In honour of Black History Month, the Institut Franco-Américain in Rennes has varied events about African-American culture and history. There is music, with a gospel and dance show, Shosholoza, an exhibition and concert on female jazz singers and a bilingual lecture about hip-hop. As well as a conversation with Brooklyn-based Dawnie Walton on her first … Continue reading “Celebrate Black History Month in Rennes”
In honour of the Black History Month, the Institut Franco-Américain in Rennes has two events centered around author James Baldwin, just in time for the release of the Oscar-nominated If Beale Street Could Talk. Born in 1924 in Harlem, New York, Baldwin is remembered as a novelist, poet, playwright, essayist and social critic. From 1948 … Continue reading “Black History Month in Rennes”
NFL American football star Colin Kaepernick brought attention to Black Lives Matter’s protests about police brutality towards African Americans with his silent protests, kneeling instead of standing when “The Star-Spangled Banner” played before NFL games. Two years on, Kaepernick has been frozen out of the football league but has won two major human-rights awards for … Continue reading “Kneeling for His Rights”
In 1987, James Baldwin died without having finished his last book. He left just thirty pages of the manuscript. The book was intended to be a personal account of the assassination of three of his friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. In the documentary film I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul … Continue reading ““I Am Not Your Negro””
Muhammad Ali hadn’t boxed in over thirty years, but news of his death made the headlines around the world. Ali was much more than a sporting champion, a strong personality who made his mark on the civil rights movement. Former heavyweight World Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali died on 4 June, 2016. He had suffered from … Continue reading “Muhammad Ali Floated Like a Butterfly”
Muhammad Ali, world boxing champion and civil-rights activist, died in June 2016. This is a nice summary of Ali’s life and career from the BBC children’s news site. The video covers much the same information as the article, and could be tackled from A2, or used just for images along with selected facts for lower … Continue reading “Muhammad Ali On the Web”
