I must be going soft in my old age.

Instead of properly celebrating Mardi Gras today…y'know, eating greasy jelly donuts and somebody's idea of gumbo while raising your blood alcohol to some magnitude over the legal driving limit, throwing beads and trinkets and screaming who-knows-what…why, that's not how you celebrate Mardi Gras?…

This Tuesday, celebrate pancakes while helping those in need at a Midtown church that is hosting a pancake supper fundraiser.

Midtown's Cathedral Church of St. Paul's pancake supper is 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the church, 4800 Woodward Ave., Detroit.

This pancake supper supports the church's Sunday breakfast outreach program. The church cooks a hot breakfast and serves it to those in the surrounding neighborhood. Many of those whom the church feeds are homeless or food insecure.

Regardless of your denomination (or total lack of one 🙋‍♂️) everyone's welcome. And who doesn't like pancakes…or feeding the less fortunate?

Or, y'know…do a little celebrating before, go eat pancakes — they absorb "revelling" nicely — with a nice wad of "donation" in yer pockets, and let the good times roll afterward while the night is young!

No judging but we all know, statistically speaking, that there is a percentage of you here that get pleasure from running around in public in your underwear (some of you even less). It's mathematically impossible that no one here doesn't enjoy it, my crack team of scientists inform me. Well, instead of risking a(nother) 314 rap from the DPD, put your predilections and your energies into raising money for neurofibromatosis research. Give your bent some respectability and sign up for the 2024 Cupid's Undie Run! And hurry it up while yer at it as it's this coming Saturday, February 17 at noon!

What of you all that don't run even if someone's chasing you? You can still donate to the cause! We all know deep down inside you're a big softie Cupid too.

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/8471296

metroDetroit™-related post. Act accordingly.

Hey, metroDetroit™ playas! This year you've got a date for Valentine's Day? Wanna impress your potential soulmate on the most romantic day (and, if you play your cards right, night) of the year? The problem being you're…ahem…on a budget? Well, r^2^, your Lemming of Love™, your Moderator dell'Amore®, has got a tip for you all…

DON'T take them to White Castle for Valentine's Day!

If you follow the above link, you'll read one of the many article-mercials for table service on Valentine's Day at participating White Castles. Taking your date to a White Castle before you're both all closin'-one-eye-to-focus, sloppy drunk and need to eat something (but you can't find a Taco Bell) isn't romantic. It's cheap. It's not even kitschy cheap. Even if you and your date both love them "sliders" (they're called that for a reason, you know) it will end badly for you…

Best of possible scenarios: after your faces and fingers are both covered in grease and you leave stinkin' of WC (that's White Castle, not WC, although that is always a possibility) and you fall madly in love despite all that, your partner is never going to stop bringing up your first date to their friends, how your cheap ass took them to White Castle for Valentine's Day.

Just a tip, my little cherubs! I love you all. 💓

Apologies on my tardiness regarding this bit of sad news. As you may have already heard, baritone Henry Fambrough, the last surviving member of the Detroit vocal group The Spinners died on Wednesday, February 7 in his Sterling, Virginia home, peacefully of natural causes — who does that anymore? — at age 85. It must be true, "if you stop, you die," because Fambrough continued giving performances until only last year when he retired.

It's a shame. We didn't want to lose you. RIP Henry.

• The Spinners on Soul Train, -- I'll Be There
• The Spinners on The Midnight Special, -- The Rubberband Man
• The Spinners, It's a Shame
• The Spinners 40^th^ Anniversary Concert, 1988, with all the original members!

Joe Lapointe waxes over at The MT about the memories dredged up by the recent passing of fire-from-his-fingers Detroit guitarist "Brother" Wayne Kramer — me, personally, I'm still broken up about it. Lemme tell ya 'bout Wayne…

Kramer’s death jolted the popular music world all the way down to those of us who hung around the Grande Ballroom on Grand River Avenue on Detroit’s West Side in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when and where “The Five” were the house band and life was grand.

