Thursday, March 28, 2024
Culture

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MOJA Arts Festival Opening Reception

Dock Street Theatre, Thursday, 9/29/16 starts at 6:00 pm

Meet and Greet! Here is where you can learn all about what’s to come in the next 11 days of the Charleston Moja Arts Festival.

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Opening Day Street Parade

Starts on the corner of Calhoun and King, Thursday, 9/29/2016 begins at 6:00 pm

This is a Caribbean/African Street parade. Will include bands, local youth groups, and costumes. Parade will end at the Custom House.

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Moja Arts

MOJA Arts Festival Juried Art Exhibition

Avery Research Center, 9/29 – 10/9, starting at 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

If you have a kid that loves art, this exhibit will be perfect for him or her! This exhibit features a number of regional artists specializing in oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, printmaking, drawing, photography, graphics, fiber, sculpture, metals, ceramics, basketry and mixed media.

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RepeatingIslands

Reggae Block Party

Friday, 9/30/16 starting at 6:30pm – 11:00 pm

Come out with the family and enjoy the vibrant sounds of Reggae into the night. Featuring, Da Gullah Rootz featuring General Top Rank’n and Ras Bonghi featuring Deighton Charlemagne and Identity.

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Children’s Programs at the Library: Julian Gooding Presents The Adventures of Malachiae Moon

Charleston Public Library (Calhoun Street) Saturday, October 1 from 11:00am-11:45am; Tuesday, October 4 from 9:15am-10:00am

Storyteller Julian Gooding shares tales from a journal given to him on the day he was born. The journal once belonged to Malachiae Moon who was born the day the American Civil War ended in 1865. Malachiae Moon, a wise and skilled sailor of African descent, lived to be 100 years old. The stories from his journal will take you to Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. This 45-minute performance is designed for ages 6 to 60.

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One Day Junior Tennis Tournament

Charleston Tennis Center, Saturday, October 1 from 10:00am-2:30pm

A one-day tournament showcasing youth from the Inner-city Youth Tennis Program and other area programs.

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Heritage Day at Marion Square

Marion Square, Saturday, 10/1/16, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Experience African-American and Caribbean culture while enjoying ethnic flavors, international artisans and regional performers in the heart of Downtown.

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St. Paul’s Music Festival

Ravenel Family Park, Saturday, 10/1/16 starting at 12:00 noon

$5.00 Adults, $1.00 Children Under 12 through the Town of Ravenel

This year’s event will feature Leather and Lace, led by Drummer Shannon Sausser, Curtis Inabinett, Jr., and a nine-piece funk jazz band, and a low country favorite, the East Coast Party Band.

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Future Casting

Fabulon, (Wappoo Road), Saturday, 10/1/16, 5:00pm – 8:00 pm

Future Casting, an interactive hip-hop event, will feature local, national, and international artists, of the genre tagged Hip-Hop and highlight the generational and contemporary links within the arts to Hip-Hop. Come celebrate what is true to the art form’s creative beginnings as we project into the future with messages of hope, unity, progress, and harmony.

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Choraliers Music Club of Charleston

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Sunday, October 2, 2016, 7:30pm – 8:30 pm

One of Charleston oldest choral groups, the Choraliers Music Club of Charleston will present a Gullah-Geechee Explosion, consisting of Gullah Folklore, Unarranged & Arranged Spirituals, Gospel, Blues, and excerpts from Porgy and Bess.

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Poetry & Storytelling: Marcus Amaker

City Gallery, Monday, 10/3/16 starting at 6:00 pm

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Marcus Amaker, Charleston, South Carolina’s First Poet Laureate, is an award-winning web designer, graphic designer, videographer, musician and author. He graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. As an author, Amaker has released sevenpoetry books and has performed on national TV. Amaker’s poems have been featured on PBS Newshour, The Huffington Post, several journals and poetry collections. Additionally, he was one of the poets featured in Seeking the Spirit: An Evening of Poetry and Jazz which was inspired by Jonathan Green’s painting, Seeking. A well-known graphic/web designer and videographer, Amaker produces award-winning work for many local nonprofits and organizations. He is also the lead graphic designer for the national music magazine, No Depression. As a musician, Marcus has been releasing and recording music since he was 10 years old. His 2014 spoken word/jazz album, The New Foundation, was recorded with Grammy-nominated drummer and producer Quentin E. Baxter.

