Affirmation was photographer’s Kwame Braithwaite’s north star. Considered one of the defining lights of the Black is Beautiful movement of the 1960s, Braithwaite used his camera as a tool of uplift to celebrate self and to embrace African-American culture. In a career that began when he was just eighteen years of age and spanned seven …
Life changes with the birth of children. The demands and obligations of parenthood pull us out of ourselves and force us to focus on the people we bring into the world. Sacrifice and the suppression of our own wishes and passions are often necessary to insure our offspring get a fair shot at life. Those …
In places like Chicago, dance showcases are like smorgasbords that offer more than just plenty. Their variety encompasses the globe, reminding us of how rich the language of dance is and has always been. Just as interestingly, they signal clues on how dance absorbs the present and shape shifts into the future. Few dance organizations …
It’s natural to recall the past while contending with the present. Placing the two side by side adds perspective to contemporary life and allows us to give accurate measure to our progress. The current push in some quarters to limit, ban or curtail the full scope of our country’s heritage threatens the integrity of the …
Mercury’s Big River Flows with Steadfast Excellence Read More »