Wanda's Picks

As BTR concludes, here are some highlights from a career that began in 2008 to 2025. Thanks for all the listens. The shows are available @Wanda's Picks at iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wandas-picks/id297197493 and via Spreaker at https://www.spreaker.com/tags/wandaspicks. Stay in touch. I am revamping my website, wandaspicks.com However, you can email me there as well as follow my interviews and commentary on YouTube.com/wandaspicks and FB, ISG, X or TW @wandaspicks My blog is wandasabir.blogspot.com  Be well! Stay present. God is change. We shape God with our beingness. Stay present. We matter, as in elemental, like the sun and the air and the starlight. Planets don't blink, but people do. Don't travel alone. 

Introduction or Abstract           Nancy Ross Gooch was a Black woman whose family—the Gooch-Monroes, owned most of Coloma, specifically the area around Main Street. Coloma, a small city in El Dorado County, is where James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848. If it weren’t for her family’s stewardship of the land, this town might not exist, yet Californians do not know her name. Children in Coloma and residents in the nearby towns of Placerville nor Sacramento know this important history. It is time to change this.           September 9, 1860, is California Admission Day. 2025 marks its 175th Anniversary. It is a perfect time to remember the life and legacy of this powerful Black woman who symbolized industry, intelligence, faith and forgiveness, Mrs. Nancy Ross Gooch (Aug. 1811-Sept. 17, 1901).            The way people live in the minds and hearts of future generations is by naming institutions after them, by erecting monuments, by continuing their work, by calling their names. In a state the size of a country, California should have more public art honoring its citizens, especially this women, California pioneer and citizen, Nancy Ross Gooch. Join the campaign. #sayhername  #nancyrossgooch  #californiapioneer If you are interested in the campaign to have a statue erected to honor Nancy Ross Gooch contact the author: Ms. Wanda Sabir  [email protected] or 510-397-9705.   To read the proposal: https://wandasabir.blogspot.com/2024/12/nancy-ross-gooch-ca-pioneer-presente.html

Damu Sudi Alii began his musical career playing trombone in junior high school, then switched to piano in the United States Air Force.  He went on the road in 1969 with a group called "The Mint Juleps" led by trumpeter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Clarence Pinckney. The group toured the midwest, southwest, and northwest United States.  Damu later joined a group in Los Angeles called the "Geechie" Smith Allstars" and played the B-3 organ in this group from 1975-1977.  After moving to Oakland around 1979, Damu played in several groups including eight years, 2001 to 2009 with William "Doc" Webster's group, "Jazz Nostalgia" at Les Joulins Jazz Bistro in San Francisco.  He was a sideman for many years with "Hanif and the Sound Voyagers." He also had his own group "First Edition," and occasionally performed with the "Carl Garrett Quartet".  From 1982 -1984, and again briefly in 2008 and 2010, Damu was pianist for the "Stones of Fire," a reggae gospel choir of Wo'Se Community Church in East Oakland. He was also a music teacher at Ile Omode. Damu released Serenity, Spring 2023, to great acclaim.  Damu Sudi Alii Quintet is hosting a tribute concert to two of his favorite musician friends, Kenneth Byrd and Kamau Seitu at Oaktown Jazz Workshop, 3-5 PM PT, 55 Washington Street, Jack London Square, Oakland. Suggested donation is $20.00. There will be special guests that afternoon. It will be a highlight for 2024.  Technical difficulties this afternoon, so we were not able to broadcast live. Damu was going to join me. See you Sunday afternoon. Blessings

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically, movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  "Blessings" is a poem I have set to music. Enjoy!

Meditation "The Invitation" in Ten Thousand Beloved Communities by Kristen Lynn Zimmerman, forward by adrienne maree brown (2023). We close with the poem: "Random Blessings" for Agu, by Wanda Sabir, performed to Agu's song, "Reaching In." Presentation: 1. Grace Lee Boggs 2. Beloved Community, Zimmerman 3. Ethics of Knowledge Creation and Acquisition, Fernandes Module 5 Theme: Bringing Spiritual Activism into Community Materials: Read select readings from Part 4: Direction of the Youth in Fleshing the Spirit (eds. Facio and Lara)Read Chapter 4: Knowledge in Transforming Feminist Practice (Fernandes)Read Part 2: Community Accountability and Transformative Justice in Feminist Accountability (Russo)Read first half of 10,000 Beloved Communities graphic novel (Zimmerman)Watch Zimmerman interview Watch American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs Assignments: Module 5 discussion post Each module students will review course materials, post 1 substantial reflection on the materials to Canvas, cite the sources of their reflection, and end your post with an engaging question by the Friday before the next class. Students will meaningfully respond to at least 2 questions posed by peers by the Sunday before the next synchronous class meeting. Some questions include but are not limited to, What are important, compelling, or confusing terms and concepts that you have encountered in the course materials or class discussions this module? Substantial post due 11/22, responses due 11/24.

