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Black Writers Conference Gives Writers Collective Voice

Editor, Our Time Press
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The 10th Annual National Black Writers Conference initiated on Thursday, March 25, 2010 and concluded Sunday, March 28, 2010 with author readings, workshops and panel discussions by prominent black writers. Major themes included reconstructing memory, environmentalism and ecology, and community restoration. Among those honored include Honorary Chair Toni Morrison, Amiri Baraka, Kamau Brathwaite and Dr. Edison O. Jackson.

Dr. Brenda Greene of Medgar Evers College (second from left, at top) wrote history last weekend when she brought together the stars of the Black literary world for the 10th National Black Writer’s Conference. The writers include, from left to right: Kevin Powell, poet Sonia Sanchez, Cornell West (to Dr. Greene’s left), Toni Morrison, Susan Taylor, Kamau Brathwaite, Khephra Burns and Amiri Baraka.

Hosted by the Center of Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, City University of New York, Professor and Executive Director Dr. Brenda Greene details the importance of the Black Writers Conference, its impact on black writers and the community, and the message it sends to the mainstream publishing industry.
According to Dr. Brenda Greene there is a “need for people to have their stories documented and told.” The Black Writer’s Conference “allows the general public, as well as writers a chance to identify issues and challenges.” Black writers are fighting a battle on two fronts- against the publishing industry and within their own communities. Writers often have to travel difficult, unconventional roads. Author Terry McMillan is one of many examples of the barriers black writers face. She sold books from the trunk of her car.
 Another issue black writers face is with particular genres and the cultural bias and misconceptions within black communities. Speculative fiction writers L.A. Banks, Michael Boatman, Jewell Parker Rhodes and Cheo Tyehimba shared many moments of laughter when they revealed some of the comments and prejudices surrounding speculative fiction from the perspective of black writers. “Girl, I ain’t reading that, I’m a Christian,” Tyehimba mocked as she chuckled lightly. Each author shouted common responses such as “voodoo,” “demonic” or “devil” to describe the creative works they have written. Mainstream speculative fiction has not only excluded black writers, but has fostered an image that fantasy, magical creatures and supernatural elements are “white” and pure, while “voodoo” and “witch doctors” are “black” and satanic. It is issues such as these that Dr. Brenda Greene hopes to tackle and bring truth to.
The National Black Writers Conference is important because it shows “the status of black literature,” gives a “voice to black writers,” makes black writers accessible to the community, and dispels common myths and prejudices.   By Shamecca Long

200,000 Call for Immigration Reform on National Mall

Editor, Our Time Press
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They came by car, bus, and plane. One man walked from NYC. Daughters, mothers, fathers, and sons from all walks of life descended upon the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to call for reform of the nation’s immigration system. The vast majority were of Hispanic descent, yet immigrants and their supporters in attendance were there representing all corners of the globe, including Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

