Nelson “Madiba” Mandela (Idris Elba) started secretly writing his autobiography “Long Walk to Freedom” while still serving what he had every reason to believe might very well be a life sentence on Robben Island. The lawyer-turned-spokesman for the outlawed African National Congress had been convicted of treason for trying to dismantle South Africa’s racist regime. […]
Author Archives: Kam Williams
Special to the AFRO
Posted inBooks
Shades of Black
“What exactly is Blackness and what does it mean to be Black? Is Blackness a matter of biology or consciousness? Who determines who is Black and who is not—the state, the society, or the individual? Who is Black, who is not, and who cares? In the U.S., historically a Black person has come to be […]
Posted inMovie Reviews
A Search for a Missing Sibling in Gruesome Revenge Thriller
Russell Baze’s (Christian Bale) is stuck in a dead-end job at a rural Pennsylvania steel mill rumored to be closing soon. He’s not in a position to abandon the Rust Belt in search of greener pastures, between having to care for his terminally-ill, widowed father (Bingo O’Malley) and a kid brother (Casey Affleck) suffering from […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
A Long Walk with Naomie
As a critically acclaimed actress in film, television, and theatre, Naomie Harris is making more of a name for herself with each of her successive, luminous performances. Last year, she starred as Bond girl ‘Eve’ opposite Daniel Craig in the 007 feature Skyfall. She also appeared in Danny Boyle’s production of Frankenstein at The National […]
Posted inMovie Reviews
Jennifer Hudson Steals Show in Langston Hughes Musical
Naima (Jennifer Hudson) is a single-mom struggling to pay the rent on the apartment she shares with son Langston (Jacob Latimore), 15, who’s the same age she was when she had him. Back then, she was as headstrong as he is now, which explains why she ran away from a good home in Harlem to […]
Posted inBooks
No Place for Race: Why We Need to Address Economic and Social Factors That Are Crushing Us Every Day
“Law enforcement isn’t about the white man out to get the black man, as so many in the media and social leadership would have us believe…. In most cases, the person riding in the police cruiser isn’t out to get you because of your race or because of how you look. As a police officer, […]
Posted inBooks
Turning Visions Into Reality
“People want to know how a youngster from poverty, who failed his way through public school, got caught up in the 80’s crack epidemic, got indicted and sent to federal prison… wound up working for five-star hotels. They want to know how he became the author of four books, a celebrity chef, a […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The Best Chestnut!
Morris Chestnut was born on New Year’s Day 1969 in Cerritos, Calif. where he was a student-athlete in high school who majored in finance and drama at California State University. He made his big screen debut opposite Ice Cube in John Singleton’s {Boyz n the Hood}, and subsequently enjoyed his breakout role as the groom-to-be […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Ebony & Ivy Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America’s Universities
“Ebony & Ivy… delivers a groundbreaking and incendiary exploration of the intertwined histories of slavery, race, and higher education… Many of America’s revered colleges and universities… Harvard, Yale, and Princeton… were drenched in the sweat, the tears, and sometimes the blood of people of color… Money from the purchase and sale of human beings built […]
Posted inMovie Reviews
Romancing and Reminiscing Through the Holidays
When released back in 1999, The Best Man was dismissed by some as merely an African-American variation on The Big Chill, and by others as the black male answer to the sassy sisters dishing the dirt in Waiting to Exhale. But the romantic romp revolving around a sophisticated set of college grads was actually entertaining enough […]
Posted inMovie Reviews
Frantic Mom Engages Street-Wise Crew in Search for Son
Bernice Stokes (LisaGay Hamilton) is a parole officer in Los Angeles where her job routinely places her in close proximity with the dregs of society. She normally has no reason to associate with such miscreants after hours, being very straitlaced and coming from a solid, middle class background. However, everything changes the day the single-mom’s […]
Posted inMovie Reviews
Morgan Freeman Shines in Bawdy, Geezer Romp
Billy (Michael Douglas), Paddy (Robert De Niro), Archie (Morgan Freeman) and Sam (Kevin Kline), inseparable since growing up in Flatbush back in the 1950s, have managed to remain close over the years despite the demands of families and careers. That’s why, when never-married Billy finally decides to tie the knot, the others agree to throw […]