Theme: Bringing Spiritual Activism into Community Materials: Read select readings from Part 4: Direction of the Youth in Fleshing the Spirit (eds. Facio and Lara)Read Chapter 4: Knowledge in Transforming Feminist Practice (Fernandes)Read Part 2: Community Accountability and Transformative Justice in Feminist Accountability (Russo)Read first half of 10,000 Beloved Communities graphic novel (Zimmerman)Watch Zimmerman interview Watch American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs Assignments: Module 5 discussion post Each module students will review course materials, post 1 substantial reflection on the materials to Canvas, cite the sources of their reflection, and end your post with an engaging question by the Friday before the next class. Students will meaningfully respond to at least 2 questions posed by peers by the Sunday before the next synchronous class meeting. Some questions include but are not limited to, What are important, compelling, or confusing terms and concepts that you have encountered in the course materials or class discussions this module? Substantial post due 11/22, responses due 11/24.  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! We continue our series on Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower: The Election Episode. We speak to Nube Brown, sister broadcaster, at KPOO 89.5 FM in San Francisco. Her series on CA prisons has a wide following. She joins us to talk about parallels between Butler's dystopian California, USA 2024 and California, USA now. There is an election and the protagonist Lauren Oya Olamina and her chosen family are headed to north, from LA. They settle in Humbodlt County, which happens to be where Nube raised her son and where her mother still resides.  We talk about ballot measures, specifically 6, 33, and 36. Listen up. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the episode and other related themes or topics.  Musically, we feature: Nana Sula Spirit's "Oya, The Transformer featuring Sunni Patterson (poet)."  

We speak this afternoon with Deborah Vaughan, Artistic Director and Founder of DIMENSIONS DANCE THEATER about the premiere of a new work, HEALING TO JOY OCTOBER 12, 2024. This new work by Haitian-American Choreographer Laurie Fleurentin and Ms. Vaughan explores the transcendent power of joy to empower unity and growth. The work includes composer/performer Jeff Pierre and guest spoken-word artist and poet devorah major. The premiere performance marks the 51st season of Dimensions Dance Theater, one of the country’s longest-standing and most respected Black dance companies with a dual focus on creating and presenting relevant, contemporary choreography and traditional dance from many African cultures and dance of the African Diaspora. Dimensions presents a reminder of the fundamental importance of practicing culture to unite, uplift and educate community and foster positive social change. The premiere performance of Healing to Joy will be given Saturday, October 12, at 6 pm at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts in Oakland and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Tickets, priced at $15-$25 may be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/healing-to-joy-tickets-984554678547

Thursday, August 29, 2024, was the 19th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Ms. Wanda Sabir gave a talk at a BIPOC Al Anon principles meeting. 

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Today we talk about the 19th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which is Thursday, August 29. Today is also the anniversary of Emmet Till's (July 25, 1941-August 28, 1955) killing in Money, MS. He would have been 83 this year. He was killed 63 years ago.  We speak with veterans of the Civil Rights Resistance Movement: Dr. Robert H. King (https://www.kingsfreelines.com/), Mr. Malik Rahim, and Baba Kalamu Ya Salaam. (https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/nocgs/about/fellowship-alumni/kalamu-ya-salaam) Music: Nana Sula Spirit's "Humanity", Katrina Bamboula Crazy by Luther Gray.  

What do Black-eyed peas have to do with Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower? Much! Join Iya Wanda Ravernell this morning and she will share about this African Disapora staple at The 9th Annual Black-Eyed Pea Festival, Sat. Sept. 14, 2024, 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. @Marston Campbell Park, 17th and West Streets, Oakland CA, 94607.  Enjoy Jazz, Second line bands, Black entrepreneurs, soul food and a special pavilion for children at this free event.  Wanda Ravernell, Executive Director of Omnira Institute  After retiring from a 20-year career in print journalism, she embarked on creating programming that would lead to the creation of Omnira Institute in 2009. As its director, Ravernell has developed and implemented the program known as ‘Roots of Faith/Roots of Freedom,’ under the artistic direction of her husband, (Dennis) Tobaji Stewart. Held all over the S.F. Bay Area, the lecture demonstrations draw on the musical framework provided by African ritual bata drums, which is then applied to African American history using a choir comprised of practitioners of African spirituality. The Black-Eyed Pea Festival is her brainchild. Now in its 9 year, the festival celebrates the legacy of African and African American music, food and art. 2. Rebroadcast Black August 2009. This is an early show. I'd just started broadcasting August 29, 2008. Hurricane Katrina Anniversary is August 29. This is the 19th Anniversary. Ashay!  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically, movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! This new season we will be looking at the work of Octavia Butler, Ibaye. Ancestor, visionary, and writer of the Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents series. In each episode, we will explore an aspect of this work. For our second show we will talk about another theme TBA (smile).   Oya, the orisha is featured prominently in the story as the protagonist's name is Lauren Oya Olamina. When we meet Lauren, July 20, 2024, she is 15.  Today we speak with devorah major, SF Poet Laureate Emeritus, scholar & activist. https://www.devorahmajor.com Music: Oya The Transformer Sula Spirit feat. Sunni Patterson

