By Dwight Brown, NNPA Newswire Film Critic The 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival kicked off its 50thyear anniversary with a bang. The annual two-weekend fest featured world-renown musicians, tempting food concession stands, a friendly crowd of music fans and a positive vibe that was even warmer than the sun. Jazz Fest dates back to 1970, […]
Category: Arts & Culture
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, TV and Film
Spinoff of ABC’s ‘black-ish’ to Focus on Mixed-Race Issues
By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A spinoff of the ABC sitcom “black-ish” will focus on a young Rainbow Johnson and her challenges growing up in the 1980s. ABC said Thursday that the new series, titled “mixed-ish,” will be narrated by Tracee Ellis Ross. She stars in “black-ish” as the adult character with […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, NEWS, Washington D.C. News
AFRO Exclusive: Area Artist Highlights Black Georgetown, Receives Award from Arena Stage
By Micha Green, AFRO Washington, D.C. Editor, mgreen@afro.com An area artist, Lindsey Brittain Collins, has dedicated much of her career to examining topics of economic and social issues through art and is now being honored as an “Emerging Leader,” by Arena Stage at their annual gala on May 21. Brittain Collins will receive the “Emerging Leader Award” […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, TV and Film
MTV Launches ‘Save Our Moms’ Campaign to Combat Mortality
By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — MTV is launching a campaign aimed at stemming the rise of maternal mortality in the U.S. Thursday’s launch of “Save Our Moms” comes as Mother’s Day approaches and will feature original content and educational resources across all MTV platforms. In this April 10, 2019 file photo, Lena […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, NEWS, Washington D.C. News
Mighty Mighty Art Installation is Centerpiece of Barbershop Project at THEARC
By George Kevin Jordan, AFRO Staff Writer The barbershop has long been a safe space for certain parts of the Black community- particularly Black men. Artist Devan Shimoyama wanted to take an in-depth look at that relationship in his art installation “Mighty Mighty,” which is the centerpiece of “The Barbershop Project,” a decked out fantastical barbershop […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT
Joyce J. Scott: ‘Creator. Changemaker. Pioneer’
By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware, Special to the AFRO From the womb she knew she’d be an artist. Of course her mother was master quilt maker Elizabeth Talford Scott, so that might have been a clue. But in her own right, Joyce J. Scott, the “artist in vitro” as she calls herself, has walked in her […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, HBCU, Media, National News, NEWS
Tom Joyner Foundation Launches Exciting New Podcast
The Tom Joyner Foundation today announced the launch of HBCUbiquity, a new hour-long podcast featuring interviews, discussion and analysis about historically black colleges and university, hosted by Thomas Joyner, Jr., president and CEO of the 22-year-old Foundation. The podcast, available weekly on the reVolver Podcast Network and downloadable on all platforms (e.g. iTunes, GooglePlay, Spotify) […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, TV and Film
Chappelle to Receive Mark Twain Prize for Humor
By The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Comedian Dave Chappelle has been chosen to receive this year’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The 45-year-old Chappelle shot to international stardom through his Comedy Central program, “Chappelle’s Show,” which gleefully skewered racial stereotypes and hot-button societal issues. He later made headlines for walking away from a […]
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3 Black Women Win Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss America
By MARK KENNEDY, AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — When Cheslie Kryst won the Miss USA crown, it marked more than a personal triumph: It meant that for the first time, three black women are the reigning Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss America. The North Carolina lawyer completed the historic triple Thursday […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Baltimore News, ENTERTAINMENT, Music, NEWS
Sandtown to Symphony
By Renee Foose, Special to the AFRO Most people would agree that being born into homelessness is not a good situation. Few, if any, would consider such a circumstance to be a blessing. However, one Baltimore native falls into the category of feeling blessed to have been born homeless to a single mom who struggled from […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, Music, NEWS, TV and Film, Washington D.C. News
New Musical Shares Motown History Through Lens of a Love Story
By Micha Green, AFRO Washington, D.C. Editor, mgreen@afro.com When Marvin Gaye sang “Pride & Joy” in the early 1960s it was thought to be a tribute to his beloved girlfriend turned wife, Anna Gordy Gaye. Over 55 years since its 1963 release, the relationship in which Gaye sang about all those years ago will get its turn […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, NEWS, TV and Film, Washington D.C. News
“Rafiki” Brings Black Queer Kenyan Love Story into Focus
By George Kevin Jordan, AFRO Staff Writer Part of the human journey is to search for something real. Oprah often calls it “being your authentic self.” If you are lucky you have the strength, time and privilege to seek it out. And lucky for us some filmmakers can capture that desire on screen. “Rafiki” a film […]