(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Black Kos Tuesday: Foxy and Fabulous [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-05-28 Foxy and Fabulous Review by Chitown Kev Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema by Odie Henderson Amber Press, 292 pp., $27.00 Boston Globe film critic Odie Henderson’s Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema sent this reader on a bit of a nostalgic trip, reminding me of why it is a great thing to be a Generation X denizen born in the late 1960’s. True enough, I consider 1980s culture to be the culture that my generation had the largest role in forming; indeed, it was the 1980’s that gave Generation X its name. But I remember most of the 1970’s even if I was, for the most part, a very young observer. I have no memory of the assassinations of 1968 and civil unrest. I grew up with an innate sense that “Black is Beautiful” (even if I didn’t think that I was beautiful, I knew that we were) and we looked even more fabulous in our bell bottoms, platform shoes and Empire State Building-high Afros (some of those Afros were wigs, y’all). I vaguely remember the conversion of the Motown sound into the grittiest of what I know to be soul music. In 1974, I saw Diana Ross get butt-naked in Mahogany on the drive-in movie screen. On that same drive-in movie screen, I watched and remember quite a few of the larger than life Black folks in the “Blaxploitation” movies that Mr. Henderson discusses. Mr. Henderson begins his discussion of blaxploitation films by identifying the first movie in the genre. He considers films such Mario Van Peebles’ Watermelon Man, the little-known (and unreleased) Stop! by Bill Gunn before naming the Ossie Davis-directed take on the Chester Himes novel Cotton Comes to Harlem. It was the release of Shaft in 1971 that “provided the blueprint for many Blaxploitation movies to follow.” “There’s the tough, macho hero and his sexy ladies, colorful side characters deeply rooted in their neighborhood, a Harlem location, scenes with cops both racist and cooperative, a subplot featuring a black militant group, and last but not least, a score and theme song by a famous African-American soul/R&B artist.” The release of the cocaine-saturated Superfly, predictably, brought out all the gatekeepers of Black respectability at the NAACP, CORE, and Ebony and Jet magazines at the same time that Italian Americans were protesting the release of The Godfather movie and for many of the same reasons; reasons that, to put a word to it, gets on Mr. Henderson’s nerves. “Some of the images in Blaxploitation are scandalous but...more recent people like proven hypocrite Bill Cosby lecturing and guilting Black people Into their version of conformity is more offensive than any image on a screen.” Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras contain many of the best movie synopsis of the Blaxploitation movie genre that I have read, all of the stars including Roy Roundtree, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Richard Pryor, Sidney Poitier (who began do do some of the films that he wanted to do because of the genre), and Tamara Dobson, an entire chapter on James Bond (!), and lots of detail on the relationship between Blaxploitation movies and more mainstream movies featuring Black people like Claudine and Lady Sings the Blues. It’s a good non-academic resource even though an index is sorely needed to look up specific films and actors. But Mr. Henderson has written of a movie genre and a time that we should all remember quite fondly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Josh Jones thought the Kansas City Symphony dismissed him unjustly — and took his complaints public. Supporters say he’s exposing an antiquated system that thwarts promising young talent. Washington Post: A Black rising star lost his elite orchestra job. He won’t go quietly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Josh Jones wasn’t expecting to lose his dream job that day. He had heard some grumbling during his time as the principal percussionist with the Kansas City Symphony, but everyone agreed that he was a stunning performer — not to mention the first Black musician in the orchestra’s history to land a leadership position. In his first season, his marimba solo in a Vivaldi performance prompted the maestro himself to send a handwritten note: “I am so happy to make music with you,” Michael Stern wrote, “and there’s no doubt everybody onstage agrees.” But two years later, Stern had called Jones in to inform him of his deficiencies, particularly his organizational skills overseeing a tiny section made up of one other full-timer and a rotating cast of substitute players. “Josh, there’s a problem,” Stern told him, according to the symphony’s transcript of the meeting. “It’s not working in the section. It’s frustrating to me because I wanted it to work.” Jones tried to argue. He denied that he had failed to rent equipment or assign parts on time, and he had the email records to prove it. But Stern kept going: complaints about his work in “The Nutcracker,” something about the marimba during a Rufus Wainwright performance, though Stern wasn’t there for either show. “We had time to deal with this, and now we are at an end,” Stern concluded. Jones’s reply was terse. “That’s show business,” he conceded. Technically, Stern was denying Jones tenure with the Kansas City Symphony that day in January 2023, but it was equivalent to ending his career there — he would be obligated to leave at the end of his initial short-term contract. And it would soon trigger a larger debate in the orchestra world about race, tradition and how the profession welcomes, or resists, new members. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Genetically engineered mosquitoes have been released in the tiny East African country of Djibouti to combat a surge in malaria infections caused by an invasive vector. CNN: Djibouti fights deadly malaria wave with GMO mosquitoes ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This initiative started on Thursday, comes as Djibouti, one of Africa’s smallest nations with just over a million residents, grapples with a dramatic increase in malaria cases, skyrocketing from just 27 in 2012 to more than 70,000 in recent years, according to the WHO. The health body attributes the spike to the arrival of Anopheles stephensi, an invasive Asian mosquito species that transmit the deadly disease. The mosquito species has also been detected in Ethiopia and Somalia, Djibouti’s neighbors in the Horn of Africa, posing a significant regional threat. U nlike most malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in Africa that breed in rural areas, Anopheles Stephensi thrives in urban environments, intensifying the public health challenge for predominantly urban Djibouti. “This mosquito poses a huge threat to our fight against malaria,” said Grey Frandsen, CEO of US-owned biotechnology firm Oxitec, which developed the gene-modified mosquitoes released in Djibouti. “Anopheles stephensi evade conventional tools, are resistant to insecticides and daytime-biters, reducing the efficacy of bed nets,” he said. Djibouti health minister Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh told CNN that his nation was trying out the new technology developed by Oxitec and believes it could be a “game changer” in reducing malaria spread. