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Letitia James Remembers the Life of Hazel Dukes

Editor, Our Time Press
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Letitia James Remembers the Life of Hazel Dukes

By Letitia James


With the passing of Dr. Hazel Nell Dukes, New York lost an incredible person, a beloved leader, and a cherished mentor. Her list of accomplishments is endless, including serving as President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and President of the NAACP New York State Conference, but Dr. Dukes was so much more than a collection of awards, honors, and medals.


Those of us fortunate to know Dr. Dukes as “Ma Dukes” were graced with a surrogate mother who offered us endless guidance, wisdom, counsel, and love. Ma Dukes touched the lives of so many and inspired countless more to step up and work to make a positive change.


In 1966, Hazel Dukes made history in New York when she became the first Black person to be hired by the Nassau County Attorney’s office. But Ma Dukes was no stranger to breaking barriers. She grew up in Montgomery, Alabama in the same neighborhood as the great Rosa Parks. Her father was a member of the first all-Black labor union in the country.

In the early 1960s, she was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to work on a brand-new early childhood education program that would make a difference for countless families nationwide –Head Start.


Ever since she was young, Ma Dukes knew a thing or two about being the first. After all, it was she who served as the first Black vice chair of the Nassau County Democratic Committee. And she was the one who stood proudly on stage at the Democratic National Convention in 1972 to second Shirley Chisholm’s candidacy for the party’s presidential nomination. She was the second woman to serve as the NAACP’s national president and led the New York chapter of the organization for nearly 50 years.


But what set her apart from so many was that when she shattered a glass ceiling, she didn’t just do it for herself. Ma Dukes knew that her shoulders were broad enough, and she was strong enough, for so many to stand on as they fought to reach higher still. It would have been easy for her to close doors behind her, but that was not her way.

She insisted on helping others so that they could step into their power and build on her accomplishments. Injustice and Ma Dukes could not share the same space. Everything that she did, from the earliest days of her public service, through her decades guiding the NAACP, was to advance the cause of equality and justice.

And, as a wise leader, she ensured that this fight would continue well beyond her time. Dr. Dukes inspired so many other public servants to follow in her footsteps, to rise up against inequality wherever they saw it, and to attain high office so that they might build a better future.


She often said she would like to be remembered as a helper, and nothing was more important to Ma Dukes than her community. As a community organizer with Nassau County’s Economic Opportunity Commission, she coordinated childcare, education, and jobs training for the families who needed it most. She was an active member of Delta Sigma Theta and a proud member of The Links Inc.

She was also a devoted and beloved member of the Assembly of Prayer Baptist Church, where she served her congregation as an executive assistant to the pastor, a member of the Board of Trustees, and a Sunday school teacher for adults.


Despite her long list of accomplishments and accolades, Ma Dukes never slowed down or felt that her work was done. She knew that the cause of justice is a fight that must always be waged.


She knew that by investing in students and young leaders, she could help build a better society that would go on and prosper for generations, even after her passing. There was a quiet wisdom to her boundless devotion to investing in young people. And we have seen the fruits of her labor as she served as a mentor for generations of New York’s political and civic leaders.
Dr. Dukes was a fierce leader with an unbowed spine and nerves of steel. If she was displeased about something, Ma Dukes let you know. If she felt you could have handled things differently, Ma Dukes explained her thinking. And if she knew that you needed a guiding hand and an empathetic listener, Ma Dukes was there with all the wisdom and love in the world. That is how she inspired the respect and devotion that so many of us will always have for her. She earned it and so much more.


New York lost a giant with Dr. Dukes’ passing. So many of us, myself included, lost a surrogate mother, a valued advisor, and a treasured mentor. But Ma Dukes’ legacy will forever live on in all of us as we continue to stand together, shoulder to shoulder, and fight for a more just and equitable future. She was often the first, but in her memory, let us all pledge that she will not be the last.
May she rest in power and peace.
Letitia James is the New York State Attorney General.

