NEW YORK, NY- Transformational counselor, lifestyle expert, musician and writer K. Neycha Herford has joined CentricTV.com as a featured contributor to provide radically fresh perspectives on common problems. Through her new webisode, “Situation reMixed”, produced exclusively for CentricTV.com, Neycha helps viewers shift their agreements with their problems and remix their lives. We invite you to join the conversation every week and crossfade with Neycha!

“I’m excited to share my platform with CentricTV.com and I applaud them for advancing progressive ideas on wellness and self-empowerment. Too often people want to be supported in their chorus of misery rather than challenged to change it. I am all for pushing radical paradigm shifts. I help those who desire to become the conscious architects of their own reality and transform their entire lives. I call this process crossfading™, because I believe when we remix our minds, we can change our lives.”

Neycha creates progressive platforms that encourage authentic self-definition, facilitate high-voltage transformation and inspire radical creative expression. For 13+ years, she has been accomplishing the masterful through multiple mediums including transformational counseling, lifestyle coaching, writing, speaking, providing abbreviated advice for radio and television audiences, as well as stirring provocative and compelling conversations as a skilled interviewer and lead moderator. To learn more, visit www.neycha.info.

CentricTV.com is a division of Black Entertainment Television LLC. Herford is available for media interviews.

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Blue aint the only color of jazz

(for Richard Pryor)

An excerpt from Garnes’ poetry collection Like Sweet Tea On A Hot Summer Day

By Edward M. Garnes, Jr.©

Award winning writer, educator, counselor, and activist Edward M. Garnes, Jr. is the founder of From Afros to Shelltoes Art, Action, and Conversation, a nationally acclaimed series of cultural productions confronting the social divide between elders and hip hop heads. The 2009 Atlanta Tribune Man Of Distinction holds a B.A. in English Writing from DePauw University and a M.A. in Counseling from Michigan State University . His seminal essay, ” Sweet Tea Ethics: Black Luv, Healthcare, and Cultural Mistrust,” currently appears in Not In My Family: AIDS in the African American Community, a 2007 NAACP Image Award nominated collection edited by Gil Robertson. (www.afrostoshelltoes.com).

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Literary Apartheid

Essays on one poets struggle for definition.

By jessica Care moore

(An excerpt from her upcoming book…visit www.moreblackpress.com for more info)

“If I had gone directly to the people, read my poems, faced the crowds, got into immediate touch with Tom, Dick, and Harry instead of waiting to be interpreted, I’d have had my audience at once,” –Walt Whitman

I am not a slam poet.

I’ve been planning to write this essay for months now. I needed to wait. To unclench my teeth and unfold my yellow/black fists and step away. I had to breathe, so I could form my fingers into the shape of a writer and hold my pen steady when I finally decided to fire back.

The text I will make reference to makes me want to write my first “slam” poem since 1996 and beat the ideas of this book down in 3 minutes or less. But, I gave up battling with art so long ago. Battling, which is from the “dozens,” which was put on the map by Emcees, not Slam Poetry, as this book asserts, so this space on the page is where I will challenge the text.

Writing about something, in some ways, gives something off center, validation. Even speaks it into existence. I struggled with that idea the same way Mari Evans did when she was asked many years ago to contribute to a group repudiation volume against Shahrazad Ali’s book. At first she declined, thinking it would just go away. But I know, like Mari, the power of books in print.

“Whether created in her own porcelain tower or by committee, or rooted in her own personal gripes with the “slam scene,” the “book” exists. This piece of writing is a response to Susan Somers-Willett’s book, The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry. The title is a cover-up the very essence of what this book suggests and attempts to support by using failed references and easy targets like media mogul, Russell Simmons.

I suggest this new title: Disgruntled European Slam Poet Dehumanizes Black Poets, comparing them to “black face” minstrels and “commercial niggas like us.”

