Culture: The Wire

The Wire: 2002 - 2008

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Goodnight Moon:

Goodnight moon
Goodnight stars
Goodnight po-pos
Goodnight fiends
Goodnight hoppers
Goodnight hustlers
Goodnight scammers
Goodnight to everybody
Goodnight to one and all.

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Recommended Watching:

• Out of Character: Gbenga Akinnagbe
• Out of Character: Andre Royo
• Out of Character: Tristan Wilds
• Out of Character: Sonja Sohn
• Out of Character: Reg E. Cathey
• Out of Character: Corey Parker Robinson
• The Wire: Audtions
• The Wire's Snoop Opens up to Michael K. Williams
• Jamie Hector: GIANT Magazine Interview
• Cast of The Wire visits Harvard
• JD Williams Interview
• Snoop on Larry King Live
• Snoop Talking About Her Book, Grace After Midnight
• Bubbly Over The Wire
• Omar's Killer on the Morning Show
• Funny Moments
• The Wire Conversation: TEDxMidAtlantic 2011
• Tapping The Wire
• David Simon and Dominic West Interview
• The Wire: The Musical
• Anthony Bourdain meets Snoop from The Wire
• David Simon: What's Behind the US War on Drugs
• Behind the Scenes: It's All Connected

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Recommended Reading:

• The Wire: Truth Be Told
• The Corner: Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood
• Grace After Midnight by Felicia Pearson
• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
• The Wire and Philosophy: This America, Man
•  The Wire: Race, Glass, and Gender
• Why we're teaching The Wire at Harvard
• What Do Real Thugs Think of The Wire
• What Makes The Wire So Special
• Omar Little: The Wire
• The Wire: Urban Decay and American Television
• Why The Wire is the best show on television 

Black Excellence Month: Day 26

Alfre Woodard
Actress
1952 - 

“Everybody has a part of her body that she doesn’t like, but I've stopped complaining about mine because I don’t want to critique nature's handiwork...My job is simply to allow the light to shine out of the masterpiece.” 

-Alfre Woodard

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Recommended Watching:

• Freedom Road
• How To Make An American Quilt
• Miss Evers' Boys
• Steel Magnolias
• 12 Years a Slave
• Black Panther
• The Family That Preys
• Beauty Shop
• Crooklyn
• Race to Freedom
• Passion Fish
• Down in the Delta
• Mandela
• Holiday Heart
• Love and Basketball
• Radio
• Memphis Beat
• A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story
• Alfre Woodard on 12 Years a Slave
• Alfre Woodard's Prayer Cloth
• Alfre Woodard Reading Sojourner Truth
• Alfre Woodard's Pre-Oscars Dinner
• Alfre Woodard winning Golden Globe in 1998
• Alfre Woodard Reads Chris Abani's Graceland
• Alfre Woodard reads Maria Stewart
• NAACP Image Awards 2013
• Alfre Woodard talks about the importance of Reproductive Rights

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Recommended Reading:

• Alfre Woodard's Aha! Moment 
• You're Never Too Young for the Truth 
• Alfre Woodard is committed to fighting injustice

Black Excellence Month: Day 24

Octavia E. Butler
Writer
1947 - 2006

"You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence. It's just so easy to give up!"

-Octavia Butler

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Recommended Reading:

• Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
• Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
• Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
• Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler
• Seed to Harvest by Octavia E. Butler
• Wild Seed by Octavie E. Butler
• We Keep Playing the Same Record
• Octavia Butler on the Poetics of Narrative Embodiment

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Recommended Watching:

•  Women Writing Sci-Fi: from Brave New Worlds
• Octavia E. Butler Cosby Chair Event
• On Charlie Rose
• Hour 25
• Octavia Butler in LA

Black Culture: A Different World

A Different World: 1987 - 1993

Denise, Dwayne, Whitley

Ron, Kim, Jaleesa, Freddie

Mr. Gaines, Col. Taylor, Walter

Lettie, Stevie

Lena, Gina, Charmaine

Dorian, Terrance 

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Recommended Reading:

• A Different World was the last black sitcom to be a hit--but why?
• A Different World Finale: 20th Anniversary
• "It's a Different World" State of HBCUs
• The Cosby Show and A Different World: Impact on HBCU Enrollment
• Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Harrison talk about the Impact of A Different World

 

My Favorite Episodes:

• War of the Words
• Rudy and the Snow Queen
• Gift of the Magi
• Mr. Hillman
• If Only For One Night
• Those Who Can't...Tutor
• Three Girls Three
• Radio Free Hillman
• It Happened One Night
• It's Greek to Me
• No Means No
• There's No Place Like Home
•  Strangers on a Plane
• To Have and Have Not
• Answered Prayers
• The Power of the Pen
• Pride and Prejudice
• Ms. Understanding
• If I Should Die Before I Wake
• Do You Take This Woman
• Mammy Dearest
• Cats in the Cradle
• Save the Best for Last
• Honeymoon in L.A. parts 1 and 2
• Homie, Don't Ya Know Me
• A Rock, A River, a Lena
• Love Taps

♥

Black Excellence Month: Day 23

Madam C.J. Walker
Entrepreneur  Philanthropist
1867 - 1919 

"I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them."

