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American Black Journal > Stories > Arts &amp; Culture

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Stories from American Black Journal

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ABJ 5325 STILL 1

From <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/american-black-journal/negro-spirituals-the-music-that-helped-free-enslaved-african-americans/">Negro spirituals</a> to today’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/american-black-journal/gospel-radio-host-historian-dr-deborah-smith-pollards-gives-history-lesson-on-detroits-gospel-influence/">chart-topping gospel hits</a>, African American religious music has continued to evolve and reflect Black culture and spiritual life across America. According to the <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197495/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Library of Congress</a>, spirituals—considered the first distinctive form of American folk music—laid the groundwork for gospel, blues, jazz and several other genres.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
For <a href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/celebrating-black-music-month#:~:text=Breadcrumb&amp;text=June%20is%20African%20American%20Music,our%20nation's%20treasured%20cultural%20heritage." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Music Month</a>, American Black Journal’s <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/shows/american-black-journal/specials/black-church-in-detroit/">“Black Church in Detroit” series</a> examines the relevance and influence of Black religious music.  
  
<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/">Host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with Mix 92.3 FM gospel radio host <a href="https://umdearborn.edu/people-um-dearborn/deborah-smith-pollard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Deborah Smith Pollard,</a> a professor emerita of African American Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Wayne State University Assistant Professor <a href="https://music.wayne.edu/profile/hf8691" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Brandon Waddles</a>, who is currently touring with &#8220;<a href="https://www.broadwayindetroit.com/events/the-wiz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wiz</a>&#8221; as associate music director. They trace gospel music’s deep roots and its continuing influence in popular culture.
Pollard cites several contemporary examples of how people are embracing gospel music on television shows and in movies. Plus, Waddles talks about how the revival of the popular theatrical production of The Wiz features songs with strong gospel influences.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
Additionally, they discuss how gospel sounds are generational and constantly evolving according to the needs of the community. They also reflect on many of the gospel greats over the years, the importance of the message in Black gospel music, and how African American music continues to evolve and influence itself.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}">

Detroit gospel experts trace the genre’s evolution and influence in America

ABJ 5324 STILL 2 (1)

<a href="https://www.blackartistsarchive.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A new organization</a> is working to safeguard the artistic legacies of Detroit’s Black artists while empowering the next generation of curators and creators. 
The Black Artists Archive is a cultural preservation initiative founded by art historian and curator <a href="https://www.blackartistsarchive.org/team-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Kelli Morgan</a>, who serves as the group’s executive director and CEO. Inspired by her career in art history, Morgan created the archive to collect, document and exhibit the contributions of Black artists in Detroit and the Midwest. 
In collaboration with <a href="https://black-canon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Black Canon</a>, the archive includes “Vinyl Legacies,” an archival project led by David Ellis to digitize over 12,000 records of Black music, and “<a href="https://www.blackartistsarchive.org/s-projects-side-by-side" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Candid Cultures</a>,” a virtual exhibition curated by Morgan, that showcases mid-century photos of Black performance, activism, and art in Detroit. 
The organization is also partnering with Michael Cortor on “A Dialogue Among Friends,” which explores <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/artist/eldzier-cortor-1000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eldzier Cortor’s work</a> alongside fellow Black Chicago Renaissance figures like Gwendolyn Brooks and Charles White. Additionally, the organization is working to preserve the archive of <a href="https://sacredspaces-tourdetroit.com/partnering-venues/arts-extended/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit’s Arts Extended Gallery Inc.</a>, a 72-year-old artist collective that is still active today. 
The Archive is supported by three initiatives — the archive itself, the <a href="https://black-curatorial-institute.teachable.com/l/products?sortKey=name&amp;sortDirection=asc&amp;page=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Curatorial Institute</a> and the DUO Incubatory Residency. 
American Black Journal <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/">host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with Morgan about her career as an art historian and curator and her goal to create both a digital and physical repository for the Black Artists Archive.

Black Artists Archive preserves and celebrates the legacy of artists in the Midwest

ABJ 5324 STILL 1 (1)

The GhostLight Arts Initiative will host its inaugural GhostLight Gala on Sunday, June 29, at the Garden Theatre in Detroit, spotlighting two trailblazers in Black arts and culture.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
<a href="https://www.ghostlight.art/limitless" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The evening</a> will honor <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nksk.events/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Njia Kai</a>, a legendary Detroit cultural arts producer and curator known for her work in preserving and promoting Black cultural traditions, and <a href="https://smtd.umich.edu/profiles/george-i-shirley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. George Shirley</a>, a groundbreaking tenor and nationally respected arts educator. Shirley was the first African American tenor to perform a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera. 
The gala opens with a VIP reception followed by performances, video tributes, a live auction and reflections from GhostLight leadership on the organization’s growing impact and future direction. 
The event aims to raise funds for GhostLight’s programming, which includes the <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/american-black-journal/4th-annual-obsidian-theatre-festival-in-detroit-highlights-black-stories-and-storytellers/">Obsidian Theatre Festival</a>, Young Artist Workshop, Detroit Artist Fellowship Program, and Neighborhood Engagement Programming. <a href="https://www.encoremichigan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Encore Michigan</a>, a platform supporting statewide performing arts coverage, will also benefit from the evening’s proceeds. 
The <a href="https://www.ghostlight.art/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GhostLight Arts Initiative</a> is a nonprofit that focuses on building sustainable impact across communities, with a focus on empowering Detroit artists and audiences. 
<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/">Host Stephen Henderson</a> sits down with GhostLight Arts Initiative Executive Director John Sloan III, as well as the gala’s two honorees. Sloan talks about the nonprofit’s goal of using the arts to bring about social change. He also discusses the Obsidian Theatre Festival. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
Kai reflects on her upbringing in a home where the arts were extremely important to her parents. She also discusses her career journey and the critical role of the arts today. Shirley reflects on how he became interested in a career in opera and how he first came to know Sloan at the University of Michigan.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}">

GhostLight Arts Initiative honors two Black arts trailblazers at inaugural GhostLight Gala

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John Conyers III is honoring his late father, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/john-conyers-longest-serving-black-congressman-dies-at-90" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Conyers Jr.</a>, with a new book that provides both a personal reflection and a historical portrait of Michigan’s longest-serving Black Congressman.
“My Father’s House: An Ode to America’s Longest Serving Black Congressman” explores the life, career and legacy of a man who helped shape American politics and civil rights for more than five decades. <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/my-fathers-house-john-conyers-iii?variant=43043647127586" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The book</a> introduces readers to the multifaceted world of Conyers Jr. who was not just a legislator and civil rights champion, but also a mentor and confidant to a generation of political and cultural figures. 
From memories of President Bill Clinton and Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. to Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Gloria Steinem and others, Conyers III delves into his own coming of age in Detroit against the backdrop of a household that doubled as a hub of political influence and civil rights organizing. 
The book also delves into the lessons Conyers III learned from his father, which have helped him navigate his own politics as an emerging voice in national conversations around Black activism.
“American Black Journal” <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/">host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with Conyers III about “My Father’s House,” his father’s influence, and the values he’s carrying with him on his leadership journey.

John Conyers III reflects on legacy of late father John Conyers Jr. in new book ‘My Father’s House’

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“The Central Park Five,” a gripping opera by Pulitzer Prize-winning <a href="https://www.anthonydavismusic.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">composer Anthony Davis</a>, is coming to the Detroit Opera House for performances on May 10, 16 and 18. The opera tells the true story of five teenagers wrongfully convicted in one of the most infamous cases of racial injustice in recent American history.
Davis, who won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Music for the production, uses opera to examine themes of police brutality, coerced confessions, sexual violence and wrongful imprisonment. <a href="https://detroitopera.org/show/the-central-park-five/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The opera</a> follows Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise, five African American and Latino teens falsely accused and convicted of assaulting a white woman who was jogging in New York&#8217;s Central Park in 1989.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
The production, directed by <a href="https://www.natakigarrett.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nataki Garrett</a> for its Detroit run, opens with the five men reflecting on their lost youth. As the opera moves from Harlem to the chaos of Central Park on the night of the attack and the police precincts and courtrooms, it portrays their wrongful arrest, public vilification, conviction, and ultimate exoneration after serving years in prison. 
Davis is also the composer of “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X,” which <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/american-black-journal/portraying-x-davone-tines-discusses-detroit-opera-residency-his-role-as-malcolm-x/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was presented by Detroit Opera in 2022</a>. Detroit Opera will offer a complimentary opera and dance workshop prior to each performance, where experts will share more about the production.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
“American Black Journal” <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/trudy-gallant-stokes/">guest host Trudy Gallant-Stokes</a> talks with Garrett about the details of the story and how it is brought to the stage in the form of an opera. They also discuss the opera&#8217;s composer and cast members. Plus, Garrett explains what she hopes audiences will take away from the story.

‘The Central Park Five’ opera brings gripping story of racial injustice to Detroit Opera stage

ABJ 5316 PROGRAM STILL 3

Bookstock, metro Detroit&#8217;s largest used book and media sale, returns for its 21st year to Laurel Park Place in Livonia on April 27-May 4. <a href="https://www.bookstockmi.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The event</a> offers nearly 400,000 used books, DVDs, CDs, books on tape and vinyl records available at discounted prices. Unsold items are donated to nonprofits and charities across metro Detroit.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
Bookstock isn’t just a sale, however. It’s a community-driven initiative that supports education and literacy projects across the metro Detroit region and beyond. The <a href="https://www.bookstockmi.org/bookstock-fund/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bookstock Fund</a>, established from the revenue of each year’s sale and generous donations, enables the organization to support literacy through book clubs, poetry slams, and innovative literacy programs like <a href="https://theeinsteinmethod.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Einstein Method</a>.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:150,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}"> 
The annual event also features the <a href="https://www.bookstockmi.org/best/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">B.E.S.T. Awards essay contest</a>, open to fourth-grade students in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The contest’s goal is to foster a culture of literacy and creativity among Detroit’s youth. Damir Archer, a student at <a href="https://www.detroitk12.org/bethune" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary-Middle School</a>, was the 2024 Bookstock B.E.S.T. Awards winner.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:150,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}"> 
“American Black Journal” <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/">host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with Alycia Meriweather, deputy superintendent at Detroit Public Schools Community District and Bookstock Honorary Chancellor, about how the event promotes literacy, reading and writing in Detroit schools. They also discuss the literacy goals of DPSCD and how students are progressing. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:150,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}"> 
Plus, Henderson talks with Archer about the book that he wrote about in his winning entry. Archer’s teacher, Kenneth Powers, speaks to how the essay contest motivates students to write and read.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:150,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}">

Bookstock 2025 supports literacy through book sale and student essay contest

ABJ 5316 PROGRAM STILL 2

New York Times best-selling author Kwame Alexander is on a mission to change the world one word at a time. Alexander, who is also an award-winning poet, Emmy-winning television producer and educator, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ijDLqGM6Jc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visited Detroit recently</a> to discuss his book, &#8221;<a href="https://kwamealexander.com/product/this-is-the-honey-an-anthology-of-contemporary-black-poets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This is the Honey</a>: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets,&#8221; and read excerpts from his many writings as part of <a href="https://www.thewright.org/about/news/charles-h-wright-museum-proudly-presents-wright-conversations-and-wright-performances-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wright Conversations series</a> at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American history. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
Alexander is a recipient of the 2025 NAACP Image Award, the founder of AuthorStudy.com and the Michael I. Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts for Chautauqua Literary Arts. 
While in Detroit, Alexander sat down with “American Black Journal” <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/">host Stephen Henderson</a> for a wide-ranging discussion about his literary works, career and passion for reading and writing. He talked about how he got started writing books and poetry and explains the inspiration behind his more than 44 best-selling books, many of which are geared toward children and teens.
Alexander also discussed his newest book, &#8220;<a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kwame-alexander/how-sweet-the-sound/9780316442497/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How Sweet the Sound</a>,&#8221; and its focus on the history of Black music in America. The book has more than 80 references to artists including Miles Davis, James Brown, Grandmaster Flash, Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce and others.
Plus, he talks about his new animated series, &#8220;<a href="https://pbskids.org/videos/acoustic-rooster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Acoustic Rooster: Jazzy Jams</a>,&#8221; a PBS KIDS special and series of shorts based on his beloved children&#8217;s book, “<a href="https://kwamealexander.com/product/acoustic-rooster/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Acoustic Rooster and his Barnyard Band</a>.”

Kwame Alexander discusses latest book ‘How Sweet the Sound’ and new PBS KIDS series

ABJ 5313 BOYD SCREENGRAB

The Michigan Department of Education and Library of Michigan have named Detroit native <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/melba-joyce-boyd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Melba Joyce Boyd</a> as the state’s new poet laureate. Boyd is only the third poet laureate to serve Michigan, succeeding Nandi Comer who held the position from 2023-2024. 
As Michigan poet laureate, Boyd will connect with Michigan residents, educators and youth across the state to promote literary arts and poetry. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
“I am honored and excited being named the poet laureate of Michigan,” Dr. Boyd <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/mde/news-and-information/press-releases/2025/02/20/dr-melba-joyce-boyd-award-winning-detroit-author-named-michigan-poet-laureate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in a press release.</a> “Although I have lived in other states and other parts of the world, Michigan is where I was born and raised. I have spent most of my life here. This is where I became a poet, learned to appreciate and respect nature, and to cherish and inspire humanity. I look forward to sharing my poetry with a broad range of audiences across the two peninsulas and encouraging our young people to recognize the power of poetry to stimulate creative thinking and as a passionate cultural resource.”<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
An award-winning author, Boyd has published 13 books, nine of which are poetry. Two of them, “<a href="https://aalbc.com/books/9780615312903">Death Dance of a Butterfly</a>” and “<a href="https://wsupress.wayne.edu/9780814334454/">Roses and Revolutions: The Selected Writings of Dudley Randall</a>,” have been selected as <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/public/mnb">Michigan Notable Books</a> by the Library of Michigan. Her writing has also appeared in anthologies, academic journals, cultural periodicals and newspapers across the U.S. and Europe. In 2023, she was named the <a href="https://kresgeartsindetroit.org/artist/melba-joyce-boyd/">Kresge Eminent Artist</a>.
Boyd is a <a href="https://clas.wayne.edu/afamstudies/spotlights/melba-boyd-a-thought-leader-in-african-american-literature-and-cinema-107891">retired distinguished professor of African American Studies</a> at Wayne State University and is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Michigan’s Department of Afroamerican and African Studies. She received a Doctor of Arts in English from the University of Michigan, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in English from Western Michigan University.
<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/">Host Stephen Henderson</a> sat down with Boyd to talk about her new position as Michigan poet laureate, the role other creative art forms play in poetry, and what influences her own writings. Plus, Boyd reads one of her many Detroit-centric poems, “Stage Black.”<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}">

Detroit native Dr. Melba Joyce Boyd named Michigan’s third-ever poet laureate

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Jazz, techno, rock and roll – Detroit has played a pioneering role in many genres of music, but perhaps none more so than in the development of funk – as personified by George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. A <a href="https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/we-want-the-funk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new Independent Lens PBS documentary</a> titled “WE WANT THE FUNK!” captures the rich history of funk and its continuing influence, both in Detroit and globally. It <a href="https://video.detroitpbs.org/livestream/">premieres on Detroit PBS</a> April 8 at 9 p.m. and will be televised again at 8 p.m. on April 11. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
Emmy Award-winning filmmakers <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0625747/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stanley Nelson</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1290670/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nicole London</a>, who is also a Grammy-nominated producer, directed and produced the film, which explores the lifespan of funk from its early roots in jazz and soul to the mainstream influence of artists like James Brown and George Clinton and funk’s impact on genres like new wave and hip hop.
In conjunction with the new documentary, Detroit PBS partnered with Indie Lens Pop-Up and <a href="https://www.thewright.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Charles H. Wright Museum</a> of African American History to host a sold-out <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/we-want-the-funk-tickets-1259938733669" target="_blank" rel="noopener">film screening and panel discussion</a> led by “Detroit Performs” host Satori Shakoor on April 3. The panel features George Clinton’s Road and Entertainment Manager Cheryl James; funk musician, composer and producer David Lee Spradley; and Detroit techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson, whose music has been influenced by the genre. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
“American Black Journal” <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/">host Stephen Henderson</a> sat down with Shakoor, who was a member of the Brides of Funkenstein, the backup vocalists for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. Shakoor joined the Brides of Funkenstein in 1979 for the group’s second album, “Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy.” At the time she joined the group, Shakoor was a session vocalist for Atlantic Records. She also toured with the group alongside <a href="https://georgeclinton.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic</a>.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
Shakoor reflects on her recording and touring experiences with the group and how she always wanted to be a singer. She discusses how Motown influenced George Clinton and his music, along with the politics of the 1970s, and the <a href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/foundations-black-power#:~:text=They%20insisted%20that%20African%20Americans,black%20people%20around%20the%20world." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Power movement</a>.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}">

‘WE WANT THE FUNK!’ documentary explores the evolution of funk music and its connection to Detroit

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The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is <a href="https://detroitopera.org/show/alvin-ailey-american-dance-theater/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">making a stop at the Detroit Opera House</a> March 14-16 as part of its 2024-25 U.S. tour.
The performance celebrates the life and legacy of the company&#8217;s late artistic director Judith Jamison. It also marks the 25th anniversary of the group&#8217;s classic dance performance, &#8220;Grace.&#8221; <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
&#8220;American Black Journal&#8221; <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with <a href="https://ailey.org/people/ronald-k-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ronald K. Brown</a>, the choreographer who created &#8220;Grace,&#8221; about the inspiration for the piece, how he became interested in dance, and the significant role that Jamison played in his career. 
We&#8217;ll also play excerpts from the Ailey company&#8217;s performances of &#8220;Grace&#8221; and another popular production titled &#8220;Revelations.&#8221;<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}">

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater brings special performances to Detroit Opera House during its 2025 U.S. Tour

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Teen HYPE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young people in the Detroit area, presents an upcoming theater production that explores what happens when the worlds of two Detroit teens collide. <a href="https://teenhype.org/events/">The play</a>, “Two Detroits,” takes place March 14 at the <a href="https://www.dearborntheater.com/events">Ford Community &amp; Performing Arts Center</a> in Dearborn.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
The play tells the story of two teens from vastly different backgrounds, navigating the same city and systemic inequities. As their paths intersect, deep-seated questions about identity, acceptance, forgiveness and justice arise. The play delves into themes of privilege, education and zip codes, exploring how these factors can influence young people’s lives and perpetuate division. 
Teen HYPE’s impact extends beyond the stage. Each year, hundreds of students receive vital education on adolescent health, future-oriented thinking, and community service. The organization has reached over 35,000 Detroit-area youth since <a href="https://teenhype.org/our-story/">its founding in 2004</a>. Teen HYPE has also trained more than 600 teens as <a href="https://form.jotform.com/250084950075153">Peer Educators</a>. 
“American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson talks with Teen HYPE CEO Ambra Redrick and Youth Advisory Council Member Omega Clemons, a student at Detroit School of Arts, about the organization’s upcoming play and its ongoing mission to provide a space for young people in the Detroit area to express themselves. Plus, Clemons discusses her role with the production and how the theme resonates with her personally.

Teen HYPE’s “Two Detroits” play explores youth, identity and social divides in Detroit

CARL CRAIG SCREENGRAB

Detroit techno pioneer <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/american-black-journal/techno-producer-carl-craig/">Carl Craig</a> is celebrating Black History Month with his “All Black Vinyl” series <a href="https://www.instagram.com/carlcraignet/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on Instagram</a>, where he showcases Black artists from his extensive record collection every Wednesday throughout February. <a href="https://www.diaart.blog/home/artistplaylistsallblackvinyl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The series</a>, now in its fifth year, highlights the rich legacy of Black musicians who have shaped genres, broken barriers and influenced music history. 
With the series, Craig not only celebrates the artistry of past and present Black musicians, but he also reflects on how his own career has been shaped by their influence. By sharing these vinyl selections, Craig invites his followers to learn about the impact of Black music and its impact on American history.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
BridgeDetroit <a href="https://www.bridgedetroit.com/about/our-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Engagement Editor Bryce Huffman</a> and “American Black Journal” <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/daijah-moss/">contributor Daijah Moss</a> talked with Craig to learn more about the series. Craig shares why he created the series and the significance of highlighting African American contributions to music during Black History Month.

Carl Craig celebrates Black History Month with “All Black Vinyl” series

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Award-winning jazz bassist, educator and mentor <a href="https://kresgeartsindetroit.org/announcement/marion-hayden-named-2025-kresge-eminent-artist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marion Hayden has been named</a> the 2025 Kresge Eminent Artist, which is regarded as metro Detroit’s highest honor for lifetime artistic achievement. At 68, Hayden is the youngest artist to ever receive the award. She is also the second recipient to have previously been awarded a Kresge Artist Fellowship, which she received in 2016. 
The Kresge Eminent Artist award includes a $100,000 monetary prize, along with a short film and a monograph celebrating Hayden’s life and career. With this recognition, <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/one-detroit/detroit-jazz-bassist-marion-hayden-discusses-detroits-renowned-jazz-culture/">Hayden</a> joins a select group of jazz musicians, becoming the third to receive the award and the first from her generation.
Born and raised in Detroit, <a href="https://kresgeartsindetroit.org/artist/marion-hayden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hayden began her musical journey</a> at nine years old and throughout her career has performed with Marcus Belgrave, Wendell Harrison, Nancy Wilson, Geri Allen, <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/news-media/american-black-journal/detroit-born-violinist-regina-carter-receives-2023-nea-jazz-master-award/">Regina Carter</a> and James Carter. Hayden is also a co-founder of the Grammy-nominated all-woman jazz ensemble <a href="https://youtu.be/1RGWO_L5TYg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Straight Ahead</a>. Additionally, she has made significant contributions to the education and mentorship of young jazz musicians.
<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/">Host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with Hayden about her musical journey, which began in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. They talk about Detroit’s jazz legacy and the legendary musicians that have influenced her along the way. Plus, she performs in-studio.

Detroit jazz legend Marion Hayden named 2025 Kresge Eminent Artist

AAFamilyBookExpo

It’s Black History Month and the African American Family Book Expo, presented by Detroit Book City, is back for its 9th year on Feb. 22 at the <a href="https://www.highlandparkmi.gov/Community/Ernest-T-Ford-Recreation-Center" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ernest T. Ford Recreation Center</a> in Highland Park. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dbcs-9th-annual-african-american-family-book-expo-read-in-2025-tickets-1100916243119" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The event</a> promotes literacy in metro Detroit while celebrating Black history and encouraging people to read works from African American authors.
The book expo will feature more than 30 local and national African American authors who will be on hand to sell and autograph their books, including this year’s special guest, award-winning author &amp; historian <a href="https://detroitbookcity.com/author-frank-zaaqan-jordan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frank Zaaqan Jordan</a>. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
 The book expo will also participate in the <a href="https://ncte.org/get-involved/african-american-read-in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National African American Read-In</a> in collaboration with the <a href="https://ncte.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Council of Teachers of English</a>. The initiative encourages communities to read together with a focus on African American authors. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
There will be soul food from <a href="https://thatsdattruck.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ThatsDatTruck</a> and music from DJ Holly, along with black history souvenirs available for purchase. The first 100 adults to arrive will receive a swag bag.
“American Black Journal” <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with Detroit Book City owner Janeice Haynes and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kelleydurenjones/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kelley-Duren Jones</a>, one of the featured authors at this year’s book expo. Haynes explains the importance of African American book fairs and talks about what children and adults can learn from reading. Plus, Duren-Jones reflects on her own journey of becoming a writer.

