New experience at Walt Disney World Resort takes guests on a musical tour across America with Joe Gardner from Disney and Pixar’s ‘Soul.’ “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure” debuted Feb. 1, 2021, at The American Adventure inside EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. This new exhibit features artifacts […]
Category: Arts & Culture
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National Battle of the Bands (NBOTB): A Salute to HBCU Marching Bands Film
Webber Marketing Announces Premiere of the “National Battle of the Bands: Salute to HBCU Marching Bands” Film during Black History Month Presented by Pepsi and Syndicated in More Than 50 Markets Across the U.S. Charlotte, NC – Webber Marketing (WM), creators of the National Battle of the Bands, announces the “National Battle of the Bands […]
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Ethel Waters: A barrier breaker in TV, film, stage, sound, lifestyle
By Micha Green AFRO D.C. Editor mgreen@afro.com Far before, Nat King Cole in 1956, Carol Burnett in 1967 or Oprah in 1986, barrier breaking performer Ethel Waters became the first Black person in history to have and star in her own television show on June 14, 1939. Waters’ talent as a singer and actress stormed […]
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Through the eyes of Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks is a motion picture producer, director, author and photojournalist. (AFRO Archive) By Sean Yoes AFRO Senior Reporter syoes@afro.com This year marks the 50th anniversary of “Shaft,” perhaps the quintessential Black action movie of the so-called “Blaxploitation” era of Hollywood. Fifty years since its release in 1971, Shaft has reached mythical status for many […]
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Racism inside, take it outside to the people
1939: Marian Anderson sang in Washington on Easter Sunday in what was called “the biggest demonstration against prejudice since the funeral of Col. Charles Young.” (AFRO Archive) By Micha Green AFRO D.C. Editor mgreen@afro.com By the time Marian Anderson made history as the first African-American woman to sing at the New York Metropolitan Opera in […]
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Hattie McDaniel: A barrier breaker who ran into walls until death
1940: Hattie McDaniel played “Mammy” in the motion picture “Gone With the Wind.” (AFRO Archive) By Micha Green AFRO D.C. Editor mgreen@afro.com Hattie McDaniel was the first Black woman to win an Academy Award for her role as “Mammy” in Gone With the Wind, in 1939. However, success did not beat segregation at that time. […]
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‘The funniest woman in the world’
1952: Jackie “Moms” Mabely with her wealth of laughs and good humor, tops the holiday all-star review at Booker T. Restaurant’s Flamingo Room. (AFRO Archive) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor “I know what to do to get myself a young boyfriend. All you have to do is knock on their door and ask them: […]
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Alvin Ailey: the Black ‘revelation’
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performed his signature work “Revelations” on its 60th anniversary. (Screenshot/AlvinAiley.org) By Jessica Dortch AFRO News Editor Who knew that a Black man born early on in the Great Depression would rise to international fame and impact many lives through movement. Alvin Ailey was more than a dancer and a choreographer. […]
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Ava DuVernay, the visionary
Trailblazing filmmaker and storyteller Ava Duvernay. (Photo by
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Accomplished artist talks Basquiat’s influence
By Nyame-kye Kondo Special to the AFRO Jean-Michel Basquiat was a contemporary multimedia artist who is known for his trailblazing contributions to the Neo-Expressionist movement that swept through New York City in the 1980’s. Born to parents of Puerto Rican and Haitian descent in 1960, Basquiat’s vivid art was reflective of his upbringing in Brooklyn, […]
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Jacob Lawrence: Eyes of the Harlem Renaissance
1954: Jacob Lawrence was a public relations specialist, Third Class in the U.S. Coast Guard. He is shown at an exhibit of his paintings at the Museum of Modern Art. (AFRO Archive) By Sean Yoes AFRO Senior Reporter syoes@afro.com The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., exhibited the Jacob Lawrence series, Struggle: From the History […]