BLACK MOVEMENT NEWS 16th Edition

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Blacker The Berry News The 5th element Culture, knowledge & Overstanding

“Hip-Hop isn't just music, it is also a spiritual movement of the blacks! You can't just call Hip-Hop a trend!” – Lauryn Hill

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TSU HIP HOP SOCIETY: THE 5TH ELEMENT On February 17, 2016 Blacker The Berry Entertainment officially merged with TSU Hip Hop Society. Since then both organizations have thrived. We had our first official launch on April 22, 2016 at our show “Awakening”. TSU Hip Hop Society members showcased their acting and writing skills. At the show we performed and wrote a ten minute stage play called Waitin’ on Justice about the injustice system in Amerika.

Community leaders and Black business owners spoke at our shows and other local hip hop artists performed. Soon after our first event we experienced an influx of opportunities to partner with other organizations on campus. On April 29, 2016, we partnered with the College of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences. We hosted a panel discussion about issues effecting the black community like gentrification, police brutality, student movements and more. We also discussed practical solutions to dealing with these problems and we also highlighted social movements occurring today and analyzed their link to the past. The event was called Black Lives Matter: Beyond The Hashtag. Some footage of the event is available on our YouTube page at Blacker The Berry Entertainment. Our partnerships have also included The TSU Art Museum where we performed a spoken word piece at The Sake of Art 2016 GALA on June 10th in honor of Kermit Oliver and Shelby Marcus. We have also partnered with the TSU Music Dept. where we performed a spoken word piece on Black Power at the show Retro Revue produced by JPete Production Company at the Deluxe Theatre. Our community service have included several projects. This summer we are volunteering at The Legacy Theatre summer camp teaching theater to black youth and we have also launched our Liberation Summer School which is a FREE Black History class that is open to the public! Classes are every Thursday from 6-8pm at The TSU Library in the Exhibition Room. These classes are taught by Dr. Kamau, who received his Ph.D. from Temple University in African American History! We are still looking to partner with individuals and organizations to bring about positive change in the black community. The fifth element of Hip Hop is knowledge and our focus has been on continuing that legacy of excellence and we are committed to continuing the struggle and waking our people up through art, knowledge and activism!!!

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Nikki Luellen, President of Hip Hop Society and CEO of Blacker The Berry Entertainment

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RIP AFENI SHAKUR

January 10, 1947 – May 2, 2016 "Arts can save children, no matter what's going on in their homes."  Mother of Tupac Shakur  Political Activist  Black Panther  Educator  Humanitarian

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JUNETEENTH When most people think of the word Holocaust they often reflect on the Jewish holocaust that took place in Germany where six million Jews were murdered.

Often times the word Black and holocaust is never mentioned in the same sentence even though two million Africans died during the middle passage and over 12 million black people were enslaved. Slavery in America was the worst form of slavery in history and was the only form of slavery where human beings were considered chattel. Enslaved Black people suffered immensely. They were sold, beat, tortured and lived in extreme poverty.

Today it is almost impossible to imagine what life was like for those enslaved people. Their emancipation couldn’t come soon enough. Some historians point to the Emancipation Proclamation as the document that granted African Americans freedom but that was simply not the case. Though the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863 by Abraham Lincoln and it stated that African Americans were free, it held no real power, but was significant as a symbolic declaration of freedom for enslaved blacks. In reality, Black people had to rely on themselves for their freedom.

In Texas Blacks were unaware that any proclamation for their freedom had been made and on June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and declared that all slaves were free. This event officially marked an end of Slavery for Black people in America and launched an ongoing celebration in Texas and throughout the world that is still celebrated today. Juneteenth is the oldest celebration of emancipation in the world. People of all nationalities celebrate this day with historical events, music, food and a coming together of Americans to honor the significance of freedom.

When asked about her thoughts on Juneteenth, Texas Southern University Alumni, Professor at HCC and member of the Black Caucus – NCTE G. Paris Johnson states, “To parade around heavily populated African American communities with the intent to celebrate liberation, which by the way was forcibly given, bothers me...I support my brothers and sisters, but let this be a teaching moment. Let us always remind our elders and inform our youth that while we may

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celebrate this form of freedom, we are not free.” Professor Johnson reminds us that even in 2016 African Americans are still subjected to a racist society where Blacks are treated less than human.

We must look on Juneteenth as not just a celebration for freedom but as a memorial for those whose lives were lost fighting for freedom and the many people who are still help captive in America fighting for freedom and justice for all.

