Penn Relays a Jamaica no-go because of virus
Due to the increasing instances of coronavirus infection in the U.S. and other nations, trackand-field athletes from the nation of Jamaica will not travel to Philadelphia and take part in April’s annual Penn Relays event.
For the first time in more than 50 years, after decades of stellar performances and thrills for fans and athletes, Jamaican government officials instituted a travel ban in light of the spread of COVID-19.
As reported in the media — from the Jamaica Observor to the University of Pennsylvania’s Daily Pennsylvanian college paper — the Jamaican government last week advised its high schools and colleges not to send students to the track-and-field competition held at the Philadelphia university’s Franklin Field over three days, April 23 to 25.
Like the moves made by the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and other sports entities, Jamaica’s decision to pass on the 2020 Penn Relays respects coronavirus-related medical-governmental mandates to cancel large gatherings of people and keep “social distance” between individuals to deter the spreading of the virus.
There were reportedly eight cases of coronavirus infection in Jamaica. Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared a health emergency for the nation of close to 3 million people.
As of Friday, the Penn Relays officials have not postponed or cancelled the 126-year-old event, which now attracts 15,000-plus athletes and 110,000-plus spectators annually.
“They [Jamaican track-and-field athletes] have been coming continually since that time,” said Irwine Clare of Team Jamaica Bickle, which has provided hospitality assistance to the sizable number of young Jamaican athletes attending the relays.
“We too share the concerns about the threat of COVID-19 to our ‘Our Athletes, Our Ambassadors,’ and various communities and stand in support of the decisions made. Their health and well-being are paramount,” read a Team Jamaica Bickle statement.
Fishburne reads Malcolm X
“The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley,” the moving and inspirational book first published in 1965, will be making a dramatic digital return in May when it’s released by the Audible spoken-word entertainment firm as an audiobook performed by noted actor Laurence Fishburne.
Audible announced that the Emmyand Tony award-winning Fishburne will be heard reading the unabridged audio of the noted autobiography, written with author Alex Haley.
“This is a man who lived multiple lifetimes in the span of 40 years,” Fishburne said of Malcolm X. “An inspiration, ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ remains a definitive statement within an ever-evolving civil rights and human rights movement.”
“‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ stands as the definitive statement on a man whose life’s work was never completed but whose message is timeless. It is essential for anyone who wants to understand the AfricanAmerican experience and America as a whole,” according to Audible.
The Audible version of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” which is now available for preorder, will be released May 19 — what would have been Malcolm X’s 95th birthday.
Malcolm X — whose fame grew when he was a prominent minister in the Nation of Islam (Black Muslim) religious movement — became an internationally respected activist in the areas of civil rights and human rights. He was assassinated in 1965.
Born Malcolm Little, Malcolm X’s mother was from Grenada. She and Malcolm’s Georgia-born father were staunch supporters of Jamaica-born black leader Marcus Garvey.
Rachel Ghiazza, Audible’s senior vice president of content acquisition and development, said “Audible is proud to be a home to this extraordinary narrative — one of the most important nonfiction works of the 20th century — and to continue to amplify voices that need to be heard.”
Film on business big
“In the Black” — the amazing memoir about Canadian businessman Denham Jolly founding that nation’s first black radio station — is soon to become an amazing film by director Frances-Anne Solomon.
Solomon announced recently that she has begun work on a feature film based on Jolly’s award-winning memoir, with support from the Harold Greenberg Fund and the Telefilm Development Program.
“Denham Jolly’s 10-year battle to win a license for Canada’s first black radio station is the stuff of urban legend,” said Solomon. “‘In the Black’ shows Canada from a unique point of view. It’s the story of Canada herself, through a fresh and important lens,” she said. Solomon’s film will follow the trials and successes of Jolly — who came from Jamaica and overcame racism and other hardships to establish Flow 93.5 FM.