The Five took the left-wing, liberal side in those debates and also opposed police brutality after Detroit’s Riot and Rebellion of 1967. Importantly for the Motor City sensibility, they pushed a blue-collar, chip-on-the-shoulder style and attitude of what are sometimes called factory rats and working class.

“The beats of my life break down pretty simply: childhood, the MC5, crime, prison, sobriety, service and family,” Kramer writes. “… I am at peace with my past … I still live in the tension between the angel and the beast … The struggle will continue until the day I depart.”

1967 wasn't that long ago, people.

Detroit 67: Perspectives is a Signature Exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum since 2015, documenting a literally explosive time in Detroit history and the state of affairs between the black community and law enforcement. The more things change…

Detroit 67: Perspectives begins by looking at the complex, compounding factors that took place across metropolitan Detroit during the 50 years prior to 1967, followed by a review of the unrest that occurred between July 23 and August 1, 1967. Next, the exhibition explores the past 50 years up to the present day, detailing the progress we have made as well the setbacks we have encountered. The exhibition narrative concludes by offering a perspective on what lies ahead and will challenge the community to use what we have learned in the past 100+ years to help create a future for Detroit filled with unparalleled promise and opportunity.

Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971
February 4 -- June 23, 2024
Detroit Institute of Arts
5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI

In cooperation with the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures…

Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971 honors the legacy of African American filmmakers and actors from the dawn of cinema, through the golden age, and into the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement. Inspired by and named after an independent 1923 all-Black-cast movie, Regeneration seeks to revive lost or forgotten films, filmmakers, and performers for a contemporary audience.

Explore — or revisit — a bittersweet part of American cinematic history, lost in plain sight but not by accident. In concurrence with the exhibit, The Detroit Film Theatre (Why, look! It's right next door!) will be showing a selection of 20^th^ century African American cinema gratis throughout the month of February.

The DFT's selection for this weekend (February 9-11)…

• The Bronze Buckaroo
  USA, 1939, directed by Richard Kahn
  Friday, February 9, 8:45pm

  The Bronze Buckaroo finds frontiersman Bob Blake ([Detroit-born crooner Herb] Jeffries) pitted against the usual Western stock characters —horse rustlers, claim jumpers, and other cowboys not treating his gal with enough respect — but what makes the film an unexpected joy is the pure grace and gentle humor Jeffries brings to his singing role.

  • Come early at 7 p.m. and hear singer and multi-instrumentalist Dr. Dom Flemons perform a tribute to Jeffries as part of his appearance at Friday Night Live!

• Within Our Gates
  USA, 1920, directed by Oscar Micheaux
  Saturday, Feb 10, 7:00pm
  Within Our Gates is Oscar Micheaux earliest surviving film, a dense melodrama exploring the experience of multiple Black class divides in the years after WWI. Micheaux’s film follows Sylvia Landry (Evelyn Preer), a young bi-racial woman named whose family history was blighted by racial violence.

  • Within Our Gates will be presented with a live musical score, composed and performed by pianist Mike Jellick.

• Princess Tam Tam
  FRA, 1932, directed by Edmond T. Gréville
  Sunday Matinée, Feb 11, 2:00pm
  [rr: Josephine Baker, "Black Venus", what 20^th^ century America was too blind to see, too hateful to appreciate, was ultimately «la république française»'s gain, *soupir*]

  In this film, Max (Albert Préjean) is a novelist who escapes his social-butterfly wife in Paris to vacation in Tunisia, where he becomes infatuated with a young shepherdess named Alwina (Baker). He decides to present her to French society as a Bedouin princess to elicit his wife’s jealousy. Princess Tam Tam was wildly popular throughout Europe but never granted an exhibition visa and went unseen by American audiences until it was rediscovered in 1989.

The Regenerations exhibit and all DFT films are gratis with general admission. General museum admission is free for residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. For further information, please call (313) 833-7900 during visiting hours or visit https://dia.org .

