The short history and long tail of Baltimore’s “zero tolerance” policing.

The post Here We Go Again appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

After a break for the holidays, we are thrilled to be back with this new issue of Baltimore Beat. 

In this issue, we bring you a story from our partners at The Real News Network. 

“Here We Go Again,” the second part of journalist and Baltimore Beat co-founder Brandon Soderberg’s deep dive into the last 30 years of Baltimore’s efforts to stop crime, bursts past the narratives that politicians and some journalists work so hard to create, and takes a hard look at what actually happened. 

Co-written by Andrew Friedman, the piece stretches beyond city limits to explain how city leaders like then-Mayor Martin O’Malley and former Police Commissioner Ed Norris took inspiration from New York City’s zero-tolerance policing — and brought it here to Baltimore. The piece tracks the lives ruined by the failed policies and provides statistics that show what police did — and did not — accomplish.

“The policy was based on the New York Police Department’s “broken windows” approach to crime, which encouraged police to make arrests for smaller infractions. Broken windows proponents argued that a police department that did not engage in drastically reducing low-level offense ceded cities to disorder leading to more, sometimes serious, crime,” they write.

The piece gives context to the drop in crime Baltimore saw in 2023. It also gives us the tools we need to hold our leaders accountable.

“In the early 2000s, the city’s political and law enforcement establishments credited slight declines in violence to increased arrest policies under zero tolerance,” Soderberg and Friedman write. “But zero tolerance did not substantively reduce crime. Especially when accounting for the city’s population decline, its reductions were even less significant than police and politicians claimed.”

Also in this issue, Arts and Culture Editor Teri Henderson writes about a groundbreaking new exhibit at the Walters Art Museum, “Ethiopia at the Crossroads.” The exhibit features old and new pieces of Ethiopian art and culture. Henderson writes that it illustrates how everything we touch has roots in Africa and that Black culture spans the globe. 

“It spans nearly 2,000 years, featuring 225 historical and contemporary artworks and objects. Some of the objects are from the museum’s collection of Ethiopian art, and others are loans from other institutions and lenders,” Henderson writes.

Film critic Dominic Griffin asks “what is a Black story?” in his review of  Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction.” In the film, Black novelist Thelonius “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) struggles with the question of what it means to create Black art, especially in a world dominated by the white gaze. 

We’re so glad to be back and with you in this new year. We hope you enjoy this issue. 

The post Letter from the editor – Issue 32 appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

Wednesday, Jan. 17

West Wednesdays: Hear about the ongoing fight for police accountability in the Tyrone West case and all victims of police misconduct. This event happens every Wednesday. For more information, go to facebook.com/justicefortyronewest.

Workforce Reception Center Hiring Event: Includes employers from Personnel Plus, Lifebridge Health, Catholic Charities, and more. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, Workforce Reception Center, 100 West 23rd Street. For more information, go to moed.baltimorecity.gov.

Baltimore City Commission on Sustainability Monthly Meeting: Join the Commission on Sustainability each month to learn about initiatives, projects and programs intended to make the city more sustainable, more equitable and more climate resilient. 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Virtual. For more information, go to baltimoresustainability.org or call 410-396-7526.

Family and Community Board Forum: Student Edition: The Family and Community Board Forum: Student Edition is an in-person student-based meeting where the Board of School Commissioners and City Schools students can discuss, share knowledge, and talk to each other about a wide variety of topics that directly affect our students’ overall success in Baltimore City Public Schools. 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Baltimore City Public Schools District Office, 200 East North Avenue. For more information, go to baltimorecityschools.org or call 443-984-2000.

Thursday, Jan. 18

Monthly Mega Food Giveaway: Stock your pantry and refrigerator. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Food Project, 424 South Pulaski Street. For more information, go to uempowerofmd.org.

Parent and Community Advisory Board Meeting: PCAB serves to advise the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools and the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners about how parents, families, the community, and educators can collaborate to help our youth succeed. 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Please check PCAB’s Facebook page at facebook.com/bcpspcab for up-to-date virtual or in-person location information. 

Friday, Jan. 19

Community Chess Night: A fun-filled evening where chess enthusiasts of all levels come together to play and learn. 6 p.m. at Community Engagement Center, 16 South Poppleton Street. For more information, go to boardroomchess.wixsite.com/theboardroom-chess. 

