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Vol. 12 Issue 38…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…September 20, 2009
Venue for an Artist
We're Number 37!
By Paul Hipp
Come one, Come all
Down to the hall
We're gonna make noise
We're gonna bust balls
We're gonna disrupt
We're gonna jump in the fray
I got a list of all the things that we're supposed to say
We're gonna get real rowdy
Have a barrel of fun
But we're the
And buddy
We're Number
37...We're the
We're Number 37
And were so proud to say
We got old people crying at the pharmacy
Pay your deductible
This ain't the land of the f-f-f-free Grandma
We're Number
37...We're the
People of the town come on down
And if you got a crazy rumor you can spread it around
I kind of like my insurance and I like my health
The other 47 million can go treat themselves
To some prayer in chapel
Fold your hands and pray
Because we are a Christian nation and that is the Christian way
And brother
We're Number 37...We're the
The big Number 37
And were so proud to say
We're #1 one in tanks
We're #1 in planes
We're #1 in war with #2 for brains
We're Number
37...We're the
I drew a Hitler mustache on the president
Yea! Aint that neat
My brother had a hernia operation last year
And now he's living
out on the street
We're Number
37...We're the
The big Number 37
And we want to keep it that way
Be sure to bring the kids
All of the boys and girls
Because the #1 health care system in the world.
Is in
We're Number 37...We're the
We're Number 37
And we got something to say
We pay more for less
40% in fact
Let's bite some fingers off
Shout at the handicapped
Cause buddy...We're Number 37
We're the
We're Number
37...We're the
We're Number
37...We're the
About Me: Hipp penned this
catchy tune to bring attention to the fact that the World Health Organization
ranks the
Hattie McDaniel
(1895-1952)
Born
in 1895 to former slaves Henry McDaniel and Susan Holbert
in
Following the Civil War and
Emancipation, as former slaves traveled widely singing and dancing, they became
known as minstrels. Minstrelsy was very lucrative, enticing whites to paint
their faces black and imitate the performances of black minstrels. To make the
imitation viable, whites forced black minstrels to "black up" so
audiences could not detect imposters.
Against this backdrop Hattie's
father, a Baptist minister and banjo player, aided by his wife, a gospel
singer, organized their talented family into a minstrel troupe. The family
moved to
After her father retired,
McDaniel joined Professor George Morrison's famous "Melody Hounds."
She wrote dozens of show tunes such as "Sam Henry Blues," "Poor
Wandering Boy Blues," and "Quittin' My Man
Today." McDaniel became the first black woman to perform over American
radio on station KOA in
When the blackface era ended
leaving McDaniel on her own, she took a day job while reinventing her career.
The 1929 stock market crash and subsequent depression left her broke,
unemployed and stranded in
Sam had a regular part on LA's
KNX radio show "The Optimistic Do-Nuts" and was able to get Hattie a
small part, which she promptly parlayed into "Hi-Hat Hattie."
McDaniel worked as a movie extra until she got a role in Twentieth Century
Fox's The Golden West as a house servant. Like blackface and minstrel
shows, domestic roles were the top of the line for blacks in the movies in the
1930s and 40s. Black performers did not have the luxury of choice regarding
work, only whether or not to take the part. The daughter of former slaves and
having come up though the blackface era, McDaniel was not concerned with how
she looked; she put all her energy into making the best of every opportunity,
no matter what.
McDaniel appeared in a number of
similar bit parts, but she did not receive screen credit until famed director
John Ford cast her in the 1934 Fox production of Judge Priest, where
she sang a duet with Will Rogers. When casting for Gone with the Wind
began, competition for the part of Mammy was intense. Clark Gable recommended
McDaniel to John Selznick, who signed her to an
exclusive 5 years contract. Her salary for Gone with the Wind was $450
a week. While not in the same league as stars like Clark Gable and Vivien
Leigh, it nevertheless was far above her real-life counterparts. McDaniel said
of her servant's roles: "Hell, I'd rather play a maid for this kind of
money than to be one for much less." McDaniel won an Oscar as best
supporting actress for her portrayal of "Mammy" in 1940. She became
the first black American to receive an Oscar.