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  Today Norman Gee, founder, Oakland Public Theater, joins us to talk about the James Baldwin Centennial Project and play, INVENTORY/James Baldwin Abroad, which debuts this weekend, August 1-4, at the Potrero Stage in San Francisco in collaboration with Playground and BAM House. The play is also streaming live through Vemeo and tickets are pay-what-you-can.  https://www.baldwincentennialproject.com/ We are also joined by DiniZulu Gene Tinnie, a scholar, artist and culture worker in Miami, Florida.  Other programs celebrating James Baldwin's Centennial: James Baldwin in His Own Words tonight at Mechanics Institute in SF https://www.milibrary.org/events/his-own-words-james-baldwin-centennial-celebration-aug-02-2024  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! This new season we will be looking at the work of Octavia Butler, Ibaye. Ancestor, visionary, and writer of the Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents series. In each episode, we will explore an aspect of this work. For our first show will talk about recovery, as in family dysfunction and disease.  Oya, the orisha is featured prominently in the story as the protagonist's name is Laura Oya Olamina. When we meet Lauren, July 20, 2024, she is 15.  We close with Val Serrant's "Te Mi Adoya." Music: The Transformer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FndKGoZxIG8&t=2s Powerful Oya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U_lS_hfKqE  

Today we speak with Dr. Zoe Franklin, an Africana Studies Professor at a community college in Chicago, Illinois. We speak by phone. Dr. Franklin and I discuss the inner child, her acknowledgment, reclamation, and healing. She shares a series of journal reflections (100 completed) to let us hear the voice of her inner child. What does repair or mending sound or look like?  We appreciate Dr. Franklin's vulnerability and willingness to share her story with us today. We also appreciate the other women who have shared their Motherline Stories with us since March 2024. Dr. Franklin is our fifth participant. 

We are hosting a series of conversations with women about their motherlines. We began in March this year and continue through March 2025. In these conversations over the next year, we will speak to Black women about their motherlines. Our guest today is Makeda Esi Ohemaa aka Sandra Hooper Mayfield. She is the youngest daughter of Ruby Mae, granddaughter of Evie, great-grandaughter of Hester, and great-great-granddaughter of Mary Magdalen. Ruby Mae passed away when she was 36 years old Makeda was 9.  Makeda fell in Love with words when her first-grade teacher read a poem. She is grateful to report, that she is still in Love.  Makeda is a retired mental/behavioral health counselor. At 50 years Makeda returned to academia and earned a BA in business management. Makeda is the former Editor of the South County Post Newspaper, Curator of Sugar Water (An artist support group for girls and women), and the "Third Saturday Open Mic."   Makeda's work is published in three anthologies with the West Oakland Seniors. She is also published in the West Oakland to West Africa anthology. Makeda is a community activist who serves and promotes change through art and literacy in carceral institutions. She is a 7-year cancer survivor whose diagnosis set her free. . . .  We open with Mary Mary's "Shackles," and close with Tracey Chapman's "Stand by Me."

We are hosting a series of conversations with women about their motherlines. Join us monthly. We began in March and continue through March 2025.  We speak with Stephanie JT Russell, poet and visual artist, Poet Laureate for Dutchess County, New York.  Poet,interdisciplinary artist, and cultural worker Stephanie JT Russell’s most recent creative nonfiction book is One Flash of Lightning, a poetic treatment of the classical Samurai Code (Andrews McMeel). Her poetry, essays, and visual art are anthologized in books and journals including Colossus: Body, Xavier Review, The Winter Anthology, Sequestrum, Lightwood, and ArLiJo. She has performed and exhibited at venues such as The New Museum, The Griffin Museum of Photography, The Albright Knox, Bowery Poetry Club, and The Berkeley Museum. A visiting teaching artist at New York University, Vassar College, The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, and other noted institutions, Russell received the Overall Winner Award from the 2022 Wirral Poetry Festival, UK.  As Dutchess County Poet Laureate, Russell is curating Stream of Life, a series of intercultural poetry and multidisciplinary events featuring diverse Hudson Valley artists. https://www.artsmidhudson.org/dc-poetlaureatewww.stephaniejtrussell.comwww.stephaniejtrussell.com We close with Abby Lincoln and Max Roach's "Freedom Now." When do we want it? Now!       

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! This afternoon we speak with playwright, Larry Americ Allen and director of the current production, James Brooks. Americ's current play is, "The Shadows of Love and Light, A Mother has dinner with the son she aborted 30 years ago." Directed by James Brooks, Americ joins us to talk about a reading this weekend in Richmond, CA, at the Corbiz Center, 1503 MacDonald Avenue, 2 p.m., $5. For information call: 510-309-7107.  Americ is the author of more than 40 plays, and has won the Perry Award for best play "Shakespeare’s Lost Masterpiece."  Some of his other plays include the magical realism play, "The Chef", the political drama, "The Expulsion of Malcolm X," and the psychological drama "Paradise Revisited/Gravity Is My Fate."

