E-NOTES: WHEN THE NEWS IS NOT ENOUGH. THE BLOG OF E. ETHELBERT MILLER
Sunday, November 30, 2014
WHY DO THE OLD QUESTIONS NEVER HAVE NEW ANSWERS?
People don't need a reason to riot and people will always find an excuse to riot. Doesn't that sound like something George Orwell would write? Often I find myself feeling like Eric Hoffer talking about another true believer. What would have happened if a Grand Jury last week had reached a different conclusion? Would we have rushed to immediately say our system works or would we have retreated behind the headlines to wait for the next story to unfold? How many bullets are out their waiting for Black bodies? It makes no sense to blame the police if one is not going to blame the state. And what is the state of things these days? It seems we are back to answering the old question. It's not - where do we go from here? Instead it's - Who needs the Negro and what do Black people want?
Yesterday was the last day of mail for the month of November. It was a good one. I received a copy of Black Renaissance/Renaissance Noire which is edited by poet Quincy Troupe. This beautiful publication surpasses The American Rag magazine he once edited many years ago. Troupe always does things with style and content. Inside Volume 14, Issue No. 2, Fall 2014 is the work of Colleen McElroy (who I was just exchanging emails with), Aracelis Girmay ( I met at Canto Mundo), Ishmael Reed, Tyehimba Jess, Hermine Pinson, Yusef Komunyakaa, Derek Walcott and others waiting to jam with your heart and mind. A copy of this magazine would be a good gift for the upcoming holidays.
Write to: brnnyu@gmail.com
I'm happy to be in this issue too. Troupe published my essay "Sterling Brown and the Browning of My Life."
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Talking about my life, the other piece of mail I received yesterday, was a letter informing me that I had been selected for induction into the Washington DC Hall of Fame for the year 2015. Look for me in black tie in April of next year. Many thanks and blessings to friends who touched my life and gave me a reason for living. The work continues even while loving is difficult these days.
Write to: brnnyu@gmail.com
I'm happy to be in this issue too. Troupe published my essay "Sterling Brown and the Browning of My Life."
Talking about my life, the other piece of mail I received yesterday, was a letter informing me that I had been selected for induction into the Washington DC Hall of Fame for the year 2015. Look for me in black tie in April of next year. Many thanks and blessings to friends who touched my life and gave me a reason for living. The work continues even while loving is difficult these days.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
THE DEATH OF LANGUAGE AND THE GHOST OF POETRY
It's simply amazing how the language thing is never examined these days.
How should one interpret the "Burn This Bitch Down" comment coming out of Ferguson? Are we suddenly all in an elevator with Ray Rice? It's impossible to create a new world while embracing a vocabulary that fails to embrace any degree of moral elevation. What lies beyond our anger and rage? After the darkness of destruction will only the fires of ruin burn bright? November is ending and what was once Winter in America is suddenly turning to a December that might be hotter than July. I fear a new racial climate change and global warming. There are no more poems left for me to write. Every word is now broken in my hand.
How should one interpret the "Burn This Bitch Down" comment coming out of Ferguson? Are we suddenly all in an elevator with Ray Rice? It's impossible to create a new world while embracing a vocabulary that fails to embrace any degree of moral elevation. What lies beyond our anger and rage? After the darkness of destruction will only the fires of ruin burn bright? November is ending and what was once Winter in America is suddenly turning to a December that might be hotter than July. I fear a new racial climate change and global warming. There are no more poems left for me to write. Every word is now broken in my hand.
UALE colleagues: For more than a decade, AFSCME has offered summer internships and academic scholarships to students of color through the Union Scholars Program. This year, we will expand the program with a new partner, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The program is also sponsored by the Harvard Labor and Worklife Program. The Union Scholars Program is a great way for students to get experience as frontline organizers AND earn money for college. Below is more information on the program.
Please share it with sophomore and junior students who might be interested. You can also request copies of a fabulous brochure for distribution to your students by emailing Maria Ochoa at mochoa@afscme.org.
Applications are due on February 28, 2015 and are available online at the TMCF website:
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
THE OTHER
VERDICT
There was
another verdict this week that people should discuss. A jury of coaches ( and perhaps a few
players) decided that Robert Griffin III should no longer be the starting
quarterback of the Washington football team. How did this young black man with
so much talent go from star to failure so quickly? How often over the years have we heard about
the importance of being a pocket passer in the NFL? RGIII was replaced this week because he couldn’t
master the fundamentals; he couldn’t master his footwork or read the defenses.
He held the ball too long or made the decision to run first and pass later.
Every Sunday I listened to sports announcers talk about the “law & order”
of the NFL. If RGIII was going to be successful he would have to change his
ways. There is nothing worse than a
Black man starting to think too much because people feel he can’t think. It’s
sad to define a Black man only by his physical talent and not his mental
genius. What was the system that RGIII
was suppose to fit into? If I’m not
mistaken the Peyton pocket passer lost the last Super Bowl. I’m curious as to how
the lives of Black men are forced into definitions and rules – and how they
struggle not only to redefine themselves but to live. If C.L.R. James was alive today he would
probably be looking at the connection between our political landscape and the
cultural one. If you want to know why a U.S. legal system might be biased
against black boys and men simply look at how they struggle to breath when
walking down the street or running across a field. They will always be stopped.
