Speak Out
On the Message Boards: What's
In and Out for 2004?—A List from High School Students
in Washington, D.C.
Romare
Bearden Made a World
 A
startling vision greets visitors to "The Art of Romare Bearden,"
the awe-inspiring retrospective at the National Gallery of Art in
Washington, DC. At the airy mezzanine entrance to the show, a photograph
of Bearden's remarkable 1972 collage, "The Block," has
been blown up to the… [more]
 Nina's
Legacy
On the frequent six- to seven-hour trips I take to
Philadelphia, my regular road buddy has been by daughter, Iyana,
who recently turned 11. We make the time fly by with bonding conversations
as she calls them and by singing loudly to the songs of our favorite
road artists… [more]
The Graying of Hip Hop
 More
than anytime in its 30-year sojourn in North America, hip-hop culture
is at a crossroads. The strongest evidence of this is the unparalleled
nostalgia that pervades so many sectors of commercial hip-hop. No
doubt, part this nostalgia is driven by corporate desires to provide
the so called hip-hip generation (particularly the back-packers)…
[more]
 Getting
Defensive
"Good
Fences" explores the costs of selling out while "Deacons
for Defense" tells about Southern Black men who armed themselves
during the civil rights struggle.
Going Aboard the Amistad
 It
was a sunny and windy spring day in Washington, D.C. when we went
aboard Freedom Schooner Amistad, a re-creation of the famous ship
overtaken by Africans in hopes of returning to Africa. Docked at
the city's Southwest Waterfront, the ship attracted thousands of
African Americans, some of whom stood in long lines, eager to be
a witness to history… [more]
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