Ava DuVernay: Filmmaker as Griot

I have a lot to say about the movie Selma, but I frankly feel like I’ll need to see it again before I play armchair filmmaker. What I do feel confident talking about is Selma as a storytelling enterprise. Storytelling is on my mind a lot lately. Mostly because it is a large part of

What the “Fire Next Time” Should Look Like: From Rage to Revelation after Ferguson

“Please try to remember that what they believe, as well as what they do and cause you to endure does not testify to your inferiority but to their inhumanity” ― James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time For Benicio I awoke this morning feeling a little weary. Groggy, and frankly disappointed. But I felt compelled to

The invisible woman: What’s missing from media, conversations on partner/domestic violence? #Rice #NFL #FOX #CNN #Janay

I saw this video this morning and started to get a little excited. I thought, someone is finally going to make the connections. They are going to expose the plethora of reasons that the media’s responses, the NFL’s, and many Americans’ responses to the Ray-Janay Rice video have been inadequate at best. But, well, watch

Dead Assets: Endangered Cemeteries, Sacred Spaces of African America

By Andrea Roberts* I spoke yesterday with Jeremy Nelloms, descendant of Nancy Bradshaw. Nancy Bradshaw was a former slave who attained an impressive 300 acres of land after emancipation located in today’s northeast Houston, Texas.  The land is located a few blocks off I-10 East. Her family still owns the land, and the historic African

Black Places That Matter: Historic and Architectural Resources of Prairie View A&M University, Waller County, Texas

I will be posting National Register of Historic Places Property Nominations from now through Black History Month (trying to get a full month in). These nominations are detailed descriptions of places of national, state, and cultural significance. Why does the National Register Matter? The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the

Black Places That Matter: Rosenwald School Building Program in Texas, 1920-1932

I will be posting National Register of Historic Places Property Nominations from now through Black History Month (trying to get a full month in). These nominations are detailed descriptions of places of national, state, and cultural significance. The nomination below was composed by Karen Riles, formerly of the Austin History Center. Why does the National