Abiodun (of The Last Poets) Joins Hip Hop Theater Festival TONIGHT

Ms. Baraka Sele, Producer
Kitab Rollins, Associate Producer

APRIL 1 - 4, 2009
ALTERNATE ROUTES HIP HOP FESTIVAL

From April 1-4, local, national and international hip hop artists will come together in Newark, NJ for the 2009 Alternate Routes Hip Hop Festival -- four days of panels, performances and presentations by some of the most profound and promising urban artists. The Alternate Routes Hip Hop Festival will focus on artists who are activists and, therefore, committed to the artistic, cultural, economic, educational, political, and social concerns of their communities. We want to reflect how artists react to the issues and conditions of contemporary society. Also, come to have fun at open mics and informal gatherings!

The remaining program:

FRIDAY, APRIL 3 / 8:00PM
Sacred Circle Café: Hip Hop Griots
Spoken Word • Urban Theater
Curated and hosted by: Purple Haze & Rob Hylton
Artists: Abiodun Oyewole, Baba Israel, D-Black, D-Cross, Queen Godis, Rahfeal Gordon, Uninvited
ALL SEATS $16

FRIDAY, APRIL 3 / 11:00PM
Late Nite Open Mic
Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art
591 Broad Street, Downtown Newark
Curated and hosted by: Elijah Brown
Artists: DJ 360 Degreez, Infinite, Rutgaz Poets, Soulful Jones and others
FREE

---

SATURDAY, APRIL 4 / 11:00AM
The Hip Hop Project
Film Screening • Panel Discussion
Curated and Moderated by: Natasha Dyer
Panelists: Chris "Kazi" Rolle, Clayton Walton, Robin "Kheperah" Kearse, Ryan Kelly
FREE

SATURDAY, APRIL 4 / 2:00PM
The Other Side of Hip Hop: The Sixth Element
Film Screening • Panel Discussion
Curated and Moderated by: Audrey "Egypt" Blanc
Filmmaker: Dion Ashman
Panelists: Dion Ashman, Ernie Paniccioli, Kangol Kid, Lin Que
FREE

SATURDAY, APRIL 4 / 8:00PM
Hip Hop Fundamentals 101
Breaking • Beat Boxing • Turntablism
Curated and hosted by: Andreas Thai-yan & Max-Jerome
Artists: Conscious, Rob Swift, John Robinson, KR3TS, Rabbi D
ALL SEATS $16

Sponsors: American Express/Alternate Routes Sponsor, The Ford Foundation, The Geraldine R. Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, allhiphop.com

For more information, visit njpac.org or call 1-888-GO-NJPAC
NJPAC is located at One Center Street, Newark, NJ

WBAI Is Going Off The Air!

THIS JUST IN Regarding WBAI 99.5 FM
(Listener-Supported Radio, www.wbai.org)

According to a memo from the WBAI General Manager Anthony Riddle an order to change the lock on the WBAI transmitter room in the Empire State Building has been issued that would be effective today, Thursday, April 2, 2009. This will mean that WBAI Radio, as you know it, will no longer exist.

Note this URGENT CALL TO ACTION for ALL members and supporters of WBAI:

1. Email GRACE AARON (Interim Executive Director, Pacifica) to seek clarity about this issue. The email address is graceaaron@ca.rr.com

2. Call GRACE AARON at 510.849.2590 to seek clarity about this issue.

3. Join the new rally to Save WBAI Radio!
Convene Saturday, April 4 at 11:00 am. Rally begins at 12 noon. Gather at these corners: Leonard Street, Franklin Street, White Street (all between Broadway and Lafatyeete). For more info, go to the organizers' website: www.unitedforpeaceandjustice.org. Or call 212.868.5545.


More about WBAI Radio (from the official website, www.wbai.org)
The Pacifica Foundation was launched by pacifist Lew Hill in 1949 with the first ever listener funded radio station - KPFA, Berkeley. The Pacifica Mission called for radio that would foster understanding amongst nations and individuals, encourage creativity, and promote innovative, uncensored distribution of news.

In 1960, WBAI 99.5 FM in New York joined Pacifica when philanthropist Louis Schweitzer gave the station to the network, which now has 5 radio stations (the other four are in Berkeley, Los Angeles, Houston, and Washington, DC) and more than 50 affiliate stations across the U.S.