Poetry & Storytelling: Tammaka Staley

The Southern (2 Carlson Court)Tuesday 10/4/16 starting at 6:00 pm

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Tammaka Staley is a performance poet, activist, and teaching artist. A resident of Columbia, South Carolina, she has been writing and performing poetry for 10 years. Tammaka actively works in the community with poetry and youth organizations like OneWord Columbia, the University of South Carolina Upward Bound Program, and Girls Rock Columbia. She was also a sponsor for the SC Community Uplift Foundation Science Rocks benefit concert in 2015. She won the title “Queen of the South” at the 2015 Queen of the South Poetry Slam in April 2015. She has also performed as a featured artist at the Kennedy Center in the 2016 American College Dance Festival in Washington, DC. Tammaka strives to empower black communities and use poetry as a tool to give people everywhere something to believe in.

Literary Corner- Tayari Jones

Avery Research Center, Tuesday, 10/4/16 starting at 7:00 pm

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Author Tayari Jones will read excerpts from her novel, Silver Sparrow, followed by a discussion with the audience.

Set in a middle-class neighborhood in Atlanta in the 1980s, the novel revolves around James Witherspoon’s families– the public one and the secret one. When the daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters. It is a relationship destined to explode when secrets are revealed and illusions shattered. As Jones explores the backstories of her rich and flawed characters, she also reveals the joy, and the destruction, they brought to each other’s lives.

At the heart of it all are the two girls whose lives are at stake, and like the best writers, Jones portrays the fragility of her characters with raw authenticity as they seek love, demand attention, and try to imagine themselves as women.

October 5th

Swahili Student Workshop

Springfield Elementary School, Wednesday, 10/5/2016 starting at 9:00 am

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An immersive workshop where students learn the importance of Swahili to the Lowcountry, the United States and the World. Students will participate in activities to learn Swahili greetings, common expressions, food words and numbers.

Children’s Programs at the Library: Columbia Marionette Theatre Presents The World of Anansi the Spider

Charleston County Library (Calhoun) Wednesday, October 5 from 9:15am-9:45am

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This entertaining performance is designed to teach children about world culture. The 30-minute show features marionettes, hand puppets, and rod puppets to tell several folk tales narrated by the storyteller, Anansi, a classic character featured in African tales who later descended to tales in other cultures including Jamaican and Gullah

The Housing Authority Block Party with New Galaxy Band

Charleston Housing Authority, Wednesday, 10/5/16 starting 5:00 pm

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This gathering is for the young and old. On site health screenings and free food, with local artists performing, including the New Galaxy Band headlining. Come out and celebrate this festive event!

Poetry & Storytelling: Carlos Johnson and the Speak Freely Foundation

Dock Street Theatre – 10/5/15 starting at 6:00 pm

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Carlos Johnson, a native of Summerville, South Carolina, currently resides in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Johnson has founded organizations such as The Poetry Show and the Speak Freely Foundation (SFF). SFF, a non-profit organization, supports local youth in the arts. Its mission is to support, educate, and enlighten youth through the arts to better their lives as well as society. The SFF, in collaboration with the City of North Charleston, offers The S.L.@.M. (Speaking Life @mong Many) Poetry Program and the North Charleston Boxing Club at the Armory Park Center. Youth from the Speak Freely Foundation program will present with Johnson.

Children’s Programs at the Library: AeroVision with Roots: A Hip-Hop Dance Performance

Charleston County Library, 10/6/16 starting at 9:15 am

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Lamar Hunter, a member of the Peace, Love, and Hip-Hop Dance Company and a graduate from the School of the Arts, will demonstrate his own unique blend of freestyle hip-hop dancing. Local photographer, Ron Rocz, will also have photographs of Lamar on display in the Main Library lobby throughout the month of October.

Poetry & Storytelling: Tabu Hazel

Dock Street Theatre, 10/6/16 starting at 6:00 pm

tabu-hazel

Originally from White Plains, New York, Peggy Logan (aka Tabu Hazel) is an actress and poet who grew up in Summerton, South Carolina, and currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in theater/education from Claflin University and a Master of Education in counseling. For Tabu Hazel, there is power in poetry. As a spoken word artist, she is an advocate who promotes awareness of cancer, domestic violence, homelessness and sexual assault. Her number one goal is to change lives with words. Her poetry and deliverance can be described as being “smooth, fluid, melodic and empowering.” She has performed throughout the country in many venues.

