Marlon Riggs

From The AIDS Memorial Instagram page last Friday, to celebrate Mr. Riggs birthday:

Marlon Riggs (February 3, 1957 – April 5, 1994) was a film maker and professor who died of AIDS in Oakland, California. He was 37 years old.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Marlon began making documentaries In 1982 after receiving his master’s from @Harvard. He is best remembered for the award winning ‘Ethnic Notions’, ‘Color Adjustment’ (which won a @peabodyawards) and ‘Tongues Untied’ that was lambasted for its “graphic content” and caused outrage because it was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

In his final years, whilst struggling with HIV, Marlon produced his last film ‘Black Is Black Aint’, taught at @UCBerkeley, undertook public speaking engagements and continued to write. Hospitalised, he continued to direct and appeared on film from his bed.

Towards the end of the film, Marlon is seen looking up at the camera from his hospital bed and says: “As long as I have work then I’m not going to die, cause work is a living spirit in me — that which wants to connect with other people and pass on something to them which they can use in their own lives and grow from.” #whatisrememberedlives

On an earlier post for Marlon Riggs on the same IG page, there was a brief clip of an interview he gave. I loved his answer to a certain "talk show" host, who shall not be mentioned here, that seemed rather disgusted that the National Endowment for the Arts funded Marlon Riggs' film. Mr. Riggs responded by saying that those who believe "that this is misusing, abusing federal tax dollars, tax payers dollars, don't even imagine that we are a part of those Americans whose salaries are taxed to support the government. Well, this is my money, too. Please understand. This is my lover's money, this is the money of my community, and that, that pittance of money received for this work, and we're talking about a pittance, five thousand dollars, which if anybody knows and understands video doesn't go that far, we're talking about a pittance here. And their aim quite frankly is to silence me, and to silence the community, so that we don't speak, and we return to our closets where they're happy for us to exist. If they allow us to exist at all." Oh to be that brilliant and speak that eloquently at the drop of the hat. What a remarkable man.

(photo kidnapped from criterion)

Woman In Motion

I first saw this film on the life of Nichelle Nichols in July 2021, re-watched it last February and had to see it again for this year's Black History Month. I'm not much in to sci-fi or Star Trek but I do love me a good documentary. In watching this film I came to realise that Nichelle Nichols proved to be way, way more than just a beautiful woman. She was a gifted singer, with a helluva range, and performed with Duke Ellington in her younger years. She also birthed legions of fans with her role on Star Trek as Communications Officer Lieutenant Uhura. But what I discovered when I first viewed this fantastic documentary was that Ms. Nichols changed the world. At the 1975 Star Trek convention in Chicago there was a NASA scientist, Jesco Von Puttkamer, an aero-space engineer, there as a speaker. Hearing him speak inspired Ms. Nichols because as fascinating as the space program was, she did not feel represented in the present program as a Black person and as a woman. At finding that NASA was not even considering employing women for space travel and felt that "there were no qualified black people" for the program either, Ms. Nichols began writing and having articles published on this, which caught the eye of the press who wanted to hear more from Ms. Nichols. In early 1977 she was appointed to the board of directors of the National Space Institute and saw first hand the lack of diversity at NASA. They took notice and reached out to Ms. Nichols to come on as a recruiter for the new class of astronauts for the space shuttle program. Nichelle Nichols took the helm and what she achieved was absolutely astonishing. This is what she accomplished:

When Nichelle started out, NASA had only 1500 astronaut applications after an eight month period. 

Fewer than 100 were from women.

And only 35 were minorities. 

When she finished NASA had over 8,000 applications. 1,649 from women and over 1,000 from minorities.

Her recruitment campaign lasted just 4 months. 

NASA was so impressed with her results, they increased the 1978 astronaut class roster from 25 to 35.

(photo kidnapped from paramountplus)

Woman In Motion is not to be missed and I'm so glad that Kanopy was streaming it for free so I could see it all over again. Nichelle Nichols was an incredible person who left a true and indelible mark on this little blue marble. 

Black History Month Playlist - Onyx

Horace Silver - Song for my Father

Donny Hathaway - The Ghetto

Roberta Flack - Suzanne

En Vogue - My Lovin' (Never Gonna Get It)

The Spinners - I'll Be Around

Rufus - Stop On By

Luther Vandross - Bad Boy/ Having A Good Time

Chaka Khan - Ain't Nobody

The Whispers - (Olivia) Lost and Turned Out

Gil Scott-Heron - Lady Day and John Coltrane

Digable Planets - It's Good to be Here

Earth, Wind, and Fire - Can't Hide Love

Ego Ella May - Girls Don't Always Sing About Boys

Parliament - Flashlight

George Benson - Love X Love

Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man

Toni, Tone, Tony - Thinking About You

Whitney Houston - Heartbreak Hotel

Tricky - Ponderosa

Eve - Tambourine

Womack and Womack - Love TKO

The Stylistics - People Make the World Go Around

Donna Summer - Spring Affair

Robert Glasper Experiment - Move Love

Edwin Hawkins Singers - Oh, Happy Day

At Long Last!

