Me. You begin to fear that Coates is 100% American. You write words published in 1925 on a separate sheet of paper: “Here Poe emerges --in no sense the bizarre, isolate writer, the curious literary figure. On the contrary, in him American literature is anchored, in him alone, on solid ground.” This assertion comes from William Carlos Williams, In the American Grain (New York: New Directions, 1956), page 226. You are annotating Coates’s book because something is emerging. Poe became a “major” American author by not graduating from the University of Virginia. William Carlos Williams, a doctor and poet, found something American to admire in Poe. So too did Richard Wright, who said that had Poe not lived we would have invented him. In the back of your mind, memory whispers: one of Wideman’s early novels is entitled The Lynchers.

son might plunder these books at his leisure when he reaches the age of reading. Or he might reject them and choose to plunder a very different selection of texts. You guess that Ta-Nehisi Coates would have his son plunder in the name of unqualified love of himself. Should he do so, he might indeed produce his own myths and narratives and thereby rival those created by his father. Those myths and narratives just might resemble the autobiographical ones created by John Edgar Wideman, who makes superb use of his mind to document the homoerotic fascination white folk believe they are destined to have with the bodies of black, red, brown and yellow folk. Your son, Mr. Coates, might empower himself to destroy (or at least minimize) the ways the agents of mass media, social networking, the ubiquitous Internet, and the American police state work feverishly to constipate his mind as well as his body and his spiritual essence.

Is Coates saying something to his son about narrative that exceeds the conventional talk (recently rebaptized by necessity as THE TALK) which non-white American fathers think they are obligated to have with their non-white sons, saying something about the talk that ,apparently, white fathers never have with their white sons? When it comes to how the talk and lives of all color matter, the tongue of the white male American body is as bound as the feet of a Chinese emperor’s favorite wife. Perhaps Coates is quite indirectly telling his son that the so-called white mind actually is a fiction without material references.

Between the World and Me is a strong, complex, provocative book. Like all American authors, Coates could not avoid signing deals with demons in order to have his book published commercially. You know that. You have compassion for the book’s instances of class-blindness. You make peace with its flaws, the moments when specificity becomes generalization, because the book subverts gross ignorance and exposes your nation’s unique brand of denial. It is a brave book. It is a book that James Meredith, author of A Mission from God: A Memoir and Challenge for America (New York: Atria Books, 2012), might endorse if he is caught at just the right moment of generosity. It is a truth-telling book which inspires dread. It does not inspire promises of false hope that shall never be delivered.

“You have not yet grappled,” Ta-Nehisi Coates writes to his son, “with your own myths and narratives and discovered the plunder everywhere around us “(21). When and if the son does discover American history is an interlocked series of subjective narratives , then he will have to weigh the commerce of narrative and violence in maintaining America’s social and racial contracts. Men created America by violating the minds and bodies of men, women, and children. You think it would be good for Coates to give his son copies of Robert G. Parkinson’s The Common Cause: Creating Race and Nation in the American Revolution (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2016), Hayden White’s The Content of the Form: Narrative Discourse and Historical Representation (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987), Grace Elizabeth Hale’s Making Whiteness: The Culture of Segregation in the South, 1890-1940 (New York: Pantheon, 1998), Tzvetan Todorov’s The Conquest of America (New York: Harper & Row, 1984), John Hope Franklin’s From Slavery to Freedom: A History of Negro Americans, 3rd ed. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1967) and Leslie Bow’s Partly Colored: Asian Americans and Racial Anomaly in the Segregated South (New York: New York University Press, 2010). The

Dread is the real deal in the United States of America and elsewhere. The Dream is an evil fiction that attempts to enslave people, and too often it succeeds beyond the expectations of its authors. Ta-Nehisi Coates has produced a first-rate secular jeremiad, an honest meditation on Dread. There is a thin but critical line between a sermon and a jeremiad. Coates is neither a priest nor a preacher. You sit in the desert, secure in your idiosyncrasy. You and the ghost of Claude McKay, author of the sonnet “America” sit in the sand and take bets on who shall be the first to see Time’s unerring terrorism, with much help from Nature, dispatch the millions of people who worship in the temples and cathedrals and mosques of white supremacy. Re-reading McKay’s sonnet is a fine start for a judicious probing, for engaging the endlessly provocative questions behind what Powell and Coates may be saying to their native land:

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

POWELL, COATES, WIDEMAN... cont.

Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth, Stealing my breath of life, I will confess I love this cultured hell that tests my youth! Her vigor flows like tides into my blood, Giving me strength erect against her hate. Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood. Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state, I stand within her walls with not a shred Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer. Darkly I gaze into the days ahead, And see her might and granite wonders there, Beneath the touch of Time’s unerring hand, Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand.

for committing rape and murder in Italy” and that “Revisiting trial testimony did not help me produce the Emmett Till fiction I wanted to write….” ( Writing…12)? That Wideman substituted an autobiographical project for one devoted to fiction matters greatly, because it reminds that the grossest obscenities of American history are not the stuff of fiction. They may be present in fiction, but they lose the abrasive qualities that non-fiction (or almost non-fiction) deliver. And Wideman produces a noteworthy sandpapering of the mind in his memoir. He vacillates between his reading of the redacted Louis Till file and the evidence of how that file was crucial in assuring that the murderers of Louis Till’s son would be absolved of guilt by the machinations of Southern justice in Mississippi in 1955. The sandpapering is made all the more effective by the references to the poetry of Ezra Pound (the treason-smeared maker of cantos) and Robert Hayden (the virtuous maker of minor epics), by multiple allusions that examine the extent of one’s cultural literacy and sophistication in the sense of one’s being a coloured citizen of the world still capable of hearing the voice of David Walker’s Appeal (1829).

The sonnet is also a prelude to considering the question of John Edgar Wideman and the contemporary functions of black male autobiography. Do the rhetorical options John Edgar Wideman chose to use in Writing to Save a Life encourage critique of how black male autobiographical writing might evade death-bound entrapment? Permit repetition. The autobiographical writings of Kevin Powell and Ta’Nehisi Coates appear to be relatively “traditional” ( conventional in reassuring readers that aspects of the status quo are very much intact )when they are read against the “avant-garde “ (making the strange seem overtly familiar) features of Wideman’s autobiographical detective work on the “lynching” of Emmett Till’s father. Wideman frustrates conventional expectations by dwelling in the deep space of his own creativity, the atypical anxieties that form and inform his life history.

Truth be told , Wideman, Coates and Powell as writers of autobiography do not escape the death-boundedness of the existential choices available to American males. They can no more evade entrapment than can Donald J. Trump, Barack Obama, and Warren Buffett as makers of scary autobiographical propositions. But that’s another story about global capitalism and international political affairs. Let it suffice that the implications of the titles chosen by Powell, Coats, and Wideman shall haunt us for many decades.

