When Being Unarmed Isn't Enough: Black Folks Still Being Denied Humanity

Photo courtesy of stltoday.com

More than 40 days and restless nights have passed since Mike Brown was shot and killed on August 9th. That followed the death of John Crawford, who was shot in a department store aisle while holding a toy gun. Then there was the incident of a police officer in Oklahoma City allegedly targeting at least 8 black women and sexually assaulting them in the process. Folks, I'm getting tired of this. What we have continually seen is that when it comes to the split second decision of firing a gun -- and ultimately changing the life of the victim and the shooter -- blacks in this country are still seen as criminals first, people second.

This lack of humanity has been seen time and time again. Whether it's a choke hold caught on camera, or a mentally ill man being shot in Los Angeles, a grandmother being punched on the side of the highway like some MMA fighter, or the woman dragged naked from her home in Brooklyn when cops showed up to the wrong door, 'protect and serve' has never seemed to mean so little.

Looking Back at "To Sir, With Love 2"

When I think back to some of the more inspiring and intriguing movies that I've seen these last 10-15 years, they've all left me wondering to some degree. It could be about the characters, plot development, scene structure, or any other particular overarching themes. "To Sir, With Love 2" left me thinking about not only the importance of teaching, but the type of person depicted to lead a classroom.

"To Sir, With Love 2" was a former Movie of the Month of mine back in July 2003. It stars one of the legendary names in Hollywood cinema, one Sidney Poitier. Poitier was also the star of the original "To Sir, With Love," which took place in an inner-city London school in the mid-1960s. While the first "To Sir, With Love" was released in 1967, the sequel would not come out until 1996. I can't recall another series of movies where the sequel came out nearly 30 years following the original. 

From Full-Time to Freelance: Saying Goodbye to the American Photojournalist

It's somewhat ironic that as cameras become more ubiquitous within our society, the role of the photojournalist is becoming more rare throughout newsrooms every year.

On May 30th the Chicago Sun-Times laid off their entire photography staff, including distinguished photographer and Pulitzer Prize winner, John H. White. Yes, a Pulitzer Prize winner laid off. That's like you being recognized nationally within your industry as 'Employee of the Year,' and being let go the following year. Chances are you'd be stunned. So too were the photography staff at the Sun-Times when they were given their pink-slips less then three weeks ago.

John H. White had been with the Sun-Times for more then 40 years before he was relieved of his duty last month. Neither his tenure nor his work was enough to save his job, and his firing -- along with that of the entire photo department -- is an ominous sign for photojournalists across America.

The rise of iPhones and DSLR cameras have given way to the perception that photojournalists aren't all that important and that anyone can do it. Add in all the tools you can use in any standard Photoshop Suite and all the sudden you have a belief that photography is rather simple. This belief has sadly and seemingly seeped into the newsroom culture where more and more photojournalists are having to resort to freelance type work.

I think of photography much in the same way I do poetry. Both are easy to dabble in, but hard to truly master. There's a certain nuance that a photojournalist possess about their craft that can really only be developed through time, skill and the capturing of countless photos. Let us hope that newsrooms across this country come to their senses and once again see the importance of photography as the lens through which we see the world. For the actual article and a collage of John H. White's photography of 1970s Chicago, click here.

  

A Shooting Breaks Out, But National Coverage Is Slow To Follow

Imagine being at a parade on Mother's Day in your neighborhood enjoying yourself. People are dancing and singing and just having a good time. Now imagine a shooting breaks out and people in your vicinity are shot and wounded. Sounds like a pretty frightful experience. This scenario needs no imagination for it's exactly what happened at a second line celebration in New Orleans last weekend.

Violence has been a problem in New Orleans for a few years now since the rebuilding effort after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Still, it's disheartening to hear 19 people wounded in a shooting when their only crime was enjoying a parade on Mother's Day of all days. Perhaps even more troubling however, is the lack of national media attention this shooting received.

I remember seeing the word 'New Orleans' trending on Twitter that following Sunday evening, and CNN did mention the shooting in their nightly newscast, but within a couple of days it seemed to blow over. At a time when guns and gun ownership is a hotly debated topic in our nation, you would think a shooting at such a public event would warrant more attention. But it didn't. Sadly, this lack of attention about the causes and circumstances behind these crimes has too often been missing in dealing with communities of color.

Remembering Roger Ebert

Last week the world -- not just the film world -- lost an icon in Roger Ebert.

Though Ebert's official title was that of film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, he was much more than that to the movie going American public. "Two thumbs up" was a phrase that originated with Ebert and his former film critic Gene Siskel, that became synonymous with a positive review of a new film. How esteemed was Roger Ebert in the movie industry? He's the only film critic with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

When it came to race and the social dynamics of the Hollywood studio system, Ebert didn't shy away from those subjects either. During the 1990s, two of his choices for movie of the year centered around protagonists of color: "Malcolm X" in 1992 and "Hoop Dreams" in 1994. Lauren Williams of The Root does an excellent job of compiling Ebert's reviews on some well known black films at the time. Ebert goes beyond the characters and main story of the films and asks larger hard hitting questions about the impact of these films within cinema.

Howard University Students Making A Difference in Chicago

Gun violence has been a hot topic here in the United States since the tragic shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last December. As horrible as that was, the violence has been unrelenting in one of America's largest cities -- Chicago.

Through the first two months of 2013, Chicago is on pace to surpass last year's dubious total of more than 500 murders. Regardless of where you fall in the debate on gun control, clearly there is a serious problem at hand. Just this week, a 6-month old baby girl was shot and killed as her father changed her diapers.

That's why it's good to hear students from Howard University going into local Chicago high schools this week and talking with students about the importance of college, education, and being a positive impact in the community. Take a look.