FORWARDEVER MEDIA CENTER
Writer Alex
Haley writing The Autobiography of Malcolm X with Brother Malcolm.
"The
media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make
the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power.
Because they control the minds of the masses."
- Malcolm X
Mission
The Forwardever Media Center is 100% committed to providing unconventional writing workshops and media literacy training to "at-risk" Black youth, particularly males, ages 14 through 24. Working in partnership with The Mentoring Center in Oakland, CA., the Center's writing workshops, website internship, and film forums, help students develop critical thinking skills and discover their creative talents. We recruit youth for our programs from the California Youth Authority (the state's largest prison for youth) as well as from universities and high schools. This cross-pollination of young minds creates dynamic shared experiences.
Programs
Whatchusay Cinema–A monthly film forum hosted at schools or community centers in Northern California that explores issues such as race, class, gender, and society. Students are joined by a panel of activists, educators, athletes, entrepreneurs, etc. to rate the films and convene roundtable discussions about corresponding relevant issues in society. For info about film screenings and schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com
Writing Workshops–We offer intensive seminars in journalism, creative writing, cultural criticism, new media, film production, etc. These seminars are taught at the center, located at 1224 Preservation Park, Oakland, CA, 94612. They are also available on location, at schools, community and detention centers, churches, etc. For info about class schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com
Internships–Whatchusay.com offers competitive internships to young writers who have clearly demonstrated a passion for the craft of writing or media production. The 3-month internship covers news writing and reporting, feature writing, creative writing, media literacy and new media. Working in partnership with community based organizations, universities and international and national media outlets, we produce a pipeline of informed journalists of color who will go on to create their own independent media organizations or work for major media organizations.
More...« What Obama Means to Black Men and Boys | Main
American Accountability
by Pendarvis Harshaw
American Accountability
Promise? Pro- missed, pro mise, demise, dismissed-from my eyes
I see a man being deity ised
Smoke, mirrors, and media provide
A disguise a glorified
allegory to the story
of Clinton Gore and them guys
A Democrat with a different rap
Appeals to a different demo graph
Different part of the map
All because of the skin in which he is wrapped
But Jessie Jack and Kwame Killpat
Showed because you are Black
doesn’t mean there are no strings attached
so who is this kat?
A hybrid kid-mixed lineage
Kenyan - the blackest of black
with a neck that is the redest of red
son of a Midwest farmer
who was the daughter
of a couple who built bombers for Pearl Harbor
childhood altered by that Tiger Woods drama
who am I? how do I identify?
Just to move to the South Side of the Chi
To save hood kids before Hyde Park got gentrified
Do the headbusters in the rollin 100s know this guy?
What about the other side
Do the O.G.s who got evicted from Cabrini-Green know the significance of his place and time?
Do they know that on the same day Chicagos Emmitt Till lost his life
a decade later, on the same day, a King looked to the sky and said the promised land would be a mile High?
He saw it 45 years prior to you and I
Before CBS opened its one eye
A revered King saw this country being unified... and his one statement: I have a dream
So courageous, so audacious, such a catalyst for changes: a dream…
Is a dream in question after seeing that Mountain Top scene
A scene where the three most unaccountable identities
The three things that have always lied to me:
America, politicians, and Black men.
Made but another promise to me
Another promise
that is very reminiscent of Democratic Donkey dung and Denver Bronco dropping bullshit.
Now excuse me Mr. Obama, but me and my patnas are from Oakland California
Where the Panthers taught us to take arms and march right to the state building lawn
In order to alarm ’em
that the government is not sticking to their promise!
Honest, I heard your words and your words struck a nerve and because I care about what you do... even more support you, I hope for change from the same old bull …
And I’m letting you know, from a man you made a promise to
I will be holding you accountable.
Posted on September 11, 2008 5:49 PM
