3 to 4pm: Misdemeanor Music hosted by Mis Demeanor and Dr.G.
Local and Alternative hip-hop!
Featuring an interview with Spookie Sicc
2012-02-02 playlist
1) "Angle of the bay" by El negro (Vallejo) 2010 release
2) "Fire flies (the rappin mad hatter remix)" by Pyro Da Banga (Vallejo) 2010 release
3) "Mr blue sky" by D-Boi (Vallejo) 2012 release
4) "Kerosene" by 4xAx (of The Mekanix) 2012 release
5) "Right now" by Peezy (Martinez / Concord) 2012 release produced by DLP and Rob E Big Face DLK ent.
6) "Crazy" by Spookie Sicc (Vallejo) 2011 release
7) "Bottle a day" Johnny G (Watsonville) 2012 release
8) "Hey shawty" by Jet Black Jess James (Vallejo) 2007 release
9) "Drippin wet" by D-Boi (Vallejo) 2011 release
10) "Skirmish Ways" by Guda Mac featuring Candyman (Oakland)
11) "California Bear" Teez (Livermore) featuring lil' Rue (Stockton) 2011 release
12) "The way she makes me feel" Spookie Sicc (Vallejo) 2011 release
4 to 4:30pm: Gathering of the Tribes
San Pablo Bay culture, calender listings and more!
2012-02-02 interview schedule:
1) Denika Chatmon and Marko Q of "U and I Management" about the "Kenneth Harding Benefit Concert" happening 2012-02-10 with Mac Mall, J Diggs, the Jacka and more.
2) Sarah Nichols about "St. Vinnie's Culture Club" cafe opening up in Vallejo's Art District and the "3 Artists" showcase happening 2012-02-11 at McCree-Goudeau Gallery.
4:30 to 5pm: Fèmme Brûlée with DJ Jessica Ryan
A radio showcase of women in music, with a focus on independent musicians across the Bay.
Send your recordings or play your music LIVE on the FM: jessicaryan.ozcatradio@gmail.com
5 to 6pm: Northbay Uprising radio news
Information is collected from the following online newswires and aggregators:
Indybay.org newswire [http://www.indybay.org]
San Pablo Bay Sovereignty [http://sovereignsanpablobay.blogspot.com]
San Pablo Bay Ecological Preservation Association [http://sanpablobayepa.blogspot.com]
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Culture Calender
Northbay Uprising Calender of
Conscious and Psychedelic events
Conscious and Psychedelic events
from around the San Pablo bay area
Ongoing Culture such as local open mics, arts, local events lists alongside other calenders from outside the San Pablo bay:
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2012-02-10
Fresh and Fly Productions Presents:
2012-03-03 "Sactown Underground"
Sacramento's dance scene has produced many great dancers and crews such as Flex Flav, Underground Flow, Devious, Airsteps, Fallen Kings, Jabbawockeez, Quest Crew, and so many more. It's time to see who's holding down the scene and representing for our city now. This is your time to get your crew name among the list of SacTown''s illest. Its time to take it back to the underground y'all.
Hosted by: Phatso Fresh
* Bboy Crew Battle (Minimum 3, Maximum 6). Bboy Battle Prize $600 + gear and trophy.
* All Styles Battle 1 on 1. All Styles Prize $150 + gear and trophy. (Open to all different styles of dance- Popping, Locking, Turfing, Jerking, Waacking, House, Tutting, Bboying, and so on)
* 10 on 10 Next Generation Battle featuring: Bay Area vs The Valley
When: Saturday March 3rd 2012. Time: Doors open @4pm. Battles will start @5pm.
Price: $10 @ the door, $7 Pre sale. Tickets will be available on FreshandFlyProductions.com starting in January.
Location: 45 Quinta Ct. Suite D, Sacramento, Ca 95823, On the corner of Mack Rd. and Stockton Blvd. (near Burger King)
Music by -
* Dj Quantum (Head Hunters)
* Joemega Weapon the Soul Juggler (Flow Fanatics/Dragon Diggers)
Supported by -
* The Bboy Federation (BboyFed.com)
* Universal Bboy Clothing (ProtectorsofHiphop.com)
For vending and sponsorship info please contact Phatso Fresh [phatsofresh@freshandflyproductions.com]
Fresh and Fly Productions [http://freshandflyproductions.com]
Services, Announcements and Ongoing events
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Food Sovereignty class
JOIN THE MOVEMENT FOR SELF PRESERVATION GET READY TO PLANT YOURS
LETS MAKE SELF PRESERVATION GO VIRAL!!
JOIN US FOR A FREE CLASSES ON GROWING YOUR OWN SOVEREIGN FOODS. FOR REAL FOOD SECURITY REGISTER BEFORE FEBRUARY 6 BY EMAILING US AT: THEBODYTEMPLE999@GMAIL.COM
CAN U DIGG IT!!!
Lamorinda Peace and Justice
The Lamorinda Peace and Justice Group meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 7 to 9pm in the fireside room of Lafayette Methodist Church, 955 Moraga Road, Lafayette. Our group is committed to working to support a healthy planet, a thriving local community, and a safe, equitable world for all. For more information, call 925-946-0563
Faith Food Fridays
Free Groceries / Food
Every Friday – 4pm until 6pm
826 Solano ave. @ Curtola parkway
For more information, visit www.faithfoodfridays.com, or call Benjamin Buggs [510-978-2396]
This is a ministry of Faith Bible Church of Vallejo, located at 901 Solano ave.
