Harlem Torch Magazine - Archive Lisa Price by Harlem Torch Magazine

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Designer Miguel Antoinne LEADS Rising World of Masculine Luxury

Brings “A” GAME To Empower Black Men

Carol’s Daughter L ISA P RICE Cooks Up the Ultimate Brand

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FOOD EDITOR Paul Chisholm FEATURES

The Best Sushi in Harlem

WEALTH THERAPY速 Dr. Jacques Jospitre, Jr. MD/MBA COLUMNIST Davie Hill TOURISM SPECIAL Sheila Evans

ASSISTANT TO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tyler Michael Busher HARLEMTORCH.COM CONTRIBUTORS Dr. Deloris B. Brown Allyne Spinner Johanna Herrera Marquel Parker

1960 Madison Avenue Between 125th & 126th Streets

PUBLISHING GROUP Alan L. Fuchsberg James Darrell Robinson Selina Wellington

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cover credits

O n t he C over

Cover Photographer J o h n n y R o d r i g u e z is well known for his work with Latin music superstar, Marc Anthony. An award-winning celebrity photographer, Johnny is sought after by some of the largest names in the entertainment industry. He has covered several magazines with his work. A native New Yorker, Johnny’s career in photography began five years ago as Marc Anthony’s art director and exclusive photographer. As Johnny’s natural gift developed through that experience he broadened his lens to a larger audience, from the fashion and music industries to commercial spreads.

F E AT U R E S C OV ER S TO RY :

Carol’s Daughter Brand grows from Kitchen Hobby to Multi-million Dollar Store Chain

M A L C OL M X TO O B A M A

Audubon Ballroom

H E N RY N J AC KSO N

First L ady Inspiration s

M E RC H A N T OF H O P E

Special to Harlem Torch by The Reveren d Alf onso W y att

T H E R I GH T TO A S UBS TANTIVE E D U CAT I O N

A C iv il R ig h t

Illuminated Life

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THOSE WHO DO The Twent y -First Cen tury F oun dati on and m ore Everyd ay P eople d oin g Extr ao rd in ary T hings

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Dr. Jacques Jospitre, Jr., M.D., M.B.A.

E D U CAT I O N

Dr. Deloris B. Brown St. Aloysius

O N T H E A RT S C E N E

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contributors

Dr. Jacques Jospitre, Jr. is the creator of the Wealth Therapy® system and wrote a book on the topic in 2007. He has a combination of clinical skills, academic training, and entrepreneurial experience that provide a unique combination of skills and talents to solve complex emotional, productivity and financial issues. Dr. Jospitre served as a director at North General Hospital (a Mount Sinai Hospital affiliate) where managed and maintained the department’s multimillion-dollar budget and seventy person multidisciplinary staff. He developed and implemented business plans to improve the overall quality of care and operating efficiency of the Department of Psychiatry. In 2008, he left North General Hospital to become the Medical Director of Citicare—a private clinic in New York City—working on new ways to provide outpatient healthcare services. Prior to his career as a physician, Dr. Jospitre worked as software developer consultant and entrepreneur. He has written and produced several educational software packages that were sold commercially. His company, BrainMatriX, continues to produce a study tool for adult students.

Master Chef, Paul Warren Chisholm, mesmerizes us with more than a decade in the culinary industry. His clientele, from corporate executives to the average patron, can’t seem to get enough of his culinary designs, streaming by the hundreds to his Tastings in New York City. He received his formal training at the French Culinary Institute, honing exemplary skills in fine French pastries, unique sauces and soups, to masterful entrees and award-winning hors d’oeuvres. After graduating in 1995, he furthered his studies at the Culinary Institute of America. Paul’s expertise lead to becoming the Executive Chef for the exclusive Town Tennis Members Club in midtown Manhattan. Other credits include working as a pastry cook at Tavern On The Green, a sauté cook for the Rainbow Room and Daniel’s, and brought fine dining uptown to Londel’s of Strivers Row, and to Spoonbread & Company. He also managed to make time to teach the trade to youngsters of the Children’s Aid Society. Most striking about his curricula vitae, however, is that his initial academic training was in Biology. He graduated from Virginia Union University with a Bachelors of Science in Biology and went on to become a microbiologist in a medical lab unit in the military. Chef Paul resolved to leave the Restaurant industry to expand his creative ideas for select clientele.

A. David “Davie” Hill retired in 2006 after a forty year career as an insurance litigation investigator, specialist and expert witness. He is currently a columnist who has authored several articles for HTQ Magazine under the moniker “Davie’s Corner.” Although born in the Midwest, he has resided in New York for six decades. He was educated within the New York City and CUNY school systems and has made the Jamaica Estates area of Queens his home for the past thirty years. He was a Vice President with the Italian owned insurance conglomerate, Reunione Adriatica di Sicurta before founding his own investigation and consulting firm. Having grown from humble beginnings, he has shared experiences and realities assuring one that “he knows where he came from.” He is highly touted for maintaining relationships with friends and classmates dating back to grade school. He spends a considerable amount of leisure time keeping in touch with who he considers to be important people in his life. The maternal and paternal family trees of which he is apart depicts an impressive six generation display of family bond and togetherness He has gravitated to becoming a writer concerning socio-political issues since the dramatic downturn of the world economy. The emergence of Barack Obama as an important political figure has dominated his focus over the past year. His views are considered to be left of center but all issues are set forth with factual honesty and deliberation.

Alfonso Wyatt, Vice Rudy Collins (left), HTQ freelance photographer has been capturing great images in Harlem for decades. He was featured in the 2009 Spring Issue. Eli Fuchsberg (center) is a GenNext writer and great at uncovering new exciting issues in Harlem. He recently graduated from Washington University and will soon begin law school. Quayson Pierce (bottom photo) possesses a variety of skills. He has a keen eye for styling and put his natural, uninhibited talent to work from the beginning.

Dr. Deloris D. Brown grew up in an era when the rule for children was, "a child should be seen and not heard." At that time, educators believed a child was an empty vessel waiting to be filled by teachers. She remembers the desire to be expressive, bursting with brilliant and creative viewpoints. Today, as a public school administrator, she has built a remarkable career in education by making her students partners in their community of learning. Dr. Brown began her teaching career in the New York public schools in special education at the primary level, and then moved on to teach English at Roosevelt High School in the Bronx, a school with more than 4,000 students. She quickly became one of the lead teachers in an English department with over 30 teachers. As was typical of master teachers, many of the tougher at-risk students were assigned to her, and Dr. Brown taught some of the toughest. Her success was measured and proven by the progress of her students, many of who, before her class, had never read a book through from beginning to end. Throughout a very impressive journey, with credentials ranging from a bachelor in English Literature, and Politics and Public Affairs to a Masters in Public Administration; a Masters in Education Administration and most recently a Doctorate in School Leadership, Dr. Deloris has developed her philosophy through "action research," not in theory, but by practice.

guest contributor

President of the Fund for the City of New York and Chairman of Twenty-first Century Foundation, continues more than 30 years of service to youth, youth serving agencies, families and the broader community. Prior to joining the Fund, Wyatt worked as a high school teacher, advocate, counselor and administrator. He has developed innovative initiatives that respond to institutional settings, public schools, employment/ training programs, faith-based projects, and the needs of young people in foster care. Wyatt, an ordained minister serving on the staff of the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York, attended Howard University, Columbia's Teacher's College, the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy, Columbia Institute for Non Profit Management, and New York Theological Seminary. He has received numerous awards and accolades for his work as a youth developer, community-builder, national leader, role model and mentor to youth, young adults and professionals. He is an advisor to government, foundations, religious institutions, universities, youth-serving organizations and non-profits in New York and around the nation. In addition to 21CF, he serves as chairman of the New York Black Leadership Commission on AIDS; and the ACS Commissioner’s Faith Based Advisory Council.

Editor’s

By this point in our American journey we surely should have gathered enough experimental and experiential data to now solve a bulk of our problems. And Harlem has certainly had its share of growing pains and cycles. It is an especially auspicious time to live here against the background of unforgettable historical moments and transforming movements with the hope and real possibility of a new renaissance – whatever that really means. Each issue we strive to capture the social and cultural aspects of Harlem in its entire splendor and the life we observe around us. But that observation still reveals many unresolved issues. In the storytelling of the people and places featured, we hope to identify several courses of possibilities – those who have beaten the odds and thereby, hopefully, set into perspective some contemporary solutions. I am especially proud to present a successful family model as our cover story this time. Many of us have tried to find the secret to balancing our full lives and in most instances come up lacking. The extraordinary thing about our cover girl Lisa Price, founder of the growing natural hair and skin care conglomerate Carol’s Daughter, is her openness about the journey leading to her success. I think our solutions as a community – families first – will come as we redefine the terms of our own socialization: definitive values, ideas, and boundaries that can turnaround the Black male crisis. Our women’s liberation movement had some good ideas, which led to a more egalitarian structure in many evolved families, but some of the ideas may need to be revisited. Perhaps now we can measure the effects of certain ideas – or rather simply wake up to the effect staring us in our faces.

One day recently I found myself very frustrated by all the traffic in my home. My sons are now young adults, but there’s still a lot of family stuff going on. Besides my sons, there is my extended family of young people who often times add to the traffic. Normally I welcome the company. I absolutely love to hear their ideas and individual life experiences. However on this particular day, I was weighted down by the cares of life, worried about completing Harlem Torch tasks, and just finding a quiet stretch of time to hear my innerness. When my internal dissonance turned paralyzing, I reached for my favorite book and retreated into our small bathroom. My favorite book opened to Psalm 127, piercing right through the dissonance and frustration were words that read, “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his reward…happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.” And the beginning of that passage, to top it all off, basically put the rest of my day in perspective: what value is any of our work if not in line with love, family and God’s purpose? I sat for a moment letting the words settle me and returned to my computer and a quiver full of happy young folks. My attitude improved and I just flowed in each moment. My internal discord arises when those mixed ideas and expectations of woman empowerment/sexual equality collide with my natural instincts. I think most of us are searching for that balance and I believe some of us have found it. We’re thankful for those who contribute to this magazine and share their wisdom. They help us make sense of things, along with the new features each quarter. I hope to keep telling our stories long enough to connect the dots.

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H A R L E M N E W D O O R S | T H E DW Y E R C U LT U R A L C E N T E R W r i t t e n by B r a u c k W e s l e y - Bu s h er , Photographs by Rudy Collins

Voza Rivers, In his many hats, Chair of The Harlem Arts Alliance and New Heritage Theater Group and founding member of ICA. As Co-director of The Dwyer Cultural Center, Voza is known as the cultural crusader who never gave up on Harlem, despite the various waves. He was the one that held fast through out all of it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he threw down the anchor. He is the epitome of hope and perseverance. The Dwyer is the dream realized.

The Dwyer Cultural Center is this remarkable multilayered, vivacious contemporary physical presence stemming from deep historical roots in Harlem. It is described in its literature as the city’s first multimedia arts complex devoted exclusively to the history, culture and traditions of Harlem. And then, it is so much more. Flo Wiley, WHCR 90.3 FM radio host, describes the Dwyer “as another spoke in the wheel of a long history of innovation in the Harlem community.” On another hand, Dwyer co-director and Community Works founder, Barbara Horowitz, sums the center up as, “an institution based on the notion of community collaboration with a business model that makes it work.” There are so many ways to describe the new Dwyer Cultural Center, as there is a multiplicity of ways to describe Harlem. It demonstrates the power of collective consciousness, perseverance and committed people bound by “the work.” Peeling back the layers of the 19th Century Dwyer Warehouse with the eclectic history of a building that began as a place for furniture storage, the neighborhood remembers many stages. Photographer Rudy Collins remembers lining up chairs on the sidewalk across the street from the abandoned Dwyer as a movie was projected on the building; like a make shift drive in movie theater. But now, the Dwyer building,

located in Central Harlem at 123rd Street and St. Nicholas Avenue includes 51 luxurious condominium apartments, street level retail (including The Little Gym of Harlem) and the $3 million, state-of-the-art 7,000-squarefoot Dwyer Cultural Center, at 258 St. Nicholas Avenue. Perhaps the most interesting part of the physical manifestation of the Dwyer is the people behind its development and how it all came to be – and why. Flo Wiley says it was by design that all these different people with ideas and expertise converged together in the most unlikely ways. More than 19 years ago, Barbara Horowitz birthed her ideas for Community Works and later for Harlem Is… and Making A Difference. At about the same time, a group of Harlem Community powerhouses, Voza Rivers, Ademola Olugebefola, Cliff Frazier and Lester Hyat, founded a Harlem-based nonprofit organization (ICA: International Communications Association) and acquired the Dwyer Warehouse. Those people alone branch out to numerous extended associations including the United Nations, the Uptown Chamber of Commerce, The Harlem Arts Alliance, New Heritage Theater Group and so much more. Through all these many pieces, the building’s new function marks a novel course for cultural institutions nationwide.

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H A R L E M N E W D O O R S | T H E DWY E R C U LT U R A L C E N T E R

Cliff Frazier (far left) standing next to Ademola Olugebefola. Co-director Barbara Horowitz, front right in pink top, during opening events/

We caught ICA Co-founders, Cliff Frazier (left) and Ademola Olugebefola (above right) on a casual Saturday working in their offices at the Dwyer Cultural Center. Both of them lead their own prominent individual endeavors as artists and activists, but they have remained committed to the work of ICA and the Dwyer. They are working to ensure a system of sustainability for the Dwyer Building and Cultural Center. The International Communications Association (ICA) was founded in 1989 to train minorities, women and others in the media industry. ICA engages in public programs and dialogues with people of divers cultures and is dedicated to linking them through the arts. 15

The beauty of it all is that this place is now home to all the The program through Community Works that she speaks of magnificent art, theater, educational programming and and founded is an arts education program. The Making a cultural exhibits that have built a great following by mobile Difference initiative connects public school students with the efforts. Barbara Horowitz says that the various Harlem Is… “wealth of cultural resources, legacies and stories present in exhibits have traveled to approximately 40 institutions and their own communities and culminates in a celebratory now those exhibits have a permanent home. “Dwyer public art project.” Harlem is…is the banner project of institutionalizes it on another level,” Barbara explains, “there Making a Difference. Students have the opportunity to is this physical space and we’ve never had a physical home. It’s interview people that helped shape the famous community a space dedicated to the true mission of Community Works, and chronicle Harlem’s evolution over the past 100 plus to celebrate and honor years. Each community. In this installation particular moment we illuminates e honor the rich history different aspect of and culture of Harlem Harlem’s character – to document it, and culture. Since its preserve it and inception, harlem is… celebrate it.” has drawn more Many of the other than 2 million revered cultural visitors, according to institutions are home their brochure. at the Dwyer. Voza As for the Harlem Rivers is the catalyst for Griot, as both Flo so many institutions; and Barbara use the therefore those places term, which is that have a home. The of the traditional Roger Furman Reading African storyteller Series will have a home, productions by who is keeper of the The New Heritage history, that would Theater will have go to Voza Rivers another place to who has been keeper produce their great of the dream. He’s works and they will be the connector for so able to provide of the Dwyer Building, located in Central Harlem at affordable rental space for artists in A rendering many Harlem institutions, 123rd Street and St. Nicholas Avenue includes 51 luxurious the community. They have Chair of The Harlem Arts condominium apartments, street level retail (including The Little partnered with three art services Gym of Harlem) and the $3 million, state-of-the-art 7,000-square-foot Alliance and New Heritage Dwyer Cultural Center . organizations: The Harlem Arts Theater Group and founding Alliance, The Association of member of ICA. Rivers is known as the cultural crusader Hispanic Artists and the Northern Manhattan Artist Alliance. who never gave up on Harlem, despite the various waves. Those organizations will be able to use the space with He was the one that held fast through out all of it – he subsidized rent. threw down the anchor. He is the epitome of hope and A key focus within the cultural center is the strong perseverance. The Dwyer is the dream realized. educational component. Barbara Horowitz says that through Community Works, over the years, they have grown to serve The continuous programming, exhibits and events will vary 100,000 young people annually through schools and programs year round. Harlem Sewn Up: Quilted Reflections of a that connect kids to the community through the arts, “Young Community (Curated by Laura R. Gadson) closes the end of people must have history made relevant to them,” she November. December will begin a new exhibit round. explains. The oral history model used by Community Works Harlem Nights’ monthly concerts will continue, along with copies that of traditional African storytelling. And it has been life changing. She continues, “The Dwyer may honor the past event-driven Saturdays. Check their website but it is looking to the future. It needs to look to the future in www.dwyercc.org for more information on educational how young people think and feel – it may say, ‘oh Amiri programs, tours, interactive workshops and other featured Baraka wrote this way in 1960 and maybe I learned something events. from him, but I am going to say it my way.’ My way is good and we want to nurture my way.”