Women taking the wheel in these extraordinary political and economic yo-yo days

Nayaba Arinde
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Women taking the wheel in these extraordinary political and economic yo-yo days

By Nayaba Arinde
Editor at Large


Women are taking stock, not just because it is Women’s History Month, not just because last Saturday, March 8th, 2025, was International Women’s Day, and not even because, in acknowledgment of ALL that Black women contribute to and sacrifice for, Monday, March 10th, was deemed National Day of Rest for Black Women. It was also the same day the ultimate revolutionary activist, Harriet Tubman, passed away in 1913.


These are precarious and reflective times. But, there is little time for contemplation without action.
Especially after President Donald Trump and DOGE head Elon Musk culled the DEI – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program across all government agencies.
It is not about the acronym itself; it is about the lives devastated by the loss of a job, income, and position.


“DEI initiatives do more than prevent discrimination—they promote respect, understanding, and the celebration of diverse perspectives,” said NY Attorney General Letitia James. “This means ensuring that people of diverse races, backgrounds, and beliefs are present and valued in workplace and educational settings, that everyone receives fair treatment and equal access to opportunities, and that individuals or groups feel welcomed and supported in those settings.”

The media narrative is that Black people will suffer most from the removal of DEI in government and businesses like Walmart, Google, and Amazon. However, according to John Hope Byrant, founder, chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE, “We are fifth on the list.”


Bryant said people should invest in DIY strategies as opposed to getting aerated over the removal of D.E.I. He determined that DEI beneficiaries rate as follows: first white women, then Hispanics and Latinos, then disabled people, and then Black folk, then Indigenous and Asians.


With the cost of living steadily rising, buying eggs is like a rent/mortgage payment, and paycheck-to-paycheck workers absorbing anxiety with job insecurity is a daily worry.


Doom-scrolling residents looking out onto cautious immigrant semi-free streets, schools, businesses, and hospitals, seniors and people living with illnesses are fretting about social security and Medicare/Medicaid, and students are altering their plans for higher education as they contemplate non-federal-assisted school bills.

There’s the Wall Street rollercoaster tariff to and fro and political back and forth fueling these extraordinary economic and socio-political times when the general populace just wants job/income security, financial stability, and focused public safety.


This as Trump just slashed the staff of the federal Department of Education by half.
Meanwhile, on March 5, 2025, AG James and a coalition of 14 attorneys general issued guidance to K-12 schools, colleges, and universities outlining the benefits, legality, and importance of common diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policies and practices in education.

The guidance responded to concerns following an executive order and a U.S. Department of Education (DOE) “Dear Colleague” letter threatening schools that continue to uphold DEIA policies and programming.


“The administration cannot ban diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts with a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter,” said AG James. “Schools and educational institutions can rest assured that they are well within their legal rights to continue building inclusive learning environments for their students. My office will always stand up for the rule of law and defend New Yorkers from threats.”


Last May, Janice Gassam Asare wrote an article called “Black Women in DEI are Under Attack” in Forbes.
“Black women are quite literally dying in our attempt to save the world from itself,” Asare quoted global DEI executive Crystle Johnson stating. “Over the last year, I’ve opted out of the idea that creating impact comes at the sacrifice of my joy, my peace, and my life. As a DEI practitioner, I will always show up and do my best, but I no longer burden myself with guilt when I don’t see massive leaps in progress at an enterprise level.”


Asare continued that with anti-DEI-ism on the rise last year, “It is important that Black women in DEI remain vigilant, and realize that attacks on this work and those who engage in this work will continue. History has shown us that resistance follows a cyclical pattern. When there is progress being made, there will always be a sector of the population that fights against it.”


Citing Harriet Tubman as a study in courage observing the centennial of her death in 2013, at a Workers World Party, Brooklyn’s Brenda Stokely said, “We need to take another look at Sister Harriet [Tubman] and other sisters who were involved in the struggle both in the African-American movement and the Indigenous movement, in the Latin American movement… the African continent… There has not been a movement in the world where women have not been leaders.”


Referencing ‘Jailbreak Out of History: The Re-Biography of Harriet Tubman,’ by Butch Lee, Stokely said, “There is not a movement in the world where women were not able to stand up and use any means necessary to fight for their liberation and take off the shackles that the oppressor has placed there, and also men who didn’t have the courage to take the kind of stand they needed to take.”


