F.B. Eyes

How J. Edgar Hoover’s Ghostreaders Framed African American Literature

by William J. Maxwell

Book Review by Kam Williams

Princeton University Press

Hardcover, $29.95

384 pages, Illustrated

ISBN: 978-0-691-13020-0

“Drawing on nearly 14,000 pages of newly released FBI files, F.B. Eyes exposes the Bureau’s intimate policing of African American poems, plays, essays, and novels. Starting in 1919… secret FBI ghostreaders monitored the latest developments in African American letters…

These ghostreaders knew enough to simulate a sinister black literature of their own. The official aim… was to anticipate political unrest. Yet, FBI surveillance came to influence the creation and public reception of African American literature in the heart of the 20th Century...

Illuminating both the serious harms of state surveillance and the ways in which imaginative writing can withstand and exploit it, F.B. Eyes is a groundbreaking account of a long-hidden dimension of African American literature.”

-- Excerpted from the Bookjacket

Allen Ginsberg’s epic poem “Howl” begins, “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn…” I couldn’t help but recall that iconic line while reading F.B. Eyes, a damning expose’ by William J. Maxwell illustrating the FBI’s long history of monitoring, policing and infiltrating the ranks of African-American writers.

            For decades, from the Harlem Renaissance of the Twenties clear through to the Black Arts Movement of the Seventies, J. Edgar Hoover not only closely monitored the movements and work of black authors but employed agents to create and promote content as a counterintelligence measure.

            These revelations are rather disturbing to me, as a Black Literature major-turned-aspiring novelist who failed to get either of my books published after getting a masters degree from an Ivy League institution. It never occurred to me way back then that the reason for all the rejections from publishers might have had more to do with interference on the part of government spies than the quality of the work itself.

However, the degree of FBI interference chronicled here is nothing short of shocking, between the abuses of power and infringements of Constitutional rights. This meticulously-researched opus reveals the Bureau to be a diabolical outfit dedicated to the destruction of the African-American intelligentsia by any means necessary.

For example, we learn that after Amiri Baraka founded the Black Arts Repertory Theater (BART) in Harlem in 1965, Hoover planted moles in the group to ensure the organization’s early demise. He even had the temerity to allow a white Assistant Director, William Sullivan, pose as black while ghostwriting everything from best-sellers to letters threatening the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A daunting discussion of the FBI’s chilling effect on the writing careers and private lives of members of the black literati.

Girlhood
Film Review by Kam Williams

Oscar-nominated Boyhood is a tortoise-paced, time-lapse affair about what it’s like to grow up white and male in suburban America. At the other end of the spectrum, we now have the relatively-dizzying Girlhood, a cautionary coming-of-age tale exploring what it’s like to be black and female and trying to survive in a Parisian ghetto.

The story revolves around Marieme (Karidja Toure), a 16 year-old slacker going nowhere fast. She’s just learned that she still won’t be headed to high school, despite having already repeated the 8th grade twice.

Between failing academically and an abusive home situation, it comes as no surprise that Marieme might decide to fly the coop and seek a fresh start with the nickname Vic. What is unexpected, however, is that she isn’t inspired by a boy but by the idea of joining an all-girl, all-black gang run with an iron fist by a sassy sister named Lady (Assa Sylla). 

The other members of the estrogen-fueled, sepia posse are Adiatou (Lindsay Karamoh) and Fily (Marietou Toure), a couple of equally-rudderless rebels without a clue. The four fugitives from polite society proceed to fritter away their days robbing youngsters for their lunch money, flirting with boys, cat-fighting with a rival gang, and gyrating while lip-synching female empowerment anthems like Rihanna’s “Diamond in the Sky.”

Not much of productive consequence ever happens in their neck of the ‘hood, which explains why Marieme soon tires of the unfulfilling routine. Unfortunately, given her limited skill set, the only alternative she finds is selling narcotics to wealthy white kids for Abou (Djibril Gueye), a creepy pimp/drug dealer with a hidden agenda.

As compelling as a train wreck, Girlhood is an eye-opening drama you just can’t take your eyes off of. Such a super-realistic, slice-of-life often feels more like a documentary than a drama as you watch losers with low self-esteem do, well, the sort of things losers with low self-esteem do.

The cinematic equivalent of slumming around the City of Lights’ seamy underbelly.  