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vice President Kamala Harris has announced the formation of a new partnership to help provide internet access to 80% of Africa by 2030, up from 40% now. Associated Press: Harris announces plans to help 80% of Africa gain access to the internet, up from 40% now ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vice President Kamala Harris announced Friday the formation of a new partnership to help provide internet access to 80% of Africa by 2030, up from roughly 40% now. The announcement comes as follow-through on Harris’ visit to the continent last year and in conjunction with this week’s visit to Washington by Kenyan President William Ruto. Harris and the Kenyan leader had a public chat on Friday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce about how public-private partnerships can increase economic growth. “Many could rightly argue that the future is on the continent of Africa,” said Harris, noting that the median age in Africa is 19, a sign of the potential for economic growth. “It is not about, and simply about aid, but about investment and understanding the capacity that exists.” Africa has struggled to obtain the capital needed to build up its industrial and technological sectors. The United Nations reported last year that foreign direct investment in the continent fell to $45 billion in 2022, from a record high $80 billion in 2021. Africa accounted for only 3.5% of foreign direct investment worldwide, even though it makes up roughly 18% of the global popula Besides launching the nonprofit Partnership for Digital Access in Africa, Harris announced an initiative geared toward giving 100 million African people and businesses in the agricultural sector access to the digital economy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lilian Seenoi-Barr, who arrived from Kenya in 2010, will make history when she receives chain of office in Derry. The Guardian: Refugee braves racist abuse to become Northern Ireland’s first black mayor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lilian Seenoi-Barr will make history on 3 June when she receives the chain of office at Derry’s guildhall and becomes Northern Ireland’s first black mayor. It will be the culmination of a personal and political journey that began in 2010 when she arrived as a refugee from Kenya and became part of the region’s growing multi-ethnic identity. The milestone has prompted pride in Northern Ireland and Kenya that a woman with Maasai roots will represent the city of John Hume and Derry Girls, but it has also raised concern about Seenoi-Barr’s safety. Because not everyone is cheering. Far-right activists including the US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones have used her elevation to peddle the notion that Ireland, north and south, is being “invaded”. She has received death threats and racist abuse. “To have your life threatened is not a good feeling when you genuinely just want to serve the people of your city,” the incoming mayor said in an interview. “People are absorbing populist information that is quite loud. It’s kind of like every single problem that exists in the north of Ireland or across Ireland has been caused by immigrants.” Seenoi-Barr’s symbolic breakthrough at Derry and Strabane district council has coincided with a backlash against immigrants and refugees on both sides of the border and a row between London and Dublin over asylum seekers entering the republic via Northern Ireland. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Following a Florida bill that effectively bans DEI programs at the state's college and universities, the NAACP has called on Black athletes to reconsider attending predominantly white institutions. Market Place: How the game has changed for Black college athletes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that largely prohibits the state’s public colleges and universities from using federal funds for programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion. This led some representatives from the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, to call on Black athletes to reconsider attending predominantly white institutions. Now, beyond the cost-benefit analysis that each Black athlete would have to undertake to decide what course to take, it’s the question of whether the NAACP — this iconic civil rights organization — still has the level of influence it once had, especially with Gen Z athletes who have entered the new, lucrative college sports arena. “Marketplace” special correspondent Lee Hawkins has been reporting on this ongoing story and joined David Brancaccio to discuss. Below is an edited transcript of their conversation. David Brancaccio: I remember your piece for us the other week. It had the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama making a similar call to Black athletes not to attend predominantly white colleges in response to DEI restrictions. It’s hard to measure though the cost of not attending one of these big schools. Lee Hawkins: Yes, and it could be huge. I mean, in the case of the University of Alabama, or comparable high-profile programs, it could be really steep. I mean, the school produced a whopping 10 athletes into the NFL Draft this year. And playing at that level is almost viewed as a ticket to the NFL for elite players. Now, on the converse, if this were to take hold among Black athletes, it could have implications for Division I schools, because Black male athletes in the big revenue sports of football and basketball represent 45% of the football players and 51% of the basketball players. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WELCOME TO THE TUESDAY PORCH [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/5/28/2242662/-Black-Kos-Tuesday-Foxy-and-Fabulous?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/