Stokely noted that the book documents that Harriet freed over 756 enslaved Africans from the major plantations on Combahee River in Beaufort, S.C.
Yet despite her historic, selfless bravery, Stokely asked, “Why is it that the way Harriet has been characterized, the way Rosa Parks has been characterized, the way Ella Baker’s strategic mind has been belittled and put under a rock, as well as Fannie Lou Hamer, as well as so many other people who are everyday people?”


Speaking of heroines, just up the road on Route 198, Center 1968 is celebrating “One Year of Empowering Black Women Leaders in Policy and Public Service.”
They are honoring the legacy of Bed Stuy’s own Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm as “Center 1968 expands programs to develop the Next Generation of Black Women Leaders.”


Marking its first anniversary, Philadelphia’s Center 1968 is sharing its strength in its “groundbreaking year dedicated to amplifying Black women’s voices in policy, governance, and public service. Named after the iconic Shirley Chisholm—the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968—Center 1968 embodies her trailblazing spirit, commitment to justice, and relentless pursuit of opportunity for future generations.”


Stephanie Etienne, Executive Director of Center 1968, said, “Shirley Chisholm once said, ‘If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,’ In our first year, we’ve done just that—creating programs that equip Black leaders with the knowledge, tools, and networks to create lasting change in policy and government.”


So aptly named Center 1968 focuses on shaping the future of Black women in leadership, “rolling out a series of impactful initiatives to empower the next generation of political change-makers.”


“We’re not just building an organization—we’re building a movement,” said Jasmine E. Sessoms, President of the Board. A movement that ensures Black women’s leadership and policy expertise are not just recognized, but respected and implemented in government.”

Black Girl Stories

Brenda Greene
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Black Girl Stories

Rita Williams-Garcia, Best-Selling Middle School and Young Adult Author

Award-winning writer Rita Williams-Garcia captures the voices of young Black girls and teens in thirteen books that present the joys, realities and challenges of coming-of-age. Her books underscore the value of the Black family, provide the complexity of Black girls in America, and explore the impact of societal issues such as grief, depression, drugs, and war on the Black family.

Williams-Garcia is very intentional about providing an historical, sociological and political context for her novels and readers will be exposed to popular culture, politics, and social movements of particular periods in this country.


In her trilogy, One Crazy Summer (Amistad, 2010), P.S. Be Eleven (Amistad, 2013), and Gone Crazy in Alabama (Amistad, 2015), Williams-Garcia presents a three year period in the life of the Gaither sisters, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern. The events that occur in this three year period are transformative for the sisters.

Rita Williams-Garcia


Set in the late 1960s in Oakland, California, the Gaither sisters in One Crazy Summer meet their mother who left their father shortly after Fern, the youngest sister was born.

Anxious and conflicted about meeting their mother who is a poet and a member of the Black Panthers, they create a supportive bond among themselves and come to appreciate and accept the lifestyle and value system of a mother who loves her children but who has made a decision to fulfill her life’s goals in a different way.

While in Oakland they learn of African American history and of the relationship between art, literature, and activism. P.S. Be Eleven places the sisters in Brooklyn, New York. They have met their mother and upon returning to Brooklyn, they learn that they will now have a stepmother as a result of their father’s decision to marry. “P.S. Be Eleven” are the words that Delphine’s mother continues to remind her at the end of each letter that she writes to her oldest daughter. She encourages her daughter to enjoy her family, school, and social activities as she enters adolescence.


Gone Crazy in Alabama continues the story of the Gaither sisters, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern as they spend the summer with their grandmother, Big Ma. During that summer, they learn about the history of their ancestors, both Black and Native American, who survived enslavement, the Trail of Tears, and the Jim Crow South. They are also witnesses to family secrets.


Williams-Garcia’s No Laughter Here, (Quill Tree Books, 2010) explores the relationship between two adolescent girls, Victoria from the United States and Akilah from Nigeria. Victoria and Akilah attend the same school and are extremely close.

However, their relationship changes when Akilah comes home after spending a summer in Nigeria. She is silent and her disposition has changed; the relationship falters. When Victoria learns of the reason for Akilah’s change, she and her mother take action to address Akilah’s secret and to offer her support.