Although successful, McDaniel
lived a bittersweet existence. On the one hand, she had fought her way to the
top of her profession, gaining the recognition of the
After appearing in over 300 films, McDaniel had to reinvent her career once
again when the demands for the stereotypical maid role fell from favor. She
returned to radio in 1947, starring as Beulah on The Beulah Show, a
CBS radio show about a black maid and the white family for whom she worked. The
Beulah Show had been on the air for some years but always with white men
taking the role of Beulah. McDaniel took over the role and became the first
black to star in a radio program intended for a general audience. Beulah
allowed McDaniel to make use of her considerable comedic gifts while not being limited
to a crude racial cliché. Her popularity garnered an audience of twenty million
at the height of the show's popularity in 1950.
McDaniel suffered a heart attack while filming The Beulah Show after
CBS made it into a TV series. Although she recovered enough to tape more
episodes, McDaniel was diagnosed with breast cancer and died on October 26,
1952.
McDaniel, like many of her
compatriots from the blackface era and early days of motion pictures,
shouldered a tremendous burden as an artist. Black Americans in blackface
created the minstrel shows that evolved into vaudeville which laid the
foundation for what became the American entertainment industry. Although
buffoonery and images of minstrelsy were saturated with racial stereotypes,
today it should be viewed like "Arlecchino"
in classic Italian comedy, allowing performers like McDaniel to represent true
artistic and theatrical genius. Enduring pain and indignity, they showed great
courage, persistence, fortitude and innovative insight. Such indomitable spirit
reflects
Update: Kamal Symonette-Dixon
By John Burl Smith
Back
in 2000, the Atlanta Vibe was treated to a unique performance by actor/writer
Kamal Symonette-Dixon at his farewell party at Yin
Yang. Kamal debuted his first full-length
one-man show "The Melancholy Clown." Dressed as a hobo clown and in
black face to honor such great comics as Bert Williams, Willie "Sleep 'n'
Eat" Best, Mantan Moreland and Hattie McDaniel,
Kamal had the audience rolling in the isles. The one-man show's success was not
only surprising but inspiring in that Kamal used such a controversial image to
accent his humor.
Kamal had come to the ATL a few
years earlier as a Morehouse College student from New York City to continue
developing his acting and writing career which began in high school. There he
did improv comedy -- solo sketches and monologues in
which he portrayed multiple characters. Kamal also produced several
award-winning short films. His comedic talent not only brought him to
Building his performance resume,
Kamal showcased his comedic works beyond
With a BA from
Having tasted real success with
that project, Kamal realized he could say and do far more through the medium of
television. He could not only entertain but challenge the viewer's mind and
change the way they see the world. However, under the circumstances, the medium
of television was too limiting and restrictive. Much like developing his comedy
routines, Kamal saw a need for innovation and responded with SPOC-TV Networks,
Sophisticated People Of Color Television.
With the launch of SPOC-TV on
January 5, 2009, it became the first web-based African American owned comedy
television network! This was not just history making, it was revolutionary.
Kamal Symonette-Dixon, creator and owner, manages the
daily operations and creates all content for SPOC-TV. Building his career on
the cutting edge of entertainment as a multi-talented actor/writer, who
specializes in producing thought-provoking satirical work, Kamal has gone one
step further to create this incredibly unique television network. Striving to
put insight and intelligence back into comedy that depicts black life, Kamal's humor is built around classic slap stick and
buffoonery reminiscent of roles played by Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock in Keenen Ivory Wayans'
groundbreaking In Living Color.
SPOC-TV is very user friendly. It can be accessed anytime by viewers because it
is web-based, therefore convenient to cell phones, I-Pods, Lap tops or any
other 3-G devises. In other words, laughs can go with you through the content
on www.SPOC.tv. The content on SPOC-TV is always
there for you to view and share with friends. SPOC-TV Networks is introducing
exciting TV Shows, TV Sketches, TV Pranks, and even TV Blogs.
