Red Tails in the Sunset
Film Review by Jean Damu

I Am Nobody's Nigger by Dean Atta

... How were you raised on Public Enemy
And still became your own worst enemy?...

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
Documentary Film Review by Kam Williams
Excellent (4 Stars)

Franz Jones
In Praise of Black Women...
Where Have All My Sisters Gone?
Hollywood, Broadway, and the Disappearance of the Black DIVA!!! 

I can remember seeing such stars as Pearl Bailey, Dorothy Dandridge, Eartha Kitt, Diahann Carroll, Lena Horne, Mahalia Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Katherine Dunham, and to a lesser extent, Ruby Dee, Maidie Norman, Gail Fisher, Cicely Tyson, and Diana Sands.... In the 1970s the “blaxploitation” period arose when Hollywood studios, many of them facing bankruptcy and losing more ground to television, came upon the unique idea of repackaging old scripts and devices and selling them to the Black audience.... Black actresses often have to make a meal out of leftovers and crackers and cheese while Caucasian actresses are (some say arguably) feasting on meaty roles in ALL media!

PJ Rain
Summer Reflections - Part 3 of 3
Sports, Religion, Media, Politics

The real perversions in religions of all types tend to revolve around the same figurative “idol” worshipping that many of them caution against—the worship of money and the carnal desire for power through material wealth.   It is for this very reason that athletes and celebrities often find themselves injected into public debates over their private spiritual journeys.   Where does an Israeli interviewer get the right to challenge Amar’e Stoudamire’s commitment to a religious fasting regimen, and when did Stoudamire authorize his agent to qualify his beliefs?   What created the desire to convert Tiger Woods and his multi-million dollar image from Buddhism to Christianity?   And why is Muhammad Ali’s Muslim presence at major functions and events all over the country no longer considered a threat to those who opposed his conversion to Islam back in the 1960s?

PJ Rain
Summer Reflections - Part 2 of 3
Lebron's "Decision"

July 1, 2010 marked the beginning of the most historic free agent signing period in the history of the NBA.   This was because Lebron James was contractually freed to explore his options to play basketball in the city of his choice for the first time in his professional career.... The courtship of Lebron evolved into a production of unprecedented proportions....  All things considered, the aspect of the Lebron James decision that was the most fascinating was the fact that 25-year-old James, 26-year-old Chris Bosh, and 28-year-old Dwyane Wade worked together to leverage a situation in which they could all play together on the same team.... This summer, Creative Arts Agency (CAA) moved into the basketball business by buying out the different management groups that represented the three players.   Although on the surface this may not appear to be beneficial, it actually can be because a management firm is hired or fired by its clients.   As a collective group, the three players will be in a position to exert significant influence on one of the country’s largest agencies.   Similarly, if executed properly, they should also be able to influence policy decisions at the team ownership level of the Miami Heat.... By making the decision to not stand alone as “the man” attempting to win championships for a franchise owned by someone else, Lebron James has possibly positioned himself, along with the others, to get an internship-like trial into the ownership pinnacle to which many former superstars currently aspire.   

PJ Rain
Summer Reflections - Part 1 of 3
The 2010 World Cup

The sport of soccer, known as football outside of the United States, is the most popular in the world, and as one who believes that sports have a way of bringing people together to achieve a common goal, the tournament hopefully served to re-ignite, revive, and for some, to even introduce, a sense of pride in all Africans who reside or have descended from the continent.... [Th]he European domination of the sport lies in the widely accepted belief that it was invented in England during the late 19th century and then carried to the rest of the world during various expeditions and “missionary” trips.... Yet, perhaps the genesis of it all may be found in Africa itself as Ancient Egyptian tombstone artifacts dating back as far as 2500 B.C. contain depictions of football-like games being played in the region.  Nineteenth century England can only justifiably garner credit for “borrowing” and codifying the concepts and ideas of other cultures and eras into a single sporting competition known as Association Football in 1863.   Beyond that, it is a sport to which the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Asia, and Africa can also stake their claim.