Wanda's Picks

Today we will celebrate the legacy of Paul Robeson, born April 9, 1898. He was the youngest son of five children born to Presbyterian minister Reverend William Drew Robeson (1845-1918) and former schoolteacher Maria Louisa Bustill Robeson (1853-1904). He was the grandson of slaves and the son of a minister who escaped slavery and became one of Rutgers University's most famous and accomplished alumni. He is probably best known as an orator and baritone singer, actor and champion for justice, whether that was labor rights or just laws(http://prcc.rutgers.edu/Robeson/biography.htm)

For siding with the poor and disenfranchised workers and for his activism Robeson was stripped of his passport during the McCarthy Era (1950s) and was unable to travel abroad. This limited his ability to work, especially his acting career, but the US government sanction did not stop or stifle his ability and willingness to speak out for justice for his people, for all people.

We will featured a few selections from "Words Like Freedom: Paul Robeson," a collection of some of Robeson's lesser known speeches. Visit www.freedomarchives.org We are joined this morning by Bill Doggett, curator of an exhibit on Robeson and other African American Concert Singers in the early 20th Century at the San Francisco Main Library, 3rd level, on Larkin Street: "The African American Concert Singer 1900-1960 - The history of African Americans in the vocal arts in the world of classical music and opera." The closing program, April 9, 5:30-7:30 will have a birthday cake for Robeson, on what would have been his 111 birthday. All will be invited to share cake in his honor. The free event is in the Latino/Hispanic Community Room. Wanda’s Picks will close with an interview with one of three people still being prosecuted in the aftermath of the Oscar Grant III killing (1/09). David is the only juvenile being prosecuted on felony charges. 16 years old and an Oakland high school student,he has an arraignment on 4/10.

Ajuan Mance, Associate Professor, English

Aurelia Henry Reinhardt Chair, at Mills College, author and visual artist. African American literature, 19th-century American literature, U.S. popular culture, the oral tradition in U.S. literature, Black feminist thought, African American art, Black on Campus. She, James Gayles & Karen Seneferu are a part of an exhibit at the Women's Cancer Resource Center,“Body & Soul.” The exhibit located at 5741 Telegraph Avenue,Oakland, CA 94609, (510) 420-7900 x 111, and curated by Margo Mercedes Rivera-Weiss, opens April 17, 7-9 p.m. and continues through May 6. Jetaun Maxwell, founder of Dance Theatre of the Gospel, has a new work, "Invisible Womb," on stage April 3-4, 7 p.m. and Sunday, 3 p.m. Saturday there is an artist panel and Sunday is an audience talk back with the Jetaun Maxwell. The show runs an hour, without intermission at Bay Area Christian Connection, 810 Clay Street in Old Oakland. For information call and visit: (510)350-8327 and www.phoenixaudiovisualarts.com. The show closes with an interview with "Mississippi" Charles Bevel, currently appearing in, "It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues," at TheatreWork's Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto. Visit www.theatreworks.org or call (650) 903-6000. The show runs Tuesday-Sunday and closes April 11. Some shows have audience talk backs.

Dr. Lance Webb, D.C., Board Certified Chiropractic Physician Practicing Holistic Health Maintenance,Homeopathy, Chinese Healing Techniques 24+ years of Clinical research-sports/environmental medicine, toxicology, children health concerns...etc. Owner of Optimum Wellness, Chicago, Ill. Dr. Webb will also be at the Be Still event in Oakland (Jack London Aquatic Center) on Saturday, Apr. 4, 2009 between 10 am-3 pm., 115 Embarcadero East, Oakland, CA 94606 (between Oak Street & 5th Ave.)

For an appointment call(510) 536-5934. Visit http://www.tauienterprises.com/

We are also joined by Idris Hassan, director of Bay Area Cypher, is practitioner of Media Arts, skilled as Videographer, Digital Video Editor, and Visual Artist. Ms. Hasan received her BA degree in Mass Communications and Photojournalism from Cal State Hayward and a Certificate Degree in Digital Video Arts from Berkeley City College. She has worked as an entertainment journalist, an editorial assistant and has contributed writings various to publications. Ms. Hasan is a graduate of the First Voice Radio Apprenticeship program and has worked with Hard Knock Radio, The Morning Show, and Full Circle Radio Magazine on Pacifica Radio Station KPFA in Berkeley, CA. She has produced video projects for various Bay Area artists and community groups.