-Madam C.J. Walker

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Recommended Watching:

• Creating Beauty From Within
• Madam C.J. Walker in the National Archives
• Georgette Tutt Talks About Buying From Madam C.J. Walker
• Stanley Nelson Interview's Madam C.J. Walker's Great Grand Daughter
• Sunkissed Girlz Interviews Madam C.J. Walker's Great Grand Daughter
• First Female Millionaire "First Black Millionaire"

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Recommended Reading:

• The History of Black Business in America by Juliet Walker
• Madam C.J. Walker: Building a Business Empire by P. Coleman
• On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker

Black Excellence Month: Day 22

Nichelle Nichols
Actress  Singer
1932 - 

 "I was very blessed in always knowing what I wanted to do, and by the grace of God, I've been able to succeed in my chosen career."

-Nichelle Nichols

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Recommended Watching:

• Star Trek
• Truck Turner
• Heroes
• On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
• Pheonix Comicon 2013
• Breaking Barriers
• Beyond Antares
• On Meeting President Obama
• First Interracial Kiss on Television
• FanExpo 2013
• Pioneer Women of Television

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Recommended Reading:

• Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories
• Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Films
• Professional Women in Star Trek

Black Excellence Month: Day 20

Staceyann Chin
Spoken-Word Poet  Performing Artist  Activist
1972 -

“Hungry people make the best revolutionaries. Because when you’re hungry, it’s easy to get angry about things that aren’t right.” 

-Staceyann Chin

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Recommended Reading:

• The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin
• Staceyann Chin's Views on Homophobia, Jamaica, and Motherhood
• Staceyann Chin: Open Letter to My Unborn Daughter (or Son)
• A Single Lesbian's Quest for Motherhood
• "Truth.Be.Told." Tv Series Highlighting Black LGBT Pioneers
• Resistance Through Poetry
• A Def Poetry Jam of Her Very Own
• Mutha Magazine Interview
• Oprah: Memoirs We Love
• Staceyann Chin: "I have walked long hard roads to get here"
• Staceyann Talks Trayvon Martin and a Feminist Perspective

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Recommended Reading:

• Staceyann Chin Poetry Performance: April 2013
• Tweet This You Small Minded Motherfucker
• If Only Out of Vanity
• Stand Up With Jamaica
• National Equality March Rally
• There is Power in the Pen
• Feminist or Womanist
• All Oppression is Connected
• NEST: Interview with Staceyann Chin
• A City in Tragedy
• Catalog the Insanity
• Poem about Equality
• Navigating Change: From Cunt to Collarbone
• Chat with Staceyann Chin: Brooklyn Review

Black Excellence Month: Day 18

Laverne Cox
Actress  Producer  Transgender Advocate 

"If you're passionate about something, if you love something, don't ever ever give up."

-Laverne Cox

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Recommended Watching:

• Orange is the New Black
• Musical Chairs
• glaad Media Awards 2013
• True Transgender Stories
• I AM: Trans People Speak
• Acting Reel
• Laverne Cox Shares Make-Up Tips
• Breaking the Trans Glass Ceiling
• Orange is the New Black on MHP
• On the Stigma of Loving Transgender Women
• Creating Change: Keynote Address 2014
• More Laverne Cox on MHP
• On 2nd Amendment Rights
• On Musical Chairs
• Ain't I A Woman

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Recommended Reading:

• Laverne Cox on "The Katie Show" Appearance 
• Free CeCe Documentary
• Laverne Cox Huffington Post Entries
• 'Stay in the Love' Interview
• "I'm Good With Myself": A Conversation with Laverne Cox

Black Men Monday

Jesse Williams
Actor 
1981 - 

"We often grow up being told that we can do this or that, but if you don't see anybody that looks like you doing it, you don't believe you can do it. But I had great teachers, and I wanted to be a great teacher."

-Jesse Williams

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Recommended Watching:

• Grey's Anatomy
• Lee Daniels' The Butler
• The Cabin in the Woods
• Jesse Williams Talk Trayvon Martin
• Jesse Williams on The Chew
• Jesse Williams on Sesame Street
• NBA Finals
• Importance of History
• Jesse Williams on The Butler  

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Recommended Reading:

• Django, in chains

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“Feeling threatened is not the same thing as being threatened.” 

-Jesse Williams

Black Excellence Month: Day 16

Maya Angelou 
Poet  Novelist  Activist  Educator  Producer 
1928 - 2014

"Courage is the most important of all virtues, because without courage, you cannot practice any of the other virtues consistently."

-Maya Angelou

“A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself, and only herself.”

