BLACK BOX OFFICE

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Thu, 16 May 2013 20:46:42 -0400

afrofuturistaffair: metropolarity: afrofuturistaffair: East...

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:01:36 -0400

metropolarity:

afrofuturistaffair:

East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention

12th Annual ECBACC Convention - an annual gathering of comic book artists, writers, their fans and retailers who are interested in discussing, buying and selling comic books, sci-fi, action figures and related material by and / or about Black superheroes / super-powered characters / adventures

AfriCoz Contest - the first costume and cosplay contest celebrating characters of African descent in comic books, sci-fi, fantasy and film

Synergy Reading Workshop facilitated by Metropolarity.net member and Laser Life founder Alex Smith

2013 Glyph Comic Awards - honoring and recognizing those creators making great contributions to the African image in graphic novels, comic strips and comic books

ECBACC S.T.A.R.S (Storytelling That Advances Reading Skills) - a program held at the Free Library of Philadelphia to address the literacy skills of young people by using interactive comic book themed exercises that promote reading as fun and exciting

Yo Philly!

This weekend! Programming schedule here:

http://ecbacc.com/wordpress3/2013/ecbacc-2013-programming/

Reggie Ponder interviews Craig Robinson about...

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:10:27 -0400

Reggie Ponder interviews Craig Robinson about “Peeples”.

nickdrake: Bill Cosby and a young Morgan freeman to the...

Sun, 12 May 2013 11:07:20 -0400

nickdrake:

Bill Cosby and a young Morgan freeman to the right.

…and a young Irene Cara and Rita Moreno!!

Afro-Cubans and Sierra Leoneans Bridge The Gap in Doc ‘They Are...

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:46:55 -0400

Afro-Cubans and Sierra Leoneans Bridge The Gap in Doc ‘They Are We’

Can a family separated for 170 years by the transatlantic slave trade sing and dance its way back together again? THEY ARE WE tells a story of survival against the odds, and how determination and shared humanity can triumph over the bleakest of histories.

via yourhue

thepeoplesrecord: The troubling viral trend of the “hilarious”...

Thu, 09 May 2013 01:39:48 -0400

thepeoplesrecord:

The troubling viral trend of the “hilarious” Black poor person
May 7, 2013

Charles Ramsey, the man who helped rescue three Cleveland women presumed dead after going missing a decade ago, has become an instant Internet meme. It’s hardly surprising—the interviews he gave yesterday provide plenty of fodder for a viral video, including memorable soundbites (“I was eatin’ my McDonald’s”) and lots of enthusiastic gestures. But as Miles Klee and Connor Simpson have noted, Ramsey’s heroism is quickly being overshadowed by the public’s desire to laugh at and autotune his story, and that’s a shame. Ramsey has become the latest in a fairly recent trend of “hilarious” black neighbors, unwitting Internet celebrities whose appeal seems rooted in a “colorful” style that is always immediately recognizable as poor or working-class.

Before Ramsey, there was Antoine Dodson, who saved his younger sister from an intruder, only to wind up famous for his flamboyant recounting of the story to a reporter. Since Dodson’s rise to fame, there have been others: Sweet Brown, a woman who barely escaped her apartment complex during a fire last year, and Michelle Clarke, who couldn’t fathom the hailstorm that rained down in her hometown of Houston, and in turn became “the next Sweet Brown.”

Granted, the buzzworthy tactic of reporters interviewing the most loquacious witnesses to a crime or other event is nothing new, and YouTube has countless examples of people of all ethnicities saying ridiculous things. One woman, for instance, saw fit to casually mention her breasts while discussing a local accident, while another man described a car crash with theatrical flair. Earlier this year, a “hatchet-wielding hitchhiker” named Kai matched Dodson’s fame with his astonishing account of rescuing a woman from a racist attacker. But none of those people have been subjected to quite the same level of derisive memeification as Brown, Clark, and now, perhaps, Ramsey—the inescapable echoes of “Hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ wife!” and “Kabooyaw,” the tens of millions of YouTube hits and cameos in other viral videos, even commercials.

It’s difficult to watch these videos and not sense that their popularity has something to do with a persistent, if unconscious, desire to see black people perform. Even before the genuinely heroic Ramsey came along, some viewers had expressed concern that the laughter directed at people like Sweet Brown plays into the most basic stereotyping of blacks as simple-minded ramblers living in the “ghetto,” socially out of step with the rest of educated America. Black or white, seeing Clark and Dodson merely as funny instances of random poor people talking nonsense is disrespectful at best. And shushing away the question of race seems like wishful thinking.

Ramsey is particularly striking in this regard, since, for a moment at least, he put the issue of race front and center himself. Describing the rescue of Amanda Berry and her fellow captives, he says, “I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms. Something is wrong here. Dead giveaway!”

The candid statement seems to catch the reporter off guard; he ends the interview shortly afterward. And it’s notable that among the many memorable things Ramsey said on camera, this one has gotten less meme-attention than most. Those who are simply having fun with the footage of Ramsey might pause for a second to actually listen to the man. He clearly knows a thing or two about the way racism prevents us from seeing each other as people.

