Abiodun Oyewole’s The African Mistique
Day 2 - February 2, 2015 Call it the magic of melanin The essence of soul No drug could take its place No amount of practice Can give you this edge This is an african thing An electric sensation Felt by anyone who can see and feel No one can teach this But it’s there like the air With an attitude Mother Nature stands with hands on hips Daring you to change the weather Jackie had it when he stole home plate Jack Johnson had it when he hit you in your face It’s like the music that’s not written But it makes you dance It’s the african drum Beating even after the drum was taken away We be the beat of life You can hear and feel the rhythm When Serena takes the court Even her sister Venus Has voodooized the sport Ali made it glisten And rope-a-doped you with his charm Michael Jordan mastered the science Even the officials were disarmed It can’t be copied bought or captured It’s the freedom of the african soul Bathing in the well of our ancestors It is truly black diamond and gold —ABIODUN, 2-1-15 Abiodun Oyewole is one of the founding members of The Last Poets. He's reachable at "poetabiodun@yahoo.com".... Read More
Ronald Bunn
Publisher/Editor
Leo Holder and Supporting Actor Geoffrey Holder
A little more than a week after developing pneumonia, Geoffrey Holder made a decision. He was calling the shots as always. He was done. 2 attempts at removing the breathing tube didn't show promising results. In his truest moment of clarity since being rolled into I.C.U. he said he was good. Mouthing the words “No, I am not afraid” without a trace of negativity, sadness or bitterness, he sincerely was good with it. He had lived the fullest life he could possibly live, a 70 + year career in multiple art forms, and was still creating. ... Read More
“Shakespeare Remix: Hamlet & Ophelia”
1 min read
Hamlet, a rapper, and his girlfriend Ophelia, a pop singer, are on the rise to music royalty at Elsinore Records. When a dark family secret... Read More
Black Life Matters Exhibition at the Schomburg Center
This Curators’ Choice exhibition launches the Schomburg’s 90th anniversary year with an eclectic array of rarely seen collection materials that affirm the Schomburg’s mission to document... Read More
The New Jim Crow
Exhibiting artist Titus Kaphar is joined by Schomburg director Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad in discussing "The Jerome Project," his exhibition of small-scale works that directly engage contemporary social issues, particularly the criminal justice system and prison-industrial complex.... Read More
Harlem Is … Theater – 1821 to Now
3 min read
Through memorabilia, photos, film and original artwork, learn about the theaters that bloomed and survived, the people who were driven to keep them vital, and... Read More
The Voices of Sarafina
An interactive screening of South Africa Then: Sarafina, starring Miriam Makeba and Whoopi Goldberg. The plot of the film is based on the ground-breaking 1988 Lincoln Center... Read More
The People of Clarendon County
1 min read
Clarendon County, a rural community in South Carolina, was the battleground of black sharecroppers, domestic workers, laborers and clergymen who joined with the NAACP to... Read More