New Stuff!
Haven’t been keeping up with what I am writing (bad Toya!) but some things I’ve done recently:
At the Guardian: Oprah – an American icon
However, Oprah doesn’t quite get her due when she does, occasionally, veer into controversial territory. In the post-September 11 fervour, she bucked the national trend toward war and retribution, instead running thoughtful shows on Islam. To help combat xenophobia in the wake of global terrorism, she invited Queen Rania on the show to discuss her faith. And, most tellingly, Oprah ran a series of shows questioning the validity of war as a solution to global problems.
Staunchly in favour of peace, Oprah found herself going toe-to-toe with George W Bush and Colin Powell, who were making a case for war. Oprah, in a cordial offensive, aired clips of people in other nations asking that the US give peace a chance. Despite Oprah’s unwavering commitment to the education of girls across the globe, she declined an offer to join Condoleezza Rice’s public relations visit to Afghanistan. The official reason was that the show kept her too busy – but we all know that Oprah does what she wants, when she wants. The damning snub was a way of expressing her disapproval at trying to use the hallowed “Oprah effect” in the service of war.
The Root: Intellectual Property: Owning What’s Yours
Intellectual property is essentially intangible creations. Defined by the World Intellectual Property Organization, “Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce.” All of this law sounds like long, dry, boring legalese — that is, until we start dredging up the ghosts of black music past. Case in point: an iconic 1954 Time magazine cover portraying the face of jazz — Dave Brubeck, not Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis or Duke Ellington.
Just finished a monster piece for this magazine:
On this topic:
And next up is a smaller piece for this magazine:
