The Art of Sophia Dawson

Find more videos like this on johnny bonds

1. How have you and your work grown since our last interview in 2006?
Art IS a growing experience so myself and my work has definitely grown and changed. For one I paint larger (at least 6ft in height) for each piece. With more time and practice my style has definitely changed and I have developed new techniques in approaching each piece. I am able to work both from life and photography now and am using these aspects in all of my latest work. Most importantly I am beginning to develop a sort of narrative and story behind my work that means something to me. Before I was just making paintings to please other people.

2. Describe your most exciting, challenging, and worthwhile experiences at the School of Visual Arts?
This semester at least once a week my class of about seven students spend our three hours walking around new york city and looking at art in galleries/ museums/ etc. It put me in the position to finally begin to pay attention the prospering artists of my time. I have been exposed to so many different possibilities of what art is and can become. I am also now able to appreciate different artists of different genres and backgrounds.

3. What are your goals after graduation from SVA?
After graduating from SVA I plan to get my Masters in Fine Arts and also to do commission work making large powerful murals in public and popular spaces. INCLUDING THE WHITE HOUSE!!!

4. What was your inspiration for Wet Paint? What was your experiences at the opening?
Wet paint is a dedication to my God Mother Leslie Macayza Wages. She was a beautiful and well respected model of the eighties and also one of my role models. Unfortunately about three years ago she was incarcerated and the work deals with both her and my struggle as a growing woman. Though Leslie is locked up, in her mind she is FREE.”as free as she has ever been”. WET PAINT deals with the idea that this woman’s life is not over, but has rather just begun. The paint is still wet.

5. How do you see your work evolving within the next five years?
Within the next five years I see myself continuing to paint and using other women and men that inspire me and motivate me to do my best in life. I will begin to incorporate photography, video, and the digital world into my art to allow it to grow and become more than just paint on a canvas.

6. How do you see you work influencing others?

The message behind my work is definitely my key weapon in influencing others. My goal is to change the lives and minds of people so that they can understand that their destiny is not left up to chance but it is a matter of choice.

The NYC Children’s Film Festival is Back Again.

Parents are you looking for something to do with your kids of all ages?  Teens are you looking of cool weekend hangout with friends?  Check out the New York International Children’s Film Festival for young people ages 3 -18.

The New York International Film Festival’s short films are my favorite and the heart of the festival.  The short films are the best new works from around the world geared specifically for kids ages 3-18.  You can find these films playing at several theaters around the city: 

Cantor Film Ctr – 36 E 8th St DGA Theater – 110 W 57th St IFC Center – 323 6th Ave Scholastic – 557 Broadway Symph Space – 2537 B’way

Just at taste of what is in store:

Heart of Fire

NY PREMIERE
Heart of Fire is the powerful new film from the award winning director of The Story of the Weeping Camel. The story centers on ten year old Awet, who is taken from an orphanage run by Italian nuns to live with the washed up rebel father she has never met. Awet and her older sister are soon recruited, along with other children, to become soldiers for the Eritrean Liberation Front, engaged in desperate guerrilla fighting with a rival rebel group. At the rebel camp, young Awet finds a role model in the powerful and independent female guerrilla leader, Ma’azza, a charismatic revolutionary and newfound parental figure. But when the war takes a turn for the worse and the children are given rifl es and sent to fight, Awet becomes disillusioned by the hypocrisy and pointlessness she sees, and she lashes out with a pacifistic action both courageous and dangerous. Inspired by the controversial memoir by Senait G. Mehari, Heart of Fire is elevated by the expressive debut performance of Letekidan Micael as Awet, whose commanding presence conveys an undiluted sense of justice, and whose eyes never fail to reflect her chronic disappointment in the adults around her.
NOTE: Film contains realistic battle scenes, including violence and bloodshed.

Presented as part of the special series CHILDREN AND WAR.

Check out    http://www.gkids.tv/intheaters.cfm for more information.

I’m so glad I go to Howard U!!!

Hello Say It Loud! Readers…Let me kindly introduce myself. I’m Natelege Whaley, a Brooklyn native, and a sophomore print journalism major who attends Howard University. I have so many stories to tell about college life and how it has changed me for the better.

But I’ll just start out by describing life at HU. Howard University is a historically black college, located in NW Washington DC. There are students here from all parts of the country including California, Texas, Georgia, and of course NEW YORK! Also there are many international students from Africa and the Caribbean.  Some famous people that have attended include P. Diddy (Bad Boy Records) , Phylicia Rashad ( The Bill Cosby Show) , Taraji Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and Lance Gross (House of Payne), just to name a few.