H A R L E M N E W D O O R S | T H E DWY E R C U LT U R A L C E N T E R

harlem is...the banner project for Community Worksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Making A Difference initiative. It gives public school students a chance to chronicle the history of the Harlem community and culminates in these extraordinary award winning story boards. The harlem isâ&#x20AC;Ś exhibits will now be housed at the Dwyer Cultural Center.

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Photography by Johnny Rodriguez on location at Indigo Arms Harlem | Stylist Khalilah Williams-Webb Makeup Artist: Yaketta Vaughn | HTQ on location: Brauck Wesley-Busher, Alonna Cole, Tyler Busher

Personal fulfillment may come in many ways and we are in the midst of a great turning as women find their paths in a changing world. Lisa Price, founder of Carol’s Daughter is making her blueprint for generations of young women to follow who want to combine career and family. The adulatory sketch of Lisa Price, not devoid the typical bumps and bruises, backslidings and missteps of an individual journey, demonstrates personal integrity, commitment and ultimately making right choices. From kitchen experiments and church flea markets to a multimillion dollar a year natural hair and skin care conglomerate that proudly planted its flagship store on Harlem’s famous 125th Street; Carol’s Daughter sets the new standard.

21 HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

In the mid 80’s, Lisa Price wrestled in a cloud of puzzlement like many gifted young ladies who have loving families, great scholastic ability, multiple talents and an ambiguous outlook on life. Hers is not a sad story of a troubled life, but an impressive coming of age tale that makes self discovery rhythmical. It’s a life cycle of divine composition with the spirit of exceptionality planted as young as kindergarten that awakens quickly with each progressive stride and tugs at the least bit of misdirection. As the clouds slowly dissipated, Carol’s Daughter’s star, which had been there all the time, became brighter. Lisa Price’s memoir, Success Never Smelled So Sweet, reveals her young adult experiences from marrying naively and briefly in college, dropping out of college, losing her job and falling into debt. She even shares her attempt at dancing and a singing career. To an inexperienced eye, Lisa’s ascent to the mogul she is today would seem like a long shot, but the undertones of her striving and determination for excellence throughout, from a very early age, was an enormous clue to her success. The Carol’s Daughter flagship store in Harlem is a monument of testimony to Lisa’s journey and hope to those who frequently shop there or pass by. Although Lisa grew up in Brooklyn, the first step of growth stretched to Central Harlem’s 125th Street. She says Harlem signifies Black heritage and success, “When people were successful in their careers, Harlem was the place they came to live – 125th Street is our Fifth Avenue,” Lisa ascribes. Within sixteen years, in a timeline view that initially started in 1990 as an experiment in her kitchen, to a church flea market in May 1993 encouraged by her mom, Carol, to a series of explosive accomplishments, Lisa’s keen sense for natural fragrant blends is quickly gaining national esteem. Even before the celebrity upsurge of investors: JayZ, Mary J. Blige, Will & Jada Smith – Lisa’s Carol’s Daughter brand had already earned a celebrity clientele and media attention. She and her husband, Gordon opened their home to customers and together made the first step in branching out for Carol’s Daughter’s first retail store in August 1999. Her products were already purchased by Erykah Badu and Halle Berry; she gave demonstrations for B. Smith, sat with Star Jones for a live segment on The View and appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show even before the infusion that has now helped open a chain of nine stores, in addition to distribution in Macy’s stores and Sephora. The Price family is another model of positive family life. Lisa married her husband, Gordon, while they both worked on The Cosby Show. And in somewhat of a life imitating art archetype, the Prices mirror some of those same “Huxtable” family attributes. 22

It was a treat for our Harlem Torch team to experience the family firsthand. Lisa arrived at Indigo Arms in Harlem for our cover photo shoot a few minutes before the rest of her family. Shortly after, Gordon arrived with their three children. The youngest, 3-year–old Becca, inquisitive and reserved was in her father’s arms, but Forrest, 13, and Ennis, almost 12, lit up the brownstone mansion immediately. It was apparent that the busyness of their fast -paced lifestyle made them more structured. For those who know the transparency of children know that a day with them can reveal the fruit of their lifestyle. The cheery, wholesome and well-adjusted Price boys were comfortable and intelligent, but still quite lively. Both young men interacted with the adults on the set with ease – the entire day was witness to a loving family environment. Becca the newest addition to the family had the agenda of a curious three year old. Lisa attributes her healthy family outlook to her nurturing upbringing. Both her paternal and maternal grandparents were Trinidadian with great family values and work ethic and a strong emphasis on education. Her mother was the youngest of seven all of whom were close and supportive. She recalls her mother being home after school for her and her brother until she was 13 years old. Her father showered her with attention, grandfather walked her home from school, and her mother’s mother, Marguerite (Nana), baked often. Those key components were building blocks in Lisa’s foundation. In analysis, Lisa articulates, “I don’t look at it [her story] as everything is perfect or everything was perfect, because there are definitely interruptions, because life interrupts. Things happen and you go with the flow of it. My first child, he wasn’t a surprise, but he wasn’t exactly planned, either, but we let nature take its course, so when it happened we were like, Yeah!, it happened. The second child wasn’t planned at all – he was a complete surprise – and it was difficult and stressful; you know building a business and having two boys 19 months apart. But, it worked itself out and it was great. Now we have three – our daughter – and although she was adopted – in a way, still, not planned. I had a dream about having a daughter and I knew I wasn’t pregnant.” Lisa’s mother, over the course of her life, adopted six children. Now, Lisa, in the same strength of mind and compassion of heart, shares, “I didn’t know where this daughter was coming from [referring to her dream] and I found out through a friend of a friend about a foster care agency. I called them randomly and three weeks later, a girl became available and they were looking for a pre-adoptive home for her. I started a research project on adoption and within two months time had a daughter. I wouldn’t change anything. Was it the perfect time? Probably not, but, I wouldn’t change it.”

Body and Soul | Carol’s Daughter’s Lisa Price

Lisa Price and her husband, Gordon, have been together for more than twenty years. She knew he was, “the one,” as she describes in detail in her book, Success Never Smelled So Sweet. Here, the Price sons try to get their sister Becca’s attention away from the camera equipment. Ennis, left, laughs as his brother Forrest tries to get a smile out of his sister by tickling her feet.

Ennis and Becca wearing ensembles from The Children’s Place and Forrest is wearing H&M for Men

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The Back Room team: Donna Michelle Alonzia, Dawn Sterling and Lucy Traveriso

Although Carol’s Daughter is part of Harlem gentrification, it does not come at the exclusion of Harlem residents. The store is embraced as one of our own, possessing a local and universal appeal.

From the time you step through the huge heavy oak doors of Carol’s Daughter, well integrated into the busy commercial and business area of Harlem, there are clues that this is no ordinary shop. The store reflects a cosmopolitan spirit with a theme that is a study in contrasts and blends that constructs a refuge for the senses. It’s a culture that makes people loosen up a bit in a soothing atmosphere where the aroma of natural plants and flowers titillate. The all-natural luxury brand is romantic and elegant with an allure that attracts a sophisticated clientele of the culturally conscious. A renaissance in its own right, the Carol’s Daughter brand has incorporated old formulas of ethnic reputation with a contemporary twist and broken through to the mainstream market. It’s homey-like and chic, making fashionable all the diverse types of Black hair textures and skin tones. Each experience is personal, whatever the preference, the choices are there. Exclusive to Carol’s Daughter’s Harlem flagship store is “The Back Room.” A real show-stopper, the room is separated by a wall that leads to a private setting of a richly appointed interior design meant to evoke a 1920’s speakeasy. The urban/rustic interior features exposed brick and piping, custom-made chairs of iridescent goldgreen, draping silk strands encircling the room, cherry wood or perhaps mahogany end tables with gold leafing, and a unique round sofa at the room’s center. This urbane hand and foot spa, staffed with a team of polished experts, concentrates on natural treatments in the art of relaxing hospitality. The familiar smell of Carol’s Daughter blends of peppermint, almond oil and roses wafts through the air. And although celebrities like Lebron James and Rihanna have been publicized spa guests, it’s become an inner city escape for the locals. The Back Room is reasonably priced and in the nature of Lisa Price, there’s a mother and daughter special: “Just Like Mommy Manicure” is a blend of lemon, gummy bears and tapioca for children under 12.

The Back Room Spa Director Sunika Sanchez (standing), and Tanell Morales (seated) chat at front desk reception. They have mastered the art of luxury pampering. Sunika says spa parties have become increasingly popular. The Harlem store opened in 2005 and has since become a destination point. Each milestone makes a higher mark in the Carol’s Daughter journey. And with each step, Lisa is changing attitudes. She has raised the expectations about Black entrepreneurship and the way womanhood/ motherhood is perceived – womanhood so free. It appears as though Lisa Price has taken all the best of her life and combined the ingredients, as she has her Carol’s Daughter’s recipe sheets. She is making motherhood powerful and sexy, besides demonstrating the empowering impact of the healthy family lifestyle. She has proven the benefit of both nature and nurture. If there is anyone that represents that divinity lies within, it’s safe to say that Lisa validates that or at least has learned to listen to that inner voice. Although Carol’s Daughter is part of Harlem gentrification, it does not come at the exclusion of Harlem residents. The store is embraced as one of our own, possessing a local and universal appeal. Lisa represents potential and the Carol’s Daughter products target the Harlem demographic. Customers seem to always feel welcome by a staff that is committed to giving service that matches the quality product. There is a stately security guard that pleasantly greets the customers. 26

But the real VIP treatment comes in The Back Room – exclusive to Harlem. The hand and foot spa is that secret space for those in the know, it’s pampering at its best. If desired, there is free champagne and strawberries with a choice of manicure and pedicure packages that include Carol’s Daughter products. Services run from $18 to $75, and worth every dollar. The Harlem Torch team experienced the full treatment and it was exquisite – there’s something natural and sensual about soaking your hands in fresh fruit or flowers – who knew what real lavender was like? Then, there’s the feel of tapioca under your feet. Spa Director Sunika Sanchez says that spa parties are becoming increasingly popular. This October, in another leap forward, Carol’s Daughter in collaboration with Disney, will launch a new bath collection for children to celebrate Disney’s big release of The Princess and the Frog. It’s like an incredible outbreak of images that finally reflect positive black existence, from our first Black family in the White House to Disney’s launch of the first Black princess, and Carol’s Daughter is seated in the mix.

It will be a great time for Lisa’s daughter to grow up. Becca’s normal will be an integrated world, where shades of brown and black people are key decision-makers. She will have big brothers to protect her, a loving father, a black princess in her fairytales and she will be Lisa’s daughter. Lisa shares the unforgettable moments when they first came across their products in stores. “It’s really amazing,” Lisa remembers, “We usually go on vacation in Florida, in the Keys and in Miami, and when Sephora first took the line in 2006, one of the first stores we went into was in the Aventura Mall. We flew into Ft. Lauderdale and at that time, there were just the two boys, and I took them to Sephora. They kept asking ‘why are we here? What are we going to buy here?’ and I told them, just walk with me. When they spotted the products, they were like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re here, all the way in Florida?’ It was exciting to see their reaction. “ The notion of overnight success is a bit misleading, Lisa explains, “It’s a gradual process, especially to me, since I am the one going through the process – I know the steps that it took to get here. But there is that sort of overnight ‘feeling’ to it because all of a sudden people know who you are. That’s kind of sudden.” We can’t go without mentioning the unique allure of each Carol’s Daughter product. Although there’s so much press about the product, we were compelled to boast about the rare blends that surprisingly mix brilliantly. Who would think to blend lavender and rosemary essential oils with hyacinth, watermelon and cucumber? But it works. Or, the fresh blend of tangerine, mango, lime and pineapple. But it works. Two personal favorites: for the hair, Black Vanilla Hair Smoothie as a deep conditioner and Healthy Hair Butter – Wow! And, the Almond Cookie Sea Salt Scrub with almond, lemon, vanilla and apple – like pie in a vintage jar, with whole almonds on top. Splendid.

HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

Top and jacket by Anne Klein Jewelry by Stephen Dweck and Jeans from Ashley Stewart Harlem

LIFESTYLE | CULTURE

Illyasah Shabazz and Dr. Howard Dodson Photography by Rudy Collins

It was a remarkable moment in time. There was a kind of peace and satisfaction that touched the soul as the evidence of history made its way into the sphere of contemporary Black culture. In broad strokes, the progression became clearer as a small group gathered in the Audubon Ballroom where Malcolm X had been martyred, preserved now as the Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Memorial Education Center. The scope that reaches from the severest oppression of a people to the highest level of leadership in the land of their oppressors could be seen. And a reserved celebration, that suggests proceed with caution, marked the inherent depiction of African American development. The intimate exchange between Illyasah Shabazz (Author, Growing Up X), daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, and Dr. Howard Dodson, Chief of The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, gave witness to the strong ties that have carried the generations. The gathering had been assembled to launch a new fundraiser for a division of the Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Memorial Education Center that implemented a multimedia mentoring initiative, I AM Media. However the evening took on a much broader significance. The atmosphere of the room, the fight it took to preserve it, and all the history makers present outshined the original intent. In a moment of nostalgia the fruit was evident. Realness unfolded, as to how we got to be as we are and how the time had come to be as it is. The Reverend Al Sharpton drew the fine line between Malcolm X and President Barack Obama, “Brother Malcolm’s contribution,” he said, “means everything, because you can’t go where you can’t think. Where we are today is because Malcolm changed our minds. It was Malcolm X, more than any other that brought home the globalization of African people to where we could 44 years later accept a brother whose daddy was from Kenya.” He then drew the line clearer, “Obama came out of a psychology that Malcolm created. By the time Obama came of age we had matured because Malcolm went all over Africa and changed our thinking. Sitting in the same room where Malcolm X had been killed and feeling the satisfaction of the United States’ first Black elected president gave one a sense that his life and death was not in vain. But he paid an awesome price, among others, so that the world might see this day. Through the testimony of Illyasah Shabazz, the third daughter of Malcolm X, who incidentally is about the same age as President Obama, a deeper picture is painted on the call of her parents, and the depth of that sacrifice. In a brief talk, Illyasah set right the history of her father, a convergence of all the threads of an unusually controversial and admirable tale, “Most people don’t realize that my father was just a young man when he took a stand against institutionalized racism, institutionalized oppression. Brother Malcolm was just in his 20’s when he stood against the power and might of the United States government and demanded justice for every breathing African American and every breathing soul – oppressed and repressed all around the world.” She made it more real for those in their forties and fifties who have sons in their 20’s, and she continued, “He was just in his 20’s when he hoisted HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