Very Good (3 stars)

Unrated

In French with subtitles

Running time: 113 minutes

Distributor: Strand Releasing

To see a trailer for Girlhood, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJudaZEY-Uc       

Tasha Smith
The “Addicted” Interview
with Kam Williams

Tasha Smith is a multifaceted actress whose work brings style and intensity to the subjects she plays on the big and small screens. She currently stars in the television series “Tyler Perry’s For Better Or Worse” on the OWN Network, for which she earned an NAACP Image Award nomination as “Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series.”

Tasha’s memorable portrayal of Angela in Why Did I Get Married? and Why Did I Get Married, Too? sparked the creation of the spin-off series which is focused around her relationship with her husband, Marcus, played by Michael Jai White. Additionally, she has joined the cast of Fox-TV’s new hip-hop drama series, “Empire.”

Tasha’s other film credits include Daddy’s Little Girls opposite Idris Elba and Gabrielle Union where she delivered a powerful performance which impressed audiences and critics alike. She subsequently went on to co-star in the #1 box office hit Jumping the Broom, starring Paula Patton, Laz Alonso and Angela Bassett.

She also co-starred in the romantic comedy Couples Retreat opposite Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman and Faizon Love, adding to her already impressive box-office resume which includes ATL, The Good Mother, The Whole Ten Yards, and The Longshots. She is well-known for her extensive work on the small screen, too, most notably, her critically-acclaimed portrayal of the drug-addicted Ronnie Boyce on the Emmy Award-winning mini-series "The Corner."

On and off the big and small screen, Tasha has a naturally commanding presence. She takes time to share her inspirational life story through motivational speaking, and to mentor emerging actors through the Tasha Smith Actors Workshop (TSAW). And in her spare time, the Camden, New Jersey native loves to workout at the gym, cook gourmet meals, and entertain friends at her home.

Here, she talks about co-starring as Dr. Marcella Spencer opposite Sharon Leal in Addicted, the screen adaptation of the steamy best-seller by Zane.

Kam Williams: Hi Tasha, thanks for the interview. It’s been too long.

Tasha Smith: Hi Kam. I’m happy to talk with you.

KW: Same here! Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made me feel.” And whenever I’ve interviewed you, you’ve always made me feel great.

TS: Oh, Kam, thank you! That is awesome.

KW: You’re publicist was a little concerned about what I would talk to you about today. So, I sent her an outline of what areas I hoped to cover. Did you read it?

TS: No, I’ve been working so hard, I didn’t have a chance to look at it. But I trust you, and I adore you. I’m sorry.

KW: No, need to apologize. I know that you’re busy enough as an actress, and then you spend so much time teaching acting workshops, too. [www.tsaw.com]

TS: Yeah, you know I’ve opened up my school in California in a beautiful facility on Ventura Boulevard. I’m always in heaven when I’m doing my classes.

KW: What interested you in Addicted? Had you read the book? How about Fifty Shades of Grey?

TS: I read the book, of course, because I had to in order to see the whole dynamics of Dr. Marcella’s relationship with Zoe [played by Sharon Leal], and I loved Marcella. I loved her voice… I loved her tone… I loved the fact that she was the voice of reason who served as the guide to help Zoe deal with her addiction so that she would not destroy the rest of her life and her family relationships, because that’s exactly what addiction does. Addiction will kill everything in you and around you. I was familiar with Addicted for a long time, even prior to the movie, way before it got the greenlight. And when it finally got the greenlight, I was very happy to be a part of it.   

KW: How did you prepare to play your character, Dr. Marcella Spencer?

TS: I tell you, I met with so many therapists… I sat in on sex addiction classes… I went through hypnotherapy because, at first, she was supposed to be a hypnotherapist. I feel like the people I met and the experiences I had in group sessions gave me a good anchor for Marcella. 

KW: When I went to see the film, the audience was 90% female? Why do you think that was the case?

TS: I think because it opened up fantasy in terms of women’s sexuality. We’re used to seeing fantasy explored from a male perspective, and the way men might see sex, have sex, want sex and even be addicted to sex. But I don’t think women pursuing that sexuality within themselves is something that’s talked about or experienced as often. I think women found it intriguing because they wanted to see what that look like and felt like and sounded like. I think it was a curiosity with women.

KW: The screen version of Fifty Shades of Grey is coming out soon. Do you see any parallels between that and Addicted?