Like the poetic meditation of Philip C. Kolin’s Emmett Till in Different States (Chicago: Third World Press, 2015), a quite sensitive white male autobiographical rendering of how language gives birth to images of an iconic moment in America’s violent past and present, Wideman’s Writing to Save a Life is a remarkable exercise in the use of language to save his own life, in scrutinizing the peculiar language of World War II U. S. Army documentation to contextualize his individuality. His blending of fact and fiction is a disarming revelation of the emotional truths which contest any “rules” that might distinguish autobiography as a genre. What emotional truth pulsates in knowing “Private Louis Till’s file revealed he had been hanged July 2, 1945, by the U.S. army

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An Evening of Commemoration to Observe the 100Year Mark of the Devastation of the East St. Louis Riots/Pogrom

Where: Mildred E. Bastian Center for the Performing Arts Theatre 5600 Oakland Ave, St. Louis MO, 63110 When: Monday, January 23, 2017 6 p.m. (reception) 7 p.m. (tribute) Edmond Brown, 1917 Centennial Commissioner, CoChair of Commission Judge Milton Wharton, 1917 Centennial Commissioner, CoChair of History Committee Eugene B. Redmond, 1917 Centennial Commissioner, Chair of Arts Committee Dr. Karla Scott, 1917 Centennial Commissioner, Chair of Education Committee Musical tribute by True Light Baptist Church Hosted by: St. Louis Community College at Forest Park and the East St. Louis 1917 Centennial Commission & Cultural Initiative

click below for a complete list of Social Justice Week Events Connect with us

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Job Fair

Saturday, January 21, 2017 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Caroline Mission Early Childhood Education Center 2828 Caroline Street | St. Louis, MO 63104

Over 100 years of child & youth educational experience. Neighborhood Houses was born as a settlement house in 1913 and over the years we have offered a wide variety of programs and services to children and families in need. Today we focus on four core services, all designed to strengthen children and families, helping them to reach their own magnificent potential. 

  

State-licensed and accredited early childhood care and education offered on a sliding scale for up to 88 children, ages six weeks to five years of age. Quality before/after-school programs and summer camp for approximately 1,200 children at 18 school-based sites. A teen moms’ support group. Magnificent Creations, a youth employment/social enterprise program.

For more information, please call:

Interviews will be conducted on-site

Please bring your resume! Available Positions: Full- and part -time Early Childhood Education Teachers (12 credit hours in early childhood education required) Part-time Program Assistants (Experience working with school age children required) Accountant (CPA preferred)

(314) 383-1733, Ext. 338

326 South 21st Street, Suite 301 St. Louis, MO 63103 www.neighborhoodhouses.org

HR Generalist

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ACTORS

in support of

The John E. & Regina S. Nance Memorial Scholarship Fund presents…

Dennis Lebby

“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” Directed by Fannie Lebby

Peggy Calvin

Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church 3200 Washington Avenue ~ St. Louis, Missouri 63103

Tickets: $10.00 "I've Been to the Mountaintop" was Dr. Martin Luther King's final speech delivered at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ on the eve of his assassination April 3, 1968. This interactive performance transports the audience back to Mason Temple where 3,000 plus crowd came to hear Dr. King's address during the sanitation worker's strike taking place on the streets of Memphis, Tennessee! Music arranged by Marvin Cockrell.

The John E. and Regina S. Nance Memorial Scholarship Fund is a ministry of Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church that helps support high school seniors as they enter college.. You may purchase tickets in advance from any Nance Scholarship Committee Member or you may pay at the door. For more information or if you just want to make a donation contact the church at (314) 533-8763.

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Gregory Carr

Jason Little

Thomasina Clarke Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Featured

Poetry

Submission

Bio: Tonya "TW" Harris has been writing poetry for over ten years. It started out as a hobby then grew into a profound passion. Within that time she has written five collections of poetry and two collections of short stories. She has participated in various art events throughout Chicago, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. She is also the owner of an organization name Paper Artist that assist with promoting artist and giving them the chance to network with others. Some of her most recent works " The Notebook of an Everyday Poet" can be found at Subterranean Books in the Delmar Loop in St. Louis and the other " New Skin"can be found online at Amazon Kindle. She has also had the privilege of working with Eber & Wein Publishing in 2016 and getting one of her works titled "Time" published in their annual book Where the Mind Dwells Proclamation. pg.

Tonya "TW"

Harris

Dirty Mattress Dirty mattress For years you were my friend Some nights my enemy You dirty mattress What secrets you kept Sworn to tell no one You held me gentle while I slept Played games to keep me awake And you called my name when you missed me The way I use to dress you up With earth tone Egyptian cotton Deep blue silky satins But the t shirt cotton sheets are my favorite Dirty mattress my good friend You were there when I was giddy as can be With that other person on my mind You were there when I felt so misunderstood With that same damn person on my mind The nights I slept alone And those where you shared my lover Dirty dirty mattress The things you could tell if you had to But you never will Cause you love me the most When I was sick and under the weather You gently cradled me and held me close Many jealous of you For the love and time we share But I pay them no mind You will always be my dirty mattress The one that was there for it all The lonely, cold nights My wild and crazy moments And my laid back mornings You dirty little mattress With all your lumps, stains, and rips Thank you for the years spent We have many more ahead of us

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Black Black by definition Is the absence or complete absorbent of light Consume with darkness It has no hue Simply basic and plan It's elaborately draped To reveal the mourning and pain The opposite of good, purity, and life For white represents them all To have a black out You have no power To be the black sheep You have no love To be on the black list You have enemies To be within the black market You have secrets To be black mailed You must be threatened To have a black eye You must endure pain And to be in a black mood You must co exist with depression and misery But by definition My black is beautiful Black is my hair and my skin For both have been sweetly kissed by the sun Black is the root and foundation Without it other colors would have no beginning Black represents authority and elegance And when worn well slims the curves Black is knowledge and wisdom As one wears the color around their waist Black symbolize power and strength Painted on flags and held up with pride

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In My Mind In my mind I play it over and over again I rewind it, fast forward Blow it up, even put it in slow motion And still I'm lost How did we start with love And end up as strangers We had so many hopes and dreams Now we barely have words Please explain to me How did "I love you" Quickly fade to a dial tone How did quality time Turn into no time How did "I gotcha" Become "Man I forgot ya" Cause in my mind I saw love different I saw love as unconditional With flaws and all I saw love as honest Even when it hurts I saw love as trust Through the battles And maybe in my mind Is where we went wrong Maybe I should've loved you for the moment Instead of forever I should've set boundaries Instead of allowing you to roam free in my heart I should've limited our time So quality time wouldn't be a priority Maybe I should've loved you with my mind Instead of giving you the privilege Of loving you with my heart

