The actor Morgan Freeman called his “guiding light”

Morgan Freeman‘s career has endured over decades because of a commanding presence. Whether simply operating as an encompassing narrator, using his famous voice to good use, or on the screen as a mercurial performer, Freeman’s career is one of Hollywood’s most impressive.

Thriving in the industry for several decades, Freeman has been afforded the opportunity to collaborate with some of the industry’s most impressive directors, including the likes of David Fincher, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Lawrence Kasdan, Christopher Nolan, Rob Reiner and Luc Besson. He has also worked with some of the best actors in the world too.

Whether starring alongside Brad Pitt in Seven, the incredible ensemble of Red, which included Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich or perhaps his defining role opposite Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption, Freeman has performed with some of the best in the business. Often providing the calm and methodical antidote to the wildcard he’s starring opposite, Freeman’s inspirations are deeply entrenched in the classic era of acting.

When speaking to Rotten Tomatoes, Freeman shared his particular affection for some of Hollywood’s finest. Picking his five favourite movies, Freeman said: “What’s my fifth favourite movie? Now, there have been quite a number of them. Oh, I know! Moby Dick.” The 1956 adaptation of the book of the same name by Herman Melville tells the story of a sailor on an incessant rampage to hunt down a white whale, with Freeman recalling: “Now that was filmmaking. John Huston. Call me… Ishmael. I read the book, and there are very few books that I have read and seen the movie and liked the movie.”

But the real reason he picked the movie was the acting of Gregory Peck. Freeman notes him as a huge influence along with two others: “Gregory Peck was one of my favourite actors. Gregory Peck and Gary Cooper and Humphrey Bogart, those guys.”

But for many Black actors making their way in Hollywood, only one man provided the “guiding light” for them as people of colour—Sidney Poitier. Poitier was the first Black man to win the Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’ and was the oldest living and earliest surviving recipient of the prestigious accolade until he passed in 2022, whose distinguished career is a celebration of the world of cinema.

Among the many tributes to Poitier upon the news of his death was Morgan Freeman, who summarised the wide impact of Poitier in just a few short words: “Sidney was my inspiration, my guiding light, my friend. Sending love to Joanna and his family.”

Poitier served as a guiding example, clearing the path for emerging Black artists to assert their previously denied recognition. Even now, after many years, this iconic actor continues to inspire countless aspiring actors navigating industry biases, striving to achieve significant success.

Related Topics

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

‘Murder In Boston’ Reopens The City’s Troubled History Of Race Relations: One Path Forward

Charles Stuart shot his pregnant wife Carol and himself on the way out of a birthing class at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. When Stuart, a white man, called 911 for assistance, he implicated a fictitious “Black man” who fled into Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood. With aggressive policing unchecked by a media and City Hall that was overly sympathetic to Stuart’s false story, Mission Hill became the backdrop for one of the most troubling chapters in the city’ s checkered history of race relations. The recent HBO documentary series, “Murder in Boston,” reminds us of this history, but leaves us with a lingering question:

How can Boston redeem itself?

Mayor Michelle Wu took the first steps in this redemption by formally apologizing to the two men whose lives were most seriously affected by the Boston police’s blind man hunt in Mission Hill—Willie Bennett and Alan Swanson—but there were far more victims than could ever be named. The revival of this incident presents an opportunity to deliver reparative justice to a community and a people that suffered disproportionately for generations at the hands of the police, the media, and city government. I offer one way that the City of Boston may consider making right on its troubled past. The City of Boston should declare Mission Hill and adjacent communities “health opportunity zones.”

Long before Mission Hill became overwhelmed by police brutality and an ill-directed witch hunt, it was ground zero for profound health disparities. The City of Boston continues to acknowledge a high degree of racial segregation—and associated poor birth outcomes, asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic conditions affecting these and other neighborhoods. The Stuart murder accentuated an underlying dynamic of distrust between the African American community and dominantly white institutions in the city of Boston—one that still seems resonant today. Nowhere are the implications of that distrust more profound and meaningful as health.