Perhaps it was the feeling of that same sense of victory when humanity on his shoulders to carry us forward toward a moral egalitarian future and I have the honor and pleasure to hear Thurgood Marshall became the first Black Supreme Court Justice, from many men - including President Obama, that one of the or when Joe Lewis, The Brown Bomber, won a world title fight or greatest gifts that Brother Malcolm gave to them – after 400 the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – a moment of hope that years of psychological trauma - was the sense of pride and is a temporary distraction from the paradox we find ourselves living in. The victory is bittersweet, because each victory seems to be purpose.” Illyasah Shabazz reached further back in her family tree seasoned with contradiction, but it is fuel enough to continue to remind the audience that her father’s parents – both pressing forward. The Reverend Sharpton energized that feeling, Garveyites - had been activists and they were most vital in “No one would have thought libraries would have been named after planting the right foundation in Malcolm that would ultimately Malcolm, but there is something about ‘truth, that even crushed to lead to his passion for justice. She explains that it was Malcolm’s the earth it will rise again,’ and in the end, if you stand for something – it may be controversial mother, of who was not psychotic as for a while – but you must readjust she had been erroneously depicted, and destabilize bad foundations to who spoke five languages and establish proper foundations.” encouraged Malcolm and his siblings Dr. Howard Dodson who to read the dictionary. And, too, that had worked alongside Dr. Betty his father was martyred when young Shabazz to ensure that the legacy of Malcolm was only six, by white Malcolm X was not lost, accounted extremists, as he was trying to deliver a for her work, “All praises are due to petition. Almost like providence, or Sister Dr. Betty Shabazz,” he repeated predestination, he was chosen to several times. “It is wonderful that we continue the work. The seed was are gathered here today to celebrate planted early, and then in just the right the life and legacy of Malcolm X, but season, fertilized by the ministers of the it wasn’t always that way. Many of you Nation of Islam. Through it all, the recall at the time of his death, people seed couldn’t die – divine providence did not want to celebrate his life and led him through the Nation to speak to many wished that his memory would the nations. Ms. Shabazz iterated that fade away.” He went on to remind us her father grew the Nation of Islam that people wanted to distance from 500 to 300,000. He was themselves from Malcolm X so much assassinated before he could reach his during the time of his death that 40th birthday, when Illyasah was not quite 3 years old. She witnessed her Harlem churches declined to have his father’s murder with her mother and funeral services. “But there was a two older sisters, Attallah and Qubilah. woman,” he continued, “who knew Her mother, Dr. Betty Shabazz went on that he was worthy of celebration – to successfully raise six daughters, knew that he was worthy of respect, Attallah, Qubilah, Illyasah, Gamilahthat he was worthy of the right to be Lumumba, Malikah and Malaak (twins celebrated, not just here in Harlem born after Malcolm’s death). Dr. and in New York, but in America and Shabazz died June 1997 from her in the world. And she decided that injuries in a much publicized fire. one of the things that she would do was make sure that his legacy was The event was hosted by L. never lost – never forgotten.” Londell McMillan, prominent attorney That evening officially and publisher of The Source Magazine. launched “The Sign of Time: Among the distinguished guests were Malcolm X in the Millennium,” Reverend Herbert Daughtry, Sr., National Above top: Reverend Al Sharpton looks on which is the Center’s new two-year as Illyasah Shabazz talks about her Presiding Minister, House of the Lord fundraising and awareness campaign. parents, Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Churches; Dr. Leonard Jeffries, City According to their press release, the Shabazz. Londell McMillan (directly College; Terrie M. Williams, Author, Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting; above), prominent lawyer and publisher Campaign’s creation and implementation Rachel Noerdlinger, Reverend Al Sharpton, of The Source Magazine, unveils the first are the result of a community survey in photograph in The Sign of Time which visitors were overwhelmingly Dr. Howard Dodson, and Malikah Shabazz campaign. interested in knowing the actual location one of the youngest daughters of Malcolm of Malcolm’s assassination. The survey also X and Dr Betty Shabazz. Malcolm X enthusiasts have always had an admirable sense of self and pride revealed that many of the Center’s visitors were not sufficiently in Black culture, but this night shone an even brighter radiance aware of Malcolm’s and Betty’s actual accomplishments as educators and national activists. within those who had come to celebrate. 32

The Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial, Educational & Cultural Center will extend their visibility to cities across the nation through a national photography contest and exhibition featuring captured photos of the various streets throughout the country designated as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Malcolm X Boulevard.â&#x20AC;? Using new media, the program is designed to educate urban youth about the legacy that is Malcolm X and Dr. Shabazz and will be marketed and promoted throughout high schools, colleges and local community centers in every city across America having a Malcolm X Boulevard.

Illyasah Shabazz looks on as leaders speak about her father.

Henry N Jackson Nothing represents the shift in an era more than fashion. And in this Obama generation, there is no better muse for a legendary fashion designer than First Lady Michelle Obama. The award winning couture designer Henry N. Jackson has created a fresh style manifesto for the new statuesque American aristocrat by mixing a multicultural cocktail that lowers the drawbridge between Africa and America. Henry Jackson, whose designs have been worn by Cicely Tyson, Whoopi Goldberg, Halle Berry, Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey, the designer who began his professional career more than three decades ago with Oscar de la Renta and Valentino has launched a fascinating new line that fuses African fabric and prints with western influenced cuts. The result is a glorious mĂŠlange of tradition, culture and innovation. The Boston native, who now has a foot in Harlem, evolved through Rome, Saudi Arabia, Hollywood, Paris and New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Madison Avenue, to the point where his intrinsic gift widened to a composition of old-style haute couture with an eccentric ethnic mood that says accomplished. With his eyes on the first lady, Jackson was not quite prepared for the international demand that would come after his spring 2010 debut at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City. Turns out, the Michelle Obama inspired African-American amalgamated collection inspired buyers around the world.

Henry N Jackson

The Day Look. Cotton printed coat and silk jersey dress

Cotton printed jacket and shift dress made from Nigerian fabrics

Henry Jackson started sketching women’s clothing ideas at the age of five, and by fourteen he produced his first 60-piece fashion show at the Playboy Club in Boston. “I was the only one in the room who couldn’t drink,” Henry laughs. He remembers sitting under his mother’s sewing machine, “My mother was very social and she would remake the Givenchy dresses from the Audrey Hepburn movies. I would see these gorgeous dresses falling over the edge of the sewing machine.” He went to private school in Brookline and spent a couple of semesters as a pre-law undergrad student at Harvard to satisfy his father. But his gift led him to New York’s Parsons to study his passion.

Oscar de la Renta hired Jackson right out of school. However, Henry had his eyes set on Europe and he aggressively pursued a job with Valentino. At 18, Henry landed his dream position with Valentino in Rome. After two and a half years, as the assistant to one of the most prominent designers in the world, traveling throughout Europe and designing haute couture valued in the neighborhood of $60,000, he wanted the freedom to put his own name on his designs. Among an impressive list of career accomplishments, Jackson has led design teams for Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger proving most influential in the leisure urbanization of their brands. He has achieved at the highest level in a broad range of design genres, from sport and athletic wear to high end gowns, leading strategy teams for Converse. In addition, for years, Henry Jackson for HNJ (Company name and acronym for Henry Nathaniel Jackson) designs were featured in the Ebony Fashion Fair and have been worn by celebrities for the Oscars.

Henry Jackson couture has been worn by Cicely Tyson, Halle Berry, Whoopi Goldberg and for Oscar moments like the gown shown here on Julia Roberts Henry Jackson under Valentino label

Printed cotton fin strapless gown from the Spring 2010 Collection. Imported trim from Makumba of Paris

Notably characteristic of HNJ signature style is that he designs clothes for the typical runway sized model and the curvier real woman sizes. His consistently high standard translates pure feminine beauty for a diverse group of clientele. Every cut is designed to flatter womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s curves rather than conceal them. Composing patterns with the architectural romantic elegance of the 1930â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from where his inspiration sprouts, Jackson blends fabric and draping, colors and shadows in a complete harmony of modern functionality. The Spring 2010 collection spices things up with the exotic.

HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

Safe Harbor if we can not take love truly professed to another then hopelessly we are lost forlorn sister and brother cast adrift on an friendless sea sails billowed by hate evil wind forever blow a wider void create can we find together some shelter from the storm rescue the words i love you a new bond form this day into forever The Reverend Alfonso Wyatt

Photo: Alonna Cole

merchant of hope By The Reverend Alfonso Wyatt

If I had a business card that accurately captured the full spectrum and dynamic of my work, it would not say Chair of The 21st Century Foundation; Vice President of the Fund for the City of New York; Chair of Black Leadership Commission on AIDS New York Affiliate, or associate minister of the Greater Allen AME Cathedral of New York (though that comes close). Beloved, my card would simply say Alfonso Wyatt: Merchant of Hope. As many of you may know, merchants once sailed the seven seas looking for opportunities to do business. Seafaring merchants had to be focused, dedicated and in many instances fearless because the seas could become extremely dangerous in a blink of the eye. A Merchant of Hope is a special person uniquely prepared for an assignment that goes against the grain of today’s mindless materialism and suffocating self-centeredness. Merchants of Hope, buoyed by personal life experiences, sail the sea of life searching for and rescuing lost souls that have been, hurt, rejected, overlooked—or in many instances, are drowning in plain sight—but their cries for help are lost in the fog and din of being. Hope Merchants are not understood by people that have never had their lifeboat rocked; have never run aground; been lost at sea or discovered dangerous leaks in their craft. These people are usually comfortable, complacent and clannish. It is hard to move people that either refuse to budge or think that it is someone else’s job to wade in the water, launch out into the deep—or God forbid get their designer bathing suit wet. A Merchant of Hope must find ways to kindle their inner desire to persevere so that others may be inspired to do the same—especially in the face of adversity. Hope Merchants must be guided by an inner compass that always points toward a better day. A Merchant of Hope has a way of rallying people to a cause—of making personal and professional sacrifice not for self-enrichment or personal aggrandizement—but for the greater good. I wonder if there are any Hope Merchants out there. If so, this is all hands on deck call. It is time for the people with resources and means to help babies, children, adolescents, teens, ‘tweens’, young adults, adults and seniors lost at sea of depression, debt, despair and dwindling options. We no longer have the luxury of waiting, researching, hating, debating, vacillating or use, “It is not my job” as an excuse. It has been said to whom much is given, much is required. But this truism has been turned on its proverbial head as those who have been given much feel no sense of urgency or responsibility to give back to brothers and sisters in need. HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

There are a growing number of people adrift in spiritual, economic, social, mental and physical troubled waters—for instance: • •

•

Children attending schools that do not have the basic prerequisites for effective education to take place. Men leaving families and obligations in search of something that in many instances is never found—or quickly lost; leaving children as sole victims of this fruitless search. Brothers and sisters trapped in a for profit prison system more concerned about making money through cutting cost but not cutting recidivism—a perverse reverse incentive to do nothing. The structurally unemployed caught in yet another vicious economic cycle of unrest and upheaval leaving a growing number of people unable to adjust to a global economy. HIV/AIDS and other preventable diseases ravaging the under insured or the 40,000,000 and counting uninsured—usually drawn from the ranks of the working poor. Poor neighborhoods that are unsafe—or becoming increasingly unaffordable—in both instances destabilizing families as well as community institutions and neighborhood culture.

This is an all hands on deck call. There is a need for mentors to join programs like Amache, founded by former Philadelphia Mayor the Rev Wilson Goode and run by New York Mission Society. This vital program matches mentors with children of incarcerated parents. There is an urgent need for people with money, ideas and social capital to step up and be active as volunteers and board members of programs with progressive agendas. Unfortunately passive networking through many online options has created a generation of techno savvy folk linked to each other but not necessarily linked to folk in need of help. Please do not get me wrong—technology can be an important social change tool (ubiquitous access issues aside) but it can also be an insular self-promoting tool that aggregates people of means on one side and isolates people with needs on the other side. I am proud to be the third Chair of the 21st Century Foundation (21CF), the only foundation in America—and the world for that matter that has as its mission to lead, innovate and influence giving for Black community change. 21CF was one of the first foundations in the Gulf Region providing assistance to water ravaged Katrina and Rita Hurricane victims. In essence, it was not an individual ship but a large craft bringing resources (money) expertise—and hope. 21CF enlisted the services of Mario Van Pebbles (assisted by Karen Williams) to produce a 22 minute piece titled Bring Your “A” Game airing on BET on September 12, 2009 at 9 PM. A Game creatively explores the negative consequences of boys dropping out of school (drugs, incarceration lack of employment options etc). What is radically different is that the subject of A Game meets encouraging Merchants of Hope, offering wisdom and viable options, like Spike Lee, The Three Doctors, Richard “Dick” Parsons, Kevin Powell, Russell Simmons and Newark Mayor Cory Booker to name a few.

merchant of hope | Reverend Alfonso Wyatt

100 Black Men

Mayor Wilson Goode

Dr. Ron Mincy

Geoffrey Canada

Shawn Mooring

Shawn Dove

Please take time and see Merchants of Hope in this city and around the country doing the heavy lifting. For instance 100 Black Men has used their resources to help young boys escape generational poverty through the tried and true vehicle of education via the creation of The Eagle Academy. This model has shown great promise and is being replicated. On a larger scale take a look at The Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), under the leadership of Merchant of Hope Admiral (and admirable) Geoff Canada. He has marked out a defined swath of territory in Central Harlem and is providing “womb to tomb” resources to a community with many needs. HCZ’s work has attracted the attention of The Obama Administration as a response to educational drift and failure in America. There is a growing national fatherhood movement seeking to educate, validate and empower dads of all ages. This effort is guided by the research, analysis and sacrifice of another Merchant of Hope Dr. Ron Mincy from Columbia University, as well as on the ground leadership provided by Ken Braswell. Another great Merchant of Hope is Shawn Dove, Director of Open Society Institute’s (OSI) Black Men and Boys Initiative. It is through his peerless look over the sea of needs that The 2025 Black Men and Boys Initiative, a national effort funded by OSI and under the leadership of Shawn Mooring, was designed to close educational, social and economic disparities by 2025 between black men and boys and their counterparts in society. This effort is incubated within The 21st Century Foundation.

This is an invitation to Merchants of Hope from all over the country to host viewing parties to spread the word and geometrically increase efforts to effect rescue of young boys drowning in a sea of possibility. The foundation will have copies of Bring Your “A” Game and curriculum guides for group leaders available after the air date. 21CF will release at a later date Fair Game, also produced by Mario Van Peebles, is an academic socio-political, economic and spiritual look at the plight of Black Men and Boys through the lens of Black men in academia, business, media, education, sports and faith communities aimed at educating and challenging the African American community to address long standing problems, issues, stereotypes, policies and mindsets. In closing, allow me to tell you how my Merchant of Hope construct was birthed in me. It happened at another time when seemingly this country and the world were adrift. I am talking about the days (daze) after September 11, 2001. People were scrambling lost, grieving, cut from their moorings—many did not know where to turn for help. I was asked to address frontline prominent leaders from nonprofit agencies in New York. While talking to the host of the event, I mentioned that it was important for the people in the audience to leave with a sense of hope. The person looked at me with a weary yet seemingly all knowing look and said, “Hope was not fundable.”