She has a DVD release party and screening scheduled at the Guerrilla Cafe in Berkeley and at Berkeley City College April and May.

Today we are speaking to Deidre Wilson, who is participating in "Free Battered Women: Our Voices Within Internally Free, Celebrating the Freedom of Formerly Incarcerated Survivors of Domestic Violence& Honoring Those Who Remain Imprisoned, Sat., Mar. 28, 3:30 PM at the Women's Bldg.,3543 18 (betw.Mission & Guerrero) in SF, CA. Our next guest is Marguerite "Ezili Dantò" Laurent. She is the founder and President of Ezili's Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network. She is also an award winning playwright, a writer, performance poet and an entertainment attorney who has represented many top Hip Hop artist. We will speak about 5-years after the coup. Kim McMillon, producer, Claire Ortalda, playwright, and Carla Blank, director, are our next guests. They will speak about "4 by 4 Plays" closing night at Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave.(at Berryman), Berkeley, 8-10 PM. Tickets are $7/$10. Visit www.penoakland.org or call (510) 681-5652. We close with a conversation with Melanie DeMore, singer, educator, composer, who is a part of La Peña's Political Art Series "Pounding for Peace," Friday, April 3, 8 PM. Melanie will share music and teach the basics of the Gullah art of stick pounding. Learn various rhythms and combine it with singing civil rights songs, spirituals, and songs of protest. Bring a four foot dowel about an inch and 1/4 round. Visit www.lapena.org and http://www.margueritelaurent.com/briefbio.html and http://www.melaniedemore.com/home.html and http://womenprisoners.org/

Legally Blynd has a concert at Yoshi's in Oakland, March 31, 8 & 10 p.m., and we have two of the band, Jubu and Eric, on the air. Should be a fun show. I'm talking radio show. We are also speaking to fine artist, Latisha Baker and director of Taking Root, Lisa Merton, and Members of SF Camera Works' First Exposure. First Exposure is having a closing reception and premiere release of First Exposures Adobe Youth Voices Multimedia Arts Project and Silent Auction @ 657 Mission St., 2nd Floor (next door almost to MoAD across from YBCA and around the corner from SFMOMA). Donation is a sliding scale $10-20. There will be DJs Spinning, hors d'oevres, and a silent auction. Visit www.sfcamerawork.org or call (415) 512-2020. Also tonight, in the East Bay is a Community Screening (free) of Lisa's film, "Taking Root," at the Oakland Museum of CA, James Moore Theatre, 1000 Oak, @ 10th Street. Jubu is at www.myspace.com/legallyblynd

Today we have on the air: Tovi Scruggs, M.ED. and Sharon Morrison Parker, Directors of ASA Academy, Opal Palmer Adisa, poet, writer, educator, Renata Gray, artist, and Angela Wellman, co-founder, and director of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. We might have a special guest joining us briefly, musician, griot, from Mali, Toumani Diabaté.

Eric Reed opens the morning program. He'll be in town March 23, for two shows at Yoshi's in Oakland, CA. Visit www.EricReed.net and MySpace.com/EricReedJazz. His latest,"Stand!" is a wonderful reflection on Ephesians 6:13--all original Reed music. We'll have to ask him what it all means. The CD features his trio: Reed on piano, Willie Jones III on drums and Rodney Whitaker on bass. The Oakland gig has a different line-up. Pippa Fleming, who describes herself as a Lesbian vocalist who lays her hands on her audience by putting their spirits at ease and conveying humanities truths. She says she is "ear witness to the diverse sounds of a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-generational collective of amazing musicians who are putting independent music back on the map, frontline vocalist for the group: "Deemed Defective." They have a gig March 20. Kind of rare, so Pippa fans need to catch her at the The Rocket Room, 406 Clement Street, San Francisco, 94118, 8:30 p.m.