The smartest thing Willett did with this collection, was write around my history in the world of poetry. I find it interesting that a self proclaimed, “slam scholar” would not put the fact that I was the lone feminine voice of the quite popular Nuyorican Poetry Slam Team of 1996, into any proper context or analysis. Still, this omission helps to further validate my response in this text. Another omission is the credit for Saul Williams’s poetry she used from his first book I published, The Seventh Octave on Moore Black Press. I find this a constant oversight for most “other stream” publishing houses or writers that don’t acknowledge the work he published with me (even though those poems are still very much signature and classic to his fan base), prior to MTV Pocketbooks.

Nothing new there.

I want to state for the record that I am not a “slam poet.” I am a blue-collar poet and writer, I make rock and roll music, I’m a mommy and I’m from Detroit. I wear every hat a writer could wear, including sometime a hardhat like my construction worker daddy. Publisher, poet, scholar, teacher, performer, musician, activist and producer. When I was becoming a true poet, there were no TV shows, slams or cool ways to market what I do. There were books, limited open mic nights in Detroit, mixed in with some disenfranchised students and working class people in search of a way to be heard in my city. A space on the planet to simply be human. I’ve been writing since I was 9-years old. In high school I studied the segregated curriculum that celebrated European male poets of the Canon, and I loved them because I wasn’t given much of a choice. My favorite poets were Alice Walker and Emily Dickinson. I only knew Walker, Angelou and Lorraine Hansberry because of my mother, who “ate” books my entire childhood. In 11th grade my life would change when my drama coach brought Ntozake’s play “For Colored Girls” into the classroom. I was an honors English student, mastering Sonnets and Iambic Pentameter, and devouring Frost, Eliot and Shakespeare.

I didn’t realize the deep cultural politics and institutionalized racism of the education system until I became a more recognized poet and writer. When I began to write my own work, I did what Dickinson or Eliot did, I pulled from my experiences, my environment, my dreams. Eliot pulled words from his wife’s mouth. She had an interesting mouth, so why not?

I went to catholic private schools, spent four years at public high schools, and did undergraduate work at Michigan State University and Wayne State University. I find it strange that Willett’s book blatantly implies that The Black Arts Movement was anti-academic. This is the furthest from the truth. Dudley Randall? Larry Neal? Leroi Jones? Don L. Lee? Sonia Sanchez? They fought against the indoctrinating power of institutionalized racism. They are/were teachers, scholars, and institution builders.

They fought against segregated classrooms. They were against segregated curriculums, which is exactly what students are still offered today. Hence, we continue to graduate a bunch of Masters of Nothing who are proficient and well versed in only a glimpse of the vast writing in American Literature.

Willett examines race and the politics of an art form with no historical references of how our (our meaning writers of color) work evolved. No mention on the influence of dislocation and how that affects language and the people who speak and write in it.

She argues that “black poets” often use their “authentic” race experience to influence or entertain white liberal guilt. This accretion is racist at its core. When I began writing, I was a young nationalist thinker. I was student organizer. My work was and has never been “art for arts sake.” I wrote from my heart, but I also knew the importance of studying the craft. What place to write from first, if not the mirror?

You cannot criticize poets of color, Native, Asian, African, American, Indian, Chicano or otherwise, for writing about their particular experience. It’s the same as criticizing Jordan for taking over the NBA in his prime. It seems some of the slam culture committee looks at us as a coup of sorts! Black poets conspiring and writing poems to take over an art form that claims a humble beginning in Chicago by a blue-collar construction worker and poet, Marc Smith. ???

The author generalizes black poets, even those who are well versed in craft, and then gets permission to use their own work to make her case. Wow!

If we “use” our authentic experience to get higher scores at slams, then Willett uses her own authentic white privilege to get her book deal and validation for her ideas from a University Press. This is very difficult for a young writer or poet of color with strong opinion to accomplish. What is the difference?

The book notes that black poets have concurrently won slams. Well, who was the first Nuyorican Poets Slam Champion? My longtime associate and amazing writer, Paul Beatty. A six foot tall black man who is a now an incredible novelist.

What I really want to know is what exactly is the role of poetry and why doesn’t Willett see black poets, slamming or otherwise as a relevant voice in the spectrum of human experience?