2011-12-23: Please join us as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ at this week's Faith Food Fridays grocery and children's toy distribution. Contributions can be dropped off Thursday between 5pm-7pm or Friday between 2pm and 6pm. May God bless you and surround you with His gifts of peace, joy and love!
Photograph showing Benjamin Buggs doing the work of a higher order for the community!
Boss or Landlord problems?
We are a mutual support organization of workers and tenants. Together we stand up to unjust bosses and landlords. We win through strategy, struggle, support and solidarity.
Eastbay Solidarity Network [510-629-6561] [eastbaysol@gmail.com]
Model Railroad Society Train Show
Come and see the largest HO scale layout on permanent display in the Bay Area and one of the largest in the USA. Last Friday of the month, 8 to 10pm, $2
Walnut Creek Model Railraod Society [2751 Buena Vista Avenue] [925-937-1888]
Moschetti's coffee roasting company is inviting the public to try out free samples of the coffee and tea products available from the company, which roasts & sells coffee beans directly from the source to the coffee lover.
Every Saturday, from 9am until 12 noon, you can come and enjoy a warm conversation with friends while sipping certified organic, fairtrade artisan coffees from around the world, many of which are available in the Bay Area only from Moschetti's coffee roasting company!
11 Sixth st., Vallejo, where Curtola Blvd. crosses Solano Avenue.
For more information, you can contact Moschetti's at [707-556-9000] [Fabrice@moschetti.com]
Northbay Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS)
Gathering Of The Tribes
Every 1st and 3rd Thursday, beginning at 6:30pm
at the Ozcat Liberated Zone, 1104 Georgia st. in Vallejo.
[gott.productions@gmail.com]
Occupy Vallejo! General Assembly of the 99%
Every 2nd and 4th Thursday, 7pm
at the Ozcat Liberated Zone, 1104 Georgia st.,Vallejo
Vallejo Inter-Tribal Council
[www.vallejointertribal.org]
Working to keep alive the Native American culture
"We recognize our relationship to the past and to the future because they are the same thing" Winona Laduke
Legal Help: Free or low-cost services
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"Lawyer in the Library" Program
Benicia Public Library
150 E. L St., Benicia
First Thursday of month at 6 p.m. (sign-ups start 5 p.m.)
Brief legal advice and referrals
Translators welcome
746-4343
www.benicialibrary.org
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"Lawyer in the Library" Program
John F. Kennedy Library 505 Santa Clara St., Vallejo
First and third Wednesdays of month at 4 p.m. (arrive early)
1-866-57-ASKUS (1-866-572-7587)
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Legal Services of Northern California
1810 Capitol St., Vallejo
(707) 643-0054 or 1-800-270-7252
www.lsnc.net
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Referral Service
Solano County Bar Association
744 Empire St., Suite 201, Fairfield
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to noon.
$45 for matching client with attorney plus 1/2 hour consultation
(707) 422-0127
www.solanobar.org
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Solano County Small Claims Advisor
General Information: (707) 207-7335
Direct consultation line: (707) 422-7433
Accessible Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon.
www.solanocourts.com/Courts/SmallClaims.html
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Dispute Resolution Service
Solano County Bar Association
744 Empire St. Suite 201, Fairfield
(707) 422-5087
SafeQuest Solano
Services for sexual assault and domestic violence victims
(707) 421-6881 or (866) 487-7233
www.safequest.org
Equal Rights Advocate Advice and Counseling Hotline
1-800-839-4ERA
www.equalrights.org
Workers Rights Clinic
(415) 864-8208
Wednesdays, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Women's Employment Rights Clinic
(415) 442-6647
Senior Legal Hotline
(800) 222-1753
Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.; Thursday until 7 p.m.
Samsons Unit
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=FvF3HfEGbYc]
Shawn Polly explains the making of Samsons Unit Mens Sober Living Home.
Action Calender
The Uprising! from PuppetGov on Vimeo.
2012-02-09 FORUM ON POLICE RESPONSE TO OCCUPY OAKLAND
A symposium sponsored by the Oakland Citizens' Police Review Board
The forum will focus on issues of planning and strategy, OPD's response to issues of misconduct, OPD's policies on mutual aid, and changes in department practice going forward.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 AT 6:15 P.M.
Oakland City Hall, City Council Chambers, 1 Frank Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza
Note: The Northbay Uprising upholds freedom and life. By posting for a cause against a war with Iran, we declare we do not support the fascist policies of Iran, but that we support the People of Iran against a murderous war which, if Iraq is any example, will kill MILLIONS of innocent lives, and may end up with another Holocaust of the Jewish People in Israel.
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2012-02-04 "EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION TO STOP U.S. WAR AGAINST IRAN"
NO WAR! NO SANCTIONS! NO INTERVENTION! NO ASSASSINATIONS!
No War On Iran: National Day of Action Feb 4 [http://www.facebook.com/events/214341975322807]
[StopWarOnIran.org]
A broad spectrum of U.S.-based anti-imperialist and anti-war organizations, including the International Action Center, agreed on a Jan. 17 conference call to hold coordinated protests across the country on Saturday, Feb. 4.
The demands will be: “No war, no sanctions, no intervention, no assassinations against Iran.”
The ad-hoc group that took part in the call decided that although there are only two weeks to organize, it will invite anti-war forces around the world to join in to make this emergency protest a global day of action.
All agreed on the need to stop U.S. imperialism and/or Israel from launching a military attack on Iran. There was also a consensus that the new sanctions President Barack Obama signed into law on Dec. 31 -- with the goal of breaking the Iranian central bank -- were themselves an act of war aimed at the Iranian people. The political activists on the call raised the danger of a wider war should fighting break out in or around Iran.