Mission Hill stands adjacent to numerous world-famous medical institutions in the Longwood Medical Area. I had the benefit of training and working in these institutions, but was both always alarmed at the sometimes tense, and mostly absent relationship with neighboring communities. Minority patients from Mission Hill, Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury would often enter these facilities uncertain of whether they would receive appropriate treatments; more often, they would stay out of these institutions altogether until they absolutely needed them. As Nancy Oriol, a retired obstetric anesthesiologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and former Dean of Students at Harvard Medical School remarked to me, “The sad irony of the Stuarts taking a birthing class at the Brigham is how few men and women from adjacent Mission Hill likely availed themselves of these classes.” There simply wasn’t enough trust.

MORE FOR YOU

Declaring key neighborhoods in Boston as “health opportunity zones” would require wielding local regulation in unprecedented ways; soft and hard influence; and bold and meaningful financial commitments to create real bridges between Boston’s healthcare institutions and their neighbors. The goal of declaring and investing in these zones would be simple: to acknowledge the most insidious and profound output of Boston’s deep history of racism—poor health—and flatten healthcare disparities in 5 years. The City could partner and co-invest with the local medical, biotech, and managed care communities to create a more robust presence in underserved communities and funnel needed resources where they are needed.

Among the five features of these zones would be:

1) Data collection and media partnership on transparency: when communities don’t participate in health care, we are often left discovering disparities in care after they have already had a profound impact on health. The City of Boston should commit to an annual census-like effort to annually capture in real-time the state of health for residents of health opportunity zones. This effort can build on some existing efforts through which hospitals perform community needs assessments. Boston is home to some of the finest health policy researchers in the nation. Local area foundations could fund these researchers to focus their energies on deriving insights from the data collected. High-level transparency around the state of health outcomes in the city accompanied by specific focus on it by Boston-based media like The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and STAT, will keep a continued flashlight on the city’s problems and progress being made to address.

2) Home and community-based health promotion and care: Boston’s robust network of community-health centers creates an important resource for the community—but still rely on patients to seek and access care themselves. The City of Boston should partner with community-based organizations such as federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and mobile clinics like Harvard Medical School’s Family Van to support a small army of community members as community health workers. Every resident of a health opportunity zone should have a community health worker whose job it would be to engage them in their health and encourage them to live a healthier lifestyle. Where patients are reluctant to access primary care, Boston’s major health institutions could deploy doctors and nurses to deliver care in patients’ homes; this could be particularly impactful for the frail elderly who often can’t easily make their way into healthcare facilities and suffer for it.

3) Co-pay waivers and enhanced access to biopharmaceutical innovation: Co-pays are often a major barrier for low-income individuals to access care. Managed care companies and health systems should commit to waiving copays for primary care and other essential care for patients who reside in health opportunity zones; they might consider partnering with pharmaceutical and retail pharmacy partners to do so on essential drugs as well. The health systems and managed care companies could split the bill for these waivers or the city might consider further increasing taxes on cigarettes and alcohol to fund it and further discourage consumption of these substances. The City might consider how it could partner with Boston-based biotech Vertex Pharmaceuticals VRTX on its pioneering new gene therapy to address sickle cell disease—Vertex has already made over $50m in investments in Boston—and ensure that every patient who needs access to it has it.

4) Health education: Health literacy is one of the greatest obstacles to improving health and misinformation is often an important driver of mistrust. Boston’s three prodigious medical schools-Harvard, Tufts, and Boston University-should expand their mission beyond medical education to health education to include educating the communities in which it resides on health and wellness—and produce high quality community programming to further engage residents of health opportunity zones. Medical schools around the country are notorious for operating in isolation with of some of the communities in which they reside; building on some of their existing efforts, Boston’s medical schools could lead the way in demonstrating the commitment to urban health—and inspire generation of physicians and healthcare professionals to be sensitive to these needs in the process.

5) Community-led governance: as we learn time and time again, one of the biggest challenges to the effectiveness of public health efforts is their top-down nature. The health opportunity zone would need to be led by a combination of city officials and community members whose understanding of the problems and real issues will be vital to solving them. Priority-setting of the “health opportunity zone” should be led by community needs determined at the grassroots level with multi-stakeholder involvement of community leaders, clergy, and others.

