A pygmy from the African Congo, Ota Benga was exhibited in a cage along with monkeys.
According
to a new nationwide survey conducted by Discovery Institute, 85% of American
adults believe “it is important that students learn about the history of
scientific racism in America.” Young adults under age 30 are even more
supportive, with 93% of them saying it’s important for students to learn about
America’s history of scientific racism.
Most
Americans also think that two leading scientific institutions in New York City
should apologize for their notorious actions promoting scientific racism in the
past.
In
September 1906, the Bronx Zoo put African Ota Benga on display in a cage in its
Monkey House as an evolutionary “missing link.” Nearly a quarter of a
million Americans flocked to the Zoo to see the demeaning spectacle. Some 67%
of survey respondents say the Zoo should apologize having sponsored the
display.
The
American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, meanwhile, hosted two
international conferences promoting eugenics, the effort by scientists to breed
a better race by applying the principles of Darwinian biology. The Museum also
mounted virulently racist museum exhibits to go along with the conferences.
Again, 66% of Americans surveyed said they thought the Museum should apologize
for its role hosting the eugenics conferences.
“Most
Americans realize we need to learn from the past,” said Dr. John West,
Vice President of Discovery Institute. “But we can’t learn from the past
if we cover it up.”
West
is the writer and director Human
Zoos, a new award-winning documentary that tells the shocking
story of how thousands of indigenous peoples were put on public display in
America in the early decades of the twentieth century. The documentary also
investigates the history of the American eugenics movement, and it exposes how
the contemporary “Alt-right” movement is seeking to resurrect the
arguments of scientific racists and Social Darwinists from the past.
“Scientific
racism is still with us,” said West. “If we don’t confront those
trying to promote it, we are asking for trouble. Human dignity needs to be
defended in every generation.”
Human
Zoos is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Amazon Prime video. More
information about the documentary is available at a multimedia educational
site, www.HumanZoos.org.
As Marvel’s Black Panther wows moviegoers and shatters box office records with a fictional tale of cinematic proportions, the real and moving story of Black American Pioneer Reginald F. Lewis premieres on TV, inspiring a new generation of minority youths to dream big, and to keep going no matter what.
For Loida Nicolas Lewis, love never ends. When asked why the Filipino American widow of Reginald F. Lewis enthusiastically shares her husband’s story and legacy 25 years after his death, she simply remarked, “Because I love him. Since the time I proposed to him while we were seated together in the subway: ‘Darling, do you want a big wedding or a small wedding?’ and he replied, ‘A small wedding.’ Suddenly, he realized what just happened. He put his hand on his forehead and said, ‘I have a headache.”‘
This elicited joyful laughter from the audience who gathered at the Harvard Club of New York City for the launching of PIONEERS: Reginald F. Lewis and the Making of a Billion Dollar Empire last February 15, 2018. The documentary, produced by PBS WNET, chronicles the life and legacy of business pioneer, philanthropist and titan Reginald F. Lewis, the first billion dollar dealmaker in America. A Harvard Law School graduate, Lewis rose to prominence as a lawyer, civil rights activist, financier, and leader of the global food company TLC Beatrice International.
The event was attended by top finance and business executives, ambassadors and dignitaries, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. In addition to the premiere screening of the documentary, a short forum on “How to Become the Next Reginald F. Lewis” took place, with Titan Panelist members such as Robert F. Smith, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners; Raymond J. McGuire, Global Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, Citigroup, Inc.; Dean C. Kehler, Trimaran Capital Partner (formerly Drexel Burnham Lambert); Cleveland A. Christophe, venture capitalist and former executive of the TLC Group; and Peter Offermann, former executive of Bankers Trust Company. The panel was moderated by award-winning Filipino American broadcast journalist Nina Pineda of Eyewitness News, WABC-TV. About 450 people, including RFL Scholars, RFL Ambassadors, and young entrepreneurs were in attendance.
In her speech, Loida Lewis thanked WNET President Neil Shapiro, and Executive Producer and Director Geraldine Moriba for featuring Mr. Lewis first in their new PIONEERS documentary series. Among others, she also thanked business tycoon Tarrus Richardson, who was inspired by Mr. Lewis’ story when he heard it at 14 years old, and gave the largest contribution to make the documentary possible.
The documentary aired last weekend on WLIW 21 and WNET 13, and will air this Sunday, February 24, 7:00pm on NJTV. Outside the US, it is now available for streaming online on www.thirteen.org/pioneers.
For more information, please visit www.ReginaldFLewis.com, or get updates from Facebook or Instagram via @RFLBillionDollarDeal.
QUICK FACTS About Reginald F. Lewis * 1969: Married Loida Nicolas Lewis, Filipino American immigration lawyer, civic leader and co-author of “How To Get a Green Card”, now on its 12th edition
* Co-founded the first African American Law Firm on Wall Street
* First person to be accepted at Harvard University Law School without applying
* Among the first 5 male African Americans to have a museum named in their honor
* 1987: Negotiated the first billion-dollar offshore leveraged buyout, the largest ever by an American company at that time, which acquired him 64 companies in 31 countries.