Howard is also known for is it’s Homecoming. Homecoming is probably one of the most exciting times of the year on Howard’s campus. During this time, alumni come back to Howard to celebrate in school spirit with current Howard students. The week of Homecoming is filled with activities including The Gospel Show, Fashion Show, Comedy Show, R&B Concert, Mr. and Ms. Howard Pageant, Parade, Homecoming Game, and ending it with the Step Show. This year I had the opportunity to represent my dorm Slowe Hall, as Ms. Slowe, in the Homecoming Parade.

Even though Howard has a lot of fun activities, the reality is that you still have to do your work and find a balance. This is probably my biggest challenge thus far.

I am actively involved in 4 organizations on campus and I am also taking 17 credits, this semester.   Sometimes I feel drained. My biggest most challenging course right now is a course called ‘Reporting & Writing’. For this class  I am assigned to a particular area in DC, and I must report, write, and publish at least one article per week about issues in this area. All in all I am really trying my best with this class. My other classes are fairly manageable, however.

Trying to maintain school, extra-curricular activities, and just being young and having fun is hard. Now imagine having a boyfriend. I’m in a long distance relationship with my high school sweetheart. Things have worked out great so far, but I’ve honestly seen other couples’ relationships go under the waters as fast as my eyes could see. Bottom line is, if you don’t have a strong relationship before going away to school, then chances are your relationship probably won’t last.

Another thing I face at school is trying to stay healthy and fit. Ordering out, and late night snacking can cause one to gain weight quickly. So I try my best to cook. There is a kitchen in my dorm, so I’m able to save my money and buy groceries to prepare foods.

Dorm life is also fun…but I’m going to stop here with my parade about college. I  can’t put everything into one post. But throughout the time I am at Howard, I will definitely blog about my experiences and my challenges on SAY IT LOUD!.

Call it School Dayz 411. I basically got all of you covered with the inside on what really happens in college, not all the fluffed up stuff they tell you on college tours and in college brochures!

So return soon and I will love to take you all on my experience as a college student! : )

What do you think about the Chris Brown and Rihanna incident?

Remember the Cosby Show and A Different World? Meet the Psychologist Advisor behind these shows.

During the 1980’s and 1990’s America saw a drastic change in the depiction of African Americans in the media. Through the creation of popular television shows like “The Cosby Show” and “A Different World”, African Americans were seen as professional, successful, and family oriented people. SIL’s Keturah Abdullah and Co-Editor in Chief, Kayinde Harris spoke with Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., who served as an advisor for both shows, and discussed why “The Cosby Show”and “A Different World” were, and continue to be, influential to those within the African American community.

Keturah Abdullah (KIT): I’m a student at SUNY Albany majoring in Africana Studies and Sociology. As a young person, I’m very concerned with the
direction that African American youth are going. I read and enjoyed your book, Come On, People, and I’m interested to know why you think it’s important for
young African American people to hold prominent positions in society?

Dr. Poussaint: It’s very important first, for their own success, but also holding important positions in society allows them to serve as role models to black youth who sometimes see their chances of being successful or getting certain positions as not very good. When you see someone who looks like you who has accomplished something important and moved into positions that you thought they couldn’t occupy, it helps to send a message that it can be done. For instance, when you have a politician, such as Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, and now you have Obama, many black youth say, “Hey, I can someday be the nominee for president of the United States. Before this, many of us, including myself, felt that this wasn’t going to be possible in my lifetime. At each point where someone is able to open doors, it helps send a positive message to Black people, particularly Black youth, that they can move ahead.  I think it also creates a sense of racial pride because we like to see other Black people succeed, as long as it is in a positive way, we cluster around that. Obama is getting
more than 80% of the Black vote because a lot of Black people feel a sense of pride and accomplishment that someone of African ancestry is doing so well, and got the nomination of the Democratic Party.

KIT: You had a hand in The Cosby Show and A Different World. What impact do you feel these programs had on Black youth?

Dr. Poussaint: At the time, remember they were one in two shows, in an arena with thousands of different shows, but they were unique in that The Cosby Show was a very positive show, done deliberately. It was none stereotypical view of Black people, without clowns or buffoons. It was a loving household, upper-middle class Black family with two professionals and five kids, serving as a model for dealing with children and being in a family. It had a very important effect on white America and the rest of America in terms of their images of Black people. A Different World did the same thing. Taking place at a historically Black college, most of white America was not quite aware just how many there were. It was important for them to see on both shows, a strong, central theme supporting education; graduating from high school, and going on to college. During the run of those shows, this is anecdotal, it’s not science, but college presidents at some of the historically black colleges said that the number of applicants increased markedly during that period of time, because we were sending such a strong message that education was very important. Every chance that we had, on both those shows, we tried to make them educational, so that I think the show has had a positive impact, but it hasn’t been long standing.

