I was moved by this poem when I heard it on the radio this weekend and thought I’d share it with you. It’s by Martin Espada, who visited the tomb of Frederick Douglass the day Obama was elected and found that the shrine was filled with tokens of joy and celebration born of struggle from ordinary [...]
Karriem Riggins Gets Props in Straight-Ahead Jazz And Hip-Hop
January 22, 2013 | Posted by
Detroit-born drummer Karriem Riggins’ primary employers in recent years have been the champagne-and-caviar jazz singer Diana Krall and the celebrity rapper Common — artists who don’t share much besides a boatload of Grammy Awards, a high tax bracket and good taste in drummers. At 37, Riggins is the rare musician to have achieved equal stature in straight-ahead [...]
Birmingham Marks 50th Anniversary of Turbulent Civil Rights Summer of ’63
January 21, 2013 | Posted by
Birmingham made history in 1963, and in 2013 the Alabama city will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the events that led to the 1964 Civil Rights Bill and the beginning of the end of racial segregation in the South. In the summer of 1963, black residents held sit-ins at whites-only lunch counters to challenge Jim [...]
‘Fruitvale’ Movie Explains Why Police Shooting Sparked Massive Protests
January 21, 2013 | Posted by
The sort of material that you might expect to be covered in a documentary — the true story of a senseless police shooting that takes the life of yet another young, urban black man — instead has been made into a powerful dramatic feature film in Fruitvale. First-time writer-director Ryan Coogler, who, at 26, is the same [...]
Bethann Hardison: Barrier-Breaking Model, Manager and Fashion Activist
January 21, 2013 | Posted by
On top of today’s presidential inauguration excitement, Modelinia.com celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a special tribute to legendary model, manager and fashion activist, Bethann Hardison. Remembered as a true ground-breaker in the world of modeling and fashion, Hardison is credited with paving the way for some of today’s most prominent African-American models, following her [...]
Atlanta-Based Cox Enterprises Commits $250 Million to Startups, Innovation
January 21, 2013 | Posted by
Tripp Rackley is the entrepreneurial horse Cox Enterprises Inc. is betting on. And Cox, it seems, is going all in. The Atlanta-based media conglomerate has set aside a quarter of a billion dollars — its largest outside investment — to help Rackley transform a “stack of ideas” into sustainable companies. There are three roadblocks to [...]
NY Concierge-Musician’s Vibrant Art Boosts Haiti
January 21, 2013 | Posted by
Except for its location across from Carnegie Hall, the lobby of 200 West 57th Street seemingly has no reason to be filled with the sound of music early every morning. But the grand Rodin Studio Building, long ago converted into offices for medical and dental practices, law firms, talent agencies and production companies, employs as [...]
Black Middle Class Will Take Hit From US Postal Service Job Cuts
January 21, 2013 | Posted by
While delivering mail on Chicago’s North Side, Lakesha Dortch-Hardy spoke about how much she loves her job at the U.S. Postal Service, and how much it would hurt if jobs such as hers were to disappear. “There would be no middle class without these jobs — it would either be rich or poor,” said Dortch-Hardy, a tall, [...]
10 Foods to Curb Your Cravings While Dieting And Eating Healthier
January 21, 2013 | Posted by
Whether you are trying to lose weight or just eat healthier, keeping hunger and cravings at bay is essential to reaching your goal. Staying satisfied throughout the day also means you can be more focused at work and push harder when you’re at the gym. For the most part, fiber, protein and fat are considered [...]
Ready or Not, More iPhone Tech Breakthroughs on Horizon
January 21, 2013 | Posted by
When the iPhone launched, the world of mobile phone technology started changing immediately. Smartphones were the domain of high-powered businessmen and arch gadget lovers at the time, in part because of price, in part because their utilitarian looks and confusing interfaces didn’t appeal to many who didn’t need their advanced features. But the iPhone managed [...]
