Politics
Bob Marley Musical Tries to Help Heal an Uneasy Baltimore
This image released by Center Stage shows Mitchell Brunings during a performance of the musical “Marley.” (Richard Anderson/Center Stage via AP)
MARK KENNEDY, AP Drama Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Most theater professionals like to say that whatever they’re working on is very relevant to what’s going on in the real world. That was not possibly more true than in Baltimore this spring.
The city’s flagship theater, Center Stage, debuted a musical about reggae icon and civil rights activist Bob Marley during the city’s spasm of violence and peaceful protests following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody.
Several preview performances for the musical “Marley” were lost amid protests marching near the theater and the actors had to rush to finish rehearsals early on several evenings to accommodate a city-wide curfew.
There were soldiers, horses and armored vehicles in the streets and helicopters in the air as the cast and crew tried to finish a work that highlighted the life of a singer who demanded social justice and freedom for black people.
A new framing scene was added to the play in which two black men watch footage of the Baltimore protests on a smartphone, making the connection between the two movements clear. On May 2, the cast went out into the streets to give a free concert, including singing “One Love” to try to heal the city.
“When real life is happening around you and you’re trying to produce art, you have to submit to real life and have faith,” said Kwame Kwei-Armah, Center Stage’s artistic director who also wrote and directed the Marley musical.
“I’m not sure in my life that I’ll ever feel that connected or ever feel that blessed or ever feel that visceral call that theater is about the here and now.”
The musical focuses on the years 1975 to 1978, when Marley survived an attempted assassination in Jamaica and went into exile in London. It’s the first time a stage musical has used both Marley’s songs and his life story.
The musical features mid-’70s Marley albums as “Exodus,” ”Kaya,” and “Rastaman Vibration,” which include the songs “Jamming,” ”Three Little Birds” and “Roots, Rock, Reggae.” Mitchell Brunings portrays the title character.
Kwei-Armah played Marley’s song “Burnin’ and Lootin'” on his way into work on the night of the first curfew. The song’s lyrics were prescient: This morning I woke up in a curfew/Oh God, I was a prisoner, too/Could not recognize the faces standing over me/They were all dressed in uniforms of brutality.”
“Somebody wrote these lyrics 30 years ago, somebody tapped into something 30, 40 years ago and it’s more applicable than some of the work I’ve done throughout all of my life,” said Kwei-Armah. “It’s humbling and beautiful. It validates for me why I’m doing theater.”
Suzette Newman, an executive producer of “Marley,” said she is working to get the musical on the road after it ends its run in Baltimore on June 14. “We absolutely hope that it will travel and go elsewhere. We’re in the process of those discussions right now,” she said.
Until then, she and Kwei-Armah watch nightly as the audience goes from punching the air with “Get Up, Stand Up” to joining the actors onstage in the show’s emotional climax with “One Love.”
“The power of Bob hits me afresh nearly every night. Suzette and I are standing at the back, seeing the audience as they respond and run onto the stage to sing with the cast ‘One Love’ in a city that needs to be one and healed,” said Kwei-Armah.
___
Online: http://centerstage.org
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Business
Longtime BWOPA Member Brendalyn Goodall Appointed to California Workforce Development Board
Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board. Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on
Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board.
Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on employment, aging services and assistance for underserved communities.
“Brendalynn will be a great addition to this Board,” said Gay Plair Cobb, who served as former state Assemblyman Sandre Swanson’s alternate to the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB).
“She understands that California’s non-profit organizations serve persons who have the most significant barriers to their labor market success and that the Board should help these groups navigate the complicated requirements of state funding.
“In other words, she will be a strong advocate for our most marginalized populations. Her voice is needed now, more than ever.”
CWDB works with the governor to shape workforce policies, programs and investments designed to strengthen the state’s economy. It collaborates with employers, workers, labor organizations, educational institutions, community groups and California’s 45 local workforce development boards to expand access to quality jobs and respond to regional employment needs.
According to the board, its work includes coordinating state programs and guiding investments in workforce training and development.
BWOPA California celebrated the appointment, describing Goodall as a dedicated advocate for workers, families and older adults.
“Her appointment reflects a lifetime of leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to strengthening California’s workforce and expanding opportunity for all,” the organization stated in a press release.
Goodall served as summer jobs program coordinator in the Oakland Mayor’s Office from 2012 to 2014. In that position, she helped connect young people with employment opportunities and job experience.
Before joining the Mayor’s Office, Goodall was division manager for Aging and Adult Services in the City of Oakland Human Services Department from 2002 to 2011. She previously served as senior services supervisor and program director for the city’s Department of Aging, Health and Human Services from 1990 to 2002.
Goodall is also a member of the California Commission on Aging, which advises the governor and state officials on policies and programs affecting older Californians.
Featured
‘Passing a Law Isn’t The Finish Line’: California Assembly Evaluates Implementation, Results
A separate review found that the California Public Utilities Commission’s implementation of AB 2316 had not fulfilled the law’s intent or produced new community solar projects. In response, Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) introduced AB 1813, legislation to overhaul the state’s renewable energy program and increase access to solar technology.
