O.J. Simpson's Latest Bid for Freedom

Am I the only one who felt just a little sorry for OJ Simpson this week when he showed up in court in shackles?  

I actually didn't think I would ever care to write or really talk about "The Juice" again, but, I allowed myself to get sucked into a story about a man who not only doesn't know that I exist, but wouldn't give me the time of day.  

In fact, if OJ were freed today, I doubt he would "go back black."  But that's his loss.  

Seriously, though, how many people actually think the current sentence he's serving has anything at all to do with the alleged "robbery" that took place in Las Vegas five years ago when he went with his "muscle-men" to recover his property from that hotel room?

We all know that it's "the system's" way of making him pay for the deaths of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman.  And for the record, not only do I believe they really did fit, I believe he is a murderer.  I just don't think that's what he's currently doing time for.

But the sentence - 9 to 33 years - essentially "life" for a man who's nearly 66 years old now, is just a little harsh. He'll get what's coming to him.  But I guess the American public just wants to make sure they see him suffer - just a little bit.  On this earth.

I'm no lawyer, but it seems his defense team could have at least lobbied for him to appear in court in street clothes.  And shackles on his hands and feet?  Really?  He looked like "Django" (chained).

And even though, I've never been a Simpson fan (I'm one of those sisters who is still mad at how he did Marguerite), I was happy to see that even though they tried to break him down on the stand and embarrass him before a national TV audience, when he testified, I could swear he had a little "swag" left.

 Let God be the judge.  

The Kinsey Collection: CLOSING WEEKEND - MAY 18, 2013

Kinsey Collection Closing Events

Saturday May 18, 2013

11:00 am - 6:00 pm

The Kinsey Collection: Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, Where Art and History Intersect.


11:00am: MoAD Members-only continental breakfast, plus morning viewing hours and tours.


1:00-2:00pm: Bernard and Shirley Kinsey Book Signing in the Salon (Free with MoAD Admission).

All-day: Wells Fargo Customer Appreciation Day. One free general admission limited to cardholder.

Museum of African Diaspora (MOAD)
685 Mission St  San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 358-7200

History and Background

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) is a San Francisco based nonprofit organization that was conceived as a cornerstone of the economic and cultural revitalization of downtown San Francisco. Since it opened in December 2005 MoAD has become an anchor with its neighbors, the San Francisco MoMA, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Zeum, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum, in making this dynamic cultural corridor a premier cultural destination.
As a dynamic, world class institution, MoAD brings people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds together so they can enjoy, study and appreciate, through enriching exhibitions, public and educational programs, the culture, history and art of people of African descent within the United States and throughout the world. MoAD is uniquely positioned as one of the only Museums in the world focused exclusively on African Diaspora culture and on presenting the rich cultural products of the people of Africa and of African descendant cultures across the globe.
MoAD developed as part of a public/private partnership led by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, in cooperation with the Mayor’s Office and the developers of the St. Regis Museum Tower. In 1999 under the mandate from the City of San Francisco to include an African American cultural presence in the last vacant parcel of Yerba Buena Gardens, Mayor Willie L. Brown appointed a steering committee to begin a process of determining the mission and scope of a cultural facility within the complex. Cultural management, architectural, and design consultants were contracted by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency to work with members of the steering committee to formulate the facility design and program elements of a new museum.

The African American Cultural Institute grew out of the research and development process that began in 2002 and included participation by local and nationally known scholars and community leaders. The new museum was renamed Museum of the African Diaspora to reflect a broadened scope and mission, was incorporated in 2002 as a 501 c 3 nonprofit, and opened in 2005 in an architecturally stunning space that was designed by the nationally-renowned firm, the Freelon Group within the footprint of the St. Regis Museum Tower.*(From www.moadsf.org)

www.moadsf.org

FELA! Returns - Oakland's Paramount Theater - June 4-9, 2013

THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE

2025 BROADWAY
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

June 4-9, 2013

http://www.paramounttheatre.com/

TUESDAY, JUNE 4 @ 8:00 PM
THURSDAY, JUNE 6 @ 8:00 PM
FRIDAY, JUNE 7 @ 8:00 PM
SATURDAY, JUNE 8 @ 2:00 PM
SATURDAY, JUNE 8 @ 8:00 PM
SUNDAY, JUNE 9 @ 2:00 PM
SUNDAY, JUNE 9 @ 7:30 PM
FELA! The Musical
Doors open 60 minutes before show time.

Presented by Shawn (Jay-Z) Carter, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith

KINSEY CONNECTIONS, FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2013 - 6 TO 9 P.M., MUSEUM OF AFRICAN DIASPORA (MOAD SF)

Museum of African Diaspora
685 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA  94105
415-358-7200

Tickets:

moadafterdark.eventbrite.com

"Decadence" by Eric Jerome Dickey - In Stores and Online Today!

www.ericjeromedickey.com

ALVIN AILEY DANCE THEATER - COMING TO BERKELEY, APRIL 23-28, 2013

http://calperfs.berkeley.edu/

General Questions: tickets@calperformances.org

Ticket Office: 510.642.9988

He's Back. . .Reverend Curtis Black, that is - Coming May 7, 2013 - "A HOUSE DIVIDED" by Kimberla Lawson Roby

Some people talk about "the Kennedy Curse," well, if I believed in voodoo, I would swear someone has a spell on the Black family because just when it seems like it's smooth sailing - trouble comes knocking.

Long before, "Scandal," and Olivia Pope, there was Curtis Black and Charlotte Black.  The Reverend and First Lady Black don't even have to look for problems, they just seem to find them.  Kind of like most families, huh?  

Except this family is mega-rich, mega-famous and mega-mixed up.

This is Ms. Lawson Roby's 10th book in the "Curtis Black" series.  

Honestly, when I received the review copy in the mail, I thought, "there's no way there can be any more secrets in that family."  I was wrong.

I always finish Kimberla's books thinking, "What will she do to top that?"  And somehow she manages to keep the reader interested - all these best sellers later.

Preorder at:  barnesandnoble

Preoder at:    amazon.com

Release date: May 7, 2013 | Series: A Reverend Curtis Black Novel

"Life is close to perfect for the Reverend Curtis Black and his wife, Charlotte--except their son Matthew and his girlfriend, Racquel, are about to become parents at the tender age of eighteen. Even though Curtis and Charlotte wish Matthew could focus on Harvard instead of fatherhood, they are determined to welcome their new grandson with open arms. But for Charlotte, welcoming her future in-laws is another story. Try as she might, Charlotte can't stand Racquel's mother, Vanessa--and the feeling appears to be mutual.

When the tension between Charlotte and Vanessa finally erupts, the stress sends an already-

fragile Racquel into early labor. Everyone is quick to blame Charlotte, including Matthew and Curtis. That her own husband would side with someone else infuriates Charlotte and strains the relationship they've only recently been able to repair. Her one ally is Racquel's father, but that brings problems of its own."

www.kimroby.com