Greetings! Our GBE Family gives thanks for Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan and his work here on the earth plane, and we look forward to his new work, “In the Spirit!”
Our special thanks to Camille Rector, executive director of the Color of Autism, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocacy, awareness and knowledge among Black parents that connects families to local services and provides one-on-one support. It is National Autism Awareness Month. Visit thecolorofautism.org. (Also see: COMMUNITY)
THEATER
Catch “The Lion King” at the Minskoff Theatre, 1515 Broadway. 212-869-0550 or visit minskofftheatre.com.
“Motown: The Musical,” with book by Berry Gordy Jr., is now playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W. 46th St., between Eighth Avenue and Broadway. For tickets, visit ticketmaster.com or motownthemusical.com.
“Kinky Boots,” featuring 2013 Tony Award winner Billy Porter, is at the Al Hirschfield Theatre, 302 W. 45th St. Visit broadway.com/ shows/kinky-boots.
“Aladdin,” featuring James Monroe Iglehart, the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Featured Actor, as the uniquely modern genie, is now playing at the New Amsterdam Theatre, 214 W. 42nd St. Visit broadway.com/shows/aladdin-broadway.
“Sistas,” a true celebration of African-American women, highlights several musical genres and includes “Oh, Happy Day,” “Strange Fruit,” “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.,” “I Will Survive,” “Tyrone,” “I Am Not My Hair” and “Single Ladies.” St. Luke’s Theatre, 308 46th St. Saturday, April 18 at 4:30 p.m., Sunday, April 19 at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, April 25 at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 26 at 4:30 p.m. For information, call 800-276-2392 or visit boxoffice.broadway.com.
“Black Angels Over Tuskegee” is a story told in narrative of six men embarking on a journey to become pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps. The play explores their collective struggle with Jim Crow; challenging their intelligence, patriotism, brotherhood and dreams of an inclusive and fair society. The play goes beyond the headlines of popular stories and reveals the heart and soul of the Tuskegee Airmen, who exhibited courage to excel despite the overwhelming odds against them. St. Luke’s Theatre, 308 46th St. Saturdays, April 18 and April 25 at 1 p.m. For information, call 800-276-2392 or visit boxoffice.broadway.com.
MUSIC
At B.B. King’s in Times Square, Tower of Power appear Thursday, April 16; Friday, April 17, it’s Rufus; Freddie Jackson performs April 18 at 8 p.m.; Force MDs’ 30th anniversary will be celebrated April 18 at 11 p.m.; and Keith Sweat’s album release party takes place April 24. For prices and information, visit bbkingblues.com or call 212-997-4144.
The Blue Note Jazz Club presents Roy Hargrove now through April 19. Call 212-475-8592 or visit bluenotejazz.net. April 21 to 26, it’s the New York City premiere of Michel Camilo Three + Three. Call 212-475-8592 or visit bluenote.net.
The Tribeca Film Festival film “Mary J. Blige: The London Session” appears Thursday, April 16 at 8 p.m. at the Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway. For more information, call 212-465-6500 or visit www.beacontheater.
“An Afternoon with Audra McDonald” features the six-time Tony Award winner and two-time Grammy Award winner performing songs from Broadway and beyond, Sunday, April 19 at 3 p.m. at the Prudential Hall at NJPAC, One Center St., Newark, N.J. For information, call 888-GONJPAC or visit www.njpac.org.
Sistas’ Place, “where jazz, a music of the spirit, lives and culture is our weapon,” presents its National Jazz Appreciation Month offerings with Ahmed Abdullah’s Diaspora (Dispersions of the Spirit of Ra), featuring young saxophone sensation Rafael Statin, pianist D.D. Jackson, bassist Radu, drummer Reggie Nicholson and vocalist and poet Monique Ngozi Nri. 456 Nostrand Ave., at the corner of Jefferson Avenue. For reservations, call 718-398-1766 or visit sistasplace.org.
The Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival features Akua Dixon April 18 and Derrick Barker April 25 (in tribute to his mentors Roy Ayers and Bobby Hutchers). Call 718-773-2252, ext. 100 or visit centralbrooklynjazzconsortium.org.
FAMILY
The UniverSoul Circus is back. For tickets and the full schedule of New York City locations, visit ticketmaster.com.
EXHIBITION
Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc, Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys are among the more famous subjects of a new photography exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave., called “Hip Hop Revolution,” which features photos by Janette Beckman, Joe Conzo and Martha Cooper, who documented hip-hop’s earliest days in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s. The exhibit runs now through Sept. 13. For information, call 212- 534-1672, email info@mcny.org and visit mcny.org.
BOOKS
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority presents its annual Black Book Fair, “Yes! Empowering Our Young Men With Literacy.” Join them with talented authors and illustrators. This year, they partner with Medgar Evers College Male Development and Empowerment Center as well as the Center for Black Literature. Sunday, April 19, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Medgar Evers College’s Academic Complex Science Building, Main Dining Hall, second floor, 1638 Bedford Ave., between Crown and Carroll streets, Brooklyn, N.Y. For more information, visit brooklynalumnaedst.org.
POETRY
Celebrating Poetry Month with poet and National Book Award finalist Fred Moten, Saturday, April 25, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Brooklyn Public Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, N.Y. The event is free and open to the public, presented by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, in collaboration with the Brooklyn Public Library and Wesleyan University Press.
COMMUNITY
BEPAA Great Black History Debate: “Should Black Youth Join the NYPD, Yes or No?” Sunday, April 19 at 3 p.m. Noel Leader says yes, Viola Plummer says no. John Henrik Clarke House, 286 Convent Ave. Harlem, N.Y. Admission is free. Call 347-807-0629 to RSVP.
April is National Autism Awareness Month. For more information, contact the Autism Society at 2340 East West Highway, Suite 350, Bethesda, MD 20814-3067, call 800-3-AUTISM (228-8476) or 801-657-0881, fax 301-657-0869, email info@autism-society.org or visit www.autism-society.org.
Hear Imhotep Gary Byrd on 107.5 WBLS-FM weekly with “Express Yourself,” Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. and simulcast over WLIB 1190A.M. The full show can also be heard on HD radio at WBLS-HD2 and at WBLS.com.WLIB.com and iHeartRadio. IGB is also heard on WBAI-FM 99.5 with Radio GBE: “The Global Black Experience” and “The Global Beat Experience,” Fridays 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both shows are archived online at www.wbai.org. To contact us for bookings or to reach us about your event or for comments, email igbexp@gmail.com, find us at Imhotep Gary Byrd on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @GBELIFE or call 212-592-3279.