YES, THIS IS PRECIOUS TOO:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/toc-archive/2009/20091214.html
PW’s African-American Cover Image: Black Beauty or Big Mistake?
By Calvin Reid -- Publishers Weekly, 12/15/2009 6:37:00 AM
It didn’t take long before complaints began to circulate on Twitter about the image used on the cover of this week’s Publishers Weekly to illustrate the annual feature on African-American book publishing.
“We don't get the 'Afro Picks!' cover. It's not hip, cute, or appealing,” said one tweet. Another tweet: “It seems like a big mistake,” while another read, “what exactly is the rationale behind the Afro-picks cover?” “This is a ridiculous cover. An afro with lotso picks. Get it?” “Publishers Weekly what were you thinking?”
By early afternoon on Monday, Twitter was swarming with comments about the cover illustration and few of the comments were complimentary.
The image was a photograph taken from a new book from W.W. Norton, Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present by Deborah Willis, a collection of carefully chosen photographs intended to highlight the physical and cultural beauty of African-American life. The image (Pickin', 1999) by Lauren Kelley is a photograph of a black woman whose hair is full of Afro picks, the ubiquitous metal toothed hair-comb of the 1970s, complete with plastic handle in the form of a black power fist. The afro picks are arrayed in the woman’s hair to create a kind of giant sculptural
Afro hair-do and the woman is leaning slightly forward to give the viewer a better look at the quirky artificially created hair-pick crown. The coverline for the image is: Afro Picks! New Books and Trends in African-American Publishing and it refers to the feature story “African-American Books in Today’s Marketplace,” a look at the current marketplace for black books by Felicia Pride.
The resulting response to the choice of that particular image and that coverline was not anticipated by the person most closely involved with this week’s cover. That person was me, PW senior news editor, Calvin Reid. I organize, edit and oversee the annual feature story on black books. I chose the cover in collaboration with the magazine's creative director and I wrote the coverline, Afro Picks!, which was intended as a pun to highlight a story that “picked” new black titles of interest. The image was reminiscent of the 1970s and appealed to me, someone who grew up in the middle of the 1970s era wave of black pride, black power and big afros with big afro picks stuck right in the back.
To me it is a sweet, tongue-in-cheek funny and striking image of quirky black hair power. And while it never occurred to me that anyone would be offended by these images, I was very wrong and I have to acknowledge that. Quite a few people were offended by it and outraged by what some perceive as a disparaging or degrading image of a black woman. I certainly regret offending anyone and while I still love that image, I intend to think long and hard about whatever image is chosen for next year’s cover.
“My apologies to anyone who was offended by our cover—that certainly wasn’t our intent,” said PW’s editorial director, Brian Kenney. “At the same time, I’m delighted that Publishers Weekly was able to draw so much attention to Lauren Kelley’s powerful photograph, Deborah Willis’s wonderful book, and especially Felicia Pride’s absolutely terrific feature on African-American book publishing.”
In an effort to respond to the complaints, I contacted W.W. Norton executive editor Bob Weil, who edited the book from which the photo was taken. He wanted to emphasize that “this is a positive and transformational book.” He recently spoke at an event promoting the book at the Studio Museum in Harlem and said, “Willis's book goes miles to show a more complete and honest history of the black image. One man stood up in the audience and said he's using the book therapeutically with his psychiatric in-patients at Bellevue to improve their self-esteem; another young woman stood up and said she came upon the book by accident and was amazed to discover a book that reflected the world she knew.”
And with all due respect to those who were offended by the image, that is not a universal reaction. In an e-mail message from professor Willis, a scholar of black photography, chair of NYU’s photography department and a MacArthur Fellow, wrote: “It's amazing how the viewers read this wonderful image that exemplifies power, humor, style, and beauty. Including the fist on the comb indicates power and strength and pride. It reminded me of the 70s. Ironic could it be that the readers are afraid to look at the power in black hair. (smile.) Thank you for using the image and exposing Black Beauty.”
Print2009, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.
E-NOTES: WHEN THE NEWS IS NOT ENOUGH. THE BLOG OF E. ETHELBERT MILLER
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
PREPARE TO BE COUNTED.
Census begins on April 1, 2010. In March, all U.S. households will be mailed a 10-question form.
Census workers will hand-deliver forms to isolated areas and group homes. Forms will be in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Russian. Everyone is required to fill out the form. Information collected is kept confidential. Any form that request your Social Security number or legal status is a fake.
The Census is very important because it is used to draw boundaries for seats in Congress and state legislatures. It also impacts how federal funds will be distributed.
Census begins on April 1, 2010. In March, all U.S. households will be mailed a 10-question form.
Census workers will hand-deliver forms to isolated areas and group homes. Forms will be in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Russian. Everyone is required to fill out the form. Information collected is kept confidential. Any form that request your Social Security number or legal status is a fake.
The Census is very important because it is used to draw boundaries for seats in Congress and state legislatures. It also impacts how federal funds will be distributed.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Left Bank:
I had breakfast on Saturday at the Left Bank on 18th Street. It amazes me that this place is never crowded. I find the food, waiters, and overall atmosphere to be much nicer than across the street. Why is everyone at The Diner and Tryst? They also have some nice free CDs at the door - their own label. I'm scouting the city for new places to work outside my home. 2010 is already here - birth of the new. Are you ready for the next decade?
I had breakfast on Saturday at the Left Bank on 18th Street. It amazes me that this place is never crowded. I find the food, waiters, and overall atmosphere to be much nicer than across the street. Why is everyone at The Diner and Tryst? They also have some nice free CDs at the door - their own label. I'm scouting the city for new places to work outside my home. 2010 is already here - birth of the new. Are you ready for the next decade?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Higher Education?
I have no idea when people starting calling Howard University - The Mecca. It had to be after I graduated. When I came to the campus in 1968, the student protest movement was complaining about the fact the school was still the "Capstone of Negro Education." I guess many of us wish to see Howard as a destination of blackness. It's always interesting seeing high school kids touring the school or old Howard alum walking around remembering Homecoming. There is a certain pride that even overlooks the changing conditions or maybe the many things that have never changed. I've been sitting behind the same desk since 1973. I have no idea if it's facing in the correct direction.
Last week Howard's name was linked to a student who was arrested overseas. The charge might eventually be juvenile jihad.Terrorism creates fear and so one found a memo circulating around HU -offering counseling without season tickets.When I read the note I didn't know what to do. It was like I was holding one of those gas masks people said I needed to have after 9/11 or those anthrax attacks- and the instructions were in Yiddish.
1965I was 15 and running up the street near St. Mary's Projects to shake John Lindsay's hand. It was the first time I ever met a politician. My mother was not impressed when I ran back into the house and told her who I had met. Lindsay was not a Democrat. My mother would always be one. What did I know about the different political parties? What do we ever know? After he became mayor of New York City, Lindsay selected Thomas Hoving to be his parks commissioner. Hoving died a few days ago. I guess some more of my youth departed too. I can't forget those "Hoving's Happenings" and how the city began to see art and parks in a new way.
