The 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards was a very historic occurrence. It took place from January 6-7, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented the awards. We live in a time of an increased emphasis of diverse representation of television shows socially, culturally, ethnically, dialogue wise, and other facets of the human experience. These awards wanted to honor many of the best in artistic and technical achievement in American primetime television programming from June 1, 2022, until May 31, 2023. The awards were delay because of the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. The show of The Last of Us won 8 awards. Anthony Anderson, the Black-ish star and a professional actor of many shows plus movies, hosted the ceremony for the first time. The show of "Succession" had 27 nominations for its fourth and final season. The show won six Emmys on Monday night. It had the award for outstanding drama series for their time. The actors and actress of Matthew Macfayden, Sarah Snook, and Kieran Culkin earned their Emmys for their performances on Succession. The show called The Bear was honored with six Emmy, including Best Comedy series. The Bear is an FX show that details the life of a restaurant in the city of Chicago. The Netflix show of "Beef" earned five Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology series. Ayo Edibiri won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series found in the show of The Bear. Quinta Brunson won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series found in Abbott Elementary. Abbott Elementary is very popular, because it realistic shows what goes on in elementary school across the United States of America. Jennifer Coolige won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama series for the show of The White Lotus.
Matthew Macfayden won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Succession. Ebon Moss-Bachrach won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the show of The Bear. Jeremy Allen White won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy series for the show of The Bear. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver won Outstanding Scripted Variety Series (A Black Lady Sketch Show was nominated for the award too). Niecy Nash-Betts won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the series of Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Niecy Nash-Betts gave a passionate speech to celebrate the women contributors to acting in general. The director Christopher Storer won Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for The Bear, and he won Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the same show too. Other shows having victories are Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series), RuPaul's Drag Race (for Oustanding Reality Competition Program), The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (for Outstanding Vareity Talk Series), Lee Sung Jin (for Outstanding Direcing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the show Beef), Paul Walter Hauser of Black Bird (for Oustanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie), and Jesse Armstrong (for the show Succession involving Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series).
As we live near the quarter century mark of this new 21st century, we witness a new era of our time. Also, we realize the massive importance of Africa in our lives and our consciousness. Ever since I was a young child, I always took a great interest of the culture and diverse human beings of Africa. Africa is filled with thousands of languages, tons of ethnic groups, a diverse history, and it is the origin of all human life. There are many misconceptions that some people have of Africa. One false misconception is that all of Africa is filled with the stereotypical images of jungles with lax civilization. The truth is that modern technology achievement florish in Africa like next generation laptop computers, light rail, aircraft, smartphone devices, and a new generation of Africans who are dedicated to justice in a forthright, humble fashion. Thousands of years ago, the first humans lived in Africa. They traveled throughout the whole world from the Americas to Anarctica. In that time period, we humans have made inventions, traveled to the Moon and back to Earth, and solved many problems of the globe. Not to mention that Africa is a blessed land with some of the most spiritual people on Earth. Like always, problems exist in Africa, but we have the power to solve these issues with creative thinking along with progressive solutions to those issues. I am an African American, so my black African heritage will always be part of my physical appearance, my DNA, and my overall hertage. Today, the Glory of Africa shines bright for the whole Universe to witness in a brilliant fashion.
One of the important events of the Civil Rights Movement and the overall black freedom struggle was the 1964 Freedom Summer Project. It was a movement that was after the 1963 Birmingham Movement and before the Selma movement of 1965. It was near the end of the old school era of the civil rights movement filled with organization, planning, set backs, and lessons learned. Freedom Summer isn't known by many human beings, but I know about its history including other people. The goal of Freedom Summer was very clear to be a volunteer campaign (among black people and people of every color) to register as many African American voters as possible in the state of Mississippi. The ultimate goal was the abolishment of Jim Crow apartheid in America to make freedom and justice for all a clear reality. The project was a large undertaking being organized by the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), which is a coalition of the Mississippi branches of the four major civil rights organizations (who are SNCC, CORE, NAACP, and SCLC). The vast majority of the organizers and powerbase of Freedom Summer obviously came from SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee). In fact, SNCC Field Secretary and co-director of COFO Bob Moses directed the Summer Project. Bob Moses was a civil rights leader who promote mathematics in the community too with his Algebra Program along with opposing the Vietnam War during the early 1960's. The fundamental base of support for Freedom Summer was the thousands of African Americans with our churches, organizations, and homes to help people in Mississippi. Many non-black people sacrificed their lives to be involved in Freedom Summer too. Freedom Summer faced a far-right reactionary racist backlash by racists using extreme violence, murder, bombing of churches, kidnappings, and torture of black people and many non-black people too. Freedom Summer inspired the federal government to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Freedom Summer was a nonviolent effort, and the movement wanted African Americans in Mississippi to register to vote, have a new political party, and learn about real history and politics in newly formed Freedom Schools.
