January 15, 2024 – Urban CNY

Events

Community Folk Art Center Upcoming Programs Including Black History Month

by Urban CNY News
January 15, 2024

Community Folk Art Center, Incorporated (CFAC) was founded in 1972 by the late Herbert T. Williams, a professor in the African American Studies Department, in collaboration with other Syracuse University faculty and students, as well as local artists and Syracuse city residents. The primary motivation and objective for the establishment of CFAC was to provide a high quality showcase for African Diasporan artists, creating a setting for dialogue and interaction among emerging, mid-career and professional artists, in Central New York. In addition to Williams, CFAC founders include Shirley Harrison, Jack White, George Campbell Jr., Mary Schmidt Campbell, David MacDonald, and Basheer Alim. CFAC planted its roots in a small storefront on the corner of South Salina Street and Wood Avenue, then relocated to a converted auditorium on the East side, finally settling into our current space at 805 East Genesee Street, allowing us to function as a multidisciplinary community art center. Located in the heart of the Connective Corridor, “we are proud of our position as a venue for a cross section of our community to gather in the spirit of creative expression”. FINALS, a play by Martikah Williams The Community Folk Art Center on January 19th & 20th at 7:00 PM for the World Premier of FINALS, a play by Martikah Williams. Starring: Angela Stroman, Carley Robinson, Theorri, London, J’Naia Stepp & Dajaveon Bellamy. January 19th & 20th7:00 p.m. Community Folk Art Center, Black Box Theater Purchase Tickets Black/ Arab Relationalities Workshop – Black Artist Collective Join the Black/Arab Relationalities Initiative and Black Artist Collective for an upcoming workshop that will guide participants in relating shared and individual experiences through various art activities, including storytelling, movement, and poetry. Selected participants receive a $100 honorarium & lunch. This project is generously funded by a three-year Mellon Foundation Higher Learning Open Grant. (Application Deadline January 22) Saturday, January 27th 10:00 a.m. –3:00 p.m.Community Folk Art Center Apply Today Adult Ceramics Are you interested in taking ceramics? Space is still available for the following sessions : Monday 6:00 – 8:00 PM: Hand-Building with instructor, Eunjung Shin-Vargas Tuesday 9:30 – 11:30 AM: Hand-building and Wheel-Throwing with instructor, Eunjung Shin-Vargas Wednesday 9:30 – 11:30 AM : Hand-building and Wheel-Throwing with instructor, Eunjung Shin-Vargas Register Today Adult Classes Adult music and dance classes will begin on Monday, January 8th. Classes include Piano, Ballet, Ballet Conditioning, and West African Drum. All skill levels are welcome! Pre-register through our monthly pass option or pay upon entry, all classes are $10.00 per person. Piano: Monday 6:30 – 7:30 PM Ballet: Monday & Wednesday – 6:30 – 7:30 PM Ballet Conditioning: Wednesday 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM West African Drum: Thursday 6:30 – 7:30 PM Sign Up Today Creative Arts Academy Creative Arts Academy – Youth programming will resume on Tuesday, January 16th. Save the date for these upcoming events for Black History Month

Cover Stories

King for A Day: The Distorted Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

