Movies/TV
Letting the Fire Burn
“Let the Fire Burn' is a gripping and chilling new documentary about the 1985 bombing of the MOVE organization in Philadelphia. Made up of archival news footage, as well as footage from the proceedings of the Philadelphia Special Investigation Commission, it details how city, police and fire officials were negligent in the fiery deaths of 11 people, including women and children, as well as responsible for the inferno that destroyed 61 homes and left 260 people homeless. By Esther Iverem
Dec 4, 2013,
15:39
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The 411
This is the "Final Act":
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| The lifeless body of Laura Nelson, 1911 |
Ending Violence Against Black Women (for Renisha McBride), by Brothers Writing to Live: " We begin this statement for justice in response to the murder of Renisha McBride by starting at "home." We are a collective of black men who write in community, who desire a future free of structural violence and physical violation—especially violence that overwhelmingly impact women and children..."
Dec 2, 2013,
22:50
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Visual Arts
Meditations on Freedom
Emancipation: Meditations on Freedom," on view in Washington, DC until Jan. 5, 2014, is an exhibit born during a tumultuous time in the United States and world. The 150th anniversary of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, which laid the basis for freeing four million African Americans from often horrific enslavement, merges with the weight of 21st century realities: more than a decade of U.S. invasions of other countries and post-9/11 assaults on U.S. Constitutional rights. This is the full essay text, along with some images from the exhibit catalog, from Esther Iverem, curator of the show.
Nov 22, 2013,
17:24
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The 411
Lethal Force Questioned
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| Miriam Carey's family question her killing. |
And More SeeingBlack.com 411--Racial and Social Justice: Angola 3 Member Herman Wallace Dies Just Days After Release from Prison...Sisters of woman killed in D.C. say deadly force was unnecessary...Houston Police Cleared of Wrongdoing in Hundreds of Shootings...NC: Officer Charged in Fatal Shooting of Unarmed Man Who Sought Help After Crash...Marissa Alexander, Sentenced to 20 Years for Warning Shot, Gets New Trial...Alleged Navy Rape Victim Questioned About What She Was Wearing, How She Performs Oral Sex...George Zimmerman’s Wife Expresses Doubt About His Innocence in Travyon Martin Case
Oct 6, 2013,
17:50
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Movies/TV
A Man Who Lived To Tell
"12 Years a Slave" reminds us of how slavery’s horrors have been both so normalized and erased from national memory.
By Esther Iverem
Oct 31, 2013,
00:01
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The 411
$50 Billion For Spying
The SeeingBlack.com 411: The Military-Industrial-Spying-Complex: U.S. Intelligence "Black Budget" Tops $50 Billion...Lawmakers Seek Answers on DEA Unit Linked to NSA...In Secret AT&T Deal, U.S. Drug Agents Given Access to 26 Years of Americans’ Phone Records...The NSA is Mapping Social Networking of Americans...
Oct 6, 2013,
18:37
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Movies/TV
Fighting Somali Pirates
As the title suggests, the move "Captain Phillips" is not about Somali pirates, many of whom see piracy as a form of reparations for their ruined lives, economy and eco-system. Rather, it is another film that baldly promotes U.S. military might.
By Esther Iverem
Oct 21, 2013,
11:36
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The 411
Lives in the Balance
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| On city is stepping in to save itself from banksters. |
The SeeingBlack.com 411: Economics and Politics: U.S. Government Shutdown Threatens Services for Low-Income Children, Seniors and Medical Patients...Five Years After the 2008 Crash, Wall Street Hedge Funds Loot Pension Funds of Public Workers...Merrill Lynch to Pay $160 Million in Largest Racial Discrimination Settlement Ever...Richmond, CA Approves Body to Oversee Purchases of Underwater Mortgages...U.S. Extends Wage, Overtime Protections to Home Care Workers...Koch-Linked "Freedom Partners" Spent $236 Million in 2012 Campaign...And MUCH More! Check the REAL News
Oct 6, 2013,
18:18
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Movies/TV
Fight For The Middle Class
In the new movie "Inequality For All,” former labor secretary Robert Reich is wide-ranging in his analysis of all that ails United States capitalism but he
still believes that capitalism can work. And in brief: "Gravity"
By Esther Iverem
Oct 13, 2013,
19:28
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The 411
Japan Scraps Fukushima
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| Sites of tar sands removal are devastated. |
And More SeeingBlack.com 411--The Planet: Japan Scraps All 6 Nuclear Reactors at Fukushima Plant to Focus on Containing Leak...Fukushima Radiation at Record High...Report: 50 Top Firms Produce 73 Percent of Emissions...Judge Halts Tar Sands "Megaloads" Through Nez Perce Land in Idaho...Fracking Wastewater Tied to Earthquakes in Ohio City. And MUCH MORE! Check the news!
Oct 6, 2013,
18:58
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The 411
Movies, Marching, Mayhem
Just as in the Black nationalist trajectory of “The Butler,” there were speakers at the March on Washington who saw the 50th anniversary as coinciding with what they considered as the fulfillment of King’s dream—having a Black man in the White House—nevermind that this Black man has used drones or missiles to attack Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia and now has his sights set on Syria.
By Esther Iverem
Sep 6, 2013,
13:27
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The 411
300 Migrants Feared Dead
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| Bodies of drowned Africans are lined up in Italy |
And More SeeingBlack.com 411--Diaspora and International: 300 African Migrants Feared Dead in Boat Tragedy...Jeremy Scahill: Al-Shabab’s Nairobi Mall Rampage Tied to "Disastrous" U.S. Meddling in Somalia...Court Upholds 50-Year Prison Term for Charles Taylor...South African Gold Miners Strike for Higher Wages...Inquiry: South African Police Lied About Last Year’s Killing of Striking Miners.
Oct 6, 2013,
19:33
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Movies/TV
The Eyes of 'The Butler'
After a series of films like “Monsters Ball” and “Precious,” which view Black life through a lens of either pathology or the pathetic, director Lee Daniels has done a 180 with “The Butler.”
Aug 23, 2013,
15:09
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Movies/TV
Today's 'Middle Passage'
“The Pirogue” tells the story of a group of West Africans who make the risky decision to use a fishing boat to travel to Europe in search of what they think will be a better life. By Esther Ivveem
Aug 19, 2013,
00:12
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