Freedom Summer was planned as early as late 1963. After the 1963 March on Washington, Mississippi was on the minds of many people. John Lewis or the Chairperson of SNCC during that time criticized the federal government for failing to protect the civil rights of Mississippi residents. The Director of SNCC Bob Moses proposed a Mississippi voter registration project to the SNCC executive committee by September 1963. The meeting lasted from September 6-9, 1963, being the origin of the Freedom Summer campaign. The meeting is discussed in Atlanta to have debates on voter registration vs. sit-ins and boycotts. By November 4, 1963, there is the Freedom Vote 1963. This was when more than 80,000 people have mock elections to refute the white racist lie that black Americans didn't want to vote. Dozens of white volunteers from Standford and Yale Universities came to help. There was press coverage of the effort that caused some to want to use white volunteers to cause the nation to focus on the injustices in Mississippi. Later, there was the four-day staff meeting in Greenville, Mississippi where SNCC debates brought 1,000 northern students to Mississippi during the next summer. Many staff are opposed to this idea in fearing that it will undermine local black leadership. No decision is made during that meeting. There is the December 15, 1963, meeting at Jackson, Mississippi. COFO appointed Bob Moses its project director for voter registration and Dave Dennis assistant program director. During the December 31, 1963 SNCC Executive Committee Meetings, leaders finally endorse a Mississippi Summer Project for 1964 including large numbers of northern white volunteers.
The planning continues. COFO on January 16, 1964 proposed challenging the right of any all-white delegation to represent Mississippi at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to be held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August 1964. By January 22, 1964, there was the Hattiesburg Freedom Day when COFO helped 150 black residents of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, attempt to register to vote on 'Freedom Day.' Clergy from around the country assemble to support them. By January 31, the local NAACP organizer Louis Allen of Liberty, Mississippi was shot and killed because of his support of voter registration efforts. This caused the remaining COFO leaders to support the Freedom Summer Project. COFO authorized the Freedom Summer Project by February 9, 1964. They want a large number of volunteers to help with the effort to make the federal government to pass voting rights legislation. By February 28, there was the Canton Freedom Day rally. This was in Canton, Mississippi when COFO helped more than 300 black citizens to line up at the county courthouse to register to vote. There was no violence. They were guarded by the police with shotguns and tear gas. It is the state's largest voter registration attempt up to that time. Later, SNCC promotes a brochure about the movement in a 8 page fundraising brochure. So, the action of advertising and organization continues like COFO showing a one page press released on March 30, 1964. From March to April 1964, volunteers are invited to work in Mississippi for the Freedom Summer movement. During this time, COFO appealed to local black residents for help in hosting and supporting volunteers. COFO assign volunteers at various sites.
The enemies of democracy respond to these developments by the Mississippi legsilature passing new laws to that restrict picketing and leafleting and expand police authority to intervene. On April 12, 1964, COFO announced black candidates to enter the Mississippi Democratic Party nominating process and, knowing they'll be excluded, also run in a parallel 'Freedom Vote' in November. COFO interview volunteers who want to come to Mississippi to help with voter registration or teach in Freedom School. The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party was created at the convention in Jackson, Mississippi by April 26, 1964. As expected, black residents are barred from participating in the Mississippi Democratic Party's local meetings to choose candidates and convention delegates. They hold parallel Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) meetings and choose their own.
SNCC recruiters didn't want volunteers with a John Brown complex. That means that SNCC leaders didn't want volunteers to think that it's their job to save Mississippi black Americans but to work with local leadership to develop the grassroots movement. SNCC is all about grassroots organizing and building as mentioned by Ella Baker (who is the Mother of SNCC).
By May 5, Freedom Summer Project volunteers are confirmed by recieving acceptance letters (and how to prepare for their roles in Freedom Summer). The volunteers are trained at Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio, sponsored by the National Council of Churches. The first group attends workshops until June 20. A second session runs June 21-28. One turning point of Freedom Summer was on June 21, 1964. This was when 3 Freedom Summer Project workers, whose named are James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Mickey Schwerner left the Ohio training a day early are reported missing. They had gone to Longdale, Mississippi, to investigate the bombing of Mt. Zion Church, which had offered to host a Freedom School. They were arrested in Philadelphia, Mississippi, on their way back to the COFO office in Meridian, and were never heard from again. Now, we know that they were murdered by racists.