At the core of No Laughter Here is the subject of female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that is ongoing in many countries. FGM is conducted with young girls and can have long-lasting physical and emotional effects. It is estimated that 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM.

The practice is primarily found in Africa with over 144 million cases, followed by Asia with 80 million cases, and the Middle East with 6 million cases. Efforts to ban FGM are ongoing and there is an International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM that is observed on February 6 of every year. International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation 2025 | UNICEF. Williams- Garcia’s addressing of this topic in adolescent literature is courageous and important as the world addresses the harm done to these girls.


Williams-Garcia’s contributions to Black Girl Stories span more than 30 years. In an interview conducted with Professor Donna Hill, Executive Director of the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, Williams-Garcia discussed her motivation for writing stories about Black Girls. As a young girl growing up in Queens, she saw very few stories where Black girls were the central characters and found that many of the books featuring Black characters were written by White authors.

She wanted to add more humanity to the stories of Black girls and to create stories that would reflect the language, themes, music, and culture of the Black experience. Thus, she has always been concerned about affirming the experiences of Black girls and ensuring that their voices are heard. Williams-Garcia’s books will resonate with youth of all ages and have helped to sustain the legacy of Black literature for youth in our schools, libraries, and bookstores. This is particularly critical when books by Black writers are being banned. For more information visit About Me — Rita Williams-Garcia.


Rita Williams-Garcia will be honored at the 2025 National Black Writers Conference on Young Adult and Middle School Literature at Medgar Evers College on March 29, 2025. For more information about the conference visit www.centerforblackliterature.org

Dr. Brenda M. Greene is Professor of English and Founder and Executive Director Emeritus of the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY.

Lindsay Greene Heads Brooklyn Navy Yard: The Hub for Innovative Tech and Art

Fern Gillespie
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Lindsay Greene Heads Brooklyn Navy Yard: The Hub for Innovative Tech and Art

Fern Gillespie


Beginning in 1801, the Brooklyn Navy Yard became established as America’s premier naval shipbuilding facility where it launched powerful warships for over 165 years. Today, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, owned by the City of New York, has transformed into a renowned dynamic, innovative industrial park located on the East River waterfront.


Under the direction of Lindsay Greene, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp, the 300-acre complex is home to over 13,000 employees working across over 550 unique businesses and sitting on 6.3 million square feet of industrial space. As the organization’s head, Greene balances a myriad of responsibilities including economic development, education programs, innovative workforce initiatives, real estate accessibility and business advancement support.


“In some ways we joke internally that the Brooklyn Navy Yard is like four nonprofits in one. I like to think of it as a manufacturing innovation ecosystem that really is about doing that in an inclusive way,” she told Our Time Press. “There are companies that are here working on all sorts of stuff that address either healthcare challenges or climate challenges and they’re doing it with this interesting new technology. So, it feels like people are making the future here.

We’re doing that in such a way where we’re kind of bring along the rest of the community.”
The Brooklyn Navy Yard is acclaimed as a hub for technology, design, manufacturing and innovation. Occupants range from artists spaces to institutions.

It’s also home to Pratt Institute’s Research Yard, a 20,000 square foot research and fabrication facility. The Pratt dedicated space is for creative research for students, professors, and industry practitioners to discover new approaches to address complex challenges.

The Brooklyn STEAM Center offers career and technical education to New York City public school high school students in culinary arts, hospitality management, construction technology, film and media, cybersecurity, and design and engineering.

The employment center helps people get jobs at Brooklyn Navy Yard. In addition, the workforce training program focuses on upskilling manufacturing employees to become computer numerical control (CNC) machine operators for careers in this digital age.


“What it looks like to have a manufacturing job now is different from what it was like from 15 to 20 years ago,” she said. “It’s called a computer numerically control (CNC). It’s using either laser cutter or router. What you would have done by hand before, you can put the basic design into a computer system and the computer will do a lot of the bigger finer cuts.”


The Brooklyn Navy Yard also reaches out to local Brooklyn community grassroots organizations to create job pipelines for underserved communities. Also, for involvement celebrations like festivals and special events. “We’ve expanded our relationships with different community organizations for workforce activities. We do that regularly and try to open the campus and have open house events for rebuilding our relationships,” she said.