With a multi-stakeholder effort, Boston’s world famous medical institutions could finally make their presence more strongly felt in their own backyard—and begin to crack the code on one of the country’s most vexing, unaddressed problems: the profound differences in life expectancy between white people and minorities.

What if Boston’s sorrow and shame about Charles Stuart were to transform into a Boston miracle?

In the era of growing backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, Murder in Boston powerfully states the case for greater focus on leveling the playing field for the city’s minorities—not less. Apologies are great, but follow-on action is critical. Let’s make sure that the lingering aftermath of Boston’s troubled history of race relations—highlighted by Carol Stuart’s racialized murder—translates into real benefit for the people whose lives have been profoundly affected by it.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Christopher Winship and Nancy Oriol for their editorial suggestions.

Peter Magubane, South African photographer who documented apartheid, dies aged 91

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS

5 Bubbles for NYE | SaltWire

Watch on YouTube: “5 Bubbles for NYE | SaltWire”

By Bhargav Acharya

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Peter Magubane, the renowned artist-photographer who shed light on the everyday struggles of Black South Africans for decades under apartheid, died on Monday. He was 91.

After joining Drum magazine in 1955, Magubane gained prominence as one of the few Black photographers covering the repressive era.

One of his landmark images, taken a year later in a wealthy Johannesburg suburb, showed a white girl sitting on a bench with a sign reading “Europeans Only” while a Black worker sat behind her combing her hair.

In the 1960s, amid a surge in anti-apartheid activism, he covered Nelson Mandela’s arrest and the banning of the now-ruling African National Congress (ANC) party.

A decade on, he was winning international accolades with his coverage of the Soweto student uprising.

He was regularly harassed, assaulted, arrested and, starting in 1969, locked up for 586 days of solitary confinement.

But Magubane kept taking photos and, in the 1990s, was appointed as newly-released Mandela’s official photographer.

He was “someone who made very big sacrifices for the freedom that we enjoy today,” his granddaughter Ulungile Magubane told Reuters.

“Luckily he was alive to see the country change for the better,” she said.

Born in 1932 in the Johannesburg suburb of Vrededorp – now Pageview – Magubane grew up in Sophiatown, once a hub to famous Black artists that was eventually destroyed under apartheid.

He died peacefully around midday, his daughter Fikile Magubane said. He would have turned 92 on Jan. 18.

(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Top 25 destinations for 2024, according to Afar travel guides

Afar, the travel media guide and magazine, has just released its annual “where to go” list for 2024 travelers. It’s a globe-circling mix of 25 destinations that ranges from Fiji to Texas, Toronto and more, all chosen with an eye to thoughtful, sustainable travel.

So while you’ll see Peru’s famous Machu Picchu on the list, editors suggest getting there via the lesser-known Quarry Trail — complete with spectacular views and waterfalls — rather than the tourist-clogged Inca Trail. Buzzy, busy Los Angeles makes the list with a shout out to the February opening of Destination Crenshaw, a 4-acre, open-air museum that showcases the work of Black artists, the largest such installation in the country. And while everyone knows all about Prague, Afar’s editors suggest Czech Republic visitors head for Brno, which was designated one of UNESCO’s Cities of Music.

Each destination, Afar’s editorial team said, “is an awe-inspiring, joy-inducing destination where human connection and creativity define the travel experience.”

Here’s just a peek. Check out the full list, along with photographs and travel tips, at www.afar.com/magazine/where-to-go-2024 or pick up the print edition, available on newsstands Jan. 9.

13 top destinations to visit in 2024

Bhutan

Brno, Czech Republic

The Czech Republic city of Brno received recognition as one of UNESCO's Music Cities. (Getty Images)
The Czech Republic city of Brno received recognition as one of UNESCO’s Music Cities. (Getty Images) 

Fiji

Lamu, Kenya

Los Angeles

Manchester, England

Norway

Rome, Italy

Rome's Trevi Fountain is one of the most iconic sights on earth. (Getty Images)
Rome’s Trevi Fountain is one of the world’s most iconic sights. (Getty Images) 

St. Kitts

Tangier, Morocco

Hill Country, Texas

Toronto, Canada

Maldonado, Uruguay

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

5 Breakthrough Artists Who Are Making Contemporary Native American and Indigenous Public Art

Nani Chacon Mural at Coe Art Center

“You Can’t Take It With You….” (detail) by Nani Chacon

Through sculpture, murals, and ephemeral installations, contemporary Native artists are honoring their heritage, while also giving voice to the indigenous community. By working on public art projects, indigenous artists are also making a statement by reminding the public, “We Exist.” Whether that means creating memorials to honor the contribution of Native American veterans to reclaiming public spaces, the work of these artists is invaluable in teaching the public to move beyond stereotypes.

