Skeelo - I Wish (1995)

A 90s classic.

Sy Stokes and Black Male UCLA Bruins Take A Stand

College admissions have always been a tenuous process. When that process involves race and ethnicity, people become divided, temperatures rise and questions are raised.

In the case of UCLA (University of California - Los Angeles), Sy Stokes has brought national attention to the dearth of black males on campus. He brings up the statistic that black males make up only 3.3 percent of the male population at UCLA, of whom 65 percent are athletes. Stokes also addresses the fact that UCLA has made cuts to financial aid in recent years, but that hasn't stopped the university from spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on flights and hotel suites.

Thoughts on Fruitvale Station

After a month delay and several months of being intrigued by the premise of the film, I finally saw "Fruitvale Station" last week. It left me feeling a number of emotions upon exiting the theater.

"Fruitvale Station" is the story of Oscar Grant and the 24 hours leading up to his death at the Fruitvale subway stop in Oakland, California, on New Year's Day 2009. But it's really so much more than that. It's a story that truly does explore the human condition through Oscar's eyes and makes the viewer see a troubled man who was trying to turn his life around.

What makes "Fruitvale Station" different than most movies is that you have some idea going in how the story will end. Anyone who has heard about the film or done any research on the case, knows ultimately that Oscar Grant will be killed. Similar much in the same way as a movie like "Titanic," where (spoiler alert) the ship sinks, with a film like "Fruitvale Station" character development becomes all the more crucial when the audience knows the final result.

N.W.A. - Express Yourself (1988)