TS: I do, as far as the type of story it is. I know it’s the same genre, but I’ve never read the book. So, I can’t really comment about it. But I am going to see the film, and I think that it’s cool. Zane has been that urban voice for black people as far as our sexuality and our sensuality, not that she only has an urban following. We may be used to seeing the Zoe’s of other races, but I think it was great to be able to tell the story of this beautiful black woman and her family.

KW: I remember meeting Zane at a party and being surprised that she seemed so straitlaced and perfectly normal, and not a nymphomaniac like one of her protagonists.

TS: Yes, she looks like she could work at the Post Office. She’s just as conservative, but with a mind that could blow your mind.

KW: What would you say is the movie’s message?

TS: That if you don’t deal with addiction, it could destroy your life. It also addresses the inspiration of restoration in a relationship. 

KW: I see that you have a picture called Polaris coming out this year. What type of character do you play there?

TS: I play Sophie, who’s that All-American best friend. It was more of a cameo role, but it was still a wonderful opportunity to work with an amazing, first-time director [Soudabeh Moradian], at least as far as features, who comes from the documentary film world. It was also great to have a chance to work with my best friend, Elisabeth Rohm.

KW: What other upcoming projects do you have, Tasha?

TS: I have two new TV shows, Power and Empire. On Empire, which just premiered in January, I play Carol, who’s Cookie Lyons’ [played by Taraji P. Henson] sister. It’s fun. It’s a great show.

KW: Tell me a little about Power.

TS: That doesn’t come on until the summer. It’s with Omari Hardwick, Naturi Naughton and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. You’re gonna love it!

KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?

TS: My favorite clothes designer? It’s a shame that I don’t have a favorite right now. I gotta tell you, Kam. I am just discovering my fashion side. I have never felt anchored when it comes to fashion. I’ve always had to depend on a stylist helping me to figure it out. But over, maybe, the last four or five months, I have literally been getting back to myself and to what I really love as far as fashion is concerned. So, I can’t really answer that question, although I do have a couple of favorite shoe designers I have a little bit of an addiction to: Giuseppe [Zanotti] and Christian Louboutin. For some reason, I’m in love with their shoes... [Pauses] Wait, I just thought of a designer that I’m actually feelin’ who’s really fun and exciting for me… Stella McCartney… I’m feelin’ her. I have some pieces of hers that make me go look for more of her pieces.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

TS: [Breathes deeply… exhales… clears her throat] That’s a very good question. Kam, I gotta tell you, you always ask me wonderfully probing questions and, for some reason, I always want to be extremely honest with you.

KW: I’ve always appreciated that. 

TS: I’ll say this: the last three years of my life have been very painful and somewhat abusive, mentally.

KW: Gee, I’m so sorry to hear that.

TS: And I always found myself trying to cover the mental anguish and the torment and the abuse that I was dealing with. That made me always question my beauty, my intelligence, and a lot of other things about myself.

KW: That is so sad! I had no idea.

TS: I felt like I was literally losing myself as being the joyful, spiritual, passionate, exciting woman that I naturally had been. I remember working on a show, and feeling so insecure about whether I looked attractive enough to do a love scene. It was weird because I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t feeling beautiful, even though I knew I was. And my friends were like, “You know why!” I remember that I kept asking the person I was working with whether I looked okay. He was kind enough to take a photo of me on the monitor. When he took the photo, he asked the director to wait. Then he came to me and said, “This is how you look.” I don’t think even he knew how that moment impacted me. My reaction was, “Wow! I look like that?” You hear about actresses experiencing their insecurities, and how we always want to feel pretty enough, good enough, or this or that enough. But this was such a revelation for me, because I had been spending time in the mirror questioning my beauty. When he showed me that snapshot, I finally really appreciated myself again. There was this revelation in one second that really blessed me, big time. So, now when I look at myself in the mirror, I see this beautiful woman that’s getting back to her old self.   

KW: That’s terrific! Sherry Gillam would like to know what makes you smile on the inside?

TS: Right now, my excitement about my life and my future makes me happy, because I am a dreamer, and I always dream, no matter how many obstacles are in my way. My dreams, my desires, and my goals make me smile.

KW: Finally, what’s in your wallet?

TS: [How’s with laughter] What’s in my wallet? A note to myself.

KW: Thanks again, Tasha. I really appreciate your being so open and forthcoming with me, as usual.

TS: Thank you, Kam, and have a great day, okay?