There are still some students who come through Harvard medical school, Black and Latino students who said they got their first idea about being a doctor from watching the Cosby show.  Well, that’s important!  How widespread that type of effect was, we don’t know, however we know that the message has not carried over into the current generation.  The show ran from 1984 -1992, and now in 2008, we know over 50% of high school dropouts are Black youth, among Black males 75% in some cities.  They’re not getting the message, or perhaps their families are not getting the real critical importance of people getting an education that we tried to send with The Cosby Show and A Different World.
KIT:    Do you think if there was a modern day version of The Cosby Show that it would influence Black youth go to college?
Dr. Poussaint:  I think we don’t have enough Black shows or videos talking about the importance of education.  In fact, often, they are negative about education.  If there was had a show as popular as The Cosby Show, with 30 million to 40 million viewers weekly, with popular characters sending a strong message about getting an education, children and young people will get messages about what they should be doing.   Such a show would have a positive effect and be a counterforce for the trend to debunk the importance of education and take the low road.
Kayinde: I grew up in the 80’s watching The Cosby Show and A Different World.  I remember people hearing The Cosby Show wasn’t realistic or that it didn’t really portray Black people, and that Black families don’t really live like that.  What are your thoughts on that, and where does that come from?
Dr. Poussaint: Remember, Black people have been indoctrinated with images on television.  Think about all of the sitcoms that were on; That’s My Mama, What’s Happening, The Jefferson’s.  What kind of shows were those?  They were buffoonish, clownish shows leaning on stereotypes of Black people, like the overweight or obese Black woman as a comedian.  Black people have had a diet of shows that were stereotypic and negative, so when they saw something that was positive, some of them said, “Well, that’s not really a black show.  That’s not really Black people!”  The other thing is that a lot of Black people, particularly low income people may not have had exposure to upper middle class Black people;  Black doctors, lawyers, and other Black professionals, except teachers, social workers and a few community people.  Once you have a family and you define it as a professional family, you can’t cover every different aspect of the Black community.  We had shows talking about drugs, and premature sex, but probably not to the extent of what was going on in the Black community.
Late in the run of the Cosby show, there was a cousin introduced, Pam, from a lower-socio economic background and she brought another aspect, giving a broader reach to all income communities. This realistic viewpoint showed most Black middle class people are reasonable; have roots and family members who are still poor, and  have spent time incarcerated, so there was still that linkage.  Also, people didn’t complain as much because even low income people who felt that the show wasn’t representative, or even white people who felt that, White people said it a bit more than Black people since they were used to seeing That’s My Mama and What’s Happening? Overall, we know from the Nielson ratings that the show was extremely popular among all class strata of Black Americans, including low income Black Americans, and they welcomed the positive message and role models of the show.  They also recognized that the themes focused around being Black: Dr. King, young people going to Africa, as well as shows that featured Black artists from Stevie Wonder to Lena Horne.  In many ways, the shows provided a lot of history lessons that have otherwise been ignored, even those old sitcoms.  Before The Cosby Show, few people heard of all of the different historically Black colleges and I know that because I used to critic all of the scripts, when we talked about colleges, and only mentioned four white colleges, I would circle that and say put in Morehouse and  Howard.  Sometimes after I did that, I would get to work and a white person would come up to me and say what’s this school Morehouse that was mentioned on The Cosby Show?  I think it spread the word and gave white people a much broader view of culture of the Black community and some of the nature of the Black experience, but not all of it.
KIT: Since you didn’t have a show like The Cosby Show when you were growing up, what influenced your life and career?
Dr. Poussaint: During the 50’s when I was close to being a teen, there were fewer things that you could look to.  If I could look back to television, the images were Rochester and every stereotype that you can imagine; Beulah, Amos and Andy.  I think I became influenced in and outside my community.  In the life experience of a lot of Blacks, there are chance experiences.  The reason I became interested in being a doctor, frankly, was because I got very sick when I was nine years old with Rheumatic Fever and was in the hospital for three months, then at a convalescent home for two more months. White doctors cared for and were very nice to me.  I got a real bird’s eye of medicine and what doctors and nurses did.  By the time I got out of the hospital, at ten, I started talking about wanting to become a doctor.  That’s where my role models came from. I grew up in East Harlem, and a lot of the role models in my community were not positive; a lot of young people drug dealing, numbers dealing, and lots of violence. My family was in tact; a two-parent family with eight brothers and sisters.  Some of them were interested in education and wanted to go to college.  I knew from my mother and father who had not graduated from high school, that education was important.  They were always were involved in what I was doing, viewing my report card, encouraging me to do better in that subject, and that type of thing.  I knew that they wanted me to get as much education as possible, and supported that, with all of us.
