Arts and Activism on the Air

Attorney Esmeralda Simmons, Founding Director of the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, CUNY (Brooklyn, NY) discusses the shooting and killing of Michael Brown by Police Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, MO (August 9, 2014). She also addresses the use of excessive force by law enforcement officiers throughout the U.S. She also addresses "What now?" If you're wondering what good does a protest, rally, petition do, then tune in to this informative interview by this respected activist-attorney whose law center was founded in response to police brutality in 1986. For more info about Atty. Simmons, visit www.CLSJ.org or www.facebook.com/centerforlawandsocialjustice

"Being born in 1974 set me on a course to come of age as a person cloaked in the international phenomenon that Afrika Bambaataa would name Hip-hop.  Its infectious elements of graf writin’, dee-jayin’, breakin’, emceein’, and knowledge called me, initiated me and sent me back out into the world to live its truth." - - Lasana Hotep Lasana Omar Hotep is as committed to people of African ancestry as one can imagine. His dedication is evidenced in his writing, his wit, and his wide array of projects - ranging from media, business, and education. When combined, Hotep's body of work provides a refreshingly informed perspective on Black history, culture, and politics. Today, we'll focus on his writing projects, his love of hip hop, and his rather unique vision of Spike Lee's film as they relate to masculinity.

Tune in to hear award-winning documentary filmmaker Byron Hurt talk about his love of making films, how he got started, and and why he explores the topics that he does. His break-through film, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, remains a widely screened classic. His highly anticipated new film, Soul Food Junkies, is on track to be just as groundbreaking. This episode of Art and Activism on the Air promises to be both inspiring and insightful for lovers of film and lovers of truth-telling.

Obi Egbuna is a founding member of the Pan-African Liberation Organization and is also the technical advisor for the Pan-African Student Youth Movement. he also writes for the Zimbabwe Herald. For more than 15 years, Obi has dedicated his life to organizing the communities throughout the world. He has also lectured in several countries, on topics ranging from pan-africanism to libration theology to Cuban relations. In 2010, however, Egbuna became a playwright as well. We'll explore his political and creative leanings in  this episode on "Arts and Activism on the Air."

STACEY MUHAMMAD is an award-winning independent filmmaker and activist committed to using the power of media to educate, enlighten, and empower humanity. Her first film, “A Glimpse of Heaven, The Legacy of the Million Man March,” screened at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, MD (2005) and received rave reviews. Since that time, the New Orleans native has begun the work of documenting and preserving Hip Hop and African culture through film and digital media, including the award winning short film "I AM SEAN BELL, black boys speak." It debuted at the New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival and is currently on tour with the HBO / Media that Matters film festival and is being screened and viewed by audiences worldwide.

BIRTH OF A MOVEMENT: The 20th Anniversary of the Nation's First Hip Hop Conference. A conversation with CEEON QUIETT, TIMOTHY D. JONES, and APRIL R. SILVER Back in the fall of 1990, a handful of students at Howard University, fresh off the internationally covered take-over of the campus administration building, were the first to call for a "meeting of the minds" on the topic of hip hop culture. We probed its affect on society, the academy, and the community-at-large. As 20-somethings, we developed an idea to produce a music conference - one that would dig into the business of hip hop; one that would address the how's and why's of artist integrity and responsibility. We also wondered: Who owns hip hop, who controls it, and how do we get it back? Never before had hip hop been examined so seriously - by its artists, by music and entertainment industry executives, by local public school students, by college students, and by the community-at- large. Twenty years later: What's the legacy of those students (who ran the conference for six consecutive years)? Where are they now? who benefited from this ground-breaking discourse? Mission Accomplished?

Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets is the featured guest for National Poetry Month (2011). Abiodun is a revered poet, teacher, and founding member of the legendary poetry ensemble The Last Poets. The group was created in 1968 on May 19th (Malcolm X's birthdate) when Abiodun and two others - David Nelson and Gylan Kain - read poetry in tribute to Malcolm X. Steeped in and guided by Black nationalism, the group quickly became known throughout African-American communities in the nation. The Last Poets, along with Gil Scott-Heron, are credited as being major influences on the development of hip hop. Currently, Abiodun tours the world giving lectures on poetry and politics.

ESTHER ARMAH is an award-winning international journalist, playwright, author, and producer. She also hosts "Wake Up Call" on WBAI Radio 99.5FM, the popular morning drive talk show (heard by 19 million listeners in the NY, NJ, and CT). For this episode, the tables are turned and Esther will be interviewed about how 21st century media works as a tool for activists, how today's journalism "ain't yo' mama's journalism," and what it means to be phly, fabulous, and fierce...and still be a pain in the arse to the status quo.