To see a trailer for Addicted, visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdZ0lUxunbA

To see a video about the Tasha Smith Actors’ Workshop, visit: http://tsaw.com/actors_workshop_video10.html

Supremacy
Film Review by Kam Williams

Garrett Tully (Joe Anderson) is about to be paroled after spending the last 15 years behind bars. Although he might have paid his debt to society, he has little hope of making a smooth adjustment back to civilian life, given his fervent hope that America is on the brink of a race war.

You see, Garrett has a lot invested in that belief, being a white supremacist with tattoos of swastikas, a Confederate flag, an Iron Cross and the word “HATE” adorning his face, arms, fingers and chest. This means his prospects of turning a new leaf aren’t very brilliant, especially since Doreen (Dawn Olivieri), the Aryan Brotherhood groupie picking him up from prison, is packing heat just in case they cross paths with a black person on the way home.

And wouldn’t you know it, they’re pulled over by an African-American police officer en route and, before Doreen has a chance to produce her license and registration, Tully calls the cop the “N-word” and blows him away with the gun hidden under the seat. Next, rather than hightailing it to a neo-Nazi sanctuary, the unrepentant race baiters decide to break into a house in a black neighborhood where they proceed to use more racial slurs like “porch monkey” and “niglet” while holding everybody hostage.

Fortunately, the Walker family patriarch (Danny Glover) makes sure cooler heads prevail, until help arrives. Too bad the police negotiator (Derek Luke) turns out to be African-American, too.

Directed by Deon Taylor (Chain Letter), Supremacy is a hostage thriller ostensibly inspired by actual events which transpired in Sonoma County, California on the night of March 29, 1995. At 11:30 that evening, Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Trejo was assassinated by a recently-paroled member of the Aryan Brotherhood and his gun moll, just before they forced their way into a nearby house and held the owners captive.

The resolution of this Hollywood version of the standoff relies on an empathetic Mr. Walker’s rising to the occasion. His philosophizing (“Prison does something to a man.”) miraculously manages to induce a couple of the most menacing and despicable screen characters in recent memory to have an 11th hour conversion.

A pretty preposterous turn of events, but who am I to argue with a tale presumably based on a true story?

Fair (1.5 stars)

Unrated

Running time: 106 minutes

Distributor: Well Go Entertainment

To see a trailer for Supremacy, visit: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5pENEbZZI

Above and Beyond
Film Review by Kam Williams

Israel found itself losing its War of Independence in 1948 because it had no fighter planes with which to respond to air attacks on the part of its Arab adversaries. Luckily, a number of World War II fighter pilots from half a world away would answer its desperate plea for assistance.

Though this ragtag band of brothers considered themselves more American than Jewish, they were nevertheless willing to risk their U.S. citizenships and their very lives by volunteering to come to the rescue. So, they started by smuggling planes out of the country in order to train behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia.

Next, they flew to the war-torn Middle East where they would play a pivotal role in turning the tide of the conflict, while cultivating an unexpected Jewish pride in the process. The daring exploits of these unsung aviators are recounted in vivid fashion in Above and Beyond, a reverential documentary directed by Roberta Grossman.

Among the octet feted here is Leon Frankel, a bomber pilot who had received a Navy Cross for the heroism he’d exhibited over Okinawa. Another is Coleman Goldstein, who had been shot down over France in 1943 and declared missing in action. However, he survived WWII by making his way over the Pyrenees to Spain where he was rescued and reunited with his squadron. Then there’s the late Milton Rubenfeld, fondly remembered here by his son Paul, better know as comedian Pee Wee Herman.

Inter alia, we learn that the members of the 101st painted “Angels of Death” as a logo on their aircrafts’ fuselages. On one mission, a former commercial pilot for TWA tricked Egyptian air traffic controllers into believing that he was about to land in Cairo before dropping explosives on a city which had never been bombed before.

Another recounts observing refugees from Hitler’s death camps kissing the ground upon arriving in Israel. Besides fighting, the 101st not only flew supplies to the front lines but evacuated wounded soldiers from the Negev Desert battlefields.

As the curtain comes down, one ace waxes rhapsodic with, “God allowed us to survive World War II, so we could come to Israel and help the remnants of our people survive.” Hear hear!

Excellent (4 stars)

Unrated   

In English and Hebrew with subtitles

Running time: 87 minutes

Distributor: International Film Circuit

To see a trailer for Above and Beyond, visit: http://aboveandbeyondthemovie.com/trailer