Wanda's Picks

Maro Chermayeff, Half the Sky Executive Producer and Director, which launces on PBS Oct. 1-2, 2012. She is the founder and chair of the MFA program in Social Documentary Film at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is also an executive producer of the Facebook game and the 3x Mobile games for Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide with Games for Change. Locally, there is a community screening Sept. 18, 2012, 5:15 at the San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, in the Koret Auditorium. The event is free and is followed by a panel discussion. Visit http://communitycinema.org/Wayne Harris is the consummate storyteller. His Tyrone "Shortleg" Johnson & Some White Boys has one more performance at Club Solo, 50 Mason St., SF, 7 PM, a part of http://www.sffringe.org/wordpress/tyrone-3/ We close with a dynamic conversation with three drummers at the top of their craft: Marshall Trammell, (http://www.mutualaidproject.com/bios.html); Don Robinson (http://www.bayimproviser.com/artistdetail.asp?artist_id=14) and Vijay Anderson (http://vijayanderson.com/bio.html), on the importance of a "solo vernacular and/or voice" in their craft.This is a prelude to an event: Self Respect & Self Defense in a Land of Endless Racial Profiling –A People’s Forum, Sept. 22: http://peopleshearing.wordpress.com/ Music: "Waldron" by Vijay Anderson.

This morning we played excerpts from a few achived interviews: Joanna Haigood, co-founder of Zaccho Dance Theatre speaks about Sailing Away, which opens at Market Street & Powell, Sept. 13 and continues through Sept. 16, with free performances at 12noon, 1:30pm and 3 pm. Follow the dancers along Market from Powell to Battery Streets as they illuminate the lives of selected historic characters who tell the story of a black migration 150 years ago from San Francisco to Victoria, British Columbia.

These prominent citizens charter a ship and literally sail away. There is a free reception following a panel discussion Thursday, Sept. 13, at 5 p.m. at the CA Historical Society, 678 Mission Street. Visit zaccho.org

Jorge Argueta joins us live in the studio to talk about a wonderful children's poetry and music festival in El Salvador Nov. 14-16, and the first annual Flor y Canto this weekend, Sept. 15, 9 AM to 12 noon at Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th Street in San Francisco. The event, which is for children, is a prelude to the reception at 5 p.m. which will feature food, rides by low riders and Aztec dancers. That evening at 7, is the poetry reading and fundraiser for the El Salvador event hosted by Jorge Argueta, Talleres de Poesia founder, children's author and poet. Talleres is the group that hosts the event in El Salvador. We close with a few minutes of a longer interview with Jacqueline Stewart about LA Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema at Pacific Film Archive. Haile Gerima's Bush Woman screens Sept. 13, 7 p.m. with an introduction by Cornelius Moore, CA Newsreel.

This really short clip is followed by an excerpt of the interview with SF Latino Film Festival Director, Lucho Ramirez and directors: Kimberly Baustista and Catherine Murphy.

The 4th Annual Cine+Mas 2012 San Francisco Latino Film Festival kicks off Sept. 13 to 28 with films from 14 countries including the United States. We speak to Festival Director Lucho Ramirez who took the helm three years ago, because he loves independent cinema. The Festival begins with a concert and preview Sept. 13 with two events one at 5:30 and the other at 8 PM. Visit www.sflatinofilmfestival.org or call 800-838-3006 and for tickets visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/16776 We also speak to directors Catherine Murphy, Maestra, the story of the Cuban Literary Campaign in 1961, where the goal was 100 percent literary for its citizens. This is also the same year the US started the Bay of Pigs assault. We conclude with a talk with Kimberly Baustista, whose film Justice for My Sister is also a movement to stop assault against women in Guatamala and elsewhere in the Latin Disapora.

It is sometimes referred to as the “San Francisco Exodus of 1858” a little-known part of the City’s history in which hundreds of African Americans fled discrimination and the threat of slavery for the safety of a Canadian exile. Choreographer Joanna Haigood and her Zaccho Dance Theatre (www.zaccho.org) are marking the iconic event with free public performances of her powerful work Sailing Away. Performances will be given in three continuous cycles, September 13, 14, 15, and 16 at 12noon, 1:30pm and 3pm daily starting at Market Street and Powell. Tuesday, School Assembly with performance at Bayview Opera House, 4705 Third Street, San Francisco, Tuesday, September 11, 10:30 a.m. The artists from Sailing Away will perform excerpts, joined by a lively discussion, and a performance from Dr. Susheel Bibbs’ one woman performance portraying 19th Century civil rights activist, Mary Ellen Pleasant.  Panel Discussion at California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street (at 3rd Street), san Francisco. Thursday, September 13 at 5 p.m; post event reception, 6 p.m. Music: Meklit Hadero's A Day Like This: "Walk Up" and "Call."