African American Family Book Expo returns to promote literacy and celebrate Black history

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A new play from Tony Award-nominated playwright and Detroit native <a href="https://www.instagram.com/domorisseau/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dominique Morisseau</a> explores how institutional racism and gender bias continue to shape American society. “Confederates” opens at <a href="https://www.detroitpublictheatre.org/season-ten" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Public Theatre</a> Feb. 6, and runs through March 16. It’s directed by Detroit-based poet and playwright <a href="https://www.goldiepatrick.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Goldie Patrick</a>. 
Set across two time periods, <a href="https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/95024/confederates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the play</a> intertwines the lives of two Black women: Sara, an enslaved woman who becomes a Union spy during the Civil War, and Sandra, a contemporary political science professor confronting racial and gender discrimination at an elite university. Through contrasting experiences, separated by over 160 years, the play examines how similar forces of oppression persist across generations.
“Confederates” premiered off-Broadway in 2022 and has since gained critical acclaim for its bold storytelling. The Detroit-based production offers both a historical and contemporary lens on the ongoing fight for equality and justice. 
Host <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/">Stephen Henderson</a> talks with Patrick about why “Confederates” is such a great production for Detroit audiences and what she hopes they will take away from it. Plus, she reflects on what it means to her to be directing the play at home in Detroit.

Dominique Morisseau’s ‘Confederates’ play examines racism, gender bias 160 years apart

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A new musical coming to Detroit tells the true, scandalous story of Ruby McCollum, a successful Black woman from a small town in Florida whose 1952 trial for the murder of a white doctor revealed the harsh realities of the Jim Crow South. The play, “Ruby &#8211; The Musical,” will be <a href="https://www.musichall.org/events/Ruby-the-Musical" target="_blank" rel="noopener">performed at the Music Hall Center</a> for the Performing Arts Feb. 7-9. <a href="https://michiganchronicle.com/ruby/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It’s presented by the Michigan Chronicle</a> and The Knight Foundation. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
The <a href="https://westcoastblacktheatre.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe</a> in Florida produced an original adaptation of the story, which was first covered in 1952 by The Pittsburgh Courier and Zora Neale Hurston, through ongoing trial reports that highlighted Ruby&#8217;s life.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
Real Times Media, which publishes both The Pittsburgh Courier and The Michigan Chronicle, provided archives to help brothers Nate and Michael Jacobs create the play. As executive producer, Real Times Media marks its first venture into bringing “untold” Black stories to the stage.
Host <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/stephen-henderson/">Stephen Henderson</a> sits down with the play’s director Nate Jacobs to learn how he came across Ruby McCollum’s story and how audiences in Florida reacted to its premiere. Plus, Henderson talks with Hiram Jackson, CEO of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/realtimesmedia360/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Real Times Media</a>, about bringing the production to Detroit and his company’s efforts to tell Black stories.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}">

‘Ruby – The Musical’ brings a gripping story of racial injustice to Detroit’s Music Hall 

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The holiday season is getting an extra dose of cheer at <a href="https://www.detroitpublictheatre.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Public Theatre</a> with its 2024 Holiday Cabaret. Now in its second year, <a href="https://detroitpublictheatre.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0SVH0000019zuv2AA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the production</a> has become a new tradition, offering a unique twist on the classic holiday performance. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}"> 
Running through December 22, the Holiday Cabaret blends festive fun with a bold, modern flair. It features a mix of holiday tunes, from familiar classics to unexpected surprises. The performance aims to capture all the emotions that come with the season — the joy, the chaos, and everything in between — said Dev, one of the performers in this year’s cabaret.
Guest Host <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/trudy-gallant-stokes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trudy Gallant-Stokes</a> talks with Dev about the musical numbers, the cast members, and what makes the production different. They also talk about Dev&#8217;s musical career and experiences growing up in Detroit.

Detroit Public Theatre’s 2nd annual Holiday Cabaret puts modern twist on classic performance

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The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History invites the community to celebrate Kwanzaa with a <a href="https://www.thewright.org/kwanzaa-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">series of in-person and digital events</a> from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. Kwanzaa is rooted in African traditions and African American culture. The holiday honors the “Nguzo Saba,” or Seven Principles, which serve as the foundation of the museum’s celebration. 
The holiday kicks off on Dec. 26 with the third annual <a href="https://downtowndetroit.org/event/motor-city-kwanzaa-celebration-and-kinara-lighting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lighting of the Motor City Kinara</a> at Campus Martius Park, a collaboration between Alkebu-lan Village, Detroit City Councilman Scott Benson, the City of Detroit, and the Downtown Detroit Partnership. The 30-foot-tall Kinara, a symbol of unity and African American heritage, will be illuminated at 5:00 p.m., following a 4:00 p.m. program. The daily lighting of the Kinara will continue at 5:00 p.m. each day through December 31. 
On Dec. 27, the museum will host a celebration of Kujichagulia, or Self-Determination, featuring a performance by Nanou Djiapo, a renowned African drum and dance group. On Dec. 28, visitors can enjoy family activities from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., along with an intergenerational panel discussion from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the museum. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
On Dec. 29, the museum will host the Ujamaa Marketplace from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., celebrating cooperative economics. The day will also feature family-friendly activities, including a concert by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/InTheTraditionJazzEnsemble/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In The Tradition jazz ensemble</a> known for its African-centered jazz performances.
Throughout the week, visitors are encouraged to visit <a href="https://www.thewright.org/exhibitions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the museum’s exhibitions</a> and learn more about the historical and cultural roots of Kwanzaa. The Wright Museum will also share daily videos on social media to support Kwanzaa celebrations at home and in the community. 
Guest host <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/who-is-detroit-pbs/senior-staff/trudy-gallant-stokes/">Trudy Gallant-Stokes</a> talks with the museum&#8217;s Manager of Community Engagement Yolanda Jack about the week-long holiday. Jack shares information about the museum&#8217;s Kwanzaa events and discusses the <a href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/seven-principles-kwanzaa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">holiday&#8217;s seven principles</a>.

Charles H. Wright Museum celebrates Kwanzaa with multi-day slate of events and activities

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The African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County (AACHM) is preparing to move into a new permanent home at 3261 Lohr Road in Ann Arbor with plans for a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AACHMuseum/posts/pfbid02U1CdVJz5v2CCGtZYLEWKcuXU5MCtbRbrP77Q2aiY1z9LDNqKMSC1W9mV67f8dPjyl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grand opening on Nov. 17</a>. 
<a href="https://www.aachm.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The AACHM</a> has served the community for more than three decades. Initially a &#8220;museum without walls&#8221; from 1993 to 2021, and most recently leased space at 1528 Pontiac Trail for three years, the museum preserves local African American history and culture, emphasizing its significance in strengthening community ties. 
<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/shows/american-black-journal/about/meet-the-team/">Host Stephen Henderson</a> sits down for a conversation with <a href="https://culture.engin.umich.edu/dr-deborah-mitchell-covington/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Debby Mitchell Covington</a>, board chair of the museum and Director of Strategic Partnerships and Equity Initiatives in the Office of Culture, Community and Equity at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering. She reflects on why the museum was created in 1993 and explains what makes it unique. 
Plus, Covington also talks about <a href="https://www.aachm.org/current" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the items on display</a> at the museum, <a href="https://www.aachm.org/local-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">African American history in Washtenaw County</a>, and how the new location was acquired.

African American Cultural & Historical Museum of Washtenaw County secures new home in Ann Arbor

DetroitBlackFilmFest

The 5th annual Detroit Black Film Festival returns to the city Sept. 25-29, featuring an array of independent films at venues across the city. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-5th-annual-detroit-black-film-festival-tickets-996365284387" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This year’s festival</a> is themed “Cinema &amp; Culture over Cocktails” and will be held in tandem with the <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/taste-of-black-spirits-national-conference-detroit-the-cocktail-concierge-tickets-879696565107" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Taste of Black Spirits National Conference</a>, a tasting and educational event focusing on Black-owned spirits and beverages.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
<a href="https://filmfreeway.com/DETROITBLACKFILMFESTIVAL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The film festival</a> includes 57 short and feature-length films from both emerging and veteran Black filmmakers. The Taste of Spirits event also includes financial education workshops and access to spirit and beverage distributors. Together, they’re focused on celebrating Black culture and creativity.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.onedetroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/detroit-institute-of-arts-regeneration-exhibit-spotlights-trailblazing-filmmakers-actors-from-early-black-cinema/">Detroit Institute of Arts ‘Regeneration’ exhibit spotlights trailblazing filmmakers, actors from early Black cinema</a>
The two events are supported by the Ford Foundation and will be hosted at venues across metro Detroit including the Marlene Boll YMCA Theater, The Carr Center, the Michigan State University Detroit Center and more. Full festival passes and single-day tickets are available for purchase.
<a href="https://www.onedetroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/contributors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with the festival’s co-directors Marshalle and Lazar Favors about the various film genres represented at the festival, how the films were selected, and the festival’s impact on the independent film industry locally and around the world. They also talk about the activities taking place during the Taste of Black Spirits Conference.
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5th annual Detroit Black Film Festival couples with Taste of Black Spirits National Conference

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September is Black Reading Month, an observance that began in Detroit in 1980, celebrates its 45th anniversary this year with the goal of getting people to read at least one book written by a Black author.  
The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlackReadingMonth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">month-long observance</a> encourages readers to explore literary works by Black authors and gain a deeper understanding of Black experiences and perspectives. In 1985, Detroiter Njia Kai introduced the “Turn Off the TV” challenge in tandem with September is Black Reading Month to encourage participants to unplug and immerse themselves in reading.
In recent years, the annual observance has expanded beyond Detroit with activities and celebrations now reaching other states and even international communities. Schools, bookstores, and organizations are hosting lectures, book signings, and reading contests to engage readers and highlight Black voices in literature. 
<a href="https://www.onedetroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/contributors/">Host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with September is Black Reading Month <a href="https://www.instagram.com/beblackandgreen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Co-Founder Malik Yakini</a> about the observance’s history, its goals for this year, and literacy issues in America. Plus, Yakini and Henderson recommend books written by Black authors.
<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
Subscribe to One Detroit’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/OneDetroit/videos"> YouTube Channel</a> and don’t miss One Detroit on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @OneDetroit_PBS, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch One Detroit Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.

September is Black Reading Month encourages people to turn off the TV and read Black authors

ABJ5237-SpiritofJustice-Web

A new book by historian and New York Times bestselling <a href="https://jemartisby.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">author Jemar Tisby</a> tells the untold stories of Black activists in the fight against racism. Tisby’s latest book, “<a href="https://jemartisby.com/the-spirit-of-justice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race and Resistance</a>,” explores the link between Black activism and <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/shows/american-black-journal/specials/black-church-in-detroit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Black church</a>, highlighting how faith motivated some of the individuals who contributed to the racial justice movement.
Much like Tisby’s earlier work, “<a href="https://jemartisby.com/the-color-of-compromise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Color of Compromise</a>,” “The Spirit of Justice” offers a renewed call to action, emphasizing the ongoing role of faith in the quest for equality. Tisby also explores the intersection between faith and politics, using the variety of religious beliefs highlighted in the book as examples of how he believes faith and politics can work together.
<a href="https://detroitpbs.org/shows/american-black-journal/about/meet-the-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with Tisby about the Black activists in his book and the impact their faith had on their fight for racial justice. Tisby also shares his thoughts about Black history being taught in schools.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
Subscribe to One Detroit’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/OneDetroit/videos"> YouTube Channel</a> and don’t miss One Detroit on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="http://onedetroitpbs.org/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/onedetroit/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/DPTVOneDetroit"> Twitter</a> @OneDetroit_PBS, and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/one.detroit/?hl=en"> Instagram</a> @One.Detroit
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/one-detroit/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch One Detroit Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.
Host Stephen Henderson talks with Tisby about the Black activists in his book and the impact their faith had on their fight for racial justice. Tisby also shares his thoughts about Black history being taught in schools.

Jemar Tisby’s ‘The Spirit of Justice’ explores Black activism and its link to the Black church

<li>March 2022: One Detroit team moves to Marygrove Conservancy</li>

The Detroit Jazz Festival, the world’s largest free jazz festival, is coming this Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30 – Sept. 2. The star-studded lineup features local, national and international musicians.
<figure id="attachment_36466" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-36466" style="width: 400px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-36466" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ABJ5234-ValadeCenter-2.png" alt="The inside of the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center on Wayne State University's campus." width="400" height="225" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-36466" class="wp-caption-text">The inside of the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center on Wayne State University&#8217;s campus. | Photo by American Black Journal</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.detroitjazzfest.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This year’s festival</a> will be celebrated alongside the grand opening of the <a href="https://music.wayne.edu/gvjc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center</a> at Wayne State University, named in honor of the late jazz advocate <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/gretchen-valade-dead-at-97/">Gretchen C. Valade</a>. The center is part of the <a href="https://cfpca.wayne.edu/gateway" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hilberry Gateway</a> integrated performing arts complex.
Detroit artist <a href="https://artbyfendo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jess Fendo</a>, a 25-year-old student at the <a href="https://www.ccsdetroit.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">College for Creative Studies</a>, was selected as this year’s Detroit Jazz Festival poster artist. Known for her murals, acrylic paintings, and graphic design, Fendo draws inspiration from human experience and connections, shaping her artistic vision with a blend of Detroit’s vibrant cultures.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:423,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}"> 
American Black Journal host <a href="https://x.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Henderson</a> talks with Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation President and Artistic Director Chris Collins about the festival’s impact on Detroit and its global audience. Then, Wayne State University Vice President for Government &amp; Community Affairs Patrick Lindsey talks about the Jazz Center’s impact on the university’s music program. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:423,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}"> 
Plus, in an American Black Journal exclusive, this year’s poster is revealed. Fendo discusses her creative process, the inspiration behind the poster design, and her profound love for jazz.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
Subscribe to Detroit PBS’<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/detroitpublictv56"> YouTube Channel</a> and don’t miss &#8220;American Black Journal&#8221; on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.

The Detroit Jazz Festival, Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center and this year’s poster artist Jess Fendo

Award-winning poet jessica Care moore discusses her role as Detroit’s new Poet Laureate

Earlier this year, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced jessica Care moore will serve as the city’s new Poet Laureate. Based in Detroit, <a href="https://www.jessicacaremoore.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moore is an award-winning poet</a>, activist, and filmmaker. She succeeds the late <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/naomi-long-madgett" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Naomi Long Madgett</a>, a revered figure in the city’s literary history. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
In her role as <a href="https://detroitmi.gov/news/mayor-detroit-ace-and-ford-foundation-announce-jessica-care-moore-new-detroit-poet-laureate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Poet Laureate</a>, she will be responsible for leading poetry events across Detroit, delivering an annual address at the Detroit Public Library, and participating in programs that reflect the city’s diversity. She will also compose a special poem for a year-end presentation.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
Moore is the founder of <a href="https://blackwomenrock.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black WOMEN Rock! – Daughters of Betty</a>, an organization that has long championed women’s empowerment through music. She also established The Moore Art House, a nonprofit focused on enhancing literacy through the arts, and Moore Black Press. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
In 2023, Moore gained attention as the new voice of Pure Michigan, with her poem “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYLzSkFhz3c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I Am Detroit Summer</a>” receiving acclaim for its celebration of the city’s working class spirit. Additionally, her 2022 poem, “<a href="https://equilibrium.gucci.com/celebrating-detroit-with-an-original-poem-by-jessica-care-moore/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We Wear The Working Day</a>,” commissioned by Gucci, was displayed at <a href="https://ash.world/hotels/the-siren/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Siren Hotel</a> in Detroit.
<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/contributors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Host Stephen Henderson</a> sits down with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jessicacaremoor/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moore</a> to talk about her appointment to the role of Detroit Poet Laureate and her responsibilities.  She discusses how she came to love poetry and its impact on people. She also talks about the 20th anniversary of the Black Women Rock concert, which <a href="https://visitdetroit.com/events/jessica-care-moore-presents-black-women-rock-20th-anniversary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">takes place on Aug. 31</a> at The Fillmore Detroit, and other creative projects including her feature film debut.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
Subscribe to Detroit PBS’<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/detroitpublictv56"> YouTube Channel</a> and don’t miss &#8220;American Black Journal&#8221; on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.

From spirituals to contemporary gospel: The history and influence of African American religious music

June marks Black Music Month, <a href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/celebrating-black-music-month" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a celebration</a> that traces its origins to 1979 when then-Jimmy Carter first proclaimed it to be African American Music Appreciation Month, as it&#8217;s formally called. The celebration acknowledges the contributions Black musicians have made to the nation’s cultural heritage, dating back to the <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/negro-spirituals-the-music-that-helped-free-enslaved-african-americans/">spirituals sung by enslaved Africans</a>.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
Several of the music genres today have transcended from religious roots, serving as a vital medium to express emotions, bridge cultural divides, and enhance mental well-being. <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/gospels-orgins-and-evolution-gospel-artist-darius-twyman-detroits-gospel-history-american-black-journal/">Gospel music</a> itself, which was born in the Black church, has evolved into a global phenomenon, blending traditional and contemporary elements while retaining its spiritual message.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
RELATED: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/negro-spirituals-the-music-that-helped-free-enslaved-african-americans/">Negro Spirituals: The Music That Helped Free Enslaved African Americans</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/gospel-radio-host-historian-dr-deborah-smith-pollards-gives-history-lesson-on-detroits-gospel-influence/">Gospel radio host, historian Deborah Smith Pollards gives history lesson on Detroit’s gospel influence</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/darius-twyman-discusses-detroits-major-influence-on-traditional-and-contemporary-gospel-music/">Darius Twyman discusses Detroit’s major influence on traditional and contemporary gospel music</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/henry-louis-gates-jr-examines-gospel-musics-rich-history-in-new-pbs-docuseries-gospel/">Henry Louis Gates, Jr. examines gospel music’s rich history in PBS docuseries ‘GOSPEL’</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/the-sacred-and-the-secular-how-gospel-music-grew-from-the-blues/">The sacred and the secular: How gospel music grew from the Blues</a></li>
</ul>
For Black Music Month, “American Black Journal” <a href="http://h/">host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with <a href="https://www.detroitchamber.com/bios/rev-larry-simmons/">Rev. Larry Simmons</a> of Baber Memorial AME Church and <a href="https://brandonwaddles.com/">Dr. Brandon Waddles</a>, assistant professor of choral conducting and music education at Wayne State University, about the power of music to evoke emotions, connect cultures, improve mental health, and serve as a universal language.
They also talk about the enduring influence of spirituals and gospel music on American culture, how white entertainers have been influenced by Black music, and the role of storytelling in music.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
Subscribe to Detroit PBS’<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/detroitpublictv56"> YouTube Channel</a> and don’t miss &#8220;American Black Journal&#8221; on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.

ABJ-5225-ObsidianFestival

The 4th annual Obsidian Theatre Festival returns to Detroit from June 27-30, bringing a diverse array of original plays, a musical, and a cabaret to various downtown locations. Founded in 2020, <a href="https://www.obsidianfest.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the festival</a> was created to uplift Black stories and storytellers, providing a powerful platform for artists to share their experiences and perspectives.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
This year’s event, produced by <a href="https://www.ghostlightinc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GhostLight Creative Productions</a> in collaboration with <a href="https://www.nicelytheatregroup.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nicely Theatre Group</a>, features four plays, a new musical, and a special cabaret fundraiser. Since its inception, the Obsidian Theatre Festival has produced over 100 pieces of content, all reflecting the beautiful diversity of humanity. The festival provides opportunities for audience participation and will be <a href="https://www.obsidianfest.org/watch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">available to stream online</a>.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
“American Black Journal” guest host Trudy Gallant-Stokes talks with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/johnsloaniii/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Sloan III</a>, CEO &amp; Artistic Director of GhostLight Creative Productions, about this year’s festival and the additional activities taking place this month. Plus, Sloan discusses the festival’s origins and its mission to uplift Black stories and storytellers.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
Subscribe to Detroit PBS’<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/detroitpublictv56"> YouTube Channel</a> and don’t miss &#8220;American Black Journal&#8221; on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.

4th Annual Obsidian Theatre Festival in Detroit highlights Black stories and storytellers

<li>Detroit Public Theater partnership/collaborative</li>

Born and raised in Detroit, <a href="https://www.blkbok.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles Wilson III</a>, known professionally as BLKBOK, has carved a unique path in the music world. Identified as a piano prodigy by the age of eight, Wilson’s early accolades in statewide competitions showcased his talent. His professional name, BLKBOK, reflects a homage to renowned composer Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as his deep roots in pop and hip-hop culture.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
BLKBOK’s debut album, “<a href="https://blkbok.ffm.to/blackbook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Book</a>,” was a breakout success, earning recognition from The New York Times as one of the “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/30/arts/music/classical-music-albums-june.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5 Classical Albums to Listen to Right Now</a>.” This album established his innovative voice in the music industry, blending classical piano with contemporary influences. Collaborative works, such as “Angels Watching Over Me” with Lawrence Brownlee, further highlight his versatility and creative breadth.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
In a notable career milestone, BLKBOK’s original track “Stars (Ad Astra)” was the first piano duet performed from space, underscoring his commitment to pushing musical boundaries. His <a href="https://lnk.dmsmusic.co/blkbok_9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sophomore album</a>, “9,” pays tribute to the Little Rock 9, exploring themes of disparity, equity, and Black excellence.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
For <a href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/celebrating-black-music-month#:~:text=June%20is%20African%20American%20Music,our%20nation's%20treasured%20cultural%20heritage." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Music Month</a>, BLKBOK talks with “American Black Journal” guest host Trudy Gallant-Stokes about how he blends classical and contemporary music, the significance of his name, his parents’ influence, and Detroit’s impact on his career.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
Subscribe to Detroit PBS’<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/detroitpublictv56"> YouTube Channel</a> and don’t miss &#8220;American Black Journal&#8221; on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.