by Ken Jackson
January 15, 2024

The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday Observance is a time when America honors the life and legacy of Dr. King. As we celebrate and commemorate Dr. King, the political climate in America is beginning to look more like 1963. To become “The “beloved community” it must be Dr. King Day, every day. The Beloved Community is not utopia, but it was a global vision where everyone can share in wealth. Standards of human decency replace discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice. Even recognizing that The Beloved community also involved conflict. Handling and resolving conflicts are key in creating this environment where The Beloved Community could flourish. According to the King Center, “Fundamental tenets of Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence described in his first book, Stride Toward Freedom. Dr. King often said, he got his inspiration from Jesus Christ and his techniques from Mohandas K. Gandhi. These principles should be embraced as a lifestyle. Nonviolence is a love-centered way of thinking, speaking, acting, and engaging those leads to personal, cultural and societal transformation”. It’s difficult to wrap your head around the concept of nonviolence as a method to achieve Civil Rights and Voting rights when Black people were being terrorized throughout the Nation. Segregation and the enforcement of Jim Crow laws affected the lives of millions. “The South was especially oppressive, it has been estimated that from 1882 to 1968, 4,743 lynchings occurred in the U.S.,” according to records kept by the NAACP. Gains of African Americans disappear with the stroke of a Governor’s pen or a decision by the US Supreme Court. Gutting the Voting Rights Act, which was the Black populations, weapon of equity. 50 years of documented progress set aflame. According to the Brennan Center for Social Justice, “Over the last 20 years, states have put barriers in front of the ballot box — imposing strict voter ID laws, cutting voting times, restricting registration, and purging voter rolls. These efforts, which received a boost when the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act in 2013, have kept significant numbers of eligible voters from the polls, hitting all Americans, but placing special burdens on racial minorities, poor people, and young and old voters.” The State of Florida has engaged in the revision of African American History. According to curriculum standards released in July 2023, Florida students in Middle School will now learn that enslaved people “developed skills” that “could be applied for their personal benefit”. It doesn’t stop there, “Diversity, equity and inclusion” has been under attack in both Florida and Tennessee. Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has vowed to fight DEI including “in the corporations.” It’s become clear that there is political push-back to policies and programs that promote the representation and participation of different groups of individuals. The approach to use non-violence was often criticized and difficult, given conditions at the time, imagine being non-violent when someone’s beating you in the head with a baton or being bitten by a dog at the command of Jim Crow Era law enforcement. Also, we must recall that historic preference has been given to portions of his 1963, I Have a Dream Speech, which was given August 28th, 1963. History has selective amnesia about the years 1964-68, when Dr. King expanded his campaign to include a more diverse inclusive following: he spoke out against the Vietnam War, poverty, and the cost of war. Even with his hope and faith there were serious doubts as he’s quoted, “I fear I am integrating my people into a burning house”. But you will not hear this quote as we focus on a tiny fraction of the I Have A Dream speech. “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” Dr. King was frozen in time by those who write history. We’ve been dosed with quotes that only reveal selectively chosen snippets. Even as he’s quoted, the words are sanitized, His “I Have A Dream” speech is seen by some as being his best, with soring oratory briming with hope for the future. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.” His life is truncated by this insistence of presenting to modern day America, a speech about a 1963 “Dream”, while leaving out the poignant sections. King went on to broaden his coalition with speeches that no longer focused solely on the “Negro” and Civil Rights. While the times may be difficult, we must remember the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., including the parts that make people uncomfortable. Other Articles of interest on urbancny.com about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Cover: Pixabay Photo