SEIU 32BJ at the Immigration Reform Rally May Day, Washington, DC

NYC voices were well-represented at the rally in the nation’s capital  organized by Reform Immigration for America. Brooklyn’s Churches United to Save and Heal (CUSH) took 9 buses. New York’s other boroughs were also  represented.
Upon approaching D.C., bus riders were informed that “the Department of Homeland Security’s Deputy Assistant Secretary (Al Pena) and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Policy (Esther Olivarria) today gave us and the rally organizers their verbal assurance that they are instructing their departments and personnel NOT to stop buses heading to/leaving from the march.” Riders were also instructed not to comply if asked for a Social Security card or any other ID designating citizenship. Legal assistance was available to rally attendees. In addition, attendees were provided with a toll-free number to report any problems/encounters with DHS to Al Pena, Deputy Assistant Secretary of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Pena had “promised all community groups to respond immediately because he has given the order not to stop buses.”
Once in D.C., the diversity of support for immigration reform was apparent.
A delegation of 15 flew in from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sofia, a member of a group from Indiana, said they came because last November ICE raided a BP oil refinery. “Many families were separated,” she said. Three buses came from Delaware, where there is concern in “lower Delaware” for undocumented immigrants working in poultry processing plants and as groomsmen at the racetrack. One attendee said in Delaware that immigrants “are totally living in the shadows.” Seattle, Washington was represented by 50 members of El Centro de la Raza, a civil rights organization, who came by plane. 100 came from Colorado, riding by bus for 24 hours.
Several buses came from the Bronx, including 2 filled with men who immigrated to the United States from Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Congo, Mauritania and Guinea. Bakary, the group’s organizer, said “This affects everybody. Immigration reform is not a Latino issue, alone.” Representing the Gambian Society and the Bronx Alliance of the Islamic Cultural Center of NY, Bakary said “Immigration is a Black people’s issue, especially from sub-Saharan Africa.”
Bakary told of men “separated from families,” then described an incident that occurred on the Friday before the rally. According to Bakary, a member attended mosque, then went home to move his car. As this member was putting his key into the car door, ICE took him into custody. This man has been in the country for 30 years under a work Visa that he regularly renewed. The last time he sought to renew the Visa, his request was denied. Bakary said African immigrants lawfully live in the U.S. under work Visas until “the program is not available anymore.” Officially undocumented, ICE-was able to detain him, pending deportation. The man is married with 5 U.S. born children.
In the Bronx, Bakary said ICE is known to observe mosque attendees, but do not detain members at the mosque “because it would cause a big problem.” According to Bakary, ICE follows members home from the mosque, then picks them up for immigration violations.
Pastor Abrago, who heads a church in Prince George’s County on the edge of Washington, D.C., said he spent his entire ministry working with immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa. Abrago said attending the rally was a revelation. He “didn’t know there were so many Hispanics interested in immigration reform until attending this rally.”
Hispanics were the largest immigrant groups at the rally. They carried printed and homemade signs expressing their views. “Justicia Para Todos los Immigrantes.” “Democracia Ahora.” “Education, not deportation.”  “Jesus is an Immigrant.” “Immigrant Roots, Immigrant Rights.” “Sons and Daughters of Immigrants and We Can Vote.” One man had this handwritten message on the back of his T-shirt: “¨Donde estan as promesas? Al Voto Latino?” Many attendees wrapped themselves in American flags, including one family of 5 with three small children.
Immigrants from dozens of Caribbean countries carried signs, too, such as “Illegal Status is the New Segregation.”
Pastor Gil Monrose, head of Brooklyn’s Church of Zion said, “We are here to advocate for immigration reform. Not only are our Latino brothers and sisters here. We have just about every Caribbean island represented in our group of about 500 people here from New York, stretching from Trinidad and Tobago up to Jamaica, St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Vincent and all the other islands. Yes, we appreciate the Latino brothers and sisters coming out to support us, but there is also a new voice as well. We want to be part of that conversation. Our message to President Obama today, “Si, se  Puente.”

