DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
ANNOUNCES ITS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
Penn Medicine’s Information Technology Department and University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative have partnered to create job opportunities for residents of West Philadelphia interested in careers in the Information Technology field.
If you are:
 Unemployed
A resident of West Philadelphia (as defined by zip codes: 19104, 19131, 19139, 19143 and 19151)
Experienced with computers (experience and/or training is preferred)
. . . this program represents a career-build opportunity for you!

Penn Medicine is one of the leading healthcare institutions in the country. Penn’s commitment to the West Philadelphia Community is the foundation of the development of this year long apprenticeship program with UCD. This program provides:

 Paid technical skills training
 Paid professional development training
 One-on-one job training with IT professionals
 Career development and job coaching services
 Real job opportunities

To learn more about the program attend one of our 1 hour Orientation sessions.
Orientation sessions will be held at 10am on January 6 and 6pm on January 9 at 1500 Market Street, 9th floor.

The application deadline for this program is January 9, 2012.
Visit www.westphiladelphiaskills.org to fill out an on-line application or to download a copy. Applications may also be obtained at the Front Desk at University City District
(3940 Chestnut Street, M-F, 8:30am–5pm).

WHO: Joan Myers Brown, founder and artistic director of the Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!)
Company dancer and Brothers’ Network Advisory Board member Justin S.M. Bryant

WHAT: A discussion of the state of African-American dance in Philadelphia, tied to the publication of the new book  ”Joan Myers Brown & the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina: A Biohistory of American Performance” by Brenda Dixon Gottschild

WHERE: Moonstone Arts Center, 110A South 13th Street, Philadelphia

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, at 1 p.m.

Join us on January 14 for a conversation on African-Americans in dance led by Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!) founder Joan Myers Brown, part of the release party for the new book “Joan Myers Brown & the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina: A Biohistory of American Performance” by Brenda Dixon Gottschild. In this book, Gottschild uses Brown’s life and career as a fulcrum to leverage an investigation of the interface between performance, cultural formation, and race politics as evidenced by the development of a dance community in Black Philadelphia and the rise and spread of its influence beyond community and regional borders to national and international distinction.

Joining Brown in the conversation will be Philadanco dancer Justin S.M. Bryant, who will discuss the growth and development of a community of black male dancers in Philadelphia.

Our January book discussion will take place on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 2 p.m. at the Moonstone Arts Center, 110A South 13th Street, Philadelphia. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and autographing at Moonstone.

WHAT: Two special events tied to the Philadelphia Theatre Company production of “The Scottsboro Boys,” the final collaboration of Broadway musical legends John Kander and Fred Ebb:

A discussion of the musical, the event on which it is based, and the issues raised by both, inaugurating the VOICES series of community discussions

The Brothers’ Network’s special evening of theater, including a post-performance conversation with members of the cast

WHERE: Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia

WHEN: Discussion: Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012, at 1 p.m. Performance: Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, at 8 p.m.

The Brothers’ Network’s partnership with the Philadelphia Theatre Company begins its fifth year with a discussion of a singular theatrical and historical event – a musical that revisits one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in American history.

The musical is “The Scottsboro Boys,” the last work by Broadway legends John Kander and Fred Ebb. The duo chose a 19th-century musical form associated with negative stereotypes of blacks – the minstrel show – to highlight the issues that made the Scottsboro Boys trial an international outrage.

The story of the Scottsboro Boys is one of the most shameful examples of injustice in our nation’s history. It makes clear that in the Deep South of the 1930’s, jurors were not willing to accord a black charged with raping a white woman the usual presumption of innocence. In fact, one may argue that the presumption seemed reversed: a black was presumed guilty unless he could establish his innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. The cases show that to jurors, black lives didn’t count for much. The jurors that in April, 1933 had just voted to sentence Haywood Patterson to death were seen laughing as they emerged from the juryroom. Hannah Arendt wrote of “the banality of evil.” Evil rarely comes in the form of monsters, but rather in the form of relatively normal people who, for reasons of careers, ideology, or a desire for society’s approval, are indifferent to the human consequences of their actions. Because of indifferent jurors and career-motivated prosecutors, the self-serving and groundless accusations of a single woman were allowed to change forever the lives of nine black teenagers who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

We chose to partner with PTC on the launch of its “Voices” series of community discussions because “The Scottsboro Boys” uniquely addresses issues of race, justice, crime and stereotyping in an attention-grabbing manner.

Our discussion on Sunday, Jan. 8, will be led by two Ph.D. candidates in Temple University’s African American Studies program, Andrew D. Brown and Brandon Stanford. Our discussion will focus on a number of issues, including

• the dynamics that lead some disenfranchised people to use other, more disenfranchised people as a means of gaining status and security
• how stereotypes of blacks have more power than stereotypes of whites
• how African Americans absorb portrayals of their own history and why comedic treatments of it are better received than dramatic ones

The Brothers’ Network is sponsoring this discussion in order to advance the dialogue on racial justice issues and broaden and deepen our engagement with history and ideas that can be used to better understand the American racial dynamic.

