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Malcolm X(May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) honored with a plaque on Marshall Street for his civil rights work on his visit to Smethwick in 1965

February 21st, 2012 | Posted by Barclay in Barclay Conferences / Barclay Keynotes / Barclay Speeches | Barclay Education | Barclay Local and World News / Barclay Global Concern / Barclay Foreign Affairs | Obituaries - (0 Comments)

“Indeed, one of his legacies was a contribution to the desegregation of residential housing in Smethwick.”

Malcolm X has been honoured with a plaque in Smethwick almost 50 years after he visited the West Midlands town during heightened racial tensions.

The civil rights campaigner gave interviews in 1965 in Marshall Street where white householders were lobbying the council to buy up houses to prevent black or Asian families moving in.

The father-of-six was assassinated nine days later in New York.

A blue plaque has been unveiled on the side of a house in Marshall Street.

‘Passionate and outspoken’
Malcolm X made the surprise visit in February that year after addressing the first meeting of the Council of African Organisation in London.

In 2005, a film was released marking the 40th anniversary of his visit to the Black Country.

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One of his legacies was a contribution to the desegregation of residential housing in Smethwick”

Jak Beula, Nubian Jak Community Trust
Speaking at the time, film-maker Steve Page said Malcolm X was “passionate, outspoken and controversial”.

He became known for championing black rights and denouncing white people.

He was shot as he began a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem.

Thomas Hagan, the only man to have admitted his role in his killing, was released from a New York prison on parole in April 2010.

He said two other men convicted with him were not involved. They were release on parole in the 1980s.

The idea for the plaque was first suggested by the Nubian Jak Community Trust, which organises Britain’s only Black and Minority Ethnic national plaque scheme.

The trust said it had previously commemorated figures including singer Bob Marley and abolitionist and author Mary Prince.

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WIKI ON THE ASSASSINATION

On February 21, 1965, as Malcolm X prepared to address the Organization of Afro-American Unity in Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom, a disturbance broke out in the 400-person audience[159]—a man yelled, “Nigger! Get your hand outta my pocket!”[160][161] As Malcolm X and his bodyguards moved to quiet the disturbance,[162] a man rushed forward and shot him in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun.[163] Two other men charged the stage and fired semi-automatic handguns, hitting Malcolm X several times.[161] He was pronounced dead at 3:30 pm, shortly after he arrived at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.[159] According to the autopsy report, Malcolm X’s body had 21 gunshot wounds, ten of them from the initial shotgun blast.[164]

One gunman, Nation of Islam member Talmadge Hayer (also known as Thomas Hagan) was seized and beaten by the crowd before the police arrived minutes later;[165][166] witnesses identified the others as Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson, also Nation members.[167] Hayer confessed at trial to have been one of the handgun shooters, but refused to identify the other assailants except to assert that they were not Butler and Johnson.[168] All three were convicted.[169]

Butler, now known as Muhammad Abdul Aziz, was paroled in 1985 and became the head of the Nation’s Harlem mosque in 1998. He continues to maintain his innocence.[170] Johnson, who changed his name to Khalil Islam, rejected the Nation’s teachings while in prison and converted to Sunni Islam. Released in 1987, he maintained his innocence until his death in August 2009.[171][172] Hayer, now known as Mujahid Halim,[173] was paroled in 2010.[174]

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R.I.P. Dick Anthony Williams aka Pretty Tony (August 9, 1938 – February 15, 2012)

February 17th, 2012 | Posted by Barclay in Barclay Video / Barclay Film / Barclay DVD | Obituaries - (2 Comments)

Played in one of the coolest flicks from the Blaxploitation era, but of course there is more to his life and career. I still enjoy The Mack though, that’s my joint !!!! Classic line delivery .. “Next time you hear grown folks talkin, shut the f**k up .. hear ?”

