The 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors pio­neering filmmaker Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951) wrote, directed, produced, and distributed more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century. An ambitious, larger-than-life figure, Micheaux thrived at a time when African-American filmmakers were rare, venues for their work were scarce, and support from the…

“I just wrote this after someone tried to tell me that oil (and the spill and how we can stop drilling to avoid further combat) has nothing to do with war and this person said “No its all religion” (and tried to tell me about religion) and really at this point there are 300 reasons…

By Walter Rutledge The 1,2,3 Festival at the Joyce Theatre presented three dance companies over twelve days. Ailey II, Taylor 2 and ABT II took to the stage on alternating days, and on the weekends splitting matinee and evening performances (a testament to the professionalism of the Joyce Theatre staff and crew). Following a shared…

By Walter Rutledge The great dancer and groundbreaking choreographer Martha Graham said, “It takes ten years to make a mature dancer”. Nikita Talin of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo added “And twenty to make a choreographer.” At first glance this statement may seem extreme, considering our present environment of immediate gratification. To become a…

By Richard Daub This is part three and four in a six part series. Photo of the tour guide. I was also curious about what the outside perception of Harlem. Having grown up on Long Island in the 1980s, Harlem was simply a place that you did not go. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for…

Politics Facing growing criticism of his economic recovery plan, President-elect Barack Obama made public Saturday a detailed analysis by his economic advisers that estimates the $775 billion plan of tax cuts and new spending would create 3.5 million jobs over the next two years. With an eye on Obama having immediate access to bailout money…