“We also reinstituted and revamped our educational programs so that middle school students can come, and they get exposed to everything that’s happening here at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. They’re learning what the careers of the future are –so they get that exposure.” In addition, Brooklyn Navy Yard has a major internship program with CUNY institutions.


This January, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand joined Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, to announce that Brooklyn Navy Yard will receive more than $28 million in FEMA funding. It will be used to replace boilers and fuel tanks damaged by Hurricane Sandy and fortify new and existing infrastructure against future storms. Greene told Our Time Press that contractors will include WMBEs. “DEI is a core part of our DNA,” she said. “It’s in our charter with the City and its also what the Navy did when they were here.”


Prior to joining Brooklyn Navy Yard, Greene specialized in economic development. Her positions in the New York City government included Chief Strategy Officer of the New York City Economic Development Corporation and Chief Strategy Officer for Economic Development & Housing in the New York City Mayor’s Office.

Her career includes management positions at food startups and six years working at Goldman Sachs. She holds a BA in economics from Harvard and an MBA from Yale School of Management. Greene is part of the rise of Black officials who are heading major Brooklyn institutions in arts, business, healthcare, philanthropy and social services. Greene, the first Black woman and openly LGBTQ person to hold the top position at Brooklyn Navy Yard lives in Brooklyn with her wife and two daughters.


At the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the public is invited to check out socializing opportunities. There is The Market @77, a vibrant food hall located on the ground floor of Building 77. It’s a culinary destination that offers a diverse array of eateries, freshly baked bagels with lox to piping hot pizza and delicious tacos. There are art galleries at Brooklyn Navy Yard. In Building 92, there is an exhibit that tells the story of the Brooklyn Navy Yard from its origin in 1801.
For more information on the Brooklyn Navy Yard, visit www.brooklynnavyyard.org

Tribute to Angie Stone

Editor, Our Time Press
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Tribute to Angie Stone

Queen Mother of Neo-Soul and Beloved SisStar

by NZINGHA CEO,
QUEENNZINGHA Entertainment LLC


As I write this tribute, I am devastated and in a state of disbelief about the passing of my Beloved Soul SisStar Lady, the great Angie Stone. Not only was she a client of mine, but she was also my spirit SisStar and friend.


The world’s musical journey with Lady Stone began during the ‘70s with the number one hit, “Funk You Up.” Performed by The Sequence featuring Angie B (Stone) who penned the chart-topper, Blondie and Cheryl the Pearl, that song also became the anthem of the early years of Hip Hop movement.


The Sequence also enjoyed a golden place in music history, too, as the first female rap group to ever hit the music charts, and it was in 1979 with Angie ‘s song. Sequence was the first female rap artists group signed to a major record label — the iconic Sugar Hill Records founded by recording artist Sylvia Robinson (now record label owner), who gave us the R&B classic tune “Pillow Talk.”


The Sequence shared great success with their Sugar Hill label mates, The Sugar Hill Gang who had the hit song “Rappers Delight.” which sampled the song “Good Times” originally recorded by the R&B group CHIC. The Sequence also ghost wrote the rap song “Apache” for The Sugar Hill Gang. The rap scene was founded in The Bronx, NY and was predominantly male, at the time, but these beautiful, stylish super-talented belles came with the southern funk!
I was a little girl, 12 years old, who loved the music that was coming through my graffiti painted yellow boom box. I was 12 years old. Who knew that years later I would wind up working with Angie, one of the founders of this history-making group that influenced and shaped my young musical taste.


The music that was playing on my radio was the beginning of a genre of music that some wanted to go away but, little did they know, it was just the beginning.
“Funk You Up” was so impactful because it was performed by a girl group! A first! Pioneering! A blueprint! Unique! It was the foundation on which women of the genre would later stand and build their own careers!


Angie was a pioneer. She gave us great songs that became anthems that we sing along to and identify with, to this day. She was the first of firsts in her field. We can’t and won’t overlook her legacy and her gifts.


