Incumbent Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (USA) Edna B. Jackson . (photo courtesy of Diva Magazine). Journalist Patricia C. Stumb, in a 1999 Connect Savannah news magazine story titled “Peace, love & blessings…,” wrote of how I “found worldly consciousness in the heart of [my] hometown.” Her observation was surprisingly precise because during that period while living in Savannah, Georgia, I had indeed become more aware of my hometown on the global scale of things. I had also become more cognizant of myself as an author whose influences and inspirations tended often to derive from regions far beyond it. However, expanded consciousness or not, there was no such thing as overlooking the profound thematic shift that occurred in the city’s history when Floyd Adams became its first African-American mayor in 1996. That event prompted the composition of these lines: By way of an African wind a letter came today. It was not scribbled over Hallmark fantasies or popcultur

If you’re a regular reader of my national African-American cultural arts column, you may have noticed that I have not been posting articles as frequently as I once did. The reason is simple enough. Having reached a certain point in the research for my current book-in-progress (at least one of them anyway) I had to reduce as many additional writing obligations as possible to fully concentrate on completion of the work. For me, this is the part of authorship when the lyrical muse sings and the creative pen dances. The greater bulk of the more rigid tasks of verification and documentation have been satisfied, and imagination may be allowed to take over the processes of narrative construction. The resulting musical flow of image and language stamp the work with its own unique identity. And its own self-defined meanings destined to merge with different readers’ interpretations of the same. The Writer and the Times I started the national African-American  cultural arts colu

For those members of a given demographic made uneasy by the idea of eventually becoming just one more minority in America, an abbreviated mind taking note of the evolving dynamics could react with overwhelming fear. The carnage inflicted by Dylann Roof in Charleston, SC, just last month may be considered one such case. That demonstrated by the Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik in 2011 illustrates how analogous scenarios are playing out across the globe. The idea and reality of losing  previously-held political power and privileged authority based on racial domination could (some would say apparently does) encourage violence against  those perceived of as a threat. Certainly the ongoing violence inflicted upon  unarmed African-Americans by armed White-American policemen ––the latest most  visible cases being that of Sandra Bland in Waller County, Texas, and Sam Dubose in Cincinnati, Ohio, does very little to suggest otherwise.   From the opposite end of the  undulatin

Ja A. Jahannes (right) and Aberjhani signing copies of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance at Barnes and Noble in Savannah, Georgia . (photo courtesy Bright Skylark Literary Productions) Any attempt to write a biographical essay about someone as multi-talented and prolific as the late Ja A. Jahannes would be incomplete without immersion––or re-immersion––into a comprehensive sample of his works. In Jahannes’ case that would mean listening to diverse genres of music, going through numerous powerful poems, revisiting provocative essays, and revisiting intensely-original memoirs, novels, and plays. Getting it all done in the short amount of time allotted by deadlines would not be possible but enjoying the challenge would be. In the course of rising to meet that challenge by penning the essay 5 Ways to be Geniuses Together, Celebrating  Ja Jahannes , I naturally looked for suitable quotes to include with the essay. Upon finding more than I could use, I was inspired to

(Quotation poster of Ja Jahannes created by Posted Poetics) One self-penned definition of the word genius is: a focused intensification of individual intelligence resulting in works of exemplary creativity, visionary leadership, or uncommon spiritual depth and beauty. This definition is perhaps a fitting one to describe much of the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Ja A. Jahannes, who was born August 25, 1942. in Baltimore, Maryland, and died in Savannah, Georgia, on July 5, 2015. As recently as April 28, Jahannes (as he was known to many of his friends) had started a new blog in which he stated his intentions as follows: “This is the beginning of me putting my thoughts, observations, queries, photos and insights in one place for present, current, and past generations (it could happen…time travel) to read and witness that I made some small, if not minuscule, contribution to Planet Sol-3.” Unfortunately,  battles with illness and the drive to continuously produce creative wo

( "Tao of the Rainbow No. 12" graphic art-poem by Aberjhani ) Given the horrendous white-versus-black-motivated massacre in Charleston, S.C., on June 17, the jubilant rainbow celebrations that broke out following the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nation-wide on June 26, and increasing calls to cease flying the Confederate flag on government properties, colors have commanded a lot of attention during these changing times. The hues celebrated the most of course on July 4 in the United States are red, white, and blue. Many like to believe they stand for freedom, justice, and the American way. Officially, however, according to the House of Representatives’ publication Our Flag , red stands for hardiness and valor, white represents purity and innocence, and blue symbolizes vigilance. But long before the founding of America’s democratic republic, visual and literary artists have used colors to create realistic images of external en

