Nubian artistic excellence is the calling card for Gordon Parks. In 1969 he became the first Black person to write and direct a major Hollywood studio feature film, “The Learning Tree,” based on his best selling novel. Two years later he continued breaking new cinematic directorial ground with the 1971 movie “Shaft.” That movie was not only a hit, but it had wide critical acclaim. That movie is recognized as the vanguard movie for “Blaxploitation” cinema of that era. Academic racism was why Mr. Parks’ work was never compared to his White peers, like Spielberg, Hitchcock and Scorsese. If academicians had compared them, they would find a resume that overshadowed those premiere directors.
Author: Carma Henry
Carma Henry
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861
Pompano Beach Arts is honored to announce the new group exhibition, Fin, which celebrates the achievements of the 2022/2023 Artists in Residence (AiR) at Bailey Contemporary Arts (BaCA) will run through June 30, 2023. The exhibition features works created by the artists during their 9-month residency and opened with a glamorous vernissage party, which was attended by a who’s who of arts, community, and political leaders. Learn more about this exhibition at www.pompanobeacharts.org
ON THURSDAY June 8, 2023, the Eta Nu Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. held its annual Talent Hunt Program, one of the fraternity’s mandated observances. Parents, community partners, friends, and chapter members converged at the E. Pat Larkins Complex to celebrate and observe the extraordinarily, talented contestants, many of whom attend Dillard High’s School of the Performing Arts: Va ‘Kiel Harris ( Piano Solo), Manasseh Etienne (Violin Solo), and Issac Delva (Piano Solo). A fourth contestant, Talia Mitchell, performed also.
Ben Crump wants ‘Stand Your Ground’ Laws Abolished after Florida Mom Fatally Shot Through Closed Door
The shooting of 11-year-old Aderrien Murry by a Mississippi police officer is a reminder of a rather common trend in America’s policing: Black children often get treated as or mistaken for crime suspects.
The FAMU Sports Hall of Fame will hold its 47th Enshrinement Weekend from Friday, September 22 through Saturday, September 23 on the University campus. Venue and Ticketing details will be released shortly.
Florida A&M University’s football field at Bragg Memorial Stadium could soon have a new name in honor of NFL Hall of Famer Ken Riley — and the same goes for FAMU’s softball field that is expected to be named after former head softball coach Veronica Wiggins.
Even though the back-to-back Black national championships and NCAA I-AA (FCS) championship are mentioned, it often seems like other schools would revere a coach with those credentials more than he has been at FAMU. On the FAMU campus, there needs to be some respect put on Rudy Hubbard’s name.
On June 5, 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers and representatives of bibigo® foods hosted their inaugural ‘Lakers Town’ community event in Koreatown. The event featured a new Lakers mural by artist, Jonas Never, and appearances by Los Angles Lakers legends, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, James Worthy, A.C. Green, and Robert Horry, as fans and community members celebrated the unveiling of a mural that celebrates some of the dynamic duos in Lakers history.
The families of Negro League baseball players are calling for a national day of recognition and attention for the Negro Leagues, the Black ball-players who were excluded because of race from Major League Baseball teams. The descendants have come together to form the Negro Leagues Family Alliance (NLFA), established in February.