Jean-Michel Basquiat was one of the most influential artists to emerge from New York City during the late twentieth century. Born on December 22, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York, he transformed his experiences growing up in the city into a distinctive artistic language that combined painting, poetry, history, music, and social commentary. His work explored Black identity, racism, power, and the experiences of people whose stories had often been overlooked by mainstream institutions. Although his career lasted only a few years, Basquiat left a lasting mark on contemporary art.

Basquiat grew up in a family that exposed him to several cultural influences. His father, Gérard Basquiat, was born in Haiti, while his mother, Matilde Andrades, was born in New York to Puerto Rican parents. Through his parents, Jean-Michel was connected to Haitian, Puerto Rican, and broader Caribbean cultural traditions. Growing up in Brooklyn, he experienced the diversity of New York City, where different languages, communities, musical styles, and artistic expressions existed side by side. These influences would later become visible in his paintings, which frequently incorporated historical references, handwritten words, and symbols.

His mother played an important role in encouraging his early interest in art. Matilde recognized her son’s artistic ability and introduced him to museums, books, and cultural experiences. One important childhood event occurred when Basquiat was seven years old and was struck by a car while playing in the street. During his recovery, his mother gave him a copy of Gray’s Anatomy, a medical reference book that illustrated the human body in considerable detail. Its anatomical drawings influenced his lifelong interest in skeletons, skulls, and the internal structures of the human body. These images later became recurring features in his artwork.

Basquiat was one of four children born to Gérard and Matilde, although the family had experienced the loss of an older son before his birth. He had two younger sisters, Lisane and Jeanine, with whom he shared his early family life. His parents eventually separated, and his mother experienced periods of serious personal difficulties that affected the family. These circumstances formed part of a complicated childhood that included both encouragement and hardship. Although his family relationships were not always easy, his mother’s early support for his artistic interests remained an important influence on his development.

Basquiat’s upbringing was also shaped by language and cultural diversity. He grew up speaking English, French, and Spanish, reflecting the backgrounds of his parents and the environment in which he was raised. In 1974, his family moved to Puerto Rico for a period before returning to Brooklyn in 1976. These experiences exposed him to different cultural perspectives and helped establish the broad historical and cultural interests that later appeared in his work. His paintings often included words and references drawn from different languages, histories, and communities, creating a visual expression of his multicultural identity.

As a teenager, Basquiat became increasingly connected to Manhattan’s downtown art and music scenes. He eventually left home and supported himself through various activities, including selling handmade postcards and painted T-shirts. Along with his friend Al Diaz, he began creating cryptic graffiti under the name SAMO, short for “Same Old.” Their messages appeared on walls around Lower Manhattan and attracted attention for their wit, unusual phrasing, and criticism of established social and cultural conventions. This early work helped Basquiat develop a reputation as an original voice in New York’s underground creative community.

By the early 1980s, Basquiat had moved from street-based expression into the world of professional painting. His work attracted attention through exhibitions that introduced his distinctive style to collectors, critics, and fellow artists. His paintings combined bold colors, rough lines, repeated symbols, handwritten phrases, and images of human figures. Rather than following traditional expectations of polished painting, he created works that appeared energetic, fragmented, and emotionally direct. His artistic approach reflected the rhythms of New York City, where street culture, hip-hop’s emerging influence, punk music, and experimental art intersected.

A central theme in Basquiat’s work was the experience of Black people in a society shaped by racial inequality. He frequently portrayed historical figures, athletes, musicians, and other individuals whose achievements deserved recognition. Crowns appeared throughout his paintings as symbols that could suggest dignity, authority, and the importance of people who had been marginalized. His work also challenged colonialism, racism, and the unequal distribution of power. Rather than presenting history as a distant collection of events, Basquiat brought it into the present, encouraging viewers to consider whose stories were celebrated and whose were neglected.

Music was another important element of Basquiat’s creative life. He played in a band that eventually became known as Gray, exploring experimental sounds alongside his visual art. He was influenced by jazz and the broader musical culture of New York, and his paintings often possess a rhythm that resembles improvisation. Words, marks, and images seem to compete for attention while creating an overall composition. His artistic process shared something with jazz musicians who build a performance through experimentation, repetition, and unexpected changes. This connection between music and painting helped distinguish Basquiat from many of his contemporaries.

