THE LITTLE e-Note: The 1 Question Interview
Little Black Sambo, a fictional character.
The Question: Do you think we need a Black Agenda?
Is this a trick question? Are you trying to turn the page on me?
E-NOTES: WHEN THE NEWS IS NOT ENOUGH. THE BLOG OF E. ETHELBERT MILLER
Sunday, February 28, 2010
DROP YOUR POEMS ETHELBERT- AND JUST RUN!
Is that the ground moving beneath my feet?
In the movies - this is when the camera goes underground and you see the earth shift. And maybe there is a very large egg. Hidden for thousands of years and just waiting to crack open. Or maybe the rise in the earth's temperature melts the ice - and there IT is. You know what IT is...GODZILLA.
Yes, this is when you start running and your mind kicks into gear and you know it's science fiction.
Oh, remember those Rodan days?
Lately I've been feeling his beak around my waist. Tomorrow I go back to work at Howard.
The Art of the Steal (2009)Directed by Don Argott. Documentary that follows the struggle for control of Dr. Albert C. Barnes' 25 billion dollar collection of modern art.
Poets For Ayiti
We have come together to show our commitment to our brothers and sisters in
We believe that our poems are our strongest expression of love.
We believe that, along with desperately needed things, love can make life possible.
We are poets from different backgrounds, languages, and geographies, including
We honor, are inspired by, and celebrate the history of resistance, the stunning and resilient spirit, poetry and culture of the Haitian people.
We invite you to join us.
We:
- Will organize efforts in support of a library in Port Au Prince, Biblioteque Soleil, http://haitisoleil.org
- Call on poets and poetry organizations to designate April, 2010, National Poetry Month as Poems for Haiti Month
- Call on poets and poetry organizations to hold readings everywhere in support of Haiti, encouraging always the reading of work by Haitian poets
- Will produce an anthology of poems for
- As a prelude to the anthology will produce a small, handmade, limited edition chapbook for April, 2010, Poems for Haiti Month
Please let us know if you want to include your name as a participating poet or poetry organization.
Ella, Yolaine, Linda, Monica, Kathy, Jessie, Lisa, Marta,
(will do last names…)
for Poets for Ayiti PoetsforAyiti@gmail.com
PITY THE FOOL WHO SUFFERS SUCH PAYNE:
Then came Tyler Perry with his inexplicable fascination with this cliche, and his almost single-handed revival of it.
In the last five years, he has featured a crack-addicted black mother who leaves her children in two of his films and on his very popular sitcom, "House of Payne." (In one of the films, the character is referred to but never seen.) In another film, a main character is a drug-addicted prostitute. And in yet another, a mother leaves her family for the drug dealer. No wonder then that "Precious" is "co-presented" by Perry.
Let it go, Mr Perry. These never-ending portrayals perpetuate the modern mythology that little has changed when much has.
- Charles M. Blow, The New York Times, February 27, 2010.
I recently received the note below from friend, poet and activist Kathy Engel. She is trying to get folks to organize poetry readings in support of Haiti during National Poetry Month (April 2010):
We want people to have readings all over the place and lift up Haiti and Haitian poems and support the Biblioteque Soleil or the group of their choice. We thought, as poets, pushing people to use an existing designated month to spotlight our sisters and brothers in Ayiti would be good. Will have a website but not yet.
I'm going there end of March. The call is for people to organize readings wherever they are. We have a small chapbook and putting out a call to make an anthology. Inquiries can go to PoetsforAyiti@gmail.com
10:00Readers Review: "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett (Rebroadcast)
Diane invites listeners to join a Readers' Review discussion of a novel that has touched a nerve with many people. It's topping best-seller lists across the country. "The Help" by Kathyrn Stockett centers on a young, white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
Guests
The Right Reverand Jane Holmes Dixon, The Right Reverend Jane Holmes Dixon, retired Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Pro-tempore.
E. Ethelbert Miller, poet; director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University, Board Chair of the Institute for Policy Study. And author of the forthcoming book "On Saturdays I Santana With You."
Natalie Hopkinson, media and culture critic for TheRoot.com, The Washington Post's black interest Web magazine. She is coauthor of "Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation" and the forthcoming book, "Go-Go Live."
WHEN THINGS MOVEIt will be a day just like today. You will be brushing your teeth and suddenly the mirror will move. Pictures will fall from walls and books will open without a hand turning a page. In a few seconds your life will change. All that you hold dear will be too much to carry or run with. If you survive you will consider yourself lucky. You will first thank God - but in a few days you will realize how dependent you are on your fellow man. A bottle of water - priceless.
DAYS OR MONTHS? THE FUTURE WAS YESTERDAY.
