Latest news with #GiftedandBlack
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘My son was cut out of BBC's Harry and Meghan wedding highlights because he is black'
A cellist who performed at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding was left out of the BBC's highlights package because he was black, his mother has claimed. Sheku Kanneh-Mason was chosen to perform at the 2018 ceremony, held at St George's Chapel, Windsor. His mother, Kadiatu, said she was dismayed to see that he was cut from the BBC highlights coverage, and was not featured in newspapers the next day. She suggested that the media did not know how to deal with a black cellist, as classical music was normally the preserve of white musicians. Speaking at the Hay Festival, in Wales, Mrs Kanneh-Mason said: 'When Sheku played at the royal wedding, that night he was not in any of the BBC highlights. So there was the choir, there was the preacher but he was left out as though he hadn't been there. 'The next morning, we looked through all the papers. He was not there. So they decided that he was going to be absent. And we thought, what's going on here? 'I think what it was: the gospel choir was doing what it was supposed to do. The preacher was doing what he was supposed to do. But a black cellist? A black cellist cancels itself out … he's not doing what he's supposed to be doing, he's not doing a black thing. That's really interesting, unpacking what the media thinks we're supposed to do.' Sheku, the first black winner of the BBC Young Musician competition, was chosen to perform at the wedding after the Duke saw him play at a charity event. He played three pieces of music at the ceremony. The wedding also featured gospel singers The Kingdom Choir, who performed Stand By Me, and American preacher Rt Rev Michael Curry, who was the first black presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. His sermon, which centred on the redemptive power of love, was well-received and drew significant attention. The London-based choir, which features 30 singers and was formed in 1994, found fame after the wedding. They were regularly asked to perform and signed a record deal with Sony Music UK. Mrs Kanneh-Mason has written a book, To Be Young, Gifted and Black, about Sheku and his six musically gifted siblings, exploring 'issues of cultural, racial and national identity'. She said of Sheku entering the BBC Young Musician competition: 'I panicked because he had a massive afro at that point and I thought, 'If he goes on the stage with that… the judges are not going to believe he's a classical musician. Should we make him a bit more formal?' 'In the end, he went on as himself but we had to think about that: what the presentation was, what the image was. It's one of those things going on all the time.' Mrs Kanneh-Mason said that her daughter, Konya, a pianist, was racially abused by an audience member while a student at the Royal Academy of Music. She said a man came up to her daughter and said 'I think you played beautifully – I don't know, because I was looking at your body all the time. 'Then he said, 'You shouldn't be here, because you people are taking all the jobs from the white musicians who should be here'. And she looked around and thought, 'I am the only black musician, the only black person in this room, so whose job am I taking?'' Asked about her children suffering 'micro-aggressions', Mrs Kanneh-Mason said: 'They're called micro-aggressions but actually they're maxi-aggressions. They happen all the time. And having to navigate that on a daily basis is very difficult.' A BBC spokesman said: 'BBC News reported widely on Sheku Kanneh-Mason's role in the 2018 royal wedding including news that he was selected to play, multiple stories of how the day unfolded and on the impact of his performance.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
New York Times
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A Pack of April Fools
Image Aretha Franklin, who was not known to suffer fools. Credit... Richard Perry/The New York Times Happy April Fools' Day, when you can't believe anything you read on the internet! Trust that this playlist is a prank-free space, though: We're just gathering up some of the many fools who have been immortalized in song over the years, by soul singers (Aretha Franklin), blues legends (Bobby 'Blue' Bland) and new wavers (Bow Wow Wow). Country and classic rock are in the mix, too — there's a little something for everyone who's ever fooled around and fell in love. So hit play, give those dubious corporate social media posts a miss and we'll try to ride this out together. Everybody plays the fool sometime, Dave Dionne Warwick sang this Burt Bacharach-Hal David theme song for a 1969 romantic comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Catherine Deneuve before Aretha Franklin covered it on her 'Young, Gifted and Black' LP three years later. The intro to the Queen of Soul's arrangement is giving 'Jingle Bells,' but it quickly settles into a soulful boogie with a soaring chorus where new love is trailed by doubt: 'Are we just April fools / who can't see all the danger around?' ▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube What a chorus on this one: Michael McDonald's blue-eyed soul swoops upward into a falsetto that's almost Bee Gees-level. Does it matter that absolutely no one can tell what they're singing on the high part? It does not. (For the record, it's 'No wise man has the power to reason away.') ▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube My interest in Led Zeppelin has waxed and waned; I needed an extended post-high school detox after years of hearing the St. Louis classic rock station 'get the Led out' every afternoon at quitting time. But listening with fresh ears — and digging deeper than what you'd find in a Cadillac commercial — it's undeniable that Led Zep has dozens of slappers, like this cut from 'In Through the Out Door' (1979). Maybe I need to catch that 'Becoming Led Zeppelin' movie after all. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Iowa Board of Regents president directs universities to scrub websites of DEI
Iowa Board of Regents President Sherry Bates, right, attends a meeting Feb. 27,2025. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Iowa Board of Regents President Sherry Bates directed state universities Thursday to remove all online mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion and begin campuswide academic program review, emphasizing that while plenty of work has already been completed, there is more to do. 'All of us — regents, university administrators, faculty and staff — must examine what we are doing now and what we will be doing going forward to ensure that we are following the spirit of the laws and executive orders, not just the words on the paper,' Bates said. 'The time is now to make sure we complete our work.' In a statement read to the board, Bates said she is directing the University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State University to take down all web pages, either current or archived, relating to DEI. Once they are down, Bates said universities can work with the board office to determine whether they need to be put back online. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Bates also referenced proposed legislation that would have the board and universities conduct a review of all academic programs and report whether they should be changed, remain the same or be eliminated after comparing them to workforce needs. She said the the board office and universities should begin this review now and have a report ready by the board's November meeting. 'We do not need to wait for a bill,' Bates said. Universities must also comply with a letter sent by Gov. Kim Reynolds Feb. 24, which included a directive to identify all federal contracts with 'DEI provisions,' Bates said, and record dates of agreement, dollar amounts, contracting groups and how much work must still be completed. Universities have already spent a lot of time working on state and board directives, Bates said. These efforts have led to program closures and position eliminations, and universities have moved more than $2 million from DEI programs so far. Bates said during the meeting that after its monthslong review of campus programs, the University of Iowa is discontinuing three Living Learning Communities, or LLCs, at the end of the academic year. UI Public Relations Manager Chris Brewer confirmed in an email the Living Learning Communities scheduled to end at the end of the semester are 'Unidos,' 'All In' and 'Young, Gifted and Black.' Each of these are listed online as 'open to any student who seeks to strengthen knowledge and empowerment of' Latinx students, LGBTQ+ students and Black students, respectively. Meaning 'united' in Spanish, 'Unidos' is described online as a community that 'explores the varied cultures and experiences of Latinx students and partners with campus resources and organizations to help create a strong foundation for Latinx-identifying students in their first-year and beyond.' 'All In' was founded by LGBTQ+ students with the goal of creating a LGBTQ+-friendly housing option, the LLC's website states, where students can 'explore and celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and identity.' The university states online that the 'Young, Gifted and Black' LLC was founded by Black UI students 'with the objective to aid in the transition of incoming Black students at the University of Iowa.' 'We understand that some are upset, but to comply with recent decisions, this is a path forward,' Bates said. 'But we do have more to do.' Another example Bates gave of the university system preemptively working on issues identified by lawmakers was among the last of the board's agenda items for the day — an update to admissions forms to eliminate any sex options other than 'male,' 'female,' or 'prefer not to answer.' Work was already being done on this topic before the board received a letter from Sen. Lynn Evans and Rep. Taylor Collins requesting they make changes, and within three days, the options for students to choose when identifying their sex were updated. 'For some, it may look like nothing has been changed,' Bates said. 'This is not the case, but the changes must be made.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