News about homegrown and foreign terrorism receives a lot of broadcast media airtime and focused attention online. It has become a pervasive theme in the developing story of our 21st century lives. Still, it is not something with which most us can ever afford to become so comfortable that we take it for granted in the same way that we take doing the laundry or drinking a cup of coffee for granted. Nor should we. I almost refused to allow myself to believe the reports about the shooting Wednesday (June 17, 2015) at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC. Six women and three men shot dead by one Dylann Storm Roof. I almost succeeded in believing the massacre had not occurred so close to where I grew up in Savannah, Georgia. Then I reminded myself that denial of evident truth is also something we cannot afford to indulge in today's socially and politically tumultuous climate. Please click the link to read the full essay : Shifting Points of View and

(Image still from YouTube video of poet Claude McKay reciting “If We Must Die”) The summer of 2015  marks the 96th anniversary of the publication of Harlem Renaissance poet Claude  McKay’s masterful poem, “If We Must Die.” This essay is presented in  commemoration of that literary milestone and in remembrance of the Red Summer  of 1919 that inspired it. There were many good reasons to believe America had entered––or at least was about to enter––a golden era of post-racialism following the election of Barack Obama in 2008. Among them was the election of the country’s first African-American president itself, an increasingly diverse American population, and a sociopolitical landscape made more democratic (in appearance at least) by the various influences of technological innovation. Unfortunately, none of those good noble reasons were able to withstand the onslaught of reality as the number of hate   groups in the country began to increase almost immediately, even while

Image still from photography video of modern-day slavery by Lisa Kristine presented by TEDTalks . Two of the most acclaimed movies of the past decade, 12 Years a Slave and Django Unchained , have focused on the degradation, inhumanity, and absurdity associated with slavery as it was once practiced in the United States. Those who are surprised by this film genre’s ability to continue to command the attention of audiences around the world might want to consider the fact that various forms of forced servitude are very real in 2015. In addition, just as the year 2011 marked the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War, 2015 commemorates the sesquicentennial of the war’s end. It is therefore also the official end of slavery in the United States and reason enough for movies that remind viewers why so many fought against it then and why so many, acknowledged or not, are doing so now. For all intended purposes, the precise date of the end of the Civil War was

                              First Lady Michelle Obama. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) The amazing W.E.B. Du Bois is often celebrated as one of America’s greatest educators, historians, human rights leaders, prolific authors, and galvanizing change agents. What many may not realize is that during the first half of the 20th century he stood among that select group of “enlightened” men who championed the rights of women, and who argued that their full empowerment was crucial to the continuing development of democratic ideals and practices. The degree to which Dr. Bois believed the unfettered role of women in American society was an absolutely essential one can be summed up in part by these words from his pen: “...No state can be strong which excludes from its expressed wisdom, the knowledge possessed by mothers, wives and daughters.” There are numerous reasons to spend time considering Du Bois’ insight on women’s equality at this specific juncture of history in th

Director Ava DuVernay talks about the SELMA movie at Sirius XM in New York . (Getty Image by Robin Marchant) For me, the movie Selma provided 3 very important opportunities. The first was to celebrate the fact that the extraordinary story of the people of Selma, Alabama, had received “big-screen movie treatment” with director Ava DuVernay, producers Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt, and a cast of some of the most gifted actors working today, including David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr., at the helm. The second important opportunity was a chance to write about the movie’s potential impact on present-day campaigns to secure various gains won in the past but clearly placed at risk in the present. Due to the nature of the subject, I knew the planned article would require at least a 2-part installment.  However, a trip to Selma in 2009 to participate in the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee had inspired an essay:  To check out the full story behind the stories please click th

3 Producers of the movie "Selma" (right to left): Dede Gardner, Oprah Winfrey, and director Ava DuVernay.  The movie Selma, directed and executive produced by Ava DuVernay, opened on Christmas Day 2014 and rang in the New Year 2015 with domestic ticket sales estimated at $1, 204,000 according to Box Office Mojo. Whereas there have been any number of films about the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. produced for television, Selma is the first major feature film on the great civil rights leader made for theatrical release. The movie’s box office performance at the beginning of the year placed it at number 23 on Fandango’s list of “Top Box Office Movies,” and it currently stands at number 22. Both positions place it far behind “The Hobbit: the Battle of the Five Armies” ruling at the time at number 1, and “Unbroken” at number 2. However, Selma played during the first week of its release in only 19 select theaters. It is set to screen nation-wide on Janu