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! My Cancer Journey Part 1  

As the series kickoff, I start with my own Motherline Story. Here is a brief bio:  Ms. Wanda Sabir, is a poet, essayist, arts editor and retired professor. Wanda’s Picks column, podcast and YouTube channel are a local and national staple. Her interest is in Art for Social Change. A depth psychologist, Ms. Sabir’s area of research is on trauma and its impact on memory. Ms. Sabir served as board member for Legal Services for Prisoners with Children.  An advocate of Diaspora Citizenship for descendants of formerly enslaved Africans, Ms. Sabir is also co-founder and CEO of the San Francisco Bay Area Maafa Commemoration in its 28th year this October 2023. Her recent initiative is Wombfulness Gatherings (March 2021-present). Summer 2022 she launched “Souljourning for Truth Project,” a wombful pilgrimage from California to New York, MA and MI, inspired by the life and work of Sojourner Truth, formerly enslaved Black woman, preacher, womanist, abolitionist, suffragette. Here is a link to the film and interview.  Presently, Ms. Sabir is at the beginning of her doctoral journey in the Women's Spirituality program at CIIS. We close with Nina Simone's "Take Me to the Water."

In these conversations over the next year, we will speak to Black women about their motherlines. Our guest today is Kathryn Waddell Takara, Ph.D., who taught and developed the first Black Studies in the Ethnic Studies Department beginning in 1971. She transferred to Interdisciplinary Studies where she continued to develop new courses including Africana Studies. Her primary research was African American history, politics and culture. A winner of the (BCF) 2010 American Book Award, Kathryn Waddell Takara, PhD, poet, has published over 300 poems, 11 books of poetry and numerous academic articles. She is currently a writer and traveling performance poet since retiring from the University of Hawai’i (2007) after 31 years of teaching. She is recognized as a widely traveled professor, public scholar of ethnic and Africana Studies. She has travelled, taught and performed her poetry within the USA as well as in W. Europe, West and South Africa, and Eastern China. She was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, educated at Quaker George School and Tufts University on the East Coast, and studied in France twice.  She earned a Fulbright scholarship, an M.A. in French from the University of California, Berkeley and moved to Hawai`i in 1968, where she earned a PhD in Political Science from the University of Hawai’i at Ma̵noa. She has been of service to the community as a coordinator and producer of many socio-political and cultural events. We end with Nina Simone, "To Be Young Gifted and Black."

1. We are joined by the erudite playwright, musician, and scholar Ishmael Reed, Carla Blank, director, and an illustrious cast tospeak about The Shine Challenge online at The Nuyorican Poetry Cafe in New York. Reservations and further information can be found at www.nuyorican.org Reed says:  "In my grandmother’s brother’s house, the only painting on the wall was that of the Titanic. The sinking of the Titanic challenged the boasts of white supremacy. From the collective imagination of the Negro streets came the “toast” of “Shine,” who delivers a warning to the first- class passengers that the ship, thought to be invincible, was taking water. One might consider Shine to be the grassroots nomination for a member of the Black prophetic tradition." Ishmael Reed has lengthened the 40 or so lines of the typical Shine rap into a 100-page script in which he expands on the issues addressed in the original toast: race, class, immigration, engineering, and Edwardian morality by putting Shine on trial, in which he is both the accused and his own defense attorney.  One of the reasons Reed wrote the play was he found that members of three generations of Blacks had never heard the story of Shine. He calls the play, The Shine Challenge, 2024, because he expects that a future playwright will expand upon what he has accomplished. Directed by Carla Blank, The Shine Challenge, 2024 cast includes Jesse Bueno, Maurice Carlton, Caridad De La Luz, Emil Guillermo, Rome Neal, Ishmael Reed, Tennessee Reed, Laura Robards, Monisha Shiva, and Brian Simmons as Shine. 2. We close with an interview with Lola Hanif, womanist scholar, healer, activist, writer (3/8/2012).  

Part I proceeds Part III  In querying the text, Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth and the Politics of the Body (1995) by Riane Eisler, Ph.D., I spend too much time wading through Western dominator theories. The land is too far from the shore for safety. I do not swim. I respect water, and its power to interrupt and separate my spiritual home from me. If I board the ship, I am stuck, so I keep my body safe and stay away from floating ideas (with muscles). Eventually, they--these ways predicated on fallacy or untruth, will all evaporate and I will walk free again.  I didn't know until looking at the copyright information that Eisler and David Loye did create The Partnership Way, a workbook, which might answer some of my questions here.   

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Today we speak to Dr. Cathy "Iyabeji" Royal about the annual Ancestral Souls Rising, Dec. 21, 2023.  Visit https://www.eventcreate.com/e/c4gar-asr  To learn more about the council, see the brochure. We end the program with the song: "Hum" by Ayla Nereo.     

