Anderson@Large

‘Florida’ Still Matters

It’s been nearly 15 years since the 2000 Florida presidential election. Under then-Gov. Jeb Bush’s watch, tens of thousands of African Americans were purged from the voter rolls. “Florida” has since become a metaphor for voter disenfranchisement.

I watched with disbelief as Bush tried to woo black voters at the National Urban League’s annual conference:

I know there are great and lasting things we can achieve together, maybe only together, to keep America faithful to its ideals of equality and justice for all. Your support in that effort is something I will work every day to earn. I welcome your friendship, and I ask for your vote.

He must think African Americans are stupid or have collective amnesia.

Bush certified the contested 2000 election for his brother, George W., who got a measly nine percent of the black vote. As the writer and producer of a documentary about the election debacle, Counting on Democracy, I plan to refresh folks’ memory of how black voters were “Bushwacked” in Florida. There’s also a new generation of voters who have never heard of hanging and dangling chads, or seen a punch card ballot.

By the way, one of the key players in Florida was the legendary dirty trickster, Roger Stone, who I interviewed for the film. Stone is now working for Donald Trump.

Stone must be up to his old tricks. He reportedly was fired by Trump. Stone said he quit.

But I digress.

Counting on Democracy, narrated by Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, aired nationwide on PBS in 2002. If you would like to arrange a screening for your school, class, organization or church, email me.

Mary Lou Williams, Jazz Icon

This year marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of Mary Lou Williams.

Since 1995, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has paid tribute to the legendary pianist and composer with the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival. Williams is the subject of a new documentary, Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band. The film premiered on public television on April 1.

Missed it? If you’re in the Philly area, you’re in luck. There will be a screening of the documentary on Tuesday, July 14, at the International House. Hosted by the Scribe Video Center, the screening and conversation with director Carol Bash is co-sponsored by the Leeway Foundation, Philadelphia Jazz Project, Ars Nova Workshop and Reelblack.

Sadly, luck is running out on the Women of Jazz mural, which depicts jazz icons including Williams, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. This civic asset is on the chopping block.

On June 1, I provided public comment before the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless, which is chaired by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. I brought to Blackwell’s attention the Philadelphia Housing Authority plans to demolish the mural. I made it clear the goal of increasing the availability of affordable housing and preserving the City’s jazz heritage is not mutually exclusive.

COUNCILWOMAN BLACKWELL: Thank you very much. So you're saying they're slated to tear down the mural?
MS. ANDERSON: Yes. The Women of Jazz mural at 3200 [block] of Arlington. It will be torn down sometime this year. The date to be determined.
COUNCILWOMAN BLACKWELL: All right. I'm happy to work on that.

The complete transcript is available here. Clap along if you’re happy.

TSOP: Comcast Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program

In 1979, McFadden & Whitehead released “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now.” The song epitomizes TSOP, The Sound of Philadelphia.

Last week’s announcement that Comcast Interactive Capital will provide seed funding for five minority-led startups through a partnership with Philadelphia-based DreamIt Ventures is music to the ears of minority entrepreneurs and their advocates.

In a statement, Payne Brown, Comcast Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, said:

Diversity is a cornerstone of Comcast’s culture and we are proud to have Comcast Interactive Capital partner with DreamIt in this first investment from our $20 million fund focused on expanding opportunities for minority entrepreneurs. Minority groups are underrepresented in startup ventures and we believe supporting minority entrepreneurs through the DreamIt accelerator is an effective way to provide them with greater opportunities.

Politic365 reported:

The Comcast-DreamIt partnership springs from a commitment by Comcast to expand opportunities for minority entrepreneurs. That commitment was part of the company’s merger with NBCUniversal, which the Federal Communications Commission approved in January.

My longtime friend David Honig, president and executive director of the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, told Politic365:

This is just what MBEs need — seed money, support and mentoring at the very start of their careers as entrepreneurs. Until now, no program has offered this kind of essential opportunity to minority digital entrepreneurs. Comcast’s venture capital initiative is off to a great start.

Indeed, the Comcast Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program received its first application within hours of its launch.

With DreamIt’s support and mentoring, minority-led startups will put themselves together and polish up their act. The application deadline is July 8.

Ain’t no stopping them now.

Meet The Innovators

Ten years ago, my idea to write and produce a documentary about the 2000 election debacle was met with skepticism. After all, I had no film training or experience.

But I had a story to tell and access to the players. I assured the director and editor if they just followed what I wrote, audiences will like the film. They did and audiences did. My documentary, “Counting on Democracy,” aired on PBS stations nationwide.

It was déjà vu in March when I heard Startup America Partnership CEO Scott Case say African American entrepreneurs are largely invisible to investors. I thought, hmm, I should do something about that. And the seed for “The Innovators” was planted.

“The Innovators” will be crowd-funded. I have 29 days to raise $25,000. With your support, I will make my goal. So please help a sister out and go to Kickstarter and kick in what you can.

I thank you in advance for your support.

Coming Soon - The Innovators

I had planned to release the trailer for my web documentary, “The Innovators,” at Saturday’s BarCamp NewsInnovation, the culminating event for Philly Tech Week. Long story short, the trailer will be released in the next seven to 10 days.

While I didn’t get a chance to show my trailer, I picked up useful tips about interactive storytelling at the session on the Knight Mozilla News Technology Partnership. One of the participants made this drawing as I shared the story of how the idea to produce the video popped into my head as I passed the Divine Lorraine Hotel in Philadelphia.

In “Gone with the Wind,” Butterfly McQueen famously said: “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ babies!”

I’m a DIY filmmaker who knows little about web-based movies. But “The Innovators” is my baby so I will learn. Well, at least learn enough to know what questions to ask.

So pass the Popcorn.

Memphis

I took a break from Philly’s geek fest and saw a live performance of the Broadway musical, “Memphis,” captured for the big screen.

The 2010 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical is loosely based on the life of pioneering disc jockey Dewey Phillips. It tells the story of a fictional white DJ, Huey Calhoun, who introduces white kids to “race music.” The back story is one of “fame and forbidden love.”

“Memphis” will be shown in movie theaters nationwide on selected dates.

The unvarnished Memphis was the backdrop for a seminal event in the civil rights movement.

This morning, President Obama will meet with several of the workers who took part in the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike. Following the meeting, they will go to the Department of Labor for an induction ceremony.

Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis announced that the 1,300 workers who took part in the sanitation strike will be inducted into the Labor Hall of Fame.

For more info about the Memphis Sanitation Strike, visit “I Am a Man.”

UPDATE: Eight members of AFSCME Local 1733 met President Obama at the White House. One, Joe Warren, celebrated his 90th birthday the day before arriving in DC.

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They later attended the induction ceremony before a SRO crowd in the Grand Hall of the Department of Labor.