I have lived long enough to know that without hope there can be no spark that fans into flame. Without hope there can be no movement toward change. Without hope the status quo morphs into status woe which becomes the new normal. Hope may not be fundable according to my well-intentioned but misinformed colleague—but it is tangible. The world has witnessed the triumph of hope in the electrifying election of the first African-American President of the United States of America. He ran on a platform that skillfully intertwined hope and change—and appealed to a surprisingly broad demographic. President Barack Obama may be the Commander and Chief of The United States of America but he is also The Chief Merchant of Hope. Some may think this is the time to retire from the hope business or worse— feel that all of the aforementioned social issues and problems already have or will soon disappear—not so. This is not the end—it is a new beginning calling out to a new generation of Merchants of Hope called and prepared to lead efforts well into the 21st Century—this is the time to answer this call—ALL HANDS ON DECK. I leave you with this poem I wrote over 20 years ago—I see its significance today. HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

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FINANCIAL

Wealth Therapy

By Dr. Jacques Jospitre, Jr.

In previous articles I mentioned that your financial health is anchored by your identity. And, many forces go into shaping it. The true identity is more evident in what you do versus what you say. That is why it is so important to look at objective evidence to understand where you are, and to monitor your progress accordingly. In this segment, we will look at taking the first steps to make a real transformation in your life.

WEALTH THERAPY 1

In making change, you want to start by defining two things: • Where You Are • Where You Want To Be Where You Are The work of self-evaluation gives the starting point. You want to be as accurate as possible in defining where you are right now. The work we did in the prior articles helped to define your current state by tracking your use of money and time. The measured allocation of these resources gave you an accurate reflection of your priorities in life. And, they indicated your current financial health. Where You Want To Be It is easy to say that you want your life to change, but it is challenging to be specific about the changes you want to make. Complaining takes little effort or creativity while defining your future takes a tremendous amount of energy and imagination. Doing this work is critical for you to see meaningful and efficient progress in your life.

Photo: John Ricard

The heart of the Wealth Therapy system can be captured with the phrase “IKEA Retention.” IKEA stands for steps of the behavior modification process: • Identity • Knowledge • Evaluation Adjustment

Wealth Therapy® is a registered trademark of Dr. Jacques Jospitre, Jr. Copyright ©2008. All rights reserved. In the introductory article on Wealth Therapy, I introduced the notion of conscious versus unconscious processes, where perceived desires were not always consistent with true feelings. People maintain active awareness of conscious thoughts, while they do and feel things without any awareness in their unconscious minds. A good example of this conflict is the challenge of improving physical health. Consciously you say that you want to eat healthier, and get to the gym, to get into better shape. Unconsciously, you keep craving high calorie food and you lack the motivation to workout. Why the conflict? Regardless of your perceived desires, your unconscious world controls your actions. Public Relations, Advertising, and Marketing all make use of this knowledge everyday to compel you to take action and purchase products and services. Why not use this same knowledge to improve your financial health?

Creating the Idea You In therapy, we get a sense of your internal life (unconscious processes) by looking at your actions and responses to different situations. Dream analysis and free association exercises give insights into this hidden realm. Below are steps that we can use to try to extract some of your hidden dreams and desires and shape them into tangible goals: 1. Start with a blank sheet of paper. Write out everything you want in your life. Think about dreams you had when you were younger and write them down. Do this for a few minutes. Even if there is no foreseeable way of reaching a goal, put it down anyway. It is okay to dream a little bit.

2. Take another blank sheet and start organizing and modifying your goals. Put them in a form that is more achievable. If you wrote that you want to have fifty million dollars, maybe bring it down to six months worth of expenses saved up.

3. Now take another blank sheet and give each of your “achievable” goals a stretch towards your “dream” goals. If you brought your savings target down to one month, stretch it to nine months’ worth of expenses. Repeat this for each goal.

You are in a holding pattern that keeps you the way you are today; the unconscious actions maintain the status quo. In trying to change your life, you are trying to change yourself at a very deep level. That literally means saying goodbye to the old you, and welcoming a new you. Even friends and family might resist the change and help you regress back to your old ways with their comments and responses. You will have to muster up the energy to not only change yourself, but to also change their perception of you. One way to get the energy for a real life change is to run an internal marketing campaign. “What is that?” you wonder. Well, in marketing, companies want to know about your emotional triggers-things that make you take action. These are often feelings tied to your greatest dreams and darkest fears. They connect these emotions to products or services in a way that compels you to take action and make a purchase. This is accomplished by training your unconscious mind into believing that you are achieving your dreams or avoiding your fears with that transaction. We can do the same thing with your goals.

4. Pick three goals to focus on from this third sheet. Add some dates of when to achieve them. Now you have your “stretch” goals.

In the above exercise, we tried to find your deepest desires, and convert them into compelling, nearly achievable goals. Now let us add some more emotion: 2 . Ta ke a of t e e p h aper an nother sheet s k n la b a 1. Take rite down all of the rea d write down of w sons w d n a to r t hy you all of wan pape w u a o y n y t h t w o s a n o c s h ieve yo would goals. M the rea are right u o y y a a w ke com ur new hy w , stay the s s d pe t r a o temen ther w ts here lling now. In o ant nothing to . uw would yo example: or change? F ty, predictable, afe s comfort, sy, etc. stable, ea ake the above a. T add sheet and ns to the tio contradic you hy w reasons e. y the sam should sta

These sheets are your internal marketing campaign. And like all campaigns, repetition is they key. Each day, look at your stretch goals and the reasons why you should achieve them along with the reasons why you do not want to stay the same. This activity should provide you with the daily motivation to move towards your goals. HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

According to a study funded by the Twenty-first Century Foundation, the national average high school graduation rate for Black boys is 47% In New York City 24% In Chicago 30% In Oakland 31%

A CIVIL RIGHT At last, the education crisis has heated up and boiled over until it could no longer be ignored. The urban school issues have metastasized to national crisis. That negative contagion surrounding under-education inevitably plagues our entire system. In some areas you might never know the severity, because the disparity is blatant. On one end, for those fortunate enough to be in the privileged public schools, in the better neighborhoods, the upward mobility of the culture tends to boost even the least likely student to a higher standard. On the opposite end, the downward pull is reprehensible and inconceivable – unless a person has experienced both – they may never seek an alternative because within their confines, they are unacquainted with the options. The Reverend Al Sharpton, who has recently taken the education crisis head-on, refers to it as soft racism. However, in New York, where segregation is often covertly and cunningly practiced, school children suffer most. We now see the consequence of these inequities. It seems from where some of us sit the solution is a simple one, once we get the budget balanced; the solution is in truly balancing the system. Our shot at social engineering, for lack of a better term, by educating the elite at the exclusion of some, compromises the entire world. Because when that innately, gifted, brilliant uneducated mind detonates it still multiplies – the imbalance backfires. How can there be language like, “the poorer schools,” “predominantly Black schools,” “high achieving schools” in an equal public education system? After interviewing several people, attending rallies and gathering data, the findings were staggering. There were too many ideas and issues to compile into one magazine article so with our focus on Harlem, we selected a small education system with a 32-year-old integration plan that has been recognized as one of the most effective in the nation as our microcosm, and then added the extra slices that make Harlem more complex. Wichita, Kansas abandoned formal segregation before the Brown vs. Board of Education decision came down and opened its first desegregated school in 1954. That was not the end for them or the solution, but they were stepping in the right direction. Ultimately, their city’s mandated desegregation plan led to high achievement and a completely integrated system. And in order for the schools to be successful across the board, it was recommended that schools have no more than 20% low income black students. The National Opinion Research Center at Johns Hopkins University listed Wichita as 1 of only 10 school systems in the United States that was completely desegregated. Dr. Leonard Wesley, NEA Award winning educator/administrator, was assistant superintendent for desegregation/integration and federal projects, responsible for implementing, supervising and maintaining the Wichita Public School District’s desegregation/integration plan, during their successful desegregation plan. Dr. Wesley, now retired, explains, “When you bring students together they learn by association. Going to school with different ethnic and socioeconomic groups the exchange is positive for all groups. We continually worked at creating and maintaining equality.”

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Inalienable Right

Dr. Frederick Haynes, III, Pastor of Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas and Vice Chairman of National Action Network speaks to the “power and potential in an educated and liberated mind.” He stands opposed to the teaching practices and standards miseducating American children, specifically low-income minority students. He sermonizes, “We want our schools delivered from test-based training. Instead we want to educate our children to be the best they can be. When you test base our children that is training, there is a difference between training and educating. You train dogs, you educate children, and you educate minds.” He is speaking to those systems that “teach to test” just to drive statistics and compete. And those test statistics are becoming more and more like the numbers that failed Wall Street. They paint a false picture – the bureaucrats get great numbers on paper, but the outcome will be a lost generation unless we wake up.

The Court of Appeals, New York's highest court, ruled in 1996 that the New York State constitution requires that the state offer all children the opportunity for a "sound basic education."

When they instituted mandatory integration through a lottery system where both white and black students cross integrated, parents from both groups protested, but the city leaders stood together for the change. Once the students completed their mandatory bussing period the majority of those students chose to stay where they initially resisted, black and white students. Integration became natural. The Office for Civil Rights, after visits to Wichita in 1967 and 1968, recommended several measures including the closing of a predominantly Black Junior High School, accelerated faculty desegregation and a program to end the segregation of seven elementary schools. A supporting independent study in Wichita that sampled teachers’ findings, reported then, in 1969, that teachers were particularly concerned that students of differing racial and socioeconomic backgrounds should have the opportunities to interact. The particular teacher committee’s analysis of the achievement of low and high status children of all ethnic groups showed that the benefits of desegregation were most apparent in the higher achievement and improved self-perception of working class white students. Further, Black students consistently achieved higher scores as the number of whites in their classes increased. During the summer of 1973, further training was provided to aid middle-class teachers in overcoming any prejudices they might harbor toward lower income black children. Gradually teachers became content with the new system. Fast forward, 2009 Harlem, as the nations become more global, the New York City public school system remains in subtle Jim Crow mode. Even in the 1960’s, researchers knew that separation was harmful, yet, New York has certain districts enrolling nearly 100% Black and Hispanic students with nearly 80% of them at or below the poverty line, whereas certain areas maintain invisible barriers. The largest district in the city, which exists within a higher income setting, has a 20% Black student enrollment and fewer at the low income level, a composition almost certainly designed by administrators armed with the understanding that certain balances achieve better outcomes. As it stands, the existing compositions are maintained by real estate preferences and special enrollment requirements. There also exists within the New York City public education structure specialized public schools, which are magnificent; however, they are educating the elite minority population: Asian and white. Wasn’t there something known as a “literacy test” that kept potential voters at bay? Perhaps if the specialized schools were required to take affirmative action into their enrollment consideration up to a certain quota, there is the possibility that we can start chipping away at solving our decaying education system. These are still schools that receive federal funding, and a requirement to increase the number of Black and Latino students by a small percentage through an affirmative action selection can surely be quite impactful. Take into consideration two prominent specialized schools, Hunter College High School, grades 7 – 12 and Stuyvesant High School: Hunter’s composition is 40% white, 50% Asian, 6% black and 4% Hispanic and Stuyvesant is 30% white, 65% Asian, 2% black and 3% Hispanic. Both schools, using affirmative action as a level play could allow up to 15% of black or Hispanic students without extinguishing their potency. Self perception, expectation and natural intelligence then become the equalizer that causes a student to rise to the occasion once accepted. The top testing Black and Hispanic students would rise in those right circumstances and the effect would multiply. That one action, across the board, could make a difference.

The task is not easy in an urban center with more than a million students: 36.7% Hispanic, 34.7% Black, 14.3% Asian and 14.2% white and the added factor that about 40% of students live in households where English is their second language and a third of the city’s citizens were born in another country. However the times call for a better integration plan to ride alongside the holistic education centers like Harlem Children’s Zone that enrich the population with the essentials. There is a certain cultural psychology in schools that fail to cross integrate that causes a negative contagion so mortifying it can devour our most promising children. Reverend Al Sharpton, Founder National Action Network, said during a rally to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education decision, “We have to keep in mind, the goals of Brown versus Board of Education were to integrate America and educate America of which we have done a poor job. Fifty-five years ago, education in this country was separate and unequal – fifty-five years later, it is still separate and unequal. We still haven’t solved the problem. We have to come together and put our egos aside. We have to stand up for these children.” He had recently attended a meeting at the White House to address education issues with a diverse group called together by President Obama. After reading the study that revealed 50% of Black males in the United States were dropping out of high school and only 30% of Black males in Detroit receive their high school diploma, Rev. Sharpton was affected to action. He has since made it his priority to shed light on the crisis. The Wichita school district didn’t integrate without a fight, but they were well informed on the issues and the laws. They had a powerful coalition. Chester Lewis, an attorney representing the Wichita chapter of the NAACP, filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of Education alleging discriminatory practices in violation of Titles IV and VI of the 1964 Civil Right Act, which led to an investigation and then to action with a plan. The difference here, in Harlem, is the challenge to inform parents of their rights and options. But there’s been progress. Each year Selina Wellington, who is a founding board member of BAEO (Black Alliance for Educational Options), takes a group of parents, teachers and students, on scholarship, to BAEO’s annual national symposium, now in its 10th year. Participants come back energized, informed and armed with solutions every time. Change will not come without putting in the work. The failing numbers should stir people to action. And like the Wichita coalition, Harlem can organize to improve their failing districts. A famous quote by Frederick Douglass summons the troops, "If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." Dr Howard Fuller, Chairman of BAEO, the most progressive educational options organization in the nation, passionately asked at a symposium, “is there anything more painful than seeing our children being mis-educated, undereducated, dropping out of school, or being pushed out of school? How painful is it to have our young not being taught, not understanding that they are indeed "young, gifted, and black?”

55 HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

A CI VIL RIGHT (CONT)

The New York State Assessments are annual tests used to measure a student's mastery of the state's grade-level academic standards. The tests are also used to evaluate schools and determine each school's accountability status. The charts represent the percentage of students who scored at or above their grade level for the respective test.

The charts on this page are recent scores from a famous Harlem school, in District 5.

The New York State Regents Examinations are a series of subject specific tests that measure a student's level of proficiency in each of the subject areas tested. The charts represent the percentage of students who scored at or above their grade level for the respective test.

Grade 6

School

District

State

English Language Arts:

41%

49%

67%

Math:

40%

66%

79%

Grade 7

School

District

State

English Language Arts:

49%

52%

71%

Grade 12

School

District

State

Math:

46%

59%

79%

Chemistry:

19%

41%

73%

47%

70%

School

District

State

Earth Science:

20%

Grade 8

35%

30%

56%

English:

69%

75%

82%

English Language Arts:

22%

47%

70%

Living Environment:

25%

64%

75%

Math:

31%

62%

76%

11%

38%

71%

Mathematics A:

Science:

67%

70%

Social Studies:

25%

63%

Mathematics B:

40%

14%

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OUR GREATEST TREASURE

Student Kira Brown

St. Aloysius Education Clinic By Eli A. Fuchsberg and J.M. Welcome

Mary Elizabeth Pettit, Director

“I can speak as a mother. I can speak as a grandmother. I can use examples from my own life – I can tell a parent, I know what you are going through. And I feel bad. I want to comfort the little three-year-old who cries or the parent who is just waiting for me to give her the words to communicate her needs. I don’t have all the answers. I can only give you what I know. I’m not the all powerful, all knowing. We have to try one thing and if that doesn’t work we have to try something else.” - Mary Elizabeth Petit

The line begins to form at four a.m. outside P.S. 133 to register for the St. Aloysius Education Clinic’s Summer Academic Enrichment program, which will celebrate 30 years of serving the Harlem community this September. Parents from Harlem, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and even New Jersey and Westchester County are eager to secure their child a place in this highly regarded Harlem-based summer program. The Clinic operates on a first-come, first-served basis, and is committed to serving the people who need it most: children come from public school, private school, home school, and even no school. While trying to accommodate all applicants, the Clinic often has to refer students to alternative programs. Over the summer, many children discontinue their reading and other academic pursuits; this frequently results in a loss of knowledge and skills from the end of one school year to the beginning of the next. A main focus of the Clinic’s Summer Enrichment Program is to prevent such academic regression by making sure the students keep reading and challenging themselves during the long break. In fact, many of the children make significant gains over the summer, and arrive at their schools in the fall more confident and better prepared.