Source

Now that you know this is a thing, please stop sharing these memes. Poor Black people speaking candidly about various serious incidents isn’t a hilarious joke.

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Tue, 07 May 2013 13:33:42 -0400

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Mon, 06 May 2013 19:44:00 -0400

BLACK BOX OFFICE CHICAGO SCREENING: PEEPLES This...

Mon, 06 May 2013 11:59:59 -0400

BLACK BOX OFFICE CHICAGO SCREENING: PEEPLES

This month’s screening is for the new comedy starring Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington.

Sparks fly when Wade Walker (Craig Robinson) crashes the preppy Peeples annual reunion in the Hamptons to ask for their precious daughter Grace’s (Kerry Washington) hand in marriage. Wade might be a fish-out-of-water among this seemingly perfect East Coast clan, but he’s not about to let himself flounder. Instead, in a wild weekend of fun, dysfunction and hilarious surprises, Wade is about to discover there’s room for all kinds of Peeples in this family, no matter their differences. Writer and first-time director Tina Gordon Chism (writer of DRUMLINE) joins forces with Tyler Perry to present a laugh-out-loud look at the family ties that freak us out … but bind us together with love.

Tyler Perry Presents “PEEPLES” stars Craig Robinson, Kerry Washington, David Alan Grier, S. Epatha Merkerson, Tyler Williams, Melvin Van Peebles, and Diahann Carroll, and is written and directed by Tina Gordon Chism. PEEPLES is a presentation of Lionsgate and 34^th Street Films, and a 34^th Street Films /Stephanie Allain/Paul Hall/Lionsgate production.

The film willbe screened at:

DATE: Monday, May 6th

TIME: 7:30 PM

LOCATION: AMC South Barrington

175 Studio Drive

South Barrington, IL 60010

AND

DATE: Wednesday, May 8^th

TIME: 7:00 PM

LOCATION: Showplace Icon

150 W. Roosevelt Road

Chicago, IL 60605

RSVP NOW in order for us to save you a seat.

*This is non-transferable and an admit-one invitation.

*Running Time: 95 Minutes

*Rating: PG-13

Zoe Saldana @ the ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Berlin premiere

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:28:52 -0400

Zoe Saldana @ the ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Berlin premiere

dailytrailers: Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel in...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:30:12 -0400

dailytrailers:

Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel in Justin Lin’s Fast & Furious 6, from the very final trailer, in theaters May 24th.

CABO VERDE FILM FESTIVAL PARTNERS WITH THE AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 02:24:11 -0400

The Cabo Verde International Film Festival (CVIFF) is pleased to announce an exciting new...

Happy Birthday, Maya Angelou. (via rochiosriots)

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:42:47 -0400

Happy Birthday, Maya Angelou.

(via rochiosriots)

RIP to our friend, Roger Ebert. In this moving talk from...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:11:01 -0400

RIP to our friend, Roger Ebert.

In this moving talk from TED2011, Ebert and his wife, Chaz, with friends Dean Ornish and John Hunter, come together to tell his remarkable story.

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Sun, 31 Mar 2013 22:19:49 -0400

"It is the story that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of the..."

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 22:02:36 -0400

“It is the story that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of...

orientaltiger: A short Documentary about Phiona Mutesi, a 17...

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:18:42 -0400

orientaltiger:

A short Documentary about Phiona Mutesi, a 17 year old prodigy chess player from the slums of Kampala, Uganda (by studioska)

blackinasia: “Einstein, when he arrived in America, was shocked...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:44:44 -0400

blackinasia:

“Einstein, when he arrived in America, was shocked at how Black Americans were treated. “There is separation of colored people from white people in the United States,” he said. “That separation is not a disease of colored people. It is a disease of white people. And, I do not intend to be quiet about it.” And, he wasn’t.

Although he had a fear of speaking in public, he made all the effort he could to spread the word of equality, denouncing racism and segregation and becoming a huge proponent of civil rights even before the term became fashionable. Einstein was a member of several civil rights groups (including the Princeton chapter of the NAACP).

Happy Birthday Albert Einstein!”

Source: Craig Lowery II for Last Words.

blackandindependents: How Men Become DOGS | Trailer (by Issa...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 11:03:19 -0400

blackandindependents:

How Men Become DOGS | Trailer (by Issa Rae)

After three good men have disastrous breakups with their unappreciative girlfriends, they decide to become womanizers by enrolling in a class that teaches them how to become the “dog” women can’t seem to resist.

Created & Directed By: Marc Cunningham
Written: Marc Cunningham & Yvette Foy
Executive Producer: Issa Rae & Benoni Tagoe
Executive Producer: Yvette Foy
Production Company: Issa Rae Productions & Original Hitta Productions

http://howmenbecomedogs.com
http://issarae.com

SXSW: How Mobile Devices Are Changing Africa

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 17:09:22 -0400

SXSW: How Mobile Devices Are Changing Africa: futuramb: AUSTIN, TX—Mobile phones are kicking off...