Gospel artist, bass guitarist, and record producer Fred Hammond released No Weapon on August 20 1996. The song’s universal healing message catapulted it to international acclaim. Continue reading
Tag: Black Facts
4/1/25 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: James Baldwin – Pin Drop Speech
James Baldwin’s Pin Drop Speech is a powerful address where he challenges the white dominated discourse and argues that Black people are constrained to places and roles designated by society, calling for a radical shift in how Americans view race and identity. Continue reading
3/23/25 O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY: CeCe Winans, Shirley Caesar – Come Jesus Come
CeCe Winans latest Gospel anthem Come Jesus Come has recently been re-released as duet featuring the legendary Pastor Shirley Caesar. Continue reading
3/21/25 O&A NYC WITH WALESTYLEZ FOOTWEAR: Nike SB Dunk Low Tourmaline
Black History Month 2025 may have wrapped up, the Nike SB team still has a special pair on the way with its new Tourmaline take on the SB Dunk Low. Paying homage to Black cowboys, its mint green suede upper is joined by special heel embroidery, rope laces, sockliner art and more. Continue reading
3/18/25 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Nikki Giovanni – Ego Tripping and More
In her early work, Nikki Giovanni expressed the militant themes of the Black Arts Movement. In 1970 Giovanni introduced her third volume of poetry Re:Creation, which included her classic poem Ego – Tripping. This was followed by Night Comes Softly one of the earliest anthologies of Black Women’s poetry. Continue reading
3/16/25 O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY: The Caravans- Mary Don’t You Weep (Live)-Inez Andrews, Albertina Walker, Dorothy Norwood, James Cleveland
Gospel icons and trailblazers The Caravans featuring Inez Andrews, Albertina Walker, Dorothy Norwood and James Cleveland on piano perform Mary Don’t You Weep. Continue reading
3/13/25 O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: Shirley Ellis – The Name Game (1965)
The Name Game is a song co-written and performed by Shirley Ellis as a rhyming game that creates variations on a person’s name. She explains through speaking and singing how to play the game. Continue reading
3/2/25 O&A NYC SUNDAY MORNING FUNNIES: Jenifer Lewis – Black Don’t Crack fea. Marc Shaiman (Live at the Rosie O’Donnell Show 1996)
What better way to begin Women’s History Month with the one and only Jennifer Lewis! Our Sunday Morning Funnies comes from a 1996 live performance on Rosie O’Donnell where Lewis accompanied by pianist Marc Shaiman performed Black Don’t Crack.Â
2/18/24 O&A NYC DANCE REVIEW: Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet – Remembering
By Walter Rutledge
Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet (JGCO) presented their New York City season February 13 thru 15 at Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Bam Fisher Fishman Space. The seventy minute audience friendly one act was more than a celebration of Black History Month; it is also a fitting tribute to the dance theatre genre. The season offered a blend of spoken word, live drumming, recorded music and voiceovers, theater, ritual, art, photography, video projections and of course the primary medium dance. Continue reading
2/14/25 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: I Wanna Be Ready – Amos Machanic Jr.
Amos Machanic, Jr. joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1996. During his 15 years with the company, Amos had the pleasure of traveling and performing across the globe and in 2010, he performed at the White House tribute to Judith Jamison. Continue reading