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Betta Your words sound soooo good Even when I know there're sweet lies They bring me pleasure And create a false sense of hope They send my ego to the moon While tearing down my spirit inside So for that I need betta Your touch feels enduring and loving Gentle and reassuring But the same hands Allowed me to fall Have touched others And left battle scars So for that I need betta Your kisses taste so sweet Especially when you placed them on me You kissed here, there, and everywhere No limits to where you would go Full of physical passion And regret and shame So for that I need betta Your body feels good in every way The way it looks, the way it smells Up and down, in and out All over me and trough me I can't get enough I yearn for more Even when it lays with another So for that I need betta Your love came when I needed it most When my soul was lost and heart broken It pushed and pulled me Had my heart and mind at war Fertilizing my world with unfamiliar demons Which produce lust, lies, and drama So for that I need betta Your words don't sound as cleava Your touch doesn't feel as good Your kisses don't taste as sweet Your body doesn't feel as pleasing You love doesn't look as real I see you with different eyes Because I've had betta pg.

Keep Living This world won't hold you and cradle you Give you shelter when you have no home This world won't wipe away your tears Or place kisses on your wounds Keep living and don't die...you'll realize This world is a hard place to survive This world won't give you anything just because Or smile to brighten your day This world won't hold your hand Or create a path to lead the way Keep living and don't die....you'll realize This world is a hard place to survive This world won't protect you from hurt Or help you avoid shame This world won't mend your broken heart Or ease your unstable mind Keep living and don't die....you'll realize This world is a hard place to survive This world won't love you unconditional Or catch you before you fall This world won't give you the spotlight Or many chances to shine at all Keep living and don't die....you'll realize This world is a hard place to survive But what this world will do Is teach you concrete lessons Give you a thicker skin and stronger shoulders Open your eyes to a lot of lies So Keep living and don't die.... You'll realize You can survive

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

BOOK SIGNING

DuEwa Frazier Author

features at Barnes & Noble for Educator Appreciation Week

DuEwa Frazier, a St. Louis based Author & Educator will sign copies of her new book, Quincy Rules, a teen novel, at Barnes & Noble - Ladue on Saturday,

January 14, 2017 from 12 noon - 2 pm

This event is a part of the week - long Educator Appreciation Week at Barnes & Noble. All educators are welcome to come out and enjoy a 25% discount in the bookstore and a 10% discount in the cafe for teachers. Visit www.duewaworld.com.

Barnes & Noble, Ladue Crossing Shopping Center, 8871 Ladue Rd | St. Louis, MO 63124

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Featured

Photography

Submission

Photography Project tells the Stories

of Blackness in the U.S.

Photos and narratives seek to highlight the spectrum of societal treatment for Black Americans.

in this project can contact Curtis via email at gzphotoz@gmail.com. Appointments are on a rolling basis and are taken at Studio GZ in Oakland, California.

akland-based photography Curtis Jermany is seeking Black individuals to tell their stories about their racial encounters in their everyday lives. Jermany, known to many as the “MooD-ologist” will photograph each person and record their stories for a forthcoming, coffee table-style book. Local activists such as Rev. Michael McBride, and artists, students, professors, business owners, and other professionals from both coasts are being photographed and sharing their stories for posterity. The book, slated for a winter 2018 release, has the working title of “Our Stories - Black In America.” The narratives cover topics from police brutality, to violent, physical confrontations, and the emotional toll that everyday encounters and microaggression take on the human psyche, and how they shape the way the person responds in the future. The tales told are real, personal stories that capture only a snapshot of the societal struggles that Black people in the United States face each day. Despite the heaviness of the subject matter, the photos range fully from laughter to solemnity, further anchoring and juxtaposing the lives realities of Black people in the US with the personality that the subjects carry with them. Curtis Jermany’s work lives up to the “MooD-ology” label, capturing a subtle variety of energies, feelings, and emotions. Individuals willing and able to participate

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The multi-city tour for photo events will be announced soon at www.mymoodyism.blogspot.com.

###

Media Contact Curtis Jermany 510-472-0177

gzphotoz@gmail.com

### Source: Curtis Jermany -Curtis Jermany d@ PiC taKiNG dUDE

www.moodologyphotography.com www.facebook.com/moodology www.aloveaffairphotography.com www.instagram.com/moodologist www.twitter.com/moodologist

Studio GZ

www.studiogz.net

MooD-ology n - the practice of photographically capturing many moods

Curtis

Jermany

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Media Contact Curtis Jermany 510-472-0177

gzphotoz@gmail.com

pg.

www.the-arts-today.com

Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Media Contact Curtis Jermany 510-472-0177

gzphotoz@gmail.com

pg.

www.the-arts-today.com

Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Media Contact Curtis Jermany 510-472-0177

gzphotoz@gmail.com

pg.

www.the-arts-today.com

Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

pg.

For African American Youth & Young Adults Ages 13 – 24 Living in St. Louis City and County

FREE 6-WEEK EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP SERIES

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LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD! SPEAK PREVENTION THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA! FEMALE ONLY SESSION! FEMALES

DATES

Workshop Dates

Oct. 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27 Nov. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17 **REGISTER BY OCT. 4TH**

Orientation

October 8, 2016

MALE ONLY SESSION! MALES

DATES

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Jan. 18, 19, 25, 26 Feb. 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23 **REGISTER BY DEC. 31ST **

Orientation

January 14, 2017

TIMES

LOCATION

TIMES

LOCATION

11:30am – 2:30pm 5:30pm – 8:30pm (each day)

UMSL ITE Building 4633 World Parkway Circle, St. Louis, MO 63134

For Additional Program Information call 314-516-8491

Sponsors & Partners

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Featured

Artist

Submission

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Edna J.

Patterson

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

BIO_ My name is Edna Patterson-Petty and I am a lifelong resident of East St. Louis, IL. I am a graduate of Southern Illinois University with a BFA in Studio art and MFA in Textile arts and a MA in Art Therapy. Although I am more known for my fabric art, I also enjoy creating assemblage art using a variety of found, and discarded objects. I believe that a great part of my creativity consist of me using my intuition which guides my direction of constructing and choosing the materials for a specific project. I sometimes work in total silence; other times I have music playing that help to enhance the mood. For additional information about Mrs. Edna J. Patterson-Petty: Flickr.com/photos/24065392@N03/ http://www.bnd.com/living/magazine/article38064426.html Art Work in Concourse A St. Louis Lambert Airport http://www.alestlelive.com/multimedia/collection_6d49dad8-3e33-11e1-a1ea-001a4bcf6878.html http://edna-patterson-petty.blogspot.com/ http://art.state.gov/exhibitiondetail.aspx?id=100612&region=SCA&pid=87 http://stltoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=662549&CategoryID=19156 Beijing's Ullens Center for Contemporary Art http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/art/2013-08/18/content_16902109.htm https://www.amazon.com/Edna-J.-Patterson-Petty/e/B008BI2XTO https://www.pinterest.com/exhibitsusa/the-sum-of-many-parts-traveling-exhibition/ http://www.mask9.com/node/120448

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"I Am Not Your Negro" on James Baldwin

in theaters

February 3, 2017

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Women of Achievement: Call for nominations

Last Week to Submit Nominations for Women of Achievement Award Nominate an outstanding volunteer.