The Pacifica Foundation is a California non-profit corporation. Its governance procedures are laid out in its bylaws and Articles of Incorporation (which includes the Mission Statement). The board of directors, referred to as the national board, has fiduciary responsibility over the network. On and off over the years, there have also been local station boards with varying degrees of responsibility that were to work with the national board.

In December 2001 a settlement agreement was reached with regard to several lawsuits that had been brought against the then Pacifica National Board. The suits were filed by Pacifica listeners, various Local Advisory Board members, and several National board members charging the board with taking Pacifica away from its mission and other illegal activities destructive to the network.

The settlement mandated that an interim Pacifica National Board composed of people from both sides of the conflict revise Pacifica's bylaws. The new Pacifica bylaws were required to establish membership status for listener-sponsors and station staff along with a process for network-wide elections of somewhat empowered Local Station Boards in the 5 listening areas. After an extended period of discussion, debate and drafting, the new bylaws were adopted in September 2003. The first elections for Local Station Boards under these bylaws were held in January-February 2004.

Check Out New Book for Soulful City Dwellers

A manual for the soulful city dweller,
traversing the wonders and dangers
of the concrete jungle...

Urban Soul Warrior is an interactive book about living an extraordinary and powerful life. Full of ideas and exercises to inspire and empower readers to consciously map their inner journeys, and infuse their daily lives with awareness, meaning and beauty. Written in an urban voice, both ancient and modern concepts are combined to create this amazing guide. Urban Soul Warrior gives a new generation of readers the tools to overcome feelings of guilt and worthlessness, to master their minds, bodies, and souls in an urban world of endless beauty, danger, and possibility.

Available at online booksellers, and in bookstores everywhere!
www.urbansoulwarrior.com.

Lalania Simone is an author, artist, and mystic. She grew up in a tough inner-city neighborhood, gaining both street savvy and educational opportunities. Her early questioning of religious dogma launched her lifelong spiritual journey. She has spent the last ten years working with those who seek the tools to make a deeper connection with themselves and the universe. The fusion of Lalania's esoteric knowledge and her experience in urban society creates a unique Urban Soul Warrior perspective.

THIS WEEK: Will Power, Jessica Care Moore at Apollo Theater

Tickets available at APOLLO THEATER
253 West 125th Street
Harlem, NYC

Box Office Hours:
Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri: 10AM - 6PM
Wed: 10AM - 8PM Sun: 12PM -6PM

Call 212.531.5305 or visit www.apollotheater.org

Ticketmaster at 212.307.7171 or www.ticketmaster.com/venue/6

Eisa Davis' "Angela's Mix Tape" is MUST SEE Theater!

new georges
and
Hip-Hop Theater Festival
present

by EISA DAVIS
directed by LIESL TOMMY

with Kim Brockington, Denise Burse,
Eisa Davis, Ayesha Ngaujah and Linda Powell

"On this mixtape, style will dictate,
we bounce back and forth in time..."

Using the rhythms of music and memory, Eisa Davis tells the story of a radical upbringing on the dividing line between Oakland and Berkeley, California -- in a family that includes her aunt, professor and activist Angela Davis.

Time shifts between the 70s, 80s, and 90s as smoothly as a DJ fading from song to song. Each track, each memory, has a built-in switch to the next, for theatrical momentum that keeps on building.

The music crosses styles and decades, but it's hip-hop and a b-girl stance that keeps the piece bouncing in the present.

APRIL 6 - MAY 2, 2009
8:00 pm
Mondays through Saturdays
[except April 9, show is at 7:00 pm]
[special student matinee on April 25 at 3pm]

OHIO THEATRE
66 Wooster Street • NYC 10012
[between Spring and Broome, in SoHo]

$20 general admission / $35 premium seating (reserved)
On Mondays, the price is "pay-what-you-will" (at the door only)
For tickets, call 212.868.4444 or visit www.smarttix.com
For group rates, call 646.336.8077

