5 Reasons Why You Should Consider Blogging

Saw this interesting  blog recently:  5 Reasons Why You Should Consider Blogging   

Blogging helps you to sharpen your storytelilng skills, share your knowledge and experience and more.  

In Secrets of the Black Bloggers, I interviewed Black bloggers who shared their experience about what to blog about, and the ups and downs of blogging.  Click here for more information and to download it.  
  

See also:  Why Every Professional Should Consider Blogging. 

 

Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice

Ida B. Wells was a woman of extraordinary talents, energy and vision. In an age when there were no computers, no internet, no Facebook, no fax machines, no text messaging, Ida B. Wells influenced many thousands of people. At a time when women did not even have the vote, Ida B. Wells had a huge influence on public policy. 

Click here to read my review of Ida B. Wells:  A Passion for Justice.  

Bill Greaves is one of the filmmakers featured in Celebrating Black Independent Film Pioneers at the Schomburg.  For details of this and other Black History Month events, see:  Black History/Cultural Events.  See also:  Black Museums.  

Spike Lee, African American Filmmaker Entrepreneur

Spike Lee is a filmmaking genius and undisputed trailblazer. He changed the face of Hollywood. 

And when Lee had trouble getting the studio to fund his Malcolm X film, he raised money from prominent members of the Black community. 

Click here to read more about Spike Lee. Plus check out his Black History Month Quote of the Day. 

Click here for more about Black business success.

Slavery by Another Name

The documentary Slavery by Another Name is being screened as part of the Black History Month Youth Film Series at the Schomburg.  

For this and more Black History Month events, see Black History/Cultural Events.  

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Douglas A. Blackmon, and narrated by Laurence Fishburne, Slavery by Another Name is a documentary that squares off against one of America's most common misconceptions: that slavery ended with the Emancipation Proclamation. The documentary tells the story of new systems of indentured and involuntary servitude that took its place and lasted well into the 20th century. 

This film gives a voice back to a largely forgotten population of victims and perpetrators (including interviews with their living descendants today). This screening is part of a week-long series of films for young audiences that capture a diversity of voices on the African-American Experience. All films are followed by a discussion by the filmmakers, scholars, or Schomburg educators.  

For this and more Black History Month events, see Black History/Cultural Events. 

The only problem I have with this film is that it suggests that this practice is not still going on.  For more about this, see:  Prisoners Provide Cheap Labour for Microsoft.  

African Spirituality: Jambalaya

Jambalaya by Luisah Teish

I met Luisah Teish many years ago and attended a workshop with her in London and a retreat in Hawaii.  Her book, Jambalaya, is a result of her research and practice of African spirituality over the course of many years.  Her work is part of the inspiration for the name of the Ancestral Energies blog. 

Enslaved African people in the Americas used traditional African spirituality to survive in some of the harshest conditions ever known.  

The rituals remained and continued to be observed, although the meanings were often lost.  African spirituality was suppressed during the enslavement period, as the enslavers saw it as a threat to their dominance.  African spirituality was used to liberate African people in Haiti and other parts of the Americas.  

I find Teish's explanations very clear and accessible.  Jambalaya combines Teish's personal journey with detailed descriptions of traditional African American charms and rituals. Click here to read my review.