cadillac records

Stanley O. Williford  |   OW Editor
Jan 26 2012

Viewing will be held Friday

Mourners, fans and curiosity-seekers will get a final opportunity to say farewell to Jamesetta Hawkins, aka Etta James, on Friday during a public viewing at Inglewood Cemetery Mortuary, 3801 W. Manchester Blvd., from 5 to 10 p.m.

A private funeral service will be held Saturday at Greater Bethany Community Church, City of Refuge in Gardena.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Mar 12 2009

Now on DVD

Depending on your taste the current DVD releases will make you laugh, cry or bring back old memories.

Sure to inspire and speak to your heart, “Milk” starring Sean Penn, winner of the 2009 Best Actor Oscar, is now on DVD. His electrifying performance reflects the Oscar winning screenplay written directly for the screen by Dustin Lance Black.

Sikivu Hutchinson  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Jan 8 2009

The Underbelly of Cadillac Records

Midway through the recently released Cadillac Records, director Darnell Martin’s film on the groundbreaking record label Chess Records, Martin depicts rock pioneer Chuck Berry unleashing his signature “Sweet Little Sixteen” guitar riffs against scenes of surfing revelry. Berry’s song was notoriously pilfered by the Beach Boys in their song “Surfin’ USA,” a homage to White California youth subculture. Chewed up and spat out by an imperialist marketing machine, Berry’s music becomes yet another Jim Crow soundtrack for Americana pleasure.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.