Design: Clint Ramos, Jane Shaw, Sarah Sidman, Jessica Jahn • PSM: Ryan Radeuchel • ASM: Danielle Teague-Daniels • Props: Johnson Henshaw • Production Manager: Mark Sitko • Associate Producer: Anna Hayman • Casting: Paul Davis/Calleri Casting • Press: Jim Baldassare

www.newgeorges.org - and - www.hhtf.org

JLove Calderon's Got A New Look!

click the image below to check out the new look for www.jlovecalderon.com

Join Us in Honoring OCTAVIA BUTLER

Octavia Butler is considered a master storyteller in the genre of speculative fiction. Her work explores themes such as race, gender, power, sexism, and spirituality. The National Black Writers Conference Bi-annual Symposium honors the work and life of this great writer. This symposium will explore her work in particular and the impact of speculative fiction in the literature of Black writers.

The program features readings and panels on the world renowned author and her contribution to literary writing. Participating writers include L.A. Banks, Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due, and Nnedi Okorafor.



Join us

Saturday, March 28, 2009
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
(registration begins at 10 am)
This event is open to all!

Founders Auditorium
Medgar Evers College, CUNY
1650 Bedford Avenue • Brooklyn, New York 11225
Phone 718.270.6983 • Email writers@mec.cuny.edu

FEE: $10 general admission ($5 for seniors, students, and faculty)

www.mec.cuny.edu/blacklitcenter

Co -Sponsored by the Medgar Evers College, CUNY Department of English; Up South, Inc.; Barnes & Noble; the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce & Industry; NY Council for the Humanities, and the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program
do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Tune In to OFF THE PAGE w/ Esther Armah (FRI)

CENTRIC PRODUCTIONS
presents

Off The Page!

on WBAI 99.5 FM Radio

Friday, March 6, 2009
11 am - 12 Noon
www.wbai.org

TUNE IN, TURN ON
for the
Twice Monthly Talk Show
about the World of Books!

Hosted by
International Journalist,
Playwright, and Author
Esther Armah

Friday's Book Pick: Something Like Beautiful
Topic: Motherhood & Depression

Tune in as asha bandele, author of Something Like Beautiful: One Single Mother's Story, reveals her personal truths about becoming a mama and becoming depressed. She explains who she became, how she coped, how dark her world turned, how society contributes to the internal judgement and pain, and how she found her light again.

Passionate, Provocative, Powerful!

The Community Awareness Series
of the Jersey City Free Public Library
in recognition of Women History Month

Celebrates A Woman of Distinction
NANA CAMILLE YARBROUGH

Known for her dedication to perpetuating cultural awareness among African Americans, Nana Camille Yarbrough has used her broad range of talents to serve as a voice of inspiration and hope within her community. Nana Camille Yarbrough's multifaceted career has included work as a dancer with the famed Katherine Dunham Dance Company, a singer, an actress of stage, television and screen, radio show host, and currently a television producer. Her 1975 album, The Iron Pot Cooker, has been heralded as a precursor to modern rap, and of her four acclaimed children's books, Cornrows was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award of Excellence. Her spiritual and cultural journey has led her to the position of Griot. Nana Camille Yarbrough was enstooled by the Ga people of Ghana. Her stool was the stool of Harriet Tubman.

Join us for an evening with
NANA CAMILLE YARBROUGH
and her band ANCESTOR HOUSE

THIS SATURDAY
MARCH 7, 2009
8:00 pm

Miller Branch Library
Cultural Arts Auditorium
489 Bergen Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07304

FREE ADMISSION • FREE PARKING
adult/guardian must accompany children

We are also celebrating
the 30th Anniversary
of Nana Camille Yarbrough's
Landmark Childrens Book
"CORNROWS"

Books Will Be On Sale!

for more information:
201.547.6907 ▪ casmbl@yahoo.com

www.ancestorhouse.net

We Remember Wilbert "Bill" Tatum

Wilbert "Bill" Tatum
Publisher Emeritus and Board Chairman of
New York Amsterdam News

Visitation and Funeral Service is Open to the Public

Visitation:
Thursday, March 5, 2009
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Provenzano Lanza Home
43 Second Avenue New York, NY 10003
(Between 2nd and 3rd Streets)

Service:
Friday, March 6, 2009
10:00 am to 12 Noon
The Riverside Church
490 Riverside Drive
(between 120th and 122nd Street)
New York, NY 10027