If this was Vegas one might bet that an American city is going to soon be hit by a terrible earthquake. Nature refuses to recognize borders, boundaries, different languages, mosques, churches or temples. Destruction levels the playing field and either brings out the best or the worse in man. How will we respond when our fellow citizens are under rubble? How will we feel when one of our monuments is destroyed? Will we pray longer or louder? Will we take out our frustrations on our government's failure to respond quickly. How long will it take for the media to turn away and search for another story? Will we suddenly be seen vulnerable to our enemies? Who will take advantage of the crisis just to make money? What if the American frontier returns and an area of America is reduced to lawlessness? Haiti, now Chile - I fear the next benefit might be for ourselves.
If we are going to survive dark days - then we need to make sure our present government works.
I don't expect the Red Cross or private charities to save the day.
We might also need to undertake a policy of "encouraged" migration; moving people from areas that are high risk zones when it comes to earthquakes and off the chart hurricanes. We need to invest in "new" high tech cities - where people can be relocated. This is why it's crucial for us to resolve some of our silly racial issues and other problems. No new world needs old problems. Are we ready? Back in the 1950s we decided to build bomb shelters, in 2010 I'm wondering what Buckminster Fuller would do? Why no Geodesic domes in Haiti right now? We should be able to use our new technology to construct new and better living homes. We should do a better job at preserving our cultural heritage. My entire personal library should be able to fit in my hand. No child should be in a wheelchair for the rest of their life. Some of us will have to be turned into cyborgs. The future will find us fusing with the technology. Yes, chips inside our skulls. When do we begin to talk ethics and what would Jesus do?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
THE BLACK AGENDA? Give me a pigfoot and a bottle of beer.
It's 2010. Why are we still talking about a Black Agenda? Maybe because I'm surrounded by so much African American history everyday that I can see the lack of progress among our leaders and intellectuals. I've been director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University since 1974. I've recorded the speeches and presentations of many people who have attempted to solve the race question and the race problem. I've been in auditoriums in which I've heard nonsense repeated as fact. I've seen the hustlers and the fools. Today we have payroll leaders and people who market themselves as race men and women. Pay me and I'll talk about race. Cast me in a bad movie and let me win an Oscar - and I will be your leader. I remember when everyone was running around telling me that Elijah Muhammad had the answer. No - let's go back to Eldridge Cleaver talking about Pussy Power. Remember when we thought all the answers would come from George Jackson? Remember when folks were reading Marx? Remember when folks thought an African name and a trip to Egypt was salvation? Teach me 7 principles and replace my Christmas tree. Then someone turned out the lights and we wanted to all be black Republicans and get some green power. Thank God for the release of Nelson Mandela - just to remind us of what a leader should look like.
So here it is 2010. Who are you following? My suggestion is that you tie your shoes together and breathe before you make a move. Anyone who is calling for a Black Agenda wants you to stay away from the buffet. Any waiter with a talk show only wants you to order what will give him a nice tip. Listen to your belly when folks try to fill your mind with stale ideas. Have you noticed the Black Agenda only explains gravity? Now, ask yourself don't you want to fly?
It's 2010. Why are we still talking about a Black Agenda? Maybe because I'm surrounded by so much African American history everyday that I can see the lack of progress among our leaders and intellectuals. I've been director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University since 1974. I've recorded the speeches and presentations of many people who have attempted to solve the race question and the race problem. I've been in auditoriums in which I've heard nonsense repeated as fact. I've seen the hustlers and the fools. Today we have payroll leaders and people who market themselves as race men and women. Pay me and I'll talk about race. Cast me in a bad movie and let me win an Oscar - and I will be your leader. I remember when everyone was running around telling me that Elijah Muhammad had the answer. No - let's go back to Eldridge Cleaver talking about Pussy Power. Remember when we thought all the answers would come from George Jackson? Remember when folks were reading Marx? Remember when folks thought an African name and a trip to Egypt was salvation? Teach me 7 principles and replace my Christmas tree. Then someone turned out the lights and we wanted to all be black Republicans and get some green power. Thank God for the release of Nelson Mandela - just to remind us of what a leader should look like.
So here it is 2010. Who are you following? My suggestion is that you tie your shoes together and breathe before you make a move. Anyone who is calling for a Black Agenda wants you to stay away from the buffet. Any waiter with a talk show only wants you to order what will give him a nice tip. Listen to your belly when folks try to fill your mind with stale ideas. Have you noticed the Black Agenda only explains gravity? Now, ask yourself don't you want to fly?
Friday, February 26, 2010
IS IT TIME TO STEP OUT?
SO MANY PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS:
http://www.ebonyjet.com/culture/index2.aspx?id=16338
SO MANY PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS:
http://www.ebonyjet.com/culture/index2.aspx?id=16338
NEW YORK:
The African Burial Ground Visitor Center opens tomorrow. It's located at the Ted Weiss Federal Building, 290 Broadway at Duane Street, Lower Manhattan; (212) 637-2019; www.nps.gov/afbg.
