Volume 2 Issue 38
..Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race
.. October 1, 1999
"Unbossed
and unbought news and information you can use"
Grand Marnier Hip-Hops Vibe!
International arts patron Grand Marnier threw The Atlanta Vibe a coming out party. The September 26th invitation only event recognized the amazing work of local black poets in developing the spoken word scene. Billed as a Speak Eazy Poetry Slam, the venue brought together 12 of the ATL's most dynamic up front in your face torpedoes, straight out of the Roaring Twenties.
Envisioned by two
Definitely fly, the phat venue was hosted by a
pair of powerful performers, Mathew St. Patrick of "All
My Children" and Tangie
Ambrose of "Jackie's Back" and "Ringmaster."
Flashing lights and rolling cameras gave the soiree a
Speak Eazy contestants exploded the scene with quick draw rapid-fire hit man Ayodele, and blazed through mad bombers like Starr, Phillipe, Kamal, Wanda Jeanne, Tamara Madison-Shaw, L. J. Shady Streetz and Nikki Wade. When the smoke cleared, Yohannes Sharriff Smith came up a bullet short as runner-up. T'ai Freedom Ford, a.k.a., Jigaboo held up the joint, taking first place and the $500.00 cash prize.
Beyond glitz and glamour, the Atlanta Vibe thanks Grand Marnier for choosing to support its talented, hard working and innovative black youth, along with its many other sponsorships, such as the New York Film Festival, Grand Marnier Fellowships with the Film Society of Lincoln Center and First Look Film Series. Such promotions provide opportunities for young sisters and brothers to sharpen their competitive edges and acquire and demonstrate marketable skills. We salute Grand Marnier for making it happen! More from the Vibe
Disgruntled says: Salt Lake took a page from Atlanta's Olympic bid playbook of sex, lies and bribes big business style, and even the most honorable former U.S. Attorney General Bell cannot dispel the stench we smell.
Disgruntled wants to know: Republican presidential frontrunner George W. Bush, Jr. says character matters. Telling the truth is the kind of positive character trait, along with moral authority, Bush says he will bring to the White House, if elected President. How does the governor square dodging questions about drug use, school grades and business escapades with his claim to possess more desirable character traits and more moral authority than 1600 Pennsylvania's current resident?
Disgruntled feels: a cooling breeze just over the horizon! Other Disgruntled Moments
Venue for an Artist
Unpretentious
by Kamal Symonette-Dixon
You ever notice
How interesting some homeless brothers look?
How much personality and character they have.
You ever sit down right next to them,
And listen to the unique sayings and proverbs
They have to share
Of from afar taken in the art
Of their eccentric personalities?
Their clothes tend to be faded
1970 name brands
But they have an elaborate plainness to them.
With rips, stains and specks of earthly matter
That appear strategically placed
To the suburban imitator trying to become
The next new buzz in the art scene.
I wonder what will happen
When some brothers from my generation
Become homeless.
When the
And Versaces start to fade
Will they become poetic? Probably.
But, it would be a shame,
If they have to reach their beauty
In such a harsh humility.
(Reprinted from "Unconscious Poetry")
About
Me: Kamal Symonette‑Dixon brought his revolutionary
comedic style to the Atlanta Vibe from
Lester Maddox
by John Burl Smith
One's attitude towards the environment is reflected in how one treats fellow human beings. For instance, one cannot love animals, trees or whales and be untouched by wanton violence against someone that believes, acts or looks different. Attitude formation supports developing behaviors by seeking confirming responses from the environment. Positively related, as confirming responses increase, behavior increases.
Former
Solely on the bases of hatred for blacks, Maddox was elected Governor of Georgia in 1967 and Lieutenant governor in 1971. Known for his openly racist views, he played one-upmanship with George Wallace, doggedly blocking black access to state jobs. Maddox served those clinging to the past and willing to use sleazy politicians to keep the fires of hatred burning. Looking the other way when violence and murders occurred, whites consoled themselves like Germans in 1933, "God is on our side. He blesses what we are doing in his name."