Detroit piano prodigy BLKBOK bridges classical and contemporary to create his unique sound

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What does it look like on the inside of a friendship between three millennial gay Black friends taking on their early 30s in Detroit? <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronkfoley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron Foley</a>, a Detroit native and Senior Editor for the Communities Initiative at <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PBS NewsHour</a>, has released his <a href="https://aaronkfoley.com/boys-come-first/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first novel</a>, &#8220;Boys Come First,&#8221; which follows the lives of three fictional men confronting their evolving friendship and individual hurdles as they attempt to navigate a new and changing Detroit.  
In recognition of <a href="https://www.glaad.org/tags/pride-month" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pride Month</a>, producer <a href="https://twitter.com/AJWalkerNews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AJ Walker</a> sits down with Foley to discuss “Boys Come First,” including the controversial social, political and humanistic topics he covers in his book and what he believes makes his characters different than those in other novels. 
From Aaron Foley&#8217;s Instagram:
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<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Aaron Foley, Author, &#8220;Boys Come First&#8221;: A city like Detroit is a city full of characters. With writing about Detroit, you have an opportunity to talk, especially about black Detroiters, Black Midwesterners, types of characters you don&#8217;t always see in literature all the time.
AJ Walker, American Black Journal: Author Aaron Foley has penned his third book. This one is his first novel and it&#8217;s particularly special to him.
Aaron Foley: I like to think of it as a love letter to Detroit. I try to pour as much of the city, the east side, the west side, all of that into it.
AJ Walker: Not only does Aaron Foley&#8217;s book &#8220;Boys Come First&#8221; show the character of Detroit. It covers controversial topics.
Aaron Foley: I also really wanted to talk about sort of the intersectionality between blackness and queerness. As I go to bookstores and look for stories and things like that, I read a lot, but I don&#8217;t read a lot about what is it like to be black and queer at the same time.
AJ Walker: How does it feel to be reading from your own book?
Aaron Foley: It&#8217;s very weird. I do not like it. I mean, I do like it. I like it. It&#8217;s just very awkward because it&#8217;s just like, sometimes as a writer, you try to take yourself out of yourself, right? And try to put yourself in this in the voice and shoes of a character. And so I&#8217;m reading, almost reading like somebody else&#8217;s words. And it&#8217;s just like, wait a minute, did I write this or not?
AJ Walker: He hopes his own identity as being black and gay can give a firsthand perspective that can provide valuable insight and an authentic experience for readers.
Aaron Foley: There&#8217;s an idea that we may not be, quote-unquote, as masculine as the next man. And how sometimes, you know, there&#8217;s the expectation to code switch and not really live and, you know, live in our true selves.
AJ Walker: He writes from the perspective of a community that has been often ostracized, which is something he feels is important to achieving equality in marginalized communities.
AJ Walker: How important is it to have real, authentic representation? Because to me, I feel like, for so long there has been a white male-dominated industry in the media and these people select our representation. But that&#8217;s not really true representation. If it&#8217;s not coming from people within that culture.
Aaron Foley: When we look at queer media, generally the face is a white male. When we look at the face of movements like, It Gets Better. Or who are some of the bigger power players like on Broadway, on stage, on screen and whatnot? Even love interests quite often, you know, black characters or people of color, period, are missing in those stories.
Aaron Foley: I felt it was really important to have three characters, as in this book, who are fully formed, confident, gay, black men who love who they are, deserve to be loved out loud and represent themselves to the fullest.
AJ Walker: Foley makes it a point to note that his book is not all about the trials and tribulations of the black, gay, urban community.
Aaron Foley: It&#8217;s also important to recognize joy. I mean, there is joy that comes with being black. There is joy that comes from being gay and being confident and loving yourself and loving the people around you.
AJ Walker: He also makes it a point not to focus on Detroit&#8217;s rocky past, as some books and other media have previously done.
Aaron Foley: Books about like, abandoned neighborhoods and crime being rampant and everything after the bankruptcy and things like that. We absolutely should be talking about that. But I want people to also understand that, like, people make their homes here. There are people who stay. There are people who continue to love this place and extract love from Detroit, give love to Detroit.
AJ Walker: Foley says he&#8217;s written a smart and in-depth book that will take readers on a journey into Detroit and into a world they may not have been comfortable to brave in real life or in fiction.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

‘Boys Come First’: Aaron Foley’s Debut Novel Follows Three Millennial Gay Black Friends in Detroit 

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A new exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts pays homage to Black Detroiter’s style and culture. <a href="https://dia.org/events/exhibitions/tiff-massey-7-mile-livernois" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The exhibit</a>, “7 Mile + Livernois,” was created by Detroit artist Tiff Massey, the youngest artist to exhibit at the museum. Massey, a metalsmith and sculptor, shares the memories of her upbringing near Detroit’s 7 Mile and Livernois “Avenue of Fashion” corridor in her exhibit, the largest by a Detroit artist to appear at the DIA. She specializes in creating jewelry, installations, public art, and wearable sculptures.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
At the heart of &#8220;7 Mile + Livernois&#8221; is an exploration of identity, community, and heritage. Massey&#8217;s sculptures draw inspiration from the history of West African and Black American culture and style, reflecting also on the evolution of Detroit&#8217;s neighborhoods. Through her art, she invites viewers to engage with the art in public spaces.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
<figure id="attachment_35714" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35714" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-35714" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ABJ5224-FullEp-Thumbnail.png" alt="&quot;Tiff Massey: 7 Mile + Livernois&quot; exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts" width="650" height="366" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-35714" class="wp-caption-text">Detroit artist Tiff Massey&#8217;s &#8220;7 Mile + Livernois&#8221; exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts. | Photo by American Black Journal</figcaption></figure>
Massey’s exhibit has also sparked new collaborations with <a href="https://dia.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the DIA</a>, which has led to the creation of new sculptures within the museum’s vast collection. Her artistic vision extends beyond the museum too, with plans for a new art and community space in the neighborhood that inspired her work.
<a href="https://x.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Host Stephen Henderson</a> talks with <a href="https://tiffmassey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massey</a> about why she named the exhibit after the Detroit neighborhood where she grew up. They also discuss the meaning behind the large-scale sculptures she created to celebrate Detroiters, the Avenue of Fashion, and how Black people adorn themselves.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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Tiff Massey’s ‘7 Mile + Livernois’ exhibit celebrates Black Detroiters’ style and culture

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The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History <a href="https://www.thewright.org/news/charles-h-wright-museum-presents-works-cch-pounder-kone-collection-double-id" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has opened</a> “Double ID,” a new art exhibit featuring 54 works from the private collection of acclaimed actress CCH Pounder. Running through Oct. 20, <a href="https://www.thewright.org/exhibitions/double-id" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the exhibit</a> showcases the CCH Pounder-Koné Collection and delves into the representation of Black men through the lens of W.E.B. Du Bois’ <a href="https://study.com/learn/lesson/video/web-du-bois-double-consciousness-overview-background-examples.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">theory of “double consciousness,”</a> which depicts the complex inner lives and identities of Black men.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
The exhibit brings together an intergenerational group of artists from across the African diaspora, offering a complex portrayal of Black masculinity and challenging historical and cultural stereotypes through artistic expressions. Artists featured in the exhibit include <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gregbaileyart/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greg Bailey</a>, <a href="https://nmwa.org/art/artists/elizabeth-catlett/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elizabeth Catlett</a>, <a href="https://www.louisdelsarte.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Louis Delsarte</a>, <a href="https://kristinhjellegjerde.com/artists/257-tewodros-hagos/overview/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tewodros Hagos</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sesseelangwe/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sesse Ngeselin-Elangwe</a>, <a href="https://www.fahamupecouart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fahamu Pecou</a>, <a href="https://ebonygpatterson.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ebony G. Patterson</a>, <a href="https://www.moma.org/artists/26555" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Malick Sidibé</a>, <a href="https://alexitorres.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alexi Torres</a>, and <a href="https://kehindewiley.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kehinde Wiley</a>.
In addition to her notable film and television roles, including “NCIS: New Orleans” and “ER,” Pounder is celebrated for her extensive art collection and dedication to the arts. Her collection, comprising over 500 works, has been showcased in numerous exhibitions including “<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/cch-pounder-art-exhibit-queen/">QUEEN: From the Collection of CCH Pounder</a>,” which was on display at The Wright in 2020.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:300,&quot;335559739&quot;:300,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
Host <a href="https://x.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Henderson</a> sits down with <a href="https://cchpounder.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pounder</a> at The Wright to discuss the significance of the exhibit’s title and its thematic connection to Du Bois’ theory. She also shared insights into her passion for art and her own creative pursuits both on-screen and in visual arts.
<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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The Wright Museum opens ‘Double ID’ exhibit from TV actress, art collector CCH Pounder

The Charles H. Wright Museum continues to enhance exhibits with technology

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History – more affectionately called <a href="https://www.thewright.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wright</a> – has been educating Detroiters and visitors on African American history since 1966. The museum continues to expand, introducing new exhibits, bolstering its technology, and expanding its performance theater.  
The newest permanent exhibit at the museum is “<a href="https://www.thewright.org/exhibitions/honoring-life-and-legacy-judge-damon-keith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Honoring the Life and Legacy of Judge Damon J. Keith</a>.” The exhibit showcases the new innovative technology the museum is implementing, taking the viewer through the timeline of Judge Keith’s life from childhood to his service as a federal district judge.  
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<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/oscar-winning-costume-designer-ruth-e-carter-exhibits-black-panther-wakanda-forever-costumes-at-the-wright-museum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter exhibits &#8216;Black Panther,’ ‘Wakanda Forever’ costumes at The Wright Museum</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/civil-rights-attorney-benjamin-crump-talks-social-racial-justice-during-the-wright-conversations/">Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump talks social, racial justice during The Wright Conversations</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/alexander-smalls-joins-the-wright-conversation-lecture-series/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Beard chef, author and restaurateur Alexander Smalls joins The Wright Conversations</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/trulydetroit/">Check out more of our Truly Detroit stories</a></li>
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“What [the technology] would allow us to do then is whenever new information comes, let’s say on Judge Keith, we find out something we didn’t know about him, we’re able to go in and reprogram that, add the images, and have a very contemporary view of that subject,” Charles H. Wright Museum President and <a href="https://www.thewright.org/news/neil-barclay-announced-new-ceo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CEO Neil Barclay</a> said. 
The Wright is also revamping its theater, leaning into performances, including music, poetry and film. “We doubled the size of the stage, we brought in all new state of the art theatrical equipment, surround sound equipment, equipment to be able to do film and to show movies in the theater,” Barclay said. “And more comfortable seats.” The <a href="https://www.thewright.org/general-motors-theater" target="_blank" rel="noopener">General Motors Theater</a> is now open and is also available for rent.
One Detroit contributor <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/about/contributors/#sarah">Sarah Zientarski</a> sat down with Barclay to talk about how the museum continues to expand its programming opportunities and operations.
<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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The Charles H. Wright Museum continues to enhance exhibits with technology, expand its theater

Brian-Blade-DJF-2024

The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation has announced acclaimed drummer, composer, and bandleader Brian Blade as the <a href="https://www.detroitjazzfest.org/press-release/drummer-composer-bandleader-brian-blade-named-as-2024-artist-in-residence/">artist-in-residence for the upcoming Detroit Jazz Festival</a>. This two-time Grammy Award winner musician is set to take center stage during the Labor Day weekend festivities. The 2024 festival will take place from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 in downtown Detroit.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
Hailing from Shreveport, Louisiana, <a href="https://www.brianblade.com/">Blade</a> grew from his gospel roots to becoming one of the most revered jazz drummers in the nation. As the 2024 artist-in-residence, Blade will not only participate in multiple performances but also actively engage with educational initiatives and community outreach programs spearheaded by the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
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Among the highlights of Blade&#8217;s residency was a special festival preview event at the <a href="https://music.wayne.edu/gvjc">Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center</a> on the Wayne State University campus on April 10 featuring an exclusive performance by Brian Blade &amp; The Fellowship Band. Watch a portion of Blade’s performance. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
Blade&#8217;s band, <a href="https://www.brianblade.com/bands/the-fellowship-band" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Fellowship Band</a>, boasts a discography spanning 25 years, with seven critically acclaimed recordings to their name. From their debut album in 1998 to the latest release, &#8220;Kings Highway&#8221; in 2023, Blade and his ensemble have consistently pushed the boundaries of jazz, captivating audiences worldwide with their innovative sound.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

2024 Detroit Jazz Festival artist-in-residence Brian Blade and The Fellowship Band perform

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An exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts, “Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971,” explores the influential but overlooked role of trailblazing African American filmmakers and actors during the early days of cinema through the Civil Rights Movement. <a href="https://dia.org/events/exhibitions/regeneration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The exhibit</a>, on display at the museum through June 23, shares the racial barriers and challenges several African American artists overcame to showcase their talents in cinema. The exhibit was originally organized by the <a href="https://www.academymuseum.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Academy Museum of Motion Picture</a>.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}">The exhibit features almost 200 historical artifacts such as photographs, costumes, props, posters and interactive elements, as well as newsreels, home movies, a selection of fully restored rarely seen films and more. <a href="https://dia.org/events/detroit-film-theatre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Detroit Film Theatre</a> at the Detroit Institute of Arts is also presenting a film series with the exhibit, featuring over 20 film events highlighting the history of Black cinema and representation. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
“American Black Journal” <a href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">host Stephen Henderson</a> speaks with Detroit Institute of Arts Curator and Head of the Center for African American Art Valerie Mercer about the museum’s landmark exhibition. They discuss some of the early films produced by Blacks, the importance of having this exhibit on display in Detroit at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the impact these early African American filmmakers and performers have had on Blacks in film today. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

Detroit Institute of Arts ‘Regeneration’ exhibit spotlights trailblazing filmmakers, actors from early Black cinema

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The 11th annual Freep Film Festival returns to various locations across Detroit and its suburbs April 10-14, featuring a host of local documentaries with strong ties to the community. One local documentary, “The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit,” explores the city’s innovative and influential jazz scene and its impact on the world. From past artists like Elvin Jones and Ron Carter to today’s performers, such as Karriem Riggins and Regina Carter, <a href="https://freepfilmfestival.com/the-best-of-the-best-jazz-from-detroit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the documentary</a> spotlights some of the musicians who continue to impact Detroit’s jazz legacy.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
RELATED:
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<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/documentary/2024-freep-film-festival-spotlights-local-documentaries-and-filmmakers/">2024 Freep Film Festival spotlights local documentaries and filmmakers</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/documentary/local-documentary-opens-2024-freep-film-festival-features-rouge-high-school-basketball-team/">Local documentary opens 2024 Freep Film Festival, features Rouge High School basketball team</a></li>
</ul>
The documentary is co-produced and written by <a href="https://twitter.com/Mark_Stryker">Mark Stryker</a>. It premieres Saturday, April 13 at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts during the <a href="https://freepfilmfestival.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 Freep Film Festival</a>. The film will be shown again on Sunday, April 14 at the Birmingham 8 Theatre. After the film screenings, filmmakers Roberta Friedman, Daniel Lowenthal and Stryker, along with bassist and composer Robert L. Hurst III, will sit down with Detroit Free Press members to discuss the film. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
“American Black Journal” <a href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">host Stephen Henderson</a> sat down with Stryker at the <a href="https://dia.org/events/detroit-film-theatre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Film Theatre</a> to talk about how the documentary came to be, Detroit’s significant influence on modern and contemporary jazz, and the conditions that existed in the city that created an explosion of jazz beginning in the 1940s. The two also discuss the innovative and influential jazz musicians from Detroit, both past and present.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
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Local documentary telling Detroit’s jazz legacy premieres at 2024 Freep Film Festival

Black-mens-health-symposium

Black men, facing higher risks of premature death from heart disease and other chronic health conditions, are often hindered by systemic barriers including educational inequalities and socioeconomic factors. To address these health disparities, the Wayne State University School of Medicine, along with the <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/community-posts/mobile-health-outreach-across-detroit-addresses-homeless-needs-health-disparities-wave-project/">Wayne Mobile Health Unit</a> and community stakeholders, are hosting the “Brother, Let’s Talk: A Conversation on Black Men’s Health” symposium. Scheduled for April 13 at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit, <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brother-lets-talk-a-conversation-on-black-mens-health-tickets-825467524587" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the event</a> aims to shed light on the disparities and health challenges faced by Black men. 
<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}">RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/new-data-released-by-ehproject-shows-black-women-are-at-higher-risk-for-heart-disease/">New data released by EHproject shows Black women are at higher risk for heart disease</a>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/fda-approves-new-sickle-cell-disease-treatments/">FDA approves two groundbreaking new gene therapy treatments for sickle cell disease</a>
<a href="https://today.wayne.edu/medicine/news/2024/02/26/wayne-state-university-school-of-medicine-local-stakeholders-host-free-black-mens-health-symposium-61679" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The symposium</a> will feature a range of services provided by Wayne State University’s Mobile Health Unit, including health screenings for conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and kidney disease, as well as COVID-19 testing and vaccination. Moreover, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in discussions led by prominent figures in the field focused on mental health, physical health, and the importance of regular exercise and yearly physicals.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
Host Stephen Henderson talks with three men involved with the forum: Philanthropist and Entrepreneur <a href="https://collinmays.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Collin Mays</a>; <a href="https://sph.umich.edu/faculty-profiles/neighbors-harold.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Harold Neighbors</a>, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan School of Public Health; and <a href="https://em.med.wayne.edu/profile/ap0229" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Phillip Levy</a>, Professor of Emergency Medicine at Wayne State University.
Mays, who conceived the idea for the symposium, explains his motivation for helping other Black men improve their mental and physical health. He explains how he lost 200 pounds in a little over three years to get healthier. Dr. Neighbors and Dr. Levy discuss the disparities and societal pressures that impact the health of African American males, the importance of changing one’s behavior and eating habits, and the correlation between mental and physical health.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559738&quot;:300,&quot;335559739&quot;:300,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
Subscribe to Detroit Public Television’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/detroitpublictv56"> YouTube Channel</a> and don’t miss American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

Detroit symposium aims to tackle health disparities facing Black men

Student Advocacy Center of Michigan

A new documentary details the extraordinary life and career of African American poet Nikki Giovanni. The HBO original documentary, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyb3NV1U9SA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,</a>” premiered in January and is now available to <a href="https://www.max.com/movies/going-to-mars-the-nikki-giovanni-project/851ad3b3-c7ea-4e3d-af7c-06045a93f922" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stream on MAX</a>. The film chronicles Giovanni’s rise to fame and the impact she’s had on American culture. Giovanni discussed the documentary during the Charles H. Wright Museum’s “The Wright Conversations” series on March 13. The museum will <a href="https://www.thewright.org/programs/going-mars-nikki-giovanni-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show the documentary</a> for free on Sunday, March 24. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
RELATED: 
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<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xPiW80BCMs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wright Conversations Presents: Benjamin Crump</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/alexander-smalls-joins-the-wright-conversation-lecture-series/">James Beard chef, author and restaurateur Alexander Smalls joins “The Wright Conversation” series</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/oscar-winning-costume-designer-ruth-e-carter-exhibits-black-panther-wakanda-forever-costumes-at-the-wright-museum/">Ruth E. Carter exhibits costumes from iconic Black films at The Wright Museum</a></li>
</ul>
As one of the nation’s most widely read poets, <a href="https://nikki-giovanni.com/biography/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Giovanni</a> has earned numerous awards throughout her career as a writer, including seven Image Awards from the N.A.A.C.P., the first Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, the Langston Hughes Medal for Poetry, and more. In 2005, Oprah Winfrey recognized Giovanni as one of 25 “Living Legends.” Giovanni continues to write and publish, with her latest collection <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/make-me-rain-nikki-giovanni?variant=33051652522018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Make Me Rain,”</a> released in October 2020. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
“American Black Journal” contributor <a href="https://www.wrcjfm.org/about/staff/cecelia-sharpe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cecelia Sharpe of 90.9 WRCJ</a> sat down with Giovanni at <a href="https://www.thewright.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wright Museum</a> for a wide-ranging conversation about her life, career, literary works and plans for the future. Giovanni talks about how her career got off the ground after she convinced the famous Birdland Jazz Club in New York to host readings of her poems.
She also explains how her mother’s love of jazz-inspired many of her works and what led her to create her popular “Quilts” poem. Plus, Giovanni discusses the “Going to Mars” documentary about her life and talks about her fascination with outer space and the solar system. She closes out the interview by reading a poem from her book, <a href="https://nikki-giovanni.com/works/poetry/the-collected-poetry-of-nikki-giovanni/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1968-1998.”</a>
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
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Poet Nikki Giovanni discusses her literary works, outer space and a new documentary about her life

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An eight-year-old Detroit girl and her family have gained national attention for their videos celebrating Black icons. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/go_rosie_grow/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robyn McKee</a>, known to her online followers as Rosie White, creates videos impersonating well-known Black historical figures like Harriet Tubman and Malcolm X, and icons such as Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. Her mother <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kenya.faye/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kenya White</a> and older sister A’Blesyn Davis, are also involved in making the videos. It started with Rosie’s impersonation of Rosa Parks, a video that gained over 500,000 views online. 
Inspired by a Black History Month assignment on Rosa Parks, Rosie’s journey began when she was just three years old. She memorized what was read to her about Rosa Parks. Soon after, her mother decided it was time for the world to see Rosie’s talents. Rosie has captured the attention of millions online, including celebrities such as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C0jwnjPuGUA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oprah Winfrey</a>, Whoopi Goldberg and Michelle Obama. After reenacting a dinner scene from “The Color Purple,” Rosie and her family were invited to walk the purple carpet for the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1200263/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 remake of the movie</a>.
One Detroit contributor Daijah Moss joined Rosie and her family at their home to talk about the inspiration behind making videos celebrating Black history. 
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Eight-year-old Detroiter Rosie White goes viral for impersonations of Black icons, historical figures

Screen-Shot-2024-02-20-at-3.18.00-PM

The Carr Center is lifting the city’s student and emerging artists in a new “Celebrating Black Arts” exhibit in collaboration with Bedrock. <a href="https://www.deckedoutdetroit.com/black-arts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The pop-up exhibit</a> and cultural space is inside Bedrock’s 1001 Woodward Avenue building through the end of Black History Month. It features artwork by 23 student artists from 10 Detroit schools, along with 10 emerging and established artists from the city.  
Throughout the month, the exhibit space also hosts quilt-making workshops and spoken word, film, music and dance performances. The <a href="https://www.bgcsm.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan</a>’s “House of New Detroit” collection from its fashion club is also on display.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}"> 
At the end of the month, top prizes for two art categories — the junior division, grades 6-8, and the senior division, grades 9-12 — will be chosen. The exhibit is open 4-8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 12-4 p.m. Saturdays; and 1-5 p.m. Sundays.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}"> 
The Carr Center President Oliver Ragsdale joins host <a href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Henderson</a> to share details about the &#8220;Celebrating Black Arts&#8221; exhibit. Plus, he talks about the importance of having this celebration of Black art forms in a prominent downtown Detroit location during Black History Month.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}"> 
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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Black student artwork on display at The Carr Center, Bedrock’s ‘Celebrating Black Arts’ exhibit

