educated guesses Andre Kimo Stone Guess

This is Word Around the Campfire, Audio Storytelling from educated guesses. In today’s episode we feature the first installment of the short story series The Chance and Me Chronicles.
The Chance and Me Chronicles is a series of short stories about the adventures and antics of a young boy and his older brother Chance growing up in the 1970’s and 80’s.
Today’s story is entitled Wes Unseld and the Electric Chair. The story takes place in 1979 on the last day of school for our two young brothers. The night before our young protagonist stayed up late to watch the tape delayed broadcast of Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Washington Bullets and the Seattle Supersonics. Little did he know that what he saw that night would be a foreshadowing of his fate for the entire summer. He would be sentenced to the Electric Chair.


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Left Photo (Sean Ali-Waddell and Common in Frankfort, KY), Right Photo (Clockwise from left: Snoop, Issa Fixit and B-Yola on the side steps of First Unitarian Church in Louisville, KY.)
This podcast is a companion piece to a commentary that I wrote for ESPN’s The Undefeated, Finding the voices of young Black activists in Louisville, in reaction to Kentucky Attorney General, Daniel Cameron’s investigation and grand jury process failure to to indict any of the three officers involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor on charges related to her death.
The podcasts profiles two young Black men who have had a big impact on the protests for justice for Breonna Taylor.
Ali-Waddell and Fixit come from different neighborhoods and different backgrounds, but their passion and purpose are the same - a better future for Black people in their city. Both are rappers. One sees his art form as the lane he will use to propel his passion towards his purpose, while the other has put his artistry on pause for the cause.
Music credits from the podcast:
Hip Hop Trap Beat - “Truth” by Curtis Harris from Storyblocks.com
The Movement Revisited by Christian McBride on Mack Avenue Records
The Ever Fonky Lowdown by Wynton Marsalis on Blue Engine Records
Links Mentioned in the podcast:
Sean Ali-Waddell’s music video.
Social Media links for guests:
Issa Fixit - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Sean Ali-Waddell - Instagram
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On today’s show we remember the life of critic, essayist, poet and author Stanley Crouch. We also discuss the broader role of the Black critic in today’s culture and society. Our special guest today is journalist Eugene Holley, Jr. He wrote an obituary for Stanley - I Saw a Different Side of Stanley Crouch for ESPN’s The Undefeated. Andre’s requiem for Crouch is on educated guesses - Stanley Crouch - Straight No Chaser?
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The music in the piece is Uptown Ruler by Wynton Marsalis
This is an audio version of the article Stanley Crouch - Straight No Chaser?
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On today’s show we are joined by special guest Lynne Toye to discuss the Black image in arts and sports. Today’s discussion is based upon an article that Andre Kimo Stone Guess two years ago about the release of the Marvel movie Black Panther. That article is presented in its entirety below.
You can find this and other episodes of The Hank and Herb Show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 
February 16, 2018 reminds me of November 4, 2008.  The only thing in recent memory that I can equate to the response and anticipation of the release of Marvel’s Black Panther in the black community is the 2008 election of Barack Obama.  I haven’t seen as much hoopla, hype and hysteria come from black folks about the likes of Wakanda and Afrofuturism since the days of “Hope and Change” and “Yes We Can”. 
Seeing the similarities of how this has unfolded has led me to the the question of why. Why all of this for a black superhero movie?  As I pondered the question, I heard the sage words of one of my dear friends ring in my ear – “It’s all about identity, my brother.”
As blacks in this country we suffer from an identity crisis that is a direct result of the evil twins of white supremacy and black inferiority.  In my opinion, black inferiority is the most enduring and cancerous vestige of chattel slavery for the black community.
Black imagery disseminated through media and art help to shape the black self image and self esteem and can significantly contribute to the perpetuation of black inferiority.
W.E.B. Dubois knew this nearly a century ago. In a 1926 article in the NAACP’s publication, The Crisis, he states,
“…All Art is propaganda and ever must be, despite the wailing of the purists…I do not care a damn for any art that is not used for propaganda.  But I do care when propaganda is confined to one side while the other is stripped and silent.”
DuBois was decrying the unbalanced and often negative view of blacks that whites propagated in society through art.
In today’s media saturated world, art and her actors are one of the gears that grind in the capitalistic machine. Art is a vehicle that is used to drive the masses to a particular place for the purpose of a pitch – “Now that I have your attention let me interest you in this product that I’m selling.”  The commodification and distribution of art has a capitalistic agenda and another even more important agenda – propaganda.
While the propaganda angle has often been to the detriment of the black self image, a movie like Black Panther has the unique ability to accomplish a rare double feature – commercial success and positive propaganda for black culture. But is that positive propaganda sustainable?
I remember the feeling of euphoria and pride I had as I stood in line for over an hour to vote for Obama over 9 years ago. Unfortunately, some if not most of that “good feeling” has subsided, not so much because of how I view myself but because of the image that I see in society’s mirror staring back at me. 
I’ll be honest with you.  When I sat down to write this piece I wasn’t sure how I felt about the movie or if I even wanted to go see it. I initially thought it was yet another attempt to capitalize on the dearth of positive black imagery in popular culture. However, harkening back to DuBois’ words made me change my mind so I will venture out to stand in line with the masses to see the movie.
My hope for those of us who stand in line to see this blockbuster is that we somehow receive a positive boost to our cultural immune system that will help ward off the ill effects of black inferiority in a world where white supremacy has gone viral. 
And even if this ends up being the case, we can’t wait 9 years for another event like this to help sustain us. We must create multiple opportunities to build upon the black self image – to continue to inoculate ourselves from the scourge of black inferiority.
Fortunately, we ar

In this week’s episode we discuss the problem of police brutality, particularly in the Black community and offer up several solutions to help curb the escalation of police brutality, violence and their routine violation of citizen’s rights.
The basis for our discussion is an article on educated guesses by one of hosts, Harun Shabazz - A Simple Solution to the Public Health Crisis of Police Brutality in the Black Community.
You can find this and other episodes of The Hank and Herb Show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
If you haven’t already please click the button below to subscribe.



This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit educated-guesses.com/subscribe