Poetry & Storytelling: Jeffrey Guillaume

City Gallery –Friday, October 7 at 6:00pm

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Jeffrey Guillaume (aka Mr. Emotional The Poet) is a native of Newark, New Jersey, and currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina. Guillaume discovered his love for the performing arts at Benedict College, where he received a Bachelor of Science in public health. Since his graduation, Guillaume has quickly become one of South Carolina’s most celebrated poets, winning poetry slams and performing all over the nation. With the love he has for young people, poetry is his unique way of giving back and connecting with youth by showing them alternative methods of self-expression. In 2013, Guillaume discovered a literacy program entitled,Write Yourself Free.

Youth Forum/Poetry Slam

College of Charleston Science Center Auditorium – 10/7/16, starting at 5:30 pm

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College of Charleston students and local youths are invited to enter the 2016 MOJA Arts Festival’s Youth Forum- Poetry Slam. Join us to raise your voice of awareness. Come affirm a positive youth engagement message that inspires both youth and adults to raise consciousness about youth as valuable and respected assets to each other, family and community.

Poetry & Storytelling: Open Mic

Avery Research Center, 10/8/16 starting at 2:30 pm

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Regional and local poets and writers are invited to perform. Please join us in listening to some wonderful poets and feel free to make your way up to the mic to let us hear your talent.

MOJA Finale

Hampton Park –Sunday, 10/9/16 4:00 pm until dark

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The culminating event of the MOJA Festival, this lively and colorful celebration includes high energy musical performances, a pop-up art exhibition, international artisans and mouthwatering ethnic foods. A variety of community organizations will be on hand to provide information in addition to a health and wellness fair for men, women and youth.

Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion

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Fantasia headed to social media on Sunday to promote her “All Lives Matter” event and all hell broke loose. The post has been taken down from Twitter, but the artist decided to put together and event in response to the recent riots occurring on the brink of the murder of Keith Lamont Scott at the hands of undercover police officers. The event flyer supported the All Lives Matter movement and would feature Anthony Hamilton, John P. Kee, Fantasia and other celebs. Fantasia stated on her Facebook page that it was a call of action for prayer and that All Lives do matter and need prayer; you can see her complete statement, along with her husband’s perspective in the video below.

Anthony Hamilton has spoken out regarding the All Lives Matter flyer and said he had not approved the flyer. He also stated he has four black sons and discusses his stance and encourages anyone who is interested in finding out how he feels about Black Lives Matter to go and read his article written on The Root, published two days ago.

Of course, social media and supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement seemed to be in shock at the flyer and Fantasia supporting the All Lives Matter movement. Check out some of the hilarious tweets below. We must admit some of the tweets regarding Fantasia were so harsh, we cannot share them here, but we must share some of the views for so many that seem to be disappointed at Fantasia’s choice to support the All Lives Matter movement.

Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion

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Tyre King

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Francisco J. Diaz, MD, FCAP, an independent forensic examiner, hired by Tyre King’s family after they were told Tyre’s autopsy would not be ready for weeks, came to the following conclusion:

Dr. Diaz notes: “Based on the location and the direction of the wound paths it is more likely than not that Tyre King was in the process of running away from the shooter or shooters when he suffered all three gunshot wounds.” Dr. Diaz describes Tyre as a “small-framed adolescent boy, standing 5’0” and weighing less than 100 lbs.” This follows the claims from the police that say the 13-yr old pulled a bb gun from his waist while he was being chased after matching the description of a robbery suspect.

The officers stated they feared for their life after they claim the teen pulled a gun on them. The medical examiner says it is likely the teen was running away. Would he have been running away while simultaneously pulling out his bb gun to point at the officers is the question? Is there something here that doesn’t sound reasonable? Perhaps.

Terence Crutcher

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Police officer Betty Shelby who shot Terence Crutcher in Oklahoma stated that Crutcher was, “acting erratically, was incoherent and appeared to be under the influence of what she suspected was PCP.” Shelby also claims that Crutcher was not listening to her commands and once he got back to his car “he dropped his hands”. Shelby claims she thought he was reaching for his gun through the open window.

The dash cam video shows Terence walking with his hands up. Does it show him acting “erratic”? As for the claims Crutcher was reaching through the car window, still shots of the video show that the car window was up and that there is blood on the window, proving he could not have been “reaching through the car window”.

By the way, the officer says Crutcher was acting like he was on PCP, and it just so happens that officers found PCP in the car. What a great guess, right?