Augmenting his success with
SPOC-TV, Kamal has been brought aboard the new sketch comedy television show
starring Jamie Foxx as a writer. Those in the Atlanta Vibe who were a part of Kamal's early development feel more than vindicated and
look upon each successful advance with pride. Also, those in The
DISH family, who only know Kamal through reading about his many
accomplishments, can now become dedicated fans through www.Spoc.tv
and can visit him on the web at www.kamalsymonette-dixon.com.
Happy Constitution Day! (17-09-2009)
Well,
the poor old thing has had a rough eight years, but today is a moment to
celebrate the spirit of the United States Constitution. Today is Constitution
Day. The last time I was in
A lot has happened since then,
but the constitution still stands, and anyone sworn in to elected office still
takes an oath to protect and defend it.
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect
Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings
of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America."
Hey, wait just a minute…. (balling up fists and
rubbing eyes) What's that part there, right after "common defence?" It
says "promote the general Welfare!" What's THAT all about?
It is here that I'd like to wave
over our conservative friends to have a seat in our little library. I've got a
big old fat dusty looking dictionary open, and my glasses pushed down to the
tip of my nose. Please, there are enough chairs for everyone…do
sit.
I peer at the pages, running my
finger over the yellowed sheets, and find the following definitions.
Promote - v. To
contribute to the progress or growth of; further. General - adj. Concerned with, applicable to, or affecting the whole or
every member of a class or category. Welfare - n. Health,
happiness, and good fortune; well-being. Hm. I look around at those
seated at the table as I close the dictionary with a resounding thump and shove
the glasses back up.
It would seem to me that the very document which you all claim to love and
support, and whose "shredding" you seem to fear on a daily basis, and
whose propositions you swear to uphold and obey with every fiber of your being
says this: We the people of the United States of America have established the
constitution to do many things, one of which is to ensure that the government
furthers the cause of promoting good health for every American. See, look right
there: Further, health, everyone.
So when the government attempts to provide an option for all people to get
government sponsored health care, it is not some liberal notion of a government
takeover that's going to shred your beloved constitution. It is a mandate. It
is already written IN that document, which you secretly hope that nobody will
actually read. Judging by the spelling and grammar displayed on the signs at
most of the Teabag rallies, you have nothing to fear from your own followers.
But, people who actually can read and know how to use a dictionary, (presumably
the Senate), know better. Max Baucus knows better, and every single Democratic
Senator knows better too. So do the Republicans, but they are much more
concerned with marching in lock step with one another, and patting each other
on the back, and throwing sand in the gears of democracy than they are at
acting to support the constitution on behalf of all the people. They would much
rather break their crayons, and strategize about how to get power back at the
expense of the lives of their constituents, and let Americans go without the
ability to pay for their medical bills, or get the treatments they need. It
really boils down to that.
General welfare means health for
ALL. Not some. Not most. All! Happy
Constitution Day! (Note: This comment
was posted on www.themudflats.net/.
Its author was not identified.)
The `Culture War' is Real and Scary
By Leonard Pitts Jr.
I don't know who coined the term
``culture war'' to describe our political divisions, but I'm reasonably sure he
or she intended it only as a figure of speech.
It feels like something else in
light of a new report from the Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law
Center, which monitors extremist groups. ``Terror From The Right'' is a listing
of bombers, killers, would-be assassins and insurrectionists motivated by anger
over abortion, gays, taxes, blacks, Muslims and illegal immigrants.
Which raises an obvious fair and
balanced question: What about terror from the left? The SPLC's
Mark Potok says left-wing terror essentially means
eco-terrorists, e.g., animal rights extremists. The death toll from their work,
he says, is zero.
By contrast, Timothy McVeigh
killed 168 people because he was angry at the government, brothers Matthew and
Tyler Williams shot two men to death for being gay, James Kopp killed Dr.
Barnett Slepian for being an abortion provider, and
dozens of other men have been indicted for dozens of other plots to kill
thousands of other people with whom they had political disagreements.