While the organizations involved had varied assessments of the Iranian government, they all saw any intervention from U.S. imperialism in the Southwest Asian country as a threat to the entire region and to peace. Some of the people on the call who are originally from Iran and who were in touch with family and friends there conveyed the Iranian people’s anger at the recent assassination of a young scientist.
There was agreement to make “no assassinations” one of the demands to show solidarity with the Iranian population as well as to condemn the U.S. and its allies for criminal activities against Iran and its people.
As of Jan. 19, the organizations that called the actions or endorsed later included the United National Anti-War Coalition (UNAC), the International Action Center (IAC), SI! Solidarity with Iran, Refugee Apostolic Catholic Church, Workers World Party, World Can’t Wait, American Iranian Friendship Committee, ANSWER Coalition, Antiwar.com, Peace of the Action, ComeHomeAmerica.us, St. Pete for Peace, Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality-Virginia, WESPAC Foundation, Peace Action Maine, Occupy Myrtle Beach, Minnesota Peace Action Coalition, Twin Cities Peace Campaign and Bail Out the People Movement (BOPM).
Individual endorsers include authors David Swanson, “When the World Outlawed War,” and Phil Wilayto, “In Defense of Iran: Notes from a U.S. Peace Delegation’s Journey through the Islamic Republic”; and U.N. Human Rights Award winner Ramsey Clark, a former U.S. attorney general.
Ongoing Action!
Justice for Guy Jarreau!
Guy was murdered by Vallejo Police on 2010-12-11, and then vilified by his murderers in the mainstream media as a "thug" who deserved to be shot. Guy Jarreau was a student at Napa Valley College who worked for community peace, fed the homeless and acted as a youth mentor. Today, Vallejo Police feel they are above the law, and are white-washing the incident and withholding the video evidence that would show what really happened. Stand up for Community Justice!
Watch the Documentary: [http://northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2012/01/justice-for-guy-jarreau-jr.html]
Occupy Movement is about YOUR Civil Rights!
To Mayors and Police Chiefs,
OUR PERMIT TO OCCUPY PUBLIC SQUARES AND PARKS IS THE FIRST AMENDMENT, which affirms "the right of the people to peaceably assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
When people across the Middle East occupied public squares, leaders in Washington mostly cheered those protesters and warned Middle East governments not to use force to clear them. Those other societies don't have a First Amendment. Yet Washington affirmed the universal right to assembly and protest.
We DO have a First Amendment. The force being used to clear non-violent protesters from public squares in our country is unacceptable. It must stop.
Add your name to this petition at: [http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4882]
[http://www.occupyoakland.org] current as of 2011-12-20:
There is an ongoing overnight vigil at Oscar Grant plaza.
It’s been very, very cold at nights, and folks are facing harassment by the Oakland PD resulting in continual loss of belongings, and a feeling of isolation.
Please help the Occupy Oakland vigil, with food, clothing, money, visits, etc.!
Please offer your companionship if you have time, and/or contribute these urgently needed items by bringing them down to the vigil:
* food (preferably hot)
* wool socks
* thermal long bottoms and tops
* hats
* blankets
* sleeping bags
Laundry is also a challenge. If you know of an available washer/dryer that can be moved to the 10th Street house, the 10th Street folks can help the vigil people with laundry. If you can help by doing laundry for the vigil members, that would be wonderful too.
Finally, if you can check with the 10th Street (at Mandela) house occupiers to get a grocery list and then bring them back food that they can cook for the vigil, that would also be very helpful.
Protest Chevron!
The Chevron Corporatoin is currently appealing its property tax assessment and trying to get the County to pay them a refund of $150 million dollars at hearings in Martinez. If ordered to pay these refunds, County, City and school districts would have to slash vital health, education and public services and lay off employees.
Chevron, which has long had reduced property taxes thanks to loop holes in Proposition 13, is able to hire a army of expensive lawyers to try to bully the county into accepting a settlement. Community groups, unions, and everyone who cares about justice say it is time to stop the 1% from bleeding the rest of us.
See the resolution passed at Richmond City Council at [www.richmondprogressivealliance.net]
For more information call [510-412-2260]
We are the 99%, Chevron is the 1%!
OCCUPY AND DEFEND OUR HOMES!
It's Time to Keep Families in their Homes!
It's time that Big Banks work with families and pay to rebuild our communities:
* Agree to across-the-board reductions in payments on the principal loans
* Commit to rebuilding our communities by funding public education and vital public services
* Put families in foreclosures back in their homes
Take the Pledge to Defend our Communities, Homes and Families!
Call [877-633-9251] or email [oohousingnetwork@gmail.com]
Help Defend Gayla Newsome RECLAIM Her Home by calling:
* Martin Goodman, President of Residential Mortgage Income Fund: [858-752-6150]
SUGGESTED SCRIPT: "Hello, I am calling for Martin Goodman. I am calling on behalf of homeowner Gayla Newsome. She wants to stay in her home. Your company wrongfully foreclosed on Gayla and you need to recognize her right to stay in the house that's hers. Thank you."
* Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase Bank (who made $20.8 million in 2010).
Call him NOW! [212-270-0121]
Chase's failure to work with Gayla helped lead her into Foreclosure.
SUGGESTED SCRIPT: "Hello, I am calling to leave a message for Jamie Dimon. I am calling on behalf of homeowner Gayla Newsome. She wants to stay in her home and I am calling you up to ask that you do the right thing and give her a loan modification with a principal writedown. Thank you."