DPL After Dark: James Brown - Soul Brother No. 1
Wednesday, February 7, 6:00pm -- 8:00pm
Detroit Public Library, Main Branch
5201 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI

Mr Please Please Please! Soul Brother No 1! The Hardest Working Man In Show Business! Mr. Dynamite! The Godfather of Soul (and Funk and Rap and Hip Hop)!

Say It Loud! Ladies and gentlemen…James Brown!

The DPL's meager description…

This lecture will focus on the life of the Godfather of Soul.

That's it? One line? Modern music wouldn't be what it is today without the legendary James Brown! You'd think the DPL staff that have a certain familiarity with words would have been a tad more eloquent. Whatever.

Tickets are free but according to the Eventbrite site, not many are left for this event. The reason the metroDetroit™ area is having this 50° warm snap is because of James Brown! Get On Up! The DPL has hung protective firewall curtains just in case the event instantaneously combusts!!

What'choo gonna play now?

Bobby, I don't know…but whatever it is, it's got to be funky.

Extra-curricular links:

• James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party, when Eddie Murphy was bullet-proof
• James Brown and Eddie Murphy at the Richard Pryor Tribute
• Chadwick Boseman (RIP) in Get On Up, and the real JB in The Night James Brown Saved Boston.

Ms Charity Dean, president and CEO of the Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance, in her letter to the Editors at The Freep, has this to say…

Our city is nearly 80% Black, I kept finding myself saying — we don’t want no panels.[…] We want position. We want a shift in intentionally created power dynamics that have left Black people behind. We want economic freedom.

Last year, during Black History Month of course, City Council President Mary Sheffield announced a Reparations Taskforce. It’s been a year and members of the taskforce continue to resign as they are seeing it for what it is — another opportunity to talk. When in actuality, reparations can come in many forms. At the City Council table, there's the opportunity to actually put restorative policies in place. No task force needed. We could just do.

Alternate links for your convenience…

• "To The Wayback Machine, Sherman."
• 1ft.io
• archive.is

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/14146820

I know which one I'm going to, but I'd take both of these over any other coney joint in the state.

Yes, I know, I know. "Where's the Detroit angle," you kvetch. Well, there isn't one today. Indulge me.

Something…unexpected…and different popped up during my ~~rabbit-hole~~ research for BHM. I'll let author Greg Levin do the talking…

So, without much further ado, I’m honored to share with you a list of 33 [sic] black authors of crime fiction everyone needs to read. Mind you, this is by no means an exhaustive list. Nor is it simply my list. While I have read and immensely enjoyed works by each of the featured authors, they are widely considered to be amongst the most influential and talented writers of their respective generation. Point is, each author listed is an outstanding writer (not just an outstanding black writer). I’ll leave it to you to explore each and discover some new favorite authors/books—and revisit some old ones.

Wherever possible, I’ve provided links to the authors’ official websites so that readers may learn more about each writer and check out their books (and hopefully BUY some!). For the authors who don’t have a formal website, I’ve provided a link either to their Amazon page or to their profile page on the African American Literature Book Club’s website.

Wait, wait! There is a Detroit connection! Two, actually! The first is Detroit's own Stephen Mack Jones, prize-winning novelist and creator of P.I. August Snow! If you're not already a fan, read the free excerpt! The second is Detroit native and DC emigre Cheryl A. Head, a woman who has a list of successful careers like I got empty Wild Turkey bottles[^1], writer, television producer, filmmaker, broadcast executive, media funder and presently Director of Inclusion for the board of the Golden Crown Literary Society. You gotta ask: does Ms Head ever sleep?

Happy reading, crime fiction fans!

[^1]: lots of 'em and all over the place!

From Ken Coleman's article at Michigan Advance, the most sensible words I've heard lately regarding the long-inextricable Gordian knot that is the Gaza Strip…

“Both parties are enabling genocide,” [independent presidential candidate Cornel] West said during a visit to Neighborhood Grocery, a recently opened African-American-owned business.

“Ceasefire is a minimal step,” West continued. “Ending the occupation is a requirement. For me, that is non-negotiable in the Middle East as it relates to our Palestinian and Israeli brothers and sisters. There’s got to be Palestinian dignity, equality. We don’t want the massacre and genocide of any people. But you can never have your security predicated on the occupation of Gaza.”

