The Billie Holiday Festival, featuring Singer Maysa, left, and Robyn Dixon of the Real Housewives of the Potomac, returns virtually this year. (Courtesy Photo) By AFRO Staff The Billie Holiday Festival returns for its second year on Sept.12 and Sept. 13. The two-day virtual festival will be packed with thoughtful speakers, talented musicians, cooking demos […]
Category: Arts & Culture
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Chadwick Boseman Didn’t Just Play Icons. He was one.
By JAKE COYLE, AP Film Writer The image that keeps replaying in my head since the death of Chadwick Boseman is from early 2018. It was just days before “Black Panther” would open in theaters and the exhilaration aroused by this long-in-coming cultural event was everywhere around Boseman. Flocked by fans, he repeatedly paused for […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Love Groove Virtual Music Festival
By AFRO Staff This Labor Day weekend, the Love Groove Music Festival is back for its third annual music extravaganza. Due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, the festival will transition to a virtual backdrop featuring eight local artists over a two day period. Founded in 2017, this showcase aims to bring all genres of music […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, TV and Film
‘Black Panther’ Star Chadwick Boseman Dies of Cancer at 43
By RYAN PEARSON, AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, died Friday of cancer, his representative said. He was 43. Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
RCA Inspiration Celebrates the New Winner of BET’s “Sunday Best” – Stephanie Summers
RCA INSPIRATION CELEBRATES BET’S “SUNDAY BEST” SEASON 10 WINNER STEPHANIE SUMMERS NASHVILLE, TN (August 24, 2020) – RCA Inspiration celebrates the new winner of BET’s “Sunday Best” – Stephanie Summers – announced on the Season 10 finale episode, which aired on August 23rd. After public voting on the two finalists, for the 10th season of “Sunday […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TYRESE GIBSON ADDRESSES CIVIL AND SOCIAL UNREST WITH NEW SINGLE RELEASE “LEGENDARY”
NEW YORK, NY (August 28, 2020) – In the wake of yet another senseless police shooting, six-time GRAMMY® nominee and box office star, Tyrese Gibson (“Fast and Furious,” “Transformers”) today delivers a new single that captures the urgency with which we need to address the nation’s racial unrest and the continued onslaught of police brutality. The single, “Legendary” featuring CeeLo Green, poignantly illuminates […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Black Fashion Designer Awarded Patent for Innovative Square V Neck T-Shirt Design
Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — Rising Black fashion designer and inventor Melvin J. Teah Sr. has been awarded the prestigious USPTO patent for his breakthrough work in T-shirt design. A change maker by passion, Teah Sr. has come up with a unique “Square” V-neck T-shirt collar design which creates a whole new look altogether beating the traditional […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
AFRO Archive Inspired Exhibition Opens
By AFRO Staff From Aug 27. to Oct. 1, the facade of 2519 N. Charles St. will illuminate with newly commissioned artwork by three Baltimore based artists. Since last year, SHAN Wallace, Akea Brionne Brown and Savannah Wood have engaged in research in the AFRO American Newspapers archives, creating new work inspired by their findings […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Biden Campaign Launching National “Shop Talk” Series to Engage Black Men
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden has echoed the sentiments of many who are sickened by the repeated shootings by police of unarmed African Americans. This week, Biden heaped praise on the Milwaukee Bucks and other National Basketball Association teams who are on the verge of […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘Fearless’ Murals Promote Diversity in Tech
By AFRO Staff Fearless has commissioned a series of murals for its main hall and new large conference room as part of its expansion at Spark, a co-working space located at Power Plant Live. The murals were designed by Jesse James, a UX/UI Designer at Fearless, and Jeff “Jahru” Huntington, co-founder of Future History Now. […]
Posted inReligion
A Young Millennial is Putting A Historic Black Radio Station Back on the Musical Map!
A YOUNG MILLENNIAL – PASTOR CEJAY – IS GIVING A HISTORIC RADIO STATION A NEW HEARTBEAT THAT CAN BE FELT AND HEARD NATIONALLY With the explosive growth of digital streaming, the rise of social media and other online distractions, many have pronounced terrestrial radio dead. However, KOKA 980 AM – The Heart of Gospel – […]
Posted inNEWS
Artist Couple Thrives in Climate of Racial Unrest and Economic Uncertainty
By Beverly Hunt Special to the AFRO What is it like to continue to thrive as an artist in the Washington Metropolitan Area in this pandemic age? There is plenty to be inspired by, but how do artists continue to make a living with closed galleries, with collectors on furlough from their jobs and with […]