NEW YORK (AP) — Jessye Norman, the renowned international opera star whose passionate soprano voice won her four Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honor, has died, according to family spokesperson Gwendolyn Quinn. She was 74. A statement released to The Associated Press on Monday said Norman died at 7:54 […]
NEW YORK (AP) — As the nation debates what to do with civic statues that glorify slavery and white supremacy, one artist has a solution. Kehinde Wiley wants more art. Wiley, who was tapped to paint Barack Obama for the National Portrait Gallery, thinks monuments to Confederate figures need to be placed in their social […]
NEW YORK (AP) — National Geographic has found its next “Genius.” The network has tapped Cynthia Erivo to play Aretha Franklin in a third installment of the anthology series. The authorized project will feature Franklin’s music. Erivo will perform songs from the singer’s catalog. Franklin died in 2018 of pancreatic cancer at age 76. Erivo […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Diahann Carroll, the Oscar-nominated actress and singer who won critical acclaim as the first black woman to star in a non-servant role in a TV series as “Julia,” has died. She was 84. Carroll’s daughter, Susan Kay, told The Associated Press her mother died Friday in Los Angeles of cancer. During […]
NEW YORK (AP) — A book of Toni Morrison quotations is coming out in December. “The Measure of Our Lives: A Gathering of Wisdom” will draw from her whole body of work, including celebrated novels such as “Beloved” and “Song of Solomon.” The foreword is by Zadie Smith, adapted from a tribute she wrote soon […]
ATLANTA (AP) — Tyler Perry officially christened his massive new film studio Saturday, beaming as his fellow entertainment industry luminaries descended on Atlanta and strode a red carpet to his sprawling complex for an opening gala. The attendees warmly greeted Perry, a man who had once been homeless and yet now helmed his own studio, […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Marlon James fantasy novel “Black Leopard, Red Wolf,” Laila Lalami’s immigrant tale “The Other Americans” and Jason Reynolds’ neighborhood story “Look Both Ways” are among this year’s finalists for the 70th annual National Book Awards. Nominees announced Tuesday also include Albert Woodfox, the former prison inmate who spent more than 40 […]
In the latest episode of JARO’s podcast, Tomeka M. Winborne and PVIFF’s co-founder Len Gibson have a brief conversation with the executive producers and cast of EPIX’ new series, Godfather of Harlem. Featuring the series’ producers James Acheson and Markuann Smith, along with cast members Antoinette Crowe-Legacy and Nigel Thatch, the group shares their journey […]
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 in recognition of his efforts to end his country’s two-decade border conflict with Eritrea. The Norwegian Nobel Institute on Friday also praised the “important reforms” that Abiy, Ethiopia’s leader since April 2018, has launched at home. The prize […]
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Music artist and actress Queen Latifah is among the honorees being recognized by Harvard University this year for their contributions to black history and culture. Harvard is set to award the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal to Queen Latifah and six other recipients on Oct. 22, according to the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school’s […]