Brenda King at Yale University Press sent me the uncorrected page proof of Adam Bradley's book on Ralph Ellison. I met Bradley at Wil Haygood's book party (Sweet Thunder) at Busboys a few weeks ago. I just started reading the first few pages of RALPH ELLISON IN PROGRESS. Bradley has a fascinating way of looking at Ellison's work. This book looks refreshing. It's going to be part of my weekend reading along with MY WICKED WICKED WAYS, a collection of poems by Sandra Cisneros.
This morning I'll make a trip over to NE Washington and talk to high school students. The young people have been reading my memoir - The 5th Inning. I'm still learning how to introduce this book to people who are not in their fifties. I spent the early morning constructing a new lecture. I'll see how it goes.
Last night, Jody (Bolz) and I had a Poet Lore meeting. We discussed the event we will be hosting at the upcoming AWP Conference in Denver. Look for us - maybe we will be wearing funny poetry hats. The next issue of Poet Lore will be out in April. Do you have a subscription? We have new rates. You can subscribe now for just $10. Don't you have a paper dime?
www.poetlore.com
I have to start preparing for my trip to Oxford, Mississippi. I've been invited to read and conduct a workshop at the 17th Oxford Conference for the Book, March 4-6. I will be giving a reading with poet Mark Jarman who teaches at Vanderbilt.
www.oxfordconferenceforthebook.com
Last night, Jody (Bolz) and I had a Poet Lore meeting. We discussed the event we will be hosting at the upcoming AWP Conference in Denver. Look for us - maybe we will be wearing funny poetry hats. The next issue of Poet Lore will be out in April. Do you have a subscription? We have new rates. You can subscribe now for just $10. Don't you have a paper dime?
www.poetlore.com
I have to start preparing for my trip to Oxford, Mississippi. I've been invited to read and conduct a workshop at the 17th Oxford Conference for the Book, March 4-6. I will be giving a reading with poet Mark Jarman who teaches at Vanderbilt.
www.oxfordconferenceforthebook.com
Thursday, February 25, 2010
E-GUIDE TO THE DIANE REHM SHOW READERS' REVIEW:
If you click on the Readers' Review link for the Rehm Show you can access other book discussions I participated in:
Here is the list of shows:
2008 One Writer's Beginning by Eudora Welty
2007 Your Blues Ain't Like Mine by Bebe Moore Campbell
2006 National Poetry Month
2005 The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
2004 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Middle Passage by Charles Johnson
2003 Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin
2002 The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks
If you click on the Readers' Review link for the Rehm Show you can access other book discussions I participated in:
Here is the list of shows:
2008 One Writer's Beginning by Eudora Welty
2007 Your Blues Ain't Like Mine by Bebe Moore Campbell
2006 National Poetry Month
2005 The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
2004 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Middle Passage by Charles Johnson
2003 Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin
2002 The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks
Thursday February 25, 2010
Join the show: 1-800-433-8850 (drshow@wamu.org) or contact us
Week of February 21, 2010
Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010
Monday, Feb. 22, 2010
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010
- 10 - Toyota Auto Safety Hearings
- 11 - Mission of NATO
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010
Friday, Feb. 26, 2010
Your Amazon.com purchases support WAMU 88.5
10:00An update on recovery efforts in Haiti
Emergency doctors are beginning to leave Haiti six weeks after a devastating earthquake left thousands dead and many more injured. An update on conditions there, humanitarian efforts, and what's next for the beleaguered Caribbean nation.
Guests
James Kimsey, James V. Kimsey, Chairman of the International Commission on Missing Persons, Chairman Emeritus of Refugees International. Founding CEO & Chairman Emeritus of America Online, Inc.
Carolyn Miles, Chief Operating Officer and Executive VP for Save the Children.
Ron Waldman, Dr. Waldman is the Coordinator of US government Medical and Health Emergency Response located in Haiti (USAID).
Adam Robinson, Vice Admiral Adam M. Robinson Jr. assumed duties as the 36th Surgeon General of the Navy and Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery on August 27, 2007.
11:00Readers Review: "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Diane invites listeners to join a Readers' Review discussion of a novel that has touched a nerve with many people. It's topping best-seller lists across the country. "The Help" by Kathyrn Stockett centers on a young, white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
Guests
Rev. Jane Dixon, The Right Reverend Jane Holmes Dixon, retired Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Pro-tempore.
E. Ethelbert Miller, poet; director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University, Board Chair of the Institute for Policy Study. And author of the forthcoming book "On Saturdays I Santana With You.�
Natalie Hopkinson, media and culture critic for TheRoot.com, The Washington Post's black interest Web magazine. She is coauthor of "Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation" and the forthcoming book, "Go-Go Live."
Diane Rehm interview with
Carl Kasell
Join Diane Rehm as she interviews Carl Kasell at George Washington University's Jack Morton Auditorium.