Assemblyman Boyland Calls for Multicultural Curriculum Statewide

Mary Alice Miller
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William Boyland, Jr., representing the 55th Assembly District in Brooklyn, has introduced legislation that, on its face, is deceptively simple: a statewide mandate for multicultural education.  All schools, including elementary, junior and senior high schools, shall be required to teach a multicultural curriculum. The State Education Commissioner, currently David Steiner, shall set out rules and regulations for implementation.
This legislation would consider “the differences in the cultural composition of each school” with the commissioner directing schools to “do research and observation on their own student body in order to particularize multicultural education to fit such education to such schools.” In addition, the commissioner shall “set out a teacher education program in order to train teachers and educators to teach and interact with students of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.”
Our Time Press interviewed Assemblyman Boyland one-on-one to explore  his proposed legislation in detail.
OTP: Assemblyman Boyland, why did you think multicultural education is necessary?
Boyland: The basic idea is that in Chinatown, they should learn their own culture because a lot of them are born here, in Flushing, and other parts of the city. In our neighborhood, one thing that I find is that a lot of our kids don’t know who they are. They don’t know their culture. They don’t know where they come from. I do a mentoring group at Thomas Jefferson and I asked a young man was he aware who El Hajj Malik el Shabazz was. He said, “Who is that, one of those terrorists?” It blew me away. I said “OK, do you know who Malcolm X is?” He, all of a sudden, became clear. They don’t understand where we came from, who we are, why we are, and what is in place today for them. I don’t want our kids to miss these opportunities. In so many instances a lot of our kids lose their way because they don’t know where they come from.
OTP: What would be solved by our kids knowing who they are culturally? 
Boyland: There is a huge gap with kids not knowing their culture – music, our other accomplishments. What did Martin Luther King or Malcolm X achieve with what they didn’t have, as opposed to all the advantages that we have today? There are a lot of individuals who are happy just to be at the table, and there are so many of us owning tables now. So many of us are policy-makers. You have to understand, the  culture that is hip-hop, is now driving the industry. In the Oscars,  hip-hop is a huge influence. I was listening to a commercial on the radio the other day. It was hip-hop about the census. We have influenced this country, this world – the financial industry, the entertainment industry, you name it, our influence is all over the place. But we don’t know that. We have no idea what that is. What’s missing is knowledge of our worth and letting folks know they come from royalty. It’s not just the Black folks. It’s the Chinese,  the Indians, the Hispanics. We want to let our folks know exactly who they are and where they come from.
OTP: I have to ask this. Generally when we heard about the Black leaders who will be taught under this, we hear about the males. You just mentioned two, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. If the curriculum includes Abernathy, Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, we are still talking about men. Will this multi-cultural curriculum have a gender balance to it?
Boyland: Sure.
OTP: A lot of times the Black issues are defined by males and the issues are male-oriented issues. The females get lost even though the females are depended upon to do the picketing, to take care of the children. We want to know if the worth of the multicultural female is going to be included.