Lovely Ms. Toni Morrison is finally on a US postage stamp! I cannot wait to purchase a whole stack.

Maya's Celebrates Black History Month

I have been hoping that Maya's Cookies would bring back their Uncle Nearest cookie from last year, but alas they decided to create three new cooks in honour of Black History Month. But check them out! They all sound beyond delicious!!

Black History Collection

An ode to the arts, Maya's Cookies brings you this year's Black History Collection to honor the contributions of the countless Black women breaking barriers in the literary arts, world of dance, music industry and beyond.

Collection includes 6 cookies, 2 of each flavor listed above.

The Chart-Topper - Inspired by the Godmother of Soul, the Chart-Topper is a tribute to Ms. Patti LaBelle's famous pies and cobblers. This cobbler-inspired cookie turns up the volume with a harmony of Smoked Peach Jam, real peach pieces, and a cinnamon brown sugar crumble.

Featuring Smoked Peach Jam from woman and Black-owned Trade Street Jam Co.

The Prodigy - Inspired by Misty Copeland, her mentor Raven Wilkinson and the trailblazing Black women making history in ballet and the dance arts. The Prodigy sparkles with flavors of bubbly champagne, fresh strawberries and dazzling sparkle sugar.

The Prodigy features Reserve Champagne from Black woman-owned Stuyvesant Champagne

The Best Seller - Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half tells the tale of "twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white." Taking inspiration from the novel's front cover design as well as the duality of the main characters, The Best Seller marbles together 3 unique flavors: Red Velvet, Brown Sugar Chocolate Chunk and Salted Caramel Fudge.

Featuring vegan dark chocolate from Kanda Chocolates, a Black woman-owned chocolatier sourcing straight from Ghana. 

Black History Month Playlist - Panther

In preparation of Black History Month I recruited music-god Bishop to help me come up with the ultimate playlist of the bestest Black artists we know. He went a tad cray-cray and I had to break his list into seven mixes. All songs were suggested by Bishop with me providing the mix title and track order.

Marvin Gaye: What's Going On?

Grace Jones: Pull Up to the Bumper

High Inergy: You Can't Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)

Stevie Wonder: You've Got It Bad, Girl

Lizzo: About Damn Time

Janelle Monáe: Say You'll Go

Heatwave: Posin' Til Closin'

Charlie Pride: I Can't Believe That You've Stopped Loving Me

Joan Armatrading: Down to Zero

Nat King Cole: Calypso Blues

Cameo: Single Life

Groove Theory: Tell Me

Erykah Badu: Didn't Cha Know?

Queen Latifah: U.N.I.T.Y.

Jody Watley: Friends

Maxwell: Bad Habits

Faith Evans: Give It To Me

Soul II Soul: Back to Life

Jamila Woods: BASQUIAT (feat. Saba)

Isley Brothers: Highways of My Life

Janet Jackson: Got Til it's Gone

Ella Fitzgerald: Black Coffee

D'Angelo: Brown Sugar

Inner City: Good Life

Michael Jackson: Off the Wall

Sister Sledge: Lost in Music

Jill Scott: Blessed

Beyonce: Blow

Black History Month

I usually set up a project for certain months and February tends to be when I watch a romantic movie a day for 14 days and read love stories all month. In 2022 I spent the last half of the month watching a film each day that involves Black culture. This time I am spending 28 days reading books about the Black experience as well as focusing more on books by Black authors. I'm gonna try to do a post-a-day noting something that I am learning or a mini-celebration of all things Black. I know that this country is more than just one part of the human race but for now I want to focus more on expanding my horizons on one side of this mega-polyhedral die of a planet. 

Today I started off with finishing something a bit on the lighter side - The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell. I first discovered him from his face on one of the many shirts sold on Tees4Togo. When I discovered he was a feminist and had done a documentary about the women who had been raped/assaulted by that dreadful scumbag, I bought one of the tees and added this book to my Audible library as soon as it was released. Truth be told, I cheated and started reading this in January. But I finished it today so I say it counts! I really saw a lot of Bishop in Kamau and am really hoping this is not his last book. He's a brilliant, fascinating man and I genuinely adore him!

Post Script - Bishop was instrumental in helping me gather a list of new and exciting authors and books to check out, but this one was all me!