"Welcome to Dearborn, America’s Jihad Capital." -- Steven Stalinsky, WSJ

"Americans know that blaming a group of people based on the words of a small few is wrong. That’s exactly what can lead to Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate, and it shouldn’t happen to the residents of Dearborn – or any American town," Biden posted on X. "We must continue to condemn hate in all forms."

"This is a direct result of the inflammatory @WSJ opinion piece that has led to an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online targeting the city of Dearborn," Hammoud posted on X.

"Dearborn is a vibrant community full of Michiganders who contribute day in and day out to our state.," said Whitmer [on X, of course -- rr]. "Islamophobia and all forms of hate have no place in Michigan, or anywhere. Period."

Other news sources:

• The News: Biden condemns 'anti-Arab hate' after WSJ piece calls Dearborn 'America's Jihad Capital'

• Reuters: WSJ opinion piece calls Dearborn 'jihad capital,' Biden condemns anti-Arab hate

• Washington Post: Michigan city ramps up security after op-ed calls it 'America's jihad capital'

66…cause at this time unknown.

~Photo~ ~courtesy~ ~of~ ~Detroit~ ~Free~ ~Press~ ~Archives~

Earl "The Twirl." Center for the Detroit Pistons, Mr Cureton was worldwide, playing not only for the Pistons but the 76ers, the Bulls, even as far away as Italy, France and Venezuela!

"We feel like we've been robbed," George Blaha, longtime Pistons television broadcaster, said on the Bally Sports Detroit postgame telecast Sunday after the Pistons lost to the Orlando Magic. "Spending time with Earl was as good as it gets."

"All of us are hurting," former Pistons teammate Isiah Thomas said in a statement. "He was a tremendous teammate, tough competitor, a champion and a great human being. Earl always held the Detroit community close to his heart and worked tirelessly to make a difference for the city he loved. He will be greatly missed."

Goodbye, Earl. RIP.

• The News: Former Piston Earl Cureton, 'a true Detroit Titan', dies at 66
• Michigan Chronicle: Detroit Finney Graduate, Former NBA Player Earl Cureton Dies Unexpectedly at 66 Years Old
• Wikipedia: Earl Cureton

Alternate links for your convenience…

• "To The Wayback Machine, Sherman."
• 1ft.io

The celebration of Black History Month during February provides an opportunity to learn about people that have touched the lives of others in a variety of ways, which certainly describes 87-year-old Frances Lewis.

Lewis, who was the “knee baby” — second youngest child — in a family of seven children that made their home on Joseph Campau, two blocks south of Gratiot, in Detroit’s former Black Bottom neighborhood. She grew up to become a wife, mother, 32-year Detroit Public Schools teacher, community servant, grandmother, world traveler, caregiver, two-time breast cancer survivor, present-day girlfriend to a gentleman six years her senior and more.

“I’m the last survivor of my generation in my family, and my nieces and nephews are always asking me questions about the early lives of their fathers and mothers, so I wanted to write the book for them,” said Lewis, who was the second youngest child of Joseph and Ellen Williams and a proud sister to Robert, Pocahontas, Juanita, Thomas, Herbert and Richard. “I also wanted to share my life story with other people as well. How many people do you know that had five kids in four years and then went back to school and got a master’s degree? I’ve been through some difficult things, too, like surviving two near fatal accidents. And before my husband (Amos Lewis Sr.) died, he was sick for 10 years and I kept my vows, and I know if things were reversed he would have done the same.

💗

Alternate links for your convenience…

• "To The Wayback Machine, Sherman."
• 1ft.io
• archive.is

Love is like a ram-buh-lin rose…

Incendiary! That's an overused adjective commonly used to describe damp squibs of (in this case) musicians that can barely navigate a pentatonic scale much less rock a cradle. Like Chuck D. used to whisper, "'cos I'm louder than a bomb." Such ~~is~~ was the life of Detroit's molotov cocktail of a guitarist, Wayne Kramer. Proto-punk MC5, the cocaine years, incarceration, Gang War, The Hard Stuff, Jail Guitar Doors, MC50, Alice Cooper's Detroit Stories. I know I've missed a few.