We’re looking at five contemporary Native American artists who often focus on public work in an effort to bring native art to a wider audience. Scroll down to read more about them and discover where you can travel to see their incredible murals and installations.

Here are 5 contemporary Native artists who create public art that reflects their heritage.

Nani Chacon

Nani Chacon Mural ArtNani Chacon Mural Art

Photo: Nani Chacon

Nani Chacon is a Diné and Chicana painter and muralist who uses her public art to facilitate social engagement and community-based integration. One of her most impressive pieces is a 100-foot-long mural, You Can’t Take It With You…., located at the Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Inspired by a contemporary Diné and a traditional Seneca basket in the center’s collection, Chacon’s piece speaks to how artistic traditions can connect people through time and space.

Andrea Wilbur-Sigo

Renovated Gravesite

Renovated Gravesite

Squaxin Island artist Andrea Wilbur-Sigo is breaking barriers as a female carver. Raised on the Skokomish Reservation in Washington State, she came from a family of artists but was told that women are not carvers. Despite this obstacle, Wilbur-Sigo became a master of Coast Salish art. Today, she is known for her incredible carved boxes, masks, panels, and figures that pay homage to her Native heritage. Her carvings can be found throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the Squaxin Island Tribe Veterans Memorial and two large wood figures outside of the Seattle Convention Center’s new Summit Building.

Anna Tsoulharakis

Anna Tsouhlarakis: She Made For Her

Anna Tsouhlarakis: She Made For Her

Anna Tsoulharakis is a performance, video, and installation artist of Greek, Navajo, and Creek heritage. She seeks to push the boundaries of Native American art by creating thought-provoking work. Oftentimes, she asks Natives to recount their experiences or share personal objects as a way to break the stereotypes of how they are perceived by the outside world.

Nora Naranjo-Morse

The Guardians

The Guardians

Artist and poet Nora Naranjo-Morse works in several mediums but is most well-known for her metal sculptures. A member of the Tewa tribe, her work explores issues of environment, culture, and creating community art. In 2013, she created Guardians, a set of three abstract steel sculptures. These pieces are located in Albuquerque’s Altura Park, looming over the environment with their imposing structures. The silhouettes of these sculptures were inspired by the shapes Naranjo-Morse encountered in her visits to the park and are a calm meditation on the land.

Jaque Fragua

Decolonize and Chill - We are Still Here

Decolonize and Chill - We are Still Here

Indigenous artist Jaque Fragua grew up in Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico. He connects traditional Native American design with current trends through graffiti, mural art, and sculpture. In 2016, he made headlines for painting the phrase, “This is Indian Land,” on a temporary construction wall in Los Angeles. One of his most iconic pieces is in an alley in Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood, called Indian Alley. Fragua painted a warrior on horseback next to the words, “Decolonize and Chill.” He continues to use his artistry to work as an agitator, activating his community and advocating for his culture.

Related Articles:

First Indigenous Composer To Win Pulitzer Prize for Music

14 Groundbreaking African American Artists Who Shaped History

Native American Artist Covers Historical Ledgers With Portraits of Indigenous Peoples [Interview]

Oneida Indian Nation Debuts Art Installation of Illuminated Tipis, Offering Messages of Remembrance and Peace

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Influential former Texas US Rep. Eddie Bernice …

… 2019. Her own experience with racism helped spur her to get … really the most blatant, overt racism that I ever experienced in … job where you’re an African American woman entering for the first … RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News

(BPRW) Get in Gear for the New Year!

(Black PR Wire) Happy New Year! The Black PR Wire Team wishes this year brings you and your business endless possibilities and immense growth. The new year is the perfect time to outline new objectives, reaffirm commitment and embark on a revitalizin…