Nathan-Amaral-Sphinx-2024-Winner

Violinist Nathan Amaral, a 28-year-old from Rio de Janeiro, has been named the <a href="https://necmusic.edu/news/nathan-amaral-24-gc-wins-first-prize-2024-sphinx-competition-senior-division#:~:text=Competition%20Senior%20Division-,Nathan%20Amaral%20'24%20GC%20Wins%20First%20Prize,2024%20Sphinx%20Competition%20Senior%20Division&amp;text=Violinist%20Nathan%20Amaral%20'24%20GC,major%20orchestras%20for%20his%20win." target="_blank" rel="noopener">winner of Sphinx Competition’s Senior Division</a>. Amaral receives the Robert Frederick Smith Prize, a $50,000 award, and the opportunity to perform with several major orchestras across the nation.  
The 27th annual competition was held in Detroit in January. The competition showcased the exceptional talent of Black and Latinx classical string players. The finalists performed alongside the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble comprised of top professionals from around the United States. 
RELATED: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/gmWkcm-MFZ8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sphinx Competition 2023 senior division winner violinist Njioma Grevious </a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/kebra-seyoun-charles-sphinx-competition-winner/">25th Annual Sphinx Competition Winner Kebra Seyoun Charles </a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/sphinx-organization-marks-25-years-of-elevating-diversity-in-classical-music/">Sphinx Organization marks 25 years of elevating diversity in classical music</a></li>
</ul>
Judges for the 2024 Sphinx Competition included Joseph Conyers, Principal Bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra; violinist Randall Goosby; cellist Seth Parker Woods; Alasdair Tait, Chief Executive &amp; Artistic Director of Young Classical Artists Trust; George Taylor, Professor of Viola at Eastman School of Music; violinist Elena Urioste; and John Zion, President &amp; CEO of MKI Artists. 
Watch Amaral’s first-place performance, a compelling rendition of the first movement of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Concerto for Violin in G minor. 
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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Violinist Nathan Amaral takes home first place in Sphinx Competition Senior Division

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Many electronic music aficionados likely know the origin of techno music in Detroit. It’s a conversation that includes pioneering African American producer Carl Craig, a leading figure in the second wave of Detroit techno. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Craig">The Detroit-born producer</a> has found acclaim as a techno artist, Grammy-nominated producer, label manager and music festival creator.  
Craig’s music career started in 1989 under a number of aliases — 69, BFC, Psyche, Innerzone Orchestra, No Boundaries and several others. In 1991, Craig opened his own music label, Planet E Communications, followed by the release of his first studio album in 1995.  
RELATED: 
<ul>
<li class="entry-title"><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/stacey-hotwaxx-hale-detroits-godmother-of-electronic-house-music/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stacey ‘Hotwaxx’ Hale: Detroit’s godmother of electronic house music</a></li>
<li class="entry-title"><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/detroit-dj-whodat/">Detroit DJ Whodat talks love of house music, Black women artistry</a></li>
</ul>
In 2000 and 2001, Craig served as the co-creator and artistic director of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival. He received a Grammy nomination in 2008 for his mix of Junior Boys’ “Like a Child.” For Black History Month, contributor Stephen Henderson, host of “American Black Journal,” sat down with Craig for a conversation about techno’s Black roots in Detroit.  
Craig shares memories of growing up in Detroit and how his role models – techno artists <a href="https://www.instagram.com/juan.cybotron.atkins/">Juan Atkins</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kevinsaunderson/?hl=en">Kevin Saunderson</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/derrickmay/?hl=en">Derrick May</a> – created a music genre that now dominates the electronic music scene around the world. He also talks about the importance and influence of the Black music experience locally and globally. 
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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Techno’s African American roots: Pioneering producer Carl Craig on carving a lane for Black electronic music

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The Dance Theatre of Harlem is set to return to Detroit, <a href="https://detroitopera.org/season-schedule/dance-theatre-of-harlem-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gracing the Detroit Opera House stage</a> Oct. 21-22 for the third stop of the dance troupe’s much-anticipated 2023-2024 tour. Detroit Opera House was the stage for their last visit in 2022, where they presented Claudia Schreier&#8217;s &#8220;Passage,&#8221; a poignant work commissioned to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in North America. 
Additionally, they enthralled audiences with &#8220;Higher Ground,&#8221; a ballet set to the soulful melodies of Stevie Wonder, showcasing the theatre’s ability to seamlessly blend tradition and modernity. <span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}"> 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/entertainment/dance-theatre-of-harlem-finds-inspiration-for-higher-ground-performance-at-motown-museum/">Dance Theatre of Harlem finds inspiration for ‘Higher Ground’ performance at Motown Museum</a>
The theatre’s connection to Detroit spans farther than previous years’ performances, however. The Dance Theatre of Harlem, founded by the first African American principal dancer of the New York City Ballet, Arthur Mitchell, has been captivating audiences worldwide with its innovative blend of classical and contemporary ballet. 
<a href="https://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/people/robert-garland/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robert Garland</a>, the current artistic director and resident choreographer, continues this legacy by choreographing ballets that pay tribute to the rich musical heritage of Detroit, featuring the sounds of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Motown music.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}"> 
In an exclusive conversation with “American Black Journal” host <a href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Henderson</a>, Garland shared insights into the troupe&#8217;s upcoming performances, the company&#8217;s illustrious history, and how the pandemic has influenced the current and future landscape of dance.
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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Dance Theatre of Harlem returns to Detroit Opera House for its 2023-2024 U.S. tour

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Masterpiece Sound Studios recently showcased the musical legacy of the late Motown songwriter and producer <a href="https://www.songhall.org/profile/sylvia_moy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sylvia Moy</a> with its cover song contest. <a href="https://www.dreyskonie.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drey Skonie and The Klouds</a> were crowned first-place winners for their captivating rendition of a classic Motown hit penned by Moy, the founder of Masterpiece Sound Studios. All performers were required to cover a song written by Moy, and Skonie’s performance captured the essence of Moy’s songwriting brilliance, marking a resonant tribute to the Motown era. 
The segment also reveals exciting details about “Higher and Higher,” an upcoming television series that will immerse viewers in the life of legendary Detroit entertainer <a href="https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/jackie-wilson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jackie Wilson</a>. The show, executive produced by Brenda Wilson, daughter of the iconic artist, follows Wilson’s journey from the tender age of five to his pinnacle at 40. Skonie takes on the lead role of Wilson in the series, embodying the charisma and talent that defined Wilson’s later years. <a href="https://dfour4productions.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DFour4 Productions</a> Owner Letitia McIntosh sits at the helm as production manager for the highly anticipated TV series.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}"> 
“American Black Journal” <a href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">host Stephen Henderson</a> has a lively conversation with the first-place winner of the Masterpiece Sound Studios’ Cover Song Contest, Drey Skonie, Cover Song Contest Judge and Founder of the Jackie Wilson Foundation Brenda Wilson, and McIntosh. They talk about their involvement in the cover song contest and how the “Higher and Higher” TV production will bring to life the captivating story of a true Detroit legend. 
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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Drey Skonie and The Klouds carry on Sylvia Moy’s Motown legacy at Masterpiece Sound Studios’ cover song contest

Rhythms of change: Motown Museum reflects on recording civil rights history 60 years ago

As the nation reflects on the 60th anniversary of the historic <a href="https://www.si.edu/spotlight/1963-march-on-washington#:~:text=On%20August%2028%2C%201963%2C%20more,Philip%20Randolph." target="_blank" rel="noopener">March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom</a> and the <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/detroit-walk-to-freedom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Walk to Freedom</a>, an intriguing connection exists between the powerful speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the iconic Motown Records. Sixty years ago, Motown Records founder Berry Gordy made a pivotal decision to immortalize Dr. King’s messages on record albums during the civil rights movement. This decision marked a momentous intersection of music and activism, providing a platform for Dr. King’s inspirational words to reach a broader audience.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/60th-anniversary-detroit-walk-to-freedom-american-black-journal-episode/">The 60th anniversary of the Detroit Walk to Freedom</a>
The <a href="https://www.motownmuseum.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Motown Museum</a>, dedicated to preserving and celebrating the legacy of Motown Records, recognizes the profound impact this fusion of music and social change had on shaping public discourse and fostering unity during a pivotal era in American history. Gordy’s decision to record Dr. King’s two versions of his “I Have A Dream” speech continues to resonate and shape the museum’s initiatives today. By intertwining the messages of hope, equality, and justice within the rhythms of Motown, the museum seeks to honor the visionaries who paved the way for change. 
In an exclusive interview, Cecelia Sharpe, a <a href="https://www.wrcjfm.org/about/staff/cecelia-sharpe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contributor from 90.9 WRCJ</a>, delves into this significant link with Robin Terry, Chairwoman and CEO of the Motown Museum. Terry sheds light on Berry Gordy’s groundbreaking move to make Dr. King’s speeches available on record albums. Terry also highlights how the enduring legacy of this collaboration between Motown Records and the Civil Rights Movement continues to influence the museum’s present-day projects. 
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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Featured image provided by Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation
Get ready to groove to the rhythm of jazz as the 44th Detroit Jazz Festival, considered the world’s largest, free jazz festival, returns to downtown Detroit this Labor Day weekend. Against the backdrop of the city&#8217;s iconic skyline, <a href="https://www.detroitjazzfest.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this year&#8217;s festival</a> promises to be a celebration of the genre&#8217;s rich history with performances from a spectacular lineup of world-class musicians, as well as a tribute to the genre’s unsung heroes and its enduring influence on the cultural tapestry of Detroit.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}"> 
“American Black Journal” <a href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">host Stephen Henderson</a> sits down with Chris Collins, president and artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation, and <a href="https://www.brittiniward.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brittini Ward</a>, the artist who created this year&#8217;s official Jazz Festival poster. Collins talks about some of the world-class performers in the lineup, including the three 2023 NEA Jazz Masters, all from Detroit: violinist Regina Carter, drummer Louis Hayes, and saxophonist Kenny Garrett.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/music/detroit-born-violinist-regina-carter-receives-2023-nea-jazz-master-award/">Detroit-born violinist Regina Carter receives 2023 NEA Jazz Master Award</a>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/detroit-jazz-festival-announces-2023-lineup-featuring-artist-in-residence-karriem-riggins/">Karriem Riggins announced as Detroit Jazz Festival artist-in-residence with lineup of local jazz masters</a>
He also speaks about the special opening night tribute to <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/gretchen-valade-dead-at-97/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the late Gretchen C. Valade</a>, who was instrumental in the preservation of the Detroit Jazz Festival and its Foundation, and he gives an update on the huge renovation of the jazz center named for Valade that&#8217;s located in the Hilberry Theatre on Wayne State University&#8217;s campus.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}"> 
Then, in what has become an “American Black Journal” annual tradition, the official Detroit Jazz Festival poster is unveiled by Ward. She shares stories on how members of her family were the inspiration behind the poster&#8217;s artwork and explains how she came up with the idea for the imagery. She also speaks to the influence of music and art on her life and creativity as a visual artist, spoken word poet and singer.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:0,&quot;335551620&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}"> 
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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44th Detroit Jazz Festival to feature NEA Jazz Masters’ performances, tribute to Gretchen Valade

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Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, the trailblazing <a href="https://www.arts.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Endowment for the Arts</a> (NEA) Chair, will speak to a public audience during an upcoming conversation at the <a href="https://www.thewright.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History</a> in Detroit as part of the <a href="https://www.concertofcolors.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 Concert of Colors</a>, Michigan&#8217;s largest free diversity festival.  
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation-with-nea-chair-maria-rosario-jackson-phd-tickets-673194501877" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The free conversation</a>, presented by the Michigan Council for the Arts, Concert of Colors and The Wright Museum, will take place from 10-11:30 a.m. Friday, July 21 at The Wright Museum Community Gallery.  
During her conversation with Wright Museum President Neil Barclay, <a href="https://www.arts.gov/about/leadership-staff/dr-maria-rosario-jackson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Jackson</a> is expected to share her journey as the first African American and Mexican American woman to lead the NEA, as well as the power of creativity and the transformative impact it can have on society.  
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/entertainment/national-arab-orchestra-brings-arab-music-back-home-for-2023-detroit-concert-of-colors/">National Arab Orchestra Founder Michael Ibrahim shares importance of uniting communities through global music</a> 
In advance of her visit to Detroit, Dr. Jackson sat down with American Black Journal <a href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">host Stephen Henderson</a> to talk about the importance of the arts in building healthy communities. Drawing from her own experiences, she emphasized the importance of diversity and inclusivity in the arts, highlighting how it can promote understanding, empathy, and social change.  
Plus, they discuss Dr. Jackson&#8217;s professional background and her groundbreaking appointment as the <a href="https://www.arts.gov/news/press-releases/2021/dr-maria-rosario-jackson-nominated-be-chair-national-endowment-arts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first African American and Mexican American woman to chair the NEA</a>. 
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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NEA Chair Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson heads to Detroit to discuss ‘living an artful life’

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Detroit DJ sensation and a true luminary in the electronic music realm, lifelong Detroiter <a href="https://www.whodat313.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Terri McQueen</a>, popularly known as Whodat, is set to perform at the highly anticipated 2023 <a href="https://movementfestival.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Movement music festival</a> in Detroit’s Hart Plaza. The festival is set to take place May 27-29. 
With a global career that spans over a decade, Whodat has solidified her position as a driving force within Detroit’s electronic music scene and the city’s vibrant arts community.  
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/stacey-hotwaxx-hale-detroits-godmother-of-electronic-house-music/">Stacey ‘Hotwaxx’ Hale: Detroit’s godmother of electronic house music</a>
“American Black Journal” contributor Chien-An Yuan caught up with Whodat ahead of her May 29th appearance at Movement to talk about her love for house music, being an African American woman in the music industry, and what motivates her to create the soulful, expansive mixes and eclectic productions that make up her unique sound.  
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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Detroit DJ Whodat talks love of house music, Black women artistry ahead of Movement music festival

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Is that Black enough for you? Acclaimed filmmaker, film critic and historian Elvis Mitchell asks that question in his <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81387240">new Netflix documentary</a>. The film is the directorial debut for Mitchell, a Highland Park, Michigan native and Wayne State University alum. It takes viewers on a whirlwind journey through the transformative years of Black cinema during the late 1960s through the 1970s, paying tribute to Black films that had a major influence on Hollywood.  
Through personal monologues from Mitchell and interviews with Black luminaries such as Harry Belafonte, Lawrence Fishburne, Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya and more, the documentary paints a striking picture of the golden age of Black cinema and tells the story of how it helped redefine Blackness in film.  
“American Black Journal” host <a href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit">Stephen Henderson</a> sat down with Elvis Mitchell to talk about “Is That Black Enough For You?!?”, which is being shown at the <a href="https://freepfilmfestival.com/2023-films/">2023 Detroit Free Press Film Festival</a>. Plus, Mitchell talks about his Bob Allison (Allesee) Endowed Chair in Media position at Wayne State University that begins in May 2023. 
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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‘Is That Black Enough For You?!?’ documentary chronicles Black cinema revolution of the 1970s

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Detroit-born violinist extraordinaire Regina Carter has earned another prestigious musical honor: the 2023 <a href="https://www.arts.gov/news/press-releases/2022/nea-announces-2023-recipients-nea-jazz-masters-honors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz </a>Masters Fellowship Award for jazz advocacy. Carter received the award alongside fellow Detroit jazz <a href="https://www.kennygarrett.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saxophonist Kenny Garrett</a> and <a href="http://www.louishayes.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drummer Louis Hayes</a> at a celebratory award ceremony and concert at The Kennedy Center on Saturday, April 1, for the start of Jazz Appreciation Month. 
As a now sought-after violinist across the globe, <a href="https://reginacarter.com/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carter began perfecting her craft</a> at the early age of four years old. After graduating from Cass Technical High School, Carter studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and at Oakland University, before gaining her first glimpse of fame through the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/120905671286149/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all-female jazz group Straight Ahead</a>. Since then, Carter has racked up accolades as a MacArthur “Genuis” Award recipient and a Doris Duke Artist Award, and now the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship.  
One Detroit contributor <a href="https://www.wrcjfm.org/programs/sunday-night-swing-set-with-linda-yohn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Linda Yohn of 90.9 WRCJ</a> sits down with Regina Carter to talk about her latest honor. Carter shares how she’s still in shock yet honored to be chosen by the NEA, and how awards like this one are the green lights that let her know she’s going in the right direction. Plus, they discuss the variety of music Carter creates, from jazz to R&amp;B, Latin, classical, blues, country, pop, African and more, and how those sounds all draw from the experiences she had as a child growing up in Detroit.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}"> 
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Linda Yohn, 90.0 WRCJ: To kick off Jazz Appreciation Month 2023, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., you, Kenny Garrett and Louis Hayes will be featured in concert to receive your NEA Jazz Master Award. This is a banner day for jazz in general and for Detroit Jazz specifically. 
Regina Carter, Jazz Violinist, 2023 NEA Jazz Master: I&#8217;m over the moon, as the old people would say. I&#8217;m still in disbelief. I know it&#8217;s happening, I do these interviews and I am in touch, you know, making all the arrangements. And then I say, &#8220;Really, this is really happening.&#8221; And I&#8217;m really excited. I&#8217;m so honored. And the fact that it&#8217;s three Detroiters, I couldn&#8217;t be more proud of my city. It&#8217;s amazing on one hand that the three of us four are from Detroit, but it&#8217;s not amazing, it&#8217;s just the city. Detroit is extremely unique and special. 
Linda Yohn: It sure is. But see, the thing is, is that this is not your first rodeo. This is not your first major award. I mean, you are a MacArthur Genius Grantee. So, what is the difference between, say, the NEA Jazz Master Award and some of the many other awards and accolades, well-deserved, I might add, that have come your way? 
Regina Carter: Every award is very special. They&#8217;re like green lights, if you will, I call them to say you&#8217;re on the right path. And everyone has their own path, their own journey. And so, sometimes it feels like when you&#8217;re out here doing this, doing music, being self-employed, sometimes it&#8217;s like, what am I doing? And I think that&#8217;s probably everyone at certain points in our lives, we question what we&#8217;re doing. But any award that I&#8217;ve received, I feel like it&#8217;s a green light. Like, yes, keep going, you&#8217;re on the right track. And of course, winning the MacArthur was probably&#8211; that was so huge for me in my life.
And then, being a Doris Duke artist as well, after that. And then, on top of it, this&#8211; it&#8217;s&#8211; I&#8217;m blown away. I know that the music comes through me, not from me. And just having life experiences and allowing those experiences to help guide me and to guide my music. And I&#8217;ve had some opportunities that I never even thought about early on in my career or in my life. There&#8217;s so many ways in which to use music. And the longer I live, you know, I can serve. I love playing for audiences and touring, but I can also play for people in nursing homes, hospitals, I do hospice work and end-of-life work. And so, all of that feeds my soul and helps, it just helps me to stay humble. 
Linda Yohn: Other aspects of Regina Carter that&#8217;s just super important, is the variety in your recordings. I go back all the way to the Straight Ahead days. But then, when you started out and you were doing your own sessions, you decided, or I don&#8217;t know if you decided it, but someone decided that there should be variety in the presentations. 
Regina Carter: Well, it&#8217;s interesting. I recorded with Atlantic, two solo records, and those records were considered smooth jazz, whatever that means. And when I signed with Verve, they wanted more of Straight Ahead. And I remember turning in my first record and the A&amp;R artist repertoire person assigned to me said, &#8220;Well, your music is all over the place. People won&#8217;t know how to categorize you.&#8221; And I said, &#8220;I&#8217;m not going to pick one thing. I love all of this music as just music.&#8221; 
And growing up in Detroit, listening to the radio stations, we heard such a wide variety of music under that umbrella of jazz. On the stations there was Motown, and then, of course, any drive anywhere in the city you might hear, if you go to Greektown, you&#8217;d hear some Greek classical music, or Mexican village, you&#8217;d hear authentic Mexican folk music, mariachi you might hear, if you go, there was the Chaldean section of town, there was all of this music from all these different ethnic groups that were living in and around Detroit. All of those sounds were in my head. And when the A&amp;R guy said, &#8220;Well, you have to pick one.&#8221;  I said, &#8220;I can&#8217;t.&#8221; You know, all these sounds are there. So, I need to be able to express music. 
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Detroit-born violinist Regina Carter receives 2023 NEA Jazz Master Award