PIONEERS: Reginald F. Lewis and the Making of a Billion Dollar Empire will air on Saturday, February 24, 7:00pm on NJTV, and is NOW AVAILABLE for ONLINE STREAMING on www.THIRTEEN.org/pioneers.
Nickelodeon today revealed a first-look of the characters in its brand-new animated series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which follows the band of brothers as they discover new powers and encounter a mystical world they never knew existed beneath the streets of New York City. The 2D-animated series debuts later this year on Nickelodeon.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reimagines the characters in a fresh new way, featuring jagged-shelled Raphael as a snapping turtle, wielding twin tonfas as his weapons; Leonardo as a red-eared slider, using an ōdachi sword; Donatello as a soft-shell turtle, sporting a tech-bo staff; and Michelangelo as a box turtle, arming himself with a kusari-fundo. Along for the adventure is the Turtles’ most trusted ally, April O’Neil, a street savvy native New Yorker and Splinter, father figure and sensei to the Turtles.
The series stars the voice talent of Omar Miller (Ballers) as Raphael, Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) as Leonardo, Josh Brener (Silicon Valley) as Donatello, Brandon Mychal Smith (You’re The Worst) as Michelangelo, Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries) as April O’Neil and Eric Bauza (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as Splinter. WWE Superstar John Cena lends his voice as villain, Baron Draxum, an alchemist warrior mutant who seeks to turn all of humanity into mutants.
The Turtles’ hold distinct personality traits and skills, including: Raphael, as the oldest and biggest brother, he is the leader full of enthusiasm and bravado; Leonardo, the self-professed ‘coolest’ brother possesses irreverent charm and a rebel heart; Donatello, a mechanical genius and tech wizard whose ninja skills are second only to his coding; and Michelangelo, the youngest brother, a skateboarder and artist who is wild and imaginative.
The new 26-episode series is co-executive produced by Andy Suriano (character designer, Samurai Jack) and Ant Ward (supervising producer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) at Nickelodeon in Burbank. Veteran animation industry voice actor Rob Paulsen is voice directing the series.
Considered one of the most popular kids’ television programs of the 1980s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic, global property created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It first debuted as a successful comic book series and then became a hit animated TV show, a live-action television series and later spawned numerous blockbuster theatrical releases. The property is a global consumer products powerhouse, winning in every category that has hit shelves to date—with toys, apparel, video games, DVDs and more—and generating billions of dollars at retail. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been the number-one action figure for the past three years and the franchise is a previous recipient of the Toy Industry Association’s top honor for Property of the Year at the TOTY Awards.
About Nickelodeon Nickelodeon, now in its 38th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids’ basic cable network for 22 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
SOME OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BRANDS PARTNER WITH THE ACADEMY TO CELEBRATE MUSIC’S BIGGEST NIGHT® AND EVENTS FOR MUSIC’S BIGGEST WEEK
The Recording Academy™ proudly announced its official marketing partners for this year’s 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards®. Absolut, Aflac, Apple Music, Bulova, Delta Air Lines, Hilton, IBM, JBL by HARMAN, Mastercard, Snapchat, Target, Time Inc., Uber, and Westwood One are all supporters of this year’s GRAMMY Awards, as well as events throughout GRAMMY® Week. The music industry’s marquis event takes place live on Sunday, Jan. 28, at Madison Square Garden in New York City and will be broadcast in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network at7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. For comprehensive coverage of the show, visit GRAMMY.com and CBS.com. For breaking news and behind-the-scenes content, visit the Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
“Today’s real-time marketplace demands sophisticated marketing efforts to more deeply connect with fans everywhere,” said Evan Greene, Chief Marketing Officer of the Recording Academy. “We are honored to be aligned with some of the most impressive, category-leading brands on the planet, and we look forward to innovating with them to deliver programs that get noticed and break through.”
ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY
The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum®, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares®, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards—music’s only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world’s leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators.
For more information about the Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter, “like” Recording Academy onFacebook, and join the Recording Academy’s social communities on Instagram, Tumblr, andYouTube.
Billboard chart topping artist Anthony Evans and his sister, New York Times bestselling author and “War Room” actress Priscilla Shirer, are currently on the FerVent Tour which features an evening of music from Anthony and dynamic teaching by Priscilla. Earlier this year, a date at the Playstation Theater in New York City’s Times Square was added. This show was chosen to be taped for a future television special. The tour is produced by Evans’ own company: Sherman James Productions.
“Sherman and James are my grandfathers’ names on both sides. Their choices are why our family turned out the way that it is now. So when I stand on stage, it is because of Sherman, James, my grandmothers and the decisions they made as it pertains to legacy. This is simply why my company is called Sherman James Productions. As it relates to our events, there is something intangible about the dynamic of my sister and me on stage together. It’s such an honor to be able to do this with family.”
Tonight is another historic night in gospel and Christian music as the siblings in life and Christ come together to impact believers on one of the world’s greatest stages, Times Square.
Anthony Evans is in the middle of a banner year musically. His latest release “Back to Life” topped the Billboard charts in its first week and the album’s first single “See You Again” continues to impact gospel and Christian radio.