Boyland: Women are the backbone of our culture. Bed Stuy and Brownsville are my areas. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I learned that  Lena Horne lived on Decatur Street and Nostrand Ave. There are so many African-American females and Hispanic females who have made  their mark on this world. I would be remiss if I didn’t have that conversation with the commissioner that this has to be implemented. We have to have gender as a conversation.
To talk on a broader scale, I am not a big fan of Black History Month. I think we should be talking about our culture throughout the year. Women are such a big part of who we are.  Look at our neighborhoods today. Women are a huge part of where we are now. There is a lack of males right now doing it. We are in leadership, of course. But, I go to the meetings, I go to the PTA’s. I am at the community boards.  There are a lot of women in that room. There are more females than men in schools, in churches. When I went to college, the ratio of women to men was 27 to 1 at Virginia State University. I was there a few weeks ago. Now they are telling me the number is more like 48 to 1. I think this curriculum would help that to let our young men coming out of high school understand the female’s worth. The culture is so rich here. It’s here, but we don’t celebrate it. This is a good step towards that.
OTP: So, underneath this multicultural curriculum, children, both boys and girls will be taught to respect themselves and each other?
Boyland: Of course. Our culture does not celebrate us enough. We are thinking just me, me, me. We need to celebrate our stars. Our kids are our stars.
OTP: How would this multicultural curriculum celebrate intellectual achievement as opposed to just music, arts and sports. How would this help children aspire to intellectual achievement, not just as a student, but as a well-rounded person?
 Boyland: I have also polled my peers and high school kids while putting this legislation together. This is wanted. We learn American history; it is a requirement. Why don’t we learn about kings and queens from Africa as we transitioned into slavery and what that did to us? A lot of us need to understand what happened when our names, language, religion, culture and families were taken from us. We have the Oprah Winfrey’s, the Sean “Puffy” Combs. We have to understand  how they have adapted and succeeded in this civilization. They didn’t have it easy. They chose academics. We have to show these examples and celebrate them. We need to celebrate the kids who are getting 4.0’s.
OTP: Part of the problem, not just in New York State, but in the United States, is that the children of the majority culture have not learned about the humanity of African-Americans. They don’t realize we didn’t just come from Mars and became slaves, buffoons and minstrels. In addition to learning about our own cultures, what about learning about each other’s cultures? What about kids of European descent learning about other cultures?
Boyland: That is the end result. Where we are, we have African-American, Hispanic,  Muslim – all here. First of all, the Hispanic kid learns about his culture. As he matriculates, he learns about the Asian, the whites, etc. That is a huge problem in this country. That is where a lot of our divisive problems come into play. We don’t know about each other. A lot of people don’t know that the architectural layout of Washington, D.C. was in Masonic, which is African. The Jewish stars on a lot of churches here in Brownsville- we don’t know where that comes from. We don’t even bother to question it. 
Initially, my vision for this legislation is for the specific demographic to learn about themselves. As you matriculate up, learn about who is in your neighborhood, then who is surrounding your neighborhood, and who is surrounding that neighborhood. Let us learn about ourselves first, then learn about other cultures.
OTP: What about the long history of struggle in NYS to get multicultural education – the fight over the Curriculum of Inclusion and what came out of Dr. Adelaide Sanford’s work and Galen Kirkland’s (current NYS Human Rights Commissioner) report on the importance of cultural education for students of African ancestry? What was supposed to be implemented was the history of underrepresented groups: African-American, Jewish and Irish. What came out is that now Jewish history is now richly taught, with almost ubiquitous professional development for teachers. The same with Irish history. But African-American culture, the catalyst for these education reforms, has been lagging behind in NYS.
Boyland: Why do you think that is?
OTP: I am asking you.
Boyland: Inclusion is the big deal. We have historically been separated from ourselves, from our culture. We have been historically told we weren’t worth anything. We, of course, know better. We haven’t been able to come together. There are so many different issues that plague our communities, that separate us from our goal.
OTP: Regarding the Curriculum of Inclusion, on the state level from the legislators point of view, were you looking for scholars to formally write the curriculum? Isn’t that curriculum out there? What was the gap between the Curriculum of Inclusion and the actual implementation of it in the school systems, so that years later, you are drafting legislation calling for multicultural education?
Boyland: You mentioned the Jews and the Irish. They thought about their culture and the people they represent and they kept pushing it. They worked until the legislation came together. It got to the governor, who signed it into law. They were able to bring their communities around this. I just don’t think there was enough push to put it together. I think it would already be here if that had been the case.
OTP: We have Dr. Leonard Jeffries from CUNY, we have Dr. Adelaide Sanford, we had John Henrik Clarke,  we still have Dr. Ben.
Boyland: Those are our scholars. They were pushing. But it didn’t happen on the statewide level. This legislation makes it a mandate. It happened with the Jewish culture, but it didn’t happen with us. This would make that happen.
OTP: What happened on the statewide level?
Boyland: You had the Al Vann’s, the Arthur Eve’s, the Roger Greene’s,  my father. There were several people. This dates from the early 1970’s when Governor Paterson’s father was there.  It wasn’t something that was brought to the forefront on the floor. You have to understand how the process works. You have to get stuff to committee, and the caucus behind it. The Black, Latino and Asian Caucus is behind this legislation. At that time, there were four members of the caucus when this conversation was initially started in terms of multicultural curriculum. This would be the first piece of legislation put together. Leadership has been an issue over time. There are so many different camps that pop up. We don’t work together. That has been a problem in Black communities for quite some time.
OTP: You are saying, without naming names, that since the 70’s, between the Black and Hispanic legislators, they couldn’t get together and unify around multi-cultural education for Black and Hispanic children?
Boyland: I believe that would already be in play if that was the case. The other cultures have it. In my research, a 10-year-old Jewish kid can tell you about his history. Our kids can’t. I am wondering why. In my opinion, I believe we could have done a better job. I am not talking about the scholars.  I am not talking about what Al Vann or Jitu Weusi taught at 271. I am not talking about them. I am talking about the folks that can make it a mandate of the state level to make sure that the folks in Buffalo, Watertown, Hempstead, Brownsville, Jamaica, Queens – where we live – are understanding what Malcolm X did and where he came from. I want this to be a rallying call for our leadership to make sure our kids are taught, and then subsequently taught about other  races. That is a major problem in our neighborhoods. We need to understand each other – the brother from Palestine or the sister from Spain.
The curriculum that our kids are being taught pushes them so far behind. We aren’t making a big stink about that. The test prep mentality that this administration and others have put on communities just like ours has pushed us so far behind. I mean, 70% remediation in CUNY is incredibly crazy. If the kids are not being taught at home, guess what, they aren’t learning it. They won’t learn it at all.
 It is my responsibility as a legislator and a leader to make sure our folks learn. We don’t want to be in the situation where opportunities come and we can’t do anything with them because we are not prepared. As a leader, and someone who has a say as to what kind of education comes into our community, I have to talk. I think it would be irresponsible for me not to. I want folks to hold me responsible as a leader. The bigger picture is to make sure that for the Adelaide Sanford’s, the Jitu Weusi’s and the different individuals who came together initially to put this kind of legislation together, we should make sure that goes through.
OTP: What about the question of money? How is this going to be paid for? Who is going to create the textbooks? Who is going to make sure local education districts purchase the textbooks? Who is going to pay for the development of the curriculum?
Boyland: I don’t think a Jewish person can write Black history. An African-American person, I believe, is the only one who can put this kind of deal together. We can collaborate with folks on different things. We are still negotiating. The State Board of Education would implement it through designated state funds that cannot be diverted. During our negotiations we have talked about workshops for teacher development that the state would pay for.  The RFP’s related to this legislation would require writing the curriculum as well as teaching the teachers.
We are still in negotiations with the NYC education reps. I hope that won’t be our biggest hurdle. I know the reality of where we are and who we are dealing with, and what’s at stake here. But I don’t plan on giving this fight up.  It is a torch we have decided to carry.

