Sabathani Community Center is putting together a storytelling art exhibit about the history of Sabathani and the people who were key in creating the organization. Sabathani was formed in 1966 by South Minneapolis residents and members of Sabathani Baptist Church to provide structured activities for African American youth. The exhibit will also feature people with […]
Arts + Culture
A space for local and national arts and entertainment stories, with an emphasis on stories pertaining to the African American experience.
Posted inArts + Culture
Miss Black Minnesota USA shares her light through writing and service
By Chilonda Medlock Contributing Writer Despite the first snowfall in December, which quickly turned driving conditions on the road from typical to treacherous, the community came out in respectable numbers. Approximately 150 people came out to support a worthwhile event, the Miss Black Minnesota USA 2012 Pageant. The event took place Saturday, December 3, 2011 […]
Posted inArts + Culture, News, Opinion
Memoir on surviving abuse shows light at the end of the tunnel
Ms. Nique’s (née Monique L. Crusoe) stirring memoir If My Past Wasn’t So Dark…My Future Wouldn’t Shine So Bright (Xlibris) is hard to read. As it should be. Cutting to the bone of what it is to endure domestic abuse and sexual molestation and contend with mental illness, this compelling account depicts stark reality, anguishing […]
Posted inArts + Culture, Music, News
Whitney Houston (1963-2012) The voice of an angel left lasting music legacy
Whitney Houston (1963-2012) The stellar career and troubled life of Whitney Houston came to end on the afternoon of February 11 in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. She was 48. Houston vaulted to immediate superstardom with the 1985 release of her self-titled debut album. The way was paved by […]
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The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975: Documentary recalls era of radical struggle
A film review By Brittany Lewis Contributing Writer On Friday, February 24, the group Solidarity will host a free screening of the film The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 at the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis. The social hour begins at 6 pm with the film showing at 7 pm. This is a free event. Presented […]
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Book shines with stories of the Great Migration of Blacks to the North
A book review By Lissa Jones Contributing Writer The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration (Random House, 2010) is authored by Isabel Wilkerson, the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize (1994), and the first African American to win the prize for individual reporting. In this work, Wilkerson […]
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This week’s entertainment spotlights
Safe House Various metro-area theaters A rookie CIA operative goes on the run with a rogue former intelligence officer after a South African safe house comes under attack by heavily armed mercenaries. Starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. 1968: The Year That Rocked the World History Theatre Jan. 21 — Feb.19: 30 E. 10th St., […]
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Martha Reeves and the Vandellas bring memories like a ‘Heat Wave’ to Dakota
By James L. Stroud, Jr. Contributing Writer Fans of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas who were fortunate enough to get tickets to one of the four sold-out performances at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis on January 11 and 12 witnessed one Motown’s greatest groups ever and one of the greatest female groups in music […]
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The Lion King’s Syndee Winters: ‘I’ve wanted to be Nala since I was 10 years old’
Wonderful as Disney’s entire production of The Lion King is, Syndee Winters stands out in the role of Nala. Nala, for anyone who might not know the show, is the feline lady love (and conscience prodder) of Simba, the brave little lion cub whose rite of passage takes him to eventual self-discovery and reclamation of […]
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Film festival features doc on girls’ basketball in Iraq — Salaam Dunk one of three films highlighting girls and women in sports
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer A new documentary about an Iraqi women’s basketball team will be featured at the second annual Tucker Center Film Festival on January 30 at the University of Minnesota’s football stadium club room. The event, presented by the school’s athletic department, is on the eve of the 26th annual National Girls and […]
Posted inArts + Culture, Opinion
Lion King delivers a heartwarming affirmation of what it is to be Black
Entertainment, etc. Dwight Hobbes When the Broadway musical The Lion King saw its world premiere hereabouts, give or take 20 years ago, I wondered: How was Disney going to do this? Would they turn a charming story set in Africa into an installment of the Tarzan legacy? Would it be a plastic hit, one of […]
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The Lion King: Rich production continues musical’s reign of the stage
It’s a tough undertaking to succeed Disney’s The Lion King’s original Broadway cast. That ensemble starred John Vickery (Scar), Samuel E. Wright (Mufasa), Tsiddi Le Loka (Rafiki), Heather Headley (Nala) in her career-launching turn, and a brilliant, tragically ill-fated newcomer, the late Jason Raize (Simba). The production took the Great White Way and, in turn, […]
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Red Tails: Theatrical movie tells the tale of the Tuskegee Airmen
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Red Tails isn’t the first movie about the all-Black U.S. combat unit who served in World War II, but it might be the best done thus far. The PG-13 film is scheduled for release January 20. “It is a movie of courage and honor,” stated Charles Floyd Johnson, the film’s […]
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Multiple media devices equal multitasking success
Though TV’s still on top, modern electronics are fast-growing sources for entertainment Whew! Is it me? Or is 2012 flying by already? I am a January baby, and I celebrate my born day at the beginning of the month. As soon as my birthday is over, I sometimes feel like its July already, mainly because […]
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Bookworm’s best reads of 2011
You were such an efficient shopper this year. You remembered everybody on your list: the kids, the spouse, Grandma and Great Aunt Judy. None of the cousins went without a gift this year. You even remembered the neighbors and your boss. But there’s one person you forgot to buy a gift for this year. You. […]
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Always and Forever: Souful music showcase a joy to behold
Always and Forever at Illusion Theater, starring Dennis Spears and Julius Collins, III and featuring Jackson M. Hurst and David Hurst, has “hands-down hit” stamped all over it. In block letters. Whatever your holiday plans are, if they don’t include this show, change them. This is especially recommended for the family grinch. You know, that one […]
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Best albums of 2011 make for optimism about 2012
As the year 2011 ends and 2012 begins, one word comes to mind: optimistic. Optimistic is how I feel. Kind of like the song “Optimistic,” sung by the Sounds of Blackness and written by Jimmy Jam for his mother. It’s one of my favorite songs. And I’ve told Jimmy so. If the song doesn’t ring […]
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Trin-i-tee 5:7: Gospel singers reap rewards for enduring career
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer After over a decade as top gospel performers, Angel Taylor and Chanelle Haynes both admit that it is still exciting whenever they hear their music played. “The excitement never goes away,” says Chanelle, who along with Angel are the original members of Trin-i-tee 5:7. The two New Orleans natives have […]
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Fairy Godmother brings holiday cheer to Ordway stage
Twin Cities theater mainstay Tonia Hughes on Cinderella’s ‘message of hope’ By Raquel Hayes Contributing Writer It is extremely gratifying to witness African American performers stepping outside of the expected roles that society presumes they should play. Many actors and actresses alike are taking steps towards diversifying theatrical productions all across the metro area. Tonia Hughes, […]
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Can Black stations win the radio ratings game? KMOJ’s general manager on the complexities of counting a growing Black audience
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Radio broadcasters added nearly 1.7 million weekly listeners in the past year, and radio reaches over 93 percent of Blacks in the U.S., says the nation’s leading radio ratings service. Arbitron recently reported in its 2011 RADAR (Radio’s All Dimension Audience Research) that 93 percent of the U.S. population — […]