Basquiat also developed a significant relationship with Andy Warhol, one of the most recognizable artists of the twentieth century. The two artists collaborated on paintings during the 1980s, combining different approaches to imagery, color, and popular culture. Their relationship brought Basquiat into contact with an influential figure in the established art world, although it also highlighted the tensions between artistic creativity, celebrity, and commercial success. As his reputation grew, Basquiat had to navigate an industry that increasingly treated his identity and personal story as part of the appeal of his work. Nevertheless, he continued to produce paintings that expressed his individual perspective and challenged conventional ideas about art.

Despite his extraordinary success, Basquiat’s life was tragically short. He died in New York City on August 12, 1988, at just 27 years old, from an accidental drug overdose. His death ended a remarkably productive period in which he had moved from an underground artist in Brooklyn and Manhattan to an internationally recognized painter. His final years have also encouraged broader discussions about the pressures faced by young artists, the demands of celebrity, and the difficulties of maintaining personal well-being while working in a highly competitive industry. His death remains a painful reminder of the distance between public recognition and the private struggles a person may experience.

Today, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s legacy extends far beyond the galleries in which his paintings are displayed. His work is held by major museums, studied by scholars, and admired by artists across generations. His Brooklyn upbringing, Haitian and Puerto Rican heritage, family experiences, and encounters with New York’s streets all contributed to the development of an artistic vision that was unmistakably his own. Basquiat demonstrated that an artist did not need to follow traditional academic pathways to create work of lasting significance. His paintings continue to speak about identity, inequality, history, and the power of creative expression. From the streets of New York to the world’s leading museums, Basquiat remains a symbol of artistic independence and the enduring influence of Black creativity.

Based on reporting by The Positive Community.

Deana Lawson is an acclaimed American photographer and visual artist whose powerful portraits explore Black identity, family, spirituality, intimacy, and the complexities of everyday life. Born in 1979 in Rochester, New York, Lawson has developed a distinctive approach to photography that combines carefully arranged compositions with emotionally compelling subjects. Her images often resemble scenes from family photo albums, yet they possess a theatrical quality that encourages viewers to look beyond the surface. Through her work, Lawson challenges conventional representations of Black people and presents images that celebrate their humanity, individuality, beauty, and cultural richness.

Lawson’s interest in photography developed partly through her family’s relationship with the medium. Her father was an enthusiastic family photographer, and the photographs he collected helped shape her understanding of how images preserve memories and communicate identity. Growing up surrounded by family pictures gave her an appreciation for the significance of documenting everyday experiences. She recognized that family photographs do more than record appearances; they capture relationships, traditions, aspirations, and moments that become part of a family’s history. These early influences would eventually become central to her artistic practice, inspiring her to examine how photographs shape our understanding of ourselves and the people around us.

Her formal education provided the foundation for a successful career in the visual arts. Lawson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography from Pennsylvania State University in 2001 before completing a Master of Fine Arts degree at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2004. During her studies, she developed the technical and conceptual skills necessary to create photographs that communicate complex ideas. Rather than concentrating exclusively on conventional documentary photography, Lawson explored the possibilities of staging, portraiture, lighting, and composition. Her work demonstrates that photography can occupy a space between reality and imagination, documenting actual people while constructing carefully considered scenes that communicate broader emotional and cultural truths.

One of the most recognizable characteristics of Lawson’s photography is her attention to detail. She carefully considers the positioning of her subjects, the arrangement of furniture, the colors within a room, and the relationship between people and their surroundings. Bedrooms, living rooms, and other domestic spaces frequently become important settings in her photographs. Everyday objects, including mirrors, religious items, toys, clothing, and household decorations, help establish a sense of personal history. These details give viewers the impression that they are entering an intimate environment, while the deliberate composition encourages them to consider what the image communicates about family, identity, and belonging.

Lawson frequently photographs Black individuals, couples, and families in poses that communicate dignity, confidence, vulnerability, and emotional complexity. Her subjects often look directly into the camera, establishing a powerful connection with the viewer. Their expressions may appear serious, mysterious, or quietly contemplative. This direct gaze gives the people in her photographs a strong visual presence, making it difficult to treat them as passive subjects. Instead, they appear self-possessed and fully aware of their place within the image. Lawson’s approach challenges stereotypes that have historically influenced the representation of Black people in photography and popular culture, replacing simplistic narratives with images that emphasize individuality and humanity.

Her photographs also explore spirituality, a theme that adds another dimension to her artistic vision. Religious imagery, symbolic objects, unusual gestures, and carefully controlled lighting sometimes give her compositions an almost sacred atmosphere. Lawson’s images may resemble familiar domestic scenes while simultaneously suggesting something mysterious or otherworldly. This combination encourages viewers to consider the spiritual dimensions of ordinary life and the ways people seek meaning through relationships, traditions, and personal beliefs. Her photographs do not always offer clear explanations, allowing ambiguity to become part of their emotional power. The viewer is invited to interpret the scene and consider how visible appearances may conceal deeper experiences.