KIT: How do you merge both of your professions as Director of Psychiatry of the Media Center at Harvard and as Professor of Psychiatry at Judge Baker Children’s Center in Harvard Medical School and why are they important to you?
Dr. Poussaint: Well, I think it was somewhat fortuitous.  People knew me as someone who publically spoke and wrote about racial issues, so when they wanted someone to talk about psychological issues from a Black perspective, or the Black experience, they began to call.  [Bill] Cosby, in 1984, called and asked if I participate with his show, to critique the scripts, make sure it wasn’t stereotypical, and make it educational, to make it believable and so on.  A new role for me;  I didn’t know much about scripts and writing, but I had to learn fast how to relate to not only to the writers and critique scripts, but also I had to understand and relate to the actors on the show and what suited them.  For instance, I had to know from a psychological standpoint, Rudy, who was five years old, couldn’t have her saying lines, even if they were funny, that would come from someone who was fifteen.  I had to make them psychologically believable of the children’s ages, the family interactions and responses to what was going on in the family.  I helped with that and learned a lot about doing it, and I did the same with A Different World.  I would give feedback and critique the scripts.  They would look at the things that I said; sometimes agree, sometimes not, sometimes I’d spark a thought and went back to discuss how to modify and/or change things or compromise.  I did that for another show called Here and Now that featured Michael Jamal Warner, that was on for a short time, and I also consulted on shows like Little Bill, which is a children’s show, and one called Fatherhood.  All of these are Bill Cosby products, also with other television shows that were unrelated to Bill Cosby at different times.
Kayinde: It’s been over 50 years since the Brown vs. Board of Ed decision, but all students don’t have access to education and there is a huge disparity in the numbers of African- American boys in special education, many with inappropriate placement.  What can people with the funds and power do to improve the quality of education in United States, especially for children of African descent?
Dr. Poussaint: I think that’s a fight that has to go on.  There’s no question that there’s no equal opportunity of education for Black youth, particularly for poor Black youth. A lot of the schools are poor quality and in disarray.   Some of them have good teachers; many of them don’t.  There are all kinds of political issues; schools are not financed correctly, in terms of the infrastructure, and resources.  It’s a serious dilemma.  Black people have to be activists about school reform; they have to get more involved.  In other words, some people criticize the schools, but parents won’t get involved with trying to help their own children.  They have to be very concerned about education, make their voices heard.   I think they should take part in these indirect efforts to improve the school systems with pilot schools, charter schools, magnet schools, but continue to put enormous pressure on the public school system to improve.  In some areas, there is some improvement, and there are good models for what makes a good school, even with low-income students that have been successful, like some of the Academy schools.
There has to be innovative thinking; schools are behind the times.  These new career academies that are in high schools where part of the day students are placed in jobs to learn skills in certain occupational areas, so that academics are not the only focus.  Although some go to college, there is also a focus on what kind of occupation and job can I get if that’s what I want to do, because not everybody is going to go to college. Since we have a high school drop out rate that’s so very high, we can salvage a lot of those youth by having training for more career options.  The problem doesn’t start at high school; it starts in the elementary grades.
Parents themselves have to support education, but also take part in educating their babies and their young children when they come out of that womb.  A lot of parents still don’t know that they need to read, play, talk smile and interact with their children, not plop them in front o f a T.V. set at age six months and have them watch it for hours a day.  That doesn’t make a kids mind develop. We know that that’s essential for children to do well in school, even on certain types of standardized test.  Parents, schools and the community need to do more, but it’s the job of the parents not to sit passively by and accept bad schools.  They have to be active, not just with the schools, but with the local politicians, and demand that an emphasis be put on improving schools and salvaging youth, because its not only a terrible thing for the Black community, but it’s a terrible waste for the country.  We are missing opportunities for young Black people to become scientist, doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers and social workers.  We need those people for the Black community, and for the good of the nation.

