Uptown Notes

On April 11th, V Day will be celebrated in Harlem with performances of the Vagina Monologues at 6 and 8pm at the Maysles Institute. The recent headlines have put domestic violence, sex and race on the national radar, though most of the conversations have been too shallow and misdirected for my liking (that’s for a different post). The Vagina Monologues is a uniquely powerful performance and movement to not only stop violence against women but also resurrect love for womanhood in a world where misogyny is the norm. Please SUPPORT!!!!

I was so moved by the trailer to Social Contracts by Laura Rahman that I had to post it and write a post. An insightful clip of documentary dealing with issues of sexual violence in the Black community.

A libation for our ancestor Malcolm X and two events uptown to commemorate the 44th anniversary of his assassination and entry into the ancestral realm.

This is a repost of a powerful piece on Rihanna, Chris Brown, and Domestic Violence in the Black community. Taken from South Side Scholar.

As the clock struck midnight and November 20th rolled in I thought about how 1.20.09 was emblazoned in my memory. I recall seeing bumper stickers years ago that had the date and “Bush’s Last Day” proudly marked. I waited for the date and was glad to see it arrive. I was in DC for inauguration weekend, so like many others, I was out partying. I knew that I had to get up at the crack of dawn, so I left my celebration and attempted to hail a cab to my residence. The weather in DC was a bitter, bitter cold, but I didn’t worry because as I approached a major thoroughfare I saw an ample number of cabs. I saw people hopping in and out of cabs and raised my hand to hail one. As I stood with my hand out, buzzing from the revelry of the weekend, taxis buzzed past me.I am overjoyed that the Obamas challenge stereotypes and have seeped through the pores of seemingly non-porous barriers, but that doesn’t often mean much for how we get along each day. Seeing race is not the issue, the system of racism is.

Recently, I had the chance to check out one of my brothers weave his craft in the city. Marc Bamuthi Joseph is the truth. Read that again, the man is the truth! I have been familiar with Bamuthi’s musings and deeds since the mid-90s but his recent show The Break/s: A dream journal presented as a mixtape for stage, which headlined the Hip Hop Theater Festival demonstrates not only that he’s a great performer but that he is beautifully human. The battle for balance and transformation are beautifully captured in Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s piece The Break/s, more so than any other performance piece I’ve seen in years. Check it out at LOCATION until Saturday (1/18) in NYC at the New York Public Theater with Under the Radar or catch him on the road as he brings The Break/s to the nation.

So in bizarro world news yesterday, my phone and twitter started blowing up about the commuting of sentence that John […]

Soulja Boy recently wanted to give a “Shout out to the slave masters. Without them, we’d still be in Africa! We wouldn’t be able to get this ice and tattoos.” I know what you’re thinking, but you can’t guess what I’m thinking. Check it as I weigh in on youth, history, and Hip-Hop.

Today, many folks are wearing red to raise awareness about domestic violence. A little while ago, I posted a commentary […]

Bryron Hurt has quickly become one of my favorite documentary makers. I was first introduced to his work by Hip-Hop: […]