By Mark F. Gray, Special to the AFRO Janice Murphy remembers what it was like to miss out on summer camp when she was growing up. After her parents divorced the family couldn’t afford the extracurricular opportunities that expose children to culture and can lead to an appreciation for the fine arts. Now the organization she […]
Category: ENTERTAINMENT
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, LIFE & STYLE, NEWS, Travel, Washington D.C. News
Former Slave Holding Mansion Now Home to Black Artists
By Hamzat Sani, Special to the AFRO About 20 miles south of Washington, D.C. lies an old plantation which once housed slaves that has been transformed into a home for some of the most innovative Black makers and artists the DMV has to offer. Makers In The Mansion: Stories of A Transformed African American Community at […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Baltimore News, ENTERTAINMENT, NEWS
Baltimore African Art Exhibit Aims to Subvert Beauty
By J. K. Schmid, Special to the AFRO Subverting Beauty: African Anti-Aesthetics, which recently opened at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), uses a new 750-foot rotating space to expand the definition of African art. The BMA boasts 2,500 African pieces in its vast vault. Long on display in the African Art exhibit, and the passage […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT
Navia Robinson Learns from the Best as She Makes Her Own Hollywood Moves
By Nadine Matthews, Special to the AFRO At an early age, Navia Robinson has already gotten the opportunity to learn from two actresses with longevity. One of Robinson’s first jobs at the age of 9 was working with Gabrielle Union in the popular series “Being Mary Jane.” Robinson played D’Asia, Mary Jane’s niece. “It was single […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Books, BUSINESS, ENTERTAINMENT, Media, NEWS, Washington D.C. News
Bookstore Solid State Books Opens in Historic H Street
By Hamzat Sani, Special to the AFRO When Jake Cumsky-Whitlock decided to open Solid State Books he knew he wanted a store that could serve as a third space that would intellectually feed the District’s book ravenous crowd but he also knew that he wanted it to be in a community that was diverse enough […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, TV and Film
‘Equalizer 2’ Squeaks Past ‘Mamma Mia 2’ and Takes Top Spot
By LINDSEY BAHR, AP Film Writer In the battle of two very different sequels at the box office this weekend, Denzel Washington’s action pic “The Equalizer 2” has narrowly won out over the ABBA jukebox musical “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” Studios on Sunday estimate that the R-rated Denzel Washington joint grossed $35.8 million […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, D.C. Community, ENTERTAINMENT, NEWS, Washington D.C. News
D.C. Mayor Launches Summer Concert Series at Marvin Gaye Park
By Lenore T. Adkins/Special to the AFRO True to its name, Marvin Gaye Park is playing host to a concert series this summer that has three dates lined up . The free series, presented by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, kicks off every third Saturday of the month all summer, so plan to hit the park […]
Posted inArts & Culture, ENTERTAINMENT, NEWS, Washington D.C. News
‘Spook’ Play Targets Police Killings
By Hamzat Sani, Special to the AFRO When police officers in the line of duty were targeted by lone wolf terrorists in cities like Dallas and New York City, the country shook. Many pointed to the Black Lives Matter movement as the instigators for such act while others insisted on the country examining the relationship between […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, TV and Film
A Lifelong Friendship Fuels the Chemistry of ‘Blindspotting’
By JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Daveed Diggs was busy. Too busy. The actor was doing eight shows a week as Jefferson/ Lafayette in the Broadway sensation “Hamilton,” and wasn’t answering his emails. So there was only one thing his writing partner and creative soulmate, Rafael Casal, could do: Move across […]
Posted inAfro Briefs, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, Music
Rapper Common Goes Back to School to Help Teachers
By JOHN CARUCCI, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Rapper Common has won three Grammys, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award but a recent visit to a New York City school was “humbling” — mainly because many of the students were too young to know his music. The award-winner showed up at P.S. 111 […]
Posted inAfro Briefs, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, Music, National News, NEWS
4 Indicted in Florida Shooting Death of Rapper XXXTentacion
By The Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida grand jury has indicted four men on first-degree murder and armed robbery charges in the shooting death of emerging rap star XXXTentacion. Broward County panel formally charged Dedrick Williams, 22; Michael Boatwright, 22; Trayvon Newsome, 20; and Robert Allen, 22, on Wednesday, court records […]
Posted inArts & Culture, D.C Sports, D.C. Community, ENTERTAINMENT, National Sports, NEWS, Sports, Washington D.C. News
Mural Honors Negro Leagues Pioneers
By Brigette White, Special to the AFRO Just in time for the kickoff of All-Star Week (July 13-17), Major League Baseball unveiled a mural honoring the Negro Leagues, particularly trailblazing players Mamie “Peanut” Johnson and Josh Gibson, in the U Street corridor between the Lincoln Theatre and D.C.’s famous Ben’s Chili Bowl. The colorful display, which […]