Raymond Gonzalez & Gerald Luckett

Students at the five-week summer program spend their mornings doing academic work and their afternoons learning practical life skills, like cooperation through teamwork and how to cook nutritious meals. They are also taken on educational and enriching field trips to various cultural centers around New York, such as The Museum of Natural History, The Bronx Zoo, The Hall of Science, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and even Rye Playland.

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Despite the Clinic’s success, funding remains a challenge, especially in the current economic climate. Less than half of the Clinic’s operating budget comes from registration fees. Contributions and grants are therefore a vital source of revenue. The Department of Education has compounded the problem by drastically increasing the rent for the summer use of P.S. 133 (at the corner of 131st Street and Fifth Avenue). [In the last three years the Clinic has seen its rent increase threefold, putting pressure on an already strained budget. Although the St. Aloysius Education Clinic has been around for 30 years, administrators are focused on securing resources for the next ten and beyond.

Mary Elizabeth Pettit, the Clinic’s founder and executive director, has been on a mission to improve the lives of inner-city youth since she first became involved in education some three decades ago. She sees literacy as the key that will unlock opportunities and provide legitimate choices for her students as they progress through life. A philosophy of Ms. Pettit and the Clinic is to “provide opportunity by providing choices.” Since founding the Clinic in 1979, Ms. Pettit has instilled the values of self-reliance, personal responsibility, and respect for work in the thousands of young people who have passed through her programs—90 percent of whom go on to attend college. The Clinic, which offers summer programs for pre-K through eighth grade, consistently places students in the greater New York area’s top high schools. On Saturdays and after school during the normal academic year, there are also SAT prep and Job Enrichment Development Initiative (JEDI) classes for high-school students. By giving children the tools to succeed in school and at work, the Clinic enables its students to choose educational and career paths with greater freedom and confidence.

Ms. Pettit always goes the extra mile to help the people she encounters: “Parents have my cell-phone number and do not mind calling us at 4:30 a.m. if they have to,” Ms. Pettit informs the Torch. This type of commitment inspires loyalty and devotion, and is one reason that so many of her former students return to be counselors and teachers at the Clinic. Two examples of near-lifelong involvement are Raymond Gonzalez and Antwan Allen. Both Mr. Gonzalez and Mr. Allen began as students, at ages four and eight respectively, and have risen through the ranks as counselors and teachers to their current role as administrators. Pettit stresses the importance of getting to know each individual family, and she tailors her approach to deal with the unique challenges that face each student. In one instance, a parent complained that she couldn’t help her child with homework because she got home from work too late. Ms. Pettit suggested that the mother wake up an hour earlier and spend time with her child before leaving for work. By making a slight adjustment in her lifestyle, that mother is now able to spend valuable time with her child without disrupting her work.

Pictured above, young lady in blue shirt, Grace Wilson, young man with pencil, Joel Mentor; Below left, Antwan Allen, school counselor and below right, Kindergartedn teacher Julissa Matias-Kelly motivates her young people with action-filled instruction.

Visit safehorizon.org 31 HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

Governor David Paterson holds press conference at Harlem’s Alaine Locke to announce back-to-school stipend for low-income families in New York State

Principal Susan Green, NYC Chancellor Joel Klein and philanthropist George Soros seated.

EDUCATION FOR ALL CITIZENS: The New Civil Rights Movement In July 2002, I had an opportunity to travel to Paris, France. While there, I spent a great deal of time studying history; exploring the education system; appreciating the art; and visiting many prolific points of interest. Just like an average over excited tourist, I took pictures under the Eiffel Tower; inspected Bardoldi’s miniature replica that was used to design the Statue of Liberty; marveled at the grandeur of The Palace of Versailles; and ordered too many chocolate croissants due to my poor command of the French language. Of course, this was an excellent excuse to devour three buttery-crisp, delicious, chocolate, croissants. To top it all off, I even had the good fortune of scheduling a boat ride on the Seine River on Bastille Day. This French Independence day is similar to our 4th of July Independence Day celebrations, but this one was overwhelmingly celebrated with overcrowded streets on a very large scale. Needless to say, I was unable to get on the boat due to mega human gridlock traffic spilling onto every inch of the sidewalk and the streets. While that particular day was clearly ruined, the next day yielded a lesson in human rights that I will never forget. The following day I was invited to visit The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It was at UNESCO that I learned a new lesson regarding the critical role education plays in a democracy. In Paris, France I learned that education was the new civil right. The professor explained that the right to an education was basically a civil rights movement on a global level. The movement acknowledged the vast importance that a quality education plays in the life of every human being. To support the new civil rights movement, the world leaders of 164 nations unanimously agreed at the start of the new millennium to make education a priority. They agreed that the right to an education must be placed at the top of each country’s agenda so that 6 goals can be achieved by 2015. This major decision to embrace education as a priority surfaced because government leaders finally acknowledged the fact that every human being was entitled to receive an education at the expense of their government. This extensive right to an education is not a new idea. It was clearly documented in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948 when the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human. http:// www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/. 62

By Dr. Deloris Brown

The United Nations sanctioned this fundamentally important document (Article 26) on human civil rights which recognizes the intrinsic human value of education that is built upon strong moral and legal foundations. In other words, education can be seen as an essential resource which can unlock and protect other human rights. It is what helps individuals secure good health, freedom, security, and economic well being. It also helps individuals participate in social and political activities. According to UNESCO’s EFA’s Global Monitoring Report, Where the right to education is guaranteed, people’s access to, and enjoyment of, other rights is enhanced. Therefore providing the right to an education is an obligation of government that each nation must write into law and give their citizens a right to have legal recourse if the law is violated. This agreement between 164 nations was made at the World Education Forum in April 2000. At the forum, held in Dakar, Senegal, this international community of nations charged UNESCO to coordinate the EDUCATION FOR ALL (EFA) movement. UNESCO’s job was to not only to coordinate, but also maintain the collective momentum of all those involved in education.

At the forum, participating nations in attendance agreed with the six goals of EFA. UNESCO accepted the responsibility to make sure that financial and human resources are mobilized to help governments meet their EFA commitments which were to: • •

Governor David Paterson holds press conference at Harlem’s Alaine Locke to announce back-to-school stipend for low-income families in New York State

ensure education is a major priority at the top of each nation’s agenda work to facilitate the development of partnerships as well as monitor the progress of the following six EFA goals:

According to UNESCO: UNESCO activities approach education as necessary to democratic societies, as a lifelong process, and as a process requiring high quality as well as innovative approaches. The organization fosters dialogue between its 190 member countries on how to improve access, delivery, standards, innovations, and quality assurance at all levels from basic literacy to higher and continuing education. Among the most important UNESCO education programs is Education for All, a global initiative to promote literacy and basic education without gender bias and to ensure progress through national plans and monitoring mechanisms. (www.unesco.org/education, retrieved July 1, 2009)

UNESCO’s Education For All (EFA) initiative is significant because it changes our perspective on education when we see it through a Civil Rights lens as a fundamental path to other rights. It can change an individuals’ motivational level because it conjures images of something of intrinsic personal value being taken or withheld from a specific group. Therefore some individuals may become more motivated to seek out and ascertain an entitlement that they perceive to have been withheld from.

The notion of consideration education as the New Civil Right speaks volumes to the very essence of the idea of disenfranchisement explored during the rise of the Civil Rights Movements. The Civil Rights Movement was clearly a time in our nation’s history when individuals suddenly became fully aware that something was being withheld from them. This group wanted the same rights that everyone else enjoyed. Therefore they sought to push for change in 164 countries from around the world met at Dakar in April 2000 at the public opinion regarding equal access for everyone regardless of the World Education Forum. Each made a commitment to race, creed or color. It was the notion of equal that the Civil Rights achieving 6 goals by 2015 that would improve learning Movement kicked off into high gear and did not stop until the opportunities for children, youth and adults in their countries. individual civil rights of the group in question, was voted into law. The 6 EFA goals are to: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 gave African Americans the same level of 1. Expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and rights that other citizens enjoyed. It is important to note that this life changing piece of legislation was accomplished during a time disadvantaged children. when lobbying to change public opinion was not as easy to 2. Ensure that by 2015, all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to communicate as it is in today’s high tech society.

6 Goals of Education for All

ethnic minorities, have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality. 3. Ensure that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programmes. 4. Achieve a 50 percent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults. 5. Eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls' full and equal access to, and achievement in, a basic education of good quality. 6. Improve all aspects of the quality of education and ensure excellence for all, so that recognised and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy, and essential life skills. To help track EFA’s progress an annual global monitoring report is published that tracks the achievement of countries and international communities towards education for all.

Consequently, with the level of technology that exist, it is my hope that the publicizing of this new movement which hails education as the New Civil Right will challenge American citizens to join together to ensure that each citizen’s right to a quality education is accessible and achievable. Perhaps, with the help of technology concerned citizens will motivate others to join together in unison with individuals from diverse backgrounds to seek quality education for all citizens. Overall, if American citizens joined together echoing the same concerns about education, then we may witness an overwhelming response from our government that has the ability to put an end to the substandard education that exists in what has been dubbed; the dropout factories. For additional information regarding how you may learn more about how Education is the New Civil Rights Movement and Education for all or to get involved, please go to www.unesco.org/ education

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Photographed by Rudy Collins

â&#x201E;˘

Harlem’s Art Beat Edited By t. Michael

17-year-old Kai Heath curates her first gallery presentation. The wall shown here, inside the Heath Gallery displays the spirited work of emerging artists that she selected. Echahly’s “Self Portrait” (left) should be seen in person, it is energetic talent in its rawest form. The image in the center is not truly captured on these flat pages either, artist Yaasmiin Mc’s “I Lift My Head to the Hills Knowing That is Where My Help Come From” is a surprising composition.

Tony Nigel (October 1965 - October 2009) In His Memory One of the most fascinating pieces on the tour by Tony Nigel - a profound talent who recently made his transition from this life late October at the age of 43. He was shown at Canvas Paper and Stone Fine Art Gallery.

No matter what zip code you live in – ArtCrawl Harlem™ is a treat. Every moment of our tour felt as if somehow we were taking advantage of the founders. It is first-class, enlightening, entertaining – it’s plain sexy. And it’s more than reasonably priced. Imagine a Saturday afternoon of culture, architectural history and an array of fine art from the Black masters and notable emerging artists in some of the finest homes in Harlem. Okay, then picture traveling from site to site on a tour-guided trolley, waving at all the passersby who are happy to see you. Finally top it all off with a closing reception. 65 HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

Left, the extraordinary quilting of Bisa Butler exhibited at the Dwyer Cultural Center Gallery and center, Co-founder ArtCrawl Harlem™, Averlyn Archer with artist Larry Poncho Brown. Far right, tour guest Gabrielle inquires at the Heath Gallery.

Averlyn Archer, founder and director of Canvas Paper and Stone Gallery and cocollaborator Jacqueline Orange of Taste Harlem Food and Cultural Tours are really on to something here. ArtCrawl Harlem™ blends their passions and expertise into an extraordinary experience. Archer, a corporate attorney and seasoned art collector and Orange, a banker and licensed tour guide, launched their first ArtCrawl in 2008. This year, the summer tour focused on Central Harlem and in the fall, for the first time, ArtCrawl toured galleries in East Harlem.

Our tour started on a high note and continued to crescendo. The Indigo Arms Guest House Gallery is a museum in itself, and as a starting point there was not enough time to take in the beauty. But, that was okay, because we had the opportunity to take one of the featured artists, Larry Poncho Brown, along on the tour. It was particularly interesting to find that he had been a self sustained artist for thirty years. Our time with him became more precious once we had the opportunity to experience his output as an artist. Somehow it explained his youthful appearance – like the beauty of his soul on canvas.

Harlemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art Beat

Left to right: Kai Heath standing with young emerging artist Adam Dirk in the Heath Gallery. Curator, Gallery One aka Donna Dove (in green - center) and speaking in the image on the right is curator/historian, Sherman Edmiston during his phenomenal talk at Essie Green Galleries. HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

™ The Heath Gallery, featuring Heath father and artist Thomas Heath, has become a family enterprise. Saundra Heath shared that once their daughters, Kai, 17, and Hollis, 21, discovered that having a gallery was cool to their friends, things really caught on, “they have been everything from greeters and hostesses to the sales and administrative team,” she explained. Both daughters are curators for the gallery. Hollis currently at City College has composed her own show and for the summer ArtCrawl, Kai took on the gallery for her first solo. The Heath Gallery is in a landmark townhouse in the historic Mount Morris Park district. Among the benefits of ArtCrawl Harlem, for art enthusiasts of all types, is an introduction to the immense diversity of the art world. The tour captures the early moments of the Black masters and the incalculable contemporary art that continually evolves. Michael Unthank, executive director of Harlem Arts Alliance, a key sponsor of ArtCrawl Harlem™, is particularly enthusiastic about the tour. “We are committed to nurturing the growth of art organizations, especially in Harlem. ArtCrawl Harlem is one among the many organizations we are pleased to support,” Mr. Unthank said during a phone interview. When it comes to the early moments and art history, Essie Green Galleries delivers. Sherman Edmiston, with great sophistication, taught an impromptu course in fine art for the tour group. He took us through the definitions of abstract expressionism to the ancient style of Encaustic, to collages and impressionism. He touched a bit on postmodernism, leaving those inquiring minds thirsting for more. Their inventory includes Romare Bearden, Edward M. Banister, Geraldine McCullough and Charles Alston. The Essie Green Gallery is probably the most prominent of the 7 to 8 galleries on the tour, but all were equally admirable in their own way.

Above left to right: Kia Heath, Saundra Heath of Heath Gallery; Betty and Ana-Ofelia Rodriguez of Rio II Gallery; Larry Poncho Brown, Averlyn Archer and Sherman Edmiston of Essie Green Galleries.

Sherman Edmiston greets ArtCrawl guest, Dr. Paula Collins

Just before press time, one of the artists featured on the tour, Tony Nigel, lost his battle with cancer – another emerging master artist gone too soon – just days before his 44th birthday. His work featured on this tour was mesmerizing; so fascinating, in fact, that it had a sort of spiritual connection to ancestral history. His Native American warrior featured at Canvas Paper and Stone the day of the crawl, is a multi-dimensional masterpiece. A mixed media on nylon, it encompasses paint and leather, and other types of material to communicate his art. Look out for details on the next ArtCrawl Harlem™ by checking The Harlem Arts Alliance website from time to time.

Harlemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art Beat

Photographer Rudy Collins captured the day, the rooftop reception on Riverside Drive, which overlooked the Hudson (above left), gave guests a chance to interact. Above right, licensed and brilliant tour guide George Lee Miles captivated and educated and below right, guests take in the fine art of Canvas Paper and Stone Gallery.