Family Request:
In lieu of flowers, the family requests
that donations be made in Mr. Tatum's name
to the Amsterdam News Educational Fund
34 East Third Street
New York, NY 10003

For more information, callThe Terrie Williams Agency at 212.316.0305

photo credit: New York Amsterdam News

MON: Black Male Empowerment Workshop

The Black Male Empowerment Workshops
A MONTHLY SERIES FOR MALES ONLY
(all ages of males are welcome)

MONDAY, March 2, 2009
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

featuring
RYAN MACK
CEO/Founder, Optimum Captial Management
CNN Commentator

at M.S. 113 Ronald Edmonds School
(formerly known as JHS 113)
300 Adelphi Street (between DeKalb and Lafayette)
Fort Greene, BROOKLYN, NY 11205

By Subway: "G" train to the Clinton/Washington or "C" train to Lafayette





For more information, please contact BAMIA
contact@blackandmaleinamerca.org
or call 718.390.3520. NO RSVP needed.
Seating will be on a first-come basis.

PLEASE BRING PENS AND NOTEBOOKS OR LAPTOP COMPUTERS
AND BE PREPARED TO TALK, LISTEN, LEARN, AND TAKE NOTES

PLEASE NOTE THAT each month there will be a workshop dealing
with some aspect of development and empowerment for Black males, be it
financial literacy and responsibility, taking care of our physical, mental, and
spiritual health, stopping the violence in our communities, how to become a
mentor to Black boys and young Black men, understanding the history
and state of hip-hop, nurturing fatherhood skills, and so on.

BROWNSTONE BOOKS will be present to sell copies of
The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life
at EVERY MONTHLY WORKSHOP, or you can purchase it
at www.amazon.com, or at any bookstore.

Visit us on the web at www.blackandmaleinamerica.org

NEW INFO: See LaChanze in a NEW Play. Get POB! Discount

Special To Put On BLAST! Subscribers...

See Tony Award® Winner
LaCHANZE
(The Color Purple)
in the World Premiere of a New Play!

Order now and save 30% on tickets

ORDER TODAY AND TICKETS ARE JUST $35 (reg. $50)*


LIMITED ENGAGEMENT: MARCH 5 - APRIL 5 ONLY
Click HERE to Order with Code KBAW!



INKED BABY
A new play by Christina Anderson

Featuring

Che Ayende · Michael Genet · Damon Gupton
LaChanze · Angela Lewis
Nana Mensah · Nikkole Salter

Directed by Kate Whoriskey

"Man, is it hard love or tough love I'm tryin' to do?" Stuck for money and unable to conceive, Gloria (Tony Award®-winner LaChanze, Celie in The Color Purple) enlists the aid of her sister to make the child that she and her husband can't. As they uneasily await the baby's arrival, a mysterious contamination spreads in their neighborhood. But consumed by their struggles, is anyone paying attention? In this imaginative, other-worldly new drama, one family fights to find its place in a neglected neighborhood.

One of American Theater magazine's 15 up-and-coming artists "whose work will be transforming America's stages for decades to come," Christina Anderson makes her off-Broadway debut with Inked Baby.

Kate Whoriskey previously directed Fabulation at Playwrights Horizons. Other recent NYC directing work includes The Piano Teacher, Oroonoko, and Ruined.

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT!

MARCH 5 - APRIL 5, 2009 ONLY
Tues - Fri at 7:30, Sat at 2:00 & 7:30, Sun at 2:00 & 7:00

HOW TO ORDER YOUR DISCOUNT TICKETS (with code KBAW):

* Click HERE to purchase online at www.TicketCentral.com
* Call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200 (Noon - 8:00 pm daily)
* Visit the TICKET CENTRAL box office window at 416 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues (Noon - 8:00 pm daily).

Playwrights Horizons Peter Jay Sharp Theater
416 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
(between 9th & 10th Aves)

* Conditions: $35 tickets valid for performances 3/5/09 - 4/5/09 only. Limit 4 tickets per order. Regular service charges apply to all orders. Offer not valid in combination with any other offer. This offer is subject to change and may be revoked at any time. Regular ticket price $50. All sales are final; no refunds or exchanges. Order by March 23.