2012-01-29 "JR Valrey Presents The Black Experience Study Guide: My Top 7 Books, Movies, and Albums for Black History Month"
[http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2012/01/jamoeblog/guest-amoblogger-jr-valrey-presents-the-black-experience-study-guide-my-top-7-books-movies-and-albums-for-black-history-month-.html]
For this special Black History Month Amoeblog we've invited author/journalist/broadcaster/activist JR Valrey (a.k.a. the People's Minister of Information) to be a guest contributor and to write the following insightful piece, accurately titled The Black Experience Study Guide: My Top 7 Books, Movies, and Albums for Black History Month. The Oakland-based Valrey, who was interviewed & profiled on the Amoeblog last month [http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2011/12/jamoeblog/raw-uncut-grassroots-ghetto-and-anti-corporate-jr-valrey-s-block-reportin-.html], is known for his work on KPFA radio, his contributions to the San Francisco Bay View Newspaper, and his recently published book Block Reportin'. The book, which will soon be available for sale in Amoeba Hollywood's ever-expanding book section, features interviews with such important black cultural figures as political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal, hip-hop emcee/poet/actor Mos Def, former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, comedian/social satirist Paul Mooney, and the late, great, highly influential Gil Scott Heron. In the spring of this year Valrey plans to publish his second book, Unfinished Business: Block Reportin' 2. For more info and insights on JR Valrey, visit the blockreportradio website [http://www.blockreportradio.com]. Thanks for your contribution to the Amoeblog JR Valrey!
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Black History Month was born out of Black History Week, which was created by Carter G. Woodson, author of The Miseducation of the Negro, in the early half of the 20th Century.
Since then, many people celebrate it by learning about the great pyramids of Egypt or by memorizing Malcolm's "The Ballot or the Bullet," which is cool, but I want to modernize and diversify the list a little bit. These are some books, movies, and albums that I would add to the list of the Black Experience Study Guide, because they had a profound effect on how I look at the world in a spiritual, social, political, and cultural sense.
This list is my humble contribution to uplifting people's consciousness about what is happening to Black people internationally, as well as how we feel about life after having our backs against the wall for centuries, with few exceptions. As the late legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane would say, "Here are a few of my favorite things."
1) The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The New Jim Crow is one of the best books that I've ever read in my life. It gives a chronological history of how the U.S. has become the biggest mass incarcerating nation in the world, way beyond Russia and even apartheid South Africa.
This book talks about the role that political architects like Richard Nixon, Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and more played in bringing us to the scenario, where two million people are currently behind bars. Michelle Alexander also makes the poignant point that there are more Black people in this country tied to the criminal justice system today than there were in 1850, a decade before the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The New Jim Crow is an essential read for anybody doing serious study on the on-going war being waged against Black people in the U.S. by the government.
2) The First Minute of a New Day by The Midnight Band
Gil Scott Heron and Brian Jackson of The Midnight Band were two of the most influential musicians of their era, musically and lyrically. Many have heard of some of their contemporaries like Curtis Mayfield and The Last Poets, but somehow this band seems to get lost in the sauce when it comes to official recognition. This album is like a time capsule, detailing spiritually the wants and desires of African people that have been oppressed in the Americas for centuries. Songs like "Winter in America," "Ain't No Such Thing As Superman," and "Pardon Our Analysis," are timeless masterpieces...not only scathing critiques of the system that has its boot on our necks, but empowering messages for oppressed people to keep their heads up, fist in the air, and eyes peeled on the path to self-determination. Songs like "The Offering," "Must Be Something," and "Alluswe," are revolutionary prayers, extensions of the spirituals enslaved Africans were singing on plantations, in the south to organize and politically educate themselves.
The late Gil Scott Heron was one of the most passionate writers of any genre, in my opinion, ever produced in the United States. Brian Jackson is the perfect musical compliment. This dynamic duo has been sampled in rap music by 2Pac, The Coup, Freeway, Common, and Kanye, just to name a few.
3) Kongo: 50 Years of Independence of Congo
This is a documentary that employs animation to tell the history of the mineral rich, under-developed, war-torn African country known today as the The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Everyone, who listens to the international media from the Unites States, Europe, or the Arab world has heard the stereotypes of African governments being backwards and corrupt and squandering resources, but very few have heard of the European powers who manufactured these situations, helping to put these puppets in power for the benefit of European economies. This documentary, which is broken into three parts, tells the stories of King Leopold of Belgium, the architect of colonialism in the Congo, who genocidally cut the country's population in half, because of his ambitions to enrich himself, and later Belgium.
Kongo: 50 Years of Independence of Congo also paints a bold portrait of the late great first Prime Minister Patrice Lamumba, who strived to fight off secessionists who wanted to split the most mineral rich areas from the country for the benefit of a few and the western powers. It was my first time hearing the names of Congolese anti-colonialist like Simon Kimbangu, who was a liberation theologist and died a political prisoner because of that fact, and Paul Panda, who was a Black man of Congolese descent from Belgium, who spoke up and organized for African independence on an international level.
This film discusses the life of the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who was in power for decades, and who was in part responsible for the assassination of Patrice Lamumba. It also talks about the rise, with the assistance of the Rwandan government, of Laurent Kabila, who was later assassinated and his "son," the current front man "running" the Congo, Joseph Kabila.
In most electronic devices, there is a mineral called Coltan and 80% of the world's supply of this essential mineral is in the Congo. So for all of us that use laptops, iPhones, iPads, and PS3's, it is our responsibility to know the human costs and environmental costs of these products, and to do what we can to eliminate the carnage. The Congolese people deserve to have their sovereignty and right to self-determination respected, and if people want to make and buy things that require minerals from the Congo, than they should pay the Congolese who are the care-takers of that land a fair price. To properly respect other cultures, we need to educate ourselves, and learn something about them. This documentary is a great start to educating oneself on Congolese political history. The 156 minute film screens February 15th at 7pm during the African Film Festival at UC Berkeley's BAM/Pacific Film Archive.
