Anderson@Large

All That Philly Jazz is Live

At last weekend’s Music Hack, a music-related hackathon, the All That Philly Jazz team, Mark Headd, Mike Lamond and the writer, developed the Philly Jazz App, an interactive  map where we will tell the story of Philadelphia’s rich jazz legacy.

All That Philly Jazz is mapping historic places and markers, Walk of Fame plaques and public murals. We will take visitors back to the days when jazz legends performed at the Uptown, the Royal, and the Earle and Lincoln Theaters. To contextualize the images, we will include data curated by Echo Nest and audio samples from Rdio. We’re jazzed that All That Philly Jazz won a one-year subscription to Rdio for the best hack.

Much of Philly’s jazz history has fallen victim to urban upheaval and urban removal. To preserve the history for future generations, we must tap the memories of Philadelphians and visitors. So All That Philly Jazz will be crowdsourced. We will use social media and traditional media, including community newspapers and radio, to ask folks to share their memories and photos.

We will also use technology, including Google Glass and Historypin, to breathe life into legendary jazz clubs like the Showboat, Pep’s, Blue Note, Up Jumped the Devil, Fantasy Lounge, and joints along West 52nd Street, aka “The Strip.” Clubs like the Aqua Lounge, Top Shelf, Mr. Silk’s Third Base and Foo-Foo Ragan’s.

Indeed, All That Philly Jazz is at the intersection of technology, art and civic engagement. To get involved, contact us via email or Twitter: @PhillyJazzApp.

Voting Rights v. States’ Rights

Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Shelby County v. Holder, a case challenging Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. A quick primer:

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) requires jurisdictions with a history of voting discrimination to receive preapproval from the Justice Department or a federal district court in D.C. for any voting change to ensure such changes do not discriminate against voters who are racial, ethnic or language minorities. In 2006, an overwhelmingly bipartisan majority of Congress reauthorized the VRA for 25 more years.

Those jurisdictions include the former confederate states of Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. What’s at stake for these states is an issue as old as the Civil War: states’ rights. Stateline reports:

But in asking whether a key part of the federal law is constitutional, the court also will reopen a debate that long predates the measure’s enactment in 1965. It’s an argument that was at the heart of the U.S. Civil War, and one that has seen resurgence in recent years as Republicans around the country bristle at what they perceive as meddling from Washington.

That debate is the battle over states’ rights.

On its face, the challenge to the Voting Rights Act is about how state and local officials run elections. But states’ rights have underpinned much of the opposition to the law since it was first enacted, and Wednesday’s hearing will feature familiar arguments.

The issue is Section 5 of the law, which requires all or part of 16 states to get any changes to election law preapproved by either the Justice Department or a federal court. That requirement, based on findings of discrimination and racism years ago, applies to most every aspect of elections, from technical changes to the high-profile issue of photo ID requirements that recently spawned court battles for states such as Texas and South Carolina. The challenge was brought by Shelby County, Alabama, and argues that the act’s preclearance requirement is unconstitutional on its face, no matter how it’s employed.

Civil rights leaders, Members of Congress and voting rights activists from across the country will rally at the steps of the Supreme Court.

For more information, visit ProtecttheVRA.org.

Happy Birthday to the Drum Major for Justice

Today is the actual birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.

#VoteEverywhere 2012: The Mixtape

#VoteEverywhere 2012

Election Day is 104 days away.

I’ll be in New York City on Wednesday for the launch of Vote Everywhere 2012.

I will demo the Cost of Freedom Voter ID App.

The event is organized by the Andrew Goodman Foundation, established by Robert and Carolyn Goodman to carry on the spirit and purpose of their son’s life. Andrew Goodman was one of the three civil rights activists killed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1964 in Philadelphia, Miss.

At age 20, Andrew Goodman paid the ultimate cost of freedom.

The struggle continues.

Back to the Future

Three months ago, I transitioned back to natural hair.

The assault on voting rights is an organized effort to turn back the clock and impose new barriers to the ballot box. We must stand our ground and fight back.

Then as now, ain’t nothing wrong in keeping your mind stayed on freedom.