We couldn't get it all in the firt time around so right after the February 27th show, we secured Nana Camille Yarbrough for a follow-up interview. Tune in on Thursday, March 3, 2011 for a special Woman's History Month program featuring this legendary performance artist and modern griot. Topics: arts, activism, and spirit...plus her performance at Black Enterprise's 6th Annual Women of Power Summit. Also: What does Nana Camille think about on R&B singer Fantasia (who performed live at the Summit). Tune in to find out! To learn more about Nana Camille, visit www.CamilleYarbrough.com

Performance artist, author, and cultural activist Nana Camille Yarbrough joins us on our return from hiatus. A living legend among us, Nana Camille's artistry has manifested in film, television, on the Broadway stage, on the airwaves, and on the book shelves. Tune in to tap into the wisdom of our beloved artist/activist. Learn more at www.CamilleYarbrough.com

Shantrelle P. Lewis, Director of Programming and Exhibitions at Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), talks about her passion for Black history and culture and how that relates to the visual arts. Ms. Lewis was recently profiled in the New York Daily News by colounist Clem Richardson. To read article, follow this link http://bit.ly/CCCADIspl_NYDN19Nov

Sheila R. Rule is the founder of the Think Outside the Cell Foundation. Its mission is to support the incarcerated, the formerly incarcerated and their loved ones in honoring their personal power and achieving their full potential. The foundation’s publishing arm, Resilience Multimedia, has published anthologies featuring real-life stories by the incarcerated, the formerly incarcerated and their families. Resilience’s first book was the nationally distributed and well-received self-help book, Think Outside the Cell: An Entrepreneur’s Guide for the Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated, by Joseph Robinson, Sheila’s husband. Rule was also a journalist and senior editor with The New York Times for more than 30 years. She will share her views on media, activism, and publishing.

Sonia Sanchez — poet, activist, scholar — was the Laura Carnell Professor of English and Women’s Studies at Temple University. She is the recipient of both the Robert Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime service to American poetry and the Langston Hughes Poetry Award. One of the most important writers of the Black Arts Movement, Sanchez is the author of sixteen books. Tune in to "Arts and Activism on the Air" for an extended session (1 hour) with Sister Sanchez on September 26, 2010 from 3:00 - 4:00 pm EST. Our relationship spans over 20 years...beginning with me studying her poetry, full of adoration, while a student activist at Howard University. Come listen, learn, and weigh in as we discuss "what it means to be human," to be an artist, to be an activist in the 21st century.

A pioneering hip-hop journalist, JOAN MORGAN began her professional writing career freelancing for THE VILLAGE VOICE. There, she quickly established a reputation as a black-feminist writer who was unafraid of tackling the most highly charged topics. Tune in to hear the woman who coined the term “hip-hop feminism” in 1999, when she published the groundbreaking book, "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost." Morgan discusses writing as activism, her creative process, Hurricane Katrina & Rita, Michael Jackson and romance, The Notorious BIG, and more!

Highly respected activist MONIFA BANDELE discusses the role and relevance of the arts in her work as a community organizer. She also highlights the Black August Hip Hop Project (a project of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement), the Scott Sister case, and much more.

Award winning poet, educator, and storyteller MO BEASLEY talks to us about "If the Blues Knew," his poetic tribute to blues and hip hop! Also, this father of three discusses fatherhood and his contribution to the anthology "Be A Father To Your Child" (available on www.Amazon.com)

He's back from Russia (after teaching there for a semester); his latest book (on Barack Obama) came out this month, but what we really want to know is: Who is Jelani Cobb's favorite MC of all time, LOL! Join us for a catch all dialogue with one of this generation's most respected, highly gifted (and rather accessible) intellectuals.

For over 15 years, DJ Kuttin Kandi - a Filipina from Queens, NY who now resides in San Diego - has made her mark in the hip hop and activist circles all over the globe. As a pioneering battle DJ and world celebrated turntablist, Kuttin Kandi is also an outspoken activist, a passionate poet, a dedicated mentor, and a respected hip hop advocate. DJ Kuttin Kandi discussed why and how she uses hip hop as way to change the world!

Acknowledged as the nation’s foremost expert in audience development, Ms. Walker-Kuhne has devoted her professional career to increasing access to the arts. She was formerly Director of Marketing and Audience Development for The Public Theater and Director of Marketing for Dance Theatre of Harlem. Presently, she is President of Walker International Communications Group, a boutique marketing, press and audience development consulting agency. A veteran of over 15 Broadway productions, her clients also include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, The Apollo Theater, WNYC Radio, Louis Armstrong Historic Museum, and many others. She is also an adjunct professor at New York University, Columbia University, and Brooklyn College. Her first book, Invitation to the Party: Building Bridges to Arts, Culture and Community, was published in 2005. www.walkercommunicationsgroup.com.

The premiere interview for "Arts and Activism on the Air" focuses on "When Fela Came to Brooklyn!" In 1990, the International African Arts Festival (formerly known as the African Street Festival) bought Afrobeat musical giant FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI to perform on its main stage. The Festival's Co-Founder and Artistic Director at the time, K. MENSAH WALI, says there was JOY JOY JOY, as well as BLUES BLUES BLUES! While "FELA on Broadway" is perhaps the most loved musical of the day, take a moment to tune in to our EXCLUSIVE interview with one of Fela's concert producers. Call in and tell a friend!