Austene Van ascends in role of Aida

Mar. 6 |       Austene Van, a brilliant performer, has long been outshone by fellow stars Jevetta Steele and Regina Marie Williams. But not because she’s, per se, a lesser talent. However, Steele saw her profile incredibly heightened by a...

A conversation with Maya Angelou

Oct. 17 | Renaissance woman speaks on Tyler Perry, Obama and ‘the sweet language’   By Charles Hallman Staff Writer   Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Maya Angelou is a renowned “renaissance woman” who as a teenager became San Francisco’s...

GLBT characters of color on the big and small screens

Aug. 29 |   It’s hard enough finding straight people of color — including Black folk — on TV and film, never mind non-hetero depictions. Here’s a thumbnail sketch roundup of positive portrayals. In the interest of being thankful for small favors,...

Rich summer music menu: Bill Frisell, Rachelle Ferrell, Cassandra Wilson

May. 30 |   I was scanning the magazine newsstand the other day and picked up a copy of the June issue of Ebony magazine. It’s their music issue. I open it up, and who is the first person I see? It’s Esperanza Spalding. So, I read the blurb about...

The Amen Corner: Penumbra breathes life into James Baldwin play

May. 30 |     Lou Bellamy brilliantly directs James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner at Guthrie Theater for a Penumbra Theatre Company/Guthrie Theater regional premiere. Bellamy, of course, is best known for taking scripts through their paces in St. Paul...

What you can do to preserve Black history — and why you should

Feb. 8 |     ”When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his ‘proper place’ and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the...