“My Name Is Pauli Murray,” the plainly pedagogical documentary by the filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen, hinges on the audience not knowing who Murray was: an activist, writer, attorney and priest. The easier to wow us with the onslaught of information, which rightfully situates Murray — a Black, gender nonconforming intellectual who died in 1985 — as a thinker ahead of the times. As the first African American student to receive a doctorate from Yale Law School, Murray was a civil rights trailblazer, and an early architect of the idea that the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment should guarantee not just racial but gender equality. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the film’s many talking heads, explicitly cites Murray in one of her related Supreme Court opinions. Also touted is Murray’s refusal to sit at the back of the bus 15 years before Rosa Parks captured national attention by doing the same. Indeed, Murray’s story is a remarkable — and extensive — one that the … [Read more...]

0 This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. Arts & Entertainment NEW FOLK concert program will take place at 8 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 18 in Naperville and at 7:30 p.m. on Mon., Sept. 20 in Chicago. Natalia Dagenhart Community Contributor Posted Reply This concert program will feature award-winning violinist Tessa Lark, who is considered to be one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time. Chicago Sinfonietta By Natalia Dagenhart "So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it," said American composer Aaron Copland. It's an absolute truth, and nothing can change it. Music has existed from the beginning of times and it will live forever. The musicians from Chicago Sinfonietta are happy to support this message by bringing their live concerts back on stage. … [Read more...]

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Maryland reported 1,330 new COVID-19 cases and 21 deaths, according to state health department data released Thursday morning. The percentage of people testing positive decreased slightly by .08% to 4.46%. It’s the fourth day in a row that positivity decreased. READ MORE: 'Make Sure Ya'll Hugging Your Babies': Mother Of Peyton Evans, Child Killed In Landover Shooting, Speaks Out After Arrests Doctors say the new cases are fueled by dangerous strains targeting the unvaccinated. During an August press conference, Gov. Larry Hogan said the Delta variant, a strain that is reportedly two to four times more contagious than the original virus strain, accounts for nearly every new confirmed case in Maryland. “The vaccines are without a doubt our single most effective tool to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 and the surging Delta variant, and Maryland’s vaccination rate continues to outpace the nation,” Hogan said. More than 3.8 million Maryland adults are … [Read more...]

Ellen Stewart, the founder, artistic director and de facto producer of La MaMa Experimental Theater Club , a multicultural hive of avant-garde drama and performance art in New York for almost half a century, died Thursday in Manhattan. She was 91. Ms. Stewart had a history of heart trouble and died at Beth Israel Hospital after a long illness, said Sam Rudy, a spokesman for La MaMa, where she had lived for many years in an apartment above the theater, on East Fourth Street. Ms. Stewart was a dress designer when she started La MaMa in a basement apartment in 1961, a woman entirely without theater experience or even much interest in the theater. But within a few years, and with an indomitable personality, she had become a theater pioneer. Not only did she introduce unusual new work to the stage, she also helped colonize a new territory for the theater, planting a flag in the name of low-budget experimental productions in the East Village of Manhattan and creating the capital of … [Read more...]

close Video Newsom will show Gen Z, millennials California is not what US 'should be like': Joe Basrawi Joe Basrawi, Today is America strategy director, says 'this next year' will display 'true side' of Gov. Gavin Newsom. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Well, it turns out California Gov. Gavin Newsom ’s supporters were right: The recall effort was a waste of state dollars – albeit only a tiny fraction of the money wasted by the state paying out about $20 billion in fraudulent unemployment benefits or $10 billion on a bullet train to nowhere. Recall supporters should have known that California is no longer the state of Ronald Reagan, Pete Wilson or even Arnold Schwarzenegger. Democrats now outnumber Republicans 2-1 in the state and hold every statewide office , supermajorities in both houses, every big city mayoral position, and every city council seat in L.A. and San Francisco. COLIN REED: FIVE REASONS THE CALIFORNIA … [Read more...]