Saturday, April 18, 2015

Oh, Marvin, you never cease to amaze me!--Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf

 "Oh, Marvin, you never cease to amaze me, " Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf told Marvin X when she walked up on him at his Academy of Da Corner, 14th and Broadway, renamed Black Arts Movement District.

Ishmael Reed says, "If you want motivation and inspiration, don't spend all that money going to workshops and seminars, just go stand at 14th and Broadway and watch Marvin X at work. He's Plato teaching on the streets of Oakland." FYI, above pic is from the Feb. 7, 2015, BAM 50th Anniversary Celebration at Oakland's Laney College. photo by South Park Kenny Johnson

 
Master Teacher Marvin X at his Academy of da Corner, a multipurpose center, i.g., micro loan bank, literacy, mental health, (layman's grief and trauma counseling),  mentoring, economic independence or entrepreneurship training, event organizing, presently working on the Black Arts Movement's 27 City Tour in honor of Amiri Baraka. photo Adam Turner

 Academy of da Corner on Oakland's Lakeshore District, Saturday's only

Academy of da Corner, Berkeley (ASHBY BART STATION), Sunday's only

 Marvin X in heaven, i.e., in the presence of beautiful, intelligent, revolutionary women: L to R: Elaine Brown, former Chair of the Black Panther Party, Halifu Osumare, San Francisco State University radical student, member of the Black Students Union, founder of the Malonga Cultural Center, downtown Oakland, part of the Black Arts Movement District; Judy Juanita, member of the Black Panther Party and member of BAM, attended Merritt College along with Huey Newton, Bobby Seale and Marvin X; wrote articles in the student paper on Marvin X as a budding Black Nationalist; editor of the Black Panther Party newspaper; Portia Anderson, author, a BAM baby; Kujichagulia, BAM baby; Aries Jordan, BAM baby, being mentored by Marvin X, whenever he comes in from outta space with his comrade Sun Ra. FYI, Marvin X is scheduled to be at the University of Chicago, May 22, 2015, in honor of Sun Ra, organized by Chicago musician/scholar David Boykin. Marvin X says, "When I get to Chicago, I'm going to the hood, 63rd and Cottage Grove! photo South Park Kenny Johnson

 Two Gemini madmen genius: Marvin X, May 29; Sun Ra, May 22

During 1972, both madmen lectured at the University of California, Berkeley in Black Studies.
Sun Ra joined Marvin X at his off campus theatre, Black Educational Theatre on O'farrel Street, between Fillmore and Webster, an old abandoned Greek Orthodox church. They produced a five hour production of Marvin's BAM classic one act play Flowers for the Trashman, musical version named Take Care of Business or TCB, music by Sun Ra. Production was at the Harding Theatre on Divisadero Street. The Sun Reporter reviewed the five hour concert without intermission. Production included the Sun Ra Arkestra, the Black Educational Theatre actors; the Raymond Sawyer dancers and the Ellendar Barnes Dancers; a cast of fifty.  Again, the concert was five hours without intermission, such is the nature of the Sun Ra/Marvin X experience. Somebody better say Ase'!

Chicago's David Boykin, organizer of the Sun Ra Conference at the University of Chicago
Mrs. Gay Plair Cobb, Director of Private Industry Council or PIC;MX, Mayor Schaaf, Dr. Elnora  T. Webb, President of Laney College, Dr. Nathan Hare, father of Black Studies, founder of the Black Scholar Magazine, clinical psychologist; Paul Cobb, Publisher of the Post News Group Newspapers
Left to Right: Paul Cobb, Publisher Post News Group; Dr. Leslee Stradford, Professor of Art, Rt. Col. Conway Jones, Jr., Marvin X, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf holding Marvin's grandchild Naima Joy, next to her is her  brother Jah Amiel; Laney College President, Dr. Elnora T. Webb, Dr. Nathan Hare, father of Black Studies (that never gave him a job, nowhere in America with the plethora of Black Studies Programs, Africana Studies, Pan African Studies, et al. Not one of them has offered Dr. Hare a position. Black intellectuals pimped Dr. Ben the same. My daughter gave me the term Pseudo conscious! She said, "Dad, we need to uneducate our people!"
 BAM Poet's Choir and Arkestra members, Zena Allen, Kora player, MX, violinist Tarika Lewis and choreographer/dancer Linda Johnson.

 The BAM Poet's Choir and Arkestra, featuring MX, David Murray and Earle Davis at the Malcolm X Jazz/Art Festival, Oakland CA, 2014

 BAM POET'S CHOIR AND ARKESTRA,
MALCOLM X JAZZ/ART FEST., OAKLAND 2014

 My friend the devil, Marvin X's memoir of Eldridge Cleaver. He finished the first draft in three weeks while on a national book tour, prompted by questions from his daughter Nefertiti at her house in Houston, TX.  He published each chapter daily in Chickenbones.com. It was literally a writing in progress for the world to see on the Internet. See the review by Rudolph Lewis on Chickenbones.com.


 Plato Negro at his Academy of da Corner, beside him is Gregory Fields, Academy of da Corner Professor of Law.
 Esteemed Professor emeritus of Black Studies at San Francisco State University, Dr. Oba T'Shaka. Occasion was the 80th birthday celebration of Dr. Nathan Hare at Geoffery's Inner Circle, a venue in the Black Arts Movement District, located at 14th and Franklin. Please support this Black owned venue. He is author of many books, one of the San Francisco Civil Rights icons.

BAM Divas: Rev. Tureada Mikell, BAM Choir Director Michelle LaChaux, Dr. Ayodele Nzinga, Tarika Lewis, violinist, activist, first female member of the Black Panther Party

Post News Group Publisher, Paul Cobb, and Marvin X, both grew up in West Oakland. Paul Cobb supports the projects of Marvin X, not only with his mouth but with his money! We appreciate you, Paul Cobb!--Marvin X. Jackmon

Jah Amiel, grandson of Marvin X, when he was three years old, on  the way to Lake Merritt, told his grandfather, "Grandfather, you can't save the world, but I can!" Oh, Jah Amiel, we pass the baton to you!--Marvin X












 Marvin X speaking to a graduate seminar in the Africana Studies Department, University of Houston, TX

 On a recent national book tour, University of Houston students engage Marvin X in the Africana Studies Department

Poet autographing books at University of Houston, TX

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