African-American
Fighting Back Against Prejudice
It’s been told to me that being black and gay is like having two strikes against you. As I wrote previously in my column, “You have to fight for acceptance and validation.” Read more
The Souls of Black Folk (Restless Books), by W.E.B. Du Bois
Part sociology, part history, part poem, Du Bois’ 1903 essay collection, The Souls of Black Folk, influenced African American thought and action throughout the 20th century and remains relevant today, essayist Vann R. Newkirk II stresses in... Read more
ACLU Sues Milwaukee for MPD's Stop and Frisk Program
Well,this was a long time coming. This morning, the ACLU, ACLU of Wisconsin andCovington & Burling filed afederal class action suit alleging that the Milwaukee Police Department’sstop and frisk policy is unconstitutional. Sinceimplementing .. Read more
An Un-American Election
As an idealistic, progressive voter, I’ve voted for plenty of losing candidates over the years. But there’s never been a U.S. election before where I’ve considered the results clearly un-American until now. Read more
Prison Industrial Complex for Beginners (For Beginners), by James Braxton Peterson
The U.S. locks up an abnormally high percentage of its citizens. Prison Industrial Complex for Beginners by Lehigh University Africana studies professor James Braxton Peterson is an attempt to get at the roots of the situation. Read more
Home Movies/Out on Digital 9.1
It doesn’t match The Godfather or even The Godfather III, yet despite its cliché-ridden screenplay, Hoodlum (1997) has points in its favor. One: an interesting story concerning an illegal, lucrative African American lottery scheme in Depres... Read more
We Apologize
The Shepherd apologizes for endorsing Chris Abele in his previous campaigns for Milwaukee County executive. Based on his record in office, we can no longer support his Scott Walker-like agenda. Read more
Upcoming Gallery To Feature New Work From Artist Cbabi Bayoc'
Cbabi (pronounced kuh-bob-bi) Bayoc is anartist who has always known, and lived, his calling: creating art whichreflects his love of music and family. Hailing from East St. Louis, Cbabi Bayoc will be unveiling his most recent works, from a serie.. Read more
Interracial Relations: A Matter of Preference?
Paul Masterson discusses interracial same-sex marriages and says that perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to impose our politics on love. Read more
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Afro Fusion in Tosa
YollandeDeacon, owner of specialty foods company Afro Fusion Cuisine, will be opening arestaurant at 7237 W. North Ave. Irie Zulu will serve African and Jamaicandishes and serve as a production kitchen for her line of packaged seasoningsand sa.. Read more
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'Preacher Man' Movie Screens on Saturday
Milwaukeemovie producer/director C.L. Woodson III's latest feature, Preacher Man ,may be cinema's first gospel comedy murder mystery. If not, it likely haslittle competition in its niche. The story of a young pastor's misadventuresseeking the .. Read more
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Family Affair Expo (With a Touch of Soul)
It might not be the primary intention of the organizers of the Family Affair Expo to bring African-American nightlife to daylight hours. But so it does at the March 21 event, 9 a.m to 3 p.m. at Wisconsin State Fair Park’s Tommy G. Thompson Youth C.. Read more
‘The New Jim Crow’ Author Michelle Alexander on the Crisis Facing Milwaukee’s Black Men
“There is nowhere, nowhere in the entire world where the crisis for black men in the criminal justice system is more acute” than in Milwaukee Read more
The Special Privileges of Being Black
Back when I was in college, someone actually recorded a darkly humorous, satirical song that opened with the absurd phrase: “I wish I were a Negro . . .” Read more
Haiku Funeral
If the world is going to end on Dec. 21, Nightmare Painting—the third full-length album from former Racine bassist William Kopecky and Bulgarian dark master Dimitar Dimitrov—would be the perfect soundtrack. Dwelling in the deep Read more
Charlie Christian
Before electrical amplification, the guitar was easily drowned out in orchestras or noisy nightclubs. Once players were able to plug in, guitars overtook pianos and saxophones as the lead instrument in popular music. Charlie Read more
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong was a prominent figure in American culture through his death in 1971, but many have argued that he was never as sharp as on the recordings he made in the late 1920s with the Hot Five and the Hot Seven Read more
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith didn’t make the first blues recordings, but she may have been the first authentic blues singer to record. The Complete Columbia Recordings, a 10-CD set, is the definitive documentary of the artist who awakened the Read more
Theater of the Hood
What difficulties do Milwaukee performing artists of African American descent face in a city that ranks with the most segregated in America and harbors neighborhoods... Read more
Milwaukee Today: NAACP's Report on the City's African Americans
“Grim.” That's what R.L. McNeely called the findings of a new NAACP study on the status of African Americans in Milwaukee. Take, for example, some of these facts presented in “Milwaukee Today: An Occasional Report of the NAACP” by M... Read more
