Talk:Avery Brooks

Religious Bias
The section says "attempted to reconcile" which has a negative connotation, the bias is that it assumes to begin with that the data is not aligned. It should be treated with neutral language. --85.255.237.191 (talk) 05:36, 8 April 2019 (UTC)


 * The section #Documentary work is/was marked as POV section. The paragraph referred to by the IP address above read:
 * Obviously the article needs to specify "interpretations of the Bible" from the "the Bible". Similarly it needs to specify that archeological findings are interpreted. Hyacinth (talk) 01:21, 19 November 2019 (UTC)
 * Obviously the article needs to specify "interpretations of the Bible" from the "the Bible". Similarly it needs to specify that archeological findings are interpreted. Hyacinth (talk) 01:21, 19 November 2019 (UTC)


 * I attempted a better wording implying a two way street between interpretations religious and archeological, and attempted to expound on the show in an unbiased and reliable way by quoting IMDb (since AHC doesn't seem to explain much). Hyacinth (talk) 02:28, 19 November 2019 (UTC)

Cisco Systems
He also appeared in a TV commercial/advertisement for Cisco Systems (pun on Sisko, his DS9 character). Don't know if that's worth mentioning; feel free to add it if it is :-). --BigglesZX 16:05, 9 May 2006 (UTC) It would be cute but sadly, it's not worth mentioning unless it's authoritatively cited. I can't find any evidence that it ever occurred, whatsoever. Smuckola (talk) 19:54, 2 April 2013 (UTC)

Dates? Alma Mater?
Some of the dates and other information in the article might be suspect. According to his Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni entry, he is a '73 alum of the university's Livingston College (receiving his MFA in 1976). However, this might simply be intentionally misleading, as Joyce Kilmer is also listed in the Hall (as an '08 alum), despite having flunked out of the college before transferring to Columbia. Furthermore, Brooks couldn't have possibly become a member of the Mason Gross faculty in 1972. Planning for the school didn't even begin until 1975! (see the school's website here) --67.85.176.100 10:17, 18 December 2006 (UTC) Also, how can anybody possibly confirm he was the first "African-American" to receive this or that degree? That seems just like a naked asseveration to inject a little Political Correctness.

Possibly, though what evidence do we have that classes weren't being had prior to the facility's construction? Likewise, faculty can be nominated if the institution is in the planning stages as one would wish to secure sufficient and competent faculty prior to the building being opened. It may also be (assuming the dates are correct) that he was nominated for the forthcoming new school, but began teaching at the University/college before the specialty college was developed.

This is common when a department becomes a "school" or "college" at a university (used in the sense of say Oxford or Cambridge, which is often how it was historically used and often still is in many older institutions). When the University of Idaho decided to expand their architecture program/department into the "school/college of architecture" rather than simply being a bit larger department (note terminology: a University composed of numerous colleges/schools that themselves may have specific departments dedicated to more specialized subjects).

This can be extremely confusing because some schools will say "school" and "department" interchanably, and often will use the former when they mean the latter, whereas other will mean "college" or "school" as a separate autonomous institution within the larger body of the University as a whole. It really depends upon how things were setup.

So, a simple shorthand for those not intimately engrossed in university jargon and the operation of institutions of higher learning may be to simply say that he was appointed to the institution where he eventually and principally taught (irrespective of the finer details, like technically, quantum mechanics impacts all parts of physics, but when one is doing rudimentary calculations at sufficient scales or for particular purposes where scientists will often for ease of calculation simply "assume" or act as if for calculation purposes quantum mechanics do not play a significant enough role to warrant/"make it worth their time" to "bother" calculating. Gravity (up to certain scales or applications), optics, etc. all have applications where unless one is trying to fundamentally alter the known makeup of the world, scientists will often simply use older, technically insufficient models that are "accurate enough for our purposes". In the case if the dates, assuming they hold some tangible connection to the facts, may likewise be simplification. Brooks *could* have been hired prior to the school opening, likewise, he could have been hired for the new college, but began teaching at the University at another college or a department of another college, but them moved over.

As I recall, it is customary when referring to a particular faculty member's "academic residence" (what specific school/college/department) time/career at a particular institution to refer to the place where they spent the majority of their time, or where they achieved their greatest accomplishments irrespective of the finer nuances.

Yeah, a good chunk of that is to "up the resume/curriculum vitae stats" of all academics, but likewise, I think it's done largely to prevent the sort of confusion that is caused by saying, "I worked at department x, then y, then z, then x & a, then b, but I was working nights at m & l, and taught weekend classes at d, etc."

Again, this is only my speculation based upon what I know/remember about how academic institutions are setup & operate.

Yeah, it's confusing and for our purposes, even if it was seemingly redundant, to prevent the confusion that happened when someone bothers to actually look, sees what are, in fact, inconsistencies caused because of "general practice" for resume writing & citation as opposed to historical accuracy.