Saturday, Jan. 20

West Baltimore United Community Workshop: For over 50 years, the “Highway to Nowhere” divided West Baltimore. Now, the city of Baltimore, in conjunction with the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration, is coordinating the West Baltimore United Planning project that will set the communities of West Baltimore on a path to a brighter future — and they want to hear from you. 9 a.m. to noon at Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts, 1500 Harlem Avenue. For more information, go to streetsofbaltimore.com.

Baltimore MD Food Distribution Event: Fruit and vegetable giveaway. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Iglesia de Dios de la Profecia Baltimore, 3533 4th Street. For more information go to mycaf.org.

Sunday, Jan. 21

MD Criminal Justice Reform Community Forum: Hear from speakers about how to support two bills that could remedy serious problems with the Maryland correctional system. The event is hosted by the Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform, Interfaith Action for Human Rights, and Baltimore Quaker Meetings. Registration required. 3 p.m. at Homewood Friends Meeting, 3107 North Charles Street. For more information, email: bobrhudy@yahoo.com.

Monday, Jan. 22

Baltimore City Council Meeting: Meeting of the Baltimore City Council. 5 p.m. at Baltimore City Hall, 100 North Holliday Street. For more information, go to baltimorecitycouncil.com or call 410-396-4804.

Tuesday, Jan. 23

FoodPAC Hybrid Meeting: Food PAC is a pivotal gathering where residents, stakeholders and community organizations come together to help shape the future of Baltimore City’s food system. 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 417 East Fayette Street #8. For more information, email yewande.akinkuowo@baltimorecity.gov.

Baltimore City Schools Public Board Meeting: Virtual. 5 p.m. For more information, go to baltimorecityschools.org or call 443-984-2000.

NAMI West Baltimore Connection Support Group: NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group is a free, peer-led support group for adults 18+ living with a mental health condition or looking for mental health support. 5:15 p.m. at Bon Secour’s Community Works Resource Center, 31 South Payson Street. For more information, call  410-435-2600 or email info@namibaltimore.org.

Wednesday, Jan. 24

Live Baltimore’s State of the City Market Update: Hear a complete summary of the 2023 housing market activity. 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Coppin State University, 2500 West North Avenue #2500. For more information, go to livebaltimore.com.

Plan “Our Baltimore” Community Meeting – Southwest: After over 18 months of community conversations, surveys, and a citywide summit, the Baltimore City Department of Planning invites stakeholders to review and provide input on draft policy recommendations. Also, they are developing a land use map to guide where and what development looks like across the city. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Saint Agnes Healthcare, 900 South Caton Avenue. For more information, go to planourbaltimore.com.

Thursday, Jan. 25

Baltimore City Consent Decree Quarterly Public Hearing Update: In 2017, Baltimore City entered a consent decree that requires the Baltimore City Police Department to adopt a number of specific reforms aimed at ensuring effective, safe, and constitutional policing. 10 a.m. at Courtroom 1A, United States District Court, 101 West Lombard Street. For more information, go to bpdmonitor.com.

Shut Up and Read at Garden Room Bar: Join the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Shut Up and Read, where the only expectation is that you show up with a book, to read on your own. This event is 21+. Registration for this program is required as space is limited. ID is required for alcohol consumption. One drink per participant. 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Hotel Revival Baltimore, 101 West Monument Street. For more information, go to prattlibrary.org or call: 410-396‑5430.

Healing Circle: Explore various healing practices with natural herbs led by Plant Mama Alchemy’s Very own, Jennifer West. 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at St. Francis Neighborhood Center, 2405 Linden Avenue. For more information, go to momcares.org.

Saturday, Jan. 27

For the People Community Healing and Enrichment Circles: Explore topics of the historically marginalized. i.e., racism and race-based trauma, the mental health of the traditionally oppressed. 11 a.m. at TNAT Holistic Wellness Center, 5525 Harford Road. For more information, go to templeofnat.org.

City for All Forum – Envisioning Baltimore’s Transportation Future: Organized by Delegate Robbyn Lewis. Envision a transportation future that is healthy, accessible, reliable, sustainable, and equitable for all. Pre-registration required. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Morgan State University’s Earl G. Graves School of Business, Auditorium Room 104, 4100 Hillen Road. For more information go to robbyn.lewis@house.state.md.us.

Monday, Jan. 29

Baltimore City Council Meeting: Meeting of the Baltimore City Council. 5 p.m. at Baltimore City Hall, 100 North Holliday Street. For more information, go to baltimorecitycouncil.com or call 410-396-4804.