California lawmakers are finding that laws passed in Sacramento do not always work as intended once implemented. A new Assembly oversight program has identified gaps in laws addressing wildfire recovery, insurance, foster care and clean energy.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) announced Aug. 17 that the Assembly had completed the first year of its Outcomes Review program. Billed as the first initiative of its kind in the nation, the program enlisted 15 Assembly members to evaluate 14 laws they authored or championed. Through public hearings and community meetings, lawmakers assessed whether the measures were producing their intended results.
“Passing a law isn’t the finish line,” said Rivas. “The Outcomes Review project makes sure we’re checking our work.”
The reviews identified both successes and shortcomings. The expansion of telehealth largely improved access to care and provided patients with greater flexibility. Affordable housing financing reforms also strengthened coordination among state agencies and could reduce duplicative paperwork, development costs and delays.
Other reviews uncovered more significant implementation problems.
One focused on Assembly Bill (AB) 238, which was enacted after the Eaton and Palisades fires to provide eligible borrowers with up to 12 months of emergency mortgage forbearance. The review found lender noncompliance, insufficient consumer complaint data and a need for stronger coordination between state and federal agencies.
Those findings helped shape AB 1842 and AB 1847, both victim-protection bills that are currently pending in the Senate.
After discovering that California’s FAIR Plan clearinghouse was failing to transition affected homeowners back into the private insurance market, Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) introduced AB 69 to fix the issue.
A separate review found that the California Public Utilities Commission’s implementation of AB 2316 had not fulfilled the law’s intent or produced new community solar projects. In response, Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) introduced AB 1813, legislation to overhaul the state’s renewable energy program and increase access to solar technology.
Lawmakers also found that the FAIR Plan clearinghouse was not effectively helping homeowners move into the traditional insurance market, prompting the introduction of AB 69, legislation adding new reporting, notification, and access requirements.
The program identified additional implementation problems related to foster care placement protections, oversight of charitable fundraising and wage theft enforcement.
Rivas said the findings demonstrate the need for lawmakers to continue evaluating legislation after it takes effect.
“This isn’t oversight for its own sake — it’s what accountability looks like, and we’re just getting started,” he said.
The Assembly plans to expand the Outcomes Review program in 2027 by involving more lawmakers and holding additional public hearings and community meetings. The next phase, according to Rivas, will build on the pilot year as lawmakers seek to identify implementation problems earlier and improve how state laws work in practice.
Commentary
OPINION: Angie Nixon Will Turn You Into a Democratic Socialist If Donald Trump Hasn’t Already
The survey defined “comfortable” as spending 50% of income on necessities, 30% on “like-to-haves,” and putting 20% in savings. Are your percentages way out of whack? Like 100% on necessities?
The midterm elections are more important than ever as we fight back.
And we all know “affordability” is the No. 1 issue in the U.S.
So, how are you doing? A new survey says that, for a single person, being comfortable in California requires an income of $126,797. Or $302,682 for a family of four.
Did those numbers make you uncomfortable?
A single person making just $102,794 could be comfortable in Utah. But wouldn’t you rather just look at the Mormon Temple in Oakland from 580?
The survey defined “comfortable” as spending 50% of income on necessities, 30% on “like-to-haves,” and putting 20% in savings.
Are your percentages way out of whack? Like 100% on necessities?
What if the car breaks down? What if the kids need x, y, or z? What if overtime gets cut back? What if Social Security goes bankrupt?
Are you a democratic socialist yet?
That’s not where Blues go Red and turn communist. It’s about a government that puts people before profits. And cares for all of us. Not just the billionaires.
Angie Nixon
In last week’s Florida primary, people around the country saw Florida legislator Angie Nixon win the Democratic U.S. Senate primary with a stunning upset over Alex Vindman.
Vindman was well-funded ($16.3 million to Nixon’s $975,000), and well-connected nationally. But Nixon—an African American with state house cred, union organizing experience, and a fighter who was arrested protesting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ redistricting efforts— proved to be unbeatable. She’s officially aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
That means Nixon, 42, believes in universal health care, a/k/a “Medicare for all,” taxing the wealthy, and a minimum wage of $25 an hour.
Think back to that comfort level survey. At 40 hours a week, $25 an hour is just $1,000 a week or $52,000 a year. It’s not even half what that survey said was needed for a single person to be “comfortable” in California.
We’re forced to get 3-4 low-wage jobs.
Nixon and the DSA want to set the floor, so no one sinks into oblivion.
Republicans would simply let us all sink.
Nixon now goes up against Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in November. Florida’s Republicans outnumber Dems by 1.5 million voters. And Nixon’s DSA tag makes her a clear underdog, maybe even unelectable.
But the Dems are sticking with her. Voters seem to be turning out for someone who will directly and boldly address affordability.
Meanwhile, Trump is turning the Iran War, which has caused the oil price run-up and high inflation, into an economic war on the world. At the same time, he’s declared a tariff war on our good ally, Canada, guaranteed to raise prices on imports to America.