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  The poem, "Untitled," came in a dream this morning. When I heard, “Returning” by Jennifer Berezan recorded in the underground oracle temple in the Hypogeum in Hal Saflieni, Malta a 6000-year-old Goddess site for healing, I recited a poem I wrote to it. In the YouTube video, the song is sung against a visual landscape with works of art by Nicholas Roerich. It is stunning. I then went to Berezan's website and bought the song which is 52 minutes long. it is deeply meditative and calls on the dieties from different traditions. Linda Tillery, historian, musician and scholar in African folk, spirituals, sings to Yemanja. I'd just read an essay, "Jesus and Mary Dance with the Orishas: Theological Elements in Intereligious Dialogue" by Clara Luz Ajo Lazaro (Cuba), last night from the collection, "Hope Abundant: Third World and Indigenous Women's Theology," edited by Kwok Pui-lan. In the essay, the scholar explains syncretism or the blending of African and Christian theologies in slave states. Yemonja and Yeye Osun are explored along with other orisha in the essay. Osun is reinvented to reflect rape culture, linguistic co-mingling and survival strategies. My poem is untitled and came to me when I awoke this morning.   

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! We speak to Ms. Deborah Vaughn, Dimensions Dance Theater, co-founder, Artistic Director, and Ms. Latanya d.Tigner, Dimensions Extensions, co-director, about this celebratory conclusion to an amazing year, Sat., Oct. 21 at 7:30 PM PT and Sunday, Oct. 22 at 4 PM PT at the Malonga Casquelourd Center, 1428 Alice Street, in Oakland, CA. The internationally acclaimed company closes its 50th anniversary year with performances of select signature works that have earned it a place as one of the country’s longest-standing and popular African American performing arts organizations. The program features dances that have help Dimensions become widely recognized for its presentation of both traditional and contemporary choreography drawn from African, Jazz, and Modern dance idioms. The diversity and inclusiveness of DDT’s repertoire is unique to the company and has contributed greatly to its reputation for innovative dynamism. Works to be performed include choreography by Deborah Vaughan, Latanya d. Tigner, Andrea Vonny Lee, Colette Eloi, Erik K. Raymond Lee, Justin Sharlman, Makaya Kayos, Denice Simpson Braga, and Alseny Soumah. Tickets: general $35, Seniors $25, Students $20, Youth under 12yrs $15, 4 tickets for $100 and may be purchased at www.eventbrite.com or www.dimensionsdance.org  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  Today we speak to Michael Gene Sullivan (he/him) (Head Writer, SFMT Collective), SF Mime Troupe about its current production, "Breakdown," July 1-Sept. 4. MGS has performed with all four of the Bay Area’s Tony award-winning theaters: American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, TheatreWorks, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe (where he is also a Collective Member, director, and as Resident Playwright has written or co-written over 25 plays). He has also worked with SF Playhouse, California Shakespeare Theater, Denver Center Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Co., Aurora Theatre Co., Magic Theatre, TheatreFirst, Lorraine Hansberry Theater, African American Shakespeare Co., and the SF Shakespeare Festival. Michael is the author of the internationally produced stage adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984, of the critically-acclaimed The Great Khan, and in 2022 Michael was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship as a Dramatist. www.michaelgenesullivan.com      

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  Today we speak to Charles Curtis Blackwell, playwright, artist, poet, about his new work, “When Struggle Gave Improvisation the Blues” in two locations, Sat., August 12, 3-5 PM at the Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy Street, SF and Sun., August 13, 3-5 PM at Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland.  Featuring Shavonne Allen, Howard Jennings Jr., Greg Pond, Sylvester Guard Jr., Sawyer Arkilic, Barbara Saunders, and Charles Curtis Blackwell. Made possible with support from Hospitality House. Free! All Welcome! Register via Eventbrite

Zaccho Dance Theatre and Bayview Opera House Inc. present:Flying to Freedom: Celebrating Juneteenth through Aerial Dance, Music, and Theater, a collective reflection on liberation created and performed by Bay Area music, theater, dance and aerial artists and curated by Joanna Haigood. Performances are at 8 pm on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17.  Tickets are $10-$35.  To purchase tickets, go https://flyingtofreedom.eventbrite.com We speak to Joanna Haigood, Veronica Blair and Steven Anthony Jones.   Juneteenth is a national holiday that celebrates the day (June 19, 1865) that the last enslaved people in Texas were informed of their emancipation, two years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.  It became a national holiday in 2021.   Each artists’ contribution is unique.  For example, theater artist Steven Anthony Jones’ work Flying to Freedom examines the accounts of African Americans who were told stories of Black People who literally flew away to freedom. He explains, “I'll look at accounts that were heard by children and adults and I will draw on prose and poetry writing about ‘negroes who flew away.’”  Aerialist Veronica Blair’s contribution is Thank You, Forgiveness!, an aerial silks performance exploring the unpacking of trauma created to heal people in a public space. “One of the most important components of liberation is healing,” she explains. “Having lived through generations of perpetual harm and rejection, we as Black people undoubtedly carry our stories and traumas in our bodies.” 

