Happy Memorial Day

Buffalo Soldiers Focus of Archaeological ProjectThe Black Range Mountains located in southwestern New Mexico are the homeland of the Warm Springs Apaches.

From the 1860’s to 1890’s, numerous battles between the U.S. Army and Native Americans occurred on the Gila National Forest. Today, the Forest is providing opportunities to share this rich history with archaeology students and academia through the Gila Archaeological Project (GAP).

Recently, Gila archaeologists hosted a dozen university students for two weeks as part of an archaeology field school held in the Black Range Mountains of the forest. Students spent their time mapping historic buildings, conducting a reconnaissance survey of an 1880 Apache battle site, and completing surveys of other prehistoric and historic sites. This field school known as “Windows on the Past!” will give students the opportunity to learn about the historic conflict between a well-known Native American tribe and a unique cavalry regiment.

In addition to conducting field work, students also had the opportunity to learn about the historic conflict between the Warm Springs Apache Indians and the army regiment known as the Buffalo Soldiers, a nickname given by the Native American tribes they fought.

The Buffalo Soldiers, who were established by Congress as the first peacetime all-black regiments in the regular United States Army, were significant participants in the history of settlement of the West. They were members of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments.

The Warm Springs Apaches formed the eastern branch of the Chiricahuas who frequented southwestern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, and Chihuahua, Mexico.

The Black Range Ranger District’s Zone Archaeologist, Chris Adams, says the GAP field school is not only to study the Apache and Buffalo Soldier conflicts through surviving relics, but to include the human aspect.

“During last year’s field school, students from the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in south central New Mexico heard stories about the area and their forefathers’ history in the Black Range Mountains. By being in the area where their forefathers lived, they were able to re-connect with the past and the oral histories they had heard. When they left, a piece of their people’s history went with them. Their history then became more personal and real to them,” said Adams.

The field school will again be based at the historic town site of Hermosa on private land adjacent to the Gila National Forest. Hermosa’s history started in 1883 during the area’s silver mining boom. Historic records indicate the Black Range Mountains were the location where over 40 different battles occurred between the Apaches and the U.S. military, including the Buffalo Soldiers. Today, Hermosa is part of the Ladder Ranch owned by Ted Turner, media owner and philanthropist.

The GAP program is the result of a participating agreement the forest has with Indiana University in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Howard University in Washington, D.C. This is the second year the field school has been hosted by the forest.

Conqueror Paper: Colours of India

"Celebrating a decade in the the land of a million hues."






cred:

TapRoot, Mumbai, India

Kia: A new way to roll

The shop called David&Goliath have these hamsters rocking the fug out. And they do it in a pretty convincing hip hop fashion. They pay homage to a great semi-classic track by The Black Sheep, its kind of ironic since their was a black ad shop once that was called "Black Sheep" (SHOUTS to Tobi, Marlon & Retta.) In the course of doing all this vehicle hocking we see these car-hood-rats slide through a vinyl shop, a car wash, the basketball court & barber shop, "Who's a black rat?" BTW, they live on "Hamsterdam Ave," rock Hoodies 'n Tims & wear warm-ups, nice touch. All of those locales are pretty cliche but they aren't romanced in the spot as much as they are referenced. The spot is so well done that it seems to be nit picky and a bit small minded to concern myself with rather or not its offensive to Hip Hop culture or Black people in general. It's obvious the agency has done their homework on this piece. Of course there is no lack of subject matter to study, but they took the time to do it. The moves the CGI hamsters make are pretty convincing, and no easy feat, the gear, an easy study but studied non-the-less. Thank god they also avoided the dreaded copywriter as lyricist dead-end, go get you rap career started on your own time home-dude.

In the older spots I def felt the furry cuzzys were borrowing a bit of African American swag (can I still say swag?), but just enough to make them cool and not too common guy lame. But here they step it up considerably and make it work harder and funk just a lil bit better. Every little move had to be studied, copied and corrected. They were like, 'how would a black guy move if he were a hamster in a 90's rap video hocking matchbox cars??' Somebody at this shop is studying black peoples movements, mannerisms & culture like FBI video tape son! That's a little creepy.

Was it a diss? I think not, however, I did raise an eyebrow at first, but it just sorta melted into an adman's understandingly agreeable grin. This will do well with its intended audiences. Let's see if it moves some Souls. Somebody still maybe more offended than me and well that's what that lil comment button is for. After all you just can't go around de-anthropomorphizing black folks all willy-nilly.




Mookie n 'Nem say...

