Oscars Archives - After the Altar Call

Hello World,

As it is Women’s History Month, I’m back with my monthly roundup of blog posts and or magazine articles for black Christian women! So below is my Top 10 monthly roundup of blog posts and or magazine/newspaper articles for black Christian women for February ( but you don’t have be a black Christian woman to to check them out As usual, let me know if you like my list! Enjoy and share!

1. “Favorite Oscars Moment: Regina King’s Divine Acceptance Speech” by EEW Magazine Entertainment Editors & Associated Press

Excerpt: Regina King was honored as best supporting actress for If Beale Street Could Talk at Sunday’s Oscar Awards ceremony. “God is good, all the time,” she said in her divine acceptance speech, EEW Magazine’s favorite moment of the night. See more at: eewmagazineonline.com

2.”Ida B. Wells Becomes First Black Woman With A Chicago Street Named After Her” by Tanya Y. Christian

Excerpt: On Monday, Chicago officials, along with family members and community leaders, made Ida B. Wells an official street designation. The signs bearing the African-American journalist, author and activist’s name were unveiled at the Chicago Public Library. They now hang on what used to be Congress Parkway. “This woman … was not just an inspiration to me, as a Black woman in politics, but one who endured so much so that we could all stand here today in service to our communities,” Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said at the naming ceremony. “Ida B. Wells spent her life as an activist, and seeking to ensure that women, and Black women in particular, were not isolated from political movements, despite the racism and sexism we must often contend with, even to this day.” See more at: essence.com.

3.”You Know Her as Harriet Tubman—We Call Her Aunt Harriet” by Donna M. Owens

Excerpt: Ernestine “Tina” Martin Wyatt, 65, a nurse, educator, and artist who grew up in Buffalo, New York, is Tubman’s great-great-great-grandniece. Tina has always known she was related to Tubman. “My great-great-grandmother, Ann Marie Stewart, was the daughter of Soph, one of Tubman’s sisters who was sold away, we think to Georgia,” she says. Tina’s family often visited Auburn, New York, where Tubman owned land and died in 1913 around age 90. See more at: glamour.com

4. “Meet The World’s First Black Woman Cruise Ship Captain” by Laura Begley Bloom

Excerpt: But those statistics didn’t let Belinda Bennett — the world’s first black woman cruise ship captain— hold her back. Bennett has worked for the small ship line Windstar Cruises for 14 years and sails the MSY Wind Star through the Caribbean in winter and Europe in summer. She recently won the U.K.’s prestigious Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service. With Black History Month coming to a close and International Women’s Day and Women’s History month just around the corner, we caught up with this trailblazing woman who is making history and helping create a sea change in her industry. See more at: forbes.com.

5.”Black Woman Replacing Alabama Newspaper Editor Who Endorsed KKK” by Associated Press

Excerpt: A white Alabama newspaper editor who advocated for the revival of the Ku Klux Klan is turning over control of the small weekly to a black woman. The Democrat-Reporter of Linden, Alabama, announced Friday that Elecia R. Dexter will take over as publisher and editor from Goodloe Sutton, who has run the 140-year-old paper since the 1960s. See more at: nbcnews.com.

6. “Making History: Miss University of Alabama Crowns First Black Queen” by Kinsley Centers

Excerpt: Tiara Pennington, the first African-American to be crowned as Miss University of Alabama, knows that the color of a person’s skin should not stop them from reaching their goals, because if she did, she would not be where she is today. See more at: cw.ua.edu

7. “Female Football Player Makes History With Full College Scholarship Offer” by Emily Caron

Excerpt: Toni Harris became the first female football player at a skill position to sign a letter of intent for a football scholarship on Tuesday when she committed to Central Methodist University in Missouri. See more at: si.com

8. “NASA Renames Facility in Honor of ‘Hidden Figure’ Katherine Johnson” The Atlanta Voice staff

Excerpt: NASA has redesignated its Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility in Fairmont, West Virginia, as the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility, in honor of the West Virginia native and NASA “hidden figure.” “I am thrilled we are honoring Katherine Johnson in this way as she is a true American icon who overcame incredible obstacles and inspired so many,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “It’s a fitting tribute to name the facility that carries on her legacy of mission-critical computations in her honor.” See more at: theatlantavoice.com

9. “Ga. Teen Accepted to 31 colleges Goes Viral For Inspiring Photo” by Cheryl Preheim & Christopher Buchanan

Excerpt: Kayla Willis wasn’t sure if she should share the fact that she had been accepted to 31 colleges – but the Internet was pretty inspired when she did. Kayla attends Westlake High School in South Fulton but she’s now known around the world after a photo from the senior hall in her high school went viral. See more at: 11alive.com

10. “Ida Belle Dixon, Longtime Princeton Resident, Will Celebrate Her 100th Birthday in March” by Jean Stratton

Excerpt: How to tell Ida Belle Dixon’s story? During her 100 years of living, she has witnessed history, and made her own. She has endured poverty and hardship, experienced joy and love, all the while sustained by her deep Christian faith. See more at: towntopics.com

Also, another black Christian woman will be highlighted on tonight’s season opener of “Uncensored” on TV One at 10 p.m.!