Much like Adolf Hitler, Maddox's willingness to openly
display hatred for blacks propelled a relatively obscure restaurant owner to
the highest office in the state of
by John Burl Smith
Participants of Turnout 75%: A report detailing the lack of
affirmative action by the State of
A Dixiecrat from the last home of the Ku Klux
Klan,
Providing his victory margin last November, blacks see Barnes' attitude as a
return to the policies of Lester Maddox, minus the pickax handle. Deeply
troubled by his lack of appointments, African Americans watched Barnes create a
huge new bureaucracy manned by whites. Consistent with his statement, the
Governor represents a vision of redneck
On
the Techno-Gap
by Dot Smith
According to
School systems' PPCs represent only one measure of technology. In terms of the potential overall technology gap, the differences in PPC's may only be the tip of the iceberg, because an in-depth look at software and Internet access may reveal an even greater chasm.
The existence of a technology gap does not bode well for the new millennium. A technology gap perpetuates the chasm of inequality. Moreover, it shows reluctance within public education to equip all children to meet new millennial challenges. While this gap's existence portends an inauspicious beginning, it is a fitting conclusion to the century ending, which has been characterized by the chasm of inequality.
Notes on the data: *This is the FTE (full time equivalency) estimate used by the State Department of Education; it is an accounting approximation, so the actual student population may vary. **Note: The computer inventory figure used to compute the PPC does not include pre-generation 486 computers, administrative systems and file servers. It represents only instructional desktop and laptop computers. More Hot DISHes
Kemba
Smith
"Kemba Smith is a young woman who at 23 years
old received a 24.5 year prison sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to
distribute crack cocaine. She was a
When he threatened to kill her and her parents, Kemba followed his instructions because she knew he was quite capable of carrying through on this threat. Shortly after she discovered who he truly was, Peter Hall executed his closest friend and drug-business partner. Kemba did not leave for almost two years because she was determined to stay alive and protect the safety of the parents whose love she felt she had so recklessly betrayed by making some very bad choices.
Kemba Smith's story is a classic example of what
is occurring to a growing number of young women caught at the crossroads of
criminal justice policies that adversely affect Black women--currently the
fastest growing segment of the prison population. Mandatory minimum sentencing
policies that treat low-level female offenders as if they were drug kingpins
intersect with the racially disproportionate impact of sentencing differentials
between crack and powder cocaine. To make matters worse, black women defendants
who are battered typically have little information about how their experience
as battered women can help shape their defense. Without the use of experts on
battered women, it is difficult to educate courts about the role that domestic
violence plays in entrapping women in relationships with drug dealers. Kemba Smith's nightmare is written in American law. Laws which make injustice legal." Learn more about Kemba Smith at the Kemba Smith
Justice Project website: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/lobby/8899/index.html.
Send email inquires to: kembasmith@hotmail.com.
Forwarded by Yemi Toure ytoure@mindspring.com.
Winning the Miss America Beauty pageant has become synonymous with fame and
success for young women. Past Miss
A rule against marriage is understandable; "Miss" means unmarried. However, the door to motherhood is opened when "Miss" includes divorcees and young sexually active women. The motherhood restriction seems to suggest children in the lives of contestants taint some moral high ground the pageant has attained.
The rule change highlights the ease with which these superficial flesh exhibitions discriminate against women. If the pageant wants to stake out some moral high ground for young women, it should require them to be virgins. Closing the contest to only virgins eliminates the question of natural motherhood and abortion. No doubt with Monica Lewinsky morals so commonplace, it would be difficult to locate virgins willing to parade their nearly bare assets to a global audience. Even a virgin rule would not rule out motherhood, since there is adoption. But, alas, while our "ideal" can adopt a whale or fight to save a snail darter, she cannot be a mother! Other Phantom Scribblers
"Recently, I heard a sister on a radio station out of
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