After parting from a sketchy record deal The Sequence, Angie continued to expand her musical gifts by gracing us through the groups Mantronix and one of my favorite 90’s groups, Vertical Hold.


Nineties groups like The Brand-New Heavies featuring lead vocalist N’Dea Davenport and the group The Family Stand featuring lead vocalist Sandra St. Victor had strong lead vocalists as well. All these ladies would later have solo albums.

But Vertical Hold definitely had the rhythm that laid the groundwork for what would later become a musical genre we now call Neo Soul.
Vertical Hold had a major hit that was played in heavy rotation on radio called “Seems You’re Much to Busy” also written and sung by Angie about unrequited love.

It was released in 1992 on the A&M record label. Angie, as the lead vocalist for the group, gave them that bop that only Angie brings to a song. I distinctly remember the music video because the tune had a similar vibe to the music group out of the UK in the 80’s called Loose Endz.

With this video I was a bit upset because they strangely filmed the lead vocalist Angie in the shadows. Her solo vocals that were the verses of the song were inserted as vignettes during the song.


Angie performed “Seems You’re Much Too Busy” live at The Apollo Theater in Harlem and, yes, again the irony. I was in the audience never knowing we’d meet some years later and that I would become her Makeup Artist for her first solo project. I was blown away, that evening, by the performance and Angie’s unique voice and vocal styling.


Fast forward. The first time I met Angie Stone was on the day of the photo shoot for her first solo album called “Black Diamond”. Now, she and I spoke on several occasions prior to the photoshoot, and I was privy to the music as it was in its final mixing stages.

Her speaking voice was thick and rich with a bounce to it much like her singing voice. She spoke with confidence about her project. She called it her baby “Diamond”. I knew it would be an album that would split the sky! It was pure musical genius.


I have the privilege to say that Angie chose to work with me out of all the make-up artists out there. I was honored that she trusted me. In our corporate meeting with the record label executives, I presented the concept that Neo Soul has a sound indeed AND an aesthetic and I wanted to build that Feminine Aesthetic with Angie Stone.


I presented “Black Is Beautiful,” my family’s mantra and lifestyle ethos. The working title for her album title was “Black Diamonds and Blue Pearls”. I loved it!! What an amazing title! We both said it at the same time; we were in perfect synch from the beginning. We understood that both jewels are the most expensive jewels on the market and rare to mine. I thought to myself, this lady is really an unsung GENIUS!


I assured her that my glam squad team would pull together top-shelf artists – make-up, photography, hairstylists and others — who were in high demand. Chuckie Amos (hairstylist), Michaela Angela Davis (wardrobe stylist), Ruven Alfanador (photographer) and I (makeup designer), were among them. She told me she wanted me because I understood her project and she trusted me implicitly.


I got the official call to work with Angie from her management to my agent. In those days, my schedule was double-, and triple-booked, some days, but all else I had to do Angie’s project. This was a personal project that I knew in my spirit was going to really solidify Neo-Soul and anyone else who would come in after.


So I am preparing for my shoot with Angie in my makeup studio and I’m listening to the final mix of the music and I’m in love with this album. It was raw and emotional and a total vibe. I’m playing track after track, over and over, I hear something familiar in the sound, something I had heard before, somewhere. It was the similar groove musician D’Angelo has. (D’Angelo was also a client of mine, so this was naturally familiar and what I call family.)


The day of the shoot I set up my station to do the makeup and waited for my beloved Artist to arrive. When Angie entered the room, we immediately hugged each other as if we were sisters and hadn’t seen each other in years. The first thing I noticed about her was how clear, glowing and smooth her skin was! She looked like family to me.


I thought this will be such an easy application: look at her eyes, her nose, her beautiful smile. She is so beautiful as is. But I’m paid to do makeup so I have to put some on but she was naturally beautiful. I wanted to keep her makeup look glowing and dewy with pops of color in strategic fashion.


Our shoot day was just like yesterday in my mind because our bond was instant. She knew my work, I knew hers; we talked about everything from cooking to our love for GOD. The first click of the camera started going and we were on a roll. Ruven, the photographer, a quiet man, was listening, like the rest of us, to the music and even he was excited about what he was seeing through the lens!