I am still in shock, forgive me. "Brother Wayne" passed away Friday, February 2, 2024 of pancreatic cancer. Jesus, I didn't even know he was ill! A new album was in the works. Aaggh, these humans.

• Metro Times: RIP MC5’s Wayne Kramer, dead at 75
• WXYZ 7: Wayne Kramer, co-founder of revolutionary rock band the MC5, dead at 75
• WDIV 4: Wayne Kramer, MC5 legend and guitarist, dead at 75
• The Freep: Wayne Kramer's musical legacy lives on as fans mourn the MC5 rock icon

“I’m no spring chicken,” said Mike Muftari, owner of Mike’s Famous Ham Place on Michigan Avenue, who said he is selling the business so he can retire.

In his late 70s, and with property values rising with Michigan Central and Corktown developments, Muftari said it’s time to sell. He said he’d like for it to remain a ham shop but knows he can’t control the future of the restaurant.

James Scott grew up one street over from Mike’s Famous Ham Place.[…]Scott said he’s been going to the shop for 60 years throughout both owners, since the age of 4.[…] “I couldn’t even see over the counter. But my dad used to bring me here and buy the sandwiches – I used to think they were the biggest sandwiches I’d ever seen in my life,” he said.[…] “They got the best ham in Detroit, and have always had it. There’s a lot of ham places in Detroit, nobody can touch these guys,” Scott said.

Muftari said he doesn’t have a date yet for the last service.[…] “I’m happy, I’m healthy, when the time comes – time to retire,” Muftari said. “Thank you for supporting us all these years.”

The People and Places of Black Bottom
Sunday, February 4, 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Detroit Public Library, Main Branch
5201 Woodward Ave, Detroit MI

Black Bottom was a predominantly black neighborhood within Detroit that was a critical part of the city's culture and musical scene from the 1930s until the late 1950s. The homes and businesses that defined Black Bottom were demolished in the early 1960s in order to build I-375.

The People and Places of Black Bottom, Detroit will be presented by local historian Ken Coleman and is based off of a paper that Ken Coleman wrote for the National Endowment for the Humanities. This presentation will take place within the Auditorium in the Main Library.

Apologies for the last-minute notice — the event is "sold out.'' Not to worry: the discussion is also being live-streamed via Zoom!

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84884784879?pwd=mrFmntonGoAmDRzG1GYib7mqmEwacb.1

Meeting ID: 848 8478 4879
Passcode: 791295
One tap mobile:

• +13126266799,,84884784879#,,,,*791295# US (Chicago)
• +16469313860,,84884784879#,,,,*791295# US

Map image courtesy of the Black Bottom Digital Archive.

metroDetroit™-related post. Deal.

2nd Annual Black History Book Fair w/The Indie Authors 2024
Saturday, February 3, 12:00pm -- 5:00pm
Party with a Tee
3158 S Wayne Rd, Wayne, MI

We kick-off this event during Black History month to promote, preserve and sustain... a family's love for books! Expect to meet local authors who have written books across all genres with A-A and/or diverse characters, content and settings that maybe relatable to all walks of life. The local authors have some incredible stories and knowledge to share and we are happy to connect you with them.

Registration is now open for authors! You do not have to be a resident of the cities listed to sell your book! Apply today: https://forms.gle/t3RS67oZgCszByFz5

Got questions? Email us: janeice@detroitbookcity.com or partywithatee@gmail.com or call (734) 589-0111

Everyone is invited to this kid-friendly event but registration is requested. Registration for the book fair is on the website.

Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971
February 4 -- June 23, 2024
Detroit Institute of Arts
5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI

In cooperation with the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures…

Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971 honors the legacy of African American filmmakers and actors from the dawn of cinema, through the golden age, and into the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement. Inspired by and named after an independent 1923 all-Black-cast movie, Regeneration seeks to revive lost or forgotten films, filmmakers, and performers for a contemporary audience.