They will be challenged to change their ways. A verdict will be given even if
there is no crime. It’s not simply about being a pocket passer, its about the
struggle not to be trapped forever inside the darkness of a pocket that belongs
to the pants or jacket one might never own.
Black men live their lives today in a contaminated moral environment. Our ability to create, to be spontaneous, to imagine plays that have a new structure, goes against even the motion and flow of history. The essence of blackness is linked to its fluidity – to be heard only inside –say maybe Charlie Parker’s horn. I think it was Baraka who once said that a white person could only imagine someone boxing like Ali after seeing Ali box. How many Black boys will be forever trapped inside a nation of laws that will never understand their rage. Too often the new music we struggle to play is only recognized as noise. What happens when democracy turns a deaf ear? When the next verdict is given how many of us will lose our jobs and maybe even our lives?
NOTE FROM AVIVA KEMPNER
Happy Thanksgiving from the Ciesla Foundation!
We have much to be thankful for this year. We appreciate all of your support as our project nears completion. We are proud to announce that we have a premiere date: The Rosenwald Schoolswill screen on February 25, 2015 as part of the Washington Jewish Film Festival, a festival that I started 25 years ago. On another date there will be a screening in conjunction with Howard University, that was supported by Julius Rosenwald.
There are many tasks to accomplish before that date. We are still doing the final editing, finding the best music selects and a few more stills, auditioning for a great composer and making arrangements for the sound mix, color corrections and online edit.
Of course we are also fundraising to raise the funds to cover these costs. Wonderful friends are hosting fundraising parties or suggesting sources of funding. It takes a village to finish a film. All contributions and suggestions are welcome.
In addition, we are applying to other festivals, making arrangements for distribution and publicity and talking to other organizations to work with us to join in on screenings.
So no rest here at Ciesla.
As always, please find our latest blog posts below.
Sincerely,
Aviva Kempner
The Ciesla Foundation
5005 Linnean Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-244-1347
The Ciesla Foundation
5005 Linnean Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-244-1347
Will Spoken Word Get You Killed?
I just read the account of what happened between Brown and Wilson.
Did a Black man lose his life because of the language thing?
Was this about manhood and the battle over a gun?
What does it mean for a Black man to call a white police officer- a pussy?
I know this isn't Russia but do we now have a new meaning for the term Pussy Riot?
I just read the account of what happened between Brown and Wilson.
Did a Black man lose his life because of the language thing?
Was this about manhood and the battle over a gun?
What does it mean for a Black man to call a white police officer- a pussy?
I know this isn't Russia but do we now have a new meaning for the term Pussy Riot?
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
AMY RIOLO VISITS BUSBOYS AND POETS
Much laughter this morning with Amy Riolo and Andy Shallal. They are two people who know the power of food.
Yes, that was me today munching on the egg wrap.What's a poet to do?
Here is a link to Riolo's website:www.amyriolo.com
Amy and I will be on Andy's radio show BUSINESS MATTERS (WPFW-89.3)on December 22nd at 9AM.
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Yes, that was me today munching on the egg wrap.What's a poet to do?
Here is a link to Riolo's website:www.amyriolo.com
Amy and I will be on Andy's radio show BUSINESS MATTERS (WPFW-89.3)on December 22nd at 9AM.
ANGIE GOERNER
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Today I stopped by the Hamiltonian Gallery on U Street. It was wonderful to meet the lovely and dynamic Angie Goerner again. She is the Program & Development Director. Fellows Converge is the exhibit that's up right now until December 20th. It's curated by Klaus Ottmann, the Director of the Center for the Study of Modern Art and Curator at Large at The Phillips Collection. There is work here inspired by Haruki Murakami, "The Ice Man."
"I'm not interested in
the future at all. To
speak more precisely
I have no concept of
the future. Ice has no
future. It just captures
the past."
www.hamiltoniangallery.com
WHEN THE
CHERRY BLOSSOMS DIE
In the
picture I am in the third row, one of three black faces.
The
newspaper lists my name and age.
I find
comfort knowing everyone is younger than me.
I am among
the 25 shot and killed.
I am not
among the wounded or the broken.
My eyes are
now filled with dusk.
It was the
bullet entering my head from behind that whispered to me.
The shooter
found me hiding under a table.
It’s what
adults did when the only fear came from Russia.
Every
teacher told us to turn our eyes away from the windows.
The second
bullet reminds me of Nagasaki.
It blinds my
life into darkness.
I sleep
hearing only Japanese.
-
E.
Ethelbert Miller
I started writing this poem back in October 2013.
Monday, November 24, 2014
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Sunday, November 23, 2014
ONE QUESTION INTERVIEW WITH OMAR TYREE
Question:
As a biographer of Marion Barry, what do you feel is important for future generations to remember about him?