If someone wants to bother calling and asking the institution for details & to then make a notation on there website so we can correctly annotate the article, feel free. U don't think that would be "original research" since the publisher would remain the same and they would be simply making a "correction" for the clarity of editors. 🤷🏽 Dragoon91786 (talk) 18:55, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

Better Picture
Do you think we could get a better picture of Mr. Brooks? He's bound to be at a Science fiction convention some time this year, so if someone could get one of him that is similar to other actor's bio pages (smiling, looking casual, preferably standing), that would be nice. He's too good an actor to be known just for his role as Ben Sisko, and the Sisko picture is low res, and is simply a cast pic from who-knows-when.--Dante 19:20, 17 April 2007 (UTC)


 * I'll try and get one from a DS9 DVD interview. -- Tough Little Ship 21:51, 20 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Get one where he is younger, he looks so old in the current one Abovedoubt 10:41, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Paul Robeson
You missed one of his greatest talents. He appeared in a one man show titled "Paul Robeson". He appeared on stage with a table and two chairs. His talents enabled the audience to be taken to Paris and other areas of Paul Robeson's life. Any one who got to see his performance was truly touched. PSUFAN68 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Psufan68 (talk • contribs) 03:33, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

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Singing Voice

I note that the statement that he has a deep baritone voice isn't referenced -but fits in with the entry suggesting that he has played Paul Robeson and his speaking voice- However in the DS9 episode "Badda-Ba Badda-Bing" he sings "The Best is yet to come" in a very pleasant tenor voice (not obviously falsetto). It is possible that he can sing in more than one range as befits his background --92.23.151.10 (talk) 09:41, 25 March 2009 (UTC)

Speaking from experience, there are those of us with large ranges that are kinda hybrids. I myself have at my peak a 4 octave range, that used to be 5 (C2–C6, but previously went up to C7) "baritone-tenor-countertenor-alti" etc. The terms are super subjective, have specialized terms to denote particular sounding voices used for certain roles, but some people have far more control, range, and flexibility with their voice [I think Avery Brooks & I have that in common, as does/did singers like Julie Andrews, Michael Jackson (though he frequently hid his actual range as close friends revealed; he used to do like Brent Spiner and prank call friends with different voices. I can't remember which actors talked about this, but I think Chris Rock and others said that Michael was notorious for shocking the crap out of them in real life when he'd suddenly start talking 1–2 octaves below where he did on TV, or whenever he'd get distracted and "break character". 🤷🏽

It's super cool and fun to have the dynamic flexibility, but it's a pain in the ass if some prof, director, etc., wants to try to box you into one archetype over another. Some folks fit the "models", but often times people work to fit the model for employment reasons as opposed to their actual abilities. Unlike say Andrews (or my Mom) who had a large 4–5 octave range, but were labeled as "1st sopranos" because that was the "ideal lead role" that operate and musical theatre tended to target. I found that women tend to be pushed to higher ranges (and if they can't do it, like say Hepburn who may have with quite a lot more time have been able to fully blast Julie's numbers in the key/octave they were written in, but unfortunately Jack Warner wouldn't give her the time to do it, despite how vigilantly she tried. And it was one damn fine effort too! :3

But, yeah, where Avery is concerned, labeling him a "Baritone" or "Tenor" isn't necessarily useful outside of describing his role. Avery was Avery on those performances and has his range. Whether that range coincides with the ascribed "range" isn't necessarily so, and likely isn't. I think mentioning both and his wide range and commanding performances/skillful control over his voice/projection is probably most appropriate. Dragoon91786 (talk) 19:14, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

Crawford: grandfather or uncle?
In the article we can read "His maternal grandfather, Samuel Travis Crawford" and later on "his maternal uncle Samuel Travis Crawford was a member of the Delta Rhythm Boys". According to Delta Rhythm Boys page the band member was called Traverse Crawford and not Samuel Travis. Are these the same person or two different persons? --Nedergard (talk) 05:41, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

The Captains
Description of "The Captains" as including all captains. This sentence needs to be reworded because it is false. Even if we were to assume you meant "only main characters" you would still be incorrect as George Takai was not included in the documentary. He was a captain in The Undiscovered Country.173.166.2.20 (talk) 03:59, 27 September 2011 (UTC)Timothy

I believe I finally addressed that just now, thanks. Smuckola (talk) 19:53, 2 April 2013 (UTC)

Wording and structure
Why is "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been" cited twice successively?

Because this is a biography and not a resume (which would be intended to direct the reader's attention to certain things and to deliberately deemphasize others), the overall structure should be reorganized a little bit. Thank you to everyone who did a good job on this article. Smuckola (talk) 19:48, 2 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Career
 * Television
 * Spenser For Hire: Hawk
 * Star Trek: Benjamin Sisko
 * Other roles
 * Teaching and cultural work
 * Music
 * Theater
 * Films
 * Documentary work
 * Other (bearing the contents of 'latest projects')

External links modified
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I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Avery Brooks. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20070602043926/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrFgRAcr0jg to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrFgRAcr0jg

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Personal life
The information about his family (wife, children, residence) is not supported by the content at http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/style/rutgers-helping-transform-prison-inmates-into-honor-students. Additionally, this is a dead link. The only alternative version I found was one at archive dot is, which is a blacklisted site. I couldn't find am Internet Archive version. I found three other references which confirm Vicki Brooks' title, the family information and residence. I'll add them next and remove the NewJerseyNewsroom.com source. Ericschwarz2001 (talk) 20:44, 19 June 2016 (UTC)

Added a few references to support family information and Vicki Brooks' title. Removed extraneous info about her title and length of service at Rutgers. For the record, her title is Assistant Dean for Administration in the School of Arts and Sciences Equal Opportunity Fund office at Rutgers University, and the original text included "(where she has worked for more than 30 years)." Ericschwarz2001 (talk) 21:00, 19 June 2016 (UTC)