Equity Lab: Happy Birthday, Malcolm X! How to celebrate his life in Sacramento + J. Cole
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It’s Wednesday, May 19, 2021.
Local business owners will host a free community event honoring the life of late civil rights activist Malcolm X this Saturday in North Sacramento.
The organizers, Dana Maeshia, owner of All Things Literacy, a Black-owned bookstore located in the Florin Square business district, and Berry Accius, owner of Black BluePrintz, say the event is over a year in the making, after postponing last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is important to Maeshia that the festival honor and lift the legacy of Malcolm X.
“I believe that Malcolm, too, is worthy and he deserves it. He stood on his principles, he never wavered from wanting us to have equality and self-determination,” said Maeshia.
The Inaugural Malcolm X Festival flier promotes food from local Black-owned businesses, retail vendors, live performances and a roster of panel discussions. The event is on Saturday, May 22 from noon to 6 p.m. at 1913 Del Paso Blvd.
The event organizers will also award 6 residents with “Malcolm X Self-Determination Awards” for exuding principles suggested through the teachings of the late scholar and activist.
Retailers can sign up for the event for $75 and food vendors can enlist for $135. Interested parties can contact event organizers at malcolmxfest@gmail.com.
— Marcus D. Smith
Here’s what else you need to know this week:
Must-Read Stories
GENTRIFICATION IN OAK PARK: Oak Park, a historically Black neighborhood of Sacramento that’s experienced poverty and disinvestment for decades, is in a dizzying transformation. Rents and real estate prices, on the rise for a decade, have now skyrocketed. Stylish condos and chic businesses are popping up. Young professionals are moving in, some from the Bay Area. Longtime residents, many of them renters, are on edge.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING ISSUE: Nearly 60,000 low-income households in Sacramento County can’t find an affordable home to rent, a new report from the California Housing Partnership found. The lack of cheaper homes and apartments in the county has forced thousands of low-income residents to frequently spend well over the recommended 30% of their income on rent and utilities, underscoring the rapidly worsening affordable housing crisis in Sacramento.
COVID RELIEF CONTINUES: Eligible parents can get up to $300 per child from Washington as a monthly tax payment starting July 15, the Treasury Department said Monday. That means the 2020 tax return that was due Monday with the Internal Revenue Service now could determine how much, if anything, they can get. The IRS will base the upcoming child tax credit payment on what that return says about a family. Payments will be made on the 15th of each month.
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These photos show the horror of life in Gaza right now | Vice News
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Thousands of people protested in support of Palestinians in major cities around the world | BuzzFeed News
What we’re listening to (and you should, too!)
There was so much hype around the latest album by J. Cole, considering that he has told his fans that he is coming to his “last hurrah” in the music industry. He is on the verge of putting the pen down, and he announced that his album “The Off-Season” will be the second-to-last project he plans to drop — then he calls it quits for good in the rap game. He didn’t disappoint. Maybe it was anticipation for me. Maybe it’s because I’ve been a fan since his debut mixtape, “The Come Up.” Regardless, “The Off-Season” is what I have been listening to — on repeat — since it was released last Thursday night.
I understand that there are a lot of people that will be quick to say that “Cole fell off.” Well, I think as a fan I should mention that his final album will be called “The Fall Off” for that exact reason.
But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. Back to the album — “The Off-Season.”
It’s a 12-track project with an overall duration of just under 40 minutes. It’s a perfect album to listen to while getting in your daily workout routine.
I enjoyed the album because I feel this was Cole waking up and reminding his fans, his haters, and those on the fence about his skills. He opens with “95 south,” which was a braggadocious call out to everyone who doubted him, letting them know his track record in hip-hop.
Cole is not one for doing features or having other artists featured on his projects, but he’s stepped out of his comfort zone to attempt reaching new heights and check boxes about his impact in the game.
He brought back the Grammy-winning duo of himself and 21 Savage. The duo that brought us “A lot” came back to give us an introspective look into their trials and tribulations coming up in “My Life” featuring Morray, who’s on the vocals.
I favored “Applying Pressure” because it made flashbacks to J. Cole during “The Warm-Up” era, 2009-2010, with the way he was rapping, from punchlines, to even the beat selection. The next track provided the same vibe — it even featured a snippet from an interview with NBA All Star, Damian Lillard.
He linked with fellow Dreamville member Bas for three songs, “100 mil’,” “Let Go My Hand” featuring 6lack, and “Hunger on Hillside.” They really never miss.
However, it’s his song, “Pride is the Devil” with Lil Baby that stands out to me as the radio hit that would be played by DJs at least 10 times a day. Its upbeat, melodic sound is reminiscent of a commercial sound.
Aside from the album, can we just say kudos to this man for living out his dream of playing professional basketball? He dropped an album and then went to play professionally in Rwanda in the Basketball Africa League. One word — goals! I mean, the guy is even sponsored by Puma Basketball. Imagine a journalist writing a story one day and then the next day suiting up for the Stockton Kings. Nevertheless, if you haven’t given J. Cole’s album “The Off-Season” a listen, I suggest you take 40 minutes to do so.
— Marcus D. Smith
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Thank you for reading, and we will see you again next week!
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This story was originally published May 19, 2021 at 2:23 PM.