A little late getting this out but it appears the great iconic actor and Chicago native Dick Anthony Williams passed away on Wednesday (Feb. 15th) at the age of 73.
His popular film credits include Five On The Black Hand Side, The Jerk, Tap, Mo’ Better Blues and Edward Scissorhands among others. He also played “pretty Tony” in the 1973 blaxploitation film The Mack starring alongside Max Julien and Richard Pryor. The mini-series King along with Our Family Honor and American Playhouse are included in his long list of television credits.

Known for his Broadway performance in productions like The Poison Tree, he received a Tony nomination in 1974 for his role in What the Wine-Sellers Buy and in 1975 for Black Picture Show.

Williams also co-founded, along with Woodie King Jr., the famous New Federal Theatre (NFT). The theatre was instrumental in showcasing a multitude of black playwrights and actors/actresses including Amiri Baraka, Ntozake Shange, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Phylicia Rashad, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Samuel Jackson and more. BY CYNTHIA REID

SOURCE

WIKI..
“Dick Anthony Williams (August 9, 1938 – February 15, 2012) was an American actor. Williams is known for his starring performances on Broadway in The Poison Tree, What the Wine-Sellers Buy and Black Picture Show. He is also remembered for playing the character of Pretty Tony in The Mack, which starred Max Julien and Richard Pryor. Williams won the 1974 Drama Desk Award for his performance in What the Wine-Sellers Buy, for which he was also nominated for a Tony Award, and was nominated in 1975 for both a Tony and a Drama Desk Award for his performance in Black Picture Show[1] He also has an extensive resume as an actor in films and on television.[2]

Williams married Gloria Edwards, an actress,[3] who died in 1988, and had two children with her.”

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R.I.P. Whitney Houston

February 11th, 2012 | Posted by Barclay in Barclay Entertainment / Barclay Gossip / Barclay Pop Culture | Barclay Singers | Obituaries - (0 Comments)

Our Prayers are with her family. God Bless Her Soul. We have indeed lost another legend.

Link to more info via TMZ.

Get a look at a REAL SUPERBOWL STAR SPANGLED BANNER PERFORMANCE….

of course, we know she had pipes, I mean Whitney was part of Mom’s saturday morning clean up the house mix.

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Rest In Peace Cesaria Evora

December 18th, 2011 | Posted by Barclay in Barclay Afrobeat | Barclay R&B / Barclay Jazz / Barclay Soul | Obituaries - (0 Comments)

as the AP Reports :

LISBON, Portugal (AP) – Cesaria Evora, who started singing as a teenager in the bayside bars of Cape Verde in the 1950s and won a Grammy in 2003 after she took her African islands music to stages across the world, died Saturday. She was 70. Evora, known as the “Barefoot Diva” because she always performed without shoes, died in the Baptista de Sousa Hospital in Mindelo, on her native island of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde, her label Lusafrica said in a statement on its website. It gave no further details.

Evora retired in September because of health problems. In recent years she had had several operations, including open-heart surgery last year.

She sang the traditional music of the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa, a former Portuguese colony. She mostly sang in the version of creole spoken there, but even audiences who couldn’t understand the lyrics were moved by her stirring renditions, her unpretentious manner and the music’s infectious beat.

Her singing style brought comparisons to American jazz singer Billie Holiday. “She belongs to the aristocracy of bar singers,” French newspaper Le Monde said in 1991, adding that Evora had “a voice to melt the soul.”

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God Bless Heavy D. May 24, 1967–November 8, 2011

November 8th, 2011 | Posted by Barclay in Barclay Hip Hop | Obituaries - (0 Comments)

#HipHopLegend

If you don’t appreciate the bars on this record, at least respect the fact that Heavy D showed love to B.I.G. on it…greatness = greatness. Pay attention to the 4:40 mark… because “That Ni**a Heavy D was ROUGH in his Day” ………..

“A Buncha Ni**as”

‘Blue Funk’ was that joint for myself. Heavy D had craaaaaaaaaazy swag. Dude was light on his feet, and made some CLASSIC HITS !