Kia's new Black Rat Sheep joint is stoopid dope.  Call us at 1-800-HATERADE if you disagree.  We'll come over and knock the taste back into your head until you come to your senses and appreciate this artful communication.

Say Word!

Levi's® Pioneer Sessions: Nas

Levi's taps Nas to plug its latest denim line up.

"For more than 15 years, Nas has been a galvanizing force in rap. He’s a lyricist of the highest order and a provocateur to boot. His debut album Illmatic remains a hip-hop touchstone, a masterpiece full of short narratives that found Nas telling dark tales of urban desperation. Nasir Jones was 15 when rap legend Slick Rick released his debut album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick. The influence of Rick on Nas is inestimable.

Ricky Walters has a masters degree in the art of storytelling. Better-known as Slick Rick, the England-born, Bronx-raised rapper enjoyed worldwide renown for his novelty songs. But the best of his music involved his helium-voiced flow -slippery one moment, staccato the next – narrating street-level tales about such topics as the short life spans of hustlers. His “Hey Young World” is something of an anomaly in Rick’s songbook. While it doesn’t sugarcoat the pitfalls of making certain life choices, Rick urges his young listeners to try a different route: “Hey young world,” he raps, “the world is yours.”

Nas doesn’t possess Rick’s comic sensibility, but he did inherit from Rick a keen sense for the way precise detail and carefully chosen perspective can enrich a short story, the kind that populated Illmatic and his subsequent work. Nas’ re-crafting of “Hey Young World” is true to its source, though its harder, metallic edges suggest a bluntness caused by twenty-plus years without progress."

Free download of Nas' version of Slick Rick's 'Hey Young world'

Dereon by Beyonce C&A commercial

via woooha

Nike Football: The Message

The Message makes Mesut Özil stronger.

Write a message which is going with Mesut Özil to the Worldcup in South Africa. Your Message is in his boot on a microchip. After save the message you get a wallpaper with an image from Mesut with your message in it. Here you can get your own: http://bit.ly/aA2Uk3

cred:

Kolle Rebbe, Hamburg, Germany
Creative Director: Justin Landon
Art Director: Felix Schulz
Copywriters: Malik Banamera, Florian Ludwig
Additional credits: Markus Drühe, Tobias Wortmann, Kristin Ließ, Robert Jähnnert, Johannes Widmer

Born HIV Free: Baby In The Sky/The Fight against HIV

 

This fantastic animation called "Baby In The Sky" which seeks to raise money for The Global Fund to fight HIV. The production is from Passion Paris Production, directed by Jack @ bonzom Antoine Charlot.

Hyundai: Driven by obsession (Fluidic Sculpture)

Hyundai has just released a fine campaign in Australia, promoting it's new I45 sedan.

With the creation of Innocean Worldwide in Sydney, in partnership with the consultancy's creative Disciple, the campaign has come up with a beautiful commercial, produced by Revolver and directed by Bruce Hunt, where the brand presents its 'water sculpture' (as we saw here on the blog recently), bringing life to the concept 'Driven by Obsession'and the new style language called "fluidic Sculpture" that the brand has been using.

The images of this installation will be the focal point of the entire integrated campaign, being applied not only in trade but also in print, billboards, online, POS and all.

cred:
i45.com.au

Spike Lee Designs Absolut Brooklyn Bottle

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) May 20th 2010 at 8:01PM Director Spike Lee is the bottle designer behind Absolut vodka'slatest limited edition flavor, Absolut Brooklyn. The bottle features a depiction of a brownstone with the number from Lee's childhood home in Cobble Hill and bears his name on the bottle. Inside the bottle is a vodka flavored with apple and ginger. It has a retail price of $29.99 . Each of the city editions of Absolut has a charitable initiative attached, as part of this campaign Absolut is donating $50,000 to Habitat for Humanity to help fund an affordable homes project in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Previous city editions included Absolut Boston (black tea and elderflower), Los Angeles (blueberry, acerola cherry, açai berry and pomegranate) and New Orleans (black pepper and mango).

Gitam BBDO: Spicy Business Cards

cred: 

Gitam BBDO, Israel
Creative Manager: Maayan Reshef-Riven
Art Director / Copywriter: Idan Heskia
Supervisor: Udi Avivi
Print Production Printing: Dmitry Poleg

New study says wealth gap between blacks and whites has quadrupled since mid 1980s

(May 20, 2010) The wealth gap between white and African-American families increased more than four times between 1984-2007, and middle-income white households now own far more wealth than high-income African Americans, according to an analysis released on Monday by the Institute on Assets and Social Policy (IASP) at Brandeis University.

