A scene from FLY BABY, a music video from musician and activist Mike Africa Jr.
“My mother is full of love — for me, for her family, for her community — and I wanted to honor the strength and resilience of that love through my music. Fly Baby is for my mother and all the other people who cultivate in the garden of motherhood.” says Africa.
PHILADELPHIA (PRWEB) May 07, 2021
Celebrate Mother’s Day with the world premiere of the music video for FLY BABY, from musician and activist Mike Africa Jr. The song honors his mother, Debbie Africa, who gave birth to Mike while she was in prison - two weeks after her arrest. At 13 Mike began working to free his parents from prison. After over 25 years of struggle, Mike got his parents out of prison, in 2018.
“My mother is full of love — for me, for her family, for her community — and I wanted to honor the strength and resilience of that love through my music. Fly Baby is for my mother and all the other people who cultivate in the garden of motherhood.” says Africa.
Filmmakers Maori Karmael Holmes (Founder, BlackStar Film Festival) and Rashid Zakat directed the music video, in collaboration with All Ages Productions, cinematographer and editor Lendl Tellington, and producers Katy Bagli and James Doolittle. Local artisans Snap Dragon Philly, The Modern Republic, and Old Soul Decor generously contributed to the look of the video. The result is a gorgeous celebration of motherhood, shot in various exteriors of Philadelphia. The video includes appearances from: Debbie Africa, Mike Africa Sr., Imani Perry, Yolanda Wisher and more.
FLY BABY will world premiere on Mother’s Day, May 9, just days before the inaugural Day of Observation, Reflection and Recommitment - an official resolution from the Philadelphia City Council. The resolution, passed in late 2020, formally apologizes for the decisions and events preceding and leading to the devastation that impacted the MOVE Family, their neighbors, friends following the tragic events on May 13, 1985 in the 6200 block of Osage Avenue.
For more about the music video and the inaugural Day of Observation, Reflection and Recommitment please visit http://www.MikeAfricaJr.com.
ABOUT MIKE AFRICA JR.
Mike Africa, Jr. is an activist, a writer and the host of the podcast “On a Move w/ Mike Africa, Jr.“ He is the star of the HBOmax documentary “40 Years A Prisoner.” He is a stage performer, keynote speaker, and a hip hop artist.
Mike was born in a Philadelphia jail following a police raid on his parents home that led to their arrest and sentence to 100 years in prison. At age 6, he witnessed the smoke in the air from a police bomb that was dropped on his family’s home killing his uncle, his cousin and nine other family members.
At 13 he began working to free his parents from prison. After over 25 years of struggle, with the help of his family and attorney Brad Thomson and Brett Grote. Mike got his parents out of prison, at age 40.
ABOUT MAORI KARMAEL HOLMES
Maori is a curator, filmmaker and writer. She has organized programs in film at a myriad of organizations including Museum of Contemporary Art - Los Angeles, The Underground Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. As a director, her works have screened internationally including her feature documentary Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip-Hop (2006). Other projects include That Magic, a music video for India.Arie and No Goode Way, a short documentary for Colorlines.com. Her writing has most recently appeared in The Believer, Film Quarterly, Seen, Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, and How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance. Maori founded BlackStar Film Festival in 2012 and serves as its Artistic Director. She also hosts the podcast Many Lumens.
ABOUT RASHID ZAKAT
Rashid is a filmmaker and artist based in Philadelphia. He uses video, photography, design, audio and the web to encourage people to find as much beauty, joy and wonder as possible. Professionally Rashid has had a 15 year long career as a director and cinematographer for non-fiction, experimental films and music videos. He has done work for Nike, Intel, Grammy Award Winning artist India.Arie, Carmelo Anthony, Black Thought of the Roots, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, NBC, Comcast, BlackStar Film Festival, Soul Train, Topic, WHYY, Philadelphia Contemporary, Mural Arts, Rashaad Newsome, and BET to name a few. His personal work includes short documentary, iPhone and traditional portrait projects, visual mixtapes, digital publications, video installations, open mics and dance parties that experiment with visuals. Obsessed with the internet and new modes of communication, Rashid routinely shares his media experiments on social platforms.
ABOUT THE MOVE ORGANIZATION
The mission of the MOVE Organization is to protect life and to encourage other people to protect life too. When we say life we are talking about people, animals and the environment. The founder of the MOVE Organization is JOHN AFRICA. To honor our beloved Founder, and acknowledge the wisdom and strength He has given us, we say “LONG LIVE JOHN AFRICA!”
Official resolution, Formally apologizing on behalf of the Council of the City of Philadelphia for the decisions and events preceding and leading to the devastation that occurred on May 13th, 1985, and establishing an annual day of observation, reflection and recommitment on May 13th, in the spirit of moving forward, reconciliation, justice, and harmony for all people of the City of Philadelphia.
http://phlcouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Move-Resolution.pdf