The discussion will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Jan. 8, at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia. Please RSVP for this event by email to comments@thebrothersnetwork.org.

Then join us on Feb. 10 for our special evening of theater, with a performance of “The Scottsboro Boys” and a post-performance discussion featuring members of the cast.

“The voice of the intelligence…is drowned out by the roar of fear.
It is ignored by the voice of desire. It is contradicted by the voice
of shame. It is biased by hate and extinguished by anger. Most of all,
it is silenced by ignorance.”
–Dr. Karl Menninger

Dear BME Brother,

Lend Your VOICES to Our Discussion of “The Scottsboro Boys”

The Brothers’ Network’s partnership with the Philadelphia Theatre
Company begins its fifth year with a discussion of a singular
theatrical and historical event – a musical that revisits one of the
most notorious miscarriages of justice in American history.

The musical is “The Scottsboro Boys,” the last work by Broadway
legends John Kander and Fred Ebb. The duo chose a 19th-century musical
form associated with negative stereotypes of blacks – the minstrel
show – to highlight the issues that made the Scottsboro Boys trial an
international outrage.

We chose to partner with PTC on the launch of its “Voices” series of
community discussions because “The Scottsboro Boys” uniquely addresses
issues of race, justice, crime and stereotyping in an
attention-grabbing manner.

Our discussion on Sunday, Jan. 8, will be led by two Ph.D. candidates
in Temple University’s African American Studies program, Andrew D.
Brown and Brandon Stanford. Our discussion will focus on a number of
issues, including:

• the dynamics that lead some disenfranchised people to use other, more
• disenfranchised people as a means of gaining status and security,
• how stereotypes of blacks have more power than stereotypes of whites,
• how African Americans absorb portrayals of their own history and why,
• comedic treatments of it are better received than dramatic ones

The Brothers’ Network is sponsoring this FREE discussion in order to
advance the dialogue on racial justice issues and broaden and deepen
our engagement with history and ideas that can be used to better
understand the American racial dynamic.
The discussion will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Jan. 8, at the
Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia. PLEASE
RSVP at comments@thebrothersnetwork.org
Then join us on February 10. 2012 for our special evening of theater,
with a performance of “The Scottsboro Boys” and a post-performance
discussion featuring members of the cast.

“Pariah, which generated a lot of buzz at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and opens in select U.S. theaters Wednesday, is a coming-of-age film about falling in love and embracing one’s identity. The movie follows a 17-year-old black lesbian named Alike (pronounced “uh-LEE-kay”) as she navigates her complex relationships at school and at home.” — quote by NPR Staff

For those who are fans of independent films that make waves in the Sundance Film Festival, there’s a new kid on the block titled “Pariah”. Director Dee Rees does a fantastic job and its sure to be a hit! Check out the full synopsis here:

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/28/144328186/in-pariah-high-stakes-of-embracing-gay-identity

from America Lives!

“When I conjour the sole Black Supreme Court Justice’s name I’m often distracted by his personal shortcomings (see: Anita Hill), purported Uncle Tom-esque character (see also: Affirmative Action), and the fact that its widely believed that Thomas has failed to further Thurgood Marshall’s mastery of the court. Most Black Americans accept the charges I’ve levied against Justice Thomas as fact, but in the recently decided case of McDonald v. Chicago the Georgia native wakes from his slumber and strikes a chord that Black Americans should heed and respect.”

Read more here

Arthur Lee Hall
(1934 – 2000)
Pioneering African American dancer and choreographer.
Hall’s innovative infusion of African dance, drumming, and culture
into his productions transformed American modern dance.
The Ile Ife Black Humanitarian Center, which was here,
serverd as his home and studio.

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission 2011

Ever wanted to work at a socially responsible company that provides a fun work environment?

YIKES is currently looking for a full-time PHP programmer and WordPress developer for our Philadelphia Office. Candidate must possess excellent communication and time management skills. Must be able to work independently and in a team, meet deadlines and simultaneously work on multiple projects.

Please view the full job listing for more information.

Employment Opportunities
YIKES, Inc. is seeking a full-time Web programmer to join our team ASAP
Applicants must be proficient in:
WordPress: Strong familiarity with WordPress coding standards and experience creating custom plugins and themes.
PHP: Strong experience with PHP programming and comfortable with class-based development and frameworks. Must have the ability to learn unfamiliar
PHP-based frameworks and platforms.
MySQL: Adept at writing queries and developing schemas for new sites from the ground up.
JavaScript: Skilled at writing JavaScript and using JavaScript frameworks, especially jQuery.
HTML & CSS: Proficient in writing code and modifying existing code.
Candidate must possess excellent communication and time management skills. Must be able to work independently and in a team, meet deadlines and simultaneously work on multiple projects.
Salary negotiable based on experience with a benefits package that includes company-paid health, dental and vision coverage, paid vacation, flex-time and more. This is not a telecommuting position so any inquiries from companies or individuals wishing to work remotely will not be considered.
YIKES, Inc. is located on East Girard Ave in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia. YIKES is a socially responsible company that provides a casual and fun work environment. YIKES is committed to preserving the environment, sustainable business practices and the triple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit. We design, develop and maintain a wide range of interesting Web projects for individuals, companies and non-profit organizations.
Please send resume, salary requirements and programming samples to jobs@yikesinc.com. We need to see Web-based applications and sites candidate has built in the above-mentioned languages.

WHAT: A Brothers’ Network special event – a performance and discussion of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” by August Wilson

WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, at 3 p.m.

WHERE: Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia

The Brothers Network introduces its newest community partner, Plays & Players Theater, celebrating its 100th anniversary with August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” the first of two plays this season to look back at life 100 years ago.

In the same beautiful historic theater at 1714 Delancey Place lives a newly reinvented professional theater company dedicated to Philadelphia’s talented emerging artists. Don’t miss this opportunity to see some of the most talented African-American local actors tackle one of the greatest plays by one of the greatest story tellers of the 20th century!

It’s 1911, and as emancipated slaves flood north in search of employment and a chance to start over, Seth and Bertha Holly’s boarding house in Pittsburgh offers a new place to call home in this drama by the multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Piano Lesson,” “Seven Guitars” and “Fences.” When an angry and lost man arrives looking for his wife, forcibly removed from him years ago when he was captured and put in a chain gang by a man named Joe Turner, these once strangers are forced to confront their own demons and to come together to help him find his way.

Starring Kash Goins, Damien Wallace, James Tolbert, Cherie Jazmyn, Jamal Douglas, Candace Thomas, Mlé Chester, Bob Weick, Lauryn Jones, Brett Gray, and Erin Stewart.

Directed by Daniel Student

TWO CHANCES TO SAVE!

Join us January 22 for a Brothers’ Network Special Event. See “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at 3 p.m. and stay for a talkback with the show’s cast, led by local actor Johnny Hobbs, Jr. and local playwright Quinn D. Eli, as they discuss the play, the continued relevance of August Wilson’s work, and the challenges and opportunities for African-American theater in Philadelphia today.

Tickets only $18 (a savings of $7 off the regular price!) when you use the code BroNet to order tickets for this performance only.

Can’t make the 22nd? Use the code BROTHERS to save $5 off a regular price ticket for the run of the show (Jan. 19-Feb. 4) when purchasing at www.playsandplayers.org or by calling 800-595-4TIX .

About the Guest Speakers

Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. is a product of the School District of Philadelphia. He is proud of his thirty-plus-years’ affiliation with the nationally recognized Freedom Theatre and played key roles in many of its most critically acclaimed productions. Most notably he has appeared in “Black Nativity” and “Black Picture Show.” The three-time Barrymore nominee has also starred in “Simply Heavenly” with Melba Moore and Zooman and the Los Angeles premiere of “The Sign” with Virginia Capers. Mr. Hobbs has enjoyed much critical success with the works of August Wilson. He distinguished himself in such plays as “Fences,” “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and “Two Trains Running,” with the last under the direction of Walter Dallas, setting box office records for attendance at the Philadelphia Drama Guild. Noteworthy film credits include principal roles in “The In Crowd,” “Twelve Monkeys,” “Snipes,” “Up Close and Personal,” “Rocky Balboa” and most recently “Cover,” directed by Bill Duke. Entering his 29th year, Mr. Hobbs is a tenured associate professor in the theater department at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he received the Mary Lou Beitzel Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1996. He is also the chairman of the Advisory Board for the University of the Arts’ Academic Achievement Program and the advisor to the African-American Student Union and the African Diaspora Collective.

Quinn D. Eli teaches English, creative writing, and theater at the Community College of Philadelphia. He is also a former PDC Playwright-in-Residence at Plays & Players Theatre. Two of his short plays, “Small Portions” and “Running Amok,” appear in the 2010 and 2011 editions of Best American Ten-Minute Plays. Longer plays include “Hazardous,” produced last year at Society Hill Playhouse; “The Sex Tape Play,” developed by Philadelphia Theatre Workshop; and “Hot Black/Asian Action,” a satire about sexual and racial stereotypes that premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival. He is a member of Philadelphia Dramatists Center and InterAct Theatre’s Playwrights Forum.

WHAT: “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” by August Wilson, part of his “Pittsburgh Cycle” of plays that examine African-American life and culture in the 20th century decade by decade

WHERE: Plays and Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia

WHEN: January 19 through February 4, 2012

As emancipated slaves flood north in search of employment and a chance to start over, Seth and Bertha Holly’s boarding house in Pittsburgh, offers a new place to call home in this drama by the multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars and Fences. When an angry and lost man arrives looking for his wife, forcibly removed from him years ago when he was captured and put in a chain gang by a man named Joe Turner, these once strangers are forced to confront their own demons and to come together to help him find his way. This is the first of two plays at P&P that look back at life 100 years ago in celebration of its 100^th Anniversary Season.  August Wilson is heralded as one of the greatest writers of the 20^th century to explore black consciousness and culture.

More information and tickets can be obtained at the Plays and Players website.