Although Lawson is deeply interested in African American life, her artistic vision extends throughout the African diaspora. A Guggenheim Fellowship in 2013 supported travel that included destinations such as Haiti, Jamaica, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These experiences expanded her perspective on the relationships connecting Black communities across different countries and cultural traditions. Her photographs explore similarities and differences in how people express identity, beauty, family, spirituality, and social belonging. Rather than suggesting that Black experiences are identical everywhere, Lawson’s work acknowledges the richness and diversity of Black life. Her international perspective places individual portraits within a broader conversation about history, migration, ancestry, and cultural connection.

Among her notable works is Roxie and Raquel, New Orleans, Louisiana (2010), a portrait featuring twin sisters positioned together on a bed. The carefully arranged composition emphasizes both their resemblance and their individuality, while the surrounding furnishings and colors contribute to the photograph’s visual balance. Another important work, Nation (2018), demonstrates Lawson’s interest in constructing images that carry symbolic and cultural significance. Her photographs often invite extended examination because their meaning emerges through the relationship between the subjects, their gestures, and the surrounding environment. These images illustrate her ability to transform seemingly ordinary moments into compositions that feel monumental, mysterious, and emotionally resonant.

Lawson’s achievements have brought her work to some of the most respected institutions in the art world. In 2020, she became the first photographer to receive the prestigious Hugo Boss Prize, an award recognizing significant contemporary artistic achievement. The recognition led to Centropy, an exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2021. Her work has also been presented at the Museum of Modern Art, MoMA PS1, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. In 2022, she received the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize. Beyond her exhibitions, Lawson has contributed to art education through her work at Princeton University, where she serves as the inaugural Dorothy Krauklis ’78 Professor of Visual Arts.

Ultimately, Deana Lawson’s significance lies in her ability to make photography a powerful vehicle for cultural affirmation and artistic exploration. Her portraits challenge viewers to reconsider familiar assumptions about Black identity while celebrating the beauty, complexity, and emotional depth of Black communities. By combining elements of documentary photography, family albums, staged portraiture, and symbolic imagery, she has created a visual language that is unmistakably her own. Her work reminds audiences that photographs are never simply records of what appears before a camera; they can also express dreams, histories, relationships, and aspirations. Through her remarkable vision, Lawson continues to expand the possibilities of contemporary photography and ensure that the lives and experiences of Black people occupy a central place in the visual record of our time.

Based on reporting by The Positive Community.

Pastors, civic leaders, and community members in the Bay Area gathered Thursday, Oct. 8, at Church of All Faiths in Oakland for a meet-and-greet marking a renewed push to revitalize the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA) of Oakland and Vicinity.

A highlight of the evening was the “Souls to the Polls: Our Voice, Our Vote!” segment, led by Pastor Damon Owens of Genesis Church in Antioch, which urged congregations to turn out for the election. Organizers also announced a proposed joint pre-Thanksgiving worship service for Nov. 17, with the location to be announced.

Pastor Marcie Hodge of Prayer Mission Church called the program to order, and Rev. Michael Wakefield Wallace of Mt. Zion M.B. Church led the opening devotion. Pastor Cubie Finley III of Parks Chapel AME read Nehemiah 2:17-18, the passage behind the event’s rallying cry, “Let us rise up and build.”

COGIC National Evangelist Dr. Lucinda Taylor, principal of Westlake Middle School, delivered the opening welcome.

Dr. L.J. Jennings of Kingdom Builders Church gave a brief statement of purpose, explaining the alliance’s mission of ‘Voice, Vision, and Values.’ Pastor Terry Benjamin of Restoration Evangelistic Ministries then introduced the convener, Pastor Mark Anthony Clifton, Sr., who is in his 26th year leading East Oakland Church of God in Christ. Clifton has been reorganizing the alliance to unite clergy around civic engagement. He noted that IMA’s national roots in 1926 in Galveston, Texas, and honored the Oakland leaders who came before him, including his grandfather, the late Bishop Martin J. Clifton, Sr.

“The work of the IMA of Oakland is just a continuation of the work done before us. Today, working together we can continue to solve many of the issues our community faces,” said  Clifton.

Members were invited to share testimonies, challenges, and ministry needs.

Other participants included Dr. Billy Dixon of At Thy Word Christian Center and Pastor Raymond Lankford, CEO of the Oakland Private Industry (OPIC) Council who shared information on the organization’s workforce development programming.