VIA MTV. Heavy D died at the age of 44.

“New York rap legend Heavy D died Tuesday, November 8 at age 44, MTV News has learned through a source.

Heavy, who was born Dwight Arrington Myers, was most known for his role in the group Heavy D & the Boyz. Together, the group recorded an array of hip-hop dance hits like 1991′s “Now That We Found Love” and 1994′s “Nuttin’ but Love.” Aside from his own hits, Heavy rapped on Michael Jackson’s 1991 hit “Jam” and a remix to Janet Jackson’s 1990 single “Alright” from her Rhythm Nation album.

Photos: The life and career of Heavy D.

According to TMZ, the Mount Vernon, New York, MC was transported to an L.A. hospital after a 911 call was placed from the musician’s Beverly Hills home. The call was made around 11:25 a.m. PT to report an unconscious male, but when the ambulance arrived, Heavy was conscious and speaking. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead a few hours later at 1 p.m. PT. As of now, the cause of death is unknown.

Myers also composed the theme song for the 1990s sketch comedy show “In Living Color” and, as an actor, appeared in several television shows like “Roc,” “A Different World” and “Boston Public.” He also had roles in numerous films like “New Jersey Drive,” “Cider House Rules” and, most recently, “Tower Heist” with Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller.

Most recently, the rapper/dancehall singer closed out the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards with an energetic performance consisting of several dance numbers. Heav powered through a host of his classics like “The Overweight Lover,” “Mr. Big Stuff,” “Is It Good to You” and “I Want Somebody” to the delight of the live crowd.

Heavy was also active on Twitter, often sending positive messages to his followers. His last message, which came earlier Tuesday, read, “BE INSPIRED!”

Now Peep the 10 facts about Heavy D , the staff at NewsOne put together…

10. Jamaican Man

While many know that Heavy D was a Mount Vernon resident, he was actually born in Jamaica in 1967 to a nurse and a machine technician.

9. The Big Screen

Heavy D was sure known for being a big fellow, but many forget how many big screen appearances he made. He’s been in 24 movies and most recently, the new Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller movie, Tower Heist.

8. Jack Of All Trades

Heavy D initially came into the Hip-Hop game as a member of the group, “Heavy D & The Boyz.” He was producing for the group while at the same time rapping. He later moved into acting and built a successful career out of that.

7. Seven Albums

Heavy D’s first album Living Large dropped in 1987. Since then, he’s done six more studio albums which was supposed to end with Love Opus sometime this year. Here are the rest of his albums and their release dates — Big Tyme (1989), Peaceful Journey (1991), Blue Funk (1993), Nuttin’ But Love (1994), Waterbed Hev (1997), and Heavy (1999).

6. Uptown Records

Heavy D became the first signed artist under famed record mogul Andre Harrell’s label, Uptown Records.

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God Bless Smokin’ Joe Frazier .. January 12, 1944 – November 7, 2011

November 7th, 2011 | Posted by Barclay in Barclay BOXING | Obituaries - (0 Comments)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joe Frazier, the former heavyweight champion who handed Muhammad Ali his first defeat yet had to live forever in his shadow, died Monday night after a brief final fight with liver cancer. He was 67.
The family issued a release confirming the boxer’s death.

Frazier, who took on Ali in three momentous fights in the 1970s — including the epic “Thrilla in Manilla” — had been under home hospice care after being diagnosed just weeks ago with the cancer that took his life, a family friend said. Until then, Frazier had been doing regular autograph appearances, including one in Las Vegas in September.

Smokin’ Joe was a small yet ferocious fighter who smothered his opponents with punches, including a devastating left hook he used to end many of his fights early. It was the left hook that dropped Ali in the 15th round at Madison Square Garden in 1971 to seal a win in the so-called “Fight of the Century.”
Though he beat Ali in that fight, Frazier lost the final two and for many years was bitter about the role Ali forced him to play as his foil.
Frazier was diagnosed last month with the disease, his personal and business manager said. Leslie Wolff, who has been Frazier’s manager for seven years, said the boxer had been in out and out of the hospital since early October and receiving hospice treatment the last week.

