POPS' Thoughts

Filmmaker Lee Daniels (Precious) lecture at Emerson tonight

<< thoughts by POPS at 9:48 AM on Tuesday, February 02, 2010 >>
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EBONI presents acclaimed filmmaker Lee Daniels as part of African American Heritage Month

Acclaimed filmmaker Lee Daniels, director of Precious, Monster's Ball, and The Woodsman, will visit Emerson as part of African American Heritage Month. His film Precious will screen in the Bright Family Screening Room at Emerson's Paramount Center on Monday, February 1, at 8:00 pm.

The following day Daniels will be on campus to give a lecture, presented by Emerson student group EBONI, at 6:00 pm in the screening room.

Precious, based on the book Push by Sapphire, is the story of an overweight, illiterate girl raised in Harlem. She is sexually abused by her father and about to give birth to her second child. Precious stars newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, and features a supporting cast that includes Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, and Lenny Kravitz. Mo'Nique won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for her role as the abusive mother.

The Hollywood Reporter called Precious "a disturbing masterwork of human survival," and Variety dubbed it "courageous and uncompromising, a shaken cocktail of debasement and elation, despair and hope."

Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey were executive producers of the film. "I've never seen anything like it. It's so raw and powerful, it split me open," Winfrey said of the film.

Precious won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival—only the third film in festival history to do so. The film is expected to be nominated for multiple Oscars® in 2010.

The screening and lecture are open to anyone in the Emerson community with a current Emerson ID.The screening will be held Monday, February 1, at 8:00 pm in the Bright Family Screening Room at the Paramount Center, 555 Washington Street. The lecture will be held Tuesday, February 2, at 6:00 pm, also in the screening room. Contact Tikesha Morgan, director of Multicultural Affairs, Tikesha_Morgan AT emerson.edu, with questions or for further information. Press inquiries can be directed to Allison _Teixeira AT emerson.edu in the Office of Public Affairs.


BPS Arts Expansion

<< thoughts by POPS at 3:18 PM on Friday, January 29, 2010 >>
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Please join Superintendent Carol R. Johnson for a reception and performance by Stan Strickland to celebrate and kick off the BPS Arts Expansion Initiative Planning Process on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 from 3:30 - 7:30pm at Symphony Hall in the Cohen Wing.

This celebration and kick-off event will be preceded by stakeholder input sessions from 3:30-5:30pm that will provide an opportunity for the broad community critical to the successful expansion of and system building for arts education in Boston Public Schools to offer their input early in the Arts Expansion Initiative Planning Process.

RSVP with your expected attendance at the stakeholder input sessions (3:30-5:30pm), the reception and performance (5:30-7:30pm), by email to Jennifer Stange at EdVestors, stange AT edvestors.org by Thursday, February 4th.

Please see http://boston.k12.ma.us/bulletins/ArtsExpansion.doc for more information.


A Vendre. For Sale.

<< thoughts by POPS at 1:52 PM on Monday, January 25, 2010 >>
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"If power is for sale, sell your mother to buy it. You can always buy her back again."

Has anyone else had a pretty bumpy 2010 so far?

I have so many friends who have been impacted by the earthquake that I lost count. A chance conversation last weekend allowed me to meet some new folks and dig beneath the surface.

Dig deeper.

I'm in this leadership development cohort that is currently wrestling with the notion of how honesty forces discomfort. We've been trained to notice every little thing that makes us different that we sometimes fail to recognize, acknowledge, and appreciate the commonalities.

It's been an eye-opening experience.

One particularly striking conversation touched upon the notion of what comes next in Haiti.

One one hand, you have folks worried about the intentions of the international community. Other the other hand, someone remarked that as they were watching the Hope for Haiti teleton, she noticed an image of a rock behind Jon Stewart that had the word "Vendre" inscribed on it along with a dollar ($) sign.

Dig deeper.

The back-and-forth conversation that ensued flowed into a great discussion about the need for the Haitian diaspora to be at the table making decisions about the future of the country as opposed to settling for what is determined.

Ring a bell? Just like the need for Generation X and Y to step up the mantle of leadership, it's a familiar refrain of the urgency of action and engagement.

Much too often, my peer generation feels rather powerless in the face of catastrophic change. Yet, this is an opportunity to rebuild a country. And by no means should anyone doubt that there are other parties who have an interest in Haiti that serves their own interests; subtle or not.

What was the purpose of that rock? Was it symbolic of the country being for sale to the highest biddder? Let us not forget how Haiti was exploited, extorted, and hijacked by bilateral trade agreements after it fought for and won its independence.

The analogy that immediately came to mind was of gentrified neighborhoods. My Boston people will recall how the Orange Line used to run down Washington in the South End and it was pretty run down. Look at it now, though. The area is home to a slew of restaurants, bars, cafes, boutiques. Formerly abandoned and foreclosed homes are now assessed many times beyond their value. Even now, think of how the foreclosure crisis has affected neighborhoods like the Bowdoin-Geneva area and it is no surprise when you dig a little deeper and notice the machinations under the surface of developers primed to make moves.

Imperialism ain't just international.


Job Posting: Recruitment & Community Partnerships Manager, Big Sister Association

<< thoughts by POPS at 4:38 PM on Saturday, January 23, 2010 >>
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Job Posting: Recruitment & Community Partnerships Manager, Big Sister Association

Big Sister Association is seeking a dynamic individual to lead the Recruitment & Community Partnerships (R&CP) department.

The Manager of R&CP will recruit a diverse pool of volunteers to meet growth goals. Responsibilities include development of corporate and community partnerships and planning/implementation of marketing and communications strategies to enhance volunteer recruitment. Experience in marketing and community relations preferred.

Big Sister is committed to hiring staff who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. Candidates of color, bilingual and bicultural candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. If you are interested in working at a well-established, fast-paced and supportive organization committed to serving girls, please apply.

Please send cover letter and resume to:

Big Sister Association, Attn: Human Resources, 161 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
Fax: (617) 236-8075
Email: hr [AT] bigsister.org




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