Public officials in attendance included Mayor Barbara Lee, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, and Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Denise Saddler, strengthening the ties between the faith community and local government.

“We are better together and our city is stronger when we partner with our faith leaders,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee.

Bishop Brondon Reems of Center of Hope Community Church provided the closing prayer and Rev. Dr. Jeffrey M. Parker, Sr., host pastor, gave final remarks and thanked attendees for coming. 

“It’s an honor to serve the community and bring everyone together,” said Parker.

Dozens of pastors from Oakland, Antioch, and the greater Bay Area were recognized as supporters.

“I want our partners and attendees involved to help rebuild the city they love and this is only the beginning of a larger movement to restore our great city,” said Clifton.

By Carla Thomas

Oakland gathered on Oct. 17 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Black Panther Party (BPP), the movement Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded in the city six decades ago.

The “All Power to the People” evening gala, at Oakland’s Scottish Rite Center, brought together Panther veterans, families, community leaders, and younger generations for a night of history, music, and recommitment.

The festivities, presented by the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, began with a black carpet entrance up the staircase to the center. Each side was lined with servers holding trays of champagne for guests to retrieve while walking in.

An energetic U.S. Congresswoman Lateefah Simon opened the program as emcee. Charlotte Hill O’Neal offered libations, and 16-year-old Abayomi Lewis, a Haitian American high school junior from San Francisco, performed BBP’s anthem, “The Meeting.” Young Gifted & Black, a performing arts program that has served Bay Area youth since 2010, followed with an inspirational performance of stepping and speaking truth to power. 

During dinner service by Chef Michele McQueen, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee shared how instrumental the Black Panther Party was to her as a young single parent of two boys. “The Party provided food and lots of support and Fredrika Newton’s mother, a prominent real estate broker and housing rights activist, helped me navigate purchasing my very first home.”

Lee also shared lots of Panther history, including that she was the finance chair for Black Panther Party co-founder, Bobby Seale when he ran for Oakland mayor.

Dr. Xavier Buck, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, spoke of how being held at gunpoint by six New York City police officers in Jamaica Queens, reading the autobiography of Assata Shakur, and learning from Fredrika Newton inspired his life’s work.

“I’ve been poured into by Black Panther Party members throughout the country and what I’ve learned the most from them is “radical love.” The same love that created free breakfast programs, free ambulance services, and free sickle cell anemia testing for the Black community.”

Marvel’s Black Panther author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates delivered the keynote address.

“The legacy of the Black Panther Party lives on,” said Coates noting the presence of BPP veterans. He further remarked that people often focus narrowly on how to win, but real moral clarity comes from reflecting on what principles you are willing to stand for—and what you are willing to lose for—even in the face of steep odds.

Fredrika Newton, co-founder and president of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, thanked Panther veterans for “all you gave” and expressed hope that attendees would leave with a renewed commitment to the work that remains. 

“Seeing Panther veterans, younger generations, and the community united to honor the Party, reminds me why this work has mattered so much,” said Newton.

Everyone in the room joined in song in tribute to Bobby Seale, wishing the 90-year-old well and took pictures with him. 

Cyril Innis Jr., known as “Bullwhip,” addressed the issue of political prisoners and fighting for their freedom. The program booklet listed the dozens of imprisoned Panther members who passed away and honored the sacrifices of those still incarcerated. 

A Legacy Award, was presented to Charlotte Hill O’Neal, known affectionately as “Mama C.” 

“Mama C” has continued the Party’s work from Tanzania, where she and her husband, Pete O’Neal, founder of the Kansas City chapter, have lived in exile since 1970. Together they established the United African Alliance Community Center and the Leaders of Tomorrow Children’s Home which cares for orphans. 

“Mama C” ceremoniously circled each table honoring the ancestors of the movement and encouraged guests to call out the names of loved ones who had passed away. 

Marc Philpart of the Black Freedom Fund supported the anniversary and pledged to keep investing in the people and organizations carrying the work forward.

Trust for Public Land also marked the occasion, recalling its collaboration with the Panthers and Oakland residents who turned vacant lots into neighborhood gardens in the 1970s. 

The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation opened the Black Panther Party Museum in January 2024, and the museum has since held multiple exhibitions and welcomes more than 30,000 visitors a year on the newly named Black Panther Party Boulevard in downtown Oakland. For more information, go to HueyPNewtonFoundation.org

By Special to The Post

The Council for Global Ancestral Reverence (C4GAR), a group of elders who practice African traditional spirituality, will lead a three-day gathering of prayer and discussion from Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

Called ‘Ancestral Souls Rising,’ the council members and 21 priests will lead the prayers from many parts of the African diaspora: Africa, Portugal, and across the U.S. from Maryland to the Bay Area.