4) The Wiz
The Wiz is a brilliantly crafted cinematic masterpiece that was shot in New York City , with an all-star cast featuring Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne, Nippsey Russel, Diana Ross, and more. Although it is an adaptation of the widely known Wizard of Oz, it is the Black version that is spiced up with beautifully written and performed music, as well as soulful choreography.
The climax of the film is when Dorothy, played by Diana Ross, and her crew of misfits make it into the Emerald City, a.k.a. Oz. There Richard Pryor, who plays the Wiz, scares the hell out of the motley crew using big speakers hoisted on the top of tall buildings, and with a huge metal face that breathes fire and gives people the impression that the Wiz is indestructible. At one point the Wiz yells through his microphone that the color is red and all of the people follow the trend even making up songs and dances to celebrate the color. A few minutes later, the Wiz changes the the trendy color to green and the people follow suit, making up a new song and dance. This reflects the brain-washing power of the corporate media.
Shot during the political and cultural dishevel of the 70's, this tale of mass media manipulation of the human race is even more important today, looking at the fact that more people know of Jay Z and Beyonce's new baby than know about the war in the Congo, which has already claimed 6 million African lives. Most people in the U.S. could name more sports figures, than they can politicians who make decisions everyday that dictate the quality of our very lives. This is a testament to the power of the media.
5) The 7 Day Theory by Tupac Shakur aka Makavelli
This was the last album that Tupac Shakur worked on and oversaw before he was assassinated with the help of various police agencies in Las Vegas, in September of 1996. Different from All Eyez on Me, The 7 Day Theory was, in my opinion, one of his most contemplative albums right alongside the classic Me Against the World. These were the two albums where we got to see the genius come out of Pac without any obstacles or filters. Tupac recorded All Eyes on Me after he was shot, set up, and convicted on trumped up rape charges. The rage and party nature that makes up All Eyes On Me reflects a young Black spokesman for his generation that was still maturing, and was trying to psychologically bounce back from being almost killed and unjustly accused, imprisoned, and crucified in the media. The 7 Day Theory is the album he started after he was able to shed those feelings, expel those demons, and revolve back to what it is he set out to do. Pac was very verbose about his political leanings, on songs like "Blasphemy," "Whiteman's World," and "Hold Ya Head." He lyrically sprayed venom on "Bomb First," and "Hail Mary," where he starts out with "I'm not a killer but don't push me/ revenge is like the sweetest joy next to gettin' pussy/ picture paragraphs unloaded/ wise words being quoted/peeped a weakness in the rap game and sowed it/ bow down. "
A lot of people had a problem with Pac calling out other rappers on this album. But isn't that the roots of rap? When KRS 1 and MC Shan battled it was Hip Hop, when Common attacked Ice Cube it was Hip Hop, but when Pac spoke up in his rhymes, people couldn't take it. They thought that he went to far. His words, his writing, and his passion were so in tune with each other that people thought that it was dangerous. Isn't that the sign of a great writer, poet, rapper, and musician? His commentary on other musicians was only a secondary reason why I appreciated this album. The number one reason is that Pac, his emotions, and the things that would happen to him in the world gave the planet a bird's eye view to the worldly intellect, the gentleness of spirit, the confidence, and the arrogant rough attitude of young Black men that is created once we realize that in every country, in every kind of society, it is us against the world. White on top, and Black on the bottom. Rich on top and poor on the bottom. This album elegantly weaved all of these feelings into a cohesive product, that the oppressed all over the world and those who identify with them, related to, because they knew that Pac meant every thing he said, with everything in his being. I aspire, as a writer to be able to connect my brain, heart, and pen like Pac did on this album.
6) Block Reportin' by JR Valrey
This is the book of interviews that I wrote. I think that Block Reportin' is an essential read because I interviewed people who made major contributions nationally or were involved in major earthshaking events: controversial people, talented musicians who stand for a cause, legendary political figures who speak on behalf of Black people from all walks of life, and more.
Interviews range from the late poet/jazz/blues man Gil Scott Heron, to the fire spitting lyricist M-1(half of one of rap's dopest revolutionary groups, dead prez), to the courageous Peace activist Cynthia McKinney who talks about her experience being kidnapped and made a political prisoner in Israel, to Hajj Malcolm Shabazz, the grandson of the international human rights leader Malcolm X (Hajj Malik El Shabazz), to CIA financier Freeway Rick Ross (the real dude not the rapper), to Black Panther political prisoner and the prolific writer Mumia Abu Jamal, plus more. I don't believe in polite journalism, though I do believe in truthful journalism so I ask questions that may seem invasive at times, but it is in the spirt of true political education. In the book I don't speak the "Queen's English." I speak the dialect of masses, the people in the streets who live around us, the reason why I do this is to communicate information, not to pass some kind of English exam. Unlike most school textbooks that talk about the people who are no longer breathing, Block Reportin' deals with the people who are still breathing, kicking, fighting, and speaking out. This is important because their stories are not over, in some cases you can join their movement and help to affect the outcome, like in the case of political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal, or in the case of the War in the Congo that is still on, claimed over 6 million lives, and caused catastrophic environmental damage.