KIT: Do you have any additional advice for the Black youth?
Dr. Poussaint: My advice for Black youth is to try to fight and not succumb to negative images that steer them into negative behavior.  I’m not denying that are injustices, even in the criminal justice system, but we can’t have Black youth who get caught up in self-destructive behavior that’s going to put them in jeopardy with their health, or being a high school dropout.   If they get a high school diploma, it protects them from going to jail.  Black youth have to protect themselves from going to jail, because right now among high school dropouts, 3 out of 5 will at some point go to jail, which further ruins their life, making it more difficult to get a job and develop skills, making it more likely for them to go back to jail and spend a lot of time there.  Right now, there is an epidemic of Black youth going to jail.  We have close to 40-45% of inmates in jails now; over 900,000 African-Americans who are currently incarcerated, and recycled monthly into the Black community with additional problems; no reentry programs, not in a position to be fathers to their children, to form relationships with their children, but stay away from their children.  We need Black youth to stay on a positive track, even with the pressures, to try to avoid making their lives more difficult.
Growing up in East Harlem, a lot of parents felt they were good parents if their kid didn’t go to jail.  We have to get that mentality back, because jail helps to destroy us.  We have to be concerned about each other and take the high road, and this is not just low-income families.  I know Black students who have gone to college, who are in colleges, who get into criminal activity with drugs, and other things.  Its totally unnecessary and they ruin their lives.  We don’t need to do destructive things, because in some ways, it’s saying something how we still feel about ourselves; that we don’t value our worth. What the hell, we’ll be hopeless and helpless and just be victims and act like we don’t have responsibility.
I think the message that Obama Bill Cosby are sending, is that we have to take charge and talk more about personal responsibilities because we do have choices to make.  If you talk to a lot of inmates, a lot of them don’t say well we’re total victims, there’s racism in society.  Many of them will admit that they made bad choices that they did things that they didn’t have to do that made them end up serving jail time.  As I mentioned, there are injustices in the criminal justice system. I think Black people are not treated fairly and Black youth don’t As I mentioned, there are injustices in the criminal justice system. I  think Black people are not treated fairly and Black youth don’t have enough legal representation and so on, so those things that need to be corrected; the disparities in sentencing for crack, cocaine, Blacks receive the poor end.  I would say that the other thing that we need is a cooperative spirit of and not putting each other down.  We have to stop hurting each other and one important painful, sad part of that is the high rate that Black youth kill each other.  We have the highest homicide rate among Black males, of any group in society, accounting for close to 45% of homicides in the country per year, that being the leading cause of death of young Black males.  Think of the devastation that that reeks, not just on the victims, but also on the perpetrators who many end up in jail. What it does to Black families in the community and how it keeps us demoralized is another part of it.  Black youth in a position to keep us on a positive train of feeling to uplift, not doing anything to hurt each other or the community, and trying to work together towards positive ends, is a mission.  If we’re all on a mission, like during the Civil Rights days, when a lot of youth were participating in civil rights, there were some people who said that a lot of the crime in the cities diminished because we were set on a positive track for change and making our lives better.  We have to develop that kind of moral spirit to make our lives better, not worse, buy taking the high road, not the low road.
KIT: Thank you so much, Dr. Poussaint, for your time.  On behalf of Say it LOUD!, we really appreciate it.
Dr. Poussaint: You’re very welcome.