When I write about my life, about my skin, my bones, being a girl, and how the world sees me and me it, that isn’t because I’m trying to pacify a white liberal audience. It’s my story. I’m a writer and I’m just as relevant as Dickinson or Whitman who wrote about his perspective on life and nature in the monumental work, “Leaves of Grass.”

And why can’t those Canon writers be my models? The same way Walker and Shange are models for my work, I, like many other writers of color, have studied the inclusive Canon.

Witllett doesn’t mention me, nor does Dana Gioia, who wrote an incredibly interesting book, Disappearing Ink. I did not come from “out of nowhere.” Where is asha bandele, Willie Perdomo, London’s Malika B, Tony Medina, Samir Bashir, Sandra Cisneros? Where are the black poets who write books, and have a balance of performance, activism and literature?

When Willett is tearing into Def Poetry Jam, she notes that some “icon” poets made appearances on the show. She uses quotes on the word “icons.” Are Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Haki Madhubuti and The Last Poets icons in quotes??!! Two of the founders of The Blacks Arts Movement?! A movement, which celebrates some of our genius, and the struggle for voice and freedom in our own country.

Willett also makes reference to Hip Hop and misogyny, and accuses Amiri Baraka of being anti-Semitic. So, the “white” slam community isn’t misogynistic and male dominated. Are you serious? My first experience with a white boy network in the form of poetry was in Portland Oregon in 1996. My first and last slam. Highlights of that moment in time, was meeting and hearing Patricia Smith perform for the first time. She was and still is an amazing writer. Still, Willett finds a way to strategically box in this talented writers work, by comparing her work to fellow Slam poet Taylor Mali. Mali attempted a “character” driven piece that didn’t come off as strong (he was portraying a racist) and Willett argues it’s because people actually believed it could be him. Smith is a master of this form of performance. Could it be that her writing and performance was stronger?

The idea of writing to appease a white audience is quite hilarious to me. I know Taylor Mali. I did a few performances with him after the Slam experience, and I found him funny and cooler outside of Portland. In Portland, however, he reminded me of the network. Of why I didn’t feel like this genre of performance was meant for me. I remember being in that beautiful theater in Portland and performing a strong political piece called “box this” about the multi-cultural category on the census forms. Contrary to what Somers-Willett’s writes, my work usually makes people, sometimes my “own,” uncomfortable. An Asian writer friend told me afterward, a European woman in the audience asked him, (referring to me) “why does sound like that.” She wanted to know why I was so angry.

My unapologetic political poems scored quite low at The National Slam of 1996. They weren’t even highlighted in the documentary in Paul Devlin and Tom Poole’s film, Slamnation! Slamnation! helped to shape me in one of the icons of the 90’s Slam Scene, when I was a reluctant slammer and completely unhappy with my very limited voice in the film. Only my poems, “How can you fuck without kissing,” (I actually read this one at the slam), and the second poem, “black girl juice,” were referenced in a clip from my historical win on the Apollo Stage in 1995. Though political and celebratory of woman in their own right, the poems have obvious sexual themes. “Box this and “The Words Don’t Fit in My Mouth” were not shown at all.

I’ve made a living on the campuses in the classrooms of an academic world that fights to keep women and writers of color out of the Canon. They will use me to learn from, even in some instances, teach my work and the work of my peers, but the underlying reason is usually that they think I’m “hip.” I examined the way Black Student Unions or Women’s Departments would promote my readings on campus with little or no support from the English Departments. I struggled with young students or advisors, for that matter, labeling me a “Hip Hop Poet, Spoken Word Artist (something I’ve never called myself), or dancing money nigga poet who jumps wrote while reading poems in black face.”

I remember one English professor asking me, “what happened to the Hip Hop?” after one of my readings. I answered, “You didn’t pay for the band!” (Smile). He meant well, and we had an interesting dinner conversation that gave him more perspective on my work later.

I know I’ve changed the perspective of English and Creative Writing students with limited time and space in someone else’s classroom and in prison programs. I know I’ve taught teachers how to teach. I’ve seen young writers transform, and watched them become frustrated when I left, realizing how much they aren’t taught inside the segregated curriculums of our education system.