Long before she rose to fame as the winner of the third season of “American Idol” in 2004, Fantasia was always destined for greatness. Fantasia grew up in a large, musically inclined family that was heavily involved in church. Disputes with her father led her to move out of her family’s home, drop out of school and eventually leave the church. Fantasia bounced around on friends’ couches until she became pregnant. The struggles of being a teenage mother solidified her relationship with God and with the help of her grandmother, she rejoined the church and moved back home with her family. Through the encouragement and support of her local community, Fantasia tried out for and eventually won “American Idol.”

With the success of “American Idol” came the realities of becoming an instant music sensation and household name. On this episode of UNCENSORED, Fantasia gets real about how the pursuit of stardom can drive people to unhappiness. She reveals how close friendships with Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin helped her navigate her voice, career and personal life along the way. Launching a new business “Rock Soul” that focuses on the next steps for her career and music, Fantasia is ready to give back and take control of her voice once again.

Check out the trailer below:

If you know of any black Christian women bloggers and or writers, please e-mail me at jacqueline@afterthealtarcall.com as I’m always interested in expanding my community of black Christian women blogs and websites. As I noted before, while this is a roundup of interesting blog posts and or magazine and newspaper articles for black Christian women, you don’t have to be one to appreciate these pieces .

Any thoughts?

Hello World,

As is my custom on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, I always watch the Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service held at Ebenezer Baptist Church on television. You can count on hearing inspiring speeches that espouse the beliefs of Dr. King, seeing people of different races crowd the sanctuary, politicians promising to work together…You get the idea…All of it is good, but it is a rather lengthy service…And just like in any long church service, no matter how good it is, you realize that after some time that you are no longer listening, you are rather waiting for it all to come to an end…

This year, however, there was one speech, a jewel of a testimony, that shone because of its rarity…David Oyelowo, the actor that portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the biographical film “Selma,” openly spoke about how his faith in God led him to the role of Dr. King…This is how he began his speech…

“I stand before you today as evidence that what God starts, He will finish. On the 24th of July, 2007, having read a script for ‘Selma,’ God told me I would play Dr. Martin Luther King in the film ‘Selma.’ It came during a time of prayer and fasting, and I know the voice of God.”

Oyelowo said he later auditioned for the role, but the director of the film at that time (not Ava DuVernay) did not agree with God so he did not get the role. However, in the mean time (How many of you know that when God promises something to you, it doesn’t mean it will happen immediately even though you know that you know His promise is being fulfilled? Or that there won’t be some roadblocks along the way?), he went on to play a part in the movie “Lincoln.” In 1865, his character said these words to Lincoln regarding the Gettysburg Address. “You cannot say these words. You have actually have to act upon them. Maybe one day we”ll get the vote.” He goes on to tell what happened when he did get the part.

“Seven years after God told me I would play this role in another film called ‘Selma, 100 years later. In ‘Lincoln,’ I played a character in 1865. In ‘Selma,’ I played Dr. King in 1965. Nineteen presidents later, my character as Dr. King asks the very same question. What God starts, He will finish.”

Insert praise dance…

He could have shut down his speech right then…But he had more evidence that God led him straight to the role of Dr. King…As tears shone on his face, he revealed that he prayed to God to “allow the spirit of Dr. King to flow through me.” And God answered his prayer…Just before one scene in the movie, as he portrayed Dr. King giving a speech in front of the capitol steps in Montgomery, Alabama, Oyelowo said he felt a “palatable, indisputable fear of death” and that he “felt a huge need to ask for the buildings around to be swept.” He concluded: “I’m an actor. I’m not Dr. King, but it was very real for me. At the end of that day, I was shocked I was still alive.” And he said it was no accident that Dr. King had the name “King.” “He was a king. He was a priest. He was ordained by God. He was a child of God.”

Oyelowo also introduced the sanctuary to his father who had flown in from the United Kingdom and talked about the tribal marks his father, who is from Nigeria, has on his cheeks and his stomach. The tribal mark on his stomach means “King.” Oyelowo said he thought the tribal marks his father and other Nigerians bear are a custom that predates slavery; however, in a conversation, his father told him he was mistaken. The tribal marks originated during slavery times.

“When we were taken away from Africa, we marked ourselves so that when we made it back, our people knew who we were and where we are from. I’m in the first in my line of over 400 years to not bear those scars.”

Insert shout…

Oyelowo concluded his message with some words about Hollywood (I’m guessing he was referencing the fact that “Selma” was snubbed during the Oscar nominations…).

“In my industry, in Hollywood, we are celebrated more for being broken and subservient than playing kings, than being leaders, than being in the center of our own narrative. I stand before you today as a man that has played a king.”

To see the speech in the entirety, please check these two videos….Thank God for E Powell who recorded the speech…