How do we embrace the new without stumbling over the present or past? Too often I greet someone and immediately ask - "What's happening or what's going on? I think at the age of 60, I need to know.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
THE E WEEKEND:
Today I will be attending a luncheon with the Capital Letters Board and writer Dave Eggers.
1pm.
Tomorrow I will be speaking at the Jewish Film Festival.
I will be talking with Beth Toni Kruvant the director of the film HEART OF STONE.
4pm. Aaron & Cecile Golman Theatre at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center
1529 16th Street, NW at Q Street.
Today I will be attending a luncheon with the Capital Letters Board and writer Dave Eggers.
1pm.
Tomorrow I will be speaking at the Jewish Film Festival.
I will be talking with Beth Toni Kruvant the director of the film HEART OF STONE.
4pm. Aaron & Cecile Golman Theatre at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center
1529 16th Street, NW at Q Street.
Friday, December 11, 2009
MEDIA:
Is it possible to disappear and unplug for a spell? The Tiger Woods story becomes an interesting test for the media. If Woods avoided public appearances for 1-2 years how many narratives would fill the void? How many people would spread rumors? Does Tiger Woods really have to continue playing golf? What if Woods became Barry Sanders? He could become a recluse, grow a beard and work on his spiritual development. He could just walk away from the game. He could turn the world of golf into the Detroit Lions. What would be the advance for his memoir?
Is it possible to disappear and unplug for a spell? The Tiger Woods story becomes an interesting test for the media. If Woods avoided public appearances for 1-2 years how many narratives would fill the void? How many people would spread rumors? Does Tiger Woods really have to continue playing golf? What if Woods became Barry Sanders? He could become a recluse, grow a beard and work on his spiritual development. He could just walk away from the game. He could turn the world of golf into the Detroit Lions. What would be the advance for his memoir?
OBAMA NOTES: Everyday should be Peace Day. We all need to keep our eyes on the Prize.
I read President Obama's Nobel Prize Speech. I found a few passages that should be discussed and not quickly overlooked. Here they are:
We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations - acting individually or in concert - will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.
Progressives need to understand these Obama words. We tend to believe that wars will end because we put together a protest and make posters.No, we are going to be confronted with various conflicts in the next decade - and yes we will have to use force.
For make no mistake: evil does exist in the world.
I find too many progressives have no opinion or response to terrorism. Oh, and please don't use the excuse that the violence we now reap is because of U.S. Imperialism gone Broadway. The fact of the matter is that evil exists in the world and it has nothing at times to do with capitalism or America. Geez- I saw evil when I was growing up in the South Bronx. That's why I went to Sunday school.
So yes, the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace.
Here is a Zen Koan for progressives.
The non-violence practiced by men like Gandhi and King many not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached - their faith in human progress - must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.
Nuff said! The above is the best line in Obama's Peace Prize speech. How many of us refuse to even look at the sky?
I read President Obama's Nobel Prize Speech. I found a few passages that should be discussed and not quickly overlooked. Here they are:
We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations - acting individually or in concert - will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.
Progressives need to understand these Obama words. We tend to believe that wars will end because we put together a protest and make posters.No, we are going to be confronted with various conflicts in the next decade - and yes we will have to use force.
For make no mistake: evil does exist in the world.
I find too many progressives have no opinion or response to terrorism. Oh, and please don't use the excuse that the violence we now reap is because of U.S. Imperialism gone Broadway. The fact of the matter is that evil exists in the world and it has nothing at times to do with capitalism or America. Geez- I saw evil when I was growing up in the South Bronx. That's why I went to Sunday school.
So yes, the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace.
Here is a Zen Koan for progressives.
The non-violence practiced by men like Gandhi and King many not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached - their faith in human progress - must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.
Nuff said! The above is the best line in Obama's Peace Prize speech. How many of us refuse to even look at the sky?
POETS NIGHT OUTSandra Beasley and I went over to Georgetown last night and caught Gil Scott-Heron at Blues Alley. It's good to see Gil back - his voice not missing much of what made so many of us sing his songs in our bloodstream. Gil will always be a blues man. The evening was a mixture of old hits and humor served like gumbo. Before the show a woman came up to the Beasley/Bert table and introduced herself. It took me a few senior moments to recognize and remember Kim Jordan. Gosh - was she awesome when she joined Gil on stage and started playing those keyboards. Kim has a new CD out - FULL CIRCLE. Visit her site: www.kimjordan.com.
After the early performance I caught Gil before he went upstairs to the Green Room. I hadn't spoken to him in years and years. He quickly remembered who I was and invited me and Lady Beasley upstairs for a short chat. Gil will always be a brother I admire. So few of us are blessed to see the "pieces of a man" fall apart and be placed back together again. What holds so many of us together is the music. There's always a reason to celebrate when the blues gives birth to jazz. Gil will be at the Blues Alley performing until Sunday. May peace always go with this brother.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
HEALTH INFORMATION:
3.7 million; 14.7 percent of all non-Hispanic blacks ages twenty and older have diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes
http://www.yourdiabetesinfo.org/
3.7 million; 14.7 percent of all non-Hispanic blacks ages twenty and older have diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes
http://www.yourdiabetesinfo.org/
NEWS FROM HODARI:
As-Salaam Alaikum!
Peace & Blessings!
Give Peace A Chance Coalition (GPAC), 1426 9th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001, is looking to share its office space. We are in a convenient location at 9th & P Sts NW, up the street from the DC Convention Center.
We have a very nice space, carpeted and fully equipped with desks, file cabinets, book shelves, telephones, internet, etc. In our building we also have access, at no extra charge, to a community room that holds 50+ folks, and a conference room that holds 25 folks. We are willing to share our space for $500/month, slightly less than half of our costs.
For more information email me at brotherhodari@gmail.com or call me at 301-728-8949.
Thank you.
Hodari Abdul-Ali
As-Salaam Alaikum!
Peace & Blessings!
Give Peace A Chance Coalition (GPAC), 1426 9th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001, is looking to share its office space. We are in a convenient location at 9th & P Sts NW, up the street from the DC Convention Center.
We have a very nice space, carpeted and fully equipped with desks, file cabinets, book shelves, telephones, internet, etc. In our building we also have access, at no extra charge, to a community room that holds 50+ folks, and a conference room that holds 25 folks. We are willing to share our space for $500/month, slightly less than half of our costs.
For more information email me at brotherhodari@gmail.com or call me at 301-728-8949.
Thank you.
Hodari Abdul-Ali
IRENE VILAR has a new book out. IMPOSSIBLE MOTHERHOOD: Testimony of an Abortion Addict.Irene Vilar
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/irvilar/
Its been years since I've laughed with this woman on the campus of Bennington. Good to see the release of this book. Many stories are difficult to write.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
MENTORS NEEDED IN CHICAGO:
Mr. Miller,
Director, Urban Prep Fellows Program
Urban Prep Academies
420 N Wabash, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60611
312-276-0259 x109 (T)
773-459-6209 (C)
312-755-1050 (F)
www.urbanprep.org
Mr. Miller,
I am the director of a fellows program for recent college graduates to work as mentors for students in a network of charter schools on the South Side of Chicago. We are looking for people interested in spending a year in service to economically disadvantaged urban youth, and I am hopeful that the seniors involved with your center may be interested in applying. I would be greatly appreciative if you could include the text below on a listserv email and/or your website to publicize the opportunity.
