Entries from February 2006 ↓

I’ve been waiting for an article just like this.

And this website takes it even further.

We need more of this and more discussion and more public outrage until we get them out of the White House, both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court, the media, state houses and city halls.

They are evil and they are lining their own pockets while the rest of us struggle.

It may never be my good luck to become rich, but I can honestly say I’ve done some interesting and varied things in my life of which I am quite proud. Saturday I added another accomplishment.

First the back story. As some of you know, at one point in my life I was a full-time starving actor and voiceover announcer. For about 11 years I derived almost my entire living from that, while living in upstate New York. I continue to act today, but on a part-time basis when the spirit hits me.

Ironically, my career upstate was far more successful than it has ever been here in NYC. There I was a big fish in a small pond, much sought after for voiceover work in commercials and industrials, in addition to doing theatre and on-camera commercial work. I got most of my work without auditioning. Here, I’m just one in about 15,000 out of work actors. Take a number and get in line. (Consequently, I hold a full-time non-show biz job, with salary and benefits.)

Back in 1997, it was my good fortune to get hired by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY to narrate several segments of a then new exhibit they were installing, Pride and Passion, about the Negro Leagues. They liked my work and since that year was also the 50th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier, they asked me to narrate the special commemorative exhibit on Robinson as well as the permanent installation on his life. They have told me his widow Rachel Robinson is quite pleased with it and has used it during Jackie Robinson Foundation events.

Around 2001, after I had moved to New York, they called me again. The Hall of Fame and museums in 10 major cities were combining their efforts on a touring exhibit on baseball’s impact on the nation, called Baseball As America. I narrated several segments of that show, which is now on its final stop, in Detroit.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I got an email a few weeks ago from my contact at the museum inquiring about my availability to do some more work. This year (this week in fact) new inductees will be announced for the Negro League section of the Hall, with additional players from that era as well as Black players who predate the formation of the league under consideration.

Last Saturday, I traveled back upstate and added my dulcet tones to revised pieces for Pride and Passion as well as new segments for all of the 39 possible inductees. While there, they also asked me to narrate the feature on Bruce Sutter, a more contemporary player who goes into the Hall this year as well.

It is quite a personal honor to be associated with this bit of history, albeit peripherally. Many of these players I heard about from my father growing up, or read about in books, or in many cases had never heard of before. Reading their bios helped to educate me and I in turn help to educate future museum visitors who will view these exhibits.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is, in my opinion, one of America’s great museums. It is just a fun place to tour, even if you only know a little bit about the game itself. In April there will be a ceremony for the Negro League inductees and I may get back up there to see it first hand.

The White House now considers the whole shooting accident a closed case. Nothing to see here folks, let’s move it along.

Well not so fast. That the shooting was an accident, I’m willing to buy. But that doesn’t answer the question of why it took so long to report this to police and the media, and why when it was finally reported to media, it didn’t come from the Vice President himself or at least his office. He is after all the second highest elected official in these here United States.

Could it be ole Dead-Eye Dick was shooting off more than his shotgun down there in Texas? And why wasn’t Mrs. Cheney along for the trip? Others are also speculating that the delay was so that certain witnesses of the female persuasion could be whisked away before anyone caught wind.

Now, if I do recall, when a certain former President William Jefferson Clinton had a little dalliance of his own with an intern, the Grand Old Party of hypocrites, liars, thieves, racists, sexists, homophobes and millionaire businessmen damn near wanted to impeach him for the offense. Seems like kids play compared to buckshot in the face and a chickie-poo on the side, eh?

Oh, how these bastards do irk me.

Last week, I had the pleasure of seeing the dance wizardry of the Evidence Dance Company, under the superb direction of founder/choreographer Ronald K. Brown. In this, their 20th anniversary season, they appeared at the Joyce Theater here in NYC (a wonderful space to watch dance) from February 7 – 12, performing work from their repertoire and debuting a new piece Order My Steps. An interesting dance about life’s journey and the pitfalls that often make up the struggle, it was set not just to music, but to the poetry of Chad Boseman, a student at Howard University Brown met during a residency there.

One of my favorite companies, Brown features a small corps of extremely talented dancers adept at ballet, modern and traditional African dance.

Another dance company I am hoping to get to see, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, will be appearing next week at the Skirball Center at New York University. Another Evening: I Bow Down is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 21, Thursday, Feb. 23 and Saturday, Feb. 25, with a post dance discussion on the 23rd.

Save the date! This year’s Harlem Book Fair is Saturday, July 22, 2006. The fair’s sponsors, QBR: The Black Book Review, in addition to unveiling a new website design on March 1, is holding “A Celebration of Black Writing” to recognize the individuals who have caused Black books to flourish over the past decade. They will celebrate the authors who have written our stories and the organizations that have successfully contributed to the growth of Black writing and publishing. The event takes place Thursday, February 23, 6:00-8:30 pm at Nubian Heritage, 2037 Fifth Avenue @ 126th Street. It’s free and open to the public, RSVP@qbr.com.

Today’s New York Times updates us on the savage death and dismemberment of Rashawn Brazell, which occurred almost a year ago. To date, no one has been caught or charged with his murder. His memory lives on through the efforts of others.