[Leon D. Pamphile], executive director of the Functional Literacy Ministry of Haiti, talked last week about his book, "Haitians' & African Americans' Struggle Against Racism Through the NAACP," as part of Harvard Law School's Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice Lecture Series. "Haiti was able to fulfill what the American and the French Revolutions could not do," said Pamphile. "Haiti witnessed the fulfillment of equal rights for all men, and this is what made the Haitian Revolution such a powerful force."
[Barbara Lee]'s bill would establish a U.S.Caribbean educational exchange program for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, and scholars through the State Department. It would also enable the U.S. Agencjrfbr International Development (USAID) to develop a regional strategy to expand existing early education initiatives, and would allow both State Department and USAID to use public-private partnerships to implement the program.
[Barbara Lee]'s bill would establish a U.S.-Caribbean educational exchange program for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, and scholars through the State Department. It would also enable the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop a regional strategy to expand existing early education initiatives, and would allow both StateDepartment and USAID to use public-private partnerships to implement the program.
Colorful scenes of the island of Martinique flashed across the screen in the semi- darkness of the Schomburg Center last Wednesday evening at the kick-off of the first annual International Caribbean Diaspora (ICD) Film, Theatre & Literary Festival. On the screen, the Caribbean scenery transformed into the riveting images of the popular, Emmy Award-winning, Tony-nominated actor Keith David in some of the films in which he has appeared, such as "There's Something About Mary," "Pitch Black" and "Requiem for a Dream." At the Wednesday evening screening, of "A Dry White Season," David introduced [Euzhan Palcy], as the audience enthusiastically welcomed the esteemed, brilliant, beautiful and regal filmmaker, who had flown in from Paris after literally completing post-production on "Les Mariées de lisies Bourbon" ("The Brides of Bourbon Island") a French, three-hour period piece set in the 17th century. Palcy introduced "A Dry White Season," a political drama set in South Africa during the apartheid era. The film, which stars Marlon Brando, Donald Sutherland, Zakes Mokae and Susan Sarandon, is a story that focuses on the social movements of South Africa and the Soweto riots. The film was "heralded for putting the politics of apartheid into meaningful, human terms." The film, which was heartily received by the audience, is a classic. It is still as timely today as when it was first release in 1989.
In this, he's not unlike his counterparts in the United States, where black people also have an extensive vocabulary to describe variations in skin tone. In the United States, one can be "high yellow" (i.e., of very light skin); one can be "red" (i.e., with a reddish tint; one of Malcolm X's early nicknames was "Detroit Red"); or one can be any of a number of synonyms for dark. Like, for instance, "Smokey." In fact, the famous (and "high yellow") Motown singer William Robinson was given that nickname in affectionate irony by one of his father's friends - sort of like calling a fat guy Tiny. The same is not true in Brazil. And if the United States is a country where black people with light skin used to sometimes "pass," i.e., pretend to be white, well, in this country "passing is a national institution." So says Elisa Nascimento with a laugh. She is white, American-born and the wife of Abdias do Nascimento, a 90-year-old black Brazilian artist and political icon. And the insistence of some Brazilian blacks on "passing," she says, has political consequences in that it tends to distort statistics on black life. "The way racism works in Brazil . . . there is a hierarchy, and so people tend to identify themselves lighter than they necessarily would be." "It was a rough time," she says in her imperfect English. "For me, was impossible to live there. We could not be married. Why I married with a black guy, you know? So when I say to you that Brazil was different . . . even my first husband didn't think of himself as black. In Brazil, he was a Brazilian, even though he was black. He never thought of himself as someone different from me because he was another color."
Jamaicans across the United States will commemorate the island's 45th anniversary of Independence with a variety of activities. The national theme of this year's celebration is, "Unity, Peace and Justice... The Pillars of a Strong Nation." This year also marks the 169th anniversary of Jamaica's emancipation from slavery and this major milestone is also part of this year's celebrations.
Through these public outreach efforts, Boggis was able to engage Milford leaders in the project, resulting in their designating a city park as the [Harriet E. Wilson] Adams Wilson Memorial Site. Ms. Boggis was able to further increase public awareness and gain support from the community for the commission of a life-size sculpture of Harriet Wilson and on November 6, 2006 in a celebration hosted by actress and civil right activist, [Ruby Dee], the project unveiled the Wilson memorial statue which is the only public sculpture honouring a person of colour in the State of New Hampshire.
The trailblazer, born in Spanish Harlem, who said she always knew she was "Puerto Rican and Black," started her journey in the '70s to learn more about her roots. She revealed that back then she personally felt she "didn't fit anywhere" because of a lack of knowledge of self and that she "looked around" and noticed her African-descendent students were suffering the same dilemma. Years later, the critically acclaimed scholar, who holds a doctorate from Temple University, is a published author of "When the Spirits Dance Mambo" and "The Altar of My Soul," also a film documentarían for "When the Spirits Dance Mambo," world traveler and a Lucumi/Santeria priestess initiated in Cuba. She's also an associate adjunct professor of AfroLatino studies at Hunter College and a co-director there of the Afro-Latino Global Initiative.
"That is the difference between the parade in Haiti and the parade in America. Here-it unites us," said [Wilner Auguste]. "I believe that if we can live with the idea of being united for one day then that idea can carry on throughout the rest of our days."
Now, after coming to Howard as a freshman and Capstone scholar in 2005, he is not only playing chess, which is said to be one of the most popular games in the world, but is President of the Howard University Chess Club since 2006. [Samuel Peter Francis] considers himself a critical thinker, an aspect of his personality that he feels attributes greatly to his successes, thus far, as president of the University Chess Club. Chess, in fact, is advocated as a way of enhancing mental prowess! Meanwhile, this young man who was the unrated chess champion of Howard University (HU) in 2006, was selected to the HU Dean's list and also to the National Dean's List of US Colleges and Universities in 2006. With his excellence in the game of chess, his absorption in scientific matters and his penchant for being clear and concise in his undertakings, Samuel could be expected to be a rather scholarly, 'nerdy' individual. Not so! He is full of life and laughter - a very pleasant, friendly Caribbean person.