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If you’re a fan of Detroit house music, you’re likely familiar with the name Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale. known as the <a href="https://djhotwaxx.com/dj-stacey-hotwaxx-bio">Godmother of House music</a>, Hale was the first female DJ to play house music on Detroit’s radio airwaves and she did it all in the birthplace of American techno music — Detroit.  
Hale’s multi-genre blend of House music with flavors of funk, gospel, hip hop and Motown soul has set her apart from other DJs on the scene and has afforded her opportunities to DJ at the <a href="https://www.apollotheater.org/">Apollo Theatre in New York</a> as well as major cities across the globe. It’s also gifted her the opportunity to give back to the community through music education for youth and adults. She was inducted into the <a href="https://www.nmaam.org/">National Museum of African American Music</a> in 2019.  
<figure id="attachment_29789" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-29789" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-29789" src="https://wordpress.detroitpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ONE-DETROIT-743-Stacey-Hotwaxx-Hale-Still-2.jpg" alt="Stacey &quot;Hotwaxx&quot; Hale performs in Detroit" width="650" height="366" srcset="https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ONE-DETROIT-743-Stacey-Hotwaxx-Hale-Still-2.jpg 1920w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ONE-DETROIT-743-Stacey-Hotwaxx-Hale-Still-2.jpg 300w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ONE-DETROIT-743-Stacey-Hotwaxx-Hale-Still-2.jpg 1024w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ONE-DETROIT-743-Stacey-Hotwaxx-Hale-Still-2.jpg 768w, https://detroit-pbs-admin-vpb.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ONE-DETROIT-743-Stacey-Hotwaxx-Hale-Still-2.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-29789" class="wp-caption-text">The Godmother of House music, Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale, performs a live set at Detroit&#8217;s Hart Plaza.</figcaption></figure>
In recognition of Women’s History Month, One Detroit contributor <a href="https://www.wrcjfm.org/about/staff/cecelia-sharpe/">Cecelia Sharpe of 90.9 WRCJ</a> talks with Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale about her early roots and rise in Deejaying, what was at the time a male-dominated industry. They talk about how she developed her unique multi-genre style, her passion for mentorship and the importance of music education, and about the mission of her <a href="https://sheometry.org/">Sheometry Music &amp; Arts Festival</a>, which she created in 2019. The festival is planned to return July, 15 2023. 
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Cecelia Sharpe, Host, 90.9 WRCJ: Hi, I&#8217;m Cecilia Sharpe, and we are celebrating Women&#8217;s History Month and highlighting women in music. Today, my guest is Stacy &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale. The first deejay in Detroit to play house music on the radio in the early eighties. And the godmother of House. Thanks for being on the show. 
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: Thanks for having me. 
Cecelia Sharpe: Absolutely. You started during a time when it wasn&#8217;t quite necessarily popular for women to DJ. What attracted you to DJ&#8217;ing? 
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: Well, I don&#8217;t think it was not popular for women to be DJs, but you recognize them as on the radio, as air personalities versus playing in the club. And that&#8217;s what was unusual for women to be doing that. I was determined and the male/female thing wasn&#8217;t even in my thought process. It was the love of the music. 
And to be able to play it and present it to people. My brother was big into electronics, so I was always looking at reel-to-reel and cassette players and turntables and things like that. So he was just one that like to play music and hear it. You know, he never aspired to be a DJ or anything, so I kind of got that from him and I took it to another level. 
I stumbled in an old club that used to be a coffee shop. It was called the Chess Mate. It&#8217;s a laundromat now on McNichols and Livernois. And inside of there, this organization called True Disco, which consists of Ken Collier, Duane Bradley, Renaldo Smith and Maurice Mitchell.  They created this thing called True Disco, and they were in there playing. I heard the records mixing, and I went, What? I found my way up to that booth and looked and I saw two turntables and a mixer and I set ahh that&#8217;s what I need to be doing. 
Cecelia Sharpe: You also performed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem? 
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: The Apollo Theater.
Cecelia Sharpe: Yes, the Apollo Theater. What brought you to the Apollo? 
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: Jessica Caremore, Black women rock. We&#8217;re now called the Daughters of Betty. Yes, that&#8217;s what brought me there. And I work as the assistant music director helping Kat Dyson. And in addition to me doing that, being able to play with the band, the Apollo actually called and asked me would I DJ. Didn&#8217;t have to ask me twice. 
Cecelia Sharpe: Of course they didn&#8217;t. They barely got it out their mouth before you said yes, right? 
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: Yup.  I&#8217;m like, what.  All my friends came to New York and they were dancing in the aisles up by the seats. 
Cecelia Sharpe: The way that you engage your audience, you make everyone feel invited. It&#8217;s a warm environment. Everyone knows that they can get down to the music, the way you blend house music with other genres, from gospel to&#8230;
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: Oh yeah. 
Cecelia Sharpe: R&amp;B. A little bit of classical, jazz. You incorporate acoustic live instruments. It&#8217;s just amazing. How did you develop that style? 
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: I listen, you know, that&#8217;s the first thing I tell my students to do is to listen. Use your ears. And if you just pay attention to some things around you, then that allows the creativity inside of you to go on and incorporate it into something that you enjoyed doing. 
Cecelia Sharpe: You talked about student Stacy and you&#8217;re definitely passionate about not just performing and sharing your gifts with the audience and the people that love your music, but passing on your knowledge, your wisdom to other young people, to students. Why is it so important to you as a DJ, as an artist, to pass on that craft?
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: It&#8217;s so important for it to come from someone like me to be able to pass it on, Because I can tell you real stories. I can let you know by different things. My real feelings. You don&#8217;t have to go to YouTube University to find out. The best that I could do is to pass this on is I want someone else to be able to do it. And we&#8217;d like to have this not only be historic, but for someone 50 years from now to be able to do that, or at least take the theory of that and present themselves in that way. 
Cecelia Sharpe: This Sheometry Music and Arts festival that you created and launched in 2019, what is the mission of the Sheometry Music and Arts Festival? 
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: The mission is to be able to show off women that are good in music, in many different genres, live instrument, DJ&#8217;ing and in the business of music itself. And it&#8217;s primarily women with a splash of men to be able to show off the arts and things that they do within this big world of music. 
Cecelia Sharpe: Because a lot of times it&#8217;s the reverse. A lot of men in the festival.. 
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: Correct. 
Cecelia Sharpe: with a slash of women&#8230; 
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: Correct. 
Cecelia Sharpe: But this time, this festival highlights women in music. You have style on the turntables. But you also have your own fashionable style when you&#8217;re rocking out. You always just bring it with the clothes, with the jewelry, with the hair.  Even today, you got your&#8230; You&#8217;re representing the D with your old English D earrings on. You got these wonderful bangles and this piece that you are wearing as a necklace. Tell us about that piece. 
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: This right here is a 45 spindle and it spins. And I realized there&#8217;s three generations that don&#8217;t even know what this is. And this used to be the item that you would place inside of the 45 records that you put on the turntable in order to play records. And so, I love to show this, and I wear it all the time. This is actually a keychain. 
Cecelia Sharpe: Stacey, what makes your music so unique? 
Stacey &#8220;Hotwaxx&#8221; Hale: My music is so unique is because I believe in making people happy. When I play music, it&#8217;s my job to make you happy. So therefore I place myself in environments where people are going to enjoy the types of sound I deliver. I&#8217;m very spiritual. I love gospel house music. 
Many of the selections that I play have that type of thing in it, and I have been successful in those that say &#8220;I don&#8217;t like house music, but I like yours&#8221;. And that&#8217;s because it&#8217;s coming from the heart and the vibe like that and they make you feel good. And that&#8217;s my whole point and everything. And it&#8217;s been proven. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. 
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Stacey ‘Hotwaxx’ Hale: Detroit’s godmother of electronic house music

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The world-renowned African American dance group, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, will make a stop in Detroit March 17-19 during its <a href="https://www.alvinailey.org/performances-tickets/tour-schedules">22-city North American tour</a> that started March 8 in Chicago. The historic cultural organization, created by <a href="https://www.alvinailey.org/alvin-ailey-american-dance-theater/alvin-ailey">African American dancer Alvin Ailey</a>, celebrates the unique experiences of African Americans and preserves and enriches the American modern dance heritage. 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/entertainment/dance-theatre-of-harlem-finds-inspiration-for-higher-ground-performance-at-motown-museum/">Dance Theatre of Harlem finds inspiration for &#8216;Higher Ground&#8217; performance at Motown Museum</a>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/ddc-dances-keeps-moving-40-years-after-start/">DDC Dances keeps moving 40 years after its start</a>
Ahead of the company’s performance in Detroit, “American Black Journal” host Stephen Henderson sits down with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater <a href="https://www.alvinailey.org/alvin-ailey-american-dance-theater/robert-battle">Artistic Director Robert Battle</a>, who took the helm in July 2011 following his predecessors <a href="https://www.alvinailey.org/alvin-ailey-american-dance-theater/judith-jamison">Judith Jamison</a> and Alvin Ailey himself.  
The two talk about the upcoming Detroit performance, the history of the organization and its founder, and how the dance company changed the face of contemporary dance. Plus, they discuss how the pandemic&#8217;s disruption forced the group to think outside the box in order to continue to entertain and grow their audiences.      
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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater makes North American tour stop in Detroit

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The Sphinx Organization is <a class="Hyperlink SCXW226270436 BCX0" href="https://www.sphinxmusic.org/25th-anniversary" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">celebrating 25 years</a> of transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Founded in 1997 by violinist Aaron P. Dworkin, the Sphinx Organization is currently led by Artistic Director and President Afa S. Dworkin. In its 25 years, the organization has created a robust space for more than 1,000 Black and brown classical string players to realize their dreams of becoming professional musicians and music leaders. 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/one-detroit-from-the-ground-up-sphinx-organization-celebrates-25-years-of-diversity-in-classical-music/">From the Ground Up: Sphinx Organization Celebrates 25 Years of Diversity in Classical Music</a>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/page/1/?s=Sphinx+Organization">See more from our past coverage of the Sphinx Organization</a>
“American Black Journal” host <a class="Hyperlink SCXW260042801 BCX0" href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stephen Henderson</a> sits down with Achia Floyd, the Sphinx Organization director of foundation and government partnerships, to talk about the organization’s role in diversifying the classical music landscape over the past two and a half decades. Plus, they talk about the pandemic’s impact on the arts and the organization’s return to an in-person <a class="Hyperlink SCXW260042801 BCX0" href="https://www.sphinxmusic.org/sphinx-competition" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sphinx Competition</a> in 2023. 
Plus, Watch the <a class="Hyperlink SCXW263950312 BCX0" href="https://www.sphinxmusic.org/sphinx-competition" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sphinx Competition 2023</a> senior division winner <a class="Hyperlink SCXW263950312 BCX0" href="https://www.njiomagrevious.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Njioma Chinyere Grevious</a>, a violinist from Boston, perform at the 26th annual Sphinx Competition in Detroit in January. Grevious is an award-winning violinist and a versatile solo, chamber and orchestral musician who graduated from The Juilliard School. She’s also a founding member of the <a href="https://www.abeoquartet.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aboe Quartet.</a>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Sphinx Competition 2023 senior division winner violinist Njioma Grevious performs" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gmWkcm-MFZ8" width="853" height="505" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">﻿</iframe>
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Stephen Henderson, Host, American Black Journal: Floyd, welcome to American Black Journal. 
Achia Floyd, Director, Foundation &amp; Government Partnership, Sphinx Organization: Thanks for having me. 
Stephen Henderson: So, it&#8217;s hard to believe that it was 25 years ago that my friend Aaron Dworkin started the Sphinx Organization. I can kind of remember that happening. But let&#8217;s go back to the original idea here and the environment that created it. The dearth of musicians of color in classical music in professional circles 25 years ago, and how that&#8217;s changed since Sphinx has been around. 
Achia Floyd: Yes. Our founder, Aaron Dworkin, 26 years ago now, we just finished celebrating our 25th year anniversary, started the Sphinx Organization with the Sphinx competition, and his aim was the same aim. The vision and the mission of the organization has not changed, and I think that&#8217;s important. The goal was to bring more black and brown people into orchestras. There was hardly any. There were a few in major orchestras, but there was no consistency. There was no support for black and brown individuals who wanted a career in classical music. And over the years that mission has not changed. But now, we&#8217;re seeing a different landscape because of that pursuit. 
Stephen Henderson: How different is it? How can we kind of quantify the influence that Sphinx has had? 
Achia Floyd: It has been huge. You know, I only joined the Sphinx Organization about a year ago, but I was a member of one of Sphinx&#8217;s programs. I&#8217;m an alumni of the Sphinx Organization as well. And what makes that significant is not changing that mission. Being very intentional about it, so that now when we have a landscape where people are more apt to have more black and brown people throughout the organization, Sphinx Organization has been there doing the work. So, now we&#8217;re an authority on it for people in the industry. So, they come to us for information, for access. And so, we&#8217;re able to use our cachet to help diversify the landscape. 
Stephen Henderson: I know you referenced the national competition each year, which is an important part of the organization and an important part of establishing that pipeline of musicians into professional careers. But Sphinx does a lot more, as well. And that&#8217;s also been really key, I think, to not just establishing the idea that there should be more black and brown people in classical music. But finding the practical ways that, that has to happen. In other words, there are a lot of things that have to come together for a young person who might dream of being in a professional orchestra, to get to there. Sphinx does a lot along the way to help that work. 
Achia Floyd: Yeah, it&#8217;s, as you said, it&#8217;s the whole pipeline. To become a professional musician, you know, the question is always how do you get to Carnegie Hall? And the answer is a lot. A lot of long-term practices and support. So, Sphinx starts at the elementary level and provides support all the way through performance. We have administrators, we have a program for administrators called Sphinx Lead to help create the belonging. 
A musician who comes up in the pipeline needs to survive and thrive in the orchestral landscape. We have Sphinx Connect, which just ended in the competition. It&#8217;s a conference in which we hosted over a thousand people in Detroit from the industry. Funders, artists, all focused on diversifying the arts landscape. And all of that starts with that pipeline and that competition program. 
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. So let&#8217;s talk about this year&#8217;s event and some of the highlights from it. 
Achia Floyd: It was the first time since the pandemic began that we were able to do the competition in person. 
Stephen Henderson: In person, right! 
Achia Floyd: Yeah, it was amazing. The whole vibe really was one where everyone was so happy to be there and celebrate in person at the Max and Marjorie Fisher Hall in Detroit. We held a competition of our three finalists, which are black and brown musicians. And the winner, Njioma, also won Audience Choice as well, performing a work by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who was also a black composer who wrote in the 40s, 50s era. And it was really a celebration of years of work. And the winner, I mean, the audience loved her at the concert and the judges really recognized her skill. And it was really just the way to in the conference and the celebration overall. 
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. And a little later, we&#8217;re going to, for our viewers, share a little bit of Njioma&#8217;s performance. Talk also about the pandemic and the effect it had on the organization and the competition, and this idea that, hey, we&#8217;re back, we&#8217;re back in person, and that really does matter. 
Achia Floyd: Yeah, overall the pandemic had a huge impact on the arts as a whole, especially performing arts. A lot of people were furloughed from orchestras, freelancers could not perform. And so, the Sphinx Organization pivoted. We created funds to just put money directly in the hands of our artists. We have over a thousand alumni to support, right? And so, we&#8217;re also for marginalized communities. We support black and brown musicians. And so, they were hit significantly by the pandemic. We were able to create funds with the help of funders and the hard work of our staff, to support these musicians, as well as administrators in the field. And coming back, we got to bring everyone together to Detroit for days, the Renaissance Center was full of us for days in Detroit. Despite the weather, people came.
Stephen Henderson: I also want to talk a little about, we&#8217;ve been talking about the effect that the Sphinx and its work has had on classical music and professional classical circles in our country. But there&#8217;s also kind of a reverse benefit, and that&#8217;s on black and brown communities. The ways that they have changed because of the opportunities that have opened up because of Sphinx. And of course, because of the presence of black and brown musicians in these professional circles. 
Achia Floyd: Yes, we actually have a touring orchestra called the Sphinx Virtuosi, and they go around and they&#8217;ve been around for, I believe, ten or 11 years now, I could be wrong. But they go around and perform. It&#8217;s an al Black and Brown orchestra and we make a point of performing for Black and Brown audiences so that they see the possibilities, right? These are musicians who do perform in major orchestras as well, and they are just at that top level. And these kids do not get to see that. Our SPA program, Sphinx Performance Academy is also held throughout the country. And we just had a testimonial from a kid who was talking about the fact that she had never seen black and brown kids her age, this is an early high school student, in orchestra performing. And so, after Sphinx, she just had a whole new lease on it all and really started to find self-motivation because she saw the possibilities. 
Stephen Henderson: So what&#8217;s next for Sphinx now that the world is kind of coming back together after the pandemic and you&#8217;re holding the national competition in-person, what&#8217;s coming up? 
Achia Floyd: You know, we really just want to grow our programs. We have grown a lot over the last five years and kind of developed a whole pipeline and landscape that starts at elementary but also goes all the way to large grants to support artists&#8217; ideas, Right? Composition. And we have now composers who are now in residence at Chicago Symphony at the Kennedy Center. And so, we just want to make sure that we&#8217;re able to continue to support them as best we can. We have to, you know, continue to do our job as fundraisers and as advocates, and make sure that we keep this programming solid. And we just let the artists tell us where we&#8217;re going to go. We survey, we keep in touch with what they want, and that&#8217;s how we grow. That&#8217;s how we find it best to grow,  from our constituency, not necessarily what our pipe dreams are. 
Stephen Henderson: Great to have you here with us on American Black Journal. Congratulations on a quarter century of Sphinx. And of course, congratulations to my friend Aaron Dworkin, who I&#8217;ve always been a great fan of. Thanks for being here. 
Achia Floyd: Thanks for having me. 
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

Sphinx Organization marks 25 years of elevating diversity in classical music

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The Detroit Artists Market is celebrating its 90th birthday with a new, multigenerational exhibit featuring several artists who have honed their skills in Detroit. The special anniversary exhibition, titled <a href="https://www.detroitartistsmarket.org/detroit-expat-artists-homecoming/#:~:text=Friday%2C%20September%2023%2C%202022%206%20p.m.%20%E2%80%93%209%20p.m." target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Detroit Expat Artists: Homecoming,”</a> showcases a variety of artists working in different media and genres over the last 50 years. 
Artists featured in the exhibit include Matthew Bandsuch, Christopher Batten, McArthur Binion, Melvin Clark, Brenda Goodman, Garry Grant, Artis Lane, Al Loving, Joshua Newth, Yolanda Sharpe, Eric Smith, Nick Sousanis, and Michael Kelly Williams. The exhibition was curated by Stephanie James and Elizabeth Youngblood.  
“American Black Journal” host <a href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Henderson</a> sits down with James to learn more about the works on display, the participating artists, and how Detroit Artists Market has contributed to the city’s vibrant art scene.  
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Stephen Henderson, Host, American Black Journal: Ninty years of the Detroit Artists Market. It is one of my favorite places in town, not just to buy art, but to just go see local artists. Talk about the significance, first, of that anniversary.
Stephanie James, Curator, Detroit Expat Artists: Homecoming: Yeah. You know, the Detroit Artists Market is a wonderful jewel in Detroit. Most people don&#8217;t realize that it is as old as it is. Founded in 1932, when things were falling apart in Detroit and the rest of the country. And yet, there was this handful of art supporters and advocates and patrons that wanted to keep arts alive in the Detroit community and have done so all these years.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah.
Stephanie James: And that&#8217;s part of, I&#8217;m sorry, I was just going to say that was just also part of the inspiration for putting together this show.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. No, I was going to say, this show celebrates artists who are from here and have gone on to, in some cases, fame and fortune, but certainly productive artists live elsewhere. Talk about Detroit Expat Artists: Homecoming.
Stephanie James: Yeah. So, the show, the exhibit features visual artists whose artistic talents were honed here in the Motor City and have created extraordinary opportunities for them to live and work in other parts of the country. My cohort, Elizabeth Youngblood and I were drawing on our history of involvement in the Detroit arts community, along with recommendations from some of our committee members, and we selected artists from multi-generations working in a variety of media and styles and whose art practices spanned more than 50 years.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. Talk about some of the artists who are included. There are some names here that people will recognize.
Stephanie James:  Yeah, yeah. Some of the wonderful aspects of it being multigenerational. We have a number of seasoned, mature artists such as Artis Lane, who I don&#8217;t think would mind sharing that she&#8217;s in her mid 90&#8217;s now. Artis Lane, MacArthur Binion, Brenda Goodman, the work of the late Al Loving. And then we have a number of mid-career artists such as Yolanda Sharpe, and Michael Kelly Williams, Eric Smith, Melvin Clark. Oh, who am I leaving out? And then emerging artists like Matthew Bandsuch, and Joshua Nunez, and Christopher Batt, this is the danger in naming names, I&#8217;ve lost count, there&#8217;s 13 artists.
Stephen Henderson:  And talk about how you sort of choose them and feature them here. What is it about these artists that we&#8217;re celebrating?
Stephanie James: We&#8217;re interested in showing the diversity of styles and genres that Detroit artists have taken on and have further developed in their different areas. Artists like Nick Sousanis, who works in a not the typical genre we think about in the fine arts, in comic and graphic novels, but has created quite a name for herself in those areas, and of course, has a long history in Detroit as a leader in the arts community. And folks like MacArthur Binion, who has been known to many Detroiters and art enthusiasts for decades, but really got on the map in 2017 when he was featured in the Vienna Biennale and received a wonderful critical reception there. And so, his work is very much in demand.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. Talk about the importance of opportunity, and, umm, yeah, well, opportunity, really, for young artists now in Detroit. I mean, this is celebrating folks who were here and have gone on to other things. I feel like the artist market is still a place where aspiring artists and new artists can really find their footing and find an audience.
Stephanie James: Right, Stephen. That&#8217;s exactly right. And what the Artists Market has sought to do all these years as part of our mission, not only to cultivate artists and give our opportunity to artists but also to cultivate a collecting community and a supportive community for these artists.
Yes, several of the artists in this show had a history of showing at the Detroit Artists Market in the years when they were in Detroit. And then, for some, this is their first time being shown at the Artist Market. You know, there&#8217;s been a lot of attention placed on Detroit&#8217;s arts community in recent years. And sometimes the media has suggested that it may have— it&#8217;s happening as a result of the influx of transplants and folks moving to Detroit, from artists moving to Detroit from other parts of the country, because of the accessible spaces in all, and other parts of the world even relocating here.
But the reality is, Detroit has always had a thriving and vibrant arts community, and we&#8217;ve always had institutions that have nurtured these artists and supported these artists. I mean, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Your Heritage House, The National Conference of Artists Michigan Chapter, Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts, which eventually became the Center for Creative Studies, and then, College for Creative Studies, those were the training grounds for a lot of these artists, and they still acknowledge that today.
Stephen Henderson: Okay, Stephanie James, congratulations on the exhibit. And of course, congratulations to The Detroit Artists Market on 90 years here in Detroit. Thanks for being with us on American Black Journal.
Stephanie James: Thank you for having us.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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Detroit Artists Market marks 90th anniversary with special multigenerational exhibit

