This photo exhibit shares stories of families who came north to escape slavery
Many of the Black residents of southwestern Ontario can trace their family history all the way back to the Underground Railroad. Nearly 200 years ago, their ancestors escaped slavery in the United States by migrating north. A new photo exhibit, called "North is Freedom" at Art Windsor-Essex shares their stories. Darryl Hogan is featured in the photo essay and spoke about the project with Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sly Stone, leader of funk revolutionaries Sly and the Family Stone, dies at 82
NEW YORK (AP) — Sly Stone, the revolutionary musician and dynamic showman whose Sly and the Family Stone transformed popular music in the 1960s and '70s and beyond with such hits as 'Everyday People,' 'Stand!' and 'Family Affair,' has died. He was 82 Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, had been in poor health in recent years. His publicist Carleen Donovan said Monday that Stone died surrounded by family after contending with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other ailments. Formed in 1966-67, Sly and the Family Stone was the first major group to include Black and white men and women, and well embodied a time when anything seemed possible — riots and assassinations, communes and love-ins. The singers screeched, chanted, crooned and hollered. The music was a blowout of frantic horns, rapid-fire guitar and locomotive rhythms, a melting pot of jazz, psychedelic rock, doo-wop, soul and the early grooves of funk. Sly's time on top was brief, roughly from 1968-1971, but profound. No band better captured the gravity-defying euphoria of the Woodstock era or more bravely addressed the crash which followed. From early songs as rousing as their titles — 'I Want To Take You Higher,' 'Stand!' — to the sober aftermath of 'Family Affair' and 'Runnin' Away,' Sly and the Family Stone spoke for a generation whether or not it liked what they had to say. Stone's group began as a Bay Area sextet featuring Sly on keyboards, Larry Graham on bass; Sly's brother, Freddie, on guitar; sister Rose on vocals; Cynthia Robinson and Jerry Martini horns and Greg Errico on drums. They debuted with the album 'A Whole New Thing' and earned the title with their breakthrough single, 'Dance to the Music.' It hit the top 10 in April 1968, the week the Rev. Martin Luther King was murdered, and helped launch an era when the polish of Motown and the understatement of Stax suddenly seemed of another time. Led by Sly Stone, with his leather jumpsuits and goggle shades, mile-wide grin and mile-high Afro, the band dazzled in 1969 at the Woodstock festival and set a new pace on the radio. 'Everyday People,' 'I Wanna Take You Higher' and other songs were anthems of community, non-conformity and a brash and hopeful spirit, built around such catchphrases as 'different strokes for different folks.' The group released five top 10 singles, three of them hitting No. 1, and three million-selling albums: 'Stand!', 'There's a Riot Goin' On' and 'Greatest Hits.' Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. For a time, countless performers wanted to look and sound like Sly and the Family Stone. The Jackson Five's breakthrough hit, 'I Want You Back' and the Temptations' 'I Can't Get Next to You' were among the many songs from the late 1960s that mimicked Sly's vocal and instrumental arrangements. Miles Davis' landmark blend of jazz, rock and funk, 'Bitches Brew,' was inspired in part by Sly, while fellow jazz artist Herbie Hancock even named a song after him. 'He had a way of talking, moving from playful to earnest at will. He had a look, belts, and hats and jewelry,' Questlove wrote in the foreword to Stone's memoir, 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),' named for one of his biggest hits and published through Questlove's imprint in 2023. 'He was a special case, cooler than everything around him by a factor of infinity.' In 2025, Questlove released the documentary 'Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius).' Sly's influence has endured for decades. The top funk artist of the 1970s, Parliament-Funkadelic creator George Clinton, was a Stone disciple. Prince, Rick James and the Black-Eyed Peas were among the many performers from the 1980s and after influenced by Sly, and countless rap and hip-hop artists have sampled his riffs, from the Beastie Boys to Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. A 2005 tribute record included Maroon 5, John Legend and the Roots. 'Sly did so many things so well that he turned my head all the way around,' Clinton once wrote. 'He could create polished R&B that sounded like it came from an act that had gigged at clubs for years, and then in the next breath he could be as psychedelic as the heaviest rock band.'