We have a long way to go with definition and this beautiful form of writing called poetry. I founded my press in 1997 so that they couldn’t write all of us off. So, that our work could be studied and deconstructed. So that academic writers couldn’t turn their nose down to our work and literary journals would actually consider our books for review.

I understand that I’m relevant and so are so many writers of my generation beyond race or gender. My writing is rooted in craft and balanced by magic, and no one can compete or score that personal truth. Still, in the spirit of Slam, and the importance of tradition, I’ll happily give myself a row of sharpie-marker 10’s, with smiley faces.

Slam This!

More to Come..

xo,

jessica Care moore

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PRESS CONTACT:

Dexter Wimberly, Fahamu Pecou Art, Inc.

917.500.7140; dexterwimberly@gmail.com 

Clark Atlanta University Acquires  Fahamu Pecou Painting

 For its Permanent Collection of African American Art

Martyr, Inc. by Fahamu Pecou 2010

(Atlanta, GA) July 11, 2010 – Fahamu Pecou Art, Inc. proudly announces Clark Atlanta University Collections of African American Art’s acquisition of Martyr, Inc. – a painting from Pecou’s acclaimed body of work, ALL FALLS DOWN.

The Clark Atlanta University Collections of African American Art collects, preserves, studies and exhibits fine art works that document American history and culture. The Collections document the American experience from the perspective of black Americans, an epic tale that is at the core of America’s identity. As such the University is dedicated to art that reflects a breadth of experiences of people of African descent living in the United States. The goal of the collection is to maintain and cultivate a representative collection of American art, and to encourage scholarly research giving special attention to the development of African American artists within the historical context of American art.

The suite of paintings, ALL FALLS DOWN, was originally created for and exhibited at Grambling State University, an HBCU in Southern Louisiana.  “When I was first contacted to exhibit my work at GSU, I knew I wanted to do something that would be in conversation with the student body,” Pecou explains. “I wanted to spark conversations with the students and get them to consider visual art as a tool for social change. Martyr, Inc., and the other works in the ALL FALLS DOWN collection takes its cues from the fashion phenomenon of ‘sagging’, a style where young men wear their pants below the hips revealing their underwear. The paintings and video in this series question the popularization of this look, the inherent social commentary made by this fashion statement, as well as the proliferation of celebrated negative behaviors within black male youth culture.”

“This past year it has been my mission to identify art that is current and represents the campus population, while maintaining the distinguished and historical content our collection is known for,” states Sheena Earl, Curatorial Assistant at Clark Atlanta University Galleries. “Pecou’s painting, Martyr, Inc. was a necessary addition to the Clark Atlanta University Art Collection. It is important for the collection because its subject matter is relative to the HBCU environment on so many levels; socially, academically and politically. Since we’ve installed the work visitors, including middle school and high school aged students, have been overwhelmed by the painting’s message, and can’t find the words to express their connection or can’t stop talking about it.”

“Bold in aim and uncomfortable in execution, Fahamu Pecou’s ALL FALLS DOWN confronts prevailing myths of black male identity perpetuated not only by the media, but also by black bodies, caught in a dangerous game of racial representation themselves. Pecou explores the burden of black men and their blues, while at the same time challenging them to step into their own greatness.  Throughout history, doling out the truth comes with a high social tax.  And with ALL FALLS DOWN, Pecou shows that he is willing to bear witness and pay his dues,” states award winning writer, educator and activist Edward M. Garnes, Jr.

ABOUT FAHAMU PECOU

www.fahamupecouart.com

Fahamu Pecou (b. 1975) is an American painter based in Atlanta, Georgia whose intention is to comment on contemporary and hip-hop culture while simultaneously subverting it to include his ideas on fine art.