The chapters in Block Reportin' are only a few pages long, and there are more than 30 personalities for the reader to analyze who talk about subjects as eclectic and abstract as Malcolm X's connection to jazz music, which I talked about with Umar Bin Hasan of the Last Poets, and as concrete as the curriculum of the Black Panther Party's Liberation School, which was headed by Ericka Huggins, who shared her knowledge with me in a KPFA recording studio.
Block Reportin' is my attempt at hooking real living history and history makers up with people who live within these neighborhood and cell blocks, because ultimately I believe that our history and the history of resistance in this country in all its forms should be documented and distributed by us. If we fail to do so, our enemies will bury it and change it.
7) Dark Alliance by Gary Webb
Sometimes it is said in the Black community, that the truth is only the truth when it comes out of the mouth of a white man. So to that extent, I had to include this book on my list of top 7 choices of books, movies, and music that I would recommend for Black History Month.
Dark Alliance, written by San Jose Mercury News reporter Gary Webb (who was later murdered), details the US government plans that were executed in the '80s to sell cocaine in Black neighborhoods in the Bay and in LA. The mission was to fund counter-revolutions, off the books and out of the gaze of U.S. taxpayers, in El Salvador and in Nicaragua. This book exposes explosive information linking the elite in the highest echelons of the United States government to international drug trafficking.
This is another book that exposes the true nature of the government that we currently live under. Many of the people, excuse me -- criminals, named in this book are still alive and still impacting influential circles in the government, military, and in the intelligence agencies of this county. So even after you've read the last page, the story is on-going and still unfolding. We've had shortages on water in California recently, but never on cocaine, which is grown in South America.
Dark Alliance is a classic piece of journalism, that I believe should be a mandatory read for every high school and college student in this country.
[http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2012/01/jamoeblog/guest-amoblogger-jr-valrey-presents-the-black-experience-study-guide-my-top-7-books-movies-and-albums-for-black-history-month-.html]
For this special Black History Month Amoeblog we've invited author/journalist/broadcaster/activist JR Valrey (a.k.a. the People's Minister of Information) to be a guest contributor and to write the following insightful piece, accurately titled The Black Experience Study Guide: My Top 7 Books, Movies, and Albums for Black History Month. The Oakland-based Valrey, who was interviewed & profiled on the Amoeblog last month [http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2011/12/jamoeblog/raw-uncut-grassroots-ghetto-and-anti-corporate-jr-valrey-s-block-reportin-.html], is known for his work on KPFA radio, his contributions to the San Francisco Bay View Newspaper, and his recently published book Block Reportin'. The book, which will soon be available for sale in Amoeba Hollywood's ever-expanding book section, features interviews with such important black cultural figures as political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal, hip-hop emcee/poet/actor Mos Def, former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, comedian/social satirist Paul Mooney, and the late, great, highly influential Gil Scott Heron. In the spring of this year Valrey plans to publish his second book, Unfinished Business: Block Reportin' 2. For more info and insights on JR Valrey, visit the blockreportradio website [http://www.blockreportradio.com]. Thanks for your contribution to the Amoeblog JR Valrey!
---
Black History Month was born out of Black History Week, which was created by Carter G. Woodson, author of The Miseducation of the Negro, in the early half of the 20th Century.
Since then, many people celebrate it by learning about the great pyramids of Egypt or by memorizing Malcolm's "The Ballot or the Bullet," which is cool, but I want to modernize and diversify the list a little bit. These are some books, movies, and albums that I would add to the list of the Black Experience Study Guide, because they had a profound effect on how I look at the world in a spiritual, social, political, and cultural sense.
This list is my humble contribution to uplifting people's consciousness about what is happening to Black people internationally, as well as how we feel about life after having our backs against the wall for centuries, with few exceptions. As the late legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane would say, "Here are a few of my favorite things."
1) The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The New Jim Crow is one of the best books that I've ever read in my life. It gives a chronological history of how the U.S. has become the biggest mass incarcerating nation in the world, way beyond Russia and even apartheid South Africa.
This book talks about the role that political architects like Richard Nixon, Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and more played in bringing us to the scenario, where two million people are currently behind bars. Michelle Alexander also makes the poignant point that there are more Black people in this country tied to the criminal justice system today than there were in 1850, a decade before the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The New Jim Crow is an essential read for anybody doing serious study on the on-going war being waged against Black people in the U.S. by the government.
2) The First Minute of a New Day by The Midnight Band
Gil Scott Heron and Brian Jackson of The Midnight Band were two of the most influential musicians of their era, musically and lyrically. Many have heard of some of their contemporaries like Curtis Mayfield and The Last Poets, but somehow this band seems to get lost in the sauce when it comes to official recognition. This album is like a time capsule, detailing spiritually the wants and desires of African people that have been oppressed in the Americas for centuries. Songs like "Winter in America," "Ain't No Such Thing As Superman," and "Pardon Our Analysis," are timeless masterpieces...not only scathing critiques of the system that has its boot on our necks, but empowering messages for oppressed people to keep their heads up, fist in the air, and eyes peeled on the path to self-determination. Songs like "The Offering," "Must Be Something," and "Alluswe," are revolutionary prayers, extensions of the spirituals enslaved Africans were singing on plantations, in the south to organize and politically educate themselves.
The late Gil Scott Heron was one of the most passionate writers of any genre, in my opinion, ever produced in the United States. Brian Jackson is the perfect musical compliment. This dynamic duo has been sampled in rap music by 2Pac, The Coup, Freeway, Common, and Kanye, just to name a few.