It's one thing to read these stories in isolation and
another to see them collected, and thereby connected, here, one extremist plot
after another in the 14 years since
When you call them on that
behavior, Barack Obama's detractors love to accuse you of equating dissent with
racism. It is a specious argument. I disagree with the president's use of
signing statements to avoid complying with laws he doesn't like, but it would
never occur to me to carry a sign vowing death to him, his wife and their ``two
stupid kids'' as a protester in Maryland did, or to pray that Obama dies of
brain cancer as a ``minister'' in Arizona does, or to heckle him during a joint
session of Congress as Rep. Joe Wilson infamously did.
That's not dissent. It is the howl of the unhinged and the entitled. The same
folks who were complacent as President Bush spent surplus into deficit, wasted $600
billion and 4,000 American lives on the wrong war and watched a major American
city drown are morally outraged because the new guy wants to reform healthcare?
For many of them, I think -- not all -- that's because they find it hard to
accept that the new guy is liberal...and black.
As Potok sees it, some of us are angry over the
dramatic changes underfoot in this nation. ``People who want this country to
remain a white-dominated country have lost. They have completely and utterly
lost the battle, and they can never win it. If they were to seal the borders
tomorrow, whites would still lose their majority in a matter of years, simply
as a result of the difference in fertility rate.
As a result, many people ``feel
that this is no longer the country that their Christian white forefathers
built, that they have been robbed, that this isn't the world they grew up in
and that they are very, very frightened'' -- a feeling stoked and exploited by
political and media demagogues, who will loudly disclaim responsibility when
that fear becomes violence.
The president is black, the secretary of state is a woman, the new Supreme
Court justice is Hispanic, the nation is changing,
becoming vastly more inclusive. If some see that as a
redemption of promise, the SPLC report reminds us that others regard it
as an embodiment of threat. For the record, at least six of the plots it
recounts were motivated by, or against, Obama.
Take it as proof. ``Culture war''
is not a figure of speech.
Disgruntled wants to know:
On Tuesday, in response to an audience question at a town hall held at his
presidential center in
Disgruntled
feels: Inappropriate! I am a tennis nut! I play and watch as much as
possible. I even hold my nose and watch Rafael Nadal
dig in his derriere, a disgusting practice that none of the sports
commentators, at least none with a large enough audience to make a difference,
has labeled unbecoming or inappropriate. Naturally, I saw the Serena Williams
meltdown that has garnered so much media attention and talk of fines and
possible suspension for "conduct unbecoming" a professional tennis
player. No one talks about the faulty foot fault call late in the match that
led to her profane outburst. All the focus has been on Serena's tirade, as if
nothing preceded it. The lines person gets to escape into the background, when
she should be reprimanded for making such a controversial call so late in a
grand slam match. With that said, in my humble opinion, anything more than the
fine already levied would be inappropriate. And, while the professional tennis
community tries to pretend it has moved beyond the racism that colored and limited
the careers of Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson, it would not only be
inappropriate, but a bald-faced lie, to claim racism plays no role in the
treatment accorded the Williams sister in US tennis today.
Disgruntled
says: According to the annual report "Conventional Arms Transfers
to Developing Nations," which is published by the nonpartisan
Congressional Research Service, a division of the Library of Congress, the US
is the world's leading weapons supplier. While the world may have been in the
midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the
Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and
Telephone Calls
Email www.huffingtonpost.com ...Head in the Sand?...Clarence B. Jones...I've written and posted here before
about how race is clearly the 800-pound gorilla in
Email http://original.antiwar.com ...The Best
Congress AIPAC Can Buy....By Philip Giraldi... Many
Americans who thought that the health care debate was important must have
wondered where their congressmen were in early August during the first two
weeks of the House of Representatives recess. It turns out they were not
hosting town hall meetings or listening to constituents because many of them
were in Israel together with their spouses on a trip paid for by the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Fully 13% of the entire US House of
Representatives, 56 members, traveled to
Email www.alternet.org
...The Last Time Right-Wing Hatred Ran Wild Like This
a President Was killed...By Eric Boehlert...It's a demented national jihad, the
likes of which this country has not seen in modern times. That
being John F. Kennedy, who was gunned down in