Thanks,
Jake Wertz
Studies show that only 1 in 40 African-American boys in Chicago Public Schools will complete college. At Urban Prep, the nation's first network of all boys charter public high schools, We Believe all of our graduates will.
Do you have the skills, passion, and energy to help us make this vision a reality? Consider applying to join the Urban Prep Fellows Program, our distinctive full-time, one-year volunteer service opportunity for recent college graduates.
Urban Prep Fellows augment and support regular classroom learning by building bonds with students through advising, after-school activities, communication with families, and teaching a Freshman seminar. Our experience has shown that these relationships are critical in providing students with the support, academic enrichment and social-emotional development necessary for college readiness. Fellows are supported through the year by our veteran teaching staff and an innovative monthly speaker series giving Fellows the opportunity to learn and network with Chicago's business, education, civic, and philanthropic leaders. During their service year, Fellows are provided with housing, transportation, health and dental insurance, and a monthly living stipend.
Urban Prep Academies operates 3 all-boys public high schools in Chicago. Our first campus opened in Englewood in 2006, our second in East Garfield Park in the fall of 2009, and our third, in South Shore, will open in fall of 2010. Urban Prep has been recognized as a pioneer in urban education by Oprah Winfrey, President Obama, the UK's Guardian newspaper, The Economist, the Chicago Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN.
Check out the Urban Prep Fellows website at http://www.UrbanPrep.org/fellows for more information and to apply. If you have questions, please contact the program director, Jake Wertz, at jwertz@urbanprep.org or 312-276-0259 x109. --
Director, Urban Prep Fellows Program
Urban Prep Academies
420 N Wabash, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60611
312-276-0259 x109 (T)
773-459-6209 (C)
312-755-1050 (F)
www.urbanprep.org
KICKING THE WRONG ASS:The Washington Redskins cut kicker Shaun Shisham. Another shameful act and a reason why I have problems cheering for this team. Shisham is a good kicker. I told folks he was going to miss a few key kicks this season - every kicker does. My hope for Shisham is that a playoff team picks him up or that next year the clock is ticking down and he is kicking against the Redskins.
THE OBAMA WATCH:All year long the media has been talking about defining moments in the Obama Administration. Lately the focus is on where he stands in the polls. Much of what we are reading right now is meaningless. A lot of it is residue fallout from the election of 2008. Mainstream media makes its payroll from being negative. It's scandal driven and not love driven. Tomorrow President Obama has his best opportunity to speak to future historians. How important will his Nobel Peace Prize speech be? Here is a wonderful opportunity to define a presidency as well as an era. Obama needs to talk about war and peace. He needs to be visionary. He has to create a text not for the evening news but for the beautiful ones not yet born. Peace comes with a price. It's very expensive these days. It's also something that must be shared, planted, harvested, reaped, sowed and scattered. Peace must be air and blood. Outside as well as inside us. Peace comes with instructions and no guarantee.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
THE LITTLE e-NOTE: The 1 Question Interview
Tree Swenson, executive director of the Academy of American Poets.
The Question: What are the future plans of the Academy of American Poets?
The Academy of American Poets will continue to look for the best avenues to connect people more deeply to poetry in whatever shifting world we inhabit. Daily personal engagement is the goal. In the near term, for example, we will be dramatically expanding our national reach by developing interactive, web-based programs and applications that tie in to social networking and educational initiatives.
THE NEW YORKER: December 14, 2009.
How many African Americans still have their subscriptions to The New Yorker? Remember (months back) when a few black folks wanted to have conferences and prayer group meetings after that cartoon of Michelle and Obama on the cover? Bumping fists and being all militant nasty - shame on that magazine for making fun of the black couple in the White House. Now look what they did this month - Obama on the cover "bowing" to a white Santa Claus. This is enough to blowout my Kwanzaa candles. Anybody gonna protest?
How many African Americans still have their subscriptions to The New Yorker? Remember (months back) when a few black folks wanted to have conferences and prayer group meetings after that cartoon of Michelle and Obama on the cover? Bumping fists and being all militant nasty - shame on that magazine for making fun of the black couple in the White House. Now look what they did this month - Obama on the cover "bowing" to a white Santa Claus. This is enough to blowout my Kwanzaa candles. Anybody gonna protest?
IMPORTANT NEWS FROM IPS:
Visit our website: www.ips-dc.org
If you want to support a good progressive organization. Contact us.
I continue to serve as the IPS board chair. Ideas into action.
http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/battered-by-the-storm
Peter Edelman and Barbara Ehrenreich lays out “Why welfare reform fails its recession test” in The Washington Post, Dec6
Karen Dolan and Diana Pearce wrote, “We're Doing a Heckuva Job Helping Those Devastated by the Economic Meltdown” on Alternet, Dec 7
Visit our website: www.ips-dc.org
If you want to support a good progressive organization. Contact us.
I continue to serve as the IPS board chair. Ideas into action.
http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/battered-by-the-storm
Peter Edelman and Barbara Ehrenreich lays out “Why welfare reform fails its recession test” in The Washington Post, Dec6
Karen Dolan and Diana Pearce wrote, “We're Doing a Heckuva Job Helping Those Devastated by the Economic Meltdown” on Alternet, Dec 7
THE NEGRO DIGEST/BLACK WORLD
This was such an important publication. I keep a stack of them next to my desk at home. So much culture to learn about...Is it possible to change this journal into tablets? Every morning I would encourage young people to take two. What would be the result? Think Black or Black Pride?
The Archives
Negro Digest/Black World
Friday, December 04, 2009
Diary of a Movement 
Most people naturally associate Johnson Publishing with its most famous and enduring publications, EBONY and JET, yet over the years there in fact nine magazines under the Johnson banner, including TAN, TAN Confessions, Black Stars, EBONY MAN, EBONY South Africa and the publication that started it all - NEGRO DIGEST.
NEGRO DIGEST was in many ways ahead of its time, part pre-Google aggregation of contemporary Black thought culled from many sources, as well as a forum for strong, independent and - for the time - revolutionary and incendiary voices. W.E.B Dubois, a young, not so famous Martin Luther King, Carl Sandburg, Frantz Fanon, all were contributors to the publication that for a time became the unofficial intellectual forum for the Negro protest movement.
When you read the magazines, the words still resonate strongly. Imagine how strong they seemed sixty years ago. Indeed too strong for many. EBONY was created, in fact, as a lighter, more user-friendly companion which, of course, did gangbusters and quickly became the company's flagship magazine. Even well beyond its profitability, founder John H. Johnson continued to publish Negro Digest (which morphed into Black World) well into the 70's because of its unique role in the community as a critical forum.
The Negro Digest archives (as well as those from EBONY, EBONY Jr. and JET) from 1961 forward are now available on Google and soon on EbonyJet.com as a searchable widget.
Click here for The Negro Digest archives
MARC STEINER TODAY:
At 5pm, we'll discuss the latest developments for Mayor Sheila Dixon, who was found guilty of embezzlement and misappropriation of funds last week. Marc will be joined by his Monday co-host Anthony McCarthy and others to explore the political and social impact of Dixon remaining in office as she explores her legal options.