In 2005, along with several of Atlanta’s premier contemporary artists, Fahamu Pecou made history at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art with the exhibition Arts Beats + Lyrics. Since 2005 Pecou has been featured in several solo and group exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad. His work has been reviewed and featured in numerous publications including Art In America, Harper’s Magazine, NY Arts Magazine, Mass Appeal Magazine, The Fader Magazine, Atlanta Peach Magazine, NY Arts Magazine and on the cover of Artlies Magazine. In 2007, he was named, “Critic’s Choice for Best Emerging Artist” by Atlanta’s Creative Loafing. He was also awarded a “Best in Show” Award for the 2007 Atlanta Biennial. In 2008 Pecou was awarded a residency at the Caversham Centre in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. Additionally, Pecou’s work was included in “DEFINITION: The Art and Design of Hip Hop”, an anthology chronicling the impact of hip-hop on visual culture, written by famed graffiti artist and designer Cey Adams.

In 2009 Fahamu Pecou’s work was featured in two international solo exhibitions – the first in Cape Town, South Africa and a second during Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland. In 2010, Pecou was named the first-ever Artist In Residence at the Harvey B. Gantt Center of African American Art and Culture in Charlotte, NC. Additionally, he was awarded a fellowship and residency at the McColl Center, also located in Charlotte, NC.

Fahamu Pecou maintains an active exhibition schedule as well as public lectures and speaking engagements at colleges and museums nationwide. Currently his work addresses concerns around representations of black masculinity and how these images come to define black men across generations and geographical boundaries.

###

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Award winning humanitarian, activist, writer, and educator Edward M. Garnes, Jr., founder From Afros To Shelltoes and an Atlanta Tribune Man Of Distinction, lends his voice to the holistic development of women populations in need. On July 16, 2010, Garnes joins a star studded cast for Black Tie, a fundraiser for Dress For Success-Atlanta to be held from 9:00pm to 2:00am at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center (980 Briarcliff Road, Atlanta, GA 30306).

Advance tickets are available, $15 for General Admission (includes entry + parking) and $25 for VIP/Donor ticketing (includes entry, reserved seating, parking, drink privileges, and more), online at www.blacktie-atl.com or by calling 404.935.6677

For Odie Donald, President/Founder of The Donald Group; Host Committee Chair of Black Tie, Garnes was a very natural selection.

“I hand picked Ed Garnes as a member of our host committee for Black Tie due to his continued service to the community, broad network of socially conscious young professionals, and love and support for the artistic community at large. Black Tie is not only a philanthropic effort to support our non-profit partners, but also an effort to shine an elegant light on the incredible talents of Atlanta’s up and coming musicians, artists, and designers through the influence of our diverse host committee.”

Black Tie is set to be an amazing night of music, fashion, and art featuring a diverse mix of participants including renowned choreographer Cici Kelley, visual artist Lucien Downes, recording artist Ross Fleming, and the styles of Natt Taylor’s “DESTINI.” Sponsors include Red Bull, Swagg Box, Satchel Jester’s Social Science, and the Atlanta Braves.

Black Tie benefits Dress For Success- Atlanta via an accessory/toiletry drive and Unity Network & Counseling Center by donating 20% of all proceeds. The evening is organized as follows:

8:00p: VIP reception for host committee/advance ticket patrons/early arrival VIP’s

9:00p: Black Carpet Arrivals; Private Opening of Black Tie Art Exhibition feat. Lucien Downes Accessory/Toiletry Drive (Guest will bring accessory items to be donated to Dress for Success Atlanta. Appropriate items include: handbags, scarves, belts, new hosiery, new cosmetics, jewelry, shoes and female toiletry items.)

Networking Mixer, Introduction of Black Tie Artist Gallery, Promotional “Live Art” Models, Vendor/Sponsor Informational Tables.

Live Performance by Ross Fleming, Live Art Installation featuring the creations of Rio Sirah, introducing DESTINI by Natt Taylor, Charity Raffle

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.blacktie-atl.com.

About Dress For Success-Atlanta

The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

About Unity Network and Counseling Center (UNCC)

The mission of Unity Network and Counseling Center (UNCC) is to create programs that enable the disadvantaged to enter into mainstream America and to provide opportunities for inner city youth to participate in sports, educational, cultural and community enrichment programs designed to build confidence, self-esteem, determination and self-respect.