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Women of Achievement is calling for nominations for the 2017 Class of Honorees. The St. Louis Women of Achievement Award, which celebrates its 62nd anniversary in 2017, is the oldest, ongoing program in the area whose sole mission is to honor and recognize the volunteer service and volunteer leadership of women. The deadline for receipt of nominations is midnight Monday, January 16, 2017. Online submissions and printable nomination forms with full details are available at http://www.woastl.org/ nominate. Self-nominations are accepted. Eligible individuals are female volunteers from the St. Louis metropolitan area, including Metro East Illinois, who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to the betterment of the St. Louis region through voluntary contributions, volunteer leadership and a significant breadth of a volunteer career. Women of Achievement considers nominees with substantial volunteer impact in areas such as, but not limited to, education, arts, health and human services, youth and family, philanthropy, social justice and advocacy. Nominations of women representing diverse cultures, roles and accomplishments are encouraged. The 10 honorees will be recognized at the 2017 Women of Achievement Luncheon on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. This year’s luncheon chair is Gin Wachter and the vice chair is Phyllis Langsdorf. For additional information about the awards, please visit http://www.woastl.org.

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT... cont.

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PRIVATE

SHOOTING LESSONS FROM A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR.

One Hour Lesson includes ammunition and use of a firearm.

Call for an appointment.

Ernest Jones 314.791.6820

Concealed weapon classes available also. pg.

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

So Reel

January 24, 2017

Police and the Public: Knowing Your Rights In Encounters with Police Cell phone videos have shown numerous examples of poorly executed interactions between police and the public. Some of these have had disasterous results including fatalities, injuries and emotional trauma. While you can’t control every situation, or the temperament of every officer, knowing your legal rights and how best to exercise those rights could mean the difference between a bad outcome and a merely unpleasant one. Join the Lead Organizer from the ACLU along with a former St. Louis city police officer to discuss:

• Your legal rights • What to do if you see someone else’s rights being violated • Legislative updates to Missouri’s Racial Profiling laws • What Police say they want you to know

Tues., January 24 5:30-7:30pm Phyllis Wheatley Heritage Center 2711 Locust St. Louis, MO 63103

Panelists:

Questions? Contact Mary Ferguson mferguson@ywcastlouis.org RSVP to http://bit.ly/YWCASoReel

Steve Harmon Attorney Retired SLMPD Officer

Mustafa Abdullah Lead Organizer, ACLU of Eastern MO

Coffee and Cookies will be served. Free Admission

YWCA Metro St. Louis 3820 West Pine Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63108 (314) 531-1115 www.ywcastlouis.org

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Media Contact: Mary Schanuel mschanuel@synergy-pr.com 314.961.9772 December 1, 2016 Gitana presents “Faces of Love Concert and Dinner” Valentine’s celebration concert and dinner with international flavor

ST. LOUIS, MO – Gitana Productions will present “Faces of Love Concert and Dinner,” an international-flavor Valentine’s celebration concert and dinner on Saturday, February 18, at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd. The dinner will feature authentic dishes from three leading St. Louis ethnic restaurants along with candlelight, champagne and chocolates beginning at 6:30 p.m. The concert with original music by Aska Kaneko and Dawn Weber follows at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the dinner and concert are $50; tickets for the concert only are $25. Call (314) 721-6556. Aska Kaneko, an internationally known violinist from Japan, and well-known St. Louis trumpeter and entertainer Dawn Weber will collaborate to create a unique, cross-cultural performance. Both classically trained artists have ventured into jazz and contemporary styles of music, are talented vocalists and have received critical acclaim for their versatility and quality performances. “This musical collaboration clearly demonstrates that innovation and cross-cultural engagement is not just cultural but also spans creative styles, musical backgrounds and disciplines,” said Cecilia Nadal, executive director of Gitana Productions. “We are

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excited to see where these two talented artists will go creatively with their shared compositions and improvisation.” Aska Kaneko Is is a virtuoso violinist, a composer, musical director, producer and vocalist.She directs Aska Strings and is a member of Gaia Cuatro, a JapaneseArgentinian group that tours Europe and Japan. She is a renowned musical director of major music theatre products in Japan and has composed music for theatre and television. Aska has collaborated with a wide range of professional artists, including a duo project with harpist Amy Camie of St. Louis whom she met at a Gitana Productions Faces of Love Concert called “Celebration of the Divine Feminine.” Dawn Weber is a world-class entertainer, trumpeter, composer and stylish vocalist. She has performed with popular St. Louis bands Vargas Swing, Urban Jazz Naturals, and Mo and Dawn (The Remix Project) and currently leads her own bands including the Electro Funk Assembly, The Dawn Weber Trio, Naked Rock Fight and others. She has performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and with Latin, contemporary, and avant-garde bands, with styles ranging from electronic to blues, swing, brass and jazz. Special guest musicians and dancers also will perform, and the concert will be recorded live for Gitana’s upcoming theater project, BETWEEN WORLDS IN ST. LOUIS: AN AMERICAN JOURNEY, coming in May /June 2017. Links to video performances by Aska Kaneko and Dawn Weber are available at www.gitana-inc.org. The Valentine’s event is the 19th Faces of Love event of international and local artists presented by Gitana Productions since 1997. Other concerts have featured multicultural presentations such as the China National Orchestra working with the local African American Cameron Youth Orchestra; local Jewish rock artist Rick Recht teamed with Copyright © 2017 - All rights reserved.

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GITANA PRESENTS... cont.

Muslim artist Hassan Hakmoun; and Karamu: A Fiesta of Latin and African American Music with Denise Thimes, the Bosman Twins, Bokulaka, a Congolese dancer and drummer and Latin Fire lead by Herman Semidey. The Regional Arts Commission, Missouri Arts Council and Arts and Education Council have provided partial funding to support many of Gitana Productions events. ABOUT GITANA PRODUCTIONS Gitana Productions, Inc. is a not-for-profit arts and education organization dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic community through cross-cultural awareness using drama, music and dance. Gitana events present a rarely seen diversity of international and local artists exhibiting an array of traditional and innovative artistic expressions. For more information, visit www.gitana-inc.org or call Gitana Productions at (314) 721-6556.

