MGJR Volume 8 Winter 2023 | Page 2

CONTENT
8 Little-Known Afro-Cuban Leaders that African Americans should know These snapshots introduce readers to a cross-section of Afro Cuban leaders who have a big footprint in their homeland , but are not well-known in the U . S . They are members of Cuba ’ s part of the African diaspora that African Americans should know .
The Morgan Global Journalism Review ( MGJR ) is an online quarterly published by the School of Global Journalism & Communication at Morgan State University . MGJR ’ s mission is to promote journalistic excellence and provide reporting and analysis of media and communications trends , issues and events from an international perspective .
PUBLISHER Jackie Jones
EDITOR DeWayne Wickham
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Randall Pinkston
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Sandra Dawson Long Weaver
COPY EDITORS Osaretin Iyare Wayne Dawkins
DESIGNER Sherry Poole Clark
TECHNICAL SUPPORT Christopher Green
WEBMASTER Henry McEachnie
CONTACT US : Morgan Global Journalism Review Email : jacqueline . jones @ morgan . edu Morgan State University , Communication Center 363 Baltimore , MD 21251 Phone : ( 443 ) 885-3502
10 Cuba : My Up-Close Look at the Damage Done By the U . S . Blockade From the old cars , to the attention given to women with problem pregnancies , his encounters with impoverished Cubans and people who are working to make things better , to Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Michael Cottman reflects on his first visit to Cuba .
14 Dinner with a Cuban Freedom Fighter : Victor Dreke University of Pennsylvania sociologist Tukufu Zuberi talks with Victor Dreke , a former commander of the Cuban Revolutionary Army who spent many years in Africa helping Black nations throw off the yoke of colonial rule .
17 DeWayne Wickham highlights the historical connection between Lena Horne , Sister Elizabeth Lange , Booker T . Washington and Afro Cubans .
21 Cuba ’ s New Constitution , and Supreme Court Civil rights lawyers Elaine Jones and Wade Henderson give on-the-ground analysis of significant changes in the revolutionary island ’ s civic and justice systems .
27 Yesterday , Today and Beyond : Letter of an Afro-German Mother to Her Afro-German Children Jeannine Kantara , a journalist and Afro-German mother of two talks to her children in an open letter about their racial identity and place in German society , their family ’ s African roots and their connection to the world-wide Black Lives Matter Movement .
REGULAR FEATURES
4 Dean ’ s Corner Jackie Jones is dean of the School of Global Journalism & Strategic Communication
6 Letter from the Editor DeWayne Wickham is director of the Center for New Media and Strategic Initiatives and dean emeritus of the School of Global Journalism & Strategic Communication
BOOK SMART
31 Going Back to T-Town , The Ernie Fields Territory Big Band In this book , author Carmen Fields puts readers on the bus and the bandstands of her father ’ s “ territory ” band as it criss-crossed the American Southwest delivering jazz and swing music to its faithful followers during the Jim Crow era . Fields pruned much of this story from the taped recorded memories her father left behind . The book is a good read for those who believe that Black music is an important part of American history - and should be preserved .
32 Sarah Cooper ’ s ‘ Foolish ’ If mimicking social media posts of former president Donald Trump won her a rabid following , the personal revelations she makes in this memoir will cause Cooper ’ s fans to feel a greater connection to her . In “ Foolish ” - yes , that ’ s the title - Cooper invites readers into her life - a life that at times seems as whacky as her taunting of 45 .
33 MOVIE REVIEW “ Descendant ” is one of those films that you have to see more than once . Produced by Barack and Michelle Obama , the 44th president and his First Lady , this 2022 documentary is a layering of stories that all grow out of the last slave ship to land in the United States , and the lives of the descendants of its cargo of 110 Africans .
34 Pages From the Archives Journalist Sandra Dawson Long Weaver introduces us to a man who should need no introduction . Griffith J . Davis was a photographer whose lens captured many of the most important moments in Black history . When he died in 1993 , Davis left his daughter Dorothy 55,000 images that range from scenes inside the imperial palace of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Sellassie I , to a backstage picture of Langston Hughes interviewing a Black boxer-turned Broadway actor . This collection is a fascinating journey through the African diaspora .
A Havana street scene seldom seen in the U . S . media . Cover photo by DeWayne Wickham
39 Transitions Bill Dilday , the first African American to serve as general manager of a television station in this country has died . Born William Horace Dilday , he was a cofounder of the National Association of Black Journalists .
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