Meet St. Anna’s: Omar Benson Miller “Sam Train”

Omar: Hey Ngosi
Ngosi: Hi, good morning.
Ngosi: I have some questions about your latest film [Miracle at St. Anna] with Spike Lee.
Omar: Did you guys get to see the movie?
Ngosi: I did!
Omar: Oh, good.
Ngosi: Yes…I really enjoyed it. How did you become part of the cast?
Omar: I got a breaking news report that Spike was shooting a war film in Italy while I was wrapping up shooting on a film called The Express in Chicago.  I did everything I could to get to him. I had met him before. He called me in for a general meeting and he told me he was a fan of mine, which I took to mean great things. Then, I went in and met with him, auditioned, and he said come back in an hour. Came back, then I auditioned again. When I was leaving the room, he was like, “hold on
a second…I need a ride.” I gave him a ride back to his hotel and in the process of giving him a ride, he told me that he wanted me to be in the film. He wanted me to play “Sam Train”, but he said my weight had him nervous and I need to loose weight. I ended up loosing 60 pounds in about ten weeks.
Ngosi: Did you like working with Spike?
Omar: It was phenomenal! He’s like a big brother/coach/disciplinarian. I mean, he’s so confident as a filmmaker. He knows exactly what he wants
and he knows when he has it. It makes you feel very secure and protected as an actor.
Ngosi: So, did Spike make it easier to work with other actors?
Omar: Yeah, more of a “get out of the way” director in a sense that he expects you to come ready to get busy, or he will put the camera on someone else. Your interactions with the other characters is… you create these relationships and it’s up to you to create them in rehearsal.
Ngosi: Did you have any connection with your character, “Sam Train”?
Omar: Well, definitely! I mean, I’m a spiritual and religious individual myself, and I think that the foundation of what it is that Train does for his actions, are motivated by his beliefs and his beliefs in righteousness in doing the right thing and the Lord. That motivated every action that you see on screen. That’s why he picks up the boy, that’s why he cares for him and nurtures him throughout the film. That’s why he imposes his will when it’s necessary to keep the boy safe. There is a definite similarity and I think Train’s extended more into superstition that was common in the southern United States. Mine, built more on biblical foundation.
Ngosi: What did you learn about the Buffalo Soldiers when preparing for the film?
Omar: Everything! Everything that I wasn’t taught in school, everything that I wasn’t taught during Black History Month about the million or so African-American military personnel that participated in the war campaign in World War II, and about the valiant warriors that gave their life, so that you and I can speak candidly and to be able to live the lives
that we lived, because they weren’t able to. They weren’t able to note, have equal housing, equal schooling. Unfortunately, a lot of those issues exist
today, and it shows how far we have to go, even though we’ve come such a long way.
Ngosi: What sort of emotions did this bring up for you when you were learning all of this?
Omar: You know… it brought up anger, to a certain degree, because I was upset that this was left out. Really, upset! It brought up pride, happiness,
and joy that there is such another proud piece of heritage, but there’s a disdain and an anger that took place initially; a frustration, that we’ve been
starved of this information for no good reason, other than that it’s there, it’s in print, it’s just not promoted or part of any curriculum in any public
or private school that I know of, unless you have a specific discipline in a university, I would guess.
Ngosi: I just learned about the Buffalo Soldiers when I heard about this film, and the case is the same for many young people, like myself, and a lot
of people at my school. Would you have any messages for them about this?
Omar: Yes! Yes! Be informed! Search for knowledge. It has to be a constant thirst and hunger that you have for knowledge like you have for food and water. I think that it is a little naïve of us to believe that we can rely on school to educate us. There’s a life education that needs to take place, and it has to take place from the foundation of parenting. If we don’t tell each other the stories of our history, no one will tell it, obviously, which is why it is so great that Spike is the one to tell this epic, historic tale.
Ngosi: Yes!
Omar: It’s extremely important for young people to know about this film and that’s been my campaign to the studios, to everyone, because the film
is a bit of Black History and I think it is of the scale of importance of a Roots or Malcolm X. I believe that we need to rally around to support quality pieces of art and our history that can be used as educational tools, to a certain degree, and this is certainly one of them.
Ngosi: That’s a very powerful subject and powerful message, so thank you.
Omar: No question, because it’s very empowering, you know? If we are believers in self-empowerment and telling our own stories, who knows what the next man can accomplish. The possibilities are endless.
Ngosi: Are you working on any other projects right now?
Omar: Yeah. I got a film coming out on October 10th called, The Express, another great movie. I’ve been blessed to be in these great, quality folms/
Ngosi: Thank you for your time.
Omar: Thank you, Ngosi. Keep it up! 15 years old…your really doing it. I’ll see you guys later.

Meet St. Anna’s: Michael Ealy “Bishop Cummings”

Ngosi: Hi, Michael. Good afternoon!
Michael: Hello
Ngosi: I watched the film Miracle at St, Anna and it was an inspirational film. I felt that your character, “Bishop”, was very strong. How would you
describe him?
Michael: Complex. I think he’s simple on the outside, but he’s probably more complex on the inside, based on where he’s come from. To me,
in World War II there were two sides to the Black American experience, with regards to the war.  There were those who believed we should fight
and go and try to make a difference and make a life that’s better for our future generations and there was the side that believed that we should
not fight for a country that won’t fight for us. For him, based on his experience, his truth was we shouldn’t fight for this country, because we’re not treated fairly in this country. That’s the root of his strength, in my opinion. He’s not afraid to talk about it, he’s not afraid to say it.
Ngosi: Did you connect with him on that?
Michael: You know, the interesting thing is now, in this time, I would say that people like this are toxic. However, back in the 1940’s, I may have agreed with him. I don’t know. It just depends on where you come from.
Michael: Bishop is almost like an older brother for Train.