Answer:
The future generations need to remember EVERYTHING about Marion Barry Jr. We live in an era where far too many people are only interested in sensationalized sound bites, which is what Barry discusses in the very first paragraph of his book. So it does him a tremendous disservice not to know as much as you possibly can about all of him by simply finding a few days to a week to read his book -- Mayor For Life.
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THE NINE LIVES OF MARION BARRY
I hope to interview Dana Flor this week.
Here is a link to her important film on Marion Barry.
http://florfilms.com/
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Here is a link to her important film on Marion Barry.
http://florfilms.com/
MARION BARRY
At times he was bigger than life. We will have to acknowledge his importance when we study the Civil Rights Movement and the history of Washington,D.C. What we will remember about this man will depend on who we are. He was not mayor for life but simply a man who made mistakes but still tried to do some good for his fellow human being. Marion Barry loved people. At times being mayor of a city or sitting on a city council can be as difficult as being president. May we honor this man for what he did - for his vision during dark times. May we get over all the BS, the drugs, the women that were not his wives. May we say at this time of seasons changing once again that Marion Barry was our spring. A man who tried to bring a little warmth to so many left out in the cold. May he rest in peace and may we remember what we still need to do.
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Saturday, November 22, 2014
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JUST ASK ME
I keep telling Michon (Boston) that we should start our own news agency. Maybe simply combine Eclectique with E-Notes. What would e.e. cummings think about that? Well if you want to know what's going on in the world or what's happening to black people addicted to race porn - simply ask Michon and Ethelbert or better yet - JUST ASK ME.
http://www.eclectique916.com/
http://www.eclectique916.com/
DOES THE U.S. HAVE AN IMMIGRATION PROBLEM OR JUST DISORDER ON THE BORDER?
Hey Man - Did you know the Hawk is blowing?
http://www.jazzonthetube.com/page/25182.html
Hey Man - Did you know the Hawk is blowing?
http://www.jazzonthetube.com/page/25182.html
PAUL BEATTY IS BACK! New novel out in March 2015.
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Praise for The Sellout:
“Beatty, author of the deservedly highly praised The White Boy Shuffle (1996), here outdoes himself and possibly everybody else in a send-up of race, popular culture, and politics in today’s America . . . Beatty hits on all cylinders in a darkly funny, dead-on-target, elegantly written satire . . . [The Sellout] is frequently laugh-out-loud funny and, in the way of the great ones, profoundly thought provoking. A major contribution.”
—Mark Levine, Booklist (starred review)
“Beatty creates a wicked satire that pokes fun at all that is sacred to life in the United States . . . His story is full of the unexpected, resulting in absurd and hilarious drama.”
—Library Journal
“The Sellout is brilliant. Amazing. Like demented angels wrote it.”
—Sarah Silverman
“I am glad that I read this insane book alone, with no one watching, because I fell apart with envy, hysterics, and flat-out awe. Is there a more fiercely brilliant and scathingly hilarious American novelist than Paul Beatty?”
—Ben Marcus
“Paul Beatty has always been one of smartest, funniest, gutsiest writers in America, but The Sellout sets a new standard. It’s a spectacular explosion of comic daring, cultural provocation, brilliant, hilarious prose, and genuine heart.”
—Sam Lipsyte
About The Sellout:
A biting satire about a young man’s isolated upbringing and the race trial that sends him to the Supreme Court, Paul Beatty’s The Sellout showcases a comic genius at the top of his game. It challenges the sacred tenets of the United States Constitution, urban life, the civil rights movement, the father-son relationship, and the holy grail of racial equality—the black Chinese restaurant.
Born in the "agrarian ghetto" of Dickens—on the southern outskirts of Los Angeles—the narrator of The Selloutresigns himself to the fate of lower-middle-class Californians: "I’d die in the same bedroom I’d grown up in, looking up at the cracks in the stucco ceiling that’ve been there since ’68 quake." Raised by a single father, a controversial sociologist, he spent his childhood as the subject in racially charged psychological studies. He is led to believe that his father’s pioneering work will result in a memoir that will solve his family’s financial woes. But when his father is killed in a police shoot-out, he realizes there never was a memoir. All that’s left is the bill for a drive-thru funeral.
Fuelled by this deceit and the general disrepair of his hometown, the narrator sets out to right another wrong: Dickens has literally been removed from the map to save California from further embarrassment. Enlisting the help of the town’s most famous resident—the last surviving Little Rascal, Hominy Jenkins—he initiates the most outrageous action conceivable: reinstating slavery and segregating the local high school, which lands him in the Supreme Court.
About Paul Beatty:
Paul Beatty is the author of three novels—Slumberland, Tuff, and The White Boy Shuffle—and two books of poetry:Big Bank Take Little Bank and Joker, Joker, Deuce. He is the editor of Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor. He lives in New York City.
Friday, November 21, 2014
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November 21, 2014
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 | Proposal Writing Workshop
THU, December 11, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
Using group exercises, case studies, and your own proposal outline, the Proposal Writing Workshop will help you understand the components of a competitive grant proposal, discover what grantmakers consider "red flags," and learn how to cultivate potential institutional donors.
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