3) Kongo: 50 Years of Independence of Congo
This is a documentary that employs animation to tell the history of the mineral rich, under-developed, war-torn African country known today as the The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Everyone, who listens to the international media from the Unites States, Europe, or the Arab world has heard the stereotypes of African governments being backwards and corrupt and squandering resources, but very few have heard of the European powers who manufactured these situations, helping to put these puppets in power for the benefit of European economies. This documentary, which is broken into three parts, tells the stories of King Leopold of Belgium, the architect of colonialism in the Congo, who genocidally cut the country's population in half, because of his ambitions to enrich himself, and later Belgium.
Kongo: 50 Years of Independence of Congo also paints a bold portrait of the late great first Prime Minister Patrice Lamumba, who strived to fight off secessionists who wanted to split the most mineral rich areas from the country for the benefit of a few and the western powers. It was my first time hearing the names of Congolese anti-colonialist like Simon Kimbangu, who was a liberation theologist and died a political prisoner because of that fact, and Paul Panda, who was a Black man of Congolese descent from Belgium, who spoke up and organized for African independence on an international level.
This film discusses the life of the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who was in power for decades, and who was in part responsible for the assassination of Patrice Lamumba. It also talks about the rise, with the assistance of the Rwandan government, of Laurent Kabila, who was later assassinated and his "son," the current front man "running" the Congo, Joseph Kabila.
In most electronic devices, there is a mineral called Coltan and 80% of the world's supply of this essential mineral is in the Congo. So for all of us that use laptops, iPhones, iPads, and PS3's, it is our responsibility to know the human costs and environmental costs of these products, and to do what we can to eliminate the carnage. The Congolese people deserve to have their sovereignty and right to self-determination respected, and if people want to make and buy things that require minerals from the Congo, than they should pay the Congolese who are the care-takers of that land a fair price. To properly respect other cultures, we need to educate ourselves, and learn something about them. This documentary is a great start to educating oneself on Congolese political history. The 156 minute film screens February 15th at 7pm during the African Film Festival at UC Berkeley's BAM/Pacific Film Archive.
4) The Wiz
The Wiz is a brilliantly crafted cinematic masterpiece that was shot in New York City , with an all-star cast featuring Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne, Nippsey Russel, Diana Ross, and more. Although it is an adaptation of the widely known Wizard of Oz, it is the Black version that is spiced up with beautifully written and performed music, as well as soulful choreography.
The climax of the film is when Dorothy, played by Diana Ross, and her crew of misfits make it into the Emerald City, a.k.a. Oz. There Richard Pryor, who plays the Wiz, scares the hell out of the motley crew using big speakers hoisted on the top of tall buildings, and with a huge metal face that breathes fire and gives people the impression that the Wiz is indestructible. At one point the Wiz yells through his microphone that the color is red and all of the people follow the trend even making up songs and dances to celebrate the color. A few minutes later, the Wiz changes the the trendy color to green and the people follow suit, making up a new song and dance. This reflects the brain-washing power of the corporate media.
Shot during the political and cultural dishevel of the 70's, this tale of mass media manipulation of the human race is even more important today, looking at the fact that more people know of Jay Z and Beyonce's new baby than know about the war in the Congo, which has already claimed 6 million African lives. Most people in the U.S. could name more sports figures, than they can politicians who make decisions everyday that dictate the quality of our very lives. This is a testament to the power of the media.
5) The 7 Day Theory by Tupac Shakur aka Makavelli
This was the last album that Tupac Shakur worked on and oversaw before he was assassinated with the help of various police agencies in Las Vegas, in September of 1996. Different from All Eyez on Me, The 7 Day Theory was, in my opinion, one of his most contemplative albums right alongside the classic Me Against the World. These were the two albums where we got to see the genius come out of Pac without any obstacles or filters. Tupac recorded All Eyes on Me after he was shot, set up, and convicted on trumped up rape charges. The rage and party nature that makes up All Eyes On Me reflects a young Black spokesman for his generation that was still maturing, and was trying to psychologically bounce back from being almost killed and unjustly accused, imprisoned, and crucified in the media. The 7 Day Theory is the album he started after he was able to shed those feelings, expel those demons, and revolve back to what it is he set out to do. Pac was very verbose about his political leanings, on songs like "Blasphemy," "Whiteman's World," and "Hold Ya Head." He lyrically sprayed venom on "Bomb First," and "Hail Mary," where he starts out with "I'm not a killer but don't push me/ revenge is like the sweetest joy next to gettin' pussy/ picture paragraphs unloaded/ wise words being quoted/peeped a weakness in the rap game and sowed it/ bow down. "
A lot of people had a problem with Pac calling out other rappers on this album. But isn't that the roots of rap? When KRS 1 and MC Shan battled it was Hip Hop, when Common attacked Ice Cube it was Hip Hop, but when Pac spoke up in his rhymes, people couldn't take it. They thought that he went to far. His words, his writing, and his passion were so in tune with each other that people thought that it was dangerous. Isn't that the sign of a great writer, poet, rapper, and musician? His commentary on other musicians was only a secondary reason why I appreciated this album. The number one reason is that Pac, his emotions, and the things that would happen to him in the world gave the planet a bird's eye view to the worldly intellect, the gentleness of spirit, the confidence, and the arrogant rough attitude of young Black men that is created once we realize that in every country, in every kind of society, it is us against the world. White on top, and Black on the bottom. Rich on top and poor on the bottom. This album elegantly weaved all of these feelings into a cohesive product, that the oppressed all over the world and those who identify with them, related to, because they knew that Pac meant every thing he said, with everything in his being. I aspire, as a writer to be able to connect my brain, heart, and pen like Pac did on this album.