Ngosi: Did you and Omar [Benson Miller] have that kind of relationship?
Michael: Yeah… I’m actually older than him, but we talked about the relationship between these two. Train and Bishop are from the South,
and Hector and Stamps are from the North. Train and Bishop have a connection that nobody really understands, but them. This concept, or this idea, that Train owes me money is my excuse for me to stay by my boy. I wanted to make that clear that it wasn’t about the money, that’s Bishop’s nature, which is to focus on his money and what have you. For him, there’s definitely a special bond between those two. Bishop would take a bullet for Train, and vice versa.
Ngosi: How was it working with Spike?
Michael: Working with Spike, it’s great! Watching his movies growing up, you always wanted to do a movie with him. I’m just glad it was a movie in Italy. Hopefully, I’ll do another movie with him that’s domestic. To be able to do a piece that’s he’s so passionate about… I mean his enthusiasm over getting this World War II picture made has been tremendous. It’s kind of contagious to all of us, in terms of the effort that we put into the film. To work with him on this particular project is the best of both worlds.
Ngosi: Must have been like a dream come true, really.
Michael: Yeah! The dream was to work with him, you know what I mean, but like I said, to work with him and be able to travel and see another country and to also do such an important, relevant piece…that’s why I say it’s the best of both worlds. This is going to be a signature Spike Lee film and to be able to be a part of it is to be able to be a part of Do The Right Thing, or Malcolm X… you know what I mean?
Ngosi: Yes.
Michael: These are his signatures, and every director has them. Spielberg has E.T. and The Color Purple, and Spike has his.
Ngosi: What did you learn about Black History that you didn’t know before you started working on this film?
Michael: I read about the Buffalo Soldiers a little bit in college. One of the most interesting notes that I discovered in researching, and we kind of
deal with it in the film, are the propaganda posters that were posted up all over Italy. The fact is that some of the propaganda posters were created by
the Germans, but some of them were also created by the Americans. Some of the propaganda posters against the Negro soldiers were perpetuated by the American military and the American government, and that’s just bad. I mean, again, it goes back to Bishop’s argument that we should not be there fighting this war for those people, we really should not. They don’t care about us. They never have and they never will. That’s Bishop’s
philosophy. When they put up those kinds of propaganda posters, it just proves his point.
Ngosi: I’m actually still learning about this film, but I never learned about the Buffalo Soldiers and most people I know that are my age haven’t. Do you have any messages for the youth about learning
about their history?
Michael: Yes! To the youth I would say you have to know your history. By knowing your history, it doesn’t mean you have to dwell in the past, or you have to live in the past, but you have to know your history in order to know where you come from, where you are, and where you’re going. Basically, the problem I see with a lot of kids today is that they don’t understand, especially kids in high school, you know… around your age, is that there is alarming number of kids dropping out of high school. An alarming number, especially African American kids think it’s cool to be ignorant
and uneducated. They tend to make being smart, synonymous with being White. That is not true! That’s so far from true. There are smart, intelligent
Black people. Intelligence is not a racial thing – at all, but the problem I see is that a lot of the youth don’t know their history. They don’t know that
there were people who died, people who were killed trying to educate Black people. There were white people that were killed trying to educate black people. There were Black people that were killed trying to teach Black people how to read and educated them. We have to understand, as a people, that education is a privilege. Of course, it’ s aright in the constitution, but for us, it was a privilege. By that, if you know that, then you’ll take advantage of the free education that is provided to you through the public school system. You will not just walk out on the school system. You will get your public free education, because you value the importance of it. I think the generations before us definitely understood that.
Ngosi: Wow! That’s a powerful message. Thank
you so much for your time.
Michael: No, thank you! Nice to talk to you and good luck to you

Meet St. Anna’s: Laz Alonso “Hector Negron”

Laz: How you doing?

Ngosi: I’m doing good, and you?

Laz: Doing well, thank you.

Ngosi: I watched Miracle at St. Anna and I really enjoyed it. Your acting was phenomenal, honestly!

Laz: Thank you so much. I did a film a little while ago called Stomp the Yard, and you expect someone of your age to appreciate Stomp The Yard,
but to hear that you responded to this as well, really makes me feel good.

Ngosi: I read that you actually went to school for marketing?