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  We are joined this afternoon by Jovelyn Richards and Damu Sudi Alii to talk about Mz. Pat's House, a performance this Monday in Oakland at the New Parkway Theatre. Tickets are available at Eventbrite. Jovelyn Richards, writer/performance artist and community theater/film director. Damu Sudi Alii is a musician, composer, educator, scholar, activist. Recent work: Serenity (2023); with Kamau Seitu: Blessings, Umoja, Dance of the Kalahari.  Music: Blessings; Three Strikes ft. Willie G.  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  Professor Ampim has taken educational tours to North Africa and Central America. In addition, he has conducted an extensive 13-country research tour to all of the major museums, institutes and libraries throughout America, Europe and Canada, which house ancient Egyptian and Nubian artifacts. Since the 1990s, he has completed several field research projects in Egypt, Nubia, and the Sudan to continue his primary research at dozens of field sites to study ancient African social organization and spiritual culture, document modern forgeries, and to record the vanishing evidence of classical African civilizations in the Nile Valley. After visiting the King Ramses II exhibit at the deYoung Museum, I had to speak to Professor Ampim to get the truth about King Ramses and clarity on what I saw at the museum. Visit wandaspicks.com (January-February 2023) for a review.   

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  Today we spoke with  Aurora Theatre Company’s Associate Artistic Director, Dawn Monique Williams about Dominique Morisseau's "PARADISE BLUE," her Detroit Trilogy: Paradise Blue, Detroit ʼ67, and Skeleton Crew. All have been produced off-Broadway and around the country. Aurora produced a successful run of Morisseau's Detroit ʼ67 in their 2018/2019 Season.  Tickets are pay what you can Januar 27-Feb. 1. The show opens Feb. 2. It streams online Feb. 21-26.  For single tickets ($20-$75) or subscriptions ($200-$385), the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit www.auroratheatre.org. There is an African Diaspora Affinity Night (though all are welcome) on Friday, February 10. Discussion host and director Dawn Monique Williams may be joined by the actors, community members, and local storytellers. Other post show discussions are:  Friday, February 3, Tuesday, February 7, Wednesday, February 15 Thursday, February 23   Dominique Morisseau's "Paradise Blue." is the perfect play for the Bay, the geographic resonance will echo in one's hearts long after the final curtain. Check back for the Wanda's Picks Discount code. 

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Today we speak to Thespians Nominated for AUDELCO @ 50 Celebration Awards Night - Monday, Nov 28th. We open with Jackie Jeffries, President of AUDELCO, followed by an interview with Rome Neal, Lifetime Achievement Award honoree. He is Artistic Theatre Director of the Nuyorican Poets Café theatre program. Following this conversation we are speaking to other nominees in this order:  Mandela James Garrett (supporting Actor) Malika NZinga  (Lead Actress) Robert Greene (Mandela)   Black Love & Oya Jade Mason (actor in both plays) Fulton Hodges (actor in both play) Aaron Watkins (actor in both)   Lambs To Slaughter Keith Johnston (Music director) Kahlil Kain (playwright) Adiagha Faizah (lead Actress)

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Today we speak to ELIJAH AHMAD LEWIS (David Ruffin) in "Ain't Too Proud, The Life and Times of the Temptations" opening tonight at Broadway SF’s Golden Gate Theatre (1 Taylor Street) November 9 – December 4, 2022. Tickets, ranging in price from $56 to $256, can be purchased at broadwaysf.com. The multi-award-winning singer, actor, songwriter and arranger has appeared on Broadway: Motown, Tony Award®-winning Ain’t Too Proud. Tours: Motown (First and Second National), Mama, I Want To Sing(Japan). TV/Film: “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” B-Boy Blues, Mama, I Want to Sing!, America (starring Rosie O'Donnell), The Grammys. Music: SZA, Chance the Rapper, Ariana Grande, James “JT” Taylor, Cissy Houston, Madonna. He says: "Thanks to family & my team. To my mentor/friend Cicely Tyson, this is for you!" IG:@elijah.ahmad.lewis elijahahmadlewis.com

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! SF Mime Troupe's "Back to the Way Things Were" up on vemeo through November 6. The shows are free. donations accepted.  https://www.sfmt.org/ (Code "Power to the People") 1. Michael Gene Sullivan (he/him) (Head Writer, SFMT Collective) has performed with all four of the Bay Area’s Tony award-winning theaters: American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Theatreworks, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe (where he is also a Collective Member, director, and as Resident Playwright has written or co-written over 25 plays). He has also worked with SF Playhouse, California Shakespeare Theater, Denver Center Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Co., Aurora Theatre Co., Magic Theatre, TheatreFirst, Lorraine Hansberry Theater, African American Shakespeare Co., and the SF Shakespeare Festival. Michael is the author of the internationally produced stage adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984, of the critically-acclaimed The Great Khan, and in 2022 Michael was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship as a Dramatist. www.michaelgenesullivan.com  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Congratulations to Dimensions Dance Theatre on its 50th Anniversary Celebration this weekend, Oct. 22-23, at Mills College, Lisser Hall, Oakland, CA. Tickets are available online and at the door: dimensionsdance.org  Today, we speak to Deborah Vaughn, co-founder and collaborators, laura elaine ellis and Nimely Napla. Music: Delfeayo Marsalis, Jazz Party.