By June 29, 1964, we see the Freedom Summer project established. There are about 500 volunteers and staff at 25 locations around the state in the start. Later, more than 1,000 out-of-state volunteers participated in Freedom Summer alongside thousands of black Mississippians. Volunteers were the among the most educated of their generation, who came from the best universities from the biggest states, mostly from cities in the North (e.g., Chicago, New York City, Detroit, Cleveland, etc.) and West (e.g., Berkeley, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, etc.), usually were rich, 90 percent were white. About half of them were Jewish. Though SNCC's committee agreed to recruit only one hundred white students for the project in December 1963, white civil rights leaders such as Allard Lowenstein went on and recruited a much larger number of white volunteers, to bring more attention. Two one-week orientation sessions for the volunteers were held at Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio (now part of Miami University), from June 14 to June 27, after Berea College backed out of hosting the sessions due to alumni pressure against it. Organizers focused on Mississippi because it had the lowest percentage of any state in the country of African Americans registered to vote, and they constituted more than one-third of the population. In 1962 only 6.7% of eligible black voters were registered. Back then, Southern states had poll taxes and literary tests to deprive black Americans the right to vote.
More than 100 volunteer doctors, nurses, psychologists, medical students and other medical professionals from the Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) provided emergency care for volunteers and local activists, taught health education classes, and advocated improvements in Mississippi's segregated health system. Volunteer lawyers from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Inc ("Ink Fund"), National Lawyers Guild, Lawyer's Constitutional Defense Committee (LCDC) an arm of the ACLU, and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCR) provided free legal services — handling arrests, freedom of speech, voter registration and other matters.
The Commission on Religion and Race (CORR), an endeavor of the National Council of Churches (NCC), brought Christian and Jewish clergy and divinity students to Mississippi to support the work of the Summer Project. In addition to offering traditional religious support to volunteers and activists, the ministers and rabbis engaged in voting rights protests at courthouses, recruited voter applicants and accompanied them to register, taught in Freedom Schools, and performed office and other support functions.
Violence against the movement continued. Racists did drive by shooting, throw Molotov cocktails at host homes, and the state and local government abused people (by arson, beatings, evictions, firings, murder, spying, and other types of intimidation). The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission spied on people and worked with the police, the Klan, and the White's Citizens' Council to use terrorism against black people. By Late June, there are more than 40 incidents of harassment and violence occur around the state during the last two weeks in June. By July 1, 1964, Mississippi has had five bombings, four murders, and numerous shootings of civil rights workers. The Society Hill Baptist Church was bombed on September 20, 1964, because it was one site of the Freedom School. In 1964, 36 black churches were bombed in Mississippi alone. The First Freedom Schools open up on July 2, 1964. It was located in the cities of Clarksdale, Holly Springs, and Vicksburg in Mississippi. The 1964 Civil Rights Act was signed on July 2, 1964, banning discrimination involving public accommodations. Martin Luther King visits the Mississippi cities of Jackson and Vicksburg to show his support for the Freedom Summer Project on July 22, 1964. On August 4, 1964, the bodies of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner are found buried in an earthen dam on a farm outside Philadelphia, Mississippi. Local police had released the three young men to the Ku Klux Klan, who tortured and murdered them before burning their car and hiding their bodies. Freedom Summer brought awareness to the oppression found in the South although not many black people were registered to vote during that time.
Approximately fifty Freedom libraries were established throughout Mississippi. These libraries provided library services and literacy guidance for many African Americans, some who had never had access to libraries before. Freedom Libraries ranged in size from a few hundred volumes to more than 20,000. The Freedom Libraries operated on small budgets and were usually run by volunteers. Some libraries were housed in newly constructed facilities while others were located in abandoned buildings. Freedom Houses helped to house volunteers in Mississippi.
By August 1964, the Mississippi state convention in Jackson, Mississippi, elects delegates to attend the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to be held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August 1964. They hope to unseat the all-white delegation sent by the mainstream Mississippi Democratic Party. A statewide Freedom School convention is held in Meridian, Mississippi. Students from around the state review the summer's accomplishments and draft resolutions by August 8. By August 22, 1964, the Democratic National Convention was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, delegates from the Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party challenge the right of delegates from the segregated mainstream Mississippi Democratic Party to represent the state. Their testimony about conditions in Mississippi is broadcast on national television and hundreds of supporters demonstrate outside the convention hall. Democratic National Convention (DNC) officials reject their challenge and they are not seated. Fannie Lou Hamer gave an passionate speech to condemn the political establishment in depriving black people the right to vote and economic rights in Mississippi in national television. After this incident, SNCC increasingly goes outside of the political establishment in seeking justice for all. In McComb, Mississippi, nine black homes, churches, and businesses are fire bombed over the course of three weeks from August to September 1964. The Freedom Schools operated on a basis of close interaction and mutual trust between teachers and students. The core curriculum focused on basic literacy and arithmetic, black history and current status, political processes, civil rights, and the freedom movement. The content varied from place to place and day to day according to the questions and interests of the students.