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&#8220;We needed a campaign within the Black community, and Detroit in particular, to emphasize the importance of reading Black books as a way of becoming familiar with our own cultural and historical experience,&#8221; says Malik Yakini, co-founder of September is Black Reading Month, which is now in its 43rd year. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlackReadingMonth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The annual observance</a> encourages the Black community to read books, magazines and journals written by Black authors as a way to deepen their understanding and knowledge of the African American community&#8217;s history and culture. 
&#8220;Our idea then, as well as now, is that this profound sense of being informed about our own culture and history is necessary for us to move forward in a sane and balanced way,&#8221; Yakini says. 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/detroit-book-city-hosts-african-american-family-book-expo-for-black-history-month/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Book City Hosts African American Family Book Expo for Black History Month</a>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/american-black-journal-author-rae-chesny-keeps-zora-neale-hurstons-life-stories-alive-with-dear-zora-book/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Author Rae Chesny Keeps Zora Neale Hurston’s Life, Stories Alive With ‘Dear Zora’ Book</a>
During September is Black Reading Month, Yakini joins <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;American Black Journal&#8221;</a> for a conversation with host <a href="https://twitter.com/shdetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Henderson</a> about why he wants people to read the works of Black authors during September. Plus, they talk about the importance of patronizing Black bookstores and improving <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/bookstock-returns-detroit-area-used-book-media-sale-continues-after-covid-hiatus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">literacy rates</a> in the Black community. 
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Stephen Henderson, Host, American Black Journal: So, let&#8217;s talk about the origins of September being &#8220;Black Reading Month.&#8221; Of course, we all know that it is still difficult, 40 years after you founded this, for Black authors to find publishers, for them to get an audience, for them to get opportunities, and for Black bookstores who sell Black authors to survive. Talk about how you came up with this idea 40 years ago.
Malik Yakini, Co-Founder, September Is Black Reading Month: Okay, I&#8217;ll just give a very brief history. In 1969, I was involved in an organization called, &#8220;New Directions Information Institute&#8221; and one of the things that we did, is we distributed Black books and magazines to various stores throughout Detroit. So, we noticed, for example, that in the supermarkets, where they always have kind of magazines near the checkout counter, that none of those magazines were magazines that explored any aspect of the Black experience in a city that was overwhelmingly Black. And so, something was wrong with that picture to us.
And not only were we selling magazines, we were also selling various books, primarily from the Third World Press, which is headed by Haki Madhubuti. But what we noticed is, at the end of the month, we were able to make inroads and develop relationships with many of these stores where we could get the magazines in the stores on consignment. But when we came back at the end of the month, either one or two had sold or none had sold. And so, it&#8217;s always more than a question of access, but we needed a campaign within the Black community, in Detroit in particular, to emphasize the importance of reading Black books as a way of becoming familiar with our own cultural and historical experience.
And our idea then, as well as now, is that this profound sense of being informed about our own culture and history is necessary for us to move forward in a sane and balanced way. And so, we started &#8220;Black Reading Month&#8221; as a way of having a large-scale public campaign to support and emphasize the importance of both reading Black books, magazines, journals and newspapers, but also of supporting Black writers, supporting Black publishers and supporting Black bookstores.
Stephen Henderson: So, I&#8217;m really curious of what you make of the landscape in the world 40 years later. Has anything changed? Is it better? Is it easier?
Malik Yakini: I&#8217;m not sure that it&#8217;s better. And, the question like that, I always mix the answer, because nothing is all either this or that. And, certainly there have been some changes. We didn&#8217;t have the internet at all 43 years ago when we created &#8220;Black Reading Month&#8221;. And so, certainly, the internet has exposed many Black writers and Black publishers to a wider audience. It Also, I think, has opened up the world of self-publishing. And so, we see a lot of independent writers producing their own works, probably on a larger level than we saw 43 years ago.
On the other hand, we&#8217;ve seen a tremendous decline of Black bookstores in the last 40 years or so. And frankly, we&#8217;ve seen a decline in bookstores generally. So, in fact, I&#8217;m sure you can attest to this, we&#8217;ve seen a decline in the viability of print media in general. And so, we&#8217;ve seen many national newspapers fold, we&#8217;ve seen many magazines fold, we&#8217;ve seen many large syndicated national bookstores fold. And so, there&#8217;s a disturbing trend in American society in general. And of course, because Black people in America are impacted by the larger cultural trends, we&#8217;re also impacted by that. And so, we&#8217;ve seen a decline in bookstores in general, but a tremendous decline in bookstores in the Black community.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. So, talk about how this connects to Black literacy. And that&#8217;s a subject that I feel like a lot of people get wrong an awful lot of the time. We hear this statistic all the time about literacy in the city of Detroit. People saying that, well, 40% of the people who live here are illiterate; that&#8217;s not true. But this idea of Black Reading Month really is, I feel like, targeted toward celebrating the reading that Black people do, and want to do, and are craving in cities like Detroit.
Malik Yakini: Yeah, well, I don&#8217;t want to deny that there&#8217;s a literacy problem in Detroit. I don&#8217;t want to get into specific statistics; I don&#8217;t know what the accuracy is. But certainly, we need to improve the level of literacy in Detroit and other communities throughout the United States. Let me say this, though, again, I want to situate the Black experience in America within sight of this larger context. Because the reality is, though, that although most people in America might be literate, the majority of people haven&#8217;t read a book in the last five years. Many people have not read a book since graduating from high school or graduating from college.
Literacy is not really a fundamental part of American culture in the time period that we live in now, and that&#8217;s distressing because I think Americans in general have little knowledge about history, have little knowledge about geography, have little knowledge about global affairs, and thus don&#8217;t know how to situate ourself within that context. So, Black Reading Month is both concerned about literacy, about people actually knowing how to read. And we think that from our experience of people who have struggled for their liberation, such as in Cuba, such as in Guinea-Bissau, where Paulo Freire, in fact, worked with the leader of the revolution in Guinea-Bissau, Amilcar Cabral, to create a literacy campaign.
So, we know that campaigns that encourage people to learn how to read, and to read better, and to make that a fundamental part of their lives, is an essential tool for people who are striving to be more self-reliant or striving to be more self-actualized. And so, on that level, reading anything, learning how to read and reading anything is important. But in the case of Black people in America, where we still live in a society which is dominated the cultural, well, let&#8217;s say that although Black people create much of the culture in America, the mechanisms that control that culture are still largely outside of our hands.
And so, of course, the culture and history of people of European descent are the main narrative in American society. And so, in a situation like that, it&#8217;s doubly important that Black people read, because we have to almost read ourselves out of the brainwashing, I&#8217;ll use that term for lack of a better term, that&#8217;s happened by this steady inundation of information about the cultures related to people of Western European descent.
Stephen Henderson: I want to talk specifically about Black bookstores and Black bookstores here in the city of Detroit. Two of the ones that come to mind for me all the time are, of course, &#8220;Source Booksellers&#8221; in midtown. But &#8220;The Shrine of the Black Madonna&#8221; bookstore, I think is, it&#8217;s a cultural touchpoint for people in the city. I think most people who&#8217;ve been there can remember the first time they walk in there and see all of the things that are available. And it&#8217;s like this step into a different world. Those are two good examples of Black bookstores, and I assume that they&#8217;re doing okay, although I know the pandemic was hard on a lot of bookstores. But talk about how we&#8217;re doing with just being able to get people access to books through the bookstores that sell them.
Malik Yakini: Well, I&#8217;ll start with &#8220;Source Booksellers&#8221;, and I&#8217;ll just say that I admire tremendously the fortitude of Sister Janet Jones. She has hung in there for many years, and she started really as a binder before she had a physical location, and she was able to build a clientele during that and she, doing that, she has a very specific focus in terms of the types of books that she sells. And so, she&#8217;s been able to really hone in on a particular niche that she&#8217;s been able to fill, and I think that has led to her success, where many small, independent bookstores have failed. So, she continues to operate and I don&#8217;t know what their profits are looking like, but from the outside, they seem to be buyable and seem to be an important community institution.
And again, I have the utmost admiration and praise for Janet Jones and her daughter, Alison Jones. In terms of &#8220;The Shrine of the Black Madonna&#8221; bookstore, to the best of my knowledge, it&#8217;s been closed altogether for two or three years. I&#8217;ve heard rumors that it&#8217;s supposed to open on some limited basis, but I have not seen evidence of that. And that&#8217;s extremely distressing because I heard from many people around the country when I was in the books business, I don&#8217;t know if you know, I used to own a bookstore, also, from 2000 to 2009, I was the owner of &#8220;Blackstar Community Bookstore.&#8221;
And so, I dealt with lots of writers, vendors, and distributors. And from what I heard, &#8220;The Shrine of the Black Madonna&#8221; bookstore was the best Black bookstore in the country, and they had the kind of Mother Shrine bookstore in Detroit and another bookstore in Atlanta. I think the Atlanta bookstore is still open; I&#8217;m not positive, but it&#8217;s extremely distressing that, what many people consider to be the best Black bookstore in the United States, has been closed for two or three years, and I don&#8217;t see any concrete signs that it&#8217;s going to open.
Stephen Henderson: It&#8217;s not just about the words and ideas on the pages, it&#8217;s about the connections to the wider culture and the understanding of the wider culture. So, here&#8217;s hoping that they can get that going again.
Malik Yakini: Institutions are only as strong as the community of people who support them.
Stephen Henderson: That&#8217;s absolutely right.
Malik Yakini: Most of the Black bookstores that developed in this country, many of them developed in the late 1960s, the 70s, they kind of came out of that era when Black power was being stressed, and familiarity with Black culture and Black history, was really being stressed as part of our movement towards liberation.
And so, as that movement was suppressed, in many cases through COINTELPRO and through various other methods, and as our own internal contradictions weaken that movement, then we see a corresponding weakening of the desire of Black folks to read Black books. So, those two things kind of go hand in hand. Our movement for social equity mirrors the movement for Black literacy.
Stephen Henderson: Malik Yakini, congratulations on 40 years of &#8220;Black Reading Month&#8221;.
Malik Yakini: Actually, 43 years.
Stephen Henderson: 43 years, right?
Malik Yakini: Can I just mention very quickly that we have, &#8220;Author Talks&#8221; that we&#8217;re doing and we&#8217;re doing this for the 3rd year? Because of the pandemic, we can&#8217;t really do large in-person events. And so, we have these &#8220;Author Talks&#8221; every Wednesday during September, featuring prominent Black writers. And we want to encourage people to tune in to the &#8220;September Is Black Reading Month&#8221; Facebook page for the entire listing of those Black authors. Even after September, the videos are still available for viewing.
Stephen Henderson: Thanks for being here.
Malik Yakini: Thank you, Stephen.
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<h2>Stay Connected: </h2>
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Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
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Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

September is Black Reading Month Encourages People to Read Black Authors, Understand Black History

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Created to showcase the voice and stories of Black filmmakers, the 3rd annual <a href="https://www.facebook.com/detroitblackfilmfest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Black Film Festival</a> returns Sept. 21-25 this year with 86 different films by Black independent filmmakers from across the globe. Two days of screenings will be hosted at the <a href="https://www.thewright.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History</a> and the <a href="https://ymcadetroit.org/tag/marlene-boll-theater/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marlene Boll Theatre</a>, inside the downtown Detroit YMCA. 
Kicking off the event, the <a href="https://www.motownmuseum.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Motown Museum</a> will present a special opening night screening of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068828/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;Lady Sings the Blues&#8221;</a> at the Wright Museum in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the film&#8217;s release by Motown Productions. 
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/american-black-journal/asbury-park-what-does-a-better-life-look-like/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Filmmaker’s ‘Asbury Park’ Tells the Story of Inner City Struggles</a>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/spotlighting-detroit-talent-kaf21-film-series-features-2021-kresge-artist-fellows-local-filmmakers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotlighting Detroit Talent: KAF21 Film Series Features 2021 Kresge Artist Fellows, Local Filmmakers</a>
Host <a href="https://twitter.com/shdetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Henderson</a> talks with Detroit Black Film Festival Co-founders Lazar and Marshalle Favors about what&#8217;s on tap for the five-day event and the types of films audiences will be able to view at the festival. 
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Speaker 1: One of the things that&#8217;s so amazing about locks, is that they&#8217;re all so unique because our hair is so unique. It&#8217;s almost like a fingerprint. I learned how lucky we are to have that kind of opportunity to express ourselves.
Speaker 2: The most beautiful things in life are always the hardest to accomplish. But if you put your mind to it, King, you can achieve anything. And when it really matters, do whatever you&#8217;ve got to do to concur the problem.
[music lyrics] Where ever you are / Whatever you&#8217;re faced with / Stand up tall / Against the wall / Determination.
Speaker 2: You put everything on the line to do what&#8217;s right.
Stephen Henderson, Host, American Black Journal: Marshalle and Lazar Favors, two of my favorite Detroiters. Welcome back to American Black Journal.
Lazar Favors, Co-Founder, Detroit Black Film Festival: Thank you, Stephen. How have you been man? Appreciate being back, thank you very much.
Stephen Henderson: So, Lazar, I&#8217;m going to start with you. Congratulations on the 3rd annual Detroit Black Film Festival, but also, bigger congratulations on the opening night film, which you are partnering with the Motown Museum to show &#8220;Lady Sings The Blues&#8221; on its 50th anniversary. That is a big event.
Lazar Favors: That is a huge deal, man. Shout out to Robin over at the museum. We were discussing this over a year ago and we just thought it would be great. It was just timing, it was the 50th anniversary, it was our festival, we were like, &#8220;Hey, let&#8217;s just mesh those two things together and let&#8217;s see what we get out of it.&#8221; So, our opening night ceremony is the &#8220;Lady Sings The Blues&#8221; film, for anybody who knows&#8211; anybody from Detroit should know who&#8217;s in that film, and that&#8217;s Diana Ross.  It&#8217;s one of the films produced by Motown Records and Berry Gordy. So, we&#8217;re excited about it, man. We&#8217;re super excited about it. And it&#8217;s at the Charles H. Wright Museum, you can&#8217;t ask for much more than that.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah, right. So, I feel like it&#8217;s a perfect sort of coming together of all the things that make the Detroit Black Film Festival special, this idea of the voice, and the culture, and the art that&#8217;s come out of Detroit in the middle of history.
Lazar Favors: Absolutely. You know, we&#8217;re very intentional about our experiences, our narratives, and our culture. And that&#8217;s our tagline for Detroit Black Film Festival; we&#8217;re very serious about that. And this just helps build that awareness and it marries very well for us. So, we were excited when me and Robin talked about it, we were just super excited, like, &#8220;Wow, this is like a big deal overall.&#8221; And for it to be our 3rd year, it&#8217;s like this is how you show up, I feel like this how you show up, partnerships are great, this is how you show up. Then, Ford Foundation came on with us, also, and helped push that narrative. So, it&#8217;s just a great thing happening this year.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah, and I won&#8217;t say how old that makes me, if this film is 50 years old.
Lazar Favors: I won&#8217;t talk about it either. They all came out a year after I was born.
Stephen Henderson: Marshalle, talk about the other films that we&#8217;ll be celebrating this year.
Marshalle Favors, Co-Founder, Detroit Black Film Festival: Well, we have 86 films from 14 different countries. And I&#8217;m just really, really excited because the genres are all over the board. We have documentaries, action, drama. We have a lot of short films for folks to enjoy. And what&#8217;s really exciting about it, also, is the fact that we have to always represent our own, so we have 14 films from metro Detroiters as well. And so, it&#8217;s going to be an exciting time.
Stephen Henderson: So, when you talk about films from folks here in Detroit, for a lot of them, this is a big break. I mean, this is their chance for, you know, other people to see their films. They may not get other chances. I know that is, Marshalle, one of the things that you guys are really focused on here, is lifting up folks who otherwise wouldn&#8217;t see that lift.
Marshalle Favors: I think that&#8217;s like the number one reason that we have the film festival, really, is to give a voice to filmmakers and artists. And to just really connect audiences with artists so that they have, not only a chance to experience the film, but have a dialog, and to have people come together and to talk about the films; that&#8217;s my favorite part. My favorite part is connecting with audiences and connecting with the directors.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah, I want to have you, Marshalle, also talk just a little about what&#8217;s gone on in the last 3 years and what effect you see not just in the film industry, but of course, with African-Americans in the film industry. We know that when things get set back, they get set back further for us. Talk about the pandemic and coming out of it, what we can expect.
Marshalle Favors: Well, I think that the pandemic really gave us a chance to shift, right. And we were able to virtually connect with audiences even that we wouldn&#8217;t have been able to connect with before and have a different type of experience. One thing that the pandemic did also was just, I think because of the uprisings, because of George Floyd and everything that was going on socially and politically, it gave artists a chance to really think about their art and the type of narratives that they wanted to put out there. And as I mentioned before about dialogs, it really helped us to connect in a way that we really needed to connect during the pandemic.
And oh my goodness, so much has changed, even in terms of audiences and eyes and broadening audiences for African-American stories. And so, I think that there&#8217;s no limit right now. We&#8217;ve seen achievements that we haven&#8217;t seen in the past years. And so, that&#8217;s opened up opportunities and doors for artists to just expand their work and have even more eyes and ears on it. And I think going forward, you&#8217;re just going to see more great content.
Stephen Henderson: [00:06:52] I want to, before we end, give you a chance to talk about what your favorite film is that&#8217;s showing. And I know that&#8217;s asking somebody to choose among their children, but talk about something that people have to see.
Lazar Favors: I&#8217;ll say this, &#8220;Sons of Toledo&#8221; is an amazing short film, an amazing short film; that&#8217;s a must-see film. &#8220;If These Locks Could Talk&#8221;, a must-see film. &#8220;The Woodstock Of House&#8221;, a must-see film. And it&#8217;s several other ones, you know, it&#8217;s a lot. &#8220;Black Day&#8221; is a must-see film documentary. I&#8217;m suggesting all fathers, grandfathers, uncles, cousins, sons, see this film; it&#8217;s a great film.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah, I know it&#8217;s an unfair question, but I&#8217;m going to ask it of you, too.  Tell me which films people have to get out and see this year.
Marshalle Favors: Oh, you&#8217;re not going to put me in that box. He&#8217;ll go ahead and tell you his opinions, but I say across the board, I&#8217;m not going to play any favorites, come see the movies! Come see all of them. But I will say this, that we were really, really excited to have a film by Sir Steve McQueen. It&#8217;s a short film and it&#8217;s opening the festival, one of the films that are opening the festival, and it&#8217;s about prostate cancer and dialogs in the African-American community around that subject. So, I&#8217;m going to be a neutral ground here, I&#8217;m going to say, come see the films.
Stephen Henderson: Come see them all, right? All right, Marshalle and Lazar Favors, congratulations again on the festival, and thanks so much for joining us here on American Black Journal.
Lazar Favors: Thank you, Stephen.
Marshalle Favors: Thank you for having us.
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3rd Annual Detroit Black Film Festival to Feature 86 Films By Black Filmmakers, Motown Productions Special Screening

Aint-Too-Proud-Musical-NL-e1661289199585

&#8220;Ain&#8217;t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations,&#8221; <a href="https://ainttooproudmusical.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the electrifying musical</a> written by playwright Dominique Morisseau about legendary Motown group <a href="https://www.temptationsofficial.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Temptations</a>, has taken center stage in Detroit, the city where it all began for the five singers. <a href="http://dominiquemorisseau.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dominique Morisseau</a>, a Detroit native, has drawn inspiration from her hometown in “Ain’t Too Proud,” as well as her musical &#8220;Detroit &#8217;67.&#8221;  
RELATED: <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/one-detroit/detroit-public-theatre-performs-detroit-67-production-based-on-detroit-1967-riots/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Public Theatre Performs ‘Detroit ’67’ Production Based on Detroit 1967 Riots</a>
The show tells the story of Motown&#8217;s premier male group as seen through the eyes of its only surviving original member, Otis Williams. The musical won a Tony Award for best choreography and received several other nominations, including two nods to Morisseau for her writing. 
&#8220;American Black Journal&#8221; host <a href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Henderson</a> sits down with Morisseau to talk about the success of the musical, its time on Broadway cut short by COVID-19, and the significance of <a href="https://www.detroittheater.org/theaters/detroit-opera-house/aint-too-proud-the-life-and-times-of-the-temptations.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bringing the show to Detroit</a>. They also discuss the challenges and successes of African American-focused musicals and plays.  
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Stephen Henderson, Host, American Black Journal: About this show. Last time we talked, I think it was headed to New York.
Dominique Morisseau, Playwright, &#8220;Ain&#8217;t Too Proud&#8221;: Yeah.
Stephen Henderson: But it&#8217;s a bigger deal, I think, for something like this, especially to play in Detroit because we own this, right? This is our story. And you can&#8217;t get away with anything.
Dominique Morisseau: No, absolutely not.
Stephen Henderson: So talk about &#8220;Ain&#8217;t Too Proud.&#8221; Yeah.
Dominique Morisseau: I just I&#8217;m really happy to have &#8220;Ain&#8217;t Too Proud&#8221; the Life and Times of The Temptations here in Detroit at the Detroit Opera House. It&#8217;s been a long time coming. It&#8217;s our Broadway tour. We are supposed to be&#8230; Detroit was supposed to be one of the first stops when we were originally going to do the tour in 2020, but we all know what happened in 2020.
And so that delay has shifted things around. And so it feels like it&#8217;s just been a long time coming to get here to Detroit to do this show. And we were on Broadway, and COVID shut the show down on Broadway. And so, now that we&#8217;re doing this Broadway tour, we&#8217;ve been to all these cities, it just feels like a new life to be here. And it&#8217;s more important.
I mean, being in Detroit, you can just ask the cast, you could see it on their faces when they&#8217;re performing. It just feels&#8230; This feels more important than Broadway. This is like the most important performance you can be doing, is the ones you&#8217;re doing here in Detroit right now.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. Well, and the story, of course, of The Temptations is in many ways, the story of Detroit, of course, it&#8217;s the story of Motown as well. But it is a Detroit story in the sense of that perseverance, that focus on who you are and where it takes you in life, and the celebration of all of the things that make us Detroiters. I mean, The Temptations are Detroit in such a special way.
Dominique Morisseau: That&#8217;s right. And I make sure and I promise in the show that I&#8217;m not going to let you forget that this is The Temptations are a homegrown Detroit group. That this group was born and raised here in the city that grew out of the rest of their contemporaries, and I tried to make sure that that stamp is really clear in this show.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah, talk about this being on Broadway as well. I mean, that was a very big deal when that happened. How did that audience receive this story?
Dominique Morisseau: Yeah, it was really special. I mean, they went bananas for it on Broadway and honestly, if not for Omicron kind of ravaged all of Broadway, really, and a lot of shows closed prematurely just too many. And a lot of them were the Black shows, which is like the heartbreak. But there was a moment in which &#8220;Ain&#8217;t Too Proud&#8221; was on 45th, well the theater is on 45th and 46th Street. The front of it is on 45th. And the back of it is on 46th Street. And then my show, Skeleton Crew, was on 47th Street.
So for a very short period of time, like a month, I had two Broadway shows taking up three blocks of New York City Broadway real estate. That was kind of exciting. I was like, Wow, Detroit is taking over New York right now. And so it&#8217;s just been really amazing because it was so well-received and it just really it kind of doesn&#8217;t make sense that we&#8217;re not still on Broadway except for, just everything. Broadway almost came back. I won&#8217;t say too soon, but too fast and without enough foresight of how to maintain if a surge happens.
And so but the show was so people loved it. They were, it was one of those special ones. And you can also tell, I guess it&#8217;s kind of rare for Black musical theater artists to be able to be their full selves on a Broadway stage. They&#8217;re used to having like cover or be told that they&#8217;re singing too, make too many runs, that they&#8217;re somehow their speech pathology, that they&#8217;re not speaking articulately enough for Broadway to be on a stage. And I&#8217;m like, No, you need to sound like your elders and your ancestors right now in this show.
Stephen Henderson: You need to sound like Detroit.
Dominique Morisseau: You need to sound like Detroit. You need to sound around the corner and up the block. And so I think it was kind of freeing for all of the artists who were participating in the show to be able to be their full selves. So when you watch it, you&#8217;re just blown away by all this Black talent that doesn&#8217;t normally get to be, do what they can do all the time.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. I would be remissive if I didn&#8217;t mention that this play also won a Tony. For her choreography. Talk about that. I mean, that&#8217;s an incredible achievement.
Dominique Morisseau: Yeah, I mean, it is. I mean, it was nominated for 12 Tony Awards and we took the choreography, Tony. And I was like, if there was one Tony that we needed, besides obviously the book, which I feel like, that I feel like we got robbed on. Not just because it was me, but because I knew I felt very strongly. And I think other people did too, that that was the one that should have gotten it. But I was going to throw my shoe at somebody if we didn&#8217;t get that choreography, Tony.
I mean, you can&#8217;t, the choreography in the show is outstanding and you can&#8217;t even, like, you mean it&#8217;s The Temptations and then there&#8217;s also a touch of so many more groups that follow them. So what it like does is nod to the past and to the generations that came after them. Right? It&#8217;s a little bit of a new edition nod in there. There&#8217;s a little bit of other styles. And I think that, how could you not go crazy for that choreography?
That choreography Tony went to Sergio Trujillo who is our choreographer, and he got that alongside Edgar Godineaux who is an associate choreographer. I mean, there were a lot of gifted minds and talent that went into that choreography that was made stellar.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. Well, and thinking and speaking about the celebration of Black art on Broadway, that nod for choreography. I mean, this is obviously a very Black show in every way. And the choreography reflects our culture in a way that other plays don&#8217;t do on Broadway.
Stephen Henderson: And for those reasons that you&#8217;re talking about, they always say you can&#8217;t be that much on Broadway here, and you did it. And you&#8217;re recognized with the best award that they have.
Dominique Morisseau: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. I mean, it&#8217;s deserved. And then, and so many more things were deserved as well. And I think everybody who got nominated deserved their nomination. It was a fantastic production, and so I&#8217;m really proud. And this company that we have here in Detroit, some of them were like covers for us on Broadway. Some of them came from Broadway. But a lot of them did not. They just joined for the tour. And they are, they&#8217;re rivals. Trust me, I get nervous when I look at them.
I&#8217;m like, okay, are we like something to lose some quality? And I watch the show and I&#8217;m like, I&#8217;ve been here from the beginning. I&#8217;ve been with this show since we were like in the Bay Area just trying it out before we got to Broadway. Went to like three cities. I&#8217;ve seen a lot of rotations of this show, and you&#8217;re getting a stellar cast.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah, yeah.
Dominique Morisseau: You&#8217;re getting a stellar cast. This is a great production and a great group of people.
Stephen Henderson: The success that this had in New York, the success that you&#8217;ve had in New York, you feel like things are changing in terms of opportunity for African-American writers, African-American material that&#8217;s influenced by African-American culture.
Stephen Henderson: I mean, Broadway was so closed to us for so long, and now it seems there&#8217;s almost a flood of recognition in some ways that, hey, that wasn&#8217;t all right.
Dominique Morisseau: Well, coming off of 2022, this past season, &#8217;21, &#8217;22, really, I guess it was the end of 2021, but there were eight Black shows on Broadway, which is unprecedented. You&#8217;ll be lucky if you catch one or two at the same time, in like several years. But in one year, all of these Black shows together were on Broadway. And while that felt real, it was a milestone. And it gives you hope. But I always say, don&#8217;t make that optical. Don&#8217;t make that an optical illusion. We were also the first ones that brought back during the— we brought theater back from the pandemic.
So we were also the pandemic test dummies. You know what I mean? So it was like, well, it looks good. But also who shows all closed first? Whose shows didn&#8217;t get to stay up on Broadway because of the fraught time that we were having to do theater? And, so you can&#8217;t look at those Black shows and what happened to our shows on Broadway and then go, well, we tried and move on. You know what I mean? You have to be like, Oh, no, look how, look what you put us up against.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah.
Dominique Morisseau: And look how even still there was a hunger and a desire to see there&#8217;s work on Broadway. So imagine when we&#8217;re not in the thick of a plague that was like, more aggressive than the original plague, imagining what we could do, if not for those circumstances. And I think if those things are not taken into consideration, then you&#8217;re not really trying to change Broadway.
But, I think at that time there&#8217;s enough being called for and demanded, frankly, from theater artists to change not just Broadway, but theater across the country and make it better and more equitable. And so I believe in that change more than I believe in the optical illusions.
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Playwright Dominique Morisseau brings ‘Ain’t Too Proud’ musical to Detroit where it all began

