Black Out Black Friday

Can't say that I was surprised about the no indictment decision regarding Darren Wilson who shot and killed Michael Brown last August. What has surprised me however, is the response across America (and even in places like Toronto, Canada) to this case and the number of people who felt compelled to march, protest and simply just make their voices known.

What followed in the immediate aftermath of the decision was protests that at points descended into property damage in the form of fires and some looting. But it is important to remember that this was just a small sect of people. Many more marched peacefully not just in Ferguson, but in New York, D.C., Boston, Oakland, and Los Angeles just to name a few.

Protesters blocked highways, flooded Times Square, marched to the White House, and also made their presence known on a day when consumption is usually king -- Black Friday. The hashtag #blackoutblackfriday was re-tweeted by many and led to people doing lay ins in malls in and around Ferguson as a symbolic way of laying their lives on the line for the cause. This is a movement that will not go quietly into the night.

With any movement that gains steam and hence increases in the amount of eyes and ears paying attention, you best believe that there is an art component not far behind. Whether it be photos, music, or in this case of this post, video, the arts have always helped us hold a mirror up to society to see just what's really going on. The same has happened in the aftermath of this case. Check out the video below directed by Terence Nance. Powerful stuff.

Blackstreet - Joy (1995)

Really couldn't appreciate this song as a child in the mid-90s, but I sure do now.

Believing in Barrow: Football on the Fringe

Inspiring look at the Barrow football team from Barrow, Alaska and the challenges they face to play a game they love.


 

ABC's Risk on Blackish Appears to be Paying Off

www.televisionseries.org

When I first heard about the premise of the show "Blackish," I had a lukewarm feeling. It wasn't that the show would be featuring a black family, or that it was airing on a channel that I admittedly did not watch often, but that race would be such a central part of the show.

For as much some in 2014 like to pretend that we are a post-racial society, film and media would not indicate as much. Black writers, directors and producers are still an underrepresented entity behind the lens, just as black actors and actresses are in front of it. Many TV shows and programs might deal with race and ethnicity in subtle and nuanced ways, but never really head on. "Blackish" was staking new ground on that territory.

After watching the first episode a bout a week before it's network premiere, I was a member of the wait-and-see camp. In the 4 following episodes, I think the series has really come into its own.

Where I think the show excels is not only bringing a humorous tilt to things such as mastering the head nod, but also resolutions to problems seen through the perspective of the protagonist Andre (played by Anthony Anderson). Last week's episode about spanking was pretty funny as was the previous episode where Andre tries to find some black friends for his unpopular son. Definitely like Tracee Ellis-Ross as Rainbow and Lawrence Fishburne practically steals the show as the cantankerous old man "Pops." I'll definitely be tuning in for the rest of the season.

Ms. Badu's Social Experiment

Erykah Badu is a well known musical artist who has toured around the world and recently went to New York to see how much money she would earn signing on the street. It did not go well.