Entertainer and civil rights supporter Harry Belafonte took the exhausted Freedom Summer leaders to Africa. For some of the Africans, it is the first time they see black people in leadership positions in government and the professions. The trip helps the project leaders connect their work to the struggles of the African black liberation movement and energizes them for further work upon their return to the United States. This happened in September 1964. There was the Freedom Vote held on October 31. The reason is because most black Mississippians have not been allowed to vote in the official election, Freedom Summer Project leaders organize the 1964 'Freedom Vote.' This parallel election is held from October 31 through November 2, 1964, during which more than 68,000 people cast their votes. This proves to political leaders that African Americans will be an important constituency to address after the barriers to their participation have fallen. Lyndon Baines Johnson won re-elected by November 3, 1964, and white racists win Mississippi's five congressional seats. MFDP challenges the right of the five white congressional representatives elected in November to take their seats, on the grounds that blacks were systematically excluded from voting. After nine months of legal and political wrangling, the U.S. House of Representatives rejects the challenge in September 1965. By January 16, 1965, the FBI indicted 18 murder suspects of the murders of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner. Local officials immediately drop all charges but, under federal pressure, the men are re-charged the next month. Seven are found guilty when legal proceedings end in 1967. By August 6, 1965, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and other civil rights leaders were there when the signing took place. The Voting Rights Act bans discriminatory registration provisions and empowered the federal government to send its own registrars to local courthouses to make sure the law is obeyed. Freedom Summer made the national news media to deal with the rights of black voters in the Deep South and the dangers faced by black civil rights workers. It also inspired more self-defense units like the Deacons of Defense to protect people from racists. It set up the foundation for Selma voting rights movement of 1965 and the Black Power movement of 1966. Many veterans of Freedom Summer would work in the anti-war, women's rights, and other liberation movements like Heather Booth, Marshall Ganz, and Mario Savio. After the summer, Heather Booth returned to Illinois, where she became a founder of the Chicago Women's Liberation Union and later the Midwest Academy. Marshall Ganz returned to California, where he worked for many years on the staff of the United Farm Workers. He later taught organizing strategies. In 2008 he played a crucial role in organizing Barack Obama's field staff for the campaign. Mario Savio returned to the University of California, Berkeley, where he became a leader of the Free Speech Movement. At the end of the Day, the Freedom Summer experience caused a huge growth of the Civil Rights Movement. Black people have been a huge anchor of the overall freedom rights movement in general.
Life keeps on existing. I want to mention about the culture and essence of Toronto for a long time. Canada has a rich history that should be explained to the masses of the people. Being 40 years old now is certainly a blessing and an opportunity to write more of the truth. Toronto is a city with a unique history and legacy. It has millions of people being one of the most diverse of multicultural cities in the world during the 21st century. Toronto is also home to some of the most prominent, famous people in the world from celebrities, musicians, artists, architects, engineering, inventors, etc. With a population of almost 3 million human beings, Toronto is the most populous city of Canada (in the province of Ontario) and the fourth most populous city in the great continent of North America. Toronto, as a name, came from (linguistically) from the Mohawk word called taronto (the name of a channel between Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching). Also, it is important to realize that Toronto is an epicenter of an enormous amount of cultural institutions like festival (including Carnival), public events, entertainment districts, sports locations, national historic sites, and it's a city that attracts over 43 million tourists each year. As a technology hub, Toronto is a massively growing as a tech city indeed.
Creativity is certainly synonymous with human intellectual power. Fashion is so common among the human consciousness that we experience it in everyday of our lives. From baby clothes to the clothing found among elderly human beings, fashion represents a major part of our human identities. It can inspire us in working out or it can make us be aware of the diverse cultures of the world in a crisp fashion. Subsequently, fashion is not just ubiquitous involving wardrobe. It is found in cultures worldwide too. When cheerleaders celebrate scores, fashion is in abundance. When there are Olympic champions on stage (like Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter during the 2012 London Summer Olympics), their country's flags and apparel outline how much they love the gift of athletics too. Widespread, encompassing items like footwear, cosmetics, accessories, jewelry, pants, dresses, shirts, coats, and other manner of clothing are enriched by the multifaceted composition of fashion culture. Fashion designers of all colors and backgrounds (like Ann Lowe, Patrick Kelly, June Ambrose, etc.) have brought their genius to present unique forms of patterns, innovations, and a sense of purpose to develop society in general. There is a business side to fashion. In the fashion atmosphere, people readily deal with corporations, contracts, copyright laws, inventory, property rights, modeling deals, and other economic components of fashion. One secret to great fashion doesn't just deal with a specific background of an item but the small components of an item's exterior like a different design or color (that can make the item more powerful in its cosmology). The journey continues, it is precisely the time to investigate more of how the Universe functions.
No comments:
Post a Comment