Tuesday, Jan. 30

Dispelling the Myths of Baltimore Housing & Blockchain: Black Alliance for Peace – Baltimore is hosting a conversation centered on Baltimore City Solicitor Ebony Thompson’s recent proposal to utilize blockchain for tracking vacant housing in Baltimore City. The session will include insights from Ujima People’s Progress Party and Dr. Jared Ball, addressing topics such as housing insecurity and the myth of decentralization. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive a gift of Dr. Ball’s book, “The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power,” courtesy of Liberation Through Reading and NoMüNoMü. 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at NoMüNoMü, 709 North Howard Street. For more information, go to blackallianceforpeace.com.

Wednesday, Jan. 31

Quarterly Chat and Chew: Monthly dinner conversation with the Citizens Policing Project, residents, and partners to discuss the current progression in Baltimore’s efforts to re-imagine public safety. Registration required. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Peter Claver Hall, 1546 North Fremont Avenue. For more information, go to: cpproject.org.

The post Baltimore Government and Community Events 1/17/24–1/31/24 appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

Your words 

so valuable to me 

infused with your love

like the red flowers of a torch 

it may burn 

it may damage 

it may cause harm 

but i’m unconcerned 

i consider your valuable wordings 

as beautiful as the red autumn leaves 

You —

You yourself are as beautiful as they are.

I love sinking into your capturer of sight,

with only seconds

of your eyes being captured in my sight

looking into them

instantaneously clears all feelings of solitude.

It makes me feel safe.

Happy.

Continuing the endless cycle of love 

and cherishing.

with only your gaze.

i understand such feelings may be temporary 

like the season of autumn

being overtaken by the winter season.

Instead of driving my attention to such reality

my attention is on the trees,

the trees we had during our season,

the trees that hold and know so many.

each leaf a memory,

event,

conversation,

i hold on to them.

i loved every leaf

that fell from each tree

during our season together

and miss when your season was here

with me,

when our leaves fell together.

The post Seasons appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

Last month, Baltimore Beat Editor-in-Chief Lisa Snowden organized a vigil to honor the journalists who have risked and lost their lives in Gaza. About 100 people gathered at NoMüNoMü, an intersectional artist collective and curatorial platform located on North Howard Street.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 77 journalists and media workers have been killed since the conflict in Gaza began on October 7. 

“We know why Israel is doing this, why they are relentlessly murdering journalists, why they have tried so flagrantly and deliberately to cut off Gaza’s electricity and communications and connection to the world beyond their enclosed death chamber,” The Real News Network’s Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez said during the vigil. “They don’t want us to see the horror, the inhumanity, the atrocity of Israel’s settler-colonial dream realized, with the full backing of the US.” (Lisa Snowden)

The post Photostory: Baltimore Vigil for Journalists appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

Thursday, Jan. 18

Inaugural Annual Meeting of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum: Talk with board members and senior staff and learn about accomplishments and opportunities for the coming year. Reception from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., meeting from 7:15 p.m. to 8 p.m at Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 East Pratt Street. For more information, go to lewismuseum.org.

Bmore Hip-Hop Karaoke: Gather your friends, enjoy delicious food and drinks, and get ready to rock the mic as you showcase your rap skills by rapping along to classic hip-hop songs. Karaoke starts at 8 p.m. Come early to sign up to perform. Hosted by Ellen Gee and Eze Jackson. Sounds by DJ Harvey Dent. Ages 21+. ($10) 7 p.m. at La Familia Soundstage, 836 Guilford Avenue. For more information, go to lafamiliasoundstage.com, call 410-446-8997, or email bmorehiphopkaraoke@gmail.com. 

Friday, Jan. 19

Dyke Nite: Come warm up and flirt with your winter fling and get ready to dance to the musical stylings of Baltimore’s very own Trillnatured. Please wear a mask. Ages 21+. ($10) 10 p.m. at Ottobar, 2549 North Howard Street. Please email: dykenitebaltimore@gmail.com to inquire about Pay It Forward ticket availability or accessibility concerns. For more information, go to: theottobar.com or call: 410-662-0069. 

Saturday, Jan. 20

Beatitude: A proper warehouse rave featuring sounds by Doctor Jeep, Djoser, Club Chow, Kade Young, DJ Drink Water, Customer Service, Blue Angel, and Babypufff. Ages 21+. ($20–$25) 10 p.m., location to be announced. For more information, email:  djbabypufff@gmail.com. 