The Phenomenal Event

Gloria Dulan-Wilson
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Back in the day,The Impressions with Curtis Mayfield sang a song entitled “Too Much Love” which said in part, “never in this world can there be too much love.” And I certainly felt that sentiment was expressed over and over again at the PHENOMENAL WOMEN IN MEDIA Awards ceremony held at the Eubie Blake Auditorium in Brooklyn’s, Von King Park. Wow! From the moment you stepped through the door, you were treated like royalty. Adults and youth alike were all there to make sure you had the best experience and most enjoyable time ever.
And so I did, and so we did!!

Phenomenal Women of Our Time: Stars in the world of media and community service were honored at the Third Annual March Women’s History Month Awards and Brunch, Monday, March 29 at the Herbert Von King Park Cultural Arts Center in Bedford Stuyvesant. Seated center, Civil Rights pioneer and Freedomways editor Esther Cooper Jackson, 92, and Prospect Park Administrator Tupper W. Thomas were the 2010 Hattie Carthan Award honorees. The work and milestone achievements of 25 phenomenal women, including journalists, writers, authors, reporters, news publicists, broadcasters, out-reachers, media information specialists that, as Von King Park manager Lemuel Mial said, “connects us with the stories that matter to all of us,” were celebrated and applauded. Borough President Marty Markowitz issued a Proclamation declaring the day, Von King Park Phenomenal Women’s History Month Day. These queens of New York City media include, standing, left to right: Susan McHenry, founding editor, Black Issues Book Review; Claud Leandro, Program Director, One Caribbean Radio; Carolyn Butts, President, African Voices Communications, Inc; Sarah Frazier, Communications and Media Relations, NYC Parks & Recreation; Maitefa Angaza, Editor, African Voices Magazine; Victoria Horsford, journalist and PR management consultant; Gayle DeWees, journalist, NY Daily News; Janel Gross, Managing Editor, Afro Times; Petra Symister, Founder, Bed-Stuy Blog; Dr. Teresa Taylor-Williams, Publisher, NY Trend newspaper; Monique Greenwood, former Essence editor-in-chief; Stacy-Ann Gooden, weather anchor, News 12 Brooklyn; Lupe Todd, Vice President, Goerge Arzt Communications; Rosalind McLymont, editor-in-chief, The Network Journal; Margot Jordan, global photo journalist; and Faybiene Miranda, co-host, Global Medicine Review, WBAI; and seated, from left to right: Nayaba Arinde, editor-in-chief, NY Amsterdam News; Dr. Brenda Greene, Host, Writers on Writing, WNYE; Aminisha Black, The Parents’ Notebook columnist, Our Time Press; Esther Cooper Jackson, Managing Editor, Freedomways and Civil Rights pioneer; Prospect Park Administrator and spokesperson, Tupper W. Thomas; Gloria Dulan-Wilson, feature writer and reporter; Joanne Cheatham, publisher of Pure Jazz Magazine and Fern Gillespie, journalist and national media consultant. “We honor you,” said event co-host Graham Weatherspoon,” because you honor us. You are the heartbeat of the community, the rhythm, the pulse.”