Explore — or revisit — a bittersweet part of American cinematic history, lost in plain sight and not necessarily by accident. In concurrence with the exhibit, The Detroit Film Theatre (Why, look! It's right next door!) will be showing a selection of 20^th^ century African American cinema gratis throughout the month of February.

The DFT's selection for this weekend…

• The Flying Ace
  USA, 1926, directed by Richard E. Norman
  Friday, February 2, 7:30pm
  …the charismatic Laurence Criner stars as Captain Billy Stokes, a World War I pilot who returns home to find both romance and a plot involving a gang of payroll thieves. The fact that Black Americans were not permitted to serve as pilots in the US Armed Forces in 1926 did not stop writer-director Richard Norman from putting a valiant Black aviator at the center of his film.
  • This remarkable film was preserved by the Library of Congress, and will be presented with a live score composed and performed by Alvin Waddles (piano), Marion Hayden (bass) and Vincent Chandler (trombone).

• Harlem On The Prairie
  USA, 1937, directed by Sam Newfield
  Saturday, Feb 3, 7:00pm
  …[Detroit-born] singer Herb Jeffries makes his cinematic debut as a strapping young cowpoke who comes to the rescue of a traveling medicine show battling outlaws for buried treasure.[…] Filmed at a Black-owned ranch in California’s Apple Valley, the film also includes Spencer Williams (director of The Blood of Jesus) and doo-wop quartet the Four Tones.

• Reform School (restored)
  USA, 1939, directed by Leo C. Popkin
  Sunday Matineée, Feb 4, 2:00pm
  Louise Beavers plays a probation officer who comes to the defense of young inmate Freddie (Reginald Fenderson) and his pals (the Harlem Tuff Kids) who are subject to constant harassment at a corrupt reform school. The film’s director, Leo Popkin, is one of the three co-founders of the Million Dollar Productions company that produced and distributed films for Black audiences. Its other co-founders were Popkin’s brother Harry and writer-producer-actor Ralph Cooper, “The Dark Gable.”
  • This screening will be introduced by special guest Rhea Combs, Director of Curatorial Affairs, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and co-curator of Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

The Regenerations exhibit and all DFT films are gratis with general admission. General museum admission is gratis for residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. For further information, please call (313) 833-7900 during visiting hours or just point yer browser to https://dia.org already!

Following up on this article post…

The remaining members of Mac Saturn announced Monday that due to the scandal, they have decided to cancel the rest of their 35-date trek.

Then they ~~donated~~ plan to donate a bunch of cash to the Joyful Heart Foundation, Mariska Hartigay's org for victims of all types of abuse.

Obligatory social-media link blah blah blah

Then, the tour's opening act bails. More blah blah blah

Then the replacement opener bails. No tweet link for you!

Toxic stuff, having an alleged child pornography…uhmm…enthusiast?…user?…consumer?…what is the proper title here? Tough having associations with someone who has been accused of repeatedly masturbating to kiddie porn.

Musings…

• The "authorities" better find Evan Mercer guilty of the crime he's accused of, because even though he's innocent until proven guilty, he is branded either way…although the evidence volunteered by his ex girlfriend is pretty damning.
• Why exactly is Mac Saturn abandoning their tour? Were they "forced" to abandon, e.g., venues were cancelling them? If that's not the case, I don't know if I'd share that tactic: to distance myself from this alleged heinous crime, I think I'd go ahead with the tour. I mean, the entire band wasn't complicit, was it?
  • I'm not intimating anything. Everybody's weird, just in different degrees of toxicity. Associates that have worked together for years don't necessarily know what goes on with the other colleague after they leave the office. Husbands and wives don't always know what's going on with their partner. Musicians are already ~~strange~~ particular, go figure if a drummer knows what a bassist is doing after practice or a show!
• I still say they should have picked a different album title.