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SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS Photographed by Tarrice Love

This Fall, designer miguel Antoinne was inspired by a season bubbling over with romance, daring, and high-chic, in the characteristic elegance that sketches a portrait of the contemporary man with broad strokes. His 47-piece collection features vintage designs paired with trendy, avant-garde patchwork that is reminiscent of the gangster period of the 1920s30s. Tailored military inspired coats, pants with high waistlines and unique stand-up collars atop crisp button down shirts, speak to the sleek irreverence of the past but with a modern day edge. It's apparent that super trendy and overdone will not be the approach for Fall. It's back to quality, and updated classics with a new attitude. Written by Brauck Wesley-Busher

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The ready-to-go urban soldier earns his stripes in style. In the officer and gentlemen hint of uniform, he tows the line and defends his ideals. Makinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jacket is reminiscent of the iconic biker jacket. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an assertive and urban play on texture.

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With a purity of style, the picture perfect minimalist prefers clean lines and sober colors. Dressed to the nine somewhere between uptown and Fifth Avenue.

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NO LIMITS There are no requirements when it comes to the runwaysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most wearable trends. Looking back at masculine classics, Fallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best looks cross generational lines.

miguel Antoinne is a burgeoning American contemporary menswear designer known for his incredible attention to detail, humble demeanor and overwhelming talent. A native of Florida, he now calls Harlem his home. He earned a degree in fashion from the acclaimed Fashion Institute of Technology, where he mastered the skills needed to support the complexity of his design aesthetic. Shortly thereafter he became a buyer for a prominent premium department store. A passion for design and a desire to bring something "fresh, new and innovative" to the market inspired Miguel to launch his own menswear company. 2008 saw the debut of his namesake label miguel Antoinne. Just one year later he would find his line featured in some of the top U.S. publications and on the backs of celebrities everywhere. His designs are strikingly chic and sophisticated. His tailoring, along with his eye for trends, is impeccable. Fit, proportion, fine lines, exquisite fabrics and craftsmanship evocative of custom tailoring are brand hallmarks Finding inspiration in every facet of life, Miguel believes that dress is evolutionary, whereas style is everlasting. When asked, “Why menswear,” his response was, “Why not? The time for American Menswear is now. Fashion is man’s understated privilege through dress to express himself individually. I am obliged to deliver a point of view that lionizes men of style.”

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T o kyo

New Yo r k

w w w. mi guel a nto i n ne . co m 85

Her interview was interwoven with fascinating stories of things she learned. The tale of Walt Disney and Merry Melodies came to life as we walked to the Morgan Library in midtown Manhattan, where the history awaits us for Sheila’s latest subject of wonder, “Walt Disney was the first Mickey Mouse” she explains. “Way back in the day there would be double features and the cartoons that were played in between motion picture features, called shorts, were shown with a live orchestra playing. Well, Walt Disney,” she continues, “wanted to be the reason people were coming to the theater.” Captivating, as any great storyteller, Sheila illustrates the Disney history in brief, “He put all of his money, effort and talent and went into great debt. The first was Snow White. And of course when the public saw that each of these drawings could make them laugh and cry – we knew – as he knew.” She closed that lesson with mention of Disney’s big five, Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi and Fantasia. Inside the Morgan Library, her next subject magically unfolded. Sheila Evans ventures to question the dueling two souls of a woman who abandoned her colorful roots to join the seductive life of white privilege. In an artistic writing, Evans, an author, actress, educator and narrator, interlocks the life of Belle da Costa Greene with the Harlem Renaissance. Perhaps as a creative attempt to connect da Costa Greene back to Black History. Belle da Costa Greene, the daughter of the first African American man to graduate from Harvard, achieved success as a top advisor to J.P. Morgan and lived her life as a white woman in an even higher status than most white women, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Da Costa Greene, shrewd, charming and intelligent was responsible for creating the Morgan Library in midtown Manhattan. Evans takes us on a journey of the complexity of how race could matter and not matter, in the century between the Civil War and the civil rights movement of the 1960’s. The imagination of Evans was sparked by a book entitled, “An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene’s Journey from Prejudice to Privilege” by Heidi Ardizzone. Standing just outside the red velvet rope in the doorway of what had been Ms. Greene’s office inside the Morgan Library the facts give way to imagination. Evans in her own wonderment battled between the ideas of giving up parts of one’s self – how it might and might not be painful; where both sides of the color line have amazing history. Evans’s imagination takes us to the possibility of a “passing” Belle da Costa Green and her longing to be part of The Harlem Renaissance. The story is far more complex than a simple story of passing. Evans uses the stage to expand the boundaries of possibility. On one hand there is this phenomenon in Black history of those who have passed for white. And then there are those who could have passed but did not. She looks at the tale semipragmatically rather than one of self-loathing and takes us into Greene’s choice to pass for reasons of ambition and convenience. But, at the same time pities her for having to experience the great movement of The Harlem Renaissance from the outsider’s perspective, when her talent should have contributed. As a lifetime member of the prestigious Actor’s Studio, Sheila’s ideas came to life in a reading of her new play, “Loving the Harlem Renaissance,” with its members. Legendary Broadway actor and Oscar winner, Estelle Parsons took part and had positive feedback. The reading reflects many aspects of Sheila’s own life and interests, and rightly so as she explains, “If I take my camera, I am going to tell the story through my own lens.” It’s easy to see how the story intersects. Sheila, too, ambiguous in appearance, could easily pass, but her obvious passion for black history and literature is too much a part of her to deny. And somehow she questions that conflict within Greene.

Loving the Harlem Renaissance Edited by Sherri Valadez

“I was me....not Negro me...just me...living as an equal to the brightest and the best......I joined the ranks of the privileged...who doesn't want to? I looked everyone straight in the eye...I lived and loved and made the best of my life and made a mess of my life...because it was my life...not my negro life...my life. And No...I did not dare spend time in Harlem when it was in vogue....with all the excitement and new found talent...why would I? I knew it was not going to last....why should I risk everything....for a passing fancy? ...but make no Mistake....I too loved the Harlem Renaissance.

(This statement takes her breath away.....and her breathing becomes uncontrollable...like a child who has cried too long....” - An excerpt from Loving the Harlem Renaissance by Sheila Evans

There’s no wonder that Sheila Evans teaches animation at the School of Visual Arts. She lives in a world of wonderment like one of her favorite subjects the WONDERFUL world of Walt Disney. Her life as a perpetual student is evident in her teaching and in her career extensions. Sheila can take a set of facts and use them to imagine how something might be. Whether she is teaching at City College, guiding a group of tourist, writing a play or bringing her written words to life on the stage, she is thought provoking. She intends to make people wonder as she wonders. 86

Sheila Evans is an author, narrator, actress and an educator with a M.Ed. with honors from The City College of New York. She has recorded several educational books, is a lifetime member of the famed Actors Studio and teaches 'Acting for Animators' at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. She has appeared on stage, film, television soap operas and commercials. She has performed her one woman show “A Lady in Love – The Essence of Lady Day in Cabaret,” and continues her journey in learning.

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Philanthropy comes in all forms and sizes, the simplest acts of kindness can yield tremendous results.

Edited by Marquel Wesley-Parker

Harlem overflows with extraordinary people who create a community of hope in the face of adverse circumstances. Within these next few pages, Harlem Torch highlights everyday people in the community who selflessly give of themselves to others in need. Philanthropy comes in all forms and sizes, the simplest acts of kindness can yield tremendous results. The list of individuals and organizations is not short on names or acts and we plan to include “Those Who Do” in upcoming issues. Among those selected are people and groups who have made giving a lifestyle. In 1988, Bill Cosby made Black philanthropy highly visible and raised the bar with his $20 million contribution to Spellman College in Atlanta. A few years later, Oprah Winfrey made headlines for her large individual contribution of $50.7 million and then Alphonse Fletcher, Jr., former Wall Street money manager, announced his $50 million donation toward initiatives to improve race relations. Although under the radar, the tradition of Black philanthropy dates back to slavery. Dr. Emmett Carson, a leading scholar of Black philanthropy, shared during a conference address that mutual aid societies were so powerful during the early 1800’s they had been outlawed in certain southern states. He said people died because of those giving circles. Early fundraising and giving within the Black communities helped finance the Underground Railroad and the civil rights movement. Erica Hunt, President of 21st Century Foundation, further clarifies, “We share a legacy of giving. 90

Our kind of giving is the giving that has allowed us to survive. Had we not had a mechanism for giving and sharing, we would not have survived as a people – it was mutual aid. Everything from the Underground Railroad to the first Black schools to the nation of the glee clubs, fraternities and sororities, were all built around this idea that we could band together to lift.” The most powerful fundraising/giving stream in African American history has been the church, but over time there has been a steady growth of institutionalized philanthropy. In their research, the TwentyFirst Century Foundation published a timeline of Black philanthropy that begins in 1878 with the Black Missionary Society and more that include, but not listed here in its entirety: 1896 - National Association of Colored Women; 1908 - NAACP; 1904 – 1914 Black sororities and fraternities; 1938 - Jack & Jill; 1946 - The Links, Inc.; 1963 - 100 Black Men; and 1971 - TwentyFirst Century Foundation. We pause here to highlight Twenty-First Century Foundation.

An unassuming entrance on 112

Street leads to the trendy open workspace for a small team and behind-the-scenes maneuverings that is strategically transforming the science of focused humanitarianism. The Twenty-First Century Foundation’s (21CF) approach to philanthropy is fresh and personal– coming up on an almost precise model for sustained social investments with rippling effects. They have become even more focused after the shock of Katrina, which revealed severe gaps in emergency systems. By understanding and attacking social problems at the root, they are engaged in tactical grant-making that spans over time.

Community progress can often be as clearcut as a policy change. A portion of TwentyFirst Century Foundation’s contribution stream extends to funding and facilitating the process to change municipal and state laws that hinder growth. One such systemic difference 21CF effectively unraveled was Illinois’s “Felony Disenfranchisement” practices. The law in Illinois prevented exfelons from holding any licenses. They couldn’t get a license to cut hair, shine shoes, drive a bus or sell anything – it almost completely cut off the person’s livelihood. Lifting that one restriction was a large step in eliminating some of the obstacles affecting negative outcomes plaguing Black male issues. The law change led to options and opportunity, which then leads to a new hope for employment, entrepreneurship and ultimately effects fatherhood roles, recidivism, mental health and more. “That was easy,” says Erica Hunt, President 21CF, “because there were allies within Chicago and we all knew that policy change would be significant. So we took low hanging fruit, funding people to do those things that are needed in communities of color.” When it comes to measurable solutions, the results are there. The Foundation success stories continue and although the issues seem obvious there are disconnected strands everywhere. But everyday people are picking up the slack and 21CF find them and fund/ support the work. Like 30-year-old Shana Griffin who founded the New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic because after Katrina, the only public access hospital closed. Her clinic has a visiting Ob/GYN that comes in a few days a week to give exams and they supplement basic healthcare and preventive care with health education workshops.

Twenty-First Century Foundation was founded in 1971 by visionary economist Robert S. Browne (1924 – 2004), with an initial $1 million contribution, to be a “permanent, renewable resource” for the Black community. Brown believed that Black people are best able to solve their own problems, and should break dependency on white philanthropy. Throughout his career, Brown served in many positions, including, Executive director of the African Development Bank, Staff Director of the House Subcommittee on International Development institutions and Senior Research Fellow at Howard University.

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Director Mario Van Peebles joined Twenty-First Century Foundation in their initiative for Black Men and Boys by interviewing more than forty prominent men on what it took to succeed in their field for the film documentary, Bring Your “A” Game.

In 2004, the Twenty-First Century Foundation started intensive research on Black men and boys and the findings were astounding and far too extensive for our coverage. Barely scratching the surface here, the report reveals an alarming high school graduation rate among Black boys: the national graduation average for High School is 47%; and in the various urban centers the numbers decrease. In New York City, the graduation rate for Black boys is only 24%; Chicago, the rate is 30%; Oakland, 31% and Los Angeles, a bit higher at 45%. Other serious areas of concern include living wage job opportunities, criminal justice and racial disparities, fatherhood (absence and noncustodial issues: child support and limited ability to pay, enforcement methods), mental and general health. The research put numbers to the concerns and balanced out the findings with signs of hope. And since 2006, 21CF asserted to have granted more then $1 million to 79 organizations that positively impact the lives of Black men and boys with goals that: 1) encourage the pursuit of education, 2) increases high school graduation rates, 3) lowers incarceration and recidivism rates, 4) expands economic opportunities, and 5) brings non-custodial fathers back into their children’s lives. As fate would have it, a meeting with filmmaker Mario Van Peebles

[director New Jack City, Posse, Panther, etc.], led to a collaborative effort that could effectively mass communicate the wave of hope needed to change mindsets across the nation. Daphne Mack, 21CF Director of Marketing and Communication shared, “Mario said he took the study home and read it through completely that same night. He said after reading the report, he knew he had to do something.” Twenty-First Century Foundation partnered with Mario Van Peebles and producer Karen Williams to make two groundbreaking documentaries: Bring Your “A” Game and Fair Game. Both films are tools in the work of the Black Men and Boys Initiative aimed at shining a national spotlight on the issues affecting this segment of the population, according to the Foundation. Bring Your “A” Game is a powerful 22-minute documentary geared toward the nation’s youth that aired on BET in September. The film promotes the importance of high school and higher education, using pop culture cinematography and dozens of prominent Black male icons from diverse fields who describe what it took for them to succeed in life. Interviewees include, Chris Rock, Spike Lee, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Ice Cube, Dr. Cornel West, Lupe Fiasco, Kevin Liles, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and former NBA star Alan Houston among others.

THE FILM – BRING YOUR “A” GAME Mario Van Peebles opens the film a top a cartoon-like rooftop, all white with blue sketching. His words are spoken over music, “…the truth will set you free. But first, you’re going to be upset,” Van Peebles says. Another sketch shows a rooftop full of people, where a few drop off – representing the drop out rate for white boys – 25%. The next rooftop represents Asian boys – only 23% drop off the rooftop. And finally, the last rooftop, full of Black boys and they drop, drop and drop – 50% nationally dropout of high school (local note: about 75% of Black boys in New York drop out). Then the question, “What are you dropping out to do?” It’s a brilliant wake-up call for young people and timed to hold their attention so that the message is clear. The theme deals with foundational ideas, like, ‘with success comes a lot of sacrifice,’ work ethic and the harm in taking short cuts, putting in the time and doing the work and taking pride in what you do.

Those Who Do | A Legacy of Giving

Overall real men are sharing from their personal reservoirs the value in pursuing education, ways to overcome challenges and achieve in life. The film is a perfect wakeup call to begin reshaping the mindsets of young people across the nation. It doesn’t stop at a few airings on BET either. There is a DVD and workshop materials to carry the subject forward with practical steps to walk out, found at www.21cf.org.

THE 2025 CAMPAIGN FOR BLACK MEN AND BOYS Another remarkable effort incubating and building within 21CF is the 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys with financial support from the Ford Foundation. This particular campaign works from the premise that a Black boy born in 2007 will be 18 years old in the year 2025 and there is a need for a paradigm change for this population. So the “mission is to develop, implement, support, and sustain a movement for the educational, social, emotional, physical, political, and economic development and empowerment of African descendant men and boys in the United States.” All of the Foundation’s work begins with a study and the Fund for Black Men and Boys focuses on five identified areas: education, juvenile justice, workforce, fatherhood and mental health. Their exceptional leveraging strategies create a multiplier effect where one policy change or one grant makes a multitude of changes. Like the policy change mentioned earlier in Illinois, that one policy change affects all the five identified areas.