You see, I, along with 24 other Phenomenal Women (I really like the sound of that – PHENOMENAL) were honored by Our Time Press and Herbert Von King Park Cultural Arts Center for our various roles in the realm of the media and its impact and influence we’ve had in keeping our base – the Black community, i.e., YOU, informed on issues of impact and importance to you – in such a way that it doesn’t insult you, but (hopefully) inspires you to action, give you an alternative to the propaganda being spewed out at you via the mainstream market tabloids.
Each of the recipients was a diva in her own right. Each had a mark of distinction in the Black community. And, I daresay, we take the time to read each other because we respect each other’s work. You see, we don’t see each other as competitors because Black news venues can’t afford to compete against each other, and at the same time try to deal with the onslaught of distortions, lies and disrespect routinely found in the mainstream media. We have to be collaborative in our approach, or you’ll never get the truth. We are not here to be a miniature image of the same paper that’s been insulting you all these years. We take issue with the kinds of information, the tone of the article, the content. But we are likewise not here to criticize the mainstream press (that is unless they are so blatantly racist that something has to be said).
We are here to give you the NEWS about us as a people regardless of where we are and who we are. We don’t just cover the rich and famous, the gifted and talented, the superstar artist, athlete, politician, we also write about issues that affect everyday African-American men, women, children, workers, educators, ministers, homemakers, families.
So far, none of us have won a Pulitzer – doesn’t mean we can’t or that we don’t want to. There were also plenty of award winners amongst us, already recognized for their prodigious body of work.
I, however, must confess that this is the first time that I was so honored, by being feted by peers and people in the community. It was the first time that I was the subject of the award, instead of covering someone who was. It was the first time that I had to stand still for the paparazzi instead of being part of those who were taking the endless photos of everything I did, every move I made. Wow!!! So that’s what it feels like.
So, before I go any further, please allow me to say to Bernice Green, David Greaves, Graham Weatherspoon, Mr. and Mrs. Lemuel and Charlotte Renee Mial; Our Time Press, Von King Park THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! With all the heartfelt sincerity and love I can muster. You yourselves are such a blessing in this world, what an honor! And I know that this appreciation is expressed, not just for myself, but for the women who were also so honored and revered on that Monday, March 29, 2010.

Mrs. Esther Cooper-Jackson with Gloria Dulan-Wilson at the honoree reception before the awards. Photo: Barry L. Mason

To cap off this wonderful day, we had the honor of meeting and being photographed with the grande dame of media and publiations, Mrs. Esther Cooper-Jackson, who served as editor of FREEDOMWAYS for 25 years from 1961 through 1986. The Alabama native, who is a delight to talk with, has a knowledge, understanding and love of Black history that goes far beyond just the publication of the quarterly publication into the very soul of what makes us who we are. I had the distinct honor to have an all-too-brief conversation with this esteemed, teeny little lady who, at 92, continues to hold her own in the world of contemporary knowledge. She brought her best friend, who just celebrated her 95th birthday, as her special guest for the PHENOMENAL WOMEN IN MEDIA AWARDS CEREMONY. Inspirational to those who realize that if we do it right, we might just make it to that age, and look that good, as well.
The women pictured on page 5 are the PHENOMENAL MEDIA WOMEN I had the honor of sharing the stage with. These are the women who have accomplished so much in their lives individually and collectively.