Frazier was the first man to beat Ali, knocking him down and taking a decision in the so-called Fight of the Century in 1971. He would go on to lose two more fights to Ali, including the epic “Thrilla in Manila” bout.
Frazier was bitter for many years about the way Ali treated him then. More recently, he said he had forgiven Ali for repeatedly taunting him.
While the “Fight of the Century” is celebrated in boxing lore, Ali and Frazier put on an even better show in their third fight, held in a sweltering arena in Manila as part of Ali’s world tour of fights in 1975. Nearly blinded by Ali’s punches, Frazier still wanted to go out for the 15th round of the fight but was held back by trainer Eddie Futch in a bout Ali would later say was the closest thing to death he could imagine.
Frazier won the heavyweight title in 1970 by stopping Jimmy Ellis in the fifth round of their fight at Madison Square Garden. Frazier defended it successfully four times before George Foreman knocked him down six times in the first two rounds to take the title from him in 1973.
Frazier would never be heavyweight champion again.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. and VIA The Grio

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Rev. Jesse Jackson Honors the Late Civil Rights Stalwarts Fred Shuttlesworth & Derrick Bell

October 8th, 2011 | Posted by Barclay in Barclay Education | Obituaries - (0 Comments)

By CAROLINE M. MCKAY, CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Published: Friday, October 07, 2011

Once called the “Rosa Parks of legal education” by President Obama, Derrick A. Bell—the first tenured black professor at Harvard Law School—died Wednesday night. He was 80 years old.

Bell—whose career at the Law School was marked by stands he took in favor of increased diversity—resigned from the Law School in 1992 in protest of the dearth of women of color on the faculty.

Bell has been heralded as a legal pioneer of race and civil rights, writing and teaching extensively about his perception of race in America. His book, “Race, Racism, and American Law,” is now a common text in law school curriculums, and is credited with developing the Critical Race Theory—a theory that argues white people will not help black people improve their position until given incentive.

Bell’s accomplishments in academia and activism took root before his career at Harvard began. Bell was born Nov. 6, 1930 in Pittsburgh, and was the first in his family to attend college, earning a degree from Duquesne University. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Bell went to work for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department, resigning after being asked to rescind his membership in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Bell was then hired by the NAACP, working with Thurgood Marshall to develop a legal strategy to fight school segregation in the South.

Bell joined the Harvard faculty in 1969, receiving tenure two years later. He taught intermittently for more than two decades, leaving for a period in the 1980s to head the University of Oregan’s law school—becoming the first black dean of a law school that was not historically black.

Described as soft spoken and articulate by former student and longtime friend Law School Professor Charles J. Ogletree Jr., Bell protested against the Law School administration several times during his tenure. He once staged a five-day sit-in at his office to protest the Law School’s refusal to grant tenure to two controversial professors.

Ogletree remembered Bell as “a prolific, compassionate, and compelling scholar and activist” who was ahead of his time. Ogletree said that while student protests were fairly common, a faculty member protesting against the administration is something not often seen at HLS.

“He was unique in making a personal sacrifice on the issue of diversity,” Ogletree said of Bell’s 1990 resignation.

Since Bell’s resignation, Ogletree said, the Law School has improved the diversity of its faculty—granting the first black female professor, Lani Guinier ’71, tenure in 1998—but Ogletree said there is still room for improvement.

In his final address before leaving Harvard, Bell emphasized the importance of standing by one’s convictions.

“Your faith in what you believe must be a living, working faith that draws you away from comfort and security, and toward risk through confrontation,” he said.

—Staff writer Caroline M. McKay can be reached at carolinemckay@college.harvard.edu.

