MoAD Presents Romare Bearden

For Immediate Release:


"The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) presents “From Process to Print: Graphic Works by Romare Bearden” Exhibition included in National Centennial Celebration May 6 (Opening Reception) - July 3, 2011 SAN FRANCISCO (April 21, 2011) – The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) proudly presents “From Process to Print: Graphic Works by Romare Bearden,” a traveling exhibition that is part of a national centennial celebration of Bearden, an American artist of African descent who is widely acknowledged as one of the most talented and original visual artists of the twentieth century. The exhibition, organized by the Romare Bearden Foundation, includes over 85 lithographs, etchings, collagraphs, collagraph plates, screen prints, drypoints, monoprints, and engravings produced over three decades by Bearden. It will be on view from Friday, May 6 through Sunday, July 3, 2011. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to examine Beardenʼs print-making process and to understand how key themes and motifs like trains, family life, rituals, rural and urban scenes, jazz, and mythology extended his artistic imagination beyond collages, of which he is an acknowledged master, into the graphic medium."

Photo Credit: The Family, 1975 Etching and Aquatint, Edition 25; Courtesy of Alex Rosenberg, New York, New York
Press Contact: Michael DeFlorimonte michaelD. Communications michaeld@michaeldcommunications.com 415.203.9801


The Museum of African Diaspora
685 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105-4126
(415) 358-7200

www.moadsf.org

Pearl Cleage's New Novel "Just Wanna Testify" - Release Date: May 10, 2011

(Photo Credit: Albert Trotman)

Blue Hamilton is back with a "twist."

"Q & A" with acclaimed playwright and novelist, Pearl Cleage coming soon.

"How To Get Out of Your Own Way" by Tyrese Gibson

If you thought Tyrese Gibson ("Tyrese") was just another fine brother, think again. He's got a story to tell in his new book, "How To Get Out of Your Own Way."

Available now from Grand Central Publishing.

Get yours at Amazon or in bookstores nationwide.

(He'll always be "Baby Boy" to me)

Are You Marriage Material?

May 6-7, 2011

THE PARAMOUNT THEATER
OAKLAND, CA


www.imreadyproductions.com

No Muskrats Allowed - Boycott Donald Trump

I am not sure of the origins of the below email which I received but one thing I am sure of is that we don't want Donald Trump in the White House. And instead of worrying about Barack Obama's birth certificate, he needs to worry about getting a new hairdresser.


Bill Cosby slammed Trump on the Today Show regarding his ridiculous actions and remarks about our President.

Lawrence O’Donnell the host of the Last Word a program on MSNBC noted tonight the ratings for The Celebrity Apprentice has been dropping since Cosby slammed Trump and also because of the statements he made regarding Obama. Also, NBC the station that televise the Celebrity Apprentice will decide whether or not to pick the show up for another season. The date NBC decides to pick up the show for another season is May 16th. Let’s band together and show Trump he’s not as great as he think he is. I am pleading with each of you to forward this email to all in your address book and ask them to forward it to everyone they know. We should also boycott his casinos, hotels, etc., anything with Trumps name on it. This man does not respect our President so let’s show him just how important he’s not. Trump needs to pay for his outrageous antics.

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

Phylicia Simone Barnes, a star high school student from North Carolina went missing in Baltimore in late December 2010. Her father, Russel Barnes said that a female body found yesterday in the Susquehanna River in Maryland was hers.

According to reports, the teenage honor student from a suburb of Charlotte was going out to get something to eat and maybe a haircut when she left a residence in Baltimore where she'd been staying with her half-sister.

The problem I have is this - I never heard about this story until today. I will admit that I have been working pretty hard this year and haven't kept up with the national news as much as I should have.

However, I'm pretty sure if she were white, I would have heard about her. I hear about Holly Bobo, the 20 year old missing Tennessee woman every single morning on the news. And she's only been gone for a week.

For more information, check out The Charlotte Observer

Brother, Can You Spare A Stamp?

As the kids say, "SMH." If you're not as hip as me (smile) that means "shaking my head."

I woke up this morning to clear skies and a great attitude. After all, it's Friday. On my way into Starbucks, a guy on the street, cup in hand, asked me, "Do you have any stamps? My partner has three strikes and he asked me to send him some stamps."

Wow. Another Black man in the system - for life - or at best, the greatest portion of what's left of it.

I really don't know what to say or who to blame. But I do know that we need to stay vigilant, mentor where we can, help where we must and stop the Tea Party before it gets any worse.

Oh, and if you know anyone who is incarcerated, maybe drop them a few lines of encouragement and wisdom and a few stamps.

Peace and Blessings.

Wave Your Hands In The Air For "Prodigy" (In Stores April 19)

"My Infamous Life" - The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy


By Albert "Prodigy" Johnson
(With Laura Chekoway)


From Touchstone Books (Simon and Schuster)

Review Coming Soon

For more information and tour dates:

www.simonandschuster.com

AVAILABLE APRIL 19 online at:
www.amazon.com

Shoo Doo Fu Fu Ooh! SAVE THE DATE FOR LENNY WILLIAMS

JUNE 25, 2011 - SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

For More Information, call:

415- 346-5597

43 Years Ago Today

It hardly seems like 43 years ago because I remember it like it was yesterday. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39.

I was a small child working alongside my mother in our neighborhood grocery store. One of our customers came in crying hysterically. Her words still ring in my head. "They shot him down like a dog!" My mother said, "They just announced on the radio that he has died." Mrs. Edgar was so devastated she almost collapsed at the counter.

For the next few days, we would watch on television over and over the tragic event and black folks would mourn forever. He is still immortalized in many older people's homes. I remember that we had this "plate-like" plaque with his picture which hung in our living room. Yes, this was before we were "collectors" of fine art. We were just folks. Folks who loved each other, spoke to each other, even if we didn't know each other's names and even picked up strangers at the bus stop because we knew all "Negroes" were struggling.

As I think about that terrible day 43 years ago, I wonder what Dr. King would think of us now. Did we really "come together" or are we farther apart?

Peace and Blessings.