Media Contact Mary Schanuel mschanuel@synergy-pr.com 314.961.9772

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Black Archaeologist in

Nubian Gladiatress A new episode of Black Archaeologist (Nubian Gladiatress) is up on our fan page called, I LOVE BLACK ARCHAEOLOGIST, other episodes, and seasons are available on our website BlackArchaeologist.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQoEUaA0I

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PLAY CHANNEL PHOTOGRAPHY Let us show your smile to the world

Connect with me on Social Media

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

The 110-Year-Old

Book Club By Vickie Newton

ook clubs are the social hubs these days for women who enjoy a good read followed by an intelligent discourse. Add wine with the words and the club can continue for years. Take for example the group of African American women in St. Louis whose book club started in 1907, long before Oprah’s Book Club ignited the nation’s interest in the magic of a well-written story.

“The ladies who started the club were pretty much educators. Over the years, we got away from largely teachers. We saw other professions represented,” Theresa Stuart said. Marguerite Grandelious and the members of The Booklovers Club in St. Louis are the graciously steadfast keepers of a literary tradition started by Carrie Bowles and Josephine Stevens who enjoyed reading and started inviting friends to meet and discuss the books they read. The group grew from seven to 17 and since the early 1930’s membership has held at 25.

about democracy and its failures,” Grandelious shared. “The book explored the idea that our schools, churches, government have failed. As I was reading that, I thought about what has been happening today in our society.” Members dare not wait until the day of the meeting to start the book and hope for a “slap-dash” discussion. The meeting includes a host and a presenter who essentially “teaches” the book. The robust conversation is inspiring and can be a bit challenging admits Wanda Ware. “After one of my first meetings I said to myself, ‘If I’m going to stay in this group, I’m going to have to step up,’” she says.

The Club is adapting to the technology of the 21st century with plans to collect the programs and records from 1907 to 1957 and digitize them. The Missouri History Museum also holds some of

the Club’s historical documents. “The ladies then had enough foresight to record their history,” Elizabeth Hines notes.

“They met in their homes because there was no alternative at that time,” explained Grandelious, who serves on the club’s history committee. “It was very genteel with tea and cookies served. Their focus included cultural and social events, and the books they read covered a wide range of subjects and interests. They were representatives and spokespeople in the community.”

From one century to the next, the members are credited with meeting continuously and including the community in its history. Every five years The Booklovers hold a public book club meeting in collaboration with Washington University, the prestigious liberal arts university in St. Louis. They invite a famous author to present. Jabari Asim is the guest presenter for the 110th anniversary celebration slated for April 1, 2017. Asim wrote “The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn’t, And Why”, and he is the author of several children’s books.

During those years, St. Louis was home to an elegant African American enclave known as The Ville. It was within the boundaries of that racial respite that The Booklovers gathered to do what laws once prevented Black Americans from experiencing: the joy of reading.

The story of The Booklovers Club is worthy of its own tome. Stuart remembers leafing through some of the club’s impressive records with another member. “We sat on her third floor because it was fascinating reviewing what these women were doing. And, we thought, ‘we have to continue our legacy.’”

Nina Smiley Wilkins joined The Booklovers in 1975. “My mother was a member, and she was an educator,” Wilkins said. “I was an English major. To this day, the women are bright and interesting as they have been all along. That was the prerequisite…that you just love to read.” This is not a television sitcom book club where the conversation is more about the latest fashions than the winners of the National Book Review. “We discovered notes from a meeting in 1935 and the ladies were reading a book

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A CHILDREN'S BOOK FROM THE CREATORS OF THE BLACK ARCHAEOLOGIST WEB SERIES RAY AND MICHAEL LAMBERT

BLACK HISTORY BOY WILL BE AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK On Amazon.com

A new and informative children’s book based on the childhood of the black history explorer, and hero of the Black Archaeologist animated series. The book deals with how and why as a young boy Black Archaeologist got interested in, and the reasons he made the teaching of the history of black people all over the world his life’s mission.

BlackArchaeologist.com

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

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CAM City Wide “Open Studios

10.09.16

10th Annual Open Studios STL This year marks the tenth anniversary of Open Studios STL, featuring over 200 St. Louisbased artists and art spaces; sponsored by the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. The Jewelry, Poetry, Art, Carvings, project sketches and ideas of artisan David A. N. Jackson will be on display in The 2nd Floor Boutique 5555-5557 Etzel Avenue 63112 and in workshop display areas of the location. “This marks my first year of participating in OPEN STUDIOS (2016) so I hope to make it exciting, thought-full, thought provoking, & on point. Portions, illustrations, and considerations of continued dialog are being created in reflection, response, and interreaction to what the world

and current climate environs asks, expects, and demands of Black/ African-n-America artists and persons of color. There are and will be some extra arts & music expression for you to InJoy by members, musicians and friends of PEPAA –(the Progressive Experimental Positive Arts Association).

Stop on by. Shop and buy. Sit, Look, Listen, and Chill Out.

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA A

lexis de toqueville – wrote Democracy in America in 1835 which was a survey of american republicanism – not the party but the republic in america. Ironically, he and gustave beaumont came to America from France to study the American penal system. But that was the pre-text of his visit to get the French government to pay for his trip to America, what he really wanted to study was – democracy in Amercia. One of the observations he made was that Americans like no other peoples of the world, formed “associations”. These associations covered the whole gambit of life- professional, social, civic, philantrhopic, and political. In his analysis of democracy in America, this phenomenon was and is unique to the American expericence and it extended the values of democracy beyond the scope of traditional politics and elected offices. Philanthropy in its traditional “context” meant – “love of the people”. In its modern “context”, it means the contribution of financial support and volunteer resources to not-for-profit organizations and non-governmental organizatopms which serve the public good for improving the quality of life for – “the love of the people”. “Associations” play a significant role in forming a more perfect union. De tocqueville points out that this coming together of liked minded individuals to solve community problems is a unique linchpin in the continued evolution of American democracy. The work that non-profit organizations provide for the well-being of all citizens in accordance with equity, justice, and truth which are the core values of our Amercian democratic system. He saw even at the beginning stages the relevancy of democracy (elected representative government) and federalism (power distributed among the national, state and local governments. My book gets us into understanding the role of the people in forming a more perfect union. My wife will tell you that movement in art moves your eyes from the distraction of lines on the edges and leads you to the focal point of the picture. Movement is an analysis about the various grassroots and political movements impacted by racial turbulence and unrest that has impacted the country, particularly by the St. Louis Metropolitan area – the seat of the Ferguson uprising…