Calgary Herald
5 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Things to do in Calgary in June: Inglewood Night Market Black Music Month
There is no shortage of things to do in Calgary. Here are highlights from local events in and around the city. Article content Article content View this post on Instagram A post shared by National Music Centre (@nmc_canada) Article content Article content In honour of Black Music Month, the National Music Centre is hosting a celebration with free admission all day at Studio Bell, and a lineup of activities curated by MuchMusic legend Master T. The event will spotlight the creativity, expression and heritage of Black music and culture. Neo-soul collective The Rondel Roberts Band will headline. Article content Article content Inglewood Night Market Article content The Inglewood Night Market features over 140 rotating local vendors selling homemade crafts, vintage clothing, artisan eats and more. There will also be live music and alcoholic beverages. Kids and pets are welcome. Article content Volunteers wanted for June 14,2025 Posted by Aboriginal Awareness Week Calgary on Saturday, May 31, 2025
Winnipeg Free Press
7 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Misty Copeland broke barriers in ballet. Now she's retiring and moving to ‘the next stage'
NEW YORK (AP) — Ten years ago this month, Misty Copeland sat in front of a hastily arranged news conference at American Ballet Theatre, fighting back tears of pride over her new role: principal dancer. 'This is it,' she said, with emotion. 'This has been my dream since I was 13.' The occasion was highly unusual — normally, when a dancer is promoted, a brief press release is issued. But this was Copeland, a crossover star with fame far beyond the insular world of ballet. And now she was becoming the first Black female principal in the company's 75-year history — just days after her New York debut as the lead in 'Swan Lake' brought a refreshingly diverse, packed audience to the Metropolitan Opera House. Now, a decade and many accomplishments later, Copeland is retiring from the company she joined as a teenager. 'It's been 25 years at ABT, and I think it's time,' Copeland, 42, told the Associated Press last week ahead of Monday's official announcement of her move. 'It's time for me to move to the next stage.' The company is planning a splashy farewell on Oct. 22, featuring performances by Copeland — for the first time in five years — and other dancers. There will be speeches and film clips. And Copeland, who's been heavily involved in the planning, will get a chance to venture one more time onto that balcony in Verona; she'll dance again in the beautiful 'Romeo and Juliet' pas de deux. Honorary chairs for the evening will be Caroline Kennedy and Oprah Winfrey. A lot has happened in a quarter-century. Copeland, whose success brought new energy to an art form that has always been overwhelmingly white, has authored a number of books, including a memoir and and several works for young people. The second installment of 'Bunheads' arrives in September, and more are already planned in a series she calls 'a reflection of my journey, showing the range of cultures and types of people that can be a part of the ballet world.' Copeland has also made a short film with her production company. And her philanthropic organization, The Misty Copeland Foundation, works on increasing diversity in the dance world and giving more kids who grew up economically disadvantaged, like she did, the chance to dance. 'It was so important for children growing up and seeing somebody like Misty and saying, 'Oh my gosh, she looks like I do,'' says Susan Jaffe, ABT's artistic director, who is overseeing the farewell performance. 'Through her books, through her lectures, even her endorsements, she has really been a trailblazer.' Still, progress moves slowly. When Copeland exits ABT, there will no longer be a Black female principal dancer at the company — nor at many ballet companies around the globe. Copeland discussed that continued challenge in the dance world, among other topics, in the AP interview last week. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity. AP: What does this moment mean? Is ballet a chapter that's now ending for you? COPELAND: You know, I've become the person that I am today, and have all the opportunities I have today, because of ballet, (and) because of American Ballet Theatre. I feel like this is me saying thank you to the company. So it's a farewell. (But) it won't be the end of me dancing. … Never say never. AP: You've told your story over the years, in multiple ways, of how you rose from difficult circumstances to this unique position in dance. What impact have you seen? COPELAND: I've noticed that the conversation is not something we shy away from anymore in terms of the lack of equity, the lack of diversity in this (dance) world. That's one of the biggest shifts I've seen … a lot of young people that just can imagine being part of it in some way. They can imagine stepping into Lincoln Center and being at the Metropolitan Opera House. AP: You became the first Black female principal at ABT in 2015. But there haven't been any more named since then. Does it concern you that progress has maybe been slow in that area? COPELAND: It's definitely concerning, and I think I've just gotten to a place in my career where there's only so much I can do on a stage. There's only so much that visual representation like that can do. I feel like it's the perfect timing for me to be stepping into a new role, and hopefully still shaping and shifting the ballet world and culture. AP: Who are some of the partners you've most enjoyed working with? COPELAND: I think about my partnership with (former ABT principal) Roberto Bolle and him giving me so many opportunities to travel the world with him … (Former ABT principal) Marcelo Gomes, he's been such a such a big part of my journey, and of course Herman Cornejo. We've had a beautiful partnership throughout my career and I'm excited to dance with him again (at the October farewell,) AP: Three years ago you became a parent (to son Jackson). How has that changed your perspective? COPELAND: It's made me even more patient. I just have a lighter and brighter outlook on life because it's just such an incredible thing to experience and witness… I think ballet has prepared me for being a mother in so many ways. I think it's … prepared me for life and being resilient and patient and sensitive and empathetic and strong, and all of these things. AP: Does your son know who you are? COPELAND: He doesn't understand at all! (laughs) He's seen very little of me dancing. … But he's very drawn to it. He is a mover. He's very athletic. He is so drawn to music. He started violin on Monday. We live in the museums. He really is drawn to art. I think he's definitely on the artist's track. AP: So you've got the foundation, you've got the writing career, the production company. Which of those areas do you think you'll be focusing most on? COPELAND: It's been pretty evenly split between all of then. I think it just depends on what's at the forefront and what needs my focus. … But it's exciting to be able to utilize dance in so many different mediums, and to me, that's how you get true diversity — by giving people different entry points into learning about dance and feeling like they can be a part of it, which has been my goal. How do I bring dance to as many people as possible in a way that really works for them? AP: You've always not only spoken about, but acted on the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion, and initiatives that promote that. Are you concerned that this is getting more difficult? COPELAND: It's a difficult time. And I think all we can really do is keep our heads down and keep doing the work. … we're fortunate in that way that we've built great relationships and can continue to do the work right now through my foundation. There's no way to stop the people that feel passionate about this work. We will continue doing it. It is so necessary for the well-being of our societies and communities. I think there are times to speak out and yell from the rooftops. And for me, I feel like this is a time to keep my head down and really stay focused and do the work.