IASP, in a research brief, also reported that many African Americans hold more debt than assets and at least 25 percent of African-American families had no assets to turn to in times of economic hardship. The fourfold increase in the wealth gap, it said, reflects public policies, such as tax cuts on investment income and inheritances, which benefit the wealthiest and persistent discrimination in housing, credit and labor markets.

"Our study shows a broken chain of achievement. Even when African Americans do everything right -- get an education and work hard at well-paying jobs -- they cannot achieve the wealth of their white peers in the workforce, and that translates into very different life chances," said Thomas Shapiro, IASP director and co-author of the research brief.

"A U-turn is needed. Public policies have and continue to play a major role in creating and sustaining the racial wealth gap, and they must play a role in closing it," said Shapiro, author of The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality and the co-author of Black Wealth/White Wealth.

Wealth, what you own minus what you owe, allows people to start a business, buy a home, send children to college and ensure an economically secure retirement. Using economic data from the same nationally representative set of families from 1984 to 2007, the IASP analysis found that the real wealth gains and losses over the time demonstrate an escalating racial gap.

Over those 23 years, it said, the racial wealth gap increased by $75,000 from $20,000 to $95,000. Financial assets, excluding home equity, among white families grew from a median value of $22,000 to $100,000 during that period while African Americans saw very little increase in assets in real dollars and had a median wealth of $5,000 in 2007.

Summing up all assets and debt, one in 10 African Americans owed at least $3,600 in 2007, nearly doubling their debt burden in real terms since 1984, IASP said.

The growth of the racial wealth gap significantly affects the economic future of American families, it said. The current gap is so large that it would pay tuition at a four-year public university for two children, purchase or make a solid down payment on a house, or provide a nest egg to draw upon in times of job loss or crisis.

"The gap is opportunity denied and assures racial economic inequality for the next generation," said Tatjana Meschede, a co-author of the policy brief.

Notably, IASP's analysis found that by 2007, the average middle-income white household had accumulated $74,000 in wealth, an increase of $55,000 over the 23-year period, while the average high-income African-American family owned $18,000, a drop of $7,000. That resulted in a wealth gap of $56,000 for an African-American family that earned more than $50,000 in 1984 compared to a white family earning about $30,000 that same year.

Those figures, IASP said, make it clear that higher income alone will not lead to increased wealth, security and economic mobility for African Americans. Consumers of color face a gauntlet of barriers -- in credit, housing and taxes -- that dramatically reduce the chances of economic mobility, it said.

Indeed, the data indicate that the general trend in lending, in which consumers of color pay more for accessing credit, increases their debt and blocks opportunities to move forward, putting them at a severe economic disadvantage. These are concerns that must be addressed through the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, now being debated in Congress, and other policy changes, IASP said.

http://iasp.brandeis.edu.








TMN

GlobalHue uses You Tube to market the diversity of the agency's staff

(May 20, 2010) GlobalHue, the nation's largest multicultural advertising agency, has taken a different route to introducing itself to the marketing industry. It has adopted the social-media approach to showcase the cultural diversity of the nation's largest African-American owned advertising agency.

The 20 year-old agency recently completed two videos accessible through its You Tube channel that highlight staff members sharing their experience of working at the Southfield, MI shop.

of the videos showcasing their culturally diverse staff through their insights and reflections into the changes currently being experienced in the US.

"Many people in and out of the industry understand that GlobalHue is a multicultural advertising and marketing agency without being able to capture the essence of what those words mean," said Kelli M. Coleman, Vice President, Business Development, at GlobalHue. "We decided to ask our staff, who live the GlobalHue mission every day, to answer the question 'What is GlobalHue?' In these videos, they express how the change we are experiencing in the new America provides the pulse of our agency community."

Featured in the two minute video are members of the creative, account, business development and administrative staff giving their perspectives on what it means to work at a multicultural ad agency.

This isn't the first time that GlobalHue has utilized You Tube to shape its image within the industry. Last year it featured a clip entitled "GlobalHue: Take ONE" with Felipe Donnelly Camacho, a native Columbian and Account Supervisor at GH Latino giving his take on identity, culture and belonging.

The agency plans to update the videos to keep industry watchers and the curious abreast of new developments.




Positive steps in the right direction  ~Craig :)  




TMN

Illustrator: Ben Hribar

via

10 Things You Thought Were Black Owned -- But Aren't

BET, George Foreman Grills and Dark & Lovely No Lye Relaxer have a commonality: They're not as black as you think. For the confused, theBVX ( which like Black Voices is NOT black-owned) has compiled a shocking list of 10 things you thought were black owned but actually aren't.

