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YET ANOTHER AUCTION OF OUR TREASURES

Swann Galleries is at it again with another mega-auction of African American Artwork. The pictured, Untitled (Negro Mother) is an excellent and very scarce work in copper repoussé by Sargent Johnson (1888 - 1967) from the mid-1930s. The description reads, " Johnson elevated the strength and dignity of everyday African-American women in his sculpture, infusing even small works like this mask with a commanding presence." This copper mask by Johnson is only the second of its kind to come to auction. Eight other examples of Johnson's masks have been located, and all but one are in museum collections. Estimate $80,000 - $120,000



#MUSEUMSSOWHITE: BLACK PAIN AND WHY PAINTING EMMETT TILL MATTERS
The White people going to museums don't want to confront the narratives that Black artists paint. It makes museum patrons uncomfortable. But Dana Shutz, stylishly wrapped up the narrative of Emmett Till neatly in a coffin with a red carnation to top it off so it was not uncomfortable to look at and I believe the Whitney Museum played it safe and included the work of a White woman with Black subject matter to be politically inclusive of what is going on in the world amidst all the padding of abstract work that saturate the exhibits.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY + GOOGLE = BLACK TECH ENGINEERS?
Starting this summer, 25 to 30 rising juniors and seniors studying computer science at Howard University will get the chance to spend three months taking classes at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California. The initiative is called Howard West, created as an effort to bring more black computer science students into the tech industry. In 2016, just 1% of Google’s technical engineering staff identified as black.

ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE REMAINS AN ISSUE FOR BLACK PEOPLE
Research suggests that when people of color do access healthcare, they are provided inadequate treatment. For example, Black people wait twice as long as White people for kidney transplants, and Black women with breast cancer are 67% more likely to die than their White counterparts. This persists for children as well—the mortality rate for Black infants is 2.5 times higher than for White children. Existing studies show that Black Americans receive fewer prescriptions for pain management medications, and when they do, they receive lower doses or less effective medications. The current racial biases identified in this study—the false beliefs that Black people feel less pain and are biologically stronger than White people—are both continuations and direct results of this history of systemic oppression. Ironically, physician under-treatment of pain for black patients may have helped prevent higher opioid addiction among African-Americans, experts and studies suggest.

LET'S MOVE TO HOUSTON!
Q: Why has Houston been dubbed as America’s next great black business mecca? (Who Said?)
A: Houston has an exciting mix of culture, innovation, flair, small businesses and major corporations. I also think the right environment for a black business mecca includes diversity in the industries that matter: from the senior staffs in education to leaders of city government. Houston fits this bill, too. Education creates the pipeline for strong business leaders, and black and brown guides are at the helm. Houston has also elected a black mayor who understands the business needs of people of color, but who clearly and passionately represents all Houstonians, creating an environment for everyone to win…the next black business mecca included.

FACIAL RECOGNITION DATABASE MISIDENTIFIES BLACK PEOPLE
In the hunt for suspected criminals, around half of adult Americans’ photographs, without their knowledge or consent, are stored in facial recognition databases that can be accessed by the FBI. Approximately 80% of the photos are non-criminal entries, including pictures from driver’s licenses and passports. About 15% of the time, the algorithms used to identify matches are inaccurate. They are also more likely to misidentify black people than white people.

Today's Black News...

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Texan Breana Talbott was arrested Wednesday on a charge of making a false report to a peace officer after claiming to have been abducted and gang raped by three masked black men. Monday, bloodied and beaten she ran into a church wearing only a shirt, bra and underwear. The hospital was unable to find the physical evidence of the assault and her story broke down. The 18-year-old blonde woman also admitted that the cuts on her body were self-inflicted! The police chief detailed, "We were unable to corroborate any of Talbott's allegations that she had been abducted or sexually assaulted." The Denison Police Department also plans to seek restitution for the cost of the investigation.

TEXTURISM IN THE NATURAL HAIR MOVEMENT?
Texturism in the natural hair community has driven this naturalista back to the creamy crack! She writes, “I slowly realized that I didn't know, nor did I have the patience to suddenly relearn, how to style and care for my new hair, especially as a busy college student. I felt alone and frustrated, like I'd never achieve the "ideal" natural look. As someone with the thickest, tightest 4C coils, (if 4D existed, I would definitely classify) it never felt to me like natural women with tighter curl patterns were as celebrated as those with looser textures. I'd expected to feel empowered and liberated by finally embracing my natural texture, but instead, being natural presented me with a new struggle to fit a different ideal that still seemed unachievable for me.

ON THE AUCTION BLOCK
Here they go auctioning off black history again! On March 30 New York City’s Swann Auction Galleries will hold an auction for its “Printed & Manuscript African Americana” catalog. There are more than 500 lots for sale with prices ranging from the hundreds to the tens of thousands of dollars. The lots are mostly books, letters and other documents, but there are also items like child-size slave shackles ($2,500 -$3,500) and James Brown’s stage worn Italian platform shoes ($1,500 - 2,500).

NOTHING TO SEE HERE...
President Trump finally met with seven Congressional Black Caucus members Wednesday, and not a damn thing was accomplished.

ART OR BLACKSPLOITATION?
A group of black artists have urged the Whitney Museum of American Art to remove and destroy Dana Schutz's "Open Casket,” a portrait of Emmitt Till’s body in the casket, accusing the White painter of exploiting Black death for profit. Artist and writer Hannah Black says “.. it is not acceptable for a White person to transmute Black suffering into profit and fun, though the practice has been normalized for a long time. …” The artist in question was reportedly surprised by calls for the painting’s destruction. Surprised, huh?