RIP MUHAMMAD ALI

January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016 “If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize.”     

Athlete Poet Activist Boxer Philanthropist

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FADE TO BLACK [PLAY FESTIVAL] A BLACK CULTURAL EXPO!!!!

I got the awesome opportunity to attend the Fade to Black play festival in Houston, Texas. I was not at all prepared for the excellent work that I witnessed. What makes this festival so significant is that it displays the work of African American writers throughout the country. Playwrights submitted their ten minute plays and the finalists were decided on by the judges. Fade to Black is the first national play festival in Houston, TX and showcases new works by African Americans.

There were ten plays that made it to finals and they dealt with many different issues in society that are not usually talked about in an open setting like racism, lynching, police brutality, elitism in the civil rights movement etc. Besides the incredible talent this festival showcased, the audience also got a chance to learn and engage with the show. This festival gave a voice to many black people who may never have a platform to tell their story and because of their status in society, they remain overlooked. That is why this festival is significant.

No one talks about the troubled young black man who has to rob to put something on the table to eat or even have tissue to put in his bathroom like the character Diego in the play Looter and many other black people living below the poverty line in America. No one tackles the “all lives matter” argument posed by out of touch white people who do not understand what it is like just being black in the play Just A Rope?. No one talks about the young black woman who has to endure racial insults at her work place and somehow keep her dignity intact in the play Sweetie’s Confession and no one talks about the pain of a Black man who witnessed his own death by a crooked police officer and now wants to go in a time machine so he can somehow reverse history so he does not have to die before his time like in the play There Once Was A Jack In The Box: A Mad Scientist.

The plays at Fade to Black not only dealt with racism in white culture but racism in black culture as well. In the play And A Child Shall Lead Them, the writer held nothing back when she discussed elitism in the Civil Rights Movement. Because Claudette Colvin was too dark and not pleasing in the sight of white people, she was not allowed to play a major role in the civil rights movement. Stories like these are still relevant today and when we look at certain so called movements today, we can see that the people who do not fit the suit and tie, dress and heels image are pushed to the background while more proper Negroes are put in place to gain the so called respectability of whites. Other impactful plays were The Greater Good, a play about the president of America, who was ironically a woman selling her soul to the devil for power. The Kiss of Auset talked about African Spirituality and the restoration and balance the Black woman and man will bring back to the planet if they unify. The play Of Nine Tales dealt with a family’s heritage and last but not least was the play Summer ’89: Prelude which talked about a woman who wants to know who her parents were so she channeled her ancestors only to find that more was in store than expected.

Overall these plays touched my soul. These plays were brilliant, thought provoking and outside of the box. The directors and actors were phenomenal! This was the fourth season of Fade to Black and this year it was held at the Queensbury Theater and took place June 16 -18 at 8:00pm. This event was made possible by the Shabach Enterprise Board of Directors and the Executive Director of Fade to Black is S. Denise O’Neal.

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RIP PRINCE AKA THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE

June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016 “A strong spirit transcends rules.”  Music producer  Writer  Singer  Musician  Humanitarian  Artist Revolutionary

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THANK YOU!!!!

We would like to thank our donors for all of their help.

Because of your help we are able to make Liberation Summer the best it can be!!!

1.) Erika Walton, The Legacy Theatre 2.) Tonyai Palmer, The Winners Circle 3.) Justin Lee, Student Government Association JOIN THE LIBERATION TEAM!!!!

Liberation Summer is a summer program that teaches various subjects like Black History, U.S. History, Creative Writing, Music, Acting, Directing, African American Literature, Yoga etc. All of our classes are open to the public, free and taught by

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professionals!!! We are currently trying to expand the school into a yearlong program. Right now we offer FREE Black History class that is taught by Dr. Kamau and classes are every Thursday from 6-8pm at Texas Southern University in the Robert James Terry Library. For more info. Call 713-305-3811 GET INVOLVED NOW!!!!

For information about volunteering, membership, partnership or to make a donation feel free to call us at 713-305-3811 or email us Tsuhiphopsociety7@yahoo.com Blackertheberry7@yahoo.com We are always open to new ideas and willing to discuss them with you.

Visit us online: https://blackertheberryent.wordpress.com/ YouTube: Blacker The Berry Entertainment Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackerTheBerryEntertainment https://www.facebook.com/tsuhiphopsociety Instagram: Blackertheberryentertainment

THANK YOU, YOUR SUPPORT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!