About Edward M. Garnes, Jr.

Award winning writer, educator, counselor, and activist Edward M. Garnes, Jr. is the founder of From Afros to Shelltoes: Art, Action, and Conversation, a nationally acclaimed series of cultural productions confronting the social divide between elders and hip hop heads. The 2009 Atlanta Tribune Men Of Distinction holds a B.A. in English Writing from DePauw University and a M.A. in Counseling from Michigan State University. His seminal essay, ” Sweet Tea Ethics: Black Luv, Healthcare, and Cultural Mistrust,” currently appears in Not In My Family: AIDS in the African American Community, a 2007 NAACP Image Award nominated collection edited by Gil Robertson.

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Fresh from our play cousin Phonte (The Foreign Exchange) From Afros To Shelltoes hits you upside the head with a new exclusive. This funky single comes courtesy of  multi-instrumentalist ZO! whose album Sunstorm rises  July 27, 2010 on The Foreign Exchange Music imprint.   The joint features Grammy nominated  soulman Eric Roberson, choir boy crooner Darien Brockington, and spit fire specialist Rapper Big Pooh.

Listern Here For Zo!\’s This Could Be The Night

DOWNLOAD

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Wish You Were Here, the spoken word performance show featuring Theresa Davis & Jon Goode, returns to 7stages June 25th and 26th! The 25th will be an encore performance of the original show and the 26th will be the staging of a new performance. Special guests include Slam Poet April AP Smith, Slam Poet Gus Wood, Slam Poet Darnell Fine, BET Lyric Cafe’s Cola Rum, BET Lyric Cafe’s Spinxx and HBO Def Poetry/BET Lyric Cafe’s Malik Salaam to name a few. It promises to be two incredible nights of art and artistry. Come see what the fuss is all about; 7 Stages Theater, 1105 Euclid Ave tickets $10 in advance and $15 at the door. www.7stages.org or call 404-523-7647

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Young black girls need less Nicki Minaj and more Nikki Giovanni.

Pickin’ Cotton: Why Black Artists Still Aint Free

By: Edward M. Garnes, Jr.

With mega churches more concerned with tax returns than spiritual bankruptcy, absentee parents content on living second childhoods instead of raising competent adults, and ego driven leaders jockeying for a seat at Master’s table, it’s easy to understand why shallow billboard hits are all pretense and no power.

Click Here to read the full story @theloop21.com:

http://theloop21.com/society/pickin-cotton-why-black-artists-still-aint-free

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Ed & YahZarah photo: shannonmccollum.com

“Another benefactor of the post Badu renaissance, D.C. native YahZarah packs a mighty vocal punch in her petite 5 foot and some change frame. A former background singer of Erykah Badu, her live show is a hybrid of Tina Turner’s sensuality and Parliament’s funky freedom. On her Kebo Music release Hear Me, the former Duke Ellington School of Music student unleashes her six octave range over tracks like the infectious “Blackstar”. The spirit of Minnie Riperton and Angela Bofill lives on.”—Ed Garnes circa 2002

Nearly a decade ago, as an entertainment editor with a decided bent towards all things soul, I wrote the passage above in an article co-signing the significance of a talent with enough sista girl fire to ignite a new generation of soul mammas. And now, play cousin Phonte and Nicolay of The Foreign Exchange Music give YahZarah the sonic freedom to take her rightful place amongst the greatest soul divas of our day with her upcoming release The Ballad Of Purple Saint James featuring contributions by TheRealFocus (Marsha Ambrosius, Raphael Saddiq), Nate Smith (Michael Jackson), Steve McKie (Jill Scott, Bilal), and guest appearances from Jaspects, drummer Lil’ John Roberts, and singer Darien Brockington.  Courtesy of our friends at The Foreign Exchange Music, peep YahZarah’s 80′s influenced lead single here:

http://afrostoshelltoes.com/whydontchacallmenomore.mp3

“Why Dontcha Call Me No More”

Credits

Music: Nicolay

Lyrics:  YahZarah and Phonte Coleman

All vocals:  YahZarah

Keys and acoustic guitar:  Nicolay

Drums:  Lil’ John Roberts

Bass:  Zo!