That could make Nixon the one in Florida 2026. And it would move Dems closer to flipping both houses of Congress, a vote for super normalcy.
Trump is so far down in the polls, he’s resorted to election disruption and voter suppression.
But the antidote in Florida at least is Angie Nixon, a woman worth watching, who’ll turn you into a Democratic Socialist if Donald Trump hasn’t done so already.
About the Author
Emil Amok Guillermo is a veteran journalist, commentator, and comic monologist. He does a micro-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1
Longtime BWOPA Member Brendalyn Goodall Appointed to California Workforce Development Board
Jackie Wright Champions Bay Area Stories, Filmmakers and Cultural Institutions
Chef Sharon Lee Blends Culinary Excellence, Education and Empowerment
‘Passing a Law Isn’t The Finish Line’: California Assembly Evaluates Implementation, Results
OPINION: Angie Nixon Will Turn You Into a Democratic Socialist If Donald Trump Hasn’t Already
Gov. Newsom Signs Law Shielding Immigration Aid Workers From Doxing Threats
BOOK REVIEW: Every Inch of a Lady
Big City Mayors Ask for “Yes” Vote on Housing Bond Measure; Conservatives Say “No”
Madeline M. Turner: The Inventor Who Made Juicing Easier
Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Blasts California New Tire Rules; Newsom Hits Back
Frontier Airlines’ Return to Oakland Airport Brings Flights, Jobs and Opportunity
Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber Urges Californians to Vote Early as Voter ID Battle Intensifies
Gov. Newsom’s Latest Appointees Include Sacramento Advocate for Formerly Incarcerated Students; State’s New Tech Chief
Oakland Coliseum Project Opens Door for Small Businesses to Build Bigger
Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association
Department of Homeland Security Demands California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber Scrub Voter Rolls
New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial
Oakland Children’s Hospital Workers and Patients Rally for Pediatric Medical Care
“The Power to See Threats Sooner”: Gov. Newsom, Safety Officials Showcase California’s Investments in Hi-Tech Wildfire Prevention
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Celebrates New North Atlantic Regional Director
Surveillance Pricing Fight: State Senate Debates Bill Banning Retailers from Using AI to Set Prices Based on a Buyer’s Profile
Mount Zion MBC, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Partner to Bring 29,000 Meals to Alameda County
California Sen. Padilla Joins Colleagues to Introduce Bill Imposing Term Limits on Supreme Court Justices
Less Affluent School Districts, Including Sacramento City, Face Threat of State Takeover
Car Wash Workers Cope with Lingering Impacts of ICE Raids
Starting This Summer, California Car Buyers Can Get an Instant $3500 Off the Cost of Electric Vehicles
COMMENTARY: You Are Already Paying for the AI Boom
California Bill Would Let Abuse Victims Use Trauma as Legal Defense for Violent Crime
Fed Court to Decide Landmark First Amendment Case
Oakland Celebrates $125 Million Coliseum Sale
The Conversation With Al McFarlane 6/23/26
Media Monday 6/22/26
LIVE! ASK ALMA! — TUES. 6.23.26 7PM EST
Car Buying Secrets: 4 Hidden Checks Before You Sign!
Is This 550 HP Charger Worth YOUR Money? AutoNetwork Review
Celebrating Juneteenth – Frederick Douglass on education and resistance
LIVE! — ASK ALMA! — TUES. 6.19.26 7PM EST
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Parking, Safety, and 360 View #shorts
2025 Ioniq 5 New Wiper & Powerful Performance! #shorts
Electric SUV Range: Is 259 Miles Enough? #shorts
EV Charging: How Fast Can You Charge an Electric Vehicle? #shorts
Biometric Cooling… Messaging Seats…Come on! 2025 Infiniti QX80 Autograph 4WD
Charged Up: Witness the Magic of a Fully Electric Car! #shorts
Range Rover Sport PHEV Included…: See What’s Inside This Luxury SUV! #shorts
Invisible Hood View: Perfect Parking with X-Ray Vision! #shorts
-
Featured3 weeks agoDepartment of Homeland Security Demands California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber Scrub Voter Rolls
-
Environment3 weeks ago“The Power to See Threats Sooner”: Gov. Newsom, Safety Officials Showcase California’s Investments in Hi-Tech Wildfire Prevention
-
Black History4 weeks agoAlpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Celebrates New North Atlantic Regional Director
-
Featured3 weeks agoCalifornia Sen. Padilla Joins Colleagues to Introduce Bill Imposing Term Limits on Supreme Court Justices
-
Community2 weeks agoLess Affluent School Districts, Including Sacramento City, Face Threat of State Takeover
-
Business3 weeks agoCar Wash Workers Cope with Lingering Impacts of ICE Raids
-
Community3 weeks agoAs Part of Your Back-to- School Checklist, Vaccinate
-
Business3 weeks agoOakland ‘Port Serves as a Powerful Engine for Good Jobs and Economic Development
