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THE BLERD BINDER: HBO’s Watchmen

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Noah Washington, Watchmen, the police must be authorized to use their weapons which are locked in their cop cars. Police have to wear masks because criminals have been targeting them and their families.

Published

5 years ago

October 30, 2019

Oakland Post

HBO’s Watchmen is a commentary on the superhero movie renaissance and the global obsession with superhero culture.

My initial thoughts on the series premiere

Blurb: The Blerd Binder covers nerdy news for the Black nerds of the world. We welcome all as we talk about subjects ranging from Movies to Music and Tech to Toys. Today, we will be talking about the “Watchmen” premiere.

By Noah Washington, NNPA Newswire Contributor

(SPOILER ALERT! This article contains spoilers for the first episode of HBO’s “Watchmen.” Read ahead at your own risk.)

HBO’s Watchmen can be described very simply as a never-ending paradox.

A young Black Boy is watching a silent film in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921 with a Black lead, “Bass Reeves, The Black Marshall of Oklahoma.” In the film, the sheriff catches a cattle thief and when the mob wants to hang him, Bass Reeves says, “There will be no Mob Justice today. Trust in the law.”

This is horribly ironic, since the young boy repeats these words amid the violent and horrible Tulsa Race Riot, a horrific event in American and human history.

The young boy is able to make it out in the back of a car in a trunk, but the car he is in crashes resulting in the death of his mother and the driver. The young boy finds a baby in the wreckage who is gender identified because she is covered in a pink blanket. The young boy says, “You’re ok,” while wrapping her in an American flag. The two then start to walk on the rural Tulsa road.

The irony was not lost on me when the dynamic seemed to shift from the powerless African Americans in Tulsa being massacred in the riot, to the (seemingly) all-powerful cop, Officer Charlie Sutton. This would be flipped on its head when Officer Sutton is shot by a white supremacist while he tries to retrieve his weapon.

In the world of “Watchmen,” the police must be authorized to use their weapons which are locked in their cop cars. Police have to wear masks because criminals have been targeting them and their families.

Not long after the start of episode one, we see a reference to the musical, Oklahoma, being performed by an all-Black cast and referred to as Black Oklahoma.

When I think of Oklahoma (the musical), I think of it as representing what was truly “all-American” for the time that it was created. The all-American hero gets the girl, kills the bad guy and gets to be the big hero. This concept is as American as it gets, though I highly doubt that this series will have the same type of wholesome uncomplicated ending as Oklahoma did.

The reveal of Don Johnson’s character’s name, “Captain Jud,” was very good foreshadowing that sealed that character’s fate. At the end of the episode, another paradox is revealed as Don Johnson’s “Captain Judd Crawford” is seen hanging from a tree.

Another paradox is Angela’s (Regina King) relationship with her husband, Cal (Yahya Abdul-Mateen). Angela seems to be the dominant partner in the relationship. She works while her husband picks the kids up from school and cooks the family meals. Angela even seems to be dominant in their sexual relationship. She is even the one who goes out and kicks criminal but as a vigilante.

The series also makes a commentary on the superhero movie renaissance and the global obsession with superhero culture by giving us teasers for “American Hero Story,” a TV event chronicling the adventures for the original “WATCHMEN” comic book characters, “The Minutemen.”

Watchmen contains easter eggs from the original Watchmen comic: President Robert Redford, Nixon as one of the greatest presidents, and squids raining from the sky (there is even a cleanup crew).

There are many more questions that the series premiere sets up that need to be answered: “Who truly killed Captain Jud?” “Who was the baby that the young boy found at the beginning of the episode?” “What is Jeremey Irons’ Ozymandias up to?” and “Will we see Doctor Manhattan?”

For as much promise this show presents, we will certainly be “watching the Watchmen.”

Oakland Post

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.