mandrake society radio » black gay

Six rules for being a real ally.

JW Richard — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:10:35 +0000

I really want to thank Sharon Bridgforth for sharing this video called “6 Rules For Allies”, as I learned about through it my friend, Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano. Definitely food for thought for me in light of my recent posts about support the queer family in Africa. It’s food for though for me speaking out for women and feminine-identified. Where does it strike you most?

Dr. Omi Osun Joni L. Jones gives 6 rules for allies (cross race/gender/sexuality/nationality/religion etc) in her keynote speech given 2/19/10 at a luncheon sponsored by Abriendo Brecha Vll Conference and The Seventeenth Annual Emerging Scholarship In Women’s and Gender Studies Conference UT Austin.

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Texas gay filmmaker, Marlon Riggs, celebrated this weeked at South Dallas Cultural Center

JW Richard — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:01:22 +0000

This weekend in Dallas, February 19 -21, Black Cinematheque Dallas, along with Fahari Arts Institute, DFW Senators, and Mandrake Arts & Media will be hosting a Marlon Riggs Film Festival. The films and shorts begin at 7pm each night at the South Dallas Cultural Center, 3400 S. Fitzhugh in Dallas and nightly entry fee is $10.

Riggs brought a core expression of black gay love and acceptance like never before with his film, “Tongues Untied”. This groundbreaking work is featured on Friday evening and is a must see for serious admirers of queer cinema. Following the films each night will be a riveting discussion conducted by different moderators each night. Here is a sample of “Tongues Untied”.

On Saturday, February 20th, Fahari Arts Institute will feature three shorts as a part of the Arts and AIDS program series. The Arts and AIDS program is designed to utilize the ARTS as a medium for AIDS outreach, prevention and treatment, by provoking dialogue and community engagement, supporting HIV+ artists, and preserving the rich legacy of those artists who have died as a result of the AIDS epidemic.

Among the films shown Saturday night will be Marlon Riggs’ “No Regret (Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien)” and a work by Julian Breece called, “The Young and Evil”. While Riggs’ film focuses on five sero-positives black gay men speak of their individual confrontation with AIDS, Breece’s film is a story about a defiant teen sets out to seduce an HIV prevention advocate into giving him the virus. Free HIV testing will be available. The following is a trailer of “The Young and Evil”.

Sunday, February 21, we will feature Riggs last film, “Black is, Black Ain’t”, which had to be completed by his co-director and friends due to his untimely death in 1994, due to complications with the AIDS virus.

All three nights promise great queer cinema, conversation, and healing. Come and be a part of it!

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Podcast: Conversation with Buster Spiller

JW Richard — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:58:59 +0000

I’ve written on this blog and other places that one of my favorite experiences after accepting myself as a gay man was taking part in a inter-generational discussion of black gay men every other Saturday in Houston called The Men’s Gathering. Today, I’m speaking with one of the architects of the The Men’s Gathering in Dallas, Buster Spiller. Buster recounts his coming out story including two-and-half suicide attempts to leading out in a organization of 120+ black gay men in the Dallas area. His talk also challenges younger activists to break the chains of church homophobia and become more political active. Buster and I spoke at It’s a Grind coffee house in Deep Ellum, across from Baylor Hospital.

Music used in today’s show by:

James Vincent
“Coat of Many Colors” (mp3)
from “Each New Morning”
(ItsAboutMusic.com)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

Orrin Evans
“Don’t Call Me Wally” (mp3)
from “Faith in Action”
(Posi-Tone Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

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All-Star Weekend parties around the gayborhood

JW Richard — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:47:02 +0000

This weekend in Dallas is about to be crazy with the NBA All-Star game and all its parties. Many organizations serving our community are in on it, too, including Southern Boi Entertainment, Men of Essence, Women of Distinction, 7Connection, and SmooveQ Productions. So make sure you check the calendar for all of the latest weekend updates for the guys and the ladies, including the Red Carpet All-Star Event, of which Mandrake Arts & Media is a media sponsor.

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Trailers for upcoming Texas Black Film Festival in Dallas

JW Richard — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:40:49 +0000

Since Dallas is hosting the Creating Change event at the downtown Sheraton hotel, a lot of my energy has been focused on that here at the blog. However, John Meyer and the gang at Pegasus News grabbed some great trailers for this year’s Texas Black Film Festival screenings happening February 4 – 6 at the Studio Movie Grill. This year’s theme is “Peace through Independent Film” and unlike my concern with last year’s film festival, this year’s late night shorts at least holds some same-gender loving intrigue with the film, Nobody Has to Know, screening as a part of the Late Night Short Film Series at 10pm on Friday, February 5th. The film features music by American classical musician, Paul Sayed. From the way the trailer is set up though, it looks as if it’s back to the “down low” from mainstream Black film audiences. Or is it?

Another film that is catching my eye is, “Herskovits: at the Heart of Blackness”. The film is about Jewish anthopologist, Melville Herskovits, and his founding research into the field of African-American studies. The trailer is below the flyer.

More information on this year’s screenings, times, and cost at the Texas Black Film Festival website.

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