At 6pm, Christopher Taylor, president of the Union Square neighborhood association, claims he was unjustly arrested in front of his home last week. Marc talks with Taylor about the incident and gives the city police an opportunity to share their side of the story and discuss the larger issue of community-police relations.
At 5pm, we'll discuss the latest developments for Mayor Sheila Dixon, who was found guilty of embezzlement and misappropriation of funds last week. Marc will be joined by his Monday co-host Anthony McCarthy and others to explore the political and social impact of Dixon remaining in office as she explores her legal options.
At 6pm, Christopher Taylor, president of the Union Square neighborhood association, claims he was unjustly arrested in front of his home last week. Marc talks with Taylor about the incident and gives the city police an opportunity to share their side of the story and discuss the larger issue of community-police relations.
Listen from 5-7pm on WEAA 88.9FM or online at www.weaa.org. All shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org.
Monday, December 07, 2009
THE WORK OF STEPHEN ZUNES:
How Communism Fell Alternet,Nov 20, 2009
For other articles of mine on Eastern Europe, you can check out the following:
Serbia: 10 Years Later FPIF Policy ReportJune 17, 2009
For other articles of mine on Eastern Europe, you can check out the following:
Serbia: 10 Years Later FPIF Policy ReportJune 17, 2009
The War on Yugoslavia, 10 Years Later FPIF CommentaryApril 6, 2009
The U.S. and GeorgiaHuffington PostAug. 17, 2008
Estonia's Singing RevolutionHuffington PostJune 5, 2008
Kosovo and the Politics of RecognitionFPIF CommentaryFeb. 21, 2008
A Tale of Two Human Rights AwardeesFPIF CommentaryDec 2, 2009
Weapons of Mass DemocracyYes! magazine,Fall 2009
Nonviolent Resistance in HondurasYes on-line,Nov 8, 2009
The Indigenous Roots of Nonviolent Struggle: A Reply to Steve Weissman
After Downing Street,Oct 13, 2009
You can find additional articles on nonviolent action and other topics on my web site: http://www.stephenzunes.org/
Please feel free to forward this on to anyone who may be interested and invite them to contact me about being on my email list. In addition, please let me know if you wish to not be on this email list.
Stephen Zunes
Professor of Politics & International Studies
Chair, Middle Eastern Studies Program
University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
USA
o: 415-422-6981
c: 831-234-9468
f: 415-422-2101
http://www.stephenzunes.org/
A Tale of Two Human Rights AwardeesFPIF CommentaryDec 2, 2009
Weapons of Mass DemocracyYes! magazine,Fall 2009
Nonviolent Resistance in HondurasYes on-line,Nov 8, 2009
The Indigenous Roots of Nonviolent Struggle: A Reply to Steve Weissman
After Downing Street,Oct 13, 2009
You can find additional articles on nonviolent action and other topics on my web site: http://www.stephenzunes.org/
Please feel free to forward this on to anyone who may be interested and invite them to contact me about being on my email list. In addition, please let me know if you wish to not be on this email list.
Stephen Zunes
Professor of Politics & International Studies
Chair, Middle Eastern Studies Program
University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
USA
o: 415-422-6981
c: 831-234-9468
f: 415-422-2101
http://www.stephenzunes.org/
Do you remember all those strange endings to the Alfred Hitchcock Show? My father and I were often glued to the television and then caught holding our breath when the end of the show had a twist we couldn't imagine. Or maybe my father rose and turned off the television realizing that what he saw was his own life caught in an unbelievable script. I don't know - I was little at the time.I had problems sleeping after the Hitchcock Show but also the Outer Limits and of course the Twilight Zone. I think about this now as Obama tries to explain what we plan to do in Afghanistan.
Giving a date to when the US military will leave strikes one as strange but it makes sense if you want your narrative to imitate your dreams. We need to know what's going to happen so we can sleep better. Insomnia is terrorism without a pillow. If you want a war to end just pick a date and end it. Didn't Bush proclaim "Mission Accomplished" and smile directly into the camera? What's Bush doing now? How will he explain what happened after 9/11? What story will he tell? Will his silhouette replace Hitchcock's? Maybe it was two wars that didn't happen but a third one that did? Ah Alfred - there you go scaring me again.
WAKING UP
Daylight leaks in, and sluggishly I surface
from my own dreams into the common dream
and things assume again their proper places
and their accustomed shapes. Into this present
the Past intrudes, in all its dizzying range -
the centuries-old habits of migration
in birds and men, the armies in their legions
all fallen to the sword, and Rome and Carthage.
The trappings of my day also come back:
my voice, my face, my nervousness, my luck.
If only Death, that other waking up,
would grant me a time free of all memory
of my own name and all that I have been!
If only morning meant oblivion!
- Jorge Luis Borges
Sunday, December 06, 2009
TONY MAKES A FILM:
Dear Friends:
Over the last six months, from July to December 2009, I've been working very hard to complete a spectacular and historic documentary film that I produced and directed: "Obama in Ghana: The Untold Story". I traveled to Ghana in late June to do the advance work to support the production and await the President and First Family's historic July 10-11 state visit to Ghana. My three camera crews were everywhere and captured more then 20-hours of exclusive video focused on the build-up, actual visit, official functions and post-presidential visit events and celebrations connected with President Obama's trip to Ghana.
I'm aiming for an early January wrap on the post-production (editing) in order to be in time to release this incredible one-hour video documentary in time to coincide with the anniversary of the President's first year in office.
In order to achieve that I will need your help. My partners and I stepped on faith and glory to achive e all we achieved thus far, and have spent more than $45,000 of our own money to create this astounding film. I'm asking for your help now; we have debts to pay regarding the video production and aspects of the editing, and I also need to license a few critical video elements from CNN and the Associated Press. We'll be doing a couple of fundraisers here in DC during Kwanzaa and in my home town of Philadelphia, but in the meantime, if you'd care to support me directly, right now, as a cherished friend or colleague, believe me, I can damn sure use your help.
If you'd like to make a small contribution of $20 to $50 to help move the project forward to completion, please do so. I would appreciate that so much - and the film that we deliver for you and your children and the nation and the world will be worth every penny. Please write your check for $25 - $50 to THE ROD MOSES LLC and get it in the mail to me in the coming week.
Tony Regusters
1401 Blair Mill Road #811
Silver Spring, MD. 20910
...and be a part of the history we are making!!!
Cheers!
Tony Regusters
Director/Producer
"Obama in Ghana: The Untold Story"
A documentary film celebrating President
Barack Obama's historic state visit to the
Republic of Ghana
Dear Friends:
Over the last six months, from July to December 2009, I've been working very hard to complete a spectacular and historic documentary film that I produced and directed: "Obama in Ghana: The Untold Story". I traveled to Ghana in late June to do the advance work to support the production and await the President and First Family's historic July 10-11 state visit to Ghana. My three camera crews were everywhere and captured more then 20-hours of exclusive video focused on the build-up, actual visit, official functions and post-presidential visit events and celebrations connected with President Obama's trip to Ghana.