As one of the few public, Black endowed foundations, the Twenty-First Century Foundation’s effectiveness is in understanding all the details that affect Black communities. And where there are uncertainties, they intensify the research. Those who have benefited from the Foundation in the Gulf Coast in Mississippi and Louisiana bear witness. They found unlikely, but competent leaders, to do the work, which proved most powerful. Not only were they able to get money to the various organizations after Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf, faster than other groups, they also built relationships and leadership capacity. Patricia Jones of the Lower Ninth Ward Neighborhood Empowerment Association said during a previous interview for the Foundation, “We were not experts in the field, but they told us, ‘we will help you with the writing and with the technical support’.” Because of their efficiency there, the Foundation’s donor base changed to a mix of donors wanting to channel money through them because of results, and their mutual care for racial justice issues. One donor who experienced a site visit on the Gulf Coast with 21CF said that their level of honesty and “unflinching fearlessness” prompted her to join their efforts, “Watching them in the face of a huge problem and at the same time watching how courageous the people were,” she said. The best thing, as Erica points out, is helping people take care of their own destiny. Last year, 21CF was one of five recipients of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s National Leadership in Action Award, recognizing work by nonprofit organization and philanthropic institutions in communities of color. And they continue to build and strengthen with a nearly unmatched model.

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Those Who Do | A Legacy of Giving By Keira Wesley-Busher

PERSONAL LENS

Growing up Heir-O-Link, I never realized until much later the mystery behind the Meals on Wheels delivery rides, the senior Midwestern bingo fundraisers, luncheons, senior citizen breakfasts, Beautillion Scholarship Programs, talk of dues and assessments. And sometimes Saturdays were really full, because there were Jack and Jill activities for my sister and me, besides my mom’s helping hands and meetings. There was even a time an exchange student from Africa named Lydia stayed with us, ate with us and my mother cried when she left. Thinking back, most of the women I knew in Wichita, my mother’s circle were part of Kansas Links, this very elegant group of Betty Wesley distinguished ladies: (seated left ) and Peggy educators, lawyers, wives of Wesley (right) prominent husbands, judges. Now, thirty plus years later, I am proud to know so many women, like my mother and my aunts, committed to friendship and service through Links, Incorporated – the mystery “of doing good through work Photo: PictureMan and play.”

Wichita, Kansas Chapter of Links

Today, the Links Incorporated national website boasts 500,000 documented hours of community service annually from its members, listed as more than 12,000 in 274 chapters in the United States, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and international linking chapters in South Africa and Germany. Branching from its roots in Philadelphia in 1946 through the extraordinary foresight of its founding sisters, Links Margaret Hawkins and Sarah Scott, Linkdom has become a highly sophisticated international network; one of the largest women’s volunteer organizations. Thousands of the best and the brightest women of color, going about and doing good around the world, continually evolving to higher levels, raising and contributing millions of dollars over the years.

Brilliantly divided into four service facets, each Links, Inc. chapter creates customized programming within their local areas, which feeds into the regional body and then national. The facets include, Services to Youth, National Trends and Services, International Trends and Services and The Arts. Links chapters contributed financially toward the building of water wells throughout the African continent. They have supported programs in Ghana for the children of AIDS victims and other international programs, like Rwandan School-in-aBox and project Heart and Sole, of which shoes, books and educational supplies were contributed to Haiti, South Africa, the Bahamas, Jamaica and West Africa. Under the Links’ “Education Across the Miles” program, chapters have donated more than $300,000 towards the building of 31 schools in townships of South Africa and Nigeria, which operates in partnership with International Federation for Self-Help. To the uninitiated, The Links, Incorporated, with their own vernacular and rituals, may seem to be members of an elitist club, but it is more a badge of honor for those invited, which represents capacity in its members to make a significant difference. There is a need to have an element of a gated system in place – charitably-inclined and responsible - when the mission is to see novel approaches to systemic problems that often work against the growth of an entire culture, now with a global reach. There are plenty of outstanding women out there, but in the face of fierce competition among professionals, there needs to be a friend synergy with a level of esteem and diversity of gifts that fit into its cozy core constituency. New York City is divided into two Links Chapters, the Greater New York and MetroNew York Chapters, some of the best and brightest Black women in the city, all of whom have a willingness to go beyond their comfort and even their geographic zone to fulfill their service commitments. As one member explains, the “pocketbook Link” is objectionable. Meaning that you can’t just donate out of your money, but a Link must also serve – it’s a requirement. The grand elixir in their effective processes is identifying women who are thriving in their profession with the attributes of generosity and the willingness to impart out of their talent. More than a few Link members are medical doctors, which helps support the various health initiatives on the service agenda, including “Linkages to Life”

Photo Credit: Rudy Collins

The Greater New York Chapter of Links, Incorporated celebrated their 60th Anniversary this year. The image above captures the New York Chapter as they make their entrance for the annual Easter luncheon. (Picture left): To commemorate their 60th Anniversary, the Greater New York Chapter rings the NASDAQ closing bell. Photo courtesy © 2009, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. Reprinted with permission

for donor awareness, “Walk for Healthy Living,” Komen Race for the Cure, fight against breast cancer and HeartLinks. There are master educators committed to youth services and lawyers and judges who can strengthen the membership to affect policy change, among a multiplicity of other professional combinations. The Links, Incorporated recently sponsored more than three hundred junior and high school students to participate in the United Nations 12th annual Youth Conference. It was the first event in a partnership between The Links, Inc. and the Educational Outreach Department of the United Nations. Link Linda Zango-Haley, international cosmetics executive, complemented the effort as the Director of the International Trends and Services Facet with an applied approach and global savoir faire. The Links International Foreign Affairs and Business Empowerment Program for Youth (LIFE Program), is another innovative program that targets young minority youth and seeks to increase awareness in international affairs and global career opportunities – an example of the synergy in membership.

(Above), holding banner: Paola Nunez, Tarnika Robins, Jerry Doss, Bryan Williamson, Markist Booker, Link Nadine De Jonette, Link Linda Zango-Haley, Link Juel Shannon-Smith. (Bottom photo): Students sponsored by Links, Inc. in U.N. Assembly.

The Links, Incorporated and its non-profit arm, The Links Foundation, Incorporated have long had a commitment to improving the lives and livelihoods of people throughout the US, the Caribbean and the African continent. The Links continue to work to fulfill their objectives by developing a greater awareness of international issues and multicultural events through the personal involvement of its members and a focus on international trends. 95

Photo: Rudy Collins

There is a celebrity in every neighborhood throughout Harlem. If you keep your eyes open, you may spot one. We discovered our star behind the doors of what very well might be the most exquisite brownstone mansion in the historic Mount Morris Park district of Harlem. It so happens, that if you find your way to these guest houses, you may stumble across many famous faces. Eartha Robinson, the acclaimed actress/dancer/ choreographer, is proprietor of The Indigo Arms Guest House on 119th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem. Eartha has worked on Broadway, in major films and popular sitcoms. Almost certainly you have seen her on screen; whether it was Spike Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s X, Eddie with Whoopi Goldberg, The Fighting Temptations, or on televisionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A Different World. She has worked with Angela Bassett, Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rashad, Beyonce, Kirk Franklin, Angie Stone and the list goes on. But she returned home to Harlem to live and help her mother and siblings restore their family mansion.

It takes a certain amount of self-assurance to have taken on the weight of the historical property, but they did so brilliantly, bringing the landmark townhouse into the 21st century. The grand vaulted living area is breathtaking – soft natural light and open space reveals beautiful African mahogany wood with designs of a colorfully new perspective. Eartha’s star power is visible throughout, celebrity guests may have a suite, there might be a star-studded shindig on occasion, and there’s always the work of prominent artists on the walls: Synthia St. James, Charles Bibbs, and Larry Poncho Brown. The Indigo Arms Guest House suites are one of those best kept secrets, although reasonably priced, the who’s who seem to be catching on by word of mouth.

Indigo Arms Guesthouse

Heavy Burdens, acrylic by Larry Poncho Brown hangs in the Indigo Arms gallery

Each suite is perfectly decorated, some with multiple bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms of marble with granite vanities and laundry area for each guest suite. Every floor is magnificent. It has to be the most exquisite urban cultural getaway in northern Manhattan. No, really! Guests live in luxury and are just steps away from the world famous Apollo Theater, or Sylvia’s Restaurant, or if guests prefer French cuisine, that’s steps away, too. Eartha’s mom, Viola Kingston has owned the property for more than 22 years, and with sisters Monifia and Indria, they developed Indigo Arms.

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Kenneth Collins | Meet the Chef P hoto gr ap hy by Ru dy Colli ns

I hold great chefs in high regard. When I heard the buzz about the food at Harlem’s Gospel Uptown, I had to check it out for myself. And I must say, the food is quite impressive – uniquely composed. I’m typically not fond of ravioli, but the chef’s sweet potato ravioli was just the right blend. That was our appetizer. By the time my friends and I had finished dinner, I was excited to congratulate the chef. Everything from our appetizers to our entrees and even the fruit drink smoothies were all exceptional – somehow familiar but different. Our Editor’s favorite, the brown sugar cured sea bass, was one I hadn’t conceived before, but the flavor was brilliant. Executive Chef and Co-owner, Kenneth Collins, met us at our table. He took us on the grand tour, through the coveted kitchen, prep area, dressing rooms and executive offices. All of it was state-of-the-art. The 12,000-square-foot complex includes a sound stage, a main dining room and private party spaces. They even have their coffee beans shipped in from farms in Africa. It’s some of the best tasting coffee you’ll ever have. By this time I could hardly wait to sit down with Chef Collins. What a guy! Chef Kenneth Collins is a Texas man with a European philosophy on food quality. He has these very southern roots, but has been classically trained to appreciate foods for their nutritional benefit. His food has been described as healthful soul food, but Kenneth describes it as “multi ethnic nouvelle” quite appropriately.

His love for world cuisine has led him to compose flavors and styles from his favorite places, blending French, Thai, Indian, Italian and Spanish together with his southern roots. Like those sweet potato ravioli appetizers I mentioned earlier. They could even be dessert. His menu items are not just flavorful, but Kenneth considers the nutritional value in each constitution. There is a special section on his menu called “a natural organic journey” that includes a garden salad with cucumber, apples, celery, feta cheese, mango and dried currants; and a tuna and crisp sweet plantain with rare tuna tartar, avocado, and shaved fennel salad. 104

By Paul Chisholm

Food Editor Paul Chisholm (right) explores the magic behind Chef Kenneth Collins, Executive Chef and Co-owner Gospel Uptown.

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Discovering Sonia Sanchez

Pictured here: Ruby Dee and Sonia Sanchez during a reception at Riverside Church after two of Sanchezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plays from the 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s were showcased. (Right inset) Sonia Sanchez presented with a Proclamation from the City of New York by Councilwoman Inez Dickens.

Left to right: Riverside Board Chair Randreta Ward-Evans, Sonia Sanchez, play director SC2 (back), Jewel Kinch-Thomas, Executive Director Riverside Theater, Ruby Dee and Board member, Vincent Morgan.

A theater full of people sat fascinated by the captivating performances on this particular evening. One lady, however, stood up and walked out of the Riverside Theater. The language, she believed, was too strong for high art inside the church theater. She probably didn’t understand that the words were relative and relevant. Perhaps she hadn’t sat long enough to grasp the meaning behind the message on stage. Then too, maybe it was all too unsettling to think about the art that imitated life that we’d much rather hide in the closets. What if, she had never discovered Sonia Sanchez? Sonia Sanchez in a bold cleverness that spans over four decades unnerves her audience and readers with the sometimes absurd, bizarre and realistic ideas surrounding sexism, racism, relationships and popular circumstances. In a hypothesis of internal Black genocide as her characters burn out the ghettos makes for a shuddering prospect in The Bronx is Next (the opening play that night) with a parody of a Black mother’s convenient escapade with a married white man that becomes surreptitiously too real for further contemplation. But those were her ideas in the 1960’s, and although still thought provoking, today, Sanchez has evolved into a softer force for peace. The progressive posture of Riverside Theater seems to be the power of expression and truth, which includes the platform for suffering to speak alongside peace and liberty. Sonia Sanchez’s work has imbued advocacy for women, the disenfranchised and the poor. She has allowed us to look into the sundry places of Black culture and forced the mainstream to confront the absurdity of the oppression of a people. On this particular night, the church’s theater lowered the bridge to link its audience to different eras and ideas, despair, hope and history. It reminded some of where they’ve been and how far they’ve come. For others, it opened their eyes to something out of the ordinary – out of their ordinary. The night had been a momentous occasion for those in attendance to experience the ideas of Sonia Sanchez of the 1960’s – 70’s Black Art Movement

and to experience the evolved ideas she so intimately shared with her audience. Simply to hear her reflect on where she must have been during the time she wrote, “The Bronx is Next” and “Sister Son/Ji,” plays presented that evening, and her thoughts behind them made the evening a historical one. In collaboration with the BeBop Theater Collective under the direction of SC2 (SaMi Chester), The Riverside Theater presented some of the first works of Sonia Sanchez for an audience of wellknow New Yorkers, including Assemblyman Keith Wright, Councilwoman Inez Dickens, Mrs. Joyce Dinkins, the legendary Ruby Dee and more. After the two one-act plays, Councilwoman Inez Dickens presented Sonia Sanchez with a proclamation from the City of New York and the audience enjoyed a questions and answers dialogue with Dr. Sanchez and director SC2. The night marked one of many extraordinary presentations by The Riverside Theater. Sonia Sanchez is an African American poet/writer/ professor/activist with roots in the Black Arts Movement. She has taught as a professor at eight universities and has lectured at over 500 college campuses. Her advocacy for Black Studies courses in California placed her on the hot-seat at times, but the outcome was successful. Sanchez was the first to create and teach a course based on Black Women and literature in the United States, and was the first Presidential Fellow at Temple University. She is the author of more than a dozen books of poetry, including Shake Loose My Skin, Like the Singing Coming off the Drums, Does Your House Have Lions?, Wounded in the House of a Friend, Under a Soprano Sky, Homegirls & Handgrenades, We a BaddDDD People and Homecoming. As described by the producers of the plays, The Bronx is Next and Sister Son/Ji presented, “Both plays continue Sanchez’s unflinching examination of paradoxical notions of liberation in the Black Power Movement.” Thanks to The Riverside Theater, a broader view of ideas is presented for the public. They have opened their doors to allow audiences a chance to revisit the historical voices and the philosophies of today. The theater, a secular project of Riverside Church, was founded on the premise that “the arts can be a transforming power in peoples’ lives.” Since its founding in 1960, the Theater has become well known for exposing audiences to arts from many cultures and to supporting emerging artists of all disciplines. The theater presents as many as 120 performances of dance, music and drama annually. Executive Director, Jewel Kinch-Thomas explains that works like Sonia Sanchez’s is reflective of the kind of message they’d like to bring to the community and have people take part. “Her work [Sanchez] is focused on social justice and she is very much about illuminating the wrongs and the ills of society,” Jewel Kinch shares.