Screen-Shot-2022-06-28-at-3.07.32-PM

It was around the 1930s when gospel music first formed, but how did spiritual music transform from hymns to the contemporary music genre we know today? &#8220;American Black Journal&#8221; continues its <a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/abj-church/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;Black Church in Detroit&#8221;</a> series with a look at the history of gospel music and its intersection with the blues.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHwrrQWRhUU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">View American Black Journal&#8217;s gospel music performance archives!</a>
&#8220;You had these, sort of, blues musicians, who were looking at how the vitality was slipping out of sacred music, and they combined the blues with the sacred, and that produced gospel,&#8221; Baptist pastor and blues musician <a href="https://www.revrobertjones.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rev. Robert Jones, Sr.</a> said.
Host <a href="https://twitter.com/SHDetroit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Henderson</a> sits down with Rev. Jones to explore the connection between the blues and gospel music — the sacred and the secular, and their symbiotic relationship. Plus, they discuss gospel music&#8217;s roots in the African American community then and today.
<h2>Full Transcripts:</h2>
Stephen Henderson: I&#8217;m one of the people who listens to popular music all the time and delights in the idea that, in so many songs written by so many artists, I can hear the church, right? I can hear gospel music in Prince. I could hear it, of course, in Aretha. I can hear it in Demi Lovato or Chance the Rapper. It really is part of American music, this history of gospel. But nowhere do you hear more, of course, than in the blues. And the connection between those two is really something special.
Rev. Robert Jones, Sr. Baptist Pastor &amp; Blues Musician: Right. Well, absolutely, Stephen. I mean, when you think about American music, if you were to come up with the metaphor of a tree, that all of these different styles that you just mentioned are the branches and the trunk is the blues. But even deeper in the ground would be the roots, and the roots, that&#8217;s the spiritual. So, not only do you— because you can hear, you know, you can hear it in Demi Lovato, you can hear it in, you know, just name whoever, because it&#8217;s all sort of rooted in the black spiritual and then comes up through the blues and branches out through everything else.
Stephen Henderson: So as a reverend and a musician, talk about how you navigate those connections and how they kind of spill over, I guess, from one line of work into the other.
Rev. Robert Jones, Sr.: Well, I was really blessed. I&#8217;m a native Detroiter, but I was blessed to have this grandmother from southern Alabama, from Conecuh County, Alabama, who loved many, many kinds of music. So, aside from going to and growing up in the black church, she had no problem with putting some Muddy Waters, and Lightnin&#8217; Hopkins, or B.B. King on the Magnavox and entertaining the entire block.
So, I grew up with like both of those influences and I really feel fortunate that if I had just been a church kid, I may not have been able to make the connection with the blues. And if I&#8217;d just been sort of a kid who listened to nothing but blues, I probably wouldn&#8217;t hear that. But being this hybrid kid allows me to view both of those kinds of music, in a sense, without prejudice, if that makes sense. So, I can see the connections, and I&#8217;ve really been blessed by the connections between both the sacred and the secular.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. So, you know, the blues is about people expressing pain and sadness through music. And gospel is usually about healing and hope. Those two things would seem to be at odds in some ways. I&#8217;ve always felt like, though, there is a connection between the messages as well as the music itself.
Rev. Robert Jones, Sr.: Definitely. Something happens with the spiritual, which is the music that came out of slavery, which was heavy, which was about, you know, getting heaven when you die or suffering or, you know, being resilient and enduring. And then, the blues was kind of like about the idea of not suffering on the plantation but hopping the train and getting away from all of that stuff.
And then, in like around 1930, they melded into this music called gospel. You had these sorts of blues musicians who were looking at how the vitality was slipping out of sacred music, and they combined the blues with the sacred, and that produced gospel. Which you rightly identified as being joyous music, right, It&#8217;s the good news.
Rev. Robert Jones, Sr.: But there is no joy without some pain, right? Weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning. So, you have both of those elements mixed in and I think the sacred and the secular really grew up right next to each other. And if your socialization was too steady, you know, be steady, to raise a family, to endure the hardships that you were given, you know, folks pushed you toward the sacred.
But if your inclination was, I&#8217;m going to escape from this situation I&#8217;m in and I&#8217;m going enjoy some life while I&#8217;m here, your inclination was toward the blues. But strangely enough, they always have this symbiotic relationship. The greatest gospel singers tend to come out of the blues and the greatest instrumentalists come out; or was that the other way around? The greatest instrumentalists come out of the blues and the greatest singers come out of the church.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. So, if you think about both gospel and blues, you know, they&#8217;ve had time periods where they were more popular than they are right now. And I guess some people might say that they are becoming more and more lost art forms, especially as people leave the church or don&#8217;t react or interact with the church the same way they used to. And blues is not as prevalent on the airwaves or anywhere as it used to be. How do you feel about that?
Rev. Robert Jones, Sr.: I think these are foundational forms and they keep reinventing themselves. They find a way to push through because they don&#8217;t go away. I mean, chances are if you&#8217;re a young singer, the first place that somebody told you that you could sing was in church, right? So, I was having a conversation with a young lady the other day at the Henry Ford Museum, and she was amazed that the new Elvis movie, which of course, has to feature a lot of blues, has a cover of a tune done by Big Mama Thornton called, “Ain&#8217;t Nothin But a Hound Dog&#8220;, but it is re-defined by Doja Cat. So, it just&#8211; It doesn&#8217;t go away, it just sort of morphs into something else. And the difficulty is sometimes finding the strand, you know, finding why Ludacris has Lead Belly&#8217;s, &#8220;Pick a Bale Cotton&#8221; in a song called, &#8220;Rosa Parks&#8220;.
Stephen Henderson: Right.
Rev. Robert Jones, Sr.: You know, how does that work?
Stephen Henderson: That&#8217;s right. I also want to talk about the fact that these are uniquely African American art forms. And they remind us, I think, just when you were talking about the modern influences that we see for them, they&#8217;re a reminder of how much, if not all, of American music really owes its existence and finds its roots in the African American experience, and therefore in the African American music.
Rev. Robert Jones, Sr.: Definitely. You know, one of the things that I think we don&#8217;t necessarily appreciate at first listening, is that this music went far beyond entertainment. It was music that allowed you to work in rhythm. It was music that conveyed life messages of just, you know, wisdom of how men and women interact with one another. It was poetry and, you know, it carried a technology of work.
I think that one of the reasons that African Americans were as resilient as they were in a system like slavery, was they learn how to make the music, and keep their bodies moving; how to put their mind somewhere else in spite of the backbreaking labor that they were dealing with. Those are functions that come from African music, translated through American experience. And we don&#8217;t really think about it very much until we find ourselves using it, so that when you have a time of crisis.
Rev. Robert Jones, Sr.: I remember during 911, folks were singing spirituals. They were singing, you know, they were singing, &#8220;We shall overcome&#8221;, &#8220;We are not afraid&#8221;, all those kinds of things because it&#8217;s useful. And when the use, you know, when you find that not only is it beautiful and is resilient, but it&#8217;s useful and it comes back when you need it. And then there is the idea too, I think of no matter what the era, when you hear that voice that carries the African American singing esthetic, when you hear Fantasia Barrino, you instantly know, that&#8217;s a church girl, I don&#8217;t care what she&#8217;s singing, right.
She&#8217;s got the sanctified church right there with her, she kicks off her shoes, she lets the spirit have its way. And there is an experience in the black church called Singing Yourself Happy, right? So, at a certain point, not only does the music serve as entertainment, but it also can serve to sing yourself happy when you need that technology.
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The sacred and the secular: How gospel music grew from the Blues

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A new exhibit series at the <a href="https://mocadetroit.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit</a> (MOCAD) celebrates and uplifts Black artists from Detroit and the works they have created. MOCAD&#8217;s spring/summer 2022 exhibit series <a href="https://mocadetroit.org/event/spring-2022-opening/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">features exhibitions</a> from Dream Hampton, Nep Sidhu, Sterling Toles, Stableheed Art Collective, and artists from the collection of James Dozier.  
Producer <a href="https://twitter.com/EdenisDSKNKTD" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eden Sabolboro</a> tells the story of Detroit-native Sterling Toles, whose creative works can be seen on display at MOCAD&#8217;s spring/summer 2022 exhibit series. 
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Sterling Toles, Detroit Artist: My Process is, doing whatever I have to do in the creative process to fully return to a space of love. I always tell people my work is not the work, but the work it does to my humanity is the true work. My name is Sterling Toles. I am a cross-pollinating creative. So, we are in the Mike Kelley mobile homestead at the Museum of Contemporary Art, and I have an exhibition going on here called &#8220;S[H]ELVES?&#8221;.
Sterling Toles: So, I was brought into this project by curator Javelin. Javelin was aware of like the work that I&#8217;ve been doing in the community for a long time, which was kind of using art as a tool to create community and also collective healing. This work was informed by many community conversations. I was really fixated on this idea of the relationship between trauma and identity. All of us have experienced pains, and hurts, and traumas, and regrets, and guilts, and doubts, and we try to evolve past those. But how do you do so when the identity that you refused to let go of was borne out of those things?
Sterling Toles: This exhibition is an exploration of a lot of different materials and mediums. I thought it would be interesting to use news materials that have derived from industrial spaces, and so a lot of those materials are used in the transference of energy, thinking about the true nature of our humanity, really. We are not these static things; we are the constant transference of energy. Having a solo exhibition for the first time has been very interesting because I never anticipated ever having one, never pursued having one. My creative practice is always centered around intimacy.
It&#8217;s interesting to be thrusted in positions where there&#8217;s greater visibility because so much of what I&#8217;m doing is just about internal introspection. I wanted to do a few paintings as a representation, or portraits, as a representation of identity. But when I started to think about identity and thought about the quandary of how identity doesn&#8217;t allow us to see others fully, oftentimes we can only see the parts of people that support the perspective that our identity holds. And so, there&#8217;s often a partition between us where we don&#8217;t fully see people and we aren&#8217;t seeing fully. And so, I think it&#8217;s just an interesting relationship to each other as we see only bits and pieces when we make eyes, or when we engage, or when we make contact.
Sterling Toles: You know, it means everything to me to have my first solo exhibition in Detroit because everything that I think I&#8217;ve done creatively in some way has something to do with Detroit. What got me interested in being an artist, I think, was the realization at a very early age that I could transform how I felt inside by me making things. I think MOCAD&#8217;s goal for me during this exhibition was to have somebody that is really in the trenches and community, kind of create things that hopefully recharge and revitalize the people that really hold the city up.
You know, I think the diversity of exhibitions and art in a particular space is so important, because it allows people to see parts of themselves in and an experience to where now they can engage in a way in which their internal power joins a collective force that hopefully is about change in justice and resolution and revolution, you know. I think we&#8217;re in a time now where we realize that, or hopefully beginning to realize, that if we are a tree, that sustenance that the tree means involves the energy of everybody to participate for it to be nourished adequately.
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MOCAD Launches Spring Exhibit Series Celebrating Black Artistry in Detroit

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He’s been called one of the most powerful voices of our generation by the Los Angeles Times, and he won the 2020 Sphinx Competition <a href="https://www.sphinxmusic.org/sphinx-medals-of-excellence-awardees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Medal of Excellence,</a> which recognizes extraordinary classical musicians of color. Now, classically-trained bass-baritone opera singer Davóne Tines has landed in Detroit as the <a href="https://michiganopera.org/artist-in-residence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021-2022 artist-in-residence</a> at Detroit Opera, where he’ll portray Malcolm X in the upcoming production of “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.”
Host Stephen Henderson sits down with Tines to talk about his residency and his role in portraying Malcolm X in composer Anthony Davis’ “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” for the <a href="https://detroitopera.org/season-schedule/x-life-and-times-of-malcolm-x/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May 14-22, 2022 show</a>. Plus, Tines shares how he got involved in singing and music at an early age, and the barriers he’s had to face as an African American man coming up in a predominately white space.
<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Stephen Henderson, Host, American Black Journal: Set to Opera. Right there, that&#8217;s a provocative statement. And tell us what that&#8217;s been like pulling this all together.
Davóne Tines, Artist-In-Residence, Detroit Opera: Completely. So the incredible Anthony Davis, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and actually his cousin and common collaborator, Thulani Davis. I think that they have made a really unique mark in opera in telling black stories. Anthony Davis won the Pulitzer for his opera, a Central Park Five. And just tackling a number of critical stories in that form.
Davóne Tines: And as I was saying, I think what that form brings is attention and scale. So a character like Malcolm X deserves that attention and that scale. And I think the way that they&#8217;ve worked out how this piece exists does that in an incredible and special way. Anthony writes in a jazz idiom, essentially, but co-mingled with classical.
Which some people would say, are you know, different branches of the same tree. But I think it&#8217;s going to be really incredible for audiences to experience. What does it mean when you take a full symphonic orchestra with a jazz quartet or a jazz ensemble embedded in the middle, and have that kind of expression blasted to that scale, all with the purpose of saying, you know, this man&#8217;s life and furthermore, his mission are even beyond the scale of the resources we have available.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah. And for you personally, playing this role, talk about how that feels.
Davóne Tines: Completely. I continue to find that being a performing artist is a deep blessing and a privilege. In order to live out onstage emotions and ways of being that don&#8217;t necessarily exist or that I wouldn&#8217;t have the opportunity or venue to express otherwise. And being a black man in America, being a black person or marginalized identity in this country, as James Baldwin says, could fill someone with a sort of badness.
Davóne Tines: And taking on this role, you know, it allows a place to put all of that energy. Not to say that Malcolm X is mad, but I think he&#8217;s often misconstrued as a person who had ill intent or malice. And one thing I continue to deeply respect in looking into his life and his work was that I think he really just aimed to be a mirror. He aimed to be a reflecting point of the world and of the time that he lived in.
You know, the first aria in the opera titled You Want the Truth but You Don&#8217;t Want To Know. Talks about how his family and he had been through so much degradation at the hands of white people. His father being killed, his mother not being able to collect insurance on that hate crime of a death and later being, you know, driven to her own madness and his family being just assembled by a white system that didn&#8217;t have space for their particular, quote-unquote, problems.
All of what he did was motivated as a reaction, as a reflection of the energy put towards him. So he said, &#8216;if my life had been torn asunder at these forces, why shouldn&#8217;t I have access to those same forces in order to save or continue my life? But even more altruistically, the lives of my people.&#8217;
Stephen Henderson: You know, the relationship between Detroiters and the arts has always been really strong. And of course, we&#8217;ve produced lots of great art in many different forms here in Detroit. I&#8217;m not sure everybody thinks of classical music or they think about that. I imagine you&#8217;d like to change that.
Davóne Tines: Completely. Something I&#8217;ve been really, really interested in for a long time is trying to figure out what is opera really, or what is the greater potential of opera. And I think part of that has to deal with going back to a deeper root of what opera was. And it has to do with, you know, the word opera in Italian means work.
And a part of that definition has to do with how can you bring together different mediums, different esthetics, whether that&#8217;s in orchestra or lighting or the grandiosity of a theater to work to focus on telling a story. So opera is an essence, a really incredible way to tell a story. And often the stories that people know from opera are not something that people can really connect to.
Davóne Tines: You know, maybe it&#8217;s in German. Maybe it&#8217;s telling the story of people that one doesn&#8217;t see themselves in. So I&#8217;m trying to make it a priority for people to understand that opera is anything with intentional storytelling.
And I think especially with this piece X, it&#8217;s an opportunity to put a story that isn&#8217;t normally engaged, a story that I think many people today, especially black people, can connect to and saying this is opera, too. This deserves those resources. This deserves that sort of consideration. And so I think a way to save or redefine opera is to change what stories and what people are in the middle of it.
Stephen Henderson: In addition, of course, there are not as many African-Americans who work in the classical music space or in the operatic space as we like. But tell us how you became interested in this and decided that this is how you wanted to spend your life and express your art?
Davóne Tines: Definitely. Well, I grew up in Northern Virginia and singing in the Baptist church there. My grandfather was a church choir director, but also in the Navy for a long time, and he discovered that I had a unique voice. One day he sang kind of jokingly, How are you? And I said, &#8216;I am fine.&#8217; And he thought, &#8216;Whoa, you have something else going on there?&#8217;
And I didn&#8217;t think that I wanted to sing or had anything to do with it, you know, in a professional way. But he really encouraged me to figure out, you know, what is classical singer, what is a way of training my voice in order to communicate something. And then I also played violin for about 14 years and also sang in a lot of the different church contexts, be it the Baptist Church or the Greek Orthodox Church or even the Catholic shrine in Washington, D.C..
And what I respond to, I think, most in music making is when it&#8217;s done for a reason. And in the church, music is always made for a reason. It&#8217;s in order to connect to our human and lived experience. So walking into an operatic context or the classical music world, I never fully saw it for what those stories were or what the content was. I saw it for its possibility. I saw what is it? If we can take an orchestra and put it with gospel as people like Kirk Franklin have so brilliantly done.
Or what is it if we take, you know, the grandiosity of the theater and pay homage to stories that we just don&#8217;t lift up as a society. So I&#8217;ve always been trying to engage it for the tools, and I think that also has to do with a larger tradition of black people in America taking what&#8217;s available to us in order to get along and do what we need to do and what we need to do right now, I think, is tell stories that are going to change perspective on how we exist.
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Portraying X: Davóne Tines discusses Detroit Opera residency, his role as Malcolm X