We got to look at the first few Polaroids and I almost fell on the floor because Ruven captured what I saw when Angie walked in the door and sat in my chair…he saw her, he saw, Angie! He caught the beauty of her skin, hair, eyes, mouth, face…he got it! Black Is Beautiful! Indeed!
I was right as usual this was incredible to work on at the release of the album and the music video drop.

The first song released was “No More Rain” directed by Andrew Donsomu, a visionary art house director who was in love with the album’s artwork. Andrew caught the vibe and created and established a look for the song. We immediately went into work on the second track released titled “Everyday”.


My place with Angie was set. We went on to ultimately do it again with her sophomore solo project called “Mahogany Soul” and we did it again! The images from this shoot are my favorites. She was radiant. It showed in every click of Ruven’s camera. Angie was again about to ride a wave she created — with the release of the anthem “Brotha.”


Are you noticing a theme in Angie’s music? Her songs are all anthems! What is an anthem? An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group. Angie wrote songs not only for herself but also wrote songs for and with other outstanding Artists: Prince, Mary J Blige, Toshinobu Kubato, Lenny Kravitz. And more.


Now, many may not know this, but Angie knew how to play instruments as well as sing. She played saxophone for superstar Lenny Kravitz (also a client of mine) on his Let Love Rule tour. Angie was a songwriter, singer, instrumentalist and actress she hit all cylinders and definitely the musical trifecta that is so rare to find.


She was a true collaborator and generous with her time and gifts. And every tune she worked on was a hit! But she was humble and generous in everything she did within the entertainment industry.


She wrote a song called “Freedom” for the film “Panther” released in 1995 directed by Mario Van Peebles. This was around the time she was writing and working with D’Angelo. The song featured over 60 of my SisStars in Hip Hop and R&B who came together to record “Freedom”, the theme song for the 1995 PANTHER film.


The anthem features a chorus of popular hip-hop, pop and R&B artists and groups including; En Vogue, Aaliyah, Vanessa L. Williams, Mary J. Blige, MC Lyte, SWV, TLC, Monica, Felicia Adams, May May Ali, Amel Larrieux, Az-Iz, Blackgirl, Tanya Blount, Brownstone, Casserine, Changing Faces, Tyler Collins, N’Dea, Davenport, Da 5 Footaz, E.V.E., Emage, Eshe (of Arrested Development) ,For Real Penny Ford Lalah Hathaway, Jade Laurneá *Jamecia, Jazzyfatnastees, Queen Latifah, Billy Lawrence, Joi Brigette McWilliams, Milira, Miss Jones, Cindy Mizelle, Me’Shell NdegéOcello, Natasha Nefertiti, Patra, Pebbles, Pure Soul, Raja-Nee, Brenda Russell, Salt-N-Pepa, Chantay Savage, Sonja Marie, Tracie Spencer, Sweet Sable, Terri & Monica, Vybe, Crystal Waters, Caron Wheeler, Karyn White, Vanessa Williams, Xscape, Yo-Yo, N-Vee and Zhané.


Yes, I did the makeup for the music video, and, thanks to Angie, worked on ALL of the women in the video! And in the video, you will see Angie leading this choir of beautiful Ladies and all are in synch.


Angie was loved and respected by her peers who knew her gifts and talents.
Angie was a hit maker from her first album in 1979 to her last single in 2024 with “Music Soul Child.”


Lady Angie, you and your music will be missed, here on earth but, we all know you’re now singing with the holiest choir before The Lord in heaven.
Rest In Rhythm

Queen Nzingha Gumbs is an author, writer, magazine editor, graphic designer, make up designer, with 3 decades of experience in visual communication, branding, and multimedia design. She was born in The Bronx, New York, and grew up in a family of artists. Her father was Charles Peaker, leader of the African Nationalist Pioneer Movement; her uncles were Bob Gumbs, one of the first Black graphic designers, and photographer Kwame Brathwaite. Her godparents were Max Roach, Miles Davis, and Abbey Lincoln. Jean Gumbs, her mother, was a working model, and a Grandassa. “I didn’t know anything else; I had to be an artist,” Nzingha told Cut Magazine.

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