Electric guitar:  Chris Boerner

Handclaps and tambourine:  YahZarah and Phonte

Produced by Nicolay and Phonte for The Foreign Exchange Music

For more info on YahZarah and The Foreign Exchange, visit www.theforeignexchagnemusic.com.

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View the trailer for The reMixed Mind: Crossfaders, Visionaries & other Revolutionaries below!!

Award winning writer, activist, and counselor Edward M. Garnes, Jr., founder of From Afros To Shelltoes, brings his “Sweet Tea Ethics” to an uncensored documentary film entitled The reMixed Mind: Crossfaders, Visionaries & other Revolutionaries starring Joi Gilliam, stic man( dead prez), Killa Mike, Dionne Farris Jason Orr, Shannon McCollum, Lil John Roberts, Fahamu Pecou, DJ Kemit, Rich Medina, N’dea Davenport, and others.

Directed by Neycha ( k. Neycha Herford) , a leading visionary in the field of personal growth and human consciousness, The reMixed Mind affirms authentic self-definition, personal transformation and radical creative expression through detailing the life/work of crossfaders.

“A crossfader is someone who mixes or blends. One who transcends. Ultimately, the crossfader archetype represents someone who challenges conventional thought, social norms and is a conscious architect of his or her own reality,” says Necyha whose innovative work in self inquiry has appeared in numerous popular journals, newspapers and magazines including Ebony Magazine, Theroot.com, Timeout New York, and the National Crime Journal Report.

For Garnes, a former Urban Counseling Fellow at Michigan State University whose unique work in emotional healing has been co-signed by heavy hitters including Dr. Cornel West, Necyha’s emphasis on self reflection is a brutal but necessary evil. “Neycha understands, quite intuitively, healing is where the heart is.  Flaunting an eclectic approach to help seeking, Neycha’s sista girl fire takes us to the beautiful yet unnerving place where pain and progress meet. Complete vulnerability never felt so damn good.”

For more information on the film The reMixed Mind: Crossfaders, Visionaries & other Revolutionaries & Neycha visit www.neychaonline.com.

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The City of East Point Cultural

Enrichment Commission Presents

Literary Café

Saturday, February 27, 3-5 pm

Barnes and Noble at Camp Creek

3685 Marketplace Boulevard

East Point, GA 30344

Featuring a special book signing by noted author:

THE HONORABLE
MARVIN S. ARRINGTON, SR.

THIS EVENT IS

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!!

ABOUT Making My Mark: The Story of a Man Who Wouldn’t Stay in His Place

Lawyer, judge, public servant, trailblazer: these are only a few words to describe the remarkable accomplishments of the Honorable Marvin S. Arrington, Sr., of Atlanta, Georgia. This autobiography is a testament to what happens when childhood lessons, hard work, and perseverance meet determination and optimism. It’s the story of a dedicated man, born in to the segregated South who went on to break down racial barriers and build walls of inclusion and harmony. Judge Arrington was the first African American to become partner at an all-white Atlanta law firm and then, later, established one of the largest and most successful minority law firms in the country.

In 1969, through his own courage, vision, and determination, Arrington became the youngest person ever elected to the Atlanta Board of Aldermen, which later became the Atlanta City Council. During Judge Arrington’s nearly thirty-year tenure on the Atlanta City Council, he served as city council president numerous times and remained fiercely devoted to being a voice for the voiceless: the elderly, the disadvantaged, the homeless, and others. He changed the landscape of Atlanta.

Today, Marvin Arrington is a distinguished judge on the Fulton County Superior Court who continues now to address the great challenges of the 21st century.. In his seventh decade, Arrington continues to mentor, educate, and inspire future generations. Judge Arrington credits his life to God’s grace and mercy, and to his loving parents and supportive family and friends.

MARVIN S. ARRINGTON, SR., attended Clark College, Howard University School of Law, Emory University Law School, where he was awarded his JD in 1967. From there, he went on to become a founding partner of Arrington & Hollowell.