Laz: Yep!
Ngosi: What made you change from business to acting?
Laz: You know what the funny thing is, Ngosi? As an actor, you are constantly marketing yourself, so it really is business. People kind of think of entertainment as purely art, but if you think about it, they call it the “entertainment business” for a reason. In business, they teach you how to market, let’s say brands, like Coca-Cola or Pepsi, and you learn that the product has a life cycle. When people look at the product, it has to look a certain way and taste a certain way for people to like it. In a store, it has to be displayed a certain way, so that people will see it and want to get that, as
opposed to everything else in the store. Well, the same thing goes with acting. Your work speaks for itself. Your work is what other directors and other filmmakers are going to define your brand by. When you see somebody play a bad guy, one too many times, they call it type cast, that’s because that person’s brand has know become bad guys. Same thing with somebody who plays good guys, or somebody who plays a person who cries a lot in every movie, you start associating that person with a brand. Acting is no different! You, as an actor, want to play very different roles so that you constantly keep them guessing, but overall the quality of work that you do is what becomes your brand. Acting, is in fact marketing. For every roll that you are up for, you are selling yourself, letting them know that you are the best person for that job. I feel like marketing really helped my acting out, to be honest with you.
Ngosi: How was it working with Spike?
Laz: Working with Spike, first and foremost, was like a dream come true. My whole life I’ve always wanted to work with Spike, and he was one of the people that I mentioned in my prayers. When I asked God to have the opportunity to work with certain filmmakers, Spike was one of them. Till this day, even now, I still thank good for having this opportunity, and more than anything, to have an opportunity to work with him on a film of this historical relevance and magnitude. Spike received a Behind the Lense Award that Chrysler gave him a few months ago and pretty much all of the actors that he had worked with in his entire twenty year history were there to honor him; including the cast from Miracle at St. Anna. It was so amazing to be in the company of all these great, brilliant actors like Samuel Jackson, Halle Berry, and Denzel Washington, all of these people that Spike brought to light, and in some cases, broke their careers…meaning breaking in, in a good way. When Spike got up there to receive
this award, at first he apologized to all of the other actors who he has worked with throughout his entire career and he said this, by far, is his favorite film that he has ever had the opportunity to direct. That meant so much to me and to the cast; to say that something I was a part of is this man’s favorite piece of work. That hands down sealed the deal, and I’m just really, really thankful that I had the opportunity to work with somebody who I consider an icon and one of my idols in this business.

Ngosi: Absolutely! I can only imagine what that feels like. How did you relate to Hector as a person?

Laz: Relating to Hector as a person depressed me, tremendously. Here’s a man that had to live the rest of his life, forty years after the war, with the guilt of having lost his friends in combat. Everyday that he gets to wake up and see the Sun is a day that he is reminded that his best friends didn’t. That’s really a guilty feeling. You see older people and you see the elderly walking the streets and they greet you with a smile. The last thing you think of is how much pain they might carry inside, because a lot of them have out lived a lot of their friends and relatives, just as Hector has. That’s a very lonely feeling and having to put myself there and to really capture the essence of Hector as an older man… I had to focus on everything that I’ve lost in life. In life, you always want to focus on the good things and the things that you’ve gained, but to really capture Hector, I had to put the majority of my energy and mind in what I’ve lost, the friends you’ve lost and the family you’ve lost, and that’s a depressing place to be for months at a time. You’re basically focusing on something that most people try to forget, and you’re willingly going there. My intentions were that when you see Hector on screen, I’m not acting like I lost something or like I’m sad. I really was. I was really depressed and you feel it genuinely in his eyes when you see him. That was the hardest part about being Hector, being in a constant state of “mental depression.”
Ngosi: I’m in high school and as a young person, throughout my years in school I have not ever learned about the Buffalo Soldiers, I mean I knew
there were Black soldiers, but I didn’t learn anything about them, and people my age haven’t learned anything about them. Do you have any
messages for the youth about learning their history?

Laz: You know what… I think that the youth are doing a good job about learning about their history. I am much older than you, however, my entire life I never learned about the Buffalo Soldiers in regular history class, in Black history class, during Black History Month. You learned a lot about slavery, you learned a lot about the Civil Rights Movement, but you don’t learn about how African Americans, not only effected African American history, but they affected American history, as well as world history, because these Buffalo Soldiers helped win World War II. Without them, World War II would not have been won! It’s the type of thing where I think
this film is going to open up doors for  schools, at least I hope it does. That people learn about a time when Black people took pride in bearing arms to defend this country…a country that at the time, wasn’t really doing too much to defend them.
Ngosi: Thank you so much for your time.
Laz: Cool…thank you.