10. Black Entertainment Television
If black is in the name, it must be black owned, right? The network was founded by an African American, Robert Johnson, in the '80s, but in 2003, BET was sold to Viacom, which also owns MTV and VH1. The sale made Johnson one of the first black billionaires. Ballin'!

9. Def Jam Records
The label, born out of a college dorm room and built on MCs like Run-DMC, Jay-Z and Kanye West, is commonly associated with its co-founder, Russell Simmons, who escaped a financial mishap by selling 50 percent of the label to Polygram in 1994. In 1999, Russell sold his stake in the business to Universal Musical Group for $100 million. No wonder the label's more Rihanna than raps these days.

8. Marc Ecko
If you're into urban wear, then you may already know that Marc Ecko is a thirtysomething New Jersey native who never tried to pass for black. Instead the man whose line was once considered "too white" or "too black" for some retailers has attracted multiethnic consumers by cleverly targeting urban markets. But where does the rhino fit?

7. Jimmy Jazz
The 20-year-old company, which has more than 120 stores throughout the United States, housing lines like Baby Phat, Rocawear and Coogi, was founded by James Kherzie. The young Brooklynite opened the store as an alternative outlet for hard-to-find urban brands. Despite hip-hop's lyrical mentions of the brand, the name is based on the song 'Jimmy Jazz' by punk rockers The Clash. London calling?

6. Essence Magazine
The publication that was once the second largest black publication hasn't been black owned since the remaining minority stake in Essence Communications Inc. was sold to Time Inc. in 2005. The corporation originally purchased 49 percent of the popular African American publication in 2000, leaving the style bible in the hands of a man more partial to Brooks Brothers than Carol's Daughter.

5. 'The Game'
The popular CW show, which is set to have second life on BET, was created by Mara Brock Akil, but one of the producers behind the black dramedy is Kelsey Grammer. Grammer is best known for his role on 'Cheers' as Frasier, and his production Grammnet was also responsible for the African American comedy 'Girlfriends.'

4. The George Foreman Grill
Say it isn't so! The household staple bearing George Foreman's name is not owned by the former heavyweight champion. The grill's inventor, Michael Boem, sought out George because he was a burger freak known to consume the item before fights. The money behind the grill? Salton Inc., which was later acquired by Applica, and George sold the rights to the use of his name in 1999 for $127 million and stock options.

3. Church's Chicken
No, we don't think African Americans have a super-size love for chicken but we do know that Church's is scattered across numerous urban neighborhoods occupied by minorities. The founder targeted areas where Kentucky Fried Chicken, at the time, would not locate. George Church started the no-frills chain in Texas before being acquired by a public company and then sold to a private equity firm. Chuuch!

2. T.V. One
The network that has revived 'A Different World" is not 1980s BET in the making. T.V. One is primarily a partnership between Radio One's Cathy Hughes and the mammoth cable company Comcast Corporation. But we do love 'Unsung,' though.

1. SoftSheen Carson
If you're thinking of hair care products, items by SoftSheen Carson probably come to mind. The 46-year-old Softsheen brand was acquired by L'Oreal in 1998 and merged with another minority brand, Carson Products. The company that helps many black women maintain their hair is actually owned by L'Oreal USA, which is owned by the parent Parisian company L'Oreal Group. We knew Kelly Rowland was just the face for Dark & Lovely.





BVx

Shell in the Niger Delta

msladydeborah said...

What a powerful statement this is.
The visuals plus her statement give us more than ample reason to be involved in the struggle for environmental justice.

by Amnesty International

Publix: Mac & Cheesy Grin

Mac'd from MultiCultClassics

cred:

Matlock & Assoc

Tobi & 'nem

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May Day with Shepard Fairey

Having enjoyed a great deal of success with his most recent exhibition titled "May Day", we get up close and personal with Shepard Fairey. Seeing Fairey in action through a large-scale wheatpasting, we also take a look into Fairey's background behind the May Day show at Deitch Projects as well as his involvement with his clothing label OBEY.

Director: Kellen Dengler

SANCA, The South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence: Prostitute, Druggie, Criminal

Drinking during pregnancy can take years to affect your baby.

50% of children born with foetal alcohol syndrome will grow up to engage in risky sexual behaviour. Do the right thing for child's sake. Don't drink during pregnancy.