You may have noticed the new community banner…aww, how could you not?! Do you use a screen reader? In celebration of African Americans and the Arts, !detroit@midwest.social will proudly appropriate some of the work of Revolutionary Artist and The Minister of Culture, a man who has Van Son for blood, Grand Rapids-born, SF-raised graphic ~~artist~~ agitator Emory Douglas.

Coming from the same field as Dr Douglas (with about the same amount of resources), I couldn't help but chuckle reading this passage…

Douglas happened to stop by when [Huey] Newton and [Bobby] Seale were visiting with [Eldridge] Cleaver, and when Seale was laying out the first issue of the Black Panther Community News Service—a crudely produced mimeographed paper with a print run 1,000. Douglas took interest and told Seale that he "could help improve the quality of what was being done."

-- Nicolas Lampert,
A People's Art History of The United States
available to borrow from our friends at The Internet Archive

The reason I laugh is because any graphic artist would have done the exact same thing! "Hey, man, I can make that look way better!" I can just imagine him then pulling out his Formatt catalog!

Thanks, Dr Douglas. All power to the people!

EDIT 2024-02-01_13:39CEST: typographic errors. 🤦‍♂️

As I quoted here, according to the great American talent, Morgan Freeman (reprinted sans permission, citing fair use)…

"You're going to relegate my history to a month?[…] I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."

The AP article citing Freeman's 2005 interview on CBS' 60 Minutes goes on to say…

Black History Month has roots in historian Carter G. Woodson's Negro History Week, which he designated in 1926 as the second week in February to mark the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.[…] Woodson said he hoped the week could one day be eliminated — when black history would become fundamental to American history.

Freeman notes there is no "white history month," and says the only way to get rid of racism is to "stop talking about it."

The actor says he believes the labels "black" and "white" are an obstacle to beating racism.

"I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man," Freeman says.

Whether you agree with Mr Freeman's analysis or not, a rational person cannot deny the divisive terms that they are. In any case, here we are. Black History Month. This year the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASAALH) has declared the 2024 theme of BHM is African Americans and the Arts, and really, think about what kind of world would we be living in without the artists being celebrated, the above-cited Mr Freeman for one.

And speaking of artists, today let's talk about visual artists, the painters, sculptors and photographers. The world-reknown Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) houses the Center for African American Art collection. Have a look virtually or live and up close at works by photographic portraitist James Van Der Zee, paintings by Detroit abstractionist Naomi Dickerson, works by retired professor at CCS and Detroit multimedia artist Dr Lester Johnson, photography/video subverter Carrie Mae Weems, to name a very few.

Aww, the DIA is one of the greatest museums in the world, and that's not just Detroit cheerleading! Just go! Like you need an excuse!

Just a reminder: tonight at The Wright is Dr Ibram X. Kendi with his new book, a retelling for children of Zora Neale Hurston’s Barracoon.

Post photo:
Vincent Smith, First Day of School, 1965,
printed 1994, etching printed in black ink on cream wove paper.
Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase,
Friends of African and African American Art Fund,
Hal H. Smith Fund, and Elliot T. Slocum Fund, 2002.164.2.

Ha! What a clickbait title! And you saps fell for it! The real title…

26 million pounds of dirt will get dumped into Ford Field

The Monster Energy Supercross 2024 Race is stopping in Detroit for an all-day dirt bike racing event on Saturday. The day will feature the 450 and 250 Main Events as well as Triple Crown races.

As you can imagine, to host one of the largest, premier dirt bike championship races in the country, you're going to need dirt — and a lot of it.

26 million pounds of the stuff!

Crazy enough, Feld Entertainment owns the dirt and keeps it stored in industrial space just north of the stadium for whenever it's needed, like when Detroit revs up for Monster Jam later in February. The same supply of dirt is used for every event, said Heras, only adding to the pile when it begins to run low. Each major city in the U.S. that features these events has a stockpile of dirt hidden somewhere not far from the city, he said.

Alternate links for your convenience…

• "To The Wayback Machine, Sherman."
• 1ft.io
• archive.is