I'm aiming for an early January wrap on the post-production (editing) in order to be in time to release this incredible one-hour video documentary in time to coincide with the anniversary of the President's first year in office.
In order to achieve that I will need your help. My partners and I stepped on faith and glory to achive e all we achieved thus far, and have spent more than $45,000 of our own money to create this astounding film. I'm asking for your help now; we have debts to pay regarding the video production and aspects of the editing, and I also need to license a few critical video elements from CNN and the Associated Press. We'll be doing a couple of fundraisers here in DC during Kwanzaa and in my home town of Philadelphia, but in the meantime, if you'd care to support me directly, right now, as a cherished friend or colleague, believe me, I can damn sure use your help.
If you'd like to make a small contribution of $20 to $50 to help move the project forward to completion, please do so. I would appreciate that so much - and the film that we deliver for you and your children and the nation and the world will be worth every penny. Please write your check for $25 - $50 to THE ROD MOSES LLC and get it in the mail to me in the coming week.
Tony Regusters
1401 Blair Mill Road #811
Silver Spring, MD. 20910
...and be a part of the history we are making!!!
Cheers!
Tony Regusters
Director/Producer
"Obama in Ghana: The Untold Story"
A documentary film celebrating President
Barack Obama's historic state visit to the
Republic of Ghana
I met Pauline Clague at American University yesterday. An honor to meet this Australian writer and film producer. She's from the Yaegl nation of Far North Coast of NSW. I enjoyed an afternoon of Australian Indigenous films. They were being shown at the Katzen Arts Center on the eve of the closure of their Culture Warriors art exhibition. One short film that caught my attention were Ralph directed by Deborah Mailman. It's only 10 minutes but it tells such a sweet and beautiful story of a young girl (Madeline) growing up and dealing with issues of culture and friendship.Before leaving the Katzen Center - good buddy Jack R (the director) gave me and Don Russell (Provisions Library) a tour of the Interactive 3D Installation which is digitally reconstructed section of the Berlin Wall and its surrounding neighborhoods. This virtual world is set in the 1980s. I watched Jack play with the joystick and was quickly transported. This show is so cool - don't miss it.
Saturday in December:
Father moments. Morning. Standing on Georgia Avenue with my daughter waiting for the bus to take us to Silver Spring. So much laughter that the rain decides to turn to snow. These are the joys of fatherhood. We separate after about a ten minute ride. I watch her cross the street just to see if she's safe. I've always done this. Funny how the years never stop at red. If we're lucky life is a green light and we watch our children discover their way. Wasn't it just yesterday that Bernice Reagon was blessing her with song - an entire church singing her name.
Father moments. Morning. Standing on Georgia Avenue with my daughter waiting for the bus to take us to Silver Spring. So much laughter that the rain decides to turn to snow. These are the joys of fatherhood. We separate after about a ten minute ride. I watch her cross the street just to see if she's safe. I've always done this. Funny how the years never stop at red. If we're lucky life is a green light and we watch our children discover their way. Wasn't it just yesterday that Bernice Reagon was blessing her with song - an entire church singing her name.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
MANY THOUSANDS GONE BUT WE ARE MORE THAN SIX:
Charles M. Blow has an OP-ED in The New York Times this morning. Geez - "Black in the Age of Obama." Is this the last one of these articles for the year? I hope so. Kwanzaa is six days longer than Christmas. We keep talking about Obama's impact on race relations and Black America as if we were talking about penis size. It's either too much or too little - or does it matter? Blow claims this year has not been a good one for black men in the news. He lists 6 names of the Negrofabulous:
Plaxico Burress, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, William Jefferson and Tiger Woods. MJ is gone. Plax man is in jail and Tiger is still hiding in the woods. I have no money in my fridge so I can't relate to Jefferson and I never went out with a woman with a name like Rihanna. Let me skip Gates for the moment. Do these black men speak for me? Of course not - count me among the multitudes. The last time I looked we were more than 6.
Charles M. Blow has an OP-ED in The New York Times this morning. Geez - "Black in the Age of Obama." Is this the last one of these articles for the year? I hope so. Kwanzaa is six days longer than Christmas. We keep talking about Obama's impact on race relations and Black America as if we were talking about penis size. It's either too much or too little - or does it matter? Blow claims this year has not been a good one for black men in the news. He lists 6 names of the Negrofabulous:
Plaxico Burress, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, William Jefferson and Tiger Woods. MJ is gone. Plax man is in jail and Tiger is still hiding in the woods. I have no money in my fridge so I can't relate to Jefferson and I never went out with a woman with a name like Rihanna. Let me skip Gates for the moment. Do these black men speak for me? Of course not - count me among the multitudes. The last time I looked we were more than 6.
SPORTS:
Here are three teams to watch this year in the N.B.A. - Atlanta, Milwaukee and Oklahoma. Can the league afford these teams to win during hard times? Imagine Oklahoma in the N.B.A. Finals in June. Are we watching these games in Brooklyn? Certain teams need to win the same way news networks need Fox in their line-up.
So who is going to the Superbowl?
I have a feeling Indianapolis has been too lucky so far this year. The same with Minnesota. Favre is McCain with a helmet. He looks good when he's a maverick avoiding the rush. But always look for Favre to throw a dumb interception especially in a playoff game. It's going to be sad to see all those young Vikings sitting on the sidelines without a Thor of a hammer in January. Safe pick is a blue collar team this year. Look for the hot team with a good defense near the end of December. Ravens? New Orleans might be the best pick in the National Conference.The Eagles, Cowboys or Giants in the Superbowl would be a serious joke - like Arizona until the final minutes of the last Superbowl.
Here are three teams to watch this year in the N.B.A. - Atlanta, Milwaukee and Oklahoma. Can the league afford these teams to win during hard times? Imagine Oklahoma in the N.B.A. Finals in June. Are we watching these games in Brooklyn? Certain teams need to win the same way news networks need Fox in their line-up.
So who is going to the Superbowl?
I have a feeling Indianapolis has been too lucky so far this year. The same with Minnesota. Favre is McCain with a helmet. He looks good when he's a maverick avoiding the rush. But always look for Favre to throw a dumb interception especially in a playoff game. It's going to be sad to see all those young Vikings sitting on the sidelines without a Thor of a hammer in January. Safe pick is a blue collar team this year. Look for the hot team with a good defense near the end of December. Ravens? New Orleans might be the best pick in the National Conference.The Eagles, Cowboys or Giants in the Superbowl would be a serious joke - like Arizona until the final minutes of the last Superbowl.
OBAMA WATCH:
It's so funny watching everyone looking at the polls to see where Obama's ratings are. No one is going to remember anything that happened in 2009 other than maybe Michael Jackson's death.