-Maya Angelou

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Maya Angelou Book List:

• I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings
•  The Heart of a Woman
• Letter to My Daughter
• Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now
• On the Pulse of Morning
• Gather Together in My Name
• All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes
• Life Doesn't Frighten Me
• Mom & Me & Mom
• Even The Stars Look Lonesome
• I Shall Not Be Moved
• Just Give Me a Cool Drink A Water 'fore I Die
• Graduation
• Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes

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Recommended Reading:

• How to Write a Poem
• 2013 Oprah Interview
• At the Table With Maya Angelou 
• Master Class Quotes
• 20 Teachable Moments from Dr. Maya Angelou 
• Voices of Our Time: Maya Angelou
• Growing Up Maya Angelou
• How I Write
• An Interview With Maya Angelou
• The African-American Grandmother in Autobiographical Works by Fredrick Douglass, Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou

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Recommended Watching:

• Love Liberates
• TIME: 10 Questions for Maya Angelou
• The Revelation that Changed Dr. Maya Angelou's Life
• A Tribute Poem for Nelson Mandela
• If You Don't Laugh, You Will Die
• Merv Griffin Show 1982
• And Still I Rise
• Conversation With Maya Angelou
• The Powerful Lesson Maya Angelou Taught Oprah
• An Evening with Dr. Maya Angelou
• Maya Angelou and Common
• Introducing Ms Calypso 
• Book TV: Letter to My Daughter
• I'm A Rainbow in Somebody's Cloud
• Phenomenal Woman
• Heaven and Earth Show Interview
• Sesame Street: My Name
• In and Out of Time
• On the Pulse of the Morning
• Global Executive MBA Commencement 
• Poetic Justice
• How To Make An American Quilt

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“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” 

-Maya Angelou

Black Excellence Month: Day 15

bell hooks

Author  Feminist  Activist
1952 - 

“I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else's whim or to someone else's ignorance.” 

-bell hooks

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Recommended Watching:

• Black Female Voice: bell hooks and Melissa Harris-Perry
• Cultural Criticism and Transformation
• Ending Domination - The Struggle Continues
• Culture, Race, and Self Esteem
• At New College of Florida
• bell hooks at OSU
• bell hooks at University of Utah
• bell hooks at Texas A&M

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bell hooks Book List:

• Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism
• Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics
• Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery
• Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center
• Black Looks: Race and Representation
• Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood
• Happy to Be Nappy
• We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity
• Rock My Soul: Black People and Self-Esteem

Black Excellence Month: Day 14

Phylicia Rashad
Actress  Singer  Stage Director
1948 -

 “A great person is not great because they are famous or wealthy; a great person is great because they make others greater.” 

-Phylicia Rashad 

“A great person is not great because they are famous or wealthy; a great person is great because they make others greater.”

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Recommended Watching:

• The Cosby Show
• Do No Harm
• A Raisin in the Sun
• Polly
• Oprah's Next Chapter
• A Different World
• Just Wright
• For Colored Girls
• Interview with Bill Boggs
• On Avoiding Being Typecast
• Do No Harm Interview
• YWCA Keynote Speech
• Maria Hinojosa Interview
• Learning Matters My Favorite Teacher Series 
• Who Am I? Interview with Phylicia Rashad
• Self-Esteem and Learning to Love Herself
• AARP Award Acceptance
• All Good Things Will Be Added Onto You
• The Clair Huxtable Mixtape

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Recommended Reading:

• Letter to My Younger Self: Phylicia Rashad
• Phylicia Rashad Makes Tony Awards History

Black Excellence Month: Day 13

Kerry Washington
Actress 
1977 - 

“I don’t have to be perfect. All I have to do is show up and enjoy the messy, imperfect, and beautiful journey of my life. It’s a trip more wonderful than I could have imagined.”

-Kerry Washington

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Recommended Watching

• Our Song
• Boston Legal
• I Think I Love My Life
• Ray
• Night Catches Us
• Black Panther
• For Colored Girls
• Django Unchained
• Scandal
• The Last King of Scotland
• George Washington University Commencement 2013
• Don Cheadle and Kerry Washington Talk Life in Hollywood
• 2013 Conference for Women
• Kerry Washington on Girl Talk
• DP/30: Emmy Watch
• Breaking a Hollywood Race Barrier
• Kerry Washington 2013 Hollywood Portfolio
• Night Catches Us Interview
• Kerry Washington Reads Maria Stewart
• 2012 Democratic National Convention 

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Recommended Reading:

• Kerry Washington: Notes on a Scandal
• Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
• Catching Up With Kerry Washington

Well Suited Wednesday

Michael K. Williams
Actor
1966 -

 

"My only goal is to stay focused on my craft and make sure my life is as sharp as it can be to attack any character that is given to me." 

-Michael K. Williams

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Recommended Watching:

• The Wire
• 12 Years a Slave
• Boardwalk Empire
• Brooklyn's Finest
•  Michael K. Williams Talks About Playing Omar on The Wire
• The Philanthropist
• Walk This Way
• Snitch
• The Breakfast Club
• Michael K. Williams Gets a Surprise from President Obama
• Michael K. Williams on Queen Latifah Show
• Michael K. Williams Hits the Dance Floor
• On Being Discovered by Tupac
• The Road
• On iamlunic

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Recommended Reading:

•  The Redemption of Michael K. Williams
• Michael K. Williams' Disappearing Act