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Keith Lamont Scott

Plain-clothes Officers attempting to serve an arrest warrant to a different man, somehow came into contact with Scott, who is not the man they were looking for. They claim after coming into contact with Scott, the officers “felt as if their lives were in danger”, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney. Officers demanded for Scott to exit his car and yelled for him to put down his gun down. Family members insist Scott did not have a gun.

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Family members claim that Scott’s daily routine is to wait in the car for his young son to exit the school bus each afternoon, which is why he was sitting in his car. (Sitting in your car is not illegal by the way). Also, after the encounter with police, there are pictures online of a gun laying next to Scott’s body after he was gunned down, and there are also pictures online of no gun next to Scott’s body. While they are handcuffing Scott, he is moaning in pain and the police never state that there is a gun. The police simply say, “someone go get my bag” – they never say “gun”.

As an observer you have to remember, these are plain-clothes officers. Imagine sitting in your car and men with guns (you cannot tell they are police) approach your car, pointing guns and yelling at you while you are sitting in your vehicle, doing nothing wrong.

In each of these instances as an onlooker, watching these scenes play out over and over, it is hard to accept that we can trust the word of police officers. To hear in every story, from Michael Brown, to Trayvon Martin, now to Keith Lamont Scott and thirteen-year-old Tyre King, the same rhetoric continues of how officers (the people with the guns and tasers) were in fear for their lives. “I was in fear for my life” or “I felt as if my life was in danger” has become the key phrase, it’s the get out of jail free card, it’s the sentence that is used to make the officer the victim, and makes the victim appear as though he deserved not to have a day in court – to be gunned down like an animal.

In each of these incidents where we see unarmed men and women being killed, officers seem to be in fear of people who are posing no threat. Many of them are not in the act of committing any crimes, they are on the ground, they have their hands in the air, they are seen running away – and viewers are continuously wondering how is someone in fear of a person who isn’t even being threatening?

How can an officer honestly say “I was in fear for my life”? The answer may be that the fear they feel has always been there. The fear they see is the fear that was planted there by a parent that pulled them away as a black person walked near them on a sidewalk. The fear is the type of feeling that was rooted by family members and friends who told them that black people were (insert racist insult here). They are in fear of their lives because to fear us relieves them of the responsibility of looking at us as human beings. To fear us means to hate us, and with hate brings chaos, confusion and destruction.

“I was in fear for my life” is simply the bullshit statement that police use when their inherent fear of black people manifests itself during a routine stop. It is a lie and is being used as a get out of jail free card. Some police simply have an innate fear of blacks which is leading to automatic, unjustifiable death sentences. How do we fix this fear – we can’t fix their fear of us. We cannot march, demonstrate, riot, or meet about suggestions on how they need to change how they view us. There is nothing that black people can do to bring comfort to their fears. There is only one solution to fixing the unjust murders of unarmed citizens – police must be punished for their crimes. Until they are held accountable and are jailed for these murders, they will continue to kill and blame unarmed people for putting them “in fear of their lives.”

sources:

Walton Brown Law

Refinery

Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion

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In the wake of the murders of Terrence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott, protests are now happening across the country. Just hours ago, a protester posted this disturbing video during a protest at Eastern Michigan University.

Details are slim, however sources reveal that the vehicle became impatient (sidenote: or drove down this street with the purpose with one purpose in mind) at protesters and drove directly through the crowd of Black Lives Matter Protesters. The vehicle appears to be a black Jeep Wrangler, you can even see the jeep speed away as some protesters run after the car. Meanwhile protesters are screaming and some even appear to have fallen to the ground.

This is not the first time an attack like this has happened, in July this year, another SUV plowed through a group of Black Lives Matter protesters.

Right now, it is still too early to tell if anyone has been hurt. See the clip below, and be safe out there!

#BlackLivesMatter

https://instagram.com/p/BKoHlQahVR8/

Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion

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This is about to be some extremely bad journalism, but when there is nothing left to say, then what is a writer to do. It’s the same story that we’ve heard and seen play out, all over the country, over and over again. Yet another video of an unarmed black men, not threatening anyone, tased and gunned down, by the same players – the police. The murderer, a Female cop (ok that’s a twist) by the name of Betty Shelby is currently on PAID administrative leave.

We’ve seen this story before, and we know how it ends. Until police stop shooting unarmed people and police are held responsible for these continuous string of murders, there is nothing left to say, nothing left to write.

Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion

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