Does anyone really talk about the stimulus anymore? Once health care is passed and everyone has a free thermometer in their mouths, we won't understand what all the fuss was about. Oh, and the war in Iraq will fade to black. With US troops being pulled out we won't hear too much about bombings in Baghdad. Are we reporting the news in the Congo or Haiti these days? Of course not - no real interest in those countries. Many Americans have become isolationists. It's like how we deal with unemployment. We really don't think about it until we don't have a job. So it is with the world. With everyone on a cell phone or checking their own Facebook is their time for anything else? We have become tribes again. Our lives protected by our own mountains and seas. We trade our privacy only for entertainment and to provide the false impression that we care about someone else. Obama in the news again and the media can't wait to find someone to challenge him. But where will that person come from? Who will be able to be vetted without some sin emerging from their past? How many people will take their names out of the running for president at the suggestion of their mistress? So tell me what do the Polls say this morning? Obama's numbers are down? Well that means they can only go up by the time we reach 2012. Right? What a silly game - playing the numbers and chasing a sick pony on a wet race track.
I keep coming back to Wil Haygood's excellent biography of Sugar Ray Robinson. The book (SWEET THUNDER) is not just about a boxing legend. It's also about style. I like how Haygood links Robinson's career to the creation of Esquire magazine. Haygood also weaves Robinson's life into other important black personalities - Lena Horne, Langston Hughes and Miles Davis. A quartet of folks shaping culture and leaving their fingerprints everywhere.
I spent last night listening to Ornette Coleman. I pulled a few of his albums:
The Ornette Coleman Trio at the "golden circle" Stockholm. Volume Two.
Love Call
The Best of Ornette Coleman
The Shape of Jazz to Come
New York Is Now
Science Fiction
Coleman's approach to music is what we might need to be "hearing" right now as we continue into the 21st Century. How do we pursue a visionary outlook during times of decline and transformation? Instead of what is the shape of jazz to come, maybe we should think about America. Here is what Nat Hentoff wrote on the back of The Best of Ornette Coleman. Hentoff was commenting on the work Coleman had recorded between 1959-1961. That's about 50 years ago.
Hentoff:
Ornette, it seems to me, was a threat not only to what had become standard expectations of jazz. Much more basically, he and his music penetrated to the very nature of one's response to being part of a society that was, we can see now, heading toward conflicts so severe that for many of the young- and some older- the 1970's have begun in a vortex of doubt that a meaningful future is possible for those who would be free. Free to be themselves and to help in the humanizing of their society.
Are we there again? Can one listen to Coleman's music in 2009 and hear the birth of the now?
I keep waiting for someone to appear with a new sound. People often comment on Obama's great ability to listen. That's nice - but how does the world sound? Are we beneath the blues, destroyed perhaps by our own terribleness?
Friday, December 04, 2009
Next Stop Somalia?Very soon we will be talking about Shabab. This is the Islamic group folks in Somalia are fighting right now. Will they be at the center of a holy war in Africa? Stay tuned. Everyday the world seems more like a mess. The New York Times reported that the transitional government in Mogadishu, Somalia currently controls only a few city blocks in a country the size of Texas.
Racism in the Middle East deserves our attention
By Shamara Riley<http://www.thegrio.com/author/shamara-riley/>
[cid:image001.jpg@01CA7422.16401910]
Lebanese model, actress, and singer Haifa Wehbe has been accused of singing a
song with racist lyrics that compares black Egyptians to monkeys. (AP Photo/Joel
Ryan, File)
"Clean your plate if it is touched by a dog, but break it if it's touched by a
Khadem." This popular Yemeni idiom - which equates blacks with servants
(khadem), and ranks blacks below animals - captures the treatment of blacks in
most of the Middle East and North Africa. While criticism has rightfully rained
down on Western societies about racism and the historical role of Christianity
and the trans-Atlantic slave trade in perpetuating it, many anti-racism
activists have been conspicuously silent about human rights violations against
blacks in the Middle East and North Africa.
While Western societies have made societal changes and continue to address
racism, there is little acknowledgment in most of the Middle East and North
Africa that a problem even exists. This even though the trans-Saharan slave
trade enslaved 2.5 to 3 times more Africans than the trans-Atlantic slave
trade<http://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/article-24156>, and negative views
of blacks in Islam<http://www.wikiislam.com/wiki/Qur%27an,_Hadith_and_Scholars:Muhammad_the_Racist#Racism_Against_Black_People>
that influence contemporary attitudes.
Why does this double standard exist? Through what they choose to highlight and
overlook, many anti-racism activists apparently believe that discrimination and
oppression are more deserving of being challenged when whites are the
perpetrators. By sending the message that whites "should know better" but we
should set the bar low for non-whites who oppress blacks, it ironically places
more value on whiteness and devalues other groups. Anti-black racism being
practiced by non-European-groups also challenges the anti-Western view of many
anti-racism advocates that racism is a Eurocentric paradigm.
However, blacks in the Middle East and North Africa are increasingly challenging
this paradigm. They are increasingly vocalizing that (1) they do indeed exist;
and (2) they will fight for equal treatment in their societies. They are
increasingly forcing their compatriots - as well as black intellectuals and
activists around the world - to recognize that racism is not just "a Western
thing" but happening right in their region. Two weeks ago, Lebanese pop singer
Haifa Wehbe was in the hot seat for comparing black Egyptians to monkeys in her
song Where Is Daddy?<http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iZOZOEr0X9aA320n0KSKZbOm1B6AD9C2Q54O0>.
Reminding people that the Nubian people have been in modern-day Egypt since
3,000 B.C, the Committee for Nubian Issues staged protests against the song
getting airplay in Egypt. It has also launched a lawsuit against government
officials for allowing Wehbe's album in the Egyptian market.
Black Iraqis, who are an estimated 10 percent of the total Iraqi population and
have been based mainly in southern Iraq for more than 1,000 years, hope that
President Barack Obama's success as America's first black president will be a
turning point for racial equality in their own country<http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/19/obama.black.iraqis/index.html>.
Under a "change" mantra, they are fighting against usage of the popular Arabic
term for black (abed, which means slave). Movement of Free Iraqis, a political
party that advances black interests, fights for anti-discrimination laws, for
the Iraqi government of officially recognize blacks as a minority group, and to
increase black political power in the hopes that there will one day be an Iraqi
Obama. Iranian blacks are using humor<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_iiHVN7x5k&feature=player_embedded>
as teachable moments to address racism and racial assumptions of what
constitutes an "authentic"
Iranian.
That this growing anti-racism movement in the Middle East and North Africa isn't
getting more attention in the U.S. is partly due to us not knowing more about
what goes on beyond our borders. However, it is also due to black elites' narrow
mindedness in that the faces behind racism and oppression of blacks are of
European decent. Black Americans shouldn't lose sight of the fact that racism
comes in various forms, and should challenge oppression of black people wherever
it's found. The time for us to put the Middle East and North Africa on the hook,
as we have rightfully done with the West, is long overdue.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
DO YOU HAVE A SUBSCRIPTION TO POET LORE MAGAZINE?WWW.POETLORE.COM
Poet Lore is edited by Jody Bolz and E. Ethelbert Miller
Established in 1889, Poet Lore is the oldest continuously published poetry journal in the United States.
Our annual subscription rate is $18 for individuals and $28 for institutions.
TIGER TOWN:A friend sent me this email: Tiger is actually a Cheetah.
