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COMMENTARY: Is a Cultural Shift on the Horizon?

INGLEWOOD TODAY — As with all traditions in all cultures, it is up to the elders to pass down the rituals, food, language, and customs that identify a group. So, if your auntie, uncle, mom, and so on didn’t teach you how to play Spades, well, that’s a recipe lost. But outside of Spades, Uno and Dominoes, Cookouts, Collective Dancing, and asking who made the Mac’ n’ Cheese, what is bonding us in the present?
The post COMMENTARY: Is a Cultural Shift on the Horizon? first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

1 month ago

March 19, 2024

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By Maya Mackey | Inglewood Today

Almost two weeks removed from Black History Month, I find myself pondering what Black Culture is, in modern times. There’s a running joke on X/Twitter that “we are losing recipes!” whenever young Black people (Gen Z) don’t know a Black classic, like a movie, song or “rule.”

And while we mean no harm in teasing our younger kinfolk (cause you know, we’re all cousins), it does beg the question: Why are we losing recipes? And what recipes do we even want to keep?

As with all traditions in all cultures, it is up to the elders to pass down the rituals, food, language, and customs that identify a group. So, if your auntie, uncle, mom, and so on didn’t teach you how to play Spades, well, that’s a recipe lost. But outside of Spades, Uno and Dominoes, Cookouts, Collective Dancing, and asking who made the Mac’ n’ Cheese, what is bonding us in the present?

Every time I learn something about Black American history, the lesser-told stories about pioneers of The Civil Rights Movement, I get choked up. The resilience of our people is astounding. The bravery and courage our ancestors had to muster in the face of unadulterated hatred is unmatched. But one thing about us is that we never lose our joy. As racism against African Americans soared in the 50s and 60s, alongside it, a cultural movement of pride aimed to juxtapose it.

“Black is beautiful” was a slogan, a campaign, and a mission in the 1960s and 1970s. Black people began to embrace, or rather, re-embrace their natural hair–sporting afros, braids, or other non-chemically treated styles. Some even learned Swahili to connect to Africa. James Brown upped the ante with his iconic song, “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.” The 70s brought us Soul Train, a cultural mosaic of music, fashion, and the hottest dance moves to TV screens across America.

The 80s launched B.E.T., the first solo Black-centered channel of relevance today. Martin Luther King Jr day was established as a national holiday and Michael Jackson became a solo sensation. Oprah became an overnight sensation! The 80s gave way to Black entertainers in particular, breaking color barriers and fighting to be “legitimized” by mainstream media.

When the 90s and 2000s came around, Blackness was at the height of popularity (at least on TV). The plethora of sitcoms featuring storylines of Black families and friends has never been as robust as it was during this era. From “Martin” to “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Living Single.” followed “Girlfriends,” “The Parkers” and “One on One,”

Black people got to see themselves reflected on screen in diverse ways. Air Jordans became synonymous with Black Urban culture. Terms like “Ghetto Fabulous” were coined due to the styles of Mary J. Blige and Destiny’s Child. Then the cultural pendulum swung back and Black people were sorely missing from programming in the first half of the 2010s. Even today, the height of Black television has not been reached since its demise around 2005.

In a post-pandemic world, where our communities have once again fallen victim to recessions, and larger family get togethers aren’t as frequent, I wonder where the pendulum of Black American culture will swing next.

Cord Jefferson, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of 2023’s American Fiction, gave rousing speeches both when he accepted his Academy Award and when he was later interviewed off-stage. He urged Hollywood to financially back more diverse, lower-budget films. It was a reasonable and much-needed ask. Yet, Black Twitter was divided today on whether Jefferson was perpetuating a culture war against “Hood Blacks” and “Suburban Blacks.”

The problem with that line of thinking and false accusation is that a.) There is a third subset of Black folk who are neither from the hood or the suburbs and b.) There are indeed Black people from the hood that have non-stereotypical interests such as anime, a love for EDM music and a passion for nature and hiking.

I was frankly annoyed that such an unproblematic request by Jefferson became obtusely misunderstood by so many people. Cast aside Cord Jefferson and the Oscars, there has still been much discourse about the normalizing of abnormal things in our community. And while we know that a racist system is to blame for a lot of the Black American plight, free will is always on the menu.

If the 60s cultural movement was about uncovering our natural beauty, the 70s and 80s were relentlessly joyful, and the 90s and 2000s were about flexing our economic come up, what will the next big be to signify Black people moving forward? As it becomes more normal to have Black people in power and more of us are living in and creating multicultural families, what of Black American life will prevail? What do we keep? What do we innovate next? I hope it’s one of living well, no matter what hood you come from.

The post COMMENTARY: Is a Cultural Shift on the Horizon? first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

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