Now in its seventh year, the annual ritual began during the 2020 pandemic when hundreds of thousands of people died alone and were buried in mass graves without rites and rituals according to loved ones’ traditions.

This prayer event was and is intended to give peace to the departed and comfort for the living who still mourn. Each year, we gather names of new ancestors from living elders to elevate them into the “Great Hall of the Titans.”

In ensuing years, C4GAR added themes to the prayer gathering that referenced current events. In 2024, before the consequential presidential election, C4GAR called on people to vote, invoking the memory of Civil Rights Movement heroes and heroines like John Lewis, who urged “Good Trouble,” and Fannie Lou Hamer, who famously declared that she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

The day of global Prayer on Oct. 31 will be followed by a two-day conversation inspired by “The Blueprint,” an Afro-Beat song by UyiosaEl, to write our new blueprint that supports solidarity and action in the Black community.

 “Our elders have, for many generations, known the power of prayer, ritual and breath,” the council said in a statement.

It was and is their intention, then, to use the cultural wisdom, the gift of prayer “and the most sacred thing we have, our breath, to send energy into the world that invokes and honors our ancestors,” the council statement continued.

“Doing this creates a vibration that protects us and employs their ancient wisdom for the well-being of our communities,” the elders said.

The councilmembers, all over the age of 60, recognize that what is now history for so many was once their lived experience. And that history, those joys and sorrows, are now in their bodies.

To them, the uttered prayer and the sacred breath are oaths to an unfolding future that people can still shape.

The council members are Dr. Iyabeji Cathy Royal, Iyalocha Jennifer Dillard, Manbo Charlene Desir (Florida), Nana Sula Spirit (Louisiana), Baba Obafemi Feyemi, Ohen Nedra T. Williams, and Iyalocha Wanda Ravernell-Stewart Emeritus (Oakland).

This year, they also encourage everyone within their reach to VOTE because it is not only a secular and political act, but a sacred one. Remember, the ancestors were denied that right and died for it.

For tickets, go to:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/council-for-global-ancestral-reverence-presents-ancestral-souls-rising-26-tickets-2003127345814?aff=oddtdtcreator

Big Mama had a way of seeing something in you before you could see it in yourself.

My grandmother, Lucille “Big Mama” Allen, came from a generation that believed in correction. I grew up in a household where somebody might tell you, “Go get me a switch.” You knew what that meant.

But age has taught me something: correction without direction can stop behavior, but it doesn’t always develop the person.

Sometimes what we call a young man’s problem is really an undeveloped gift.

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I learned that through mentoring.

I once worked with a young man who was gambling and running numbers. Now, I wasn’t going to celebrate the behavior. Wrong is wrong. But I also refused to believe his mistakes represented the totality of who he was.

I looked underneath the behavior.

This young brother understood numbers. He understood money, calculation and risk. His gift wasn’t gambling. His gift was his mind. So I introduced him to another image: Mansa Musa, the legendary African ruler whose name became synonymous with extraordinary wealth, commerce and economic power. to The message was simple: You already have something inside you. Now what are you going to do with it? That young man redirected his abilities. What had been operating in the wrong environment found purpose through education, accounting and legitimate business. Today, he has built a leading Bookkeeping firm in California’s East Bay.

That is what mentoring can do. It is also why I created programs like City MenTor and why, for 25 years, City Men Cook has celebrated fathers, mentors and men who show up. Mentoring isn’t creating somebody in our image. It is helping somebody recognize what God already placed inside them. I thnaks GOd for allys ike Pastor Keith Lofton who helpe me keep the programs grunded in Faith.

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Scripture tells us to “fan into flame the gift of God.” — 2 Timothy 1:6.

Somebody reading this has a gift that survived mistakes, disappointment, rejection, bad decisions and maybe even your own attempts to bury it.

But it survived.Now comes the question Big Mama might ask

Baby, if God restored your gift, who are you using it to restore?

Don’t just celebrate your comeback. Reach back. Find somebody whose gift came wrapped wrong—and help them unwrap it.

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Big Mama said: Don’t throw away the gift. Redirect it. Develop it. Then give it away.

Terry Allen is an NABJ award-winning Journalist, DEI expert, PR professional, and – Vice President at FocusPR, founder of the charity City Men Cook, and Dallas Chapter President of NBPRS.org

Based on reporting by Texas Metro News.