$4 if you reserve your tickets at www.basecampmusic.com,www.myspace.com/deemeddefective

We close with a conversation with Jean Damu and perhaps Rob Prince from the University of Denver's School of International Studies on the international warfare in the Congo and the 6th Anniversary of the War in Afganistan (3/19). He'll be at the airport early. We hope he'll call in. We are also going to feature our first commentary by Death Row Journalist Mumia Abu Jamal.

I am on a retreat this weekend, so we are going on the air 2 hours early, 6-8 a.m. with a rebroadcast from a special 031009 air date: We will speak to Kiilu Nyasha, former Black Panther Party member, activist, TV show host and artist. She is featured in an exhibit this Saturday, March 14, at the West Oakland Branch Library, 1801 Adeline Street, 1-3 p.m., in Oakland, along with two other artists: Tarika Matilaba Lewis and Gail Asali Dickson. Charlotte O'Neal's work is part of another exhibit at the Oakland Main Library Branch. The reception will feature all four women who will also talk about their work. Visit www.itsabouttimebpp.com This show will also feature Rev. Liza Rankow, OneLife Institute which is presenting “Transformative Visions,” a multimedia art show and spoken word/jazz concert with a message of peace and possibility, from 2:00 - 5:00 PM on Saturday, March 14, 2009, at Studio One, 365 - 45th St., in Oakland. Artists, Lorraine Bonner, TheArthur Wright and Destiny Muhammad, "Harpist from the Hood," are a part of this program which is free and open to the public. Scheduled to coincide with the annual observance of A Season for Nonviolence and the anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, “Transformative Visions” is intended to both challenge and inspire by offering spiritually-rooted responses to the critical concerns of the present day.

We will speak to artist, Fan Lee Warren whose work is a part of an exhibit honoring women artists at the Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland. Kamal Al Mansour, follows at 6:30. His exhibit, "Truth and Consequences" is up at Nonesuch Space through March 28, Wednesdays-Fridays, 1-6 p.m. and by appointment. The gallery address is 2865 Broadway Street, in Oakland, on auto row, across from the Grocery Store Outlet. Visit paragon-media.org/nonesuchspace He is followed by Albert Mazibuko, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Grammy winners for their 2008, "Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu," is the final confirmed guest. Ladysmith is at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Auditorium 3/12 and at UC Davis, 3/16. Visit their website for the complete itinerary.

We might have Tarika Lewis on for the closing segment, but it hasn't been confirmed. Her work is a part of an exhibit at the West Oakland Branch of the Oakland Public Library. There is an artist reception this Sat. March 14, 1-3 p.m. at 1801 Adeline Street, in Oakland, (510) 238-7352.

We will speak to Kiilu Nyasha, former Black Panther Party member, activist, TV show host and artist. She is featured in an exhibit this Saturday, March 14, at the West Oakland Branch Library, 1801 Adeline Street, 1-3 p.m., in Oakland, along with two other artists: Tarika Matilaba Lewis and Gail Asali Dickson. Charlotte O'Neal's work is part of another exhibit at the Oakland Main Library Branch. The reception will feature all four women who will also talk about their work. Visit www.itsabouttimebpp.com This show will also feature Rev. Liza Rankow, OneLife Institute which is presenting “Transformative Visions,” a multimedia art show and spoken word/jazz concert with a message of peace and possibility, from 2:00 - 5:00 PM on Saturday, March 14, 2009, at Studio One, 365 - 45th St., in Oakland. Artists, Lorraine Bonner, TheArthur Wright and Destiny Muhammad, "Harpist from the Hood," are a part of this program which is free and open to the public. Scheduled to coincide with the annual observance of A Season for Nonviolence and the anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, “Transformative Visions” is intended to both challenge and inspire by offering spiritually-rooted responses to the critical concerns of the present day. This show will be rebroadcast Friday, March 13, 6-8 AM.