Bayard Rustin.  You may not know his name but you should. He was a major figure behind the scenes during the civil rights movement of the 1960’s in the United States. He counseled Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on techniques of non-violence. In fact, Bayard Rustin was the organizer of Dr. King’s 1963 March on Washington, wherein Dr. King gave his ever so revered “I Have A Dream” speech. The organization of an event of that magnitude was no easy feat, yet, few members of the African-American community even know his name, furthermore credit him for the role he played. Bayard Rustin’s sexuality was hardly a secret. Yet, he often held a low-key presence as to not distract the message of the movement or give the “haters” of that time fodder for their subversive agenda.

His humanitarian work did Read the rest of this entry »

Ome Productions has teamed up with several artists in the LGBTQ community to create a series of PSAs encouraging “citizens of the world” to lend a helping hand to the victims of the Haiti earthquake. On Sunday, February 7th, Ome Productions and Pier 59 Studios will host a food and clothing drive for Haiti.

Find more details and video of the PSA after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »

The original “We Are The World” track, written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones, is 25 years older with a new cause in sight. The original recording, which aimed to bring attention to famine is Africa and in fact raised $63 million for the cause, has been remade with a whole new set of voices and this time around the goal is relief in Haiti. Produced by Jones and Richie, the 2010 version will feature at least 100 artists including: Read the rest of this entry »

Calvin Klein, the designer whose advertisement campaigns are just as known as his clothing, has enlisted rising French model David Agbodji for his Spring 2010 advertisement campaign. It’s always noteworthy when a major designer entrust the image of their business to a black model. Let’s not forget,  this is the same man who used actor Djimon Hounsou sometime ago for an underwear campaign.

Shot by Steven Klein in his campaign debut, David certainly represents BLACK with power, confidence, and emotion. Calvin Klein’s consistence use of black models should Read the rest of this entry »

Fantasia has debuted her new single “Even Angels” just in time for her appearance on the The Oprah Winfrey Show. The singer will appear on Oprah today (February 3) to discuss everything from being M.I.A. from “The Color Purple” (a Harpo production) to her mooching family to her money problems.

Check out her new single Even Angels & excerpts from the Oprah interview after the hop… Read the rest of this entry »

In case you missed it, India.Arie gave a soul-stirring performance of her single “River Rise“  on “The Mo’Nique Show” recently. The track is featured on her 2009 album “Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics.”

Take a look when you…. Read the rest of this entry »