The Phenomenal Woman statuette, one of the gift bag surprises for the awardees, was formed in the kilns of the Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center, under the guidance of John Llanos. Photo: Ammar Chughtai

Each of us received a statuette of a Black woman who depicted both our African and African-American Roots (Routes), as well as a hand-cast “envelope” with each of our names on it; as well as some wonderful beauty products produced by Jahbulant (347-834-0266 /you gotta try their stuff, it’s fantastic); and corporate products donated by Pepperidge Farms (thanks for their support).      

A presentation by Ollie McLean’s Sankofa School, whose three little Phenomenal Women in the making displayed their place in the future of Black history by totally knowing all the countries of Africa and the African pledge, was an example of what can happen when you design a program around respect for one’s culture, coupled with educational excellence (one of the little ladies made an error on an African country, and her younger 6-year- old counterpart took her to task – too cute!)
Likewise, the significance of the double-duo husband-and-wife teams of Bernice Green and David Greaves and Charlotte and Lemuel Mial was not lost on the recipients either (as noted by MC Graham Weatherspoon, whose wife Irza, sat in the audience cheering him on).
However, while each has played roles in the enlistment of the Black community in their own right, who knew that Lemuel Mial had such a wonderful voice? He sings with a group called U4RIA, and nearly knocked the audience out of their seats as he serenaded us with a song he had written in honor of the occasion entitled “Nothing Like a Woman”, which he co-authored with Larry Banks, musician and artist extraordinaire (available at www.U4RIA or 718-622-7638). In fact, from the response of the women in the audience, he compared favorably to Smokey Robinson, Teddy Pendergrass and others. (Wow!)
Circling back to my opening statement, there can never be too much love for each other in the Black community. In fact, an overabundance of love is exactly what is needed to offset what we’ve endured over the past 400 years and the most recent 40 coming out of the Civil Rights Era. We need more events such as these where we unabashedly celebrate the good we bring to each other in the community. Where, like the Japanese, we take the time to really celebrate each little victory, instead of waiting ’til the person has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel before we give them the accolades they deserve.
I would personally like to thank each and every individual who had anything to do with the ceremonies held at VON KING PARK, including the Culinary Center, for all you did to make that rainy day one of the sunniest and brightest days ever. And thank you for a gift bag so heavy it needed an extra set of wheels to get it home! We are truly loving you for loving us so much.

By Gloria Dulan Wilson

H. VON KING 2010 PHENOMENAL WOMEN IN MEDIA

Editor, Our Time Press
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NAYABA  ARINDE joined the Amsterdam News in December 2005, as the Editor after several years as Senior Reporter at the Daily Challenge, the City’s only Black daily. She is a multiple award-winning journalist. She is a three-time A. Philip Randolph Messenger award winner in the civil rights story category. The last three years she has won first place in the New York Association of Black Journalists competitions.// She has hosted radio shows in England: the BBC, and in New York, KISS FM,  and WBAI in New York. A published poet and short story writer, Nayaba enjoyed a radio career both in the UK for the BBC and in New York, for KISS-FM and WBAI.  As an activist she is no stranger to rallies, protests and grassroots organizing for a host of issues. After successfully battling breast cancer in 2007, Nayaba is now adjusting to living with MS and raising her two beautiful daughters. She holds a degree in English/History and Education from Manchester University. “I love my work: bringing the information to the people, and advocating for our local, national and global community. I feel blessed and privileged to be the editor of this historical newspaper. Imagine the rush-if you would, of being able to report the everyday news, and to tell stories like the journey and victory of the election of Barack Obama. The joy and pain is ours and we tell our stories in our way in the best way we can.”

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