Queering the Collection: Join Weiwen Balter, manager of school communities at the Walters, and Jamie Grace Alexander, Baltimore artist and activist, as they discuss nuance in complex histories around feminism and activism and what abolition means in the art world, in conversation with artworks from the Walters collection. 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Walters Art Museum, 600 North Charles Street. For more information, go to thewalters.org or call 410-547-9000.

Parade Time!: Unleash your creativity with artist-in-residence Hoesy Corona. Craft unique headdresses, crowns, or hats using found materials, then join in a brief and peaceful parade around the library grounds to showcase your creations. (Free) 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Enoch Pratt Free Library Southeast Anchor Branch, 3601 Eastern Avenue. For more information, go to prattlibrary.org or call 410-396-5430.

Super City: Super City is back at Creative Alliance for a two-month residency, this time with local legends Glorian and Eze Jackson. ($10–$20) 7:30 p.m. at Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Avenue. For more information, go to creativealliance.org or call 410-276-1651.

Dave East & Special Guest Cory Gunz: Rapper Dave East performs live with special guest Young Money’s Cory Gunz. Ages 18+. ($40) 8 p.m. at Ottobar, 2549 North Howard Street. For more information, go to theottobar.com or call 410-662-0069.

RENAIDDANCE: Beyoncé Celebration: A dance party and celebration of Queen B’s latest masterpiece, and the ballroom, disco, and techno scenes that inspired it. Sounds by Confetti The First. Ages 21+. ($15) 9:30 p.m. at Metro Baltimore, 1700 North Charles Street. For more information, go to metrobmore.com or call 443-425-5139. 

Sunday, Jan. 21

The Black Mall: Two floors of Black Baltimore Excellence in a day of fun, networking, and community. 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 6 East Lafayette Avenue. For more information, go to thebaltimorescene.org or email thebaltimorescene@gmail.com.

Free Family Sundays: Make Your Own Game: Make your own game inspired by Flor de Juegos Antiguos (Flower of Ancient Games), Pablo Helguera’s new interactive installation on view in the Joseph Education Center Experience Gallery. This program will be led by teaching artist Megary Sigler. Free Family Sundays is a drop-in, artmaking workshop designed for families with children ages 6 to 9 years old. 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive. For more information, go to artbma.org or call 443-573-1700.

Monday, Jan. 22

Nothing But A Man Film Screening: 60th anniversary film screening to benefit the Farm Alliance of Baltimore. Immerse yourself in this Michael Roemer’s groundbreaking film that explores the complexities of love, identity, and racial tensions in the 1960s. Enjoy an hour of live jazz from the Brandon Woody Trio and a buffet dinner by Woodberry Kitchen before the screening. ($20) 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Charles Theatre, 1711 North Charles Street. For more information, go to thecharles.com or call 410-727-3456. 

Tuesday, Jan. 23

LOVE & HIP HOP 410PEN MIC: Creative showcase for artists looking to share their talents and network. This open mic is open to all genres. Presented by Nyte Lyfe Events. Ages 21+.($10) 8 p.m. to midnight at Nyte Lyfe Studios, 817 North Howard Street. For more information, email nytelyfe1986@gmail.com.

Marty and The Hands That Could Premiere: Baltimore premiere of Josh Wilder’s new play. ($30) 8 p.m. at Arena Players Incorporated, 801 McCulloh Street. For more information, go to arenaplayersinc.com or call 410-728-6500. 

Crown Karaoke: Come ready to sing your heart out. Hosted by The Crown Karaoke Crew. Ages 21+. 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at The Crown Baltimore, Back Bar, 1910 North Charles Street. For more information, go to thecrownbaltimore.com or call 410-625-4848.

Wednesday, Jan. 24

2024 Hip Hop Week: A celebration of hip-hop culture curated by The Black Arts District and featuring music-centered events, including cyphers, open mics, performances, parties, and more. Various times/dates from Jan. 24 through Jan. 31. Black Arts District. For more information, email: info@blackartsdistrict.org or call 667-312-2099. 

Thursday, Jan. 25

Celeste Winston presents “How To Lose the Hounds” in conversation w/ Jessica Marie Johnson: An exploration of marronage—the practice of flight from and placemaking beyond slavery—as a guide to police abolition, focusing on historically Black maroon communities in Maryland that have been subjected to violent excesses of police power from slavery until the present day. 7 p.m. at Red Emma’s, 3128 Greenmount Avenue. For more information, go to: redemmas.org or call: 410-601-3072.