Today we speak to Byb Chanel Bibene about Skin Talk Skin Mood as a part of AfroSolo's Black Voices Performance Series beginning tonight, Friday, Sept. 7, continuing through Sunday, Sept. 10. Performances are at 8 Friday & Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the African American Art and Culture Complex in the Burial Clay Theater, 762 Fulton Street in San Francisco. Visit www.afrosolo.org

Our next guest is the lovely singer, songwriter, Amikaeyla who joins us to talk about her recent release: Being in Love. Visit RootsJazzMusic.com

We close with an interview with playwright, poet, Paul S. Flores, whose work Placas: The Most Dangerous Tattoo opened Sept. 6 and continues at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 450 Post, Thursdays through Sundays, Sept. 6-16. There are special programs or community conversations connected to the work, which is about decriminalizing youth and healing the streets. Visit sfiaf.org or call 1-800-838-3006.

Music: Babatunde Lea's African Tapestry, Amikaeyla's Hambone & Lovely Day, and Soji and The Afrobeat Band's Sorrow Today, Joy Tomorrow.

Anthony Brooks, known as Tony, hails from our nation’s capitol. Tony, as the late legendary Harold Melvin, keeps the smoothness there. His smooth dance style and voice complements the Baritone vocals of Donnell. Tony, along with Donnell Gillespie, Rufus Thorne, Jr., & John Morris will perform Wed., Sept.19-Sun., Sept. 23, at the Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko in San Francisco. He says about special moments on stage, that a recent one was when Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes performed at President’s Obama’s Red, White and Blue Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC in January 2009! His favorite Blue Note song is the group's signature work, the song used in President’s Obama’s campaign, “Wake Up Everybody.” "My favorite time of the year is spring; it reminds me of the new beginnings and the work of the One who created the earth. Besides singing, I frequently workout. I love performing with the Blue Notes and working out keeps me in tune with the group. Given the opportunity to make a change in this world, I would change the education system and make it possible for everyone to get a good education. At no cost to the student, it would also include a minimum of four years of college."We close with storyteller Carolyn Alexander, who will share a story about Haiti.  We had to reschedule for another time. Instead we play an interview from Nov. 2010 with Rev. Liza Rankow, One Life Institute & Rev. Dorsey Blake, pastor at the Church for the Fellowship of All People, the Howard Thurman Church in San Franscisco.They talk about a new compilation of a CD set of Dr. Thurman's work.

The show aired at 4 a.m. Friday morning. As guests I featured Karrin Allyson, 'Round Midnight, appearing at the Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko in San Francisco, August 31-Sept. 2, 2012 and Jacqueline Stewart, co-curator of LA Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema, opening at UC Berkeley's Pacific Film Archive Sept. 6-October 30. I had a lot of technical difficulties getting started on time, but eventually they were ironed out and I was able to play the prerecorded interviews as planned.

This is our annual tribute to the resiliency of black people, who continue to rise despite both natural and manmade obstacles. On the seventh anniversary of the Great Flood, another hurricane loams close to New Orleans. A category 1, it nonetheless has folks evacuating, those who can. Others are staying tight to "ride it out." We will speak to as many on the ground as we can, depending on the phone connections. Electricity is out in many places. Malik Rahim, Commonground co-founder, said from Algiers that the electricity was out, and they were using a generator. We will speak to Mwalimu, Robert King and Parnell Herbert. All are Katrina survivors. We will close the tribute with a conversation with Kimberly Rivers-Rogers who is one of the directors and subject in the film, Trouble the Waters, which was nominated for a Grammy: Best Documentary.

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the writing, visual and performing arts of African people in the Diaspora. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work filled with raw unfettered passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Remember to tune in on Wednesdays from 6 AM PST to 7 or 8 AM and on Fridays from 8 AM to 10 AM. We also host special broadcasts from time to time.

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the writing, visual and performing arts of African people in the Diaspora. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work filled with raw unfettered passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Remember to tune in on Wednesdays from 6 AM PST to 7 or 8 AM and on Fridays from 8 AM to 10 AM. We also host special broadcasts from time to time.