Faith-Based News & Information

The King Center: The Center for Nonviolent Social Change

by Urban CNY News
January 15, 2024

Established in 1968 by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (“The King Center”) has been a global destination, resource center and community institution for over a quarter century. The King Center is a 501(c)3. Nearly a million people each year make pilgrimage to the National Historic Site to learn, be inspired and pay their respects to Dr. King’s legacy. Both a traditional memorial and programmatic nonprofit, the King Center was envisioned by its founder to be “no dead monument, but a living memorial filled with all the vitality that was his, a center of human endeavor, committed to the causes for which he lived and died.” That vision was carried out through educational and community programs until Mrs. King’s retirement in the mid-1990’s, and today it’s being revitalized. As we move into the second decade of the 21st century, the King Center is embarking on a major transformation into a more energetically-engaged educational and social change institution. Supported by our Board of Directors and an infusion of new thinking, the King Center is dedicated to ensuring that the King legacy not only remains relevant and viable, but is effectively leveraged for positive social impact. In short, the King Center is repositioning to meet the challenges and opportunities of today. Squarely-focused on serving as both a local and global resource, the King Center is dedicated to educating the world on the life, legacy and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., inspiring new generations to carry forward his unfinished work, strengthen causes and empower change-makers who are continuing his efforts today. The King Center’s Definition of Nonviolence Nonviolence is a love-centered way of thinking, speaking, acting, and engaging that leads to personal, cultural and societal transformation. The Triple Evils The Triple Evils of POVERTY, RACISM and MILITARISM are forms of violence that exist in a vicious cycle. They are interrelated, all-inclusive, and stand as barriers to our living in the Beloved Community. When we work to remedy one evil, we affect all evils. To work against the Triple Evils, you must develop a nonviolent frame of mind as described in the “Six Principles of Nonviolence” and use the Kingian model for social action outlined in the “Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change.” Some contemporary examples of the Triple Evils are listed next to each item: Poverty – unemployment, homelessness, hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy, infant mortality, slums… “There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we now have the resources to get rid of it. The time has come for an all-out world war against poverty … The well off and the secure have too often become indifferent and oblivious to the poverty and deprivation in their midst. Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation. No individual or nation can be great if it does not have a concern for ‘the least of these.” Racism – prejudice, apartheid, ethnic conflict, anti-Semitism, sexism, colonialism, homophobia, ageism, discrimination against disabled groups, stereotypes… “Racism is a philosophy based on a contempt for life. It is the arrogant assertion that one race is the center of value and object of devotion, before which other races must kneel in submission. It is the absurd dogma that one race is responsible for all the progress of history and alone can assure the progress of the future. Racism is total estrangement. It separates not only bodies, but minds and spirits. Inevitably it descends to inflicting spiritual and physical homicide upon the out-group.” Militarism – war, imperialism, domestic violence, rape, terrorism, human trafficking, media violence, drugs, child abuse, violent crime… “A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war- ‘This way of settling differences is not just.’ This way of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation’s homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” Source: “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Boston: Beacon Press, 1967. Dr. King’s Fundamental Philosophy of Nonviolence Fundamental tenets of Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence described in his first book, Stride Toward Freedom. Dr. King often said, he got his inspiration from Jesus Christ and his techniques from Mohandas K. Gandhi. These principles should be embraced as a lifestyle. Six Principals of Nonviolence Six Steps of Nonviolent Social Change The Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change are based on Dr. King’s nonviolent campaigns and teachings that emphasize love in action. Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence, as reviewed in the Six Principles of Nonviolence, guide these steps for social and interpersonal change. · Information Gathering To understand and articulate an issue, problem or injustice facing a person, community, or institution you must do research. You must investigate and gather all vital information from all sides of the argument or issue so as to increase your understanding of the problem. You must become an expert on your opponent’s position · Education It is essential to inform others, including your opposition, about your issue. This minimizes misunderstandings and gains you support and sympathy. · Personal Commitment Daily check and affirm your faith in the philosophy and methods of nonviolence. Eliminate hidden motives and prepare yourself to accept suffering, if necessary, in your work for justice. · Negotiation Using grace, humor and intelligence, confront the other party with a list of injustices and a plan for addressing and resolving these injustices. Look for what is positive in every action and statement the opposition makes. Do not seek to humiliate the opponent but to call forth the good in the opponent. · Direct Action These are actions taken when the opponent is unwilling to

