Category Archives: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Robin Roberts Presents: ‘Mahalia’ to Premiere on Saturday, April 3rd at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime!

Hello World,

ABC NEWS – Robin Roberts
(ABC/Heidi Gutman)

There will be excellent Easter programming this weekend! Lifetime’s highly anticipated gospel biopic Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, will premiere Saturday, April 3 at 8:00pm ET/PT. An impressive list of Broadway stars including Tony® nominee Joaquina Kalukango (Slave Play), Jason Dirden (Fences & OWN’s Greenleaf...I loved him as Basie Skanks), Olivia Washington (The Butler) and Rob Demery (Lovecraft Country) join the film which is directed by Tony® Award-winner Kenny Leon and stars Tony Award nominee, SAG and Grammy® Award winning actress Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black) as the gospel legend and civil rights trailblazer.

In the movie, Dirden stars as Russell Roberts, the dashing, music-loving Reverend who falls  for Mahalia when they first meet in the late 1940s while Kalukango takes on the role of Mildred, Mahalia’s talented and opinionated, long-time pianist. Washington portrays Estelle, a piano teacher Mahalia meets at church who goes on to become her life-long friend and Demery stars as the influential civil rights leader.

Born in New Orleans, Mahalia Jackson began singing at an early age and went on to become one of the most revered gospel figures in U.S. history, melding her music with the civil rights movement. Her recording of the song Move on Up a Little Higher sold millions of copies, skyrocketing her to international fame and gave her the opportunity to perform at diverse settings including in front of a racially integrated audience at the prestigious Carnegie Hall and at John F. Kennedy’s inaugural ball. An active supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, Jackson sang at numerous rallies, including the March on Washington in 1963 alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in hopes that her music would encourage and inspire racial equality.

Danielle Brooks sings these songs in the movie including Come On Children Let’s Sing, Didn’t It Rain, Elijah Rock, His Eyes On The Sparrow, How I Got Over, I’m Going to Live the Life I Sing About in My Song, I’ve Been Buked, Move On Up A Little Higher, My God Is Real, Precious Lord Take My Hand, Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child. Soundtrack will be available on ABKCO Music & Records.

Below is the trailer…

From Rock’n Robin Productions and Lincoln Square Productions, Mahalia is executive produced by Robin Roberts and Linda Berman. Danielle Brooks and Kenny Leon are co-executive producers. Leon directs from a script written by Bettina Gilois and Todd Kreidler.

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UNSUNG PRESENTS: Music & The Movement On TV One – Monday, January 18 at 8/7C

Hello World,

TV One has announced the premiere date of its two-part documentary special UNSUNG PRESENTS: MUSIC & THE MOVEMENT –remembering the artists and songs that have provided the soundtrack to the fight for justice and equality – airing part one on Monday, January 18, 2021, at 8 P.M. ET/7C immediately followed by part two at 9 P.M. ET/8C. On hand to provide commentary about the new musical genre that emerged during pivotal movements in Black Americans tumultuous past and troubling present are Erica Campbell, Big Gipp, Raheem DeVaughn, Rev. Al Sharpton, Isaac Hayes III, Ronda Racha Penrice, Headkrack, Shante Paige, DJ Kemit, Dyana Williams, Angie Ange, Colby Colb, Rickey Vincent, Steve Ivory, Delores Thompson, Dave Washington, Billy Johnson, Jr., Kenny Gamble, P. Frank Williams, Keith Murphy, DJ Yella, Battlecat, Soren Baker, and Felicia “Poetess” Morris.

“Music is the heart and soul of Black culture – giving life to our experiences, voice to our stories and growing power out of our pain,” said Cathy Hughes, Chairwoman, Urban One, Inc. “Every melody, lyric and rhythm artfully depicts the layers of Black diversity, scope of black creativity, and depths of the complexity of our people. TV One’s Music & the Movement special pays homage to the music and music makers whose talents created a soundtrack of Black music during moments of political and social unrest throughout our history. It is another opportunity for us to spotlight Black content.”

“Throughout history, Black music has been a clarion call to amplify the voice of our community and important social and political movements like the Civil Rights and Black Lives Matters Movements,” remarked Robyn Greene Arrington, Vice President of Programming and Production. “After an unprecedented year of social, economic, and political turmoil, we felt MLK Day was a great time to chronicle the ongoing struggles of Black Americans along with those who tirelessly lend their voices to protesting injustice and instigating positive changes for our community and social justice movements.”

Below is the trailer:

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day special incorporates first-hand accounts, interviews with artists and media, coupled with archival footage from memorable speeches, soul-stirring vocal performances, and more. Moments of Black auditory dissent featured in the special spans centuries and includes themes of Negro spirituals, like “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,” which provided both a distraction from the harsh conditions of slavery and communication tools for the enslaved as they plotted their escape to freedom; to soul and funk anthems during the Black Power movement performed by Aretha Franklin (“Respect”) and Curtis Mayfield (“People Get Ready”) demanding an immediate change to the political landscape and that civil rights be upheld; to the heart-wrenching viral music videos by young, contemporary artists – like Keedron Bryant’s captivating single “I Just Want to Live” – creating rallying mixtapes for the current Black Lives Matter movement which, this past summer, saw a melting pot of cultures across the globe who marched in solidarity, to protest police brutality. The two one-hour specials serve as a re-examination of the power that music has had to transform a cultural moment into a movement.