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  1. We speak to Ishmael Reed, playwright, and Emil Guillermo, actor as (Gabriel Noitallde), and Carla Blank, director, about Reed's latest work "The Conductor", a play, in 2 acts, performed October 13-15, in 4 live streamed virtual readings. Visit https://theaterforthenewcity.net/shows/the-conductor/

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! We speak to Malik Rahim, veteran, former Black Panther, environmentalist, community organizer on the 17th Anniversity of Hurrican Katrina (August 29, 2005-August 29, 2022). https://www.southerncultures.org/article/malik-rahims-black-radical-environmentalism/ https://www.facebook.com/malik.rahim.330 Music and poetry: Phyllis Montana-Leblanc; Nana Sula; Baba Luther "Bamboula".

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  Today we speak to Brother Jalil Muntaquim, Political Prisoner, Activist, Author, Poet. His seminal text: "We Are Our Own Liberators" was just released this week and is in its 3rd edition now. He's in town this weekend, Friday, he's speaking at the People's Programs, Friday, August 26, 2022, 95 Linden Street, Ste. !, 6 PM, Oakland, CA. https://www.peoplesprograms.com/ https://blackdragonmme.com/new-releases/ We conclude with an archived Marcus Garvey Special, Aug. 17, 2011. 

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  1. We have a freewheeling conversation with award-winning playwright, Cleavon Smith. "The Incrementalist" is up at the Aurora Theatre for a few more weeks-- through May 15. Discount code for $10 off: "wandaspicks." Don't miss it. https://auroratheatre.org/  

We spoke to Quincy Troupe, author, poet, about his latest work, "Duende." It is a collection that spans 50 years of a creative life fully embodied. Taped in Zoom, this audio only approximates the honor it is to speak to such a magnificent human being 3 months before his 83rd revolution around so(u)l.  He has a few more appearances this month: 1. National Poetry Month: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, NY Public Library, Iris Project, Thursday, April 14 (free, in person and virtual) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/between-the-lines-duende-poems-1966-now-by-quincy-troupe-tickets-302280518167 2. With Mildred Howard and David Murray at the close of the "The House that Will not Pass for Any Color than Its Own." Friday, April 16, from 4 to 6pm at Belvedere Plaza (just north of the North Cove Marina) to mark the end of the artwork’s stay in Manhattan’s Battery Park City. 3. Poet, Quincy Troupe | DUENDE: Poems 1966- Now | Reading & Book Signing at the Carrie Chen Gallery on Saturday, April 23 from 4-5pm, 16 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230 4. NY Society Library, Apr. 28, 6 PM ET Livestream (free) https://www.nysoclib.org/events/livestream-quincy-troupe-duende-poems-1966-now    

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!    We speak to Kathryn Seabron, curator, Bay Area Women's Theatre Festival BIWOC Play Reading Series, April featured Playwright: Alejandra Maria Rivas," La Paloma" has one more reading, Monday, April 18, at Aurora Theater Company, 2081 Addison Street , Berkeley. May Featured Playwright, Tracy Baxter, "Kudzu 2012", goes up, Monday, May 2 @Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th Street, San Francisco and Monday, May 16, at the Aurora Theater Company, 2081 Addison Street, Berkeley. We have a wonderful and lively conversation which you can watch at FB.com/wandaspicks 

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  1. We speak to Yeye Luisah Teish about the Olokun Rising Ritual, April 8-13, 2022.  http://www.yeyeluisahteish.com/  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Virtual Interview podcast version: Theatre Rhinoceros's presents: "How Black Mothers Say I Love You", directed Tanika Baptiste, written by Trey Anthony; and Carla Banudejesus, actor join us to talk about this play at Theatre Rhino in SF  https://therhino.org/ Dates: March 17 – April 3, 2022 Where: Spark Arts, 4229 18th Street, SF, in the Castro. West Coast Premiere.   Meet Claudette, now in her late thirties, who travels to visit her dying mother Daphne in Brooklyn, but that doesn’t stop her anger and abandonment issues from bubbling up. It doesn’t stop Daphne from voicing her opinions on how Claudette lives her life, either. With Daphne, Claudette, and another daughter Valerie all under one roof again, each family member is forced to confront her emotions while there’s still time.      