OPAL: A highly curated evening of house music and more. Featuring sounds by DJs A4lenia, Flotussin, AV8, Hykes. Ages 21+. ($10) 9 p.m. at Ottobar, Upstairs, 2549 North Howard Street. For more information, go to theottobar.com or call 410-662-0069.

Friday, Jan. 26

CM/Baltimore | Eddie O’Keefe: A monthly speaker series led by Baltimore’s most innovative and creative minds. This month’s talk on “Rise” will be led by Eddie O’Keefe, co-owner and vice president of Peabody Heights Brewery. 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Topside, 101 West Monument Street. For more information, go to creativemornings.com or email baltimore@creativemornings.com. 

Baltimore Butterfly Sessions – Trans Equity Anniversary: The Baltimore Butterfly Sessions combine music, poetry, literary excerpts, and thought-provoking keynote addresses to catalyze conversation and build awareness around today’s most pressing issues. 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Baltimore Center Stage, 700 North Calvert Street. For more information, go to centerstage.org, call 410-332-0033, or email info@centerstage.org

Saturday, Jan. 27

The Prison Art Program Opening Reception: The exhibition features artworks made by artists incarcerated at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Jessup, Md. through a collaboration with Notre Dame University of Maryland students, faculty, and staff. (Free and open to the public.) 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Gormley Gallery, Notre Dame of Maryland University, 4701 North Charles Street. For more information, go to: gormleygallery.com, call: 410-435-0100, or email gormleygallery@ndm.edu.

Sunday, Jan. 28

BRB (Baltimore Record Bazaar): Indoor/outdoor record bazaar featuring over 30 vendors selling vinyl, tapes, CDs, stereos, art, clothing, and more. Featuring music, craft beer, DJs, and a food truck. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Peabody Heights Brewery, 401 East 30th Street. Hosted by DJ Mikie Love. For more information, call 410-467-7837 or email dj.mikie.love@gmail.com.

Ethiopian Art, Culture, and Family: Getachew Metaferia and Helina Metaferia in Conversation: Morgan State University political science professor Dr. Getachew Metaferia and artist and Brown University visual art professor Helina Metaferia discuss Ethiopian art and culture from scholarly, artistic, and familial perspectives. (Free, Registration required) 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Walters Art Museum, Graham Auditorium, 600 North Charles Street. For more information, go to thewalters.org or call 410-547-9000.

Tuesday, Jan. 30 

Crumbs from the Table of Joy Preview: In Everyman’s fifth Lynn Nottage production, 17-year-old Ernestine Crump adjusts to her new life in 1950s Brooklyn after the passing of her mother. Directed by Reginald L. Douglas, this poignant and gripping story offers a look at what it truly means to find strength in unity. ($25+) 7:30 p.m. at Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette Street. For more information, go to everymantheatre.org or call 410-752-2208.

The post Baltimore Arts and Culture Events 1/17/24 – 1/31/24 appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

Early in “American Fiction,” as novelist Thelonius “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) struggles to understand why his latest manuscript keeps getting passed over, his agent Arthur (John Ortiz) tells him that his books just aren’t Black enough. Monk is Black, but he is not Black in the publishing world due to his erudite perspective and disinterest in writing for predominantly white audiences about the experience of being Black. In this same scene, Monk insists to Arthur that he doesn’t even see race, just as the cab he’s hailed is stolen by a white person.

Adapted from Percival Everett’s 2001 novel “Erasure,” television writer Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut has been marketed as an arch satire on racial representation in the media. It has clear stylistic and tonal tethers to films like Robert Townsend’s “Hollywood Shuffle” and Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled,” the latter film being a direct inspiration to Everett’s book. But unlike Everett, Townsend, or Lee, Jefferson seems less interested in the story’s satirical elements than he is in attempting to have his cake and eat it, too. 

The premise for the film surrounds Monk’s frustrations with his career in the face of success for, in his mind, worse books designed to pander to the white gaze. Issa Rae plays Sintara Golden, a novelist whose new book “We’s Lives in Da Ghetto” has set the publishing world on fire. It’s an exaggerated melodrama with comical dialogue that would feel like parody if it weren’t being devoured by white audiences who feel compelled to listen to authentic Black voices. But, as Monk often complains, to those readers, “authentic” just means poor, uneducated, and typified by the persistent proximity to violence, death, and tragedy. 