A print campaign for SANCA, The South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, communicating the dangers of drinking alcohol to pregnant women who think that moderate drinking won't affect their unborn babies. Foetal alcohol syndrome doesn't just manifest itself in physical birth defects at birth, it can also cause psychological damage, which isn't always immediately apparent.







cred:
Lowe Bull, Cape Town, South Africa
Executive Creative Director: Kirk Gainsford
Creative Director: Alistair Morgan
Art Director: Cameron Watson
Copywriter: Simon Lotze
Photographer: Dawid Wapenaar




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Portfolio Night 8: Advertising is calling

cred:
Memac Ogilvy, Dubai, UAE
Creative Director: Ramzi Moutran
Art Director: Rafael Rizuto
Copywriter: Sascha Kuntze
Director: Jac the Awesome
Production Company: Muddville Dubai
Animation, Post Production: Muddville Dubai

Nike Sportswear x Mr. Cartoon “True Colors”

BY HYPEBEAST STAFF, MAY 17, 2010

We recently had to opportunity to spend some time in Chicago with Nike Sportswear and Mr. Cartoon as they celebrated the launch of the brand’s collaborative capsule for the 2010 World Cup. Amongst other topics, the Los Angeles-based tattoo artist/designer spoke of the importance of representing the USA with his artwork and giving back to young artists and creatives alike. We also get a peek into the new gallery/retail space between NSW and St. Alfreds. Enjoy!

Directors: The Werehaus





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Jason Richardson Foundation - jrich23.org

NBA fans are familiar with the explosive style and virtuosity of Phoenix Sun’s star Jason Richardson – they're the same skills that won him two back-to-back NBA Slam Dunk championships. But what many don’t see is the work Jason does off the court helping young people reach their full potential through his foundation. That was the starting point for jrich23.org.

jrich23.org invites visitors to select from a choice of balls lying round an atmospheric court, each of which triggers Jason to perform a unique dunk or trick captured exclusively for the website. The site features a total of 12 shots to choose from, in-depth info on the various activities of the Foundation, as well as downloadable content from the shoot.

Lollipop shot the content in addition to designing and building the site.

Puma Presents the Africa Unity Experience

On May 28th, the Africa Unity Experience will kickoff in celebration of Puma's love and support of the African continent and its football teams. In a year that will culminate with the World Cup in South Africa, the event includes a free concert at La Cigale in Paris, an exhibition game with stars from the national teams of Cameroon, Ghana, and Ivory Coast, as well as several promotional training camps. The concert will benefit Puma's 'Play for Life' campaign which launched earlier this year in conjunction with United Nations Environment Program to support the 'International Year of Biodiversity.' We enjoyed designing and launching the site...we just wish we could go!

cred: Tank

Brownstone Sans - The Specimen From: Ale Paul

ABOUT THE BROWNSTONE SPECIMEN

"Brownstone Specimen was designed to illustrate the benefits of my last typeface. It was written and photographed by my personal friend Jon Parker who actually lives in Brooklyn.

To license the the font follow this link or for individual files this one"

portfolio here.

Typographic works From: fakie

more

Ad designer Art Sims to be recognized by AIGA National Design Center May 19th

(May 17, 2010) Art Sims is being honored by the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) which has chosen to recognize Sims for his outstanding design achievements in a new traveling exhibition and online archive entitled "Design Journeys," a collection of stories about the professional lives, contributions and portfolios of leading African American, Latino, Native American, Asian American, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander designers. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 19 from 6 -8:00 PM at the AIGA National Design Center, which is located at 164 Fifth Avenue (between 21st and 22nd Streets), New York, NY

Art Sims, CEO of 11:24 Design Advertising has been creating some of the most powerful and controversial print ad campaigns for award winning feature films ranging from Spike Lee's "Malcolm X," "Do The Right Thing," and "When The Levees Broke," to upcoming features such as Erik White's "Lottery Ticket" starring Ice Cube and Bow Wow and Spike Lee's "Passing Strange" and "If God Is Willing And The Creek Don't Rise."

Sims and his 11:24 Design Advertising agency anticipated the urbanization of American culture when what was once considered urban marketing was fast becoming recognized as the mainstream industry standard. With his multicultural team Sims has worked with some of Hollywood's top filmmakers, including Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, and Quincy Jones, and, as he created the indelible images seen for the movie posters and print ad campaigns of several films, including "Malcolm X," "Do The Right Thing," "Jungle Fever," "Bamboozled," "Love & Basketball," and "When The Levees Broke" to Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple."

www.1124design.com

TMN