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  1. Jesse Douglas Allen Taylor made his transition this past weekend. It was rather sudden for all of us, especially his family, Tarika Lewis and Geoffrey Pete. There was a memorial for him Sunday, March 6.  I had a great conversation with Jesse, PEN Oakland honoree, about his first novel, "Sugaree Rising." This is a rebroadcast of that interview (4/5/2013).   https://www.blogtalkradio.com/wandas-picks/2013/04/05/wandas-picks-radio-show "We open with an interview with Bay Area author, journalist and political columnist J. Douglas Allen-Taylor about his  first novel, Sugaree Rising, set in the South Carolina coastal area Lowcountry in the late Depression years and discuss his well-crafted female characters like narrator Yally, Aunt Soo, Na'Risa, Nana'Timbi, Eshy. . . to hold the bridge between the past and the present as this community of Gullah people face an enemy threatening to end their collective lives. They resist while Yally feet in the middle of the path finds no rest, as her beloved community seems to be unraveling and withit her identity. Sugaree shows there are many ways to die, some more painful than others. And what do we do with the dead who refuse burial? http://www.sugareerising.com/"  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  Today we speak to Donna Chang, L.Ac. (MSOM), Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist, BodyIntuitive Practitioner, Holistic Nutrition & Lifestyle Counsellor, Transformational coach. Visit: http://www.alamedacommunityacu.com/who-we-are/

Amy Alanes serves as the Executive Director for the Women’s Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) in Berkeley.  Serving Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, WCRC provides comprehensive and coordinated services that include community-based cancer patient navigation, psychotherapy and affinity-based support groups, wellness programs, and emergency financial assistance. Her work has spanned homeless services, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, rape and sexual assault, mental health, and cancer support services. She previously served as the Executive Director of the Summit Bank Foundation, the Development Director of Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area, Director of Administration for Community Violence Solutions, and in multiple positions with New Connections Behavioral Healthcare. Dolores Moorehead is the Lead Client Navigator/Multicultural Client Support Clinician for the Women’s Cancer Resource Center (WCRC). Dolores began her tenure with WCRC as a volunteer and board member and has been on staff for 19 years. Previously, Dolores was employed for almost 14 years at the American Cancer Society as a Patient Services Manager.  She received a Master's of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a B.S. in Psychology with honors from Walden University. She obtained training from The Center of Mind Body Medicine as a facilitator in Mind Body Relaxation Skills.   For over 33 years, Dolores has passionately devoted her professional career to serving individuals with cancer in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2008, she received the American Cancer Society’s National Lane Adams Quality of Life Award in recognition of exemplary cancer care and ongoing support to cancer patients.  3. L. Peter Callender & Leontyne Mbele-Mbong on Antony and Cleopatra (African American Shakespeare 2015-16). african-americanshakes.org/

We speak to Joanna Haigood, Artist Director, and Walter Kitundu collaborating multimedia artist, about Haigood's latest opus, "Love, A State of Grace," a performance ritual installation at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral.  Performing Artists bio: http://www.zaccho.org/?bios_love  https://vimeo.com/630195772  Since 1980 Joanna Haigood has been creating work that uses natural, architectural, and cultural environments as points of departure for movement exploration and narrative. Her stages have included grain terminals, a clock tower, the pope’s palace, military forts, and a mile of urban neighborhood streets in the South Bronx. Her work has been commissioned by many arts institutions. She has been honored with the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, the United States Artist Fellowship, and a New York Bessie Award.  Haigood is a recipient of the esteemed Doris Duke Artist Award and she has had the privilege to mentor many extraordinary young artists internationally at the National École des Arts du Cirque in France, Spelman College, the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University, the San Francisco Circus Center, and at Zaccho Studio in San Francisco. Walter Kitundu is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on kinetic sculpture and sound installation, composition, public art, and teaching. He builds (and performs on) extraordinary musical instruments, while researching and documenting the natural world. Kitundu has created hand-built record players driven by the wind, rain, fire, earthquakes, birds, light, and the force of ocean waves. In 2008 he received a MacArthur Fellowship in recognition of his art practice and his capacity to make important cultural contributions. He was a Bay Area resident for 15 years.

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  Today we have a special recorded show featuring artists: Mai Lingani (Burkina Faso), Seth Sharp (Iceland), Johnny Turco (Puerto Rico), who are performing this Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, 3 p.m. ET at JAZZ: the International Connection, hosted by Rome Neal's Banana Puddin' Jazz. https://www.romeneal.com/banana-puddin-jazz Music: "Where Have You Been & Crazy Medley." Acoustic by Shinuh and Johnny Turco Ife: Submarine Seth Sharp and the Black Clock perform "Georgia." He speaks about this song performance when he was on a US State Dept.Tour in South Africa, Namibia. 

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!  1. We begin with an archived interview (1/15/21) with Charles Curtis Blackwell, poet, playwright, artivist, subject of film: "God Given Talent" and Rev. Clarence Johnson, a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, join us to talk about the legacy of Dr. MLK Jr. who would have been 92 in 2021.    2. We conclude with an archived conversation with Dr. Clarence Jones, MLK Jr.'s speech writer and attorney (1/15/21).