Faith-Based News & Information

Dr. King’s 1967 Challenge to the Nation’s Social Scientists

by Urban CNY News
January 15, 2024

In September, 1967, Martin Luther King Jr., was only 38-years-old but already president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize when he took the podium at APA’s Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. A re-reading of his powerful address today captures the urgent tone of the 60s, as he cajoled the nation’s social scientists to ‘tell it like it is.’ In fact, to APA’s membership, whom he addressed as ‘concerned friends of good will,’ his plea for help in changing a society ‘poisoned to its soul by racism,’ seems now ever more poignant in light of the tragedy that struck only seven months later. (Dr. King’s Address published by the American Psychological Association. ) The Role of the Behavioral Scientist in the Civil Rights Movement by Martin Luther King Jr. It is always a very rich and rewarding experience when I can take a brief break from the day-to-day demands of our struggle for freedom and human dignity and discuss the issues involved in that struggle with concerned friends of good will all over the nation. It is particularly a great privilege to discuss these issues with members of the academic community, who are constantly writing about and dealing with the problems that we face and who have the tremendous responsibility of molding the minds of young men and women all over the country. The Civil Rights Movement needs the help of social scientists In the preface to their book, ‘Applied Sociology’ (1965), S. M. Miller and Alvin Gouldner state: ‘It is the historic mission of the social sciences to enable mankind to take possession of society.’ It follows that for Negroes who substantially are excluded from society this science is needed even more desperately than for any other group in the population. For social scientists, the opportunity to serve in a life-giving purpose is a humanist challenge of rare distinction. Negroes too are eager for a rendezvous with truth and discovery. If the Negro needs social sciences for direction and for self-understanding, the white society is in even more urgent need. White America needs to understand that it is poisoned to its soul by racism and the understanding needs to be carefully documented and consequently more difficult to reject. The present crisis arises because although it is historically imperative that our society take the next step to equality, we find ourselves psychologically and socially imprisoned. All too many white Americans are horrified not with conditions of Negro life but with the product of these conditions-the Negro himself. We find ourselves psychologically and socially imprisoned. White America is seeking to keep the walls of segregation substantially intact while the evolution of society and the Negro’s desperation is causing them to crumble. The white majority, unprepared and unwilling to accept radical structural change, is resisting and producing chaos while complaining that if there were no chaos orderly change would come. Negroes want the social scientist to address the white community and ‘tell it like it is.’ White America has an appalling lack of knowledge concerning the reality of Negro life. One reason some advances were made in the South during the past decade was the discovery by northern whites of the brutal facts of southern segregated life. It was the Negro who educated the nation by dramatizing the evils through nonviolent protest. The social scientist played little or no role in disclosing truth. The Negro action movement with raw courage did it virtually alone. When the majority of the country could not live with the extremes of brutality they witnessed, political remedies were enacted and customs were altered. These partial advances were, however, limited principally to the South and progress did not automatically spread throughout the nation. There was also little depth to the changes. White America stopped murder, but that is not the same thing as ordaining brotherhood; nor is the ending of lynch rule the same thing as inaugurating justice. After some years of Negro-white unity and partial success, white America shifted gears and went into reverse. Negroes, alive with hope and enthusiasm, ran into sharply stiffened white resistance at all levels and bitter tensions broke out in sporadic episodes of violence. New lines of hostility were drawn and the era of good feeling disappeared. The decade of 1955 to 1965, with its constructive elements, misled us. Everyone, activists and social scientists, underestimated the amount of violence and rage Negroes were suppressing and the amount of bigotry the white majority was disguising. Science should have been employed more fully to warn us that the Negro, after 350 years of handicaps, mired in an intricate network of contemporary barriers, could not be ushered into equality by tentative and superficial changes. Mass nonviolent protests, a social invention of Negroes, were effective in Montgomery, Birmingham and Selma in forcing national legislation which served to change Negro life sufficiently to curb explosions. But when changes were confined to the South alone, the North, in the absence of change, began to seethe. The freedom movement did not adapt its tactics to the different and unique northern urban conditions. It failed to see that nonviolent marches in the South were forms of rebellion. When Negroes took over the streets and shops, southern society shook to its roots. Negroes could contain their rage when they found the means to force relatively radical changes in their environment. In the North, on the other hand, street demonstrations were not even a mild expression of militancy. The turmoil of cities absorbs demonstrations as merely transitory drama which is ordinary in city life. Without a more effective tactic for upsetting the status quo, the power structure could maintain its intransigence and hostility. Into the vacuum of inaction, violence and riots flowed and a new period opened. Urban riots Urban riots must now be recognized as durable social phenomena. They may be deplored, but they are there and should be understood. Urban riots are a special form of violence. They are not insurrections. The rioters are not seeking to seize territory or

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Community Folk Art Center Upcoming Programs Including Black History Month

City of Syracuse: Housing Strategy Open House January 16th

King for A Day: The Distorted Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The King Center: The Center for Nonviolent Social Change

Dr. King’s 1967 Challenge to the Nation’s Social Scientists

Black Voices