Sidney Poitier the Actor, Scholar, Gentleman and Diplomat
Someone like us on the silver screen I was 11 years old when Sidney Poitier filmed Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”. When I saw... Read More
African-American history
Sun Ra and his Arkestra then (1992) and now (2022)
When the 2022 Afrofuturism series was announced by Carnegie Hall, I scrolled eagerly through the rather eclectic line-up of the festival. I was hoping it... Read More
AfroFuturist Period Room “almost woke” at the MET?
Reclaiming the Past While Being Future Forward The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a selection of what are called “period rooms.” As in many other... Read More
Transgenerational Trauma and Healing for African-Americans
The Inherited Strength in Mind, Body and Soul of Our African Ancestors A rich new culture blending old and new rituals, style and music has... Read More
Hartmut Geerken’s Sun Ra Archive Finds A Home in Germany
On Halloween 2020, amidst the height and dread of the COVID-19 pandemic, I received a telephone call from Munich, Germany. The caller was Hartmut Geerken.... Read More
Futurism or more specifically AfroFuturism?
2 min read
Finding a way forward As I’ve worked with the Routes‘ team to put the February edition together. I’ve found myself encountering a recurring theme “futurism”... Read More
Historic 1998 Photo of Renown African-American Artists
We’ve received a copy of this photo of renown African-American Fine Artists taken by Hakim Mutlaq in the 1990s at the Schomburg Cultural Center in... Read More
New Yorkers Honor Enslaved Africans/Freedmen
2 min read
In 1991, unearthed, at a construction site of a federal office building in lower Manhattan, was a 17th/18th century burial ground for enslaved Africans and... Read More