Praise For Making My Mark

This book is a fascinating and rewarding look into an important period of Atlanta’s history as well as into the mind of Marvin Arrington. In this book, Marvin has conveyed the essence of his being complex yet simple, confident yet often insecure, calm yet sometimes angry. It is a story of how a loving mother, good role models, passion, and hard work enabled a young black man from humble roots to grow into a respected lawyer and community leader with many friends—poor and rich, black and white, uppercrust and everyday. The autobiography of Marvin Arrington is an interesting read.

—President Jimmy Carter

In reading Making My Mark, I couldn’t help but reflect on the parallels of the paths traveled by Marvin and me. And while my road lead me to continue the struggle that was started by Jackie Robinson, and Marvin’s road lead him to be a warrior in the political and civil rights struggles of Atlanta, neither of us would have been successful if we had not developed the courage to make our marks. Without that courage, both of us could easily have been the victims of a caste system among our own people. Without the courage and determination to make our marks it’s doubtful either of us would have risen above humble backgrounds in segregated Southern cities. Making My Mark is a story about courage and character. It’s a story about a fight for dignity and integrity. It’s a story about a common-sense approach to good government. Making My Mark is a story about a real winner.

—Henry “Hank” Aaron

Making My Mark is the personal memoir of Marvin Arrington’s rise from humble beginnings to political prominence. He is a man who made his mark.

—Tom Wolfe, author

Reading Making My Mark I was not surprised that Marvin was one of the first two African-Americans to graduate from the prestigious Emory Law School. As a student of the 60s, Marvin was part of the generation that blazed America’s conscience on civil rights through the taunts of black power and the courage of sit-ins. Marvin literally stared the Klan in the face. Although he never forgot the insults they hurled at him, Marvin developed the capacity to love his enemies as he matured. He learned to make his mark. I strongly suspect that the boys around Ashby and Simpson Streets in northwest Atlanta taught Marvin a few things that also gave him the courage and determination to make his mark.

—Andrew Young, former US ambassador

Marvin Arrington has written a story that epitomizes the American dream. Making My Mark is about overcoming adversity in a South that was a different place than it is now. Marvin overcame every obstacle in order to become one of the premier lawyers of our time and a leader in the field of civil rights. The South is different today because of a handful of people like Marvin Arrington. I am pleased that Marvin has taken the time and effort to share with all of us his struggle. I am honored to call him my friend.

—Roy E. Barnes, former governor of Georgia

Making My Mark tells the story of a remarkable Emory alumnus,one of the first two African Americans to enroll in Emory Law School, the first black administrator at Emory, a long-serving trustee and advisor to Emory presidents, parent and uncle of Emory law a alumni, and public servant extraordinaire. Marvin Arrington’s inspiring story is a fascinating account, one that is rich with adventure and accomplishment.

—James W. Wagner, president, Emory University

For more information on this free event contact: Kim Green – 404.270.7041 or kgreen@easpointcity.org

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KNITTING FACTORY RECORDS RELEASES

FELA KUTI CHOP ‘N QUENCH BATCH

Knitting Factory records continues their musical coup with another fresh batch of Fela Kuti re-issues with the release of the Chop’ N Quench installment.   Kuti,  AfroBeat pioneer and Nigeria’s James Brown, was legendary for his fiery mix of art and activism.  Comprised of 6 Cd’s containing 9 albums spanning 1969-1974, Chop ‘N Quench chronicles the  early evolution of the AfroBeat sound as Kuti began to perfect his musical gumbo of foot stompin’ African drums, jazz, funk,  salsa, and a bevy of  “other world” rhythm sections.  All cd’s are re-mastered and re-released in unique digi-packs with the original artwork.  Get the collectors gem at Knitting Factory Records. CLICK HERE

PEEP ED GARNES AND FEMI KUTI TALK FELA, FREEDOM, AND MUSIC

http://afrostoshelltoes.com/word/2008/09/30/ed-garnes-femi-kuti-talk-musicfreedom/

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