6) Block Reportin' by JR Valrey
This is the book of interviews that I wrote. I think that Block Reportin' is an essential read because I interviewed people who made major contributions nationally or were involved in major earthshaking events: controversial people, talented musicians who stand for a cause, legendary political figures who speak on behalf of Black people from all walks of life, and more.
Interviews range from the late poet/jazz/blues man Gil Scott Heron, to the fire spitting lyricist M-1(half of one of rap's dopest revolutionary groups, dead prez), to the courageous Peace activist Cynthia McKinney who talks about her experience being kidnapped and made a political prisoner in Israel, to Hajj Malcolm Shabazz, the grandson of the international human rights leader Malcolm X (Hajj Malik El Shabazz), to CIA financier Freeway Rick Ross (the real dude not the rapper), to Black Panther political prisoner and the prolific writer Mumia Abu Jamal, plus more. I don't believe in polite journalism, though I do believe in truthful journalism so I ask questions that may seem invasive at times, but it is in the spirt of true political education. In the book I don't speak the "Queen's English." I speak the dialect of masses, the people in the streets who live around us, the reason why I do this is to communicate information, not to pass some kind of English exam. Unlike most school textbooks that talk about the people who are no longer breathing, Block Reportin' deals with the people who are still breathing, kicking, fighting, and speaking out. This is important because their stories are not over, in some cases you can join their movement and help to affect the outcome, like in the case of political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal, or in the case of the War in the Congo that is still on, claimed over 6 million lives, and caused catastrophic environmental damage.
The chapters in Block Reportin' are only a few pages long, and there are more than 30 personalities for the reader to analyze who talk about subjects as eclectic and abstract as Malcolm X's connection to jazz music, which I talked about with Umar Bin Hasan of the Last Poets, and as concrete as the curriculum of the Black Panther Party's Liberation School, which was headed by Ericka Huggins, who shared her knowledge with me in a KPFA recording studio.
Block Reportin' is my attempt at hooking real living history and history makers up with people who live within these neighborhood and cell blocks, because ultimately I believe that our history and the history of resistance in this country in all its forms should be documented and distributed by us. If we fail to do so, our enemies will bury it and change it.
7) Dark Alliance by Gary Webb
Sometimes it is said in the Black community, that the truth is only the truth when it comes out of the mouth of a white man. So to that extent, I had to include this book on my list of top 7 choices of books, movies, and music that I would recommend for Black History Month.
Dark Alliance, written by San Jose Mercury News reporter Gary Webb (who was later murdered), details the US government plans that were executed in the '80s to sell cocaine in Black neighborhoods in the Bay and in LA. The mission was to fund counter-revolutions, off the books and out of the gaze of U.S. taxpayers, in El Salvador and in Nicaragua. This book exposes explosive information linking the elite in the highest echelons of the United States government to international drug trafficking.
This is another book that exposes the true nature of the government that we currently live under. Many of the people, excuse me -- criminals, named in this book are still alive and still impacting influential circles in the government, military, and in the intelligence agencies of this county. So even after you've read the last page, the story is on-going and still unfolding. We've had shortages on water in California recently, but never on cocaine, which is grown in South America.
Dark Alliance is a classic piece of journalism, that I believe should be a mandatory read for every high school and college student in this country.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
2012-01-31 "Occupy Oakland in urgent need of bail funds" posted by "Denver ABC"
[http://denverabc.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/occupy-oakland-in-urgent-need-of-bail-funds/]
OCCUPY OAKLAND NEEDS BAIL FUNDS!
Police Chief Howard Jordan has been quoted in AP saying there were almost 400 people arrested yesterday. There are many people who were arrested that need urgent medical attention, people who have been injured by the police or do not have their medication with them that they need to treat prior conditions. We need the money to bail these people out!
Many people who have medical needs were unable to prevent themselves from being arrested, or to retrieve their medication, because the police did not give a dispersal order– they just kettled. We are still gathering names.
Our bail funds have been dwindling significantly as a result of the police backlash against occupy oakland in the last month, if you are able, PLEASE donate – 10, 50, 100, whatever you can!
Support the Occupy Oakland Bail Fund
[https://www.wepay.com/x35uob0/donations/occupy_oakland_bail_fund]
Please support Occupy Oakland activists by donating some money to our Bail Fund. Funds are managed by the Occupy Oakland Anti-Repression Committee.
For more info see: [http://occupyoakland.org/generalassembly/committees/antirepression-committee/]
Or email us: [antirepression@occupyoakland.org]
[http://denverabc.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/occupy-oakland-in-urgent-need-of-bail-funds/]
OCCUPY OAKLAND NEEDS BAIL FUNDS!
Police Chief Howard Jordan has been quoted in AP saying there were almost 400 people arrested yesterday. There are many people who were arrested that need urgent medical attention, people who have been injured by the police or do not have their medication with them that they need to treat prior conditions. We need the money to bail these people out!
Many people who have medical needs were unable to prevent themselves from being arrested, or to retrieve their medication, because the police did not give a dispersal order– they just kettled. We are still gathering names.
Our bail funds have been dwindling significantly as a result of the police backlash against occupy oakland in the last month, if you are able, PLEASE donate – 10, 50, 100, whatever you can!
Support the Occupy Oakland Bail Fund
[https://www.wepay.com/x35uob0/donations/occupy_oakland_bail_fund]
Please support Occupy Oakland activists by donating some money to our Bail Fund. Funds are managed by the Occupy Oakland Anti-Repression Committee.
For more info see: [http://occupyoakland.org/generalassembly/committees/antirepression-committee/]
Or email us: [antirepression@occupyoakland.org]
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