Friday News.

Tons of human begins discuss thoroughly about the meaning of art. Spanning thousands of years and in the four corners of the Earth, art has a long, glorious legacy of ingenuity. As I get older, I certainly figure out that the meaning of art isn't just found in one answer. It isn't like a multiple choice test where one answer is sufficient. The meaning of art comes from within one's soul and from one's mind, because art is never monolithic. It flows out from the multiplicity of human expression and human experiences. That is why when you look at the sculptures and the paintings of Harlem and Chicago Renaissances (which transpired after the start of the first Great Migration), you will see exemplary, unapologetic black excellence. When you see the paintings found in many buildings, you witness power. When you see Expressionist, Cubist, and Impressionist works of art, you witness that our lives are never hindered with the existence of art. Art enhances our creative impulses, our intellectual creativity, and other functions of society. Social movements definitely are inspired by art. The Civil Rights movement constantly utilized works of posters, dance, and exhibits to outline the cause of freedom. Joy can be intertwined with art. The feelings of fulfillment, happiness, and tranquility surround the minds of artists who finished their works and are ready to display them to the public. Joy is not sometimes attained quickly. It can be gradually acquired. Likewise, the appreciation of great art can be spontaneous. Large museums like the Louvre and The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City aren't the only places where art flourishes. Among the confines of galleries, neighborhoods, the Internet, parties, and other places, artists sacrifice a great deal of time in order for them to sell their works.

Their efforts ought to be appreciated and cherished. The unsung artist is one of the most underrated people in the world, but we live in a new generation where more individuals realize the contributions of artists spanning long millennia. So, the meaning of art is never about one crystallized formula that must be rigidly dictated to humanity. It is a complex, sometimes abstract view that permeates the human mind and the human soul. Art focuses on gathering our senses to establish something that can reflect the natural world or the abstract world. It can both deal with film or music. It readily has a role in dance and a role in sculpture. During the present, and during the future, art will always be a requisite part of the development of human culture.


Today is the Birthday of Sister Simone Manuel. She is now 22 years old and she was born in Sugar Land, Texas. She is a history maker and a great swimmer. Also, she has inspired African American swimmers to continue forth in their dreams and fulfilling their goals. Her parents encouraged her to be involved in athletic sports. She came into Stanford University too. Back in 2014, she broke the school's records in the 50-, 100-, and 200-yard freestyle in the same year, and in 2014, her freshman year, she also broke the American and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) records for 100-yard freestyle. Manuel is a six-time individual NCAA champion: winning the 50- and 100-yard freestyle in 2015, 2017, and 2018. She redshirted in 2016. She competed at the 2013 US National Championships, where she finished third in the 100-meter freestyle and second in the 50-meter freestyle events. She qualified for the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, and she won a gold medal in the preliminary for the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. She won more NCAA championships in swimming competitions too. She was superb in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She is the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in an individual swimming event. She won many gold medals in the 2017 World Championships too. So, she is a woman who is now one of the greatest swimmers in history at the age of 22. That's incredible and amazing. She is Black Excellence. Simone Manuel is a very humble and beautiful, young black woman who we all praise for her great work. She will continue to make more accomplishments in the future and she represents the comprehensive truth of great human achievement. I wish Sister Simone Manuel more blessings.

Sister Skylar Diggins-Smith is one of the greatest basketball players of this generation.  Yesterday was her Birthday and she is 28 years old. South Bend, Indiana was the city of her birth. Skylar Diggins-Smith was a four-year varsity basketball letter winner at Washington High School in South Bend, where the Panthers had a combined record of 102–7. In her freshman year, she averaged 20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists. 3.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks. Notre Dame was the location of the college where she played basketball at. Her best year in college was her Senior year. Diggins-Smith was named the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year for the second straight year. In the WNBA, she was drafted by the Tulsa Shock. She is a 4 time WNBA All-Star. She won a Gold Medal for the 2012 World Championships involving women's basketball. She recently married a person too whose name is Daniel Smith and she contributes heavily to her community. On June 8, 2018, Diggins-Smith scored a new career-high of 35 points along with 12 rebounds in a 89-83 victory over the Indiana Fever. She is a great player and a great human being. I wish Sister Skylar Diggins-Smith more blessings.



Yesterday, we acknowledge the birthday of a late genius. His name was James Baldwin. For decades, he wrote prose that outlined the harsh realities of black life. His books (like Notes of A Native Son) were not for the faint of heart. Baldwin wanted to emotionally describe not only the viciousness of racism as racism is evil. He wanted to show the psychological harm racism does to black people. Racism isn't just about individual acts of slurs or cowards wearing Halloween costumes harming people. Racism also deals with some black children and some black adults being brainwashed by racists to think less of themselves by the color of their skins when black is beautiful. Racism deals with the systemic denial of basic economic and housing rights to black people by virtue of their color. So, James Baldwin wanted to urgently detail the pernicious aspects of racial and economic oppression which continues to transpire presently. The deaths of our Brothers and our Sisters by police brutality and by hate crimes prove that racism is still a reality in America. His work was eloquent, unapologetic, and honest. James Baldwin knew Medgar Evers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. He worked with Evers on many civil rights programs. As he has gotten older, he became more radical from criticizing the slow pace of the Civil Rights Movement to being a socialist by the 1970's. He criticized oil interests, the Vietnam War, and capitalist exploitation. Fundamentally, either a small minority controls the vast majority of the economic resources of the world or the people in common control the economic power of the Earth. I believe in the latter.
Rest in Power Brother James Baldwin.

By Timothy