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She was known as a friend, a mentor, an artist and a Detroiter through and through, and now local artists are coming together to pay tribute to the legacy she left behind. <a href="https://scarabclub.org/home">The Scarab Club</a>, in Detroit&#8217;s Midtown, recently unveiled its annual art exhibit and memorial to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Gilda-Snowden-Estate-LLC-605938829874403/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">late Detroit artist</a> Gilda Snowden, open through April 15, 2022. The mixed-media exhibit, open to all artists, was reframed in 2015 to commemorate Snowden&#8217;s impact on Detroit&#8217;s arts community before she passed away in 2014. 
In celebration of Women&#8217;s History Month, &#8220;American Black Journal&#8221; producer <a href="https://twitter.com/AJWalkerNews">AJ Walker</a> takes viewers to the Gilda Snowden <a href="https://scarabclub.org/gilda-snowden-memorial-exhibition-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Memorial Art Exhibit</a> opening to see the works from local artists on display this year, as well as to hear first-hand anecdotes of Snowden&#8217;s community impact and cultural legacy from Gallery Director Treena Flannery-Erickson and this year&#8217;s featured artists. 
<h2>Full Transcript: </h2>
AJ Walker, American Black Journal: Beauty and passion adorn the walls of the Scarab Club, for an event that is not just an art show, it&#8217;s a monument to a woman who gave so much to the art world and the community around her.
Treena Flannery-Erickson, Gallery Director, The Scarab Club: She had a tremendous love of her family and her community. She was, in her own right, an amazing artist and just a very prolific artist. She was a teacher, a mentor, colleague and friend to so many people, just countless people, and she always had just an enormous generosity of spirit.
AJ Walker: The legacy she leaves behind and what is now named the Gilda Snowden Memorial Exhibition, is giving artists a chance to show their work and take a moment to remember the woman who blazed the trail ahead of them. Before the opening of the exhibition, we stopped by the Scarab Club to meet some of the artists and speak with one of the people who knew Gilda on a personal level. Treena Flannery-Erickson, its Gallery Director. She said this was the perfect exhibition to name in Gilda&#8217;s honor.
Treena Flannery-Erickson: The Silver Medal exhibition, which this exhibition used to be called, was her favorite exhibition of the year, and she loved it so much because she felt that it was so inclusive. It was  un-themed, all media, a juried exhibition, open to all artists, it could be anything,it could be absolutely anything. She loved the idea that students and their teachers might be hanging in the same space. She loved the idea that it was emerging artists and established artists, and that it was an opportunity for artists to have their work seen.
AJ Walker: Renowned quilt maker April Anue Shipp, made this quilt in Gilda&#8217;s image. It&#8217;s on display at the exhibition. She was inspired by Gilda, even though they had never met.
April Anue Shipp, Interdisciplinary Artist: When I started doing this piece, I was free. I let Gilda tell me what she wanted to have on this quilt. So I used fabrics and flowers and hand embroidery on it. There&#8217;s silk on there, there&#8217;s gauze on there, I just threw everything at it. I think I thought she would like that, because from what I heard about her was that she loved color, and so I wanted to honor her with just giving her my all, giving her all this beautiful color.
AJ Walker: One of the things Gilda was remembered for besides her beautiful art, was her passion for her community. That&#8217;s something April and Gilda have in common. Helping to serve your community through art and I know Gilda did that, and it sounds like you do that, too.
April Anue Shipp: Trying, trying. when Philando Castile was murdered by the police, my first instinct was to sew. And so, I cut up a bunch of squares and I would sit and sew by hand, and it gave me peace, right. I did a quilt entitled, &#8220;Say Their Names&#8221;, and it has the names of the African-American men, women and children who were murdered, unarmed, murdered by the police. And I would invite the community to come and pin the names of the victims on this piece.
AJ Walker: The Gilda Snowden Memorial Exhibition opened during Women&#8217;s History Month, a time when great women like Gilda are being recognized and appreciated in the art world and beyond. For April, when this exhibition is over and Women&#8217;s History Month comes to an end, she looks forward to her work continuing to be displayed in galleries like this one.
April Anue Shipp: This is a great time to be an artist right now. Most of our friends who are artists are in shows across the city, this is a great time. And they&#8217;re mostly women, painters and sculptors, and they run the gambit. So I think it&#8217;s a great time to be a black woman and to be a black woman artist. I&#8217;m having a ball. I&#8217;m enjoying my life. I&#8217;m having the time of my life, trust and believe.
AJ Walker: Treena says she&#8217;s glad that artists of all genders and races are now having their work recognized. She says art is a part of the conversation that is opening doors for equality, and it should be; artist Eno Laget agrees.
Eno Laget, Detroit Artist: It&#8217;s not so much about the object as a piece of art. It&#8217;s about the conversations that may happen, the opportunity to have the conversations about things that I think are really important, particularly now when we seem to be reliving a lot of the ugliness that occurred when I was a kid.
AJ Walker: He created this stencil of Rosa Parks, also on display at the exhibition. We&#8217;re standing here, we&#8217;re looking at your work that is paying homage to an African-American pioneer. And I just think it all lends to the advancement of women and women of color and just women around the world, even though I know we still have so far to go.
Eno Laget: Well it makes me so freakin happy, because what&#8217;s the history of this place? It&#8217;s, you know, more than a hundred years old. You guys wouldn’t’ve been in here at all, or if you were, as Treena said, you would have been carrying a tray. So, you know, women weren&#8217;t allowed in, people of color were not allowed in, and, you know, here we are in 2021 and we have a show that&#8217;s dedicated to a woman of color who had been very active in the community for many years, beloved by many people. And you know, it&#8217;s it&#8217;s a a little piece of a testimony to how things have changed. But at the same time, you know, it&#8217;s everywhere. There&#8217;s still so much work that needs to be done.
AJ Walker: The exhibition, named in honor of an African-American woman who paved the way for other artists, is a part of that work. Gilda Snowden, who hoped she was making a difference in the world.
Treena Flannery-Erickson: One of the things that she said to me is that we think we have forever, but we don&#8217;t. And so we have to identify what are the most important things in our lives and what we need to give our attention to. And that&#8217;s what we need to do.
&nbsp;
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The Scarab Club Showcases Memorial Art Exhibit for Artist, Mentor Gilda Snowden 

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Each year for the past 14 years, <a href="http://www.kresgeartsindetroit.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kresge Arts in Detroit</a>, a local program under <a href="https://kresge.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Kresge Foundation</a>, has recognized a local artist with the Eminent Artist award for their artistic works and community engagement. This year&#8217;s lifetime achievement of the arts award was presented to Olayami Dabls. American Black Journal Producer Marcus Green catches up with the Kresge Detroit&#8217;s <a href="http://www.kresgeartsindetroit.org/2022/01/27/2022-eminent-artist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 Eminent Artist </a>at his <a href="http://www.mbad.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MBAD African Bead Museum</a> on Detroit&#8217;s west side for a conversation about what influences his unique style of art.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gxp442OEoc&amp;t=2s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dabl&#8217;s African Bead Museum | Detroit Performs</a>
As a visual storyteller and muralist, Olayami Dabls has received the annual award for the artwork he&#8217;s created in the city as well as the contributions, growth and vibrancy he&#8217;s brought back to the Grand River Avenue and Grand Boulevard intersection, where his museum sits.
<h2>Full Transcript: </h2>
Olayami Dabls, Founder, MBAD African Bead Museum, 2022 Kresge Eminent Artist: I&#8217;m a storyteller, which is a title that comes out of Africa or in most cultures who lived close to the land; they had people who told stories. The concept of being an artist is relatively new within the last maybe 500 years. Prior to that, each culture had people that were there, and their responsibility was to communicate through what that particular culture group called in symbols, their colors, and now today all of that has been thrown into one big pot and referred to as art.
But that term is deceptive because it&#8217;s not art, it&#8217;s more material culture than it is art. But when you talk about material culture, you&#8217;re actually talking about the culture group, the group themself, what they have left behind. And most cultures, that which would be defined as art, is destroyed if it does not serve that purpose. Because it&#8217;s made to solicit, engage an idea of our concept, and if that&#8217;s not achieved, no one would just keep it around because of the aesthetics of it. It&#8217;s my responsibility to remind people from which they came. And since I&#8217;m dealing with the African experience, it meant that for a period of, say, 500 years, our history, our culture has been deliberately ignored, destroyed, or claim by others.
Olayami Dabls: It was only when I discovered African material culture, and I had to figure out what will I be able to talk about without getting sidetracked with the people being afraid of what I&#8217;m trying to introduce them to; and that&#8217;s what it became in. There&#8217;s no difference in the use of beads, textiles, carvings, sculpture, mask and utilitarian items in Africa; they all serve the same purpose. So that&#8217;s why I gravitated towards beads. Now that I got these beads, how do I get people to take note? Even the display of the beads, I have to go through it and un-educate myself because we based everything we are doing based on a European model.
The European model says that, if you got a museum, things have to be presented in a certain way. You got to have captions, you got to have a staff to research the caption. So I had to deal with this idea, do I want to meet European museum standards? Or do I want to display these beads so people could see them? So I had to manufacture it, so others could see it without me saying a word and yet communicating with them. Then it dawned on me that the Europeans who traveled throughout Africa, all the things they deemed to be significant that they collected and stole or were given to them, there was no captions on these items.
Olayami Dabls: So, once I got over that hurdle, then I&#8217;m able to display the beads and where people can come in here and just enjoy the energy of having them around. I&#8217;m still, it&#8217;s still me, but I&#8217;m displaying who I am to people, so they can see what I know. So, I said, OK, I need some curb appeal. So, I got to put stuff on these buildings that would appeal to the palette of African people. So now I&#8217;m still using symbols, I&#8217;m using images that have been in our cultures for thousands of years. When I began to put these images on the building, I was attracting anyone who saw them. So, I say, OK, now I have all this information in me. I&#8217;ve spent 15 years at the African American Museum studying the history of Africans in this country, and I spent another 15 years studying the history of Africans on the continent.
I&#8217;m not so much concerned about legacy, as I am as impact and influencing people during my own lifetime. My concern is to make sense out of the nonsense stuff that I am in and I&#8217;m beginning to figure my way out of. And I know that someone else will be able to unwrap some other information. It is a continuation; it took us about 400 years to get here. But each generation moves us even closer back to from which we came. There&#8217;s nothing else around here like this. That means that it found a place in the community, and it coexists with everything around it.
&nbsp;
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2022 Kresge Eminent Artist Award Presented to Olayami Dabls 

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<h2>This Week on American Black Journal: </h2>
<h4><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/horace-sheffield-iii-on-moving-fathers-archives-to-wsu-wcccd-abj/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Collection of Horace Sheffield, Jr.&#8217;s Archives Coming to Wayne State University, WCCCD</a></h4>
In celebration of Black History Month, host Stephen Henderson explores the legacy of Horace Sheffield, Jr., a trailblazer in the African American labor union movement. Stephen talks with the late Sheffield&#8217;s son, <a href="https://horacesheffield.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rev. Horace Sheffield III</a>, about the influence and impact his father had on the trade unions during the civil rights movement. Plus, Sheffield III talks about upcoming plans to house thousands of items from his father&#8217;s archives in a massive collection at <a href="https://wayne.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wayne State University</a> and <a href="https://www.wcccd.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wayne County Community College District</a>.
<h4><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/olayami-dabls-kresge-eminent-artist-american-black-journal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 Kresge Eminent Artist Award Presented to Olayami Dabls </a></h4>
Each year for the past 14 years, <a href="http://www.kresgeartsindetroit.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kresge Arts in Detroit</a>, a local program under <a href="https://kresge.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Kresge Foundation</a>, has recognized a local artist with the Eminent Artist award for their artistic works and community engagement. American Black Journal Producer Marcus Green sat down with Kresge Detroit&#8217;s <a href="http://www.kresgeartsindetroit.org/2022/01/27/2022-eminent-artist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 Eminent Artist</a> Olayami Dabls at his <a href="http://www.mbad.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MBAD African Bead Museum</a> on Detroit&#8217;s west side for a conversation about what influences his unique style of art.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gxp442OEoc&amp;t=2s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dabl&#8217;s African Bead Museum | Detroit Performs</a>
As a visual storyteller and muralist, Dabls has received the annual award for the artwork he&#8217;s created in the city as well as the contributions, growth and vibrancy he&#8217;s brought back to the Grand River Avenue and Grand Boulevard intersection, where his museum sits.
<h4 class="entry-title"><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/northwest-detroit-development-named-after-artist-tylonn-sawyer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northwest Detroit Development Named After Artist Tylonn Sawyer </a></h4>
<a href="http://www.onedetroitpbs.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One Detroit</a> Associate Producer Will glover sits down with Detroit-based contemporary artist and educator <a href="http://www.tylonn-j-sawyer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tylonn Sawyer</a> to discuss the importance of depicting contemporary messages in his artwork. Sawyer also offers advice to aspiring artists on the work ethic needed to succeed in a creative space.
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<h3>WATCH NOW:</h3>
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Subscribe to Detroit Public Television’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/detroitpublictv56"> YouTube Channel</a> &amp; Don’t miss American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
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2/15/22: American Black Journal – Horace Sheffield Jr.’s Archives, Olayami Dabls, Tylonn Sawyer

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Watch bassist Kebra Seyoun Charles&#8217;, double bass, winning performance from the 25th annual <a href="https://www.sphinxmusic.org/sphinx-competition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sphinx Competition</a>, which was held virtually this year due to COVID-19 safety concerns. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kontrabasskeb/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles</a>, who is originally from Miami, has been playing music from a very early age and has since gone on to receive such accolades as a two-time winner of the Boston Philharmonic&#8217;s Youth Orchestra concerto competition and the winner of NAACP&#8217;s ACT-SO concerto competition.
Kebra Seyoun Charles has a Bachelor of Music degree from the<a href="https://necmusic.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> New England Conservatory of Music</a> and is currently pursuing a Master of Music from the <a href="https://www.juilliard.edu/event/151346/kebra-seyoun-charles-double-bass" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Juiliard School</a>, studying under <a href="https://www.juilliard.edu/music/faculty/conyers-joseph" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joseph Conyers</a>.
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Subscribe to Detroit Public Television’s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/detroitpublictv56"> YouTube Channel</a> &amp; Don’t miss American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our<a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/"> website</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBlackJournal/"> Facebook</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/amblackjournal"> Twitter</a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amblackjournal/"> Instagram</a> @amblackjournal.
<h3><a href="https://www.detroitpbs.org/category/american-black-journal/">View Past Episodes &gt;</a></h3>
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.

25th Annual Sphinx Competition Winner Kebra Seyoun Charles Performs

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Muhammad Ali brings to life one of the best-known and most indelible figures of the 20th century, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion who captivated millions of fans throughout the world with his mesmerizing combination of speed, grace, and power in the ring, and charm and playful boasting outside of it. Ali insisted on being himself unconditionally and became a global icon and inspiration to people everywhere.
Join the conversations ahead of the September 19 premiere. 
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“Muhammad Ali:” A Ken Burns Documentary

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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Roxane Gay Reading and Discussion</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">April 23, 2021</h3>
The Marygrove Conservancy proudly presents feminist cultural critic Roxane Gay as the thirty-second guest in the Contemporary American Authors Lecture Series. Dr. Gay will deliver the Bauder Lecture via Facebook at 7:00 pm on Friday, April 23, 2021. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and host of Detroit Public TV’s American Black Journal, and contributor to DPTV’s One Detroit series, Stephen Henderson, will provide introductory and closing remarks as part of this free, virtual event.
Roxane Gay’s fiction and nonfiction reflect “passionate opinions” and offer “willful provocations” about race, gender, and the human body.  She is the author of two books of short stories, Ayiti (2011) and Difficult Women (2017); a novel, An Untamed State (2014); The New York Times best-selling essay collection, Bad Feminist (2014); and the provocative memoir, Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body (2017). In a collaboration with poet Yona Harvey, Gay produced the Marvel comic book, Black Panther: World of Wakanda (2016).  Dr. Gay is also the editor of Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture (2018) and The Best American Short Stories, 2018 (2018). Her stories and essays have appeared in A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, Oxford American, Prairie Schooner, and The Nation, and in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, and Best Sex Writing 2012.  She is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and from 2015 to 2018 was a columnist for Guardian US.
Katy Waldman in Slate says that Gay “filters every observation through her deep sense of the world as fractured, beautiful, and complex.” Publishers Weekly asserts, “Whatever her topic, Gay’s provocative essays stand out for their bravery, wit, and emotional honesty.” Writing in The New York Times, Carina Chocano regards Hunger as “an intellectually rigorous and deeply moving exploration of the ways in which trauma, stories, desire, language and metaphor shape our experiences and construct our reality.” In the New Republic, Rafia Zakaria calls Hunger “A work of staggering honesty” that is “poignantly told.”  And in The Seattle Times, Moira Macdonald describes it as “a memoir that’s so brave, so raw it feels as if she’s entrusting you with her soul.”
Gay has received the 2015 Pen Center USA Freedom to Write Award, a 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, a 2018 Eisner Award, and two 2018 Lambda Literary awards. Born in Omaha, she attended high school in New Hampshire at Phillips Exeter Academy and then studied at Yale University, Vermont College of Norwich University, and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln before completing a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Technical Communication at Michigan Technological University. She has held faculty positions at Eastern Illinois, Purdue, and Yale Universities.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Roxane Gay &#8211; Creatives in a Time of Crisis</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Stephen Henderson moderated a virtual discussion with the author, Roxane Gay October 22, 2020</h3>
The Marygrove Conservancy Department of Arts &amp; Culture presented Roxane Gay as the 32nd guest author of Contemporary American Authors Lecture Series (CAALS), through a virtual discussion, moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and host of Detroit Public TV’s American Black Journal, and contributor to DPTV’s One Detroit series, Stephen Henderson.
One of the country&#8217;s most perceptive cultural critics, Roxane Gay, recently spoke about what she calls &#8220;the age of inelasticity&#8221;: &#8220;Things are not getting better. The reality is we come together for these special events&#8230;but how do we sustain the energy to keep working on issues?&#8221; Now, as our city, nation and world confront an unprecedented series of crises, these discussions are important: to sustain us, to activate us, and to hold us accountable. Join us to do the hard work of finding a path forward.
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Roxane Gay Reading & Discussion

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Originally posted on March 8, 2021. Updated on April 18, 2022. 
Asbury Park is more than just a street on Detroit’s west side. It’s also the title of a new movie created by Detroit-based filmmaker Ken “Legend” Williams, who grew up on the inner-city street himself. Williams drew inspiration for his “Asbury Park” film from the real struggles he faced as a child in Detroit, and wanted to show the struggles today’s inner-city children live with through their perspective.
American Black Journal host and One Detroit contributor Stephen Henderson sat down with Williams to discuss the prevalent issues today’s inner-city children face — police brutality, mental health, etc. — and how Williams believes parents should address these issues with their children. For those living outside of the environments, Williams’ &#8220;Asbury Park&#8221; film depicts, he hopes his films make them curious enough to understand and help create change.
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<h2>Watch Now:</h2>
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<h2>Full Transcript:</h2>
Speaker 1: Let me ask you a question? What&#8217;s the first thought that goes through your mind when the police rose up on you?
Speaker 2: Where you running, huh?
Speaker 3: Yeah. So.
Speaker 4: I hope I don&#8217;t get a ticket.
Speaker 1: I hope that I make it home alive.
Speaker 5: Quite frankly, I was in fear for my life. The suspect was not compliant with our orders and was just obstructing our investigation.
Speaker 6: So 64 funerals or&#8230;
Speaker 7: The Civil Rights Act only resulted because of a nation of African-Americans coming together and taking the stand.
Speaker 8: You people think it&#8217;s okay to break the law?
Stephen Henderson: Those of us who are from Detroit or live in the area know that Asbury Park is a street on the west side and is now the title of your film, but it&#8217;s also where you&#8217;re from. Is that right?
Ken &#8220;Legend&#8221; Williams, Writer/Director, Asbury Park: Yes.
Stephen Henderson: Yeah.
Ken &#8220;Legend&#8221; Williams: I grew up on Asbury Park Street, right off Seven Mile.
Stephen Henderson: So talk about the inspiration for this film and the street that you grew up on. The experiences that you had there.
Ken &#8220;Legend&#8221; Williams: The biggest thing behind this film is survival. You know, like I said, each of the kids, they have their own different things that they&#8217;re going through and dealing with. And I thought it would be interesting to see this from a kid&#8217;s perspective. You know, there are so many things that are going on in the world right now with police brutality, mental health awareness, you know, just a lot of different things.
Ken &#8220;Legend&#8221; Williams: And as adults, we have a hard time grasping our heads around it. And you know, and dealing with it. So to be able to see this from a kid&#8217;s perspective, I think is necessary, you know, because I&#8217;m a parent and I know, you know, as I watch the news and see the things that are going on, I know how I&#8217;m trying to deal with it, gravitate to it.
Ken &#8220;Legend&#8221; Williams: And I think just as a community, we just have to do a better job of, you know, actually checking to see what&#8217;s going on with our kids, to see how they&#8217;re dealing with it, to see what they think about it. Because I think if we did that, I think we&#8217;ll really be blown away by some of the responses that we get because they&#8217;re not stupid. They see what&#8217;s going on.
Stephen Henderson: Talk about the differences between what maybe you experienced as a kid growing up in that area and what your characters in the movie experience. Is there a big difference? Or.
Ken &#8220;Legend&#8221; Williams: To be honest, it&#8217;s a direct reflection of what I experienced as a kid. I grew up in a single parent home. My father left when I was six years old. And when that happened, I was no longer able to be a six year old. I had to start moving always. You know, the running joke is when I was six, I was actually 16 because the level of responsibility, you know, shifted.
Ken &#8220;Legend&#8221; Williams: And I wouldn&#8217;t no longer able to be a carefree kid to just sit back and say, hey, you know, everything is okay. There were certain things that I did to try to protect the house. You know, I was the kid who I&#8217;ll pull out the toolbox and something needed to get fixed. You know, I&#8217;m doing that now.
Ken &#8220;Legend&#8221; Williams: I&#8217;m checking, I&#8217;m checking out the windows at night and looking out to make sure you know that my mom is protected and things like that. So I took on a much older persona than I actually was due to my circumstances. And the reality is that&#8217;s not uncommon. The drug dealing and the shooting, yeah, that happens. But I feel like this portion of it is often missed. Everybody is often, you know, trying to be tough and things like this.
Ken &#8220;Legend&#8221; Williams: But what&#8217;s often missed in those films is the vulnerability. I think one of my biggest motivations behind this film is my youngest son. I looked at him one day and I laugh and I was like, man, you&#8217;re like, really a 10-year-old. Because when I was 10, I had responsibility, I had, you know what I mean? It was just a totally different animal. And to see him just be carefree. I wasn&#8217;t able to be carefree as a kid.
Stephen Henderson: So I wonder what message you think people who aren&#8217;t from Detroit and who may not know anything about Asbury Park the street might take away from this might take away from this film. I&#8217;m always curious about how we project to everybody else from the city.
Ken &#8220;Legend&#8221; Williams: Asbury Park isn&#8217;t even necessarily a Detroit story. It actually takes place in the fictitious world of the inner city, you know, because while it is relevant in Detroit, it&#8217;s also relevant in Baltimore and St. Louis, and you know, just all over the country.
Ken &#8220;Legend&#8221; Williams: But I think oftentimes like when you&#8217;re going through things because you&#8217;re dealing with it in real time, you don&#8217;t stop and think, hey, somebody is dealing with it over here or someone dealing with it over there. So for me, you know, like I said, it is much bigger. And honestly, my goal is my hope is that, people that are not from that environment we&#8217;ll take a look and start asking questions because I feel like that&#8217;s how you evoke change.
Speaker 9: Here, it&#8217;s just a fight to breathe.
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Detroit Filmmaker’s ‘Asbury Park’ Tells the Story of Inner City Struggles

2021-03-02_1005

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For the first time in its 113-year history, <a href="https://scarabclub.org/">The Scarab Club</a> in Detroit is hosting a Black History Month exhibition featuring all Black artists from Detroit. Stephen gets the details from the Club&#8217;s first Black Board President, Mariuca Rofick, and from Taurus Burns, one of the artists whose work is on display.
The collection is titled, “Souls of Black Folk,” and it runs through March 20th.
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