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833 Howard Avenue, 3rd Fl New Orleans, Louisiana 70113 (504) 566-0900

Written by A. David Hill

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THOSE WHO DO By A. David Hill and Keira Wesley-Busher

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For the first time in our American history, we have leadership in key positions who intimately understand the infirmities of Black America. One, who stands out, hails from Harlem, raised by a single mother, is a wounded decorated war hero, and is most capable to reconcile the races, the classes and the nations by means of vision and expertise, is New York Congressman Charles B. Rangel. Harlem has the good fortune and the access to one of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most powerful political figures. But most importantly, Harlem has a man in leadership Who understands the plight of single mothers. He understands the debilitation of poverty and the necessity of economic development. And he has weathered the vicissitudes of politics to fearlessly take on Washington as the champion for the underserved. He fought for this country in the Korean War, was awarded a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with Valor, he participated in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, has represented Harlem in Congress for nearly 40 years and now sits as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. He is Harlemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s man for such a time as this.

The honorable Rangel’s beginnings as a representative from the Village of Harlem in 1971 came after the very influential and colorful Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. On the shoulders of Powell and in the next progressive steps after the era of civil rights, Rangel spoke for the people of his district and for all impacted by the issues of those times. Harlem was then in a state of demise and suffered from the inner city conditions that prevailed across America. Rangel spoke to the world population about “us” without limiting his ideology to that singular perspective. As we dwell in our comfort zones, it’s easy to overlook the modern conveniences we all enjoy and often take for granted. Even in tough economic times, like now, we’re pretty spoiled. In as much, people can sometimes forget how far they’ve come despite the omnipresent evidence to the contrary. However, there are people like Congressman Rangel who write legislation to ensure those modern day comforts everyone enjoys. Borrowing an idea from a blog with a liberal slant, perspectives.com that looks into the everyday life of the average Joe, we use our viewpoint to drive home the point of how government affects our everyday lives. We’ll call our average Joe Citizen Joaquin, Let’s postulate the following scenarios: Citizen Joaquin fills his coffee pot with water in the morning. The water is clean because someone in Washington, D.C. cared enough to fight for minimum water quality standards. Using that same water, he washes down his morning medication. These medications are safe because “someone” fought to ensure drug safety standards. These medications are paid for in good part by medical plans enforced by legislation guaranteeing Citizen Joaquin’s participation. When Citizen Joaquin prepares breakfast, the bacon he consumes is safe to eat because of legislative requisites regulating the meat company that produced it. The canned and packaged food items in his pantry as well as the shampoos used to wash Citizen Joaquin’s hair have mandated labeling itemizing the ingredients because somewhere, someone cares! When he leaves home to go to work, the air Citizen Joaquin breathes is cleaner due to legislative oversight diminishing the pollution resultant as a byproduct of industrial capitalistic efforts. Congressman Rangel is part of these types of legislative processes and he also has a hand in other areas of Citizen Joaquin’s life whether Joaquin resides in the middle of Harlem, New York or in the middle of Salina, Kansas. We just have to realize the benefit of someone like this who can navigate his way through the powers and at the same time has compassion for everything that affects Harlem. Consider the funding for subways, buses, railroads and the sidewalks we walk on.

Consider the importance of the services we are beginning to enjoy. Harlem can’t be overlooked because Harlem is in the house. Lately, Mr. Rangel has been catapulted into the public eye as elements within the House of Representatives seek to investigate alleged ethics violations. It is alleged that Congressman Rangel, the Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, is guilty of committing infractions that would effectively call for him to step down from his powerful position. The importance of such can easily be gleaned by examining the nature and extent of the committee’s duties and his role as chairman. The United State House Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. This committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue raising measures, including: Social Security, Unemployment benefits, Medicare, the enforcement of child support laws, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a federal welfare program, foster care and adoption programs. Of significance is the fact that since this committee was established during the first Congress in 1789. Only three men (James Polk, Millard Fillmore and William McKinley) of the sixty-three who have held the chairman’s position eventually became President of the United States. The Chairman of Ways and Means has always been deemed to be one of the most powerful members of Congress. And, due to its wide jurisdiction, in a policy sense, the Ways and Means Committee is one of the most important. Additional to the major issues outlined above that have gone through this committee include former President George W. Bush’s tax cuts, and all trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Because of the wide array of interests that are affected by “Ways and Means” a seat thereon has the benefit of facilitating the solicitation of legitimate campaign contributions. This is a reminder that the picture painted by mainstream media feeds false images and the slant is typically not in the favor of Black population. This can be seen even today when CNN’s recent two-part dissemination entitled, “Black in America” hit the airwaves. The statistics readily reveal that Caucasian counterparts are suffering from the same social ills and in greater numbers. Let’s leave that discussion for another time. The importance here is that Congressman Rangel has been instrumental in pushing issues that confront us all, without specific regard for race, color or creed.

T H O S E WH O D O All one has to do is travel to Harlem these days to see the impact of Rangel styled positive legislation on this community. Incredible changes have turned a once depressed, dangerous and decaying location into highly valued property. The changes include significant gentrification that is not always popular amongst many long time residents. In an attempt to ensure a balance, Congressman Rangel has stepped up his legislative propositions to include more affordable housing legislation and tax credit incentives. Housing in the area was becoming less and less affordable for many of those who had endured for the decades. However, the new Harlem is evolving into a safe haven for people of all types. All of the major retail chains have invested heavily in the community and seek the patronage of area residents. The extensive restoration of existing buildings and new construction is evident everywhere north of Central Park. This is the perfect time to lift him up and also make sure that he is accountable to his long time constituents. You can Credit Charles Rangel and his influence as the longest standing political figure in the area for many of these developments. He created the empowerment zone which was necessary for upper Manhattan. The ascension of Congressman Rangel to his position of power as the Chair of the House Ways and Means is as significant an accomplishment as the election of President Barack Obama to office. They are the first and only persons of color to occupy their respective positions. Is there any wonder why the right wing politicians are attacking both of these public servants as viciously as they have? Fortunately, Charlie Rangel’s decades of service and his international reputation for representing the rights of all people precede him. He is supported by the Congressional Democratic majority in their acceptance of his innocence until a complete investigation of all charges has been accomplished. As a long time resident and representative of the area, he understands the way the social system operates. Accordingly, he has been able to utilize his position of strength to effectively steer millions of federal dollars to Harlem for needed improvements. The proof is definitely in the pudding. Congressman Rangel is noted for his gift of negotiation prowess and his diplomacy is unparalleled. He is a big picture politician who is masterful at finding a solution that is favorable to all sides.

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DAVIE’S CORNER

The first time that I heard the term, “it is what it is” was via my son’s response to something that I said. Not knowing any better, I jumped to the conclusion that this was indignant and frankly, I was a little annoyed. But, knowing his character, thank goodness I gave him the benefit of the doubt and said nothing. The saying has become a popular colloquial response and more than just a flippant exhortation. Like icing on a cake, it is definitive, axiomatic and punctuates with finality when applied to any circumstance. By example, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it’s a duck: It is what it is! As such, it is germane and deserves further consideration.

IT IS WHAT IT IS By A. David Hill In the political arena, let’s take the case of 79 year-old Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA). During early spring of this year, Senator Specter, formerly a member of the Republican Party shocked us all by changing political affiliations. He did so because the reality dawned upon him that in 2010, as a Republican candidate, he had little chance of retaining his senate seat. Specter was one of only three Republican Senators who voted in favor of President Obama’s stimulus package last January; Senators Olympia Snow (R-Maine) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) being the other two. Sen. Specter’s bi-partisan approach to supporting that which he felt necessary to help the American people, assisted greatly with the passage of the stimulus package. Republicans subsequently and very openly viewed him as being a traitor. Specter’s poll numbers among the Republican primary electorate disintegrated. There is much talk about two serious Republican electorate candidates being sponsored by the RNC to defeat Specter in 2010, namely Tom Ridge and Pat Toomey.. Senator Specter observed the veritable forest for the trees and did what he had to in order to survive. Only the most naïve amongst us can blame him for making the switch. He merely rejoined the party that he started with more than four decades ago. Specter indicated that the Republican Party he jumped to during the Reagan “Big Tent” administration, “has gone too far to the right”. The Republicans have become irrevocably partisan. Evidently you really can’t teach old dogs new tricks. They are who they are! 118

The media has been replete with the desperate activities and lack of leadership that the Republicans have displayed. Self-destructing since Barack Obama’s election last November, it is easy to understand Specter’s abandoning of the sinking Republican ship. Or, did the good senator just look out for number one? Probably equal parts of both apply. For certain, his alliance with President Obama and the Democrats certifies his candidacy in 2010 as the leading Democratic senatorial candidate in Pennsylvania. As Specter stated on television’s “Meet the Press” and “Face the Nation” during May 2009, “I am not about to allow my twenty-nine years of tenure in the Senate to be threatened by a disgruntled Republican electorate”. It is what it is, so I’m going to do what I gotta do. A position can be taken that Specter’s move was selfish and all about him. But, think for a moment. Is it any more selfish than when we look out for number one? Survival of the fittest is the rule of the jungle. This factor alone justifies Arlen Specter’s option without regard for the any valid considerations. We the people procedurally make ingratiating and certifiably nefarious decisions. When we claim undeserved or fraudulent tax deductions, are we cheating our fellow citizens by not paying our fair share? When we pursue insurance claims offering fraudulent documentation or factual information in substantiation that increases claim value, is that allowable indulgence? As a former insurance “gumshoe,” I am reminded of the fact that in excess of 70% of all insurance claims are exaggerated or downright fraudulent! For the most part, these (actually criminal) deceptions are widely accepted in our society.

DAVIE’S CORNER During the 80’s, former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley ran for Governor in California. Pre-election polls had him ahead by an unbeatable margin. He lost the race because of what has since been called, the “Bradley Effect.” Was it acceptable for California voters to lie, polling one way and voting differently on Election Day? Was it right for people to vote their true conscience or should they be castigated for being hypocrites? It was what it was. Racial bias emerged interjecting itself into that bottom line. This is far more damning than Senator Specter’s right to choose. We are morally charged with the responsibility of looking out for each other. Shouldn’t we be allowed to look out for our own interests? Closer to home base a very questionable decision was made by one of our most idolized community leaders. Suffice it to say that I qualify myself as a fan of the prodigious Rev. Jesse Jackson. That being said, Reverend Jackson recently added a man to his Rainbow/ Push Coalition payroll who propounds a serious judgment issue to anyone of reasonable intellect. The involved appointee is Mel Reynolds, a former Democratic Congressman. According to the Long Island based newspaper, Newsday, the Congressman was one of 176 criminals who were “excused” by President Bill Clinton at last minute discretion upon leaving the White House. Clinton commuted Reynolds’ six and one-half year federal sentence for fifteen convictions of wire fraud, bank fraud and lying to a federal election commission. Also difficult to accept is the fact that Reynolds is alleged to have been serving a concurrent five-year sentence for sleeping with an underage campaign person. The newspaper highlighted Rev. Jackson’s selection with major discord. It noted that Reynolds was pardoned by President Clinton who (depending upon what “is” is) also had a well known subordinate issue. Rev. Jackson’s record is checkered because he too was involved in an encounter with a subordinate/youth counselor. The common denominator here appears to be subordinate domination. This alone makes Reynolds' appointment dubious at the very least. The stain left on our (moral) garment by Reynolds appointment is figuratively as clear as the stain left on that young lady’s dress that almost felled the Clinton presidency. It is what it is---a shame. If discomfort is your thing, enjoy a sit-down with Charles Kernaghan, Director of the National Labor Committee. During an interview by Gil Noble on the legendary television show, “Like it is,” Kernaghan analyzed America’s economic future. It is his profound opinion that America will lose millions of white collar jobs during the next few years. This is in addition to the millions of jobs and positions that have already been shipped to other parts of the world. According to Kernaghan, there is much similar misery ahead. Professor Allen Blinder, Professor of Economics at Princeton University believes that tens of millions of white collar jobs will be outsourced during years to come. So, as the Christmas song says, “you better watch out…” cause the employment Santa Claus is deceased! Secretary of State Clinton admitted that China, India and other countries are gaining major foot holds in South and Central Americas; lest she forget Africa? China is slated to have one million farm workers employed in Africa this year. Is this deployment for the purpose of helping Africa or for helping China? Saudi Arabia has purchased a farm in Ethiopia at a cost of 100 million dollars for purposes of growing barley and wheat. The common motive of these two countries appears to be the removal of the American farmer as the “middle man” of sorts. China is doing with food supply what America should be doing with foreign oil imports; looking out for number one.

The struggle to survive is heralded through multi-media sources. We don’t know what dependable employment is anymore. Consider that in Viet Nam and Bangladesh, many of their people are earning as little as twenty cents per hour. Capitalist exporters at the top of the economic rungs are definitely looking out for number one. Why pay a living wage to an American when they can get away with the financial holocaust that they have perpetrated? In America, greedy capitalists circumvent minimum wage laws, health care and trade union requisites, tax impositions and regulatory controls. Making a fortune is not good enough. Remember that last year, while the world was crumbling financially, the oil companies made billions of dollars at the expense of us all. Hey, screw us!!! Companies like footwear manufacturing giant Nike sending jobs overseas makes nothing but sense to their profit driven bottom line. Nike footwear is largely sold for many times more than the cost of production abroad. The savings in labor and overhead costs is phenomenal. The fact that American jobs are being exported has become irrelevant. Make as much money as possible no matter what. But, eventually, in the parlance of the infamous Chicago Reverend Jeremiah Wright, “the chickens will come home to roost!” The birds are already clucking and crowing folks. Kernaghan opines that it will take several years before America’s economy returns to the October 2008 level of strength (if then). In the interim, batten down the hatches because tough it is what it is and what it’s going to be. The only things that will blunt the headwinds of job loss and world wide labor abuses is the closing of corporate loopholes and forced compliance with government mandates. I guess that I am advocating regulation, intervention and protectionism directives, for me something new. Mr. Kernaghan was compelling when he discussed what is happening in China. There are 110 million manufacturing jobs in China and only a few million such jobs left in America. In India and Bangladesh, children as young as eight-years old work twelve and more hours per day for pennies per hour. Many of those children sleep on concrete or dirt floors under settings that certify a dreadful and early demise. Although those people endure significant hardships, for them the income, stolen from the American work force, provides a step up! What about US? Increased job loss in the U.S. is widening the circle of misery that surrounds the burdensome economics confronting us. Instead of U.S. workers dealing with wage and benefit concessions, the trend should be towards paying foreign workers more so that Americans can compete internationally in the job market.

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Look out for the Harlem Torch Magazine Street Team. Harlem style is as diverse as its cultural mix. Show us what you are wearing. Tell us what you are doing.

The Apollo Theaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Senior Director of Development , Michelle James, lovely in orange satin for her first gala at the legendary theater. Michelle was one of many who showed off great arms in an extraordinary evening of iconic grace from the red carpet to a walk down memory lane. And she made her own impact.

This fall was so mild, bare shoulders and legs had an extension to show off. Charisse Adams (left), wears a little cotton Lulu-Mari romper and her friend Kaurie Daniels (right) spends her day shopping on 125th Street in a little number she picked up in a Bermuda boutique.

Street Photos: Alonna Cole HARLEM TORCH MAGAZINE | www.harlemtorch.com

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Bold and belted, Victoria Bennett is eye-catching in sunshine yellow outside the Apollo Theater. Below, Indio on a mild Sunday afternoon sports labels from head to toe. Sunglasses: Carrera Porsche, Jeans: Uniqlo, Nike Dunks and Louis Vuitton keychain.

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Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that guy? Andre Farmer in complete vintage is a head turner. His nonconformist personal style has an intriguing appeal. He looks like he has much to tell us...and inquiring minds want to know. Mom always said belt OR suspenders - but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s calling the shots.

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EDUCATION

Mrs. Patricia Butts at annual Links Luncheon.

Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, Sr., Terrie Williams and Rachel Noerdlinger - Audobon Ballroom.

Mayor David Dinkