‘Revolution ‘67’ details Newark’s urban rebellion
Lauren Carter
Writer and philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” In the opening sequence of the new documentary “Revolution ’67,” a voice echoes that sentiment.
“If the lessons of Newark aren’t learned, your city can be next,” it says.
That mandate to examine the past in order to understand the present and shape the future is the motivation behind “Revolution ’67,” which details the “Black Urban Rebellion” in Newark, N.J., in 1967 and first aired on PBS’s “P.O.V.” series earlier this month.
“I’m a native daughter and resident of Newark, and for as long as I can remember, Newark has been stigmatized by the riots of 1967,” said director Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno in a statement. “The questions remain: What really happened, who’s to blame, and why hasn’t the city recovered? Are the problems Newark faced in the ’60s the same that plague it today? That’s why my husband and I made this film — to get those answers.” Full story
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‘Hot Ghetto Mess’ gets name change
Lynn Elber
LOS ANGELES — BET’s provocatively titled “Hot Ghetto Mess,” which drew sharp criticism and overshadowed the rest of the cable channel’s new schedule, has an upbeat new name.
When the series debuted yesterday, it was called “We Got to Do Better.”
“We’ve decided to change the name because we want to highlight the show’s real intent, which is to offer social commentary in a context that sparks dialogue, debate, and most importantly, change,” BET said in a statement.
The show’s content remained unaltered, BET spokeswoman Jeanine Liburd said.
The half-hour video clip show is based on the Web site hotghettomess.com, which shows examples of outrageous fashion and behavior, mostly in the black community. The BET show will combine viewer-submitted and BET-produced content.
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