Recent Stories
Jack Whitten, sculptor, painter who released spirits
When it came to my attention that a fresh body of sculpture by Jack Whitten was slated for the Met Breuer, I hastened there, although the exhibit is scheduled to stand until Dec. 2.
A Queen and her common folks: Aretha Franklin's homegoing
As only an admiring peon, I had no invitation to attend the homegoing of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.
Octavia Butler, the doyenne of sci-fi
A few weeks ago at The Stone at the New School, flutist/composer Nicole Mitchell led her ensemble into the “Xenogenesis Suite,” dedicated to the author Octavia Butler.
The intrepid Donald Cox, a Black Panther field marshal
Within a 24-year period, two books and one article centered on the year 1970, and while one, a novel by Bill Fletcher, Jr., only unfolded in that year
Mixed feelings about a ‘hero’ with blood on his hands
Praise and accolades are pouring in for the recently departed Sen. John McCain who died of brain cancer Saturday at age 81, many of them extolling him as an American patriot with flags across the country flying at half-mast—except at the White House.
White ex-cop convicted of murdering Black unarmed youth
The white, former police officer, Roy Oliver, who shot and killed Jordan Edwards in suburban Dallas last April was convicted of murder Tuesday.
Dorothy Van Engle, a gorgeous and talented actress
Near the end of director/producer Oscar Micheaux’s film “Swing” (1938), Dorothy Van Engle delivers an intimidating look that dares a man to pilfer from her friend’s purse.
Legal noose tightens on Trump
If Trump’s Twitter account has intensified and he seems a bit more agitated, blame the tightening legal noose, thanks to his current and former attorneys and consultants.
Long live the ‘Queen of Soul,’ Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, will be remembered mainly for her heavenly voice, which Aug. 16, joined the angelic choir not too far from Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward, the latter who mentored Franklin and was the companion to her illustrious father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin.
William Leo Hansberry, noted authority of Ethiopian history and culture
Anytime the renowned playwright Lorraine Hansberry is mentioned, it invariably summons memories of the eminent historian and anthropologist, William Leo Hansberry.
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