National Preparedness Month

Community

September is National Preparedness Month, and in order to encourage New Yorkers and Harlemites to prepare for disasters the New York City Office of Emergency Management, the American Red Cross in Greater New York and the Ad Council have launched a new public service advertising campaign called Ready New York. The campaign asks individuals to get prepared by taking three simple steps:

1) Get an emergency supply kit.

2) Make a family emergency plan.

3) Be information about the different types of emergencies that could occur and the best responses to them.

Harlem Arts Advocacy Week Oct. 5-7

Arts

Join us for Coffee & Refreshments on Monday, Oct. 5, at 9 am to Kick-off Advocacy Week at The Riverside Theatre! Our Special Monthly Meeting which opens Arts Advocacy Week will include:

• Welcome and Address by Councilwoman Inez E. Dickens
• Appearance and Address by Artist/Activist Sonia Sanchez
• Remarks by Heather Hitchens, Executive Director, New York State Council on the Arts
• Arts Advocacy Week Opening Reception hosted by The Maysles Institute and the Harlem Arts Alliance

HAA Members:  Group Photo Opportunity for all members wearing their HAA T-shirt.  So purchase your t-shirts online today or stop by the office so that you’re ready for your close-up.

Blind Lemon Talkback With Sugar Hill

Broadway

Harlem Brewing Company, local brewery and makers of Sugar Hill Ale, is the proud sponsor of Tuesday Talkbacks at the York.  Tuesday Talkbacks are a unique opportunity to speak with the cast, crew, artistic staff and special guests.

The York Theatre Company, 619 Lexington Avenue (Corner of 54th St.), Tuesday, September 29

Tyra on losing Weight, Wigs & Weaves

Media

Tyra on CNN ‘s Larry King Live Show the other night talking about her new image …

…and how she handles success and her weight, wigs and weave.

The African American Day Parade in all its facets

Event

The parade was a wonderful combination of dignitaries, vendors and culture in the greatest community in the world Harlem.

Vendors sold soul food, cold drinks, buttons, flags, and t-shirts. Dignitaries Comptroller Bill Thompson, Congressman Charles Rangel, President of NY State NAACP conference, Hazel Dukes greeted Harlem residents and posed for pictures. While bands, new police cadets, The Nation of Islam and others marched in bright cultural attire and crisp uniforms representing African American pride in the Heart of Harlem.

Photographs and text by David Makonnen II and Bridget Smith

Mount Morris Talks to Clara Villarosa!

Books

On Tuesday, September 29, from 6:30 to 8 PM, MMPCIA welcomes our neighbor, Clara Villarosa, as guest speaker at the kick-off of the second season of conversations between the community and leaders, news makers, artists, authors and thinkers who live in the Harlem area.

“I’ve always been a bibliophile and an avid reader, but I still consider myself an accidental bookseller and now an unlikely author.”

Lincoln Center’s Iconic Fountain Returns

Event

Elegant Waterworks on October 1

Stylishly Redesigned by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, icon Center’s Celebration Icon features Dramatic new water choreography.

Created by the designers of the Columbus Circle and Bellagio fountains

Vy Higginsen’s Sing Harlem Sing!

Theater

The Mama Foundation for the Arts — a Harlem based Gospel Academy founded by Vy Higginsen, who also created, produced and directed Mama I Want To Sing — will launch its newest production this Fall Sing Harlem Sing! The show will pay tribute to classic Harlem music.

The musical production will feature a rousing blend of Gospel, R&B and Soul music from “back in the day” performed with passion and power by some of the best singers in New York. Sing Harlem Sing! will also provide a musical context for some of the historical challenges, moods, and triumphs experienced by Harlem and the country.

Celebrate the life of E. Lynn Harris

Books

E. Lynn was more than an author.  He was a father, a friend, and a man who loved his fans!  On Friday, September 25th, we have the opportunity to give back to the man who gave so much to us.  Please join me and Kimberla Lawson Roby as we lead a tribute to E. Lynn, celebrate the release of his latest novel, Mama Dearest, and participate in the drive to make Mama Dearest #1 on the New York Times list.

Paul Winston at Minton’s Playhouse

Dear Friends,

We’ve been saying for a while now that Paul Winston is one of today’s greatest jazz pianists.  Recently, the Amsterdam News agreed with us, heralding his dinner concert at Minton’s Playhouse as “The most authentic and interesting evening of jazz music you can hear in New York right now.”

Paul joins us again this Sunday, September 27 for a dinner concert right here at Minton’s Playhouse.  We think it’s one of the best jazz deals in town. 

Not a Racist…I’m a democrat.

Politics

For weeks the media have been covering “racism in health care reform opposition.” For the most part I’ve found this political moment to be an interesting opportunity to discuss the meanings of race, the history of racial exclusion and violence, and the ongoing realities of racial inequality in America.

But I have also been a little baffled as to why so many liberal white Americans are shocked about the sometimes explicit, but far more often, simply implied racial bias that has infected some of the opposition to the Obama administration. My scholarship and teaching center on issues of race, blackness, and African American politics, and while I believe “racism” is interesting and important; it is not exactly breaking news. Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune laughingly suggested that he was telling his white liberal friends who were aghast at the vitriol aimed at President Obama, “welcome to my world.”

Keep reading –>

American Red Cross Urges H1N1 Prep

Health

Editor’s Note: This is the second official emergency advisory by the American Red Cross (ARC), prepared exclusively for NAM’s ethnic media network whose audiences may be impacted by H1N1 (Swine) Flu. We are anticipating the launch of a formal partnership with ARC to provide a hotline for health and disaster messages. The Emergency Messaging System (EMS) we have developed will allow ARC to know which media have opened the message and will allow you to send ARC your own translated version as appropriate and feedback on the system. We are still fine-tuning the EMS but preparation for H1N1 Flu is so critical that ARC asked us to send out their advisory immediately. We hope it will be helpful to you.
— Sandy Close, Executive Director, New America Media

American Red Cross Urges Preparation for H1N1 (Swine) Flu

The H1N1 (swine flu) virus is a potentially serious health issue for families, schools and businesses across the country and the world. While the government is uncertain how widespread or severe the H1N1 flu virus will be this year, the American Red Cross says that there are simple things that people can do now to prepare for it.