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Washington, DC - Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) will host a series "brain trust" forums at the Congressional Black Caucus' Annual Legislative Conference, titled: "Countering Culture: COINTELPRO Attacks on Political Musicians." From MKULTRA to COINTELRPO, black performers have been the targets of secret FBI operations, with many of those targeted ending up dead under mysterious circumstances. At these forums, , there will be music, films and presentations of new information by the following family members and experts Family members taking on topics like: "The Covert War Against Black Musicians," "The Legacy of COINTELPRO" and "The Future."
Paul Robeson Jr., son of the legendary black performer and athlete Paul Robeson will lead off the Thursday panel, discussing "Paul Robeson and MKULTRA." Also on the panel will be Afeni Shakur, mother of hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur, who was shot dead in Las Vegas in 1996.
Saturday's session will begin with the film "Scandalize my Name," which explores the destructive effects of red-baiting and blacklisting of the lives of black performers in the 1950s. Leading off the speakers will be University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill, who will offer a scathing indictment of the COINTELPRO program. Former Black Panther Party member Kathleen Cleaver speaking on "Second Generation Targets: The Legacy Continues."
Speakers include:
- Paul Robeson, Jr., son of Paul Robeson, author of Here I Stand
- Alex Constantine, author of The Covert War Against Rock
- Afeni Shakur, mother of Tupac Shakur, filmmaker
- Ward Churchill, author of The COINTELPRO Papers
- Kathleen Cleaver, author of Liberation, Imagination and the Black Panther Party
- Davey D, hip hop artist and commentator
- Rosa Clemente, hip hop activist
Film: (Showing: 1 pm Saturday, September 24th)
Scandalize My Name, narrated by Morgan Freeman.
The events will be moderated by Cedric Muhammad, editor of the online Black Electorate news site, and are free and open to the public. The Washington Convention Center is located at 801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW, convenient to a Yellow and Green Metro line stop. |
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