I chuckled and then wrote this E-Note:
Everyone wants to be Jay Leno these days. But really who is without sin? Even Moses had to drop the Commandments when he looked at his people. The reason why people love movies is because of the entertainment. The news today is nothing but that. We enjoy looking into other people's windows and lives. We ignore the contradictions in our own mirrors. We tell lies everyday, we cheat, and do disturbing things, all while struggling to be human. The human highs and lows is what makes life so worth living. One's ability to wrestle with desire, fame, pride and just wedding vows is what makes this place on earth so interesting. We are not saints and never will be. We are simply people struggling to love one another and often failing maybe 90% of the time. It's the failures that hopefully teaches us the great lessons of forgiveness and compassion. We all fail at loving other people. That's why the stores are filled with cards and flowers with short lives.
OBAMA WATCH:
I sat down last night and read President Obama's speech. Yes, I read it. I didn't wanted to listen to the president. I was looking for things the media and pundits were not discussing. Here are a couple of statements (in red) that the President made. I think they are very important.
-There has never been an option before me that called for troop deployments before 2010 - so there has been no delay or denial of resources necessary for the conduct of the war.
Can someone share this statement with John McCain? How many conservatives have been yakking about Obama taking too long to make a decision and consequently putting Americans already in Afghanistan at risk?
- This is no idle danger; no hypothetical threat. In the last few months alone, we have apprehended extremists within our borders who were sent here from the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan to commit new acts of terror.
- When I read this I wanted to call former VP Cheney and inquire about who was wearing the Halloween masks in his neighborhood. I'm amazed there is no media buzz around this remark.
Is it possible Tiger Wood's wife saved her husband from a terrorist attack - or was it just other women? So much classified information these days, how do the rumors get out? With a key?
- We have no interest in occupying your country. We will support efforts by the Afghan government to open the door to those Taliban who abandon violence and respect the human rights of their fellow citizens.
- This seems cute but a tad too dangerous. My concern is with people who have a tendency to doublethink. I also think we need to look closely at what the Taliban believe in. One can be non-violent and still oppressive. What is the difference between respect for human rights and tolerance of other people beliefs?
- Where al Qaeda and its allies attempt to establish a foothold - whether in Somalia or Yemen or elsewhere - they must be confronted by growing pressure and strong partnerships.
-Here is the geographical question for all Americans and the clue to where future wars will be held. Somalia and Yemen will be the location for this century's teen wars. Between 2012-2017, I'm certain this is where American military operations will be taking place. Look for any involvement in Somalia to radicalize the people from that country living in the US. A US military presence in Somalia will also find African American Black nationalists pushing a policy of US out of Mother Africa. This is just what a Black US President needs. No more dessert at the Black Caucus dinners?
Problems in Yemen will bring us closer to Saudi Arabia who is already at war with this country. I was in Yemen several years ago -- the landscape and heat will be just brutal to American soldiers. Now, the country is very pretty in the biblical sense. But I thought I had went back in time a bit too far.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
JOB:
Position Available -
Director of Programs and Communications
Humanities Council of Washington, DC (HCWDC)
The Humanities Council of Washington, DC seeks a creative and intellectually curious Director of Programs and Communications. This unique individual will combine a love of civic engagement and the humanities with the ability to create, launch and implement public humanities programming and public relations efforts that support the whole of HCWDCs mission and programs.
Duties include:
1. Design and administer multiple programs including: Conversations on Great Streets, Who Is A Washingtonian?, Soul of the City, Big Read, the Biennial International Program and television programs, including all planning, budgeting and reporting processes and audience development
2. Assist in the development and strengthening of DC-wide partnerships that these programs rely on for their successful outreach and audience
3. Establish goals, schedules and quantifiable targets for Outreach efforts, including increasing audience, and maintaining and increasing audience databases
4. Create, launch and implement a comprehensive, targeted, and sustainable public relations program that supports HCWDC mission and will result in increased audiences for programs, increased funding and increased public awareness of HCWDC’s grants and programs
5. Prepare promotional materials and press releases for grants and programs
6.Manage, and maintain website: posting regular and accurate updates and serving as liaison with staff to keep information current
7.Manage all Humanities-hosted listservs and social marketing outreach; develop and maintain system for web-based forum discussions and blogs
8. Supervise and mentor interns and consultants who assist with programs and communications
9. Assist the Executive Director and Director of Development in securing funds to support new and existing programs by providing ideas and materials and meeting with prospective donors as necessary
10. Maintain Program Management Manual for all programs
11. Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director
Required Skills and Experience:
Demonstrated ability to think creatively and strategically; comfortable with turning ideas into engaging public programs;
Experience in using new media to promote organizations and their missions;
Experience in program development and program management;
Experience in marketing, public relations and audience development;
Website management experience;
Intermediate/advanced office computer skills including: word processing, PowerPoint, spreadsheet proficiency and database management;
College degree in communications, humanities or related discipline;
Efficient time management and project planning skills;
Well-developed interpersonal skills, professional appearance and manner; willingness to go out into the DC community to promote the Council’s public programs, to attend outside events and network among individuals and organizations;
Initiative, flexibility, and enthusiasm, while working well independently and as part of a team; and
Demonstrated understanding and appreciation for diverse cultures.
To Apply: please send a cover letter, a resume, and writing sample (that demonstrates familiarity with public outreach or public programs such as website content, press releases, public program descriptions) by December 15, 2009, to:
Human Resources Department
HR@wdchumanities.org
Humanities Council of Washington, DC
925 U St., NWWashington, DC 20001
www.wdchumanites.org
Position Available -
Director of Programs and Communications
Humanities Council of Washington, DC (HCWDC)
The Humanities Council of Washington, DC seeks a creative and intellectually curious Director of Programs and Communications. This unique individual will combine a love of civic engagement and the humanities with the ability to create, launch and implement public humanities programming and public relations efforts that support the whole of HCWDCs mission and programs.
Duties include:
1. Design and administer multiple programs including: Conversations on Great Streets, Who Is A Washingtonian?, Soul of the City, Big Read, the Biennial International Program and television programs, including all planning, budgeting and reporting processes and audience development
2. Assist in the development and strengthening of DC-wide partnerships that these programs rely on for their successful outreach and audience
3. Establish goals, schedules and quantifiable targets for Outreach efforts, including increasing audience, and maintaining and increasing audience databases
4. Create, launch and implement a comprehensive, targeted, and sustainable public relations program that supports HCWDC mission and will result in increased audiences for programs, increased funding and increased public awareness of HCWDC’s grants and programs
5. Prepare promotional materials and press releases for grants and programs
6.Manage, and maintain website: posting regular and accurate updates and serving as liaison with staff to keep information current
7.Manage all Humanities-hosted listservs and social marketing outreach; develop and maintain system for web-based forum discussions and blogs
8. Supervise and mentor interns and consultants who assist with programs and communications
9. Assist the Executive Director and Director of Development in securing funds to support new and existing programs by providing ideas and materials and meeting with prospective donors as necessary
10. Maintain Program Management Manual for all programs
11. Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director
Required Skills and Experience:
Demonstrated ability to think creatively and strategically; comfortable with turning ideas into engaging public programs;
Experience in using new media to promote organizations and their missions;
Experience in program development and program management;
Experience in marketing, public relations and audience development;
Website management experience;
Intermediate/advanced office computer skills including: word processing, PowerPoint, spreadsheet proficiency and database management;
College degree in communications, humanities or related discipline;
Efficient time management and project planning skills;
Well-developed interpersonal skills, professional appearance and manner; willingness to go out into the DC community to promote the Council’s public programs, to attend outside events and network among individuals and organizations;
Initiative, flexibility, and enthusiasm, while working well independently and as part of a team; and
Demonstrated understanding and appreciation for diverse cultures.