Additionally, UNSUNG PRESENTS: MUSIC & THE MOVEMENT will feature the broadcast debut of the original track “KliKKK KlaKKK” by Sunny Dizzle and the group Steaksawse, recently announced as the winner of Reach Media’s “The Song” contest. Presented in partnership with Kevin Liles and 300 Entertainment, the contest was designed to provide an opportunity for an independent artist to create music that reflects the current climate, elevates the collective consciousness, and promotes hope and change. The single will have its global release on Friday, January 15, 2020 and will be featured across Reach Media radio stations.

UNSUNG PRESENTS: MUSIC & THE MOVEMENT is executive produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions’ Arthur Smith and Frank Sinton with Executive Producers Mark Rowland and Co-Executive Producer Kysha Mounia and Co-Executive Producer P. Frank Williams. For TV One, Jason Ryan is Executive Producer in Charge of Production, Donyell Kennedy-McCullough is Senior Director of Talent & Casting, and Robyn Greene Arrington is Vice President of Original Programming and Production.

For more information about TV One’s upcoming programming, including original movies, visit the network’s companion website at www.tvone.tv. TV One viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using the hashtags #MUSICANDTHEMOVEMENT and #REPRESENT.

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The Burning Bush of the U.S. Capitol Building: What is God Saying to Us Through the Presidency of Donald J. Trump?

Hello World,

I try, as much as I can, to stay away from politics because it is a such divisive topic. But after watching the U.S. Capitol Building under siege last Wednesday, I must address it here. My goal is to not share my opinions although I have strong ones. My goal is to share critical thoughts that I hope Christians can use to help us all to discern what God is saying to us.

From the moment President Trump then just reality TV star Donald J. Trump began running for office in 2015, he has caused  controversy. There were those who didn’t take him nor his campaign seriously because he was known as reality TV star with a penchant for creating publicity. Many thought he was simply running for president as a way to expand his brand. But as the presidential race continued, one by one each Republican was knocked out of the race. And what a race it was. Name calling was one of his favorite tools in his arsenal. He called Jeb Bush “Low Energy Jeb.” Ted Cruz was “Lyin’ Ted.” “Little Marco” was his choice for Marco Rubio. It was funny for some but others were appalled. Due to this behavior as well as others qualities, Republicans still didn’t take him seriously until he was actually selected as the Republican nominee for the 2016 presidential election. Still, there remained a faction who referred to “Never Trumpers” who were dedicated to not getting on the Trump Train no matter who jumped on it.

Surprisingly for some, evangelical Christians were among those who jumped on board. Despite the Two Corinthians situation and Access Hollywood tape, evangelical Christians, by and large, voted for him while many other Christians, namely black Christians, didn’t support him for a variety of reasons including his questioning the birth certificate of our nation’s first black president Barack H. Obama and other incidents in which some believe that Trump demonstrated racism. This is a chasm that continues until this very day although there have been many well-known black Christians such as Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr Martin Luther King Jr., for example, who support the president.

So I’m not going to provide an exhaustive rundown of all the controversies that have transpired in Trump presidency, but I will discuss some of the controversies that come to my memory as I write this. Think of it as a controversy highlight reel if you will…

  • While our nation is analyzing the aftermath of the U.S. Capitol Building under  siege today, it wasn’t that long ago when our nation was in an uproar about what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia in the summer of 2017, months after the president was inaugurated. Self-proclaimed white supremacists, holding their Nazi and Confederate flags and  tiki torches, took over a city in a “Unite the Right” rally.  Additionally, President Trump’s comment about “very fine people” at Charlottesville caused controversy.
  • While this was going on, the Russia investigation, in which Russia’s interference in the 2016 election was examined, unfolded like a soap opera with daily updates. The Mueller Report, as the investigation was led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, was released and became a bestselling book although it was free!
  • And while this going on, many people were still curious about Trump’s taxes which as far as I know he still hasn’t released although various news organizations have been able to acquire some information about his taxes.
  • And let me not leave out out the firings and resignations: Michael Cohen, Kellyanne Conway, Reince Priebus, John F. Kelly, Mick Mulvaney, John Bolton, Anthony Scaramucci, Hope Hicks, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Omarosa and more…way more actually but these are just a few of the names that come to mind as I’m writing this morning.
  • What about the “perfect phone call” also known as the Trump-Ukraine scandal? The long and short of it is that Trump was impeached behind that…
  • The Coronavirus Crisis: I’ve never experienced anything like this…Have you?

Now after what happened on Wednesday, the president has been booted off of social media, he has stated that he’s skipping the inauguration of President-elect Biden and he may be impeached for a second time. Again, this is not even exhaustive list of all of the controversies that transpired during the Trump presidency…

Both those who support President Trump and those who do not have to agree that many of these controversies are unprecedented in a presidency. When the Lord wanted to get Moses’ attention in a unique way, he was presented with a burning bush in which an angel of the Lord spoke to Him from the bush. Aside from an angel being in the midst of a burning bush, it was also unique that even though it burned, it was not consumed. I’m desperately hoping that is the case for this country. We are on fire, Saints, but I pray we are not consumed. The U.S. Capitol Building under siege is a sign that no one can ignore, and I think what has happened since is an indication that many others feel this way as well. It seems like some Democrats and Republicans are coming together to figure this all out in addition to Christians in both parties, and I believe that is good. What is God saying to us through the presidency of Donald J. Trump? I have many, many, many thoughts about what I think, but I won’t reveal them right now…

What say you?

Any thoughts?