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Civil rights leader Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth dies at 89

October 5th, 2011 | Posted by Barclay in Barclay Local and World News / Barclay Global Concern / Barclay Foreign Affairs | Barclay NEWS | Barclay Wisdom & Barclay Spirituality | Obituaries - (1 Comments)

Thank You Reverend Shuttlesworth. !!


Rev.Martin Luther Kings Right Hand Man !!!!! ..

(CNN) — The Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who helped lead the civil rights movement, has died, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute said Wednesday. He was 89.
Shuttlesworth is among the iconic figures honored in the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta. King once called Shuttlesworth “the most courageous civil rights fighter in the South.”
President Barack Obama issued a statement honoring Shuttleworth, saying he “dedicated his life to advancing the cause of justice for all Americans. He was a testament to the strength of the human spirit. And today we stand on his shoulders, and the shoulders of all those who marched and sat and lifted their voices to help perfect our union. …
“America owes Reverend Shuttlesworth a debt of gratitude, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Sephira, and their family, friends and loved ones.”
When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against segregated busing in Montgomery, Alabama, Shuttlesworth rallied the membership of a group he established in May 1956 — the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights — to challenge the practice of segregated busing in Birmingham.
Shuttlesworth also helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, with King and other civil rights leaders.
Shuttlesworth’s efforts weren’t without a price: his home was bombed on Christmas Day in 1956, but he and his family were not injured.
He was, however, hurt in 1957 when he was beaten with chains and whips as he sought to integrate an all-white public school.
That same year, Shuttlesworth helped King organize the SCLC, serving as the organization’s first secretary from 1958 to 1970. He later served briefly as its president in 2004.
In 2001, President Bill Clinton awarded Shuttlesworth a Presidential Citizens Medal — the nation’s second-highest civilian award — for his leadership in the “non-violent civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, leading efforts to integrate Birmingham, Alabama’s schools, buses and recreational facilities” and helping found the SCLC.
Shuttlesworth also protested segregated lunch counters and helped lead sit-ins at the eateries in 1960.
He participated in organizing the Freedom Rides against segregated interstate buses in the South when he joined forces with the Congress On Racial Equality.
In 1963, he was injured again when a fire hose was turned on him during a protest against segregation in Birmingham. The blast of water, directed against demonstrators by order of Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor, slammed Shuttlesworth against a wall. He was hospitalized but recovered.
He was also a principal in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, which he helped organize.
In the early 1960s, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he fought homelessness and continued the movement against racism. There, he founded and served as pastor of the Greater New Light Baptist Church from 1966 to 2006.
In the 1980s, he established the Shuttlesworth Housing Foundation in Cincinnati, which provided grants to help low-income families buy homes.
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission has placed Shuttlesworth in its Hall of Fame.

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Genius, Apple Founder Steve Jobs Dies At 56

October 5th, 2011 | Posted by Barclay in Barclay Business and Entrepreneurship | Barclay Gadgets/Barclay Tech | Obituaries - (0 Comments)


__________

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If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com

Our thoughts and condolences go out to his loved ones.

Bill Gates (Microsoft Founder, Former partner and rival to Steve Jobs)sent the following statement to AllThingsD

I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.
Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.
The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.
For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.


APPLE CEO Tim Cook sent the following memo to his team.

Team,
I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.
Tim

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R.I.P. Lt. Frank Drebin aka Leslie Nielsen (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010)

November 28th, 2010 | Posted by Barclay in Barclay Daily Random News | Barclay Entertainment / Barclay Gossip / Barclay Pop Culture | Barclay Misc / Barclay LOL | Barclay TV Shows / Web Series | Barclay Video / Barclay Film / Barclay DVD | Obituaries - (0 Comments)

“Legendary funny man Leslie Nielsen died today, 11/28/2010, of complications of pneumonia in a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, this according to his agent. He was 84.”

Of Course, “Naked Gun” FTW

Take a LOOK AT SOME HILARIOUS “Police Squad” footage as well…

“Airplane”

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