To Apply: please send a cover letter, a resume, and writing sample (that demonstrates familiarity with public outreach or public programs such as website content, press releases, public program descriptions) by December 15, 2009, to:
Human Resources Department
HR@wdchumanities.org
Humanities Council of Washington, DC
925 U St., NWWashington, DC 20001
www.wdchumanites.org
CONVERSATIONS WITH AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN ELDERS OF THE SOUTH
www.spelman.edu/sisoralhistory/index.shtml
www.spelman.edu/sisoralhistory/index.shtml
UPCOMING:
The Fourth Annual Symposium on African American History in the Mid-Atlantic
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DR. JOHN VLACH
Merrick Lecture Hall
Goucher College
Thursday, March 25, 2010
8:30 AM - 1:00PM
For more information: hamp_symposium2010@nps.gov
Important News:
News Alert12:32 PM EST
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
NIH authorizes use of first human embryonic stem cells under new policyObama administration approves the first human embryonic stem cells for experiments by federally funded scientists under a new policy designed to dramatically expand government support for one of the most promising but also most contentious fields of biomedical research.
News Alert12:32 PM EST
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
NIH authorizes use of first human embryonic stem cells under new policyObama administration approves the first human embryonic stem cells for experiments by federally funded scientists under a new policy designed to dramatically expand government support for one of the most promising but also most contentious fields of biomedical research.
35th Anniversary of the Bethel Dukes Branch of The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).
Sunday, December 13, 2009
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Guest Speaker: Dr. Daryl Scott, History Professor, Howard University
Israel Metropolitan CME Church
557 Randolph Street, NW
Washington, D.C.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Guest Speaker: Dr. Daryl Scott, History Professor, Howard University
Israel Metropolitan CME Church
557 Randolph Street, NW
Washington, D.C.
TIGER TALES.
It will be interesting to see how Tiger Woods handles all the Tiger tales that are beginning to surface. Why do we hear about these stories now? It must be the money and quick fame - some folks desire. People love celebrities. They love making love to celebrities. If they could become celebrities that would even be better. Write someone a check and they will help you write a story. Every secret has a price tag.
But what is the issue that's behind the issue? Just as the auto industry and the media is changing, so will other institutions. New technological and economic realities are shaping us in new ways.The institution of marriage might not survive it's current state either. Isn't an affair another reality? What happens when people can "program" alternative relationships and can meet each other on line?
What happens when one falls in love with an avatar? At the end of the day we need to ask ourselves, are we worried about marriage or concerned too much about sex?
Missing too often from our dialogue is love. When is an affair more about love than sex? Isn't this where the great novels begin? The problem today is how the media goes for the sugar - the scandal. They want the story that sells, not the one that explains. With personal privacy disappearing everyday, why do we believe human sin is going to vanish too. Oh, and what is sin? Why is it so often associated with sex?
We talk about broken marriage vows during an era of torture, government lies and Wall Street greed. How can anyone cast the first stone these days? How much do stones cost? Maybe the problem begins with the seller.
It will be interesting to see how Tiger Woods handles all the Tiger tales that are beginning to surface. Why do we hear about these stories now? It must be the money and quick fame - some folks desire. People love celebrities. They love making love to celebrities. If they could become celebrities that would even be better. Write someone a check and they will help you write a story. Every secret has a price tag.
But what is the issue that's behind the issue? Just as the auto industry and the media is changing, so will other institutions. New technological and economic realities are shaping us in new ways.The institution of marriage might not survive it's current state either. Isn't an affair another reality? What happens when people can "program" alternative relationships and can meet each other on line?
What happens when one falls in love with an avatar? At the end of the day we need to ask ourselves, are we worried about marriage or concerned too much about sex?
Missing too often from our dialogue is love. When is an affair more about love than sex? Isn't this where the great novels begin? The problem today is how the media goes for the sugar - the scandal. They want the story that sells, not the one that explains. With personal privacy disappearing everyday, why do we believe human sin is going to vanish too. Oh, and what is sin? Why is it so often associated with sex?
We talk about broken marriage vows during an era of torture, government lies and Wall Street greed. How can anyone cast the first stone these days? How much do stones cost? Maybe the problem begins with the seller.
EVERYONE DOES ADDITION NO ONE TALKS ABOUT SUBTRACTION.
30,000 additional troops will be sent to Afghanistan.
How many of these brave young men and women will not be coming back? Let's subtract...
This is the price of freedom. This is why being president of the United States is a much more difficult job than writing a book.
30,000 additional troops will be sent to Afghanistan.
How many of these brave young men and women will not be coming back? Let's subtract...
This is the price of freedom. This is why being president of the United States is a much more difficult job than writing a book.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
STOP IN THE NAME OF WAR?
Last night I read an essay by a progressive scholar about Obama and Afghanistan. Since I love the person I won't reveal their name. Yet, this is what I had problems with.
-Why does the Left feel betrayed by Obama? The guy told us during the campaign that he was going to pursue the war in Afghanistan. Did you think he would fight a war without troops?
- The progressive Left seems to have no position on how to confront or deal with terrorism.
- We seem to have no response to Islamic fundamentalism. Geez - even Muslims know this exists.There are people in the world who are against how we live our lives. Being nice to them is not going to save us.
- Please don't talk about the military budget and domestic programs in the same breath. Even if the military didn't get any money there are people who would never support the type of domestic policies we need. A large military budget is not why we don't have universal health care.
- When does the Left cheer the troops and wave the flag? Never?
Last night I read an essay by a progressive scholar about Obama and Afghanistan. Since I love the person I won't reveal their name. Yet, this is what I had problems with.
-Why does the Left feel betrayed by Obama? The guy told us during the campaign that he was going to pursue the war in Afghanistan. Did you think he would fight a war without troops?
- The progressive Left seems to have no position on how to confront or deal with terrorism.
- We seem to have no response to Islamic fundamentalism. Geez - even Muslims know this exists.There are people in the world who are against how we live our lives. Being nice to them is not going to save us.
- Please don't talk about the military budget and domestic programs in the same breath. Even if the military didn't get any money there are people who would never support the type of domestic policies we need. A large military budget is not why we don't have universal health care.
- When does the Left cheer the troops and wave the flag? Never?
Yesterday I spent the early evening with Don Russell (executive director of Provisions) and Liz Lerman over at the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in Takoma Park, Maryland. Don and I gave Liz information about Provisions Library.
We talked about the arts and how various organizations are struggling during these difficult times.
I find it very educational to talk with artists in other disciplines. I've always admired Liz Lerman for her genius as well as her activism and interest in using art for social change. Hopefully we will have an opportunity to work together in the future.