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Wake up everybody…! No more sleeping in bed, no more backward thinking, time for thinking ahead The world has changed so very much from what it used to be there is so much hatred, war and poverty Wake up all the teachers time to teach a new way, maybe then they’ll listen to what you have to say The world won’t get any better if we just let it be, the world won’t get any betteer we got to change it, yeah just you and me… Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes…

We are living in a time in which some people are still fighting the Civil War, and we had better wake up, no more sleeping in bed. Power is the capacity to reach or realize goals and influence policy which develops into laws which shape the social, polticial, and economic environment. Race matters, history matters, blacks matters, and truth matters and truth crushed to the earth shall rise again. Inherent in the culture of opposition in America is the notion that each and every individual has certain inalienable rights that among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our problem and the reason that we keep talking past one another is we are lacking context. I open the book with a quote from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. who has the ability to put very complex ideas into short phrases – “A text without a context is a pre-text” and I use this so that you can use it as a template to help you analyze the issues that we have before us. So, as an example let’s break down something that is part of our season this year. “I want to make America – great again.” The question you ask is when was America great? The onset of the 20th century Teddy Roosevelt was president and after WWIIwhen Esienhower was president. Neither one of those republicans could be a republican in the 21st century because they were not/are not conservative enough. Yes, presidents do matter. When Copyright © 2017 - All rights reserved.

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Lyndon Baines Johnson was a conservative democrat he came around to support the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He stated that he was delivering the Southern democrats over to the republican party. Anytime you stand up for the despised, disgustted, the disenfranchised the damned you are radical. The party of Lincoln was considered radical republicans. Why, because they were standing up for the eradication of slavery. In the book I call what the conservatives are doing to America- deconstruction – deconstructing the middle class by deconstructing a living wage. It is refighting the civil war. What could possibly be the motive behind destroying the middle class in america? We know from history and what

we see occuring in some circles in the 21st century that during times of economic challenge, it reconstructs deep seeded racism as we turn on each other instead of towards each other. Race, power and culture in America are so inextricably linked that the institutionalization of racsim can go unnoticed for years until a singularity event sucks all the light out of the galaxy into a black hole. And today it takes the form of a chokehold around your neck and makes you holler- ‘i can’t breathe’. Social psychologists point out that people can fall into prejudicial attitudes during financial downturns.

Ironically this is not new, Dr. King discussed the same phenomenon in his speech at the end of the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965. In his “how long not long speech”, Dr. King said that he was in Alabama to draw attention of the nation of Alabama’s flagrant denial of the right to vote for black people. He tied it to a deliberate political strategy designed to gain power. He talked about money interests that wanted to keep the masses divided so they would fight over the difference between low wages and lower wages. He explained how a movement began to unite poor whites and blacks to formulate a voting block to challenge the money interests of the South. This began the populist movement in the 19th century but the money interests solidified their response to it by making it illegal for blacks and whites to come together. It was codified into law and became the “Jim Crow” laws. The first principle was to keep wages low. So, this system of law destroyed the populist movement of the 19th century. Dr. King explained that Jim Crow was a psychological motif that inculcated in the pysche of the poor white that no matter how poor he was he was still white and therefore, he was better than the black. So, when you understand context you can see the progressive movement in the United States that began in the beginning of the 20th century with Teddy Roosevelt and he articulated that the irresponsible acts of the rich were corrupting America. He and other leaders of the movement rejected ‘social darwinism’ – ‘the survival of the fittess’ they rejected these core values of greed, poverty, class warfare and violence. Instead they embraced strategies of improving education, safeguarding the enviroment, creating an efficient workplace where workers received a living wage. Then in the 21st century, when you see the very same thing coming to you in the form of a reality show – then you know exactly what you are looking at. pg.

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I am not talking about rocket science I am talking about context and when we don’t know the history then it is going to repeat itself. In the beginning of the 20th century progressives challenged these excesses by exposing corporate greed, exposing the deliberate policy of creating depressions so the people are fearful, exposing the fear mongering about immigrants in America. By the time we got to the 1920’s. We saw the rise of the klan because they wanted to make America great again- go back to the way things were. Go back and read how we became obsessed with communism and the red scare. The conservative movement led us into a depression and a new deal had to get us out of it. Well, the point is that we must recognize what we are looking at and when you understand the context- you can comprehend the text and it will allow you not to fall for the pretext because we have been here before.

Thomas Jefferson warned us that each generation must be willing to fight for equality, justice, and peace. So we must continue the work for the love of the people. We live in the greatest country because we have a system that allows, we the people, to form a more perfect union. We must maintain the coalitions that elected Barack Obama President of the United States of America. Because that coalition is the future of America and we are not just black Americans, white Americans, latina Americans we really are the United States of America and that means we have to turn towards each other. Presidents do matter and working to be sure that people have access to jobs and training and a livable wage is the most noblest endeavor. We must challenge corporations to become corporate citizens and continue to create jobs that provide livable wages and works to improve the fabric of our community because when the people win everybody wins. We know how to do this – we have come out of the depression before, despite the naysayers – we are coming out of the great recession but we have to do our part by exercising our right to vote. We must challenge the voter id law in missouri because it is unconstitutional and retards 240,000 missourians from exercising that right and unless the state of missouri is going to pay for those individuuals who do not have a state photo id law to vote, we must go to court.

“our lives begin to end the day we become silent abouth the things that matter”. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said,

Pierre Blaine is author of Movement: Race, Power and Culture in America available on amazon.com

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

“Acting White”

Share your Story Dear friends: I have been asked to write a chapter in a book that will address colorism in education. My chapter will focus on “acting white.” Specifically, when I was growing up, I was a “smart” student. My top performance in school, doing homework, raising my hand to answer questions, etc. often drew the accusation from my African American classmates and friends that I was “acting white.” Now, I know there are psychologists out there who say this is not true and does not exist. But alas, it was absolutely true for me. I have written about this in past works. I will do so again for this new book. I do know that many young folks today who continue to have such allegations hurled at them so feel free to share this email with whoever and have folks email me directly. I did a survey on this very question about 7 years ago and the results were consistent with my experiences decades ago. I’d like to update my earlier survey. I would love to hear from anyone out there who has a similar/related story either involving yourself or someone you know. I would like to include your story in the chapter. I will conceal your identity if you request. Do you have a story to share? If so, please email to me at: norwood@wulaw.wustl.edu. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead Kimberly Norwood , Professor of Law | Washington University School of Law pg.

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OPERA TASTINGS A culinary concert unlike any other

Delight all of your senses as music from across the history of opera is paired with delicious food and drink crafted specially to complement the flavors of the music. Every event takes place at a different venue, and features a unique menu created by some of the region’s best chefs, sommeliers, and mixologists. Presented by

JA N UA RY 25–30

ALL-INCLUSIVE TICKETS JUST

$20-25!