Monk fires back at this phenomenon by jokingly penning a book called “My Pafology,” a self-satisfied stab at the kind of book publishers seem to want, with all the drug dealing and gun-slinging he can muster. It ends up selling for more than anything he has ever written, under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh, a fabrication Arthur embellishes to be a fugitive on the run who can only do interviews over the phone or via witness protection muffled video chat. This plot is entertaining and central to the novel; however, it feels significantly less vital to the final picture than the film’s marketing material would have one believe.

Everett’s novel presents Monk’s life diaristically, juxtaposed with prose designed to ape books like Sapphire’s “Push.” It poses questions about the validity of literary fiction against its more populist brethren. The melodramatic tenor of Monk’s family life, in some ways, parodies a certain kind of staid, serious novel right alongside the book’s more overt targets. But Jefferson tones all that down, instead focusing on Monk’s family life in a more measured and reserved way.

Rather than push Monk’s non-writing subplots into heightened theatrics, the film explores his personal relationships earnestly and patiently. We see him bonding with his sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross) and coming to take care of his ailing mother Agnes (Leslie Uggams). There’s a warmth and a sweetness to the complexity of these relationships, with Wright flexing different muscles as an actor, playing a prickly but lovable straight man, while Sterling K. Brown gets to go broad as his brother, Cliff, a plastic surgeon having a midlife crisis. Erika Alexander also does excellent work in the supporting cast as Monk’s love interest, Coraline, a woman who loves his books but has to fight to climb the walls he puts up.

These scenes feel like they come from the sort of movie Monk wishes could be made, an earnest and touching drama about a Black family without having to be a “Black” story. But as easy as it feels to get swept up in Monk’s life, the story has to keep darting back to the journey of publishing “My Pafology.” The film is mostly concerned with the easy jokes that come from skewering white readers and the strange way they engage with Black media. By the time Monk and Sintara have a debate about the merits of his book in the final act, it feels like Jefferson realizes how far he’s strayed from the film’s thesis, and he’s trying to make up for it by stuffing these characters’ mouths to parrot its deeper themes directly.

While there are some good laughs to be had, they’ll be severely undercut for anyone seeing this film in a theater, as the auditorium will likely be populated by the very white viewers the movie wants to lambast. Whether or not they can sense that they are the butt of the joke will have little bearing on how deflating their guffaws will be for the film’s attempts at satire.

“American Fiction” is a film that fails to balance its satiric origins with the tragicomic story it seems far more interested in telling. That shift in focus weakens it as a sharp critique of racial representation in fiction and cinema, but it’s difficult to complain about that when the film gathers so many talented actors to tell a lived-in tale about family trauma and the risks inherent to any sort of intimacy. One imagines a funnier, more entertaining film that’s a more direct adaptation of “Erasure,” but that theoretical picture pales in comparison to a potential movie that is nothing but Monk’s family and their lives, with the easy gags about “White Fragility” left elsewhere.

“American Fiction” is currently playing at The Charles (1711 North Charles St., thecharles.com)  and will go into wider release in the coming weeks.

The post ‘American Fiction’ asks, what is a Black story? appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

When American mixed-media artist Faith Ringgold learned about Lucy, the ancient remains of an early human ancestor, she was so inspired that she traveled to the Ethiopian city where Lucy was found. 

While on that trip, Ringgold gathered fabrics, which are part of an exhibit now on display at the Walters Art Museum titled Ethiopia at the Crossroads. 

The exhibition, available to the public until March 3, places contemporary works like Ringgold’s alongside ancient African artifacts. The message is this: we all derive from Ethiopia; it is our first home. According to the museum, this is the first time in this country that an art museum has curated a show that depicts the breadth of Ethiopian art in this way.  

“Ethiopia at the Crossroads is the first major art exhibition in America to examine an array of Ethiopian cultural and artistic traditions from their origins to the present day and to chart the ways in which engaging with surrounding cultures manifested in Ethiopian artistic practices,” reads the exhibition statement.  

Ringgold’s Lucy: The 3.5 Million Year Old Lady (1977) is a sculpture of mixed media on wood and fabric. “The history of humankind can be traced to Ethiopia,” the museum label beneath it reads. 

The artwork is an ode to Lucy. It’s a shrine featuring a miniature effigy, featuring fabric Ringgold obtained from Ethiopia, as well as items Ringgold got from her mother. This amalgamation of objects from Ringgold’s life in America and materials from Ethiopia creates a work of art that represents not only the artist’s diasporic journey but all of ours. 