Photos © Eric Woolsey, Elizabeth Wiseman, and Alec Wallis/Alive Magazine.

FEATURING

Robert McNichols, Jr. Emcee

Katherine Jolly Soprano

Jennifer Panara Mezzo-soprano

Joshua Blue Tenor

Robert Mellon Baritone

VENUES

Wednesday, January 25 & Thursday, January 26, 7 p.m. Lafayette Square Moulin Events

Friday, January 27, 7 p.m. St. Charles Quintessential Dining

Sunday, January 29, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Columbia, MO The Wine Cellar & Bistro

EXPERIENCEOPERA.ORG | (314) 961-0644

Monday, January 30, 7 p.m. Downtown St. Louis The National Blues Museum

Thanks to media sponsors

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THE LAMBERT BROTHERS presents:

Black Way

In Time Series

Black Archaeologist, the Black History Cartoon. WAY BLACK IN TIME SERIES, part # 9, Scottish Black Moores. Purchase any or all three seasons on dvd at our website...

BlackArchaeologist.com

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THE TIME IS NOW | WRITERS RECOMMEND | BEST BOOKS | MAGAZINE

Welcome to The Time Is Now. Don't miss Writers Recommend, our online feature in which writers reveal the habits that keep them writing. And if you're looking for more inspiration, visit the Poets & Writers Theater, which includes videos of author interviews, readings, talks, book trailers, and more.

Poetry Prompt The Hong Kong film 2046, written and directed by Wong Kar wai, predominantly follows the main character Chow, a writer, over the course of several years, escapades, and love affairs, often dipping into scenes of him dining out on Christmas Eve each year. Jot down specific moments or memories from the same holiday over the years that you hold especially resonant and seem to connect a narrative. Then, write a series of poems capturing these events and experiences. How does the holiday itself lend a certain expected or consistent atmosphere even if the events that occured or people present were completely different?

Fiction Prompt "Creative people are drawn to each other, as notorious for falling in love as they are for driving each other insane," writes Catherine Lacey in her new book, The Art of the Affair: An Illustrated History of Love, Sex, and Artistic Influence (Bloomsbury USA, 2017). The book, which is featured in "The Written Image" in the January/February 2017 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine, presents creative, romantic, and platonic connections between writers and artists such as Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Hardwick, and Billie Holiday and Orson Welles. Write a short story inspired by the sort of romantic entanglements and creative collaborations that Lacey presents in the book. How does involvement with the arts influence the scope and trajectory of the relationship between your characters?

Creative Nonfiction Prompt The winter holiday office party is a tradition celebrated in workplaces of all kinds, and even chronicled in films. Write a personal essay about any sort of festive activity or event that you have attended with your coworkers. Do you consider your coworkers akin to close friends or family, or is your relationship

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more of a casual acquaintanceship? Has this changed over the years due to an experience or circumstance? Does a holiday office party serve as a setting in which you and your colleagues became closer or distanced?

The Best Books for Writers Each week we recommend a booka newly published title or an invaluable classicthat will help you on your writing journey. This week's pick... Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction (Harry N. Abrams, 2013) by Jeff VanderMeer

What Are Friends For? We rely on you to support the publications and services that writers need. Become a Friend for only $35, and we'll send you a year of Poets & Writers Magazine. Join at $50, and you'll receive a classic writer's notebook, too. What's more, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to keep Poets & Writers going strong.

ADVERTISE | SUBSCRIBE | DONATE | ABOUT P&W Poets & Writers is the primary source of information, support, and guidance for creative writers. Learn more at pw.org. Manage your enewsletter subscriptions at My P&W.

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Aliyah ~LotusMoon~ NOW on SoundCloud

Listen!

nagchamp009 pg.

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

FREE CONCERT

TOURS

SERIES

EVENTS

LIVE MUSIC AUGUST 2016 pg.

112

S.L .A .M.

St. Louis Art Museum

ART COLLECTIONS

EXHIBITS

EVENTS

Admission to the Museum is free every day. Hours:

Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm

Friday, 10:00 am–9:00 pm

Closed Monday

reserved.

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

FEATURED

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:34-40 NIV

We seek to impact the world with the love of Christ one life at a time! Hopelessness and desperation are on the rise in a world where the greatest segment of the population possesses the least amount of resources. We need your help! Please help us fight this epidemic by sending your tax deductible donations/contributions to: For His Glory Ministries of St. Louis P.O. Box 1942 Maryland Heights, MO. 63043 http://calvarychapelslc.com/homeless-ministry/ For other ways in which you can help please contact Pamela Ford at pamelaford98@gmail.com or 314-216-0744. pg.

116

t e e w T t e e w T t e Twe t e e w T t e e w T t e e Tw t e e w T t e e w T t e e Tw t e e w T t e e w T t e e Tw t e e w T t e e w T t e e Tw Follow us Tweet t e e w T t Twee t e e w T t e e w T t e e Tw t e e w T t e e w T t e e Tw @ArtsTodayez

#artstodayEZ

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Portfolio Fundraiser Moves to Artist's Studio Janet Riehl's "Women & Wardrobe: The Riehl Collection" exhibit has finished it's successful run at The Portfolio Gallery and Education Center. It brought in $2,000 to help with much-needed building repairs. Many people went home with framed ($150) and unframed ($50) prints they love, and a good time was had by all. Folks have said they would have loved to have seen the show, and were sorry they missed it. Janet has decided to host At Home evenings on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. so you can! Come visit, enjoy the work, and of course buy whatever calls to you. Any profit realized will continue to benefit Portfolio Gallery. If you'd like to come, please contact her at janet.riehl@gmail.com. Janet and Robert Powell, director of Portfolio Gallery and Education Center appeared on Fox 2 news. http://fox2now.com/2014/07/29/women-wardrobe-and-art-on-a-cell-phone-atportfolio/# Janet and her art was featured in the Alton Telegraph. http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/home_top-lifestyle-news/50095336/Artists-workmakes-Riehl-results#.U-Tbf1Ao7qC

Come on out! Meet some new people and enjoy some playful, colorful, and sensuous art inspired by African Women.