A fabric cut out of Africa is anchored above Lucy’s casket. On it, Ringgold has written, “Ethiopia yields oldest human fossils. Discovery said to move human origins back to four million years ago.” Next to the casket are two gold urns containing fabrics. 

The exhibition was curated by Christine Sciacca, the Walters’ European art curator, and was co-organized by the Peabody Essex Museum and the Toledo Museum of Art. Ethiopian-American artist and scholar Tsedaye Makonnen was the exhibition’s guest curator of contemporary art. The Walters also invited a panel of Ethiopian community members to serve as an advisory council. 

The exhibit spans nearly 2,000 years, featuring 225 historical and contemporary artworks and objects. Some of the objects are from the museum’s collection of Ethiopian art, and others are loans from other institutions and lenders. 

There are woven baskets, videos, processional icons from the 16th century, ornate crosses, books, art, and other objects. For all of the traditional, more static, elements on display, some interventions allow viewers to interact with this historical exhibition in more non-traditional ways. For example, scratch-and-sniff cards that smell like berbere spice offer an olfactory experience.

The exhibition utilizes a bold color palette inspired by the Ethiopian flag, and is laid out in three distinct phases, each marked by a different color: green, yellow, or red. You might recognize that the colors of the exhibition also represent the Rastafarian flag, which regards Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I as a foundational figure — another connection from Ethiopia to other parts of the world. 

Emperor Haile Selassie I (1892-1975) was a descendant of the historic Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopian emperors, claiming lineage to King Solomon of Israel and the Queen of Sheba. Selassie was the last Ethiopian emperor and ruled between 1930 and 1974. Here, his royal cloak is on display. Magnificent black velvet, intricately adorned with gold and sequins. It’s easy to imagine the fabric draped across the leader as he reigned. Selassie owned the cloak in the 1940s; it was a gift to the Walters and has never before been displayed. 

Selassie’s cloak is on view next to a work by Merikokeb Berhaunu, a painter from Addis Ababa who now lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her work explores the effects of a consumer society on nature. The painting Untitled XLIX (2020) looks quilted or collaged, at first glance. The artist’s layered application of paint uses muted colors that stand out against the red museum wall, representing a flower filled with cells. At the same time, the stem evokes the forms of circuit boards, a visual representation of veritable cross-pollution of nature and technology, which asks the viewer to consider the effects that we and our technology have on the environment and our decaying planet. In gazing through the vitrine that holds Selassie’s cloak, you witness Berhanu’s work, a child of Ethiopia who moved here to Maryland—a visual representation of ancestry, legacy, migration, and the diaspora.  

In Theo Eshetu’s Brave New World II (1999), a multimedia and video installation, the Ethiopian artist addresses diasporic identity in an era of globalization. In it, Super 8 images of various people and places become almost indiscernible; the work is a kaleidoscope of video and mirrored panels. Brave New World II is unique in that you only recognize the depth of the work once you place yourself in conversation with it; at first glance, it seems to be simply a framed artwork. However, when you get closer, you see that it offers an optical illusion that integrates the viewer’s presence into the artwork. 

According to the wall text, the work speaks primarily to the experiences of Africans on the continent and abroad. However, Eshetu’s work further represents how technology can connect disparate people and places. Many of us live far away from the places we call home, and technology provides a way to stay connected with those we love, even if they are thousands of miles away. How many of us have Facetimed a relative who lives on the other side of the world? 

Two framed artworks by Helina Metaferia are on display, Headdress 6 (2019) and Headdress 23 (2021). Metaferia was born in Washington, D.C., and is the child of Ethiopian Immigrants. She is also a graduate of Morgan State University. In her collaged Headdresses series, Metaferia depicts African American women she knows personally wearing elaborate and ornate headgear that recalls the types of crowns worn historically by Ethiopian empresses. 

Metaferia’s work further exemplifies the junctures that are explored throughout the show. She incorporates archival imagery from the American Civil Rights Movement. These two headdresses feature imagery drawn from Black Panther newspapers. Women with brown skin and dreadlocks peer out of the frames. Their headdresses include collaged imagery in layers includes Black Panther Party members, Black power fists raised, a crowd of protestors, orbs of gold and silver, and signs that read “Free Huey.” — another moment in the exhibition where an artwork references the past.

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