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OLIVE BAR ROOFTOP O P E N TO N I G H T Click to RSVP COMPLIMENTARY ENTRY 10PM-11:30PM(ladies) and 11:00 (Men)

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John Jennings Associate Professor Visual Studies SUNY Buffalo tumblr: http://jijennin70. tumblr.com/

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

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ART OF FOOD

Mock My

Tail

It's that time of the year again!!! Family + friends are gathering for quality time & traditional quality time. Now I love a good cocktail, but there was a 4 month span this year where i wasn't able to drink. So this month's article is for those who love cocktails but may not be able to consume alcohol due to medications, pregnancy, etc. There are some twists to some classics & some new drinks to try. While I would like to take credit for these recipes, most of them I found online & a few are favorites amongst my friends. There are non-alcoholic wines & champagnes that can easily be substituted in your favorite drink of even the ones I'm sharing today. Always tweak it and make it work for you! ~Léna O. A. Jackson Culinary Arts To contact me, get more recipes, find out about events I’m apart of, or to even order some of my food: www.facebook.com/gspDore www.instagram.com/gspDore gspDoreinfo@gmail.com

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Cran-Raspberry

Martini 1 Tbsp Raspberries, crushed 2 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice ½ C Raspberry Flavor Sparkling Water

Moscow

Mule

½ C Club Soda ¼ C Ginger Ale 3 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice Garnish: Lime Wedge & Mint Sprig

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Jingle Juice

Mock-Tail 1 jug/59 fl. oz Tropicana Watermelon Juice 1 jug/59 fl. oz Tropicana Tangerine Lemonade 1 jug/59 fl. oz Tropicana Orange Juice 2 Liters Club Soda 1 bag Pebble Ice Garnishes: 3 Cinnamon Sticks 1 bag Cranberries, fresh 1 Red Grapefruit, sliced 1 Navel Orange, sliced 1 Lemon, sliced 1 Lime, sliced

Santa's

Helper 1 btl Champagne 1 btl Cranberry Juice 1 C Granulated Sugar 1 C Frozen Lemonade, thawed 1 C Frozen Orange Juice, thawed Water

Garnishes: Lemon Slices, Cranberries & Rosemary Sprigs

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Sherbert

Mimosa ~2 scoops Sherbert 1 Tbsp Clementine Vodka as needed Champagne

Fill the champagne glass Âž full with sherbert. Next add 1 Tbsp of Clementine Vodka or any flavored vodka that will compliment the sherbert flavor(s). Then add champagne to top the glass off.

Jungle Juice

Punch

1 btl/750mL Whipped Vodka 1 btl Pink Champagne/Sparkling RosĂŠ 2 Liters Cherry 7-Up Garnish: Cranberries

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The

Grinch 3 oz Peach Schapps 3 oz Bacardi 151 Rum 12 oz Orange Juice 4 oz Sprite 3 oz Blue Curacoa Liquer

Doré

Bon Appétit,

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

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Rickkita Edwards teaches Core:Cardio & More @ North Co.Rec Center

every Mon-Wed- Fri.

5:30 PM-6:30 PM

She also teaches "WaistNWeights" every Mon

@ Faith Miracle Temple

7:15 PM-8 PM

Contact me today for personal training sessions!

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Book of Poetry by

Lenard D. Moore

th on 30 iti d Ed ite ry Lim ersa niv

http://www.mountainsandriverspress.org/Home.aspx

pg.

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From all of us at Bruno David Gallery & Bruno David Projects. We wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyful new year. We thank you for your support in 2016, and we look forward to continue bringing exciting contemporary art to our supporters and visitors in 2017 Ashley Lee Bruno L. David Charis Schneider Cleo Kelly Liu Xizi Paula Stevenson Copyright ÂŠ 2017 - All rights reserved.

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

ART OF HEALING

Your Ad or Article could be here!

pg.

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RICKKITA EDWARDS

CARDIO-CORE & MORE AT NORTH COUNTY REC. CENTER

TIMES: MON WEDS FRI 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

She teaches a class 2 Mondays a month at Faith Miracle Temple 7:15 pm - 8:00 pm. (ALL CLASSES ARE FREE)

COMING SOON! WAIST-NOT FITNESS PERSONAL TRAINING #GETWAISTEDBYRICKKITA

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

Ajuma Muhammad Author of 101 Proven and Effective Strategies for Empowering Black Boys

WATCH NOW!

1 0 Strategies

f o r E m p o w e r i n g B l a c k B oy s 1. Black boys should maintain a healthy relationship with God. 2. Black boys should honor and always respect their parents. 3. Black boys should embody greatness in everything they do. 4. Black boys should take pride in their history and culture. 5. Black boys should empower their community through leadership and service. 6. Black boys should be role models in their communities. 7. Black boys should honor, respect and protect the black woman. 8. Black boys should work to establish an economic foundation in their communities. 9. Black boys should travel internationally to better understand their place in the world. 10. Black boys should love themselves!

www.ajuma.org

pg.

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VIDEO: bell hooks + Kevin Powell conversation on manhood, trauma, hiphop, violence against women, healing, more:

Click below to watch now!

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

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Walking the Blue Line: A Police Officer Turned Community Activist Provides Solutions for the Racial Divide By Terrell Carter Bettie Youngs Book Publishers

$15.00 paperback

“As I recall my experiences, I find it incredulous that people in law enforcement honestly believe and say that a racial divide and racial profiling don’t exist. An officer’s mind is divided: first, between the police and the general public and second, between the police and minorities.”~ Terrell Carter Walking the Blue Line follows the author’s experiences growing up as a black child in St. Louis, MO, a racially charged city still trying to overcome its divided past, and his five year journey as a law enforcement officer which led him to reevaluate his views on citizens and police alike. Readers are taken on a compelling journey as he details personal stories of the challenges of navigating this new world, including how he had to testify against a former partner for falsifying a major drug arrest. Terrell details the thoughts and tactics of police officers based on their training in the police academy and lessons they learn on the streets and how this information can help citizens better understand why officers do what they do while still holding them accountable for protecting and serving their communities. Walking the Blue Line can be ordered from www.terrellcarter.net, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and traditional booksellers.

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

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Volume 3.11 January 18, 2017

OPPORTUNITIES

pg.

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CLICK HERE TO VIEW AD

The Bernie Hayes Show Talk and interviews about affairs of the day with a St. Louis slant. The Bernie Hayes Show can be seen: Friday’s at 9 A.M. Saturday’s at 10:00 P.M. Sunday’s at 5:30 P.M.

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Closing in on my goal for “Fire this Time” - if everyone would do two things 1) support the making of this film with just a $20.00 donation and 2) encourage 2 of your friends to do the same - it will allow me to license some additional footage and photos - you can donate now by going here: http://www.cmt-tv.org/#!join-the-team/c1195 CMT-TV.org is a 501c3 non-profit organizations thus your donations are tax deductible - thank you - the making of this film will help me attract more resources which will allow real community filmmaking in STL -Phillip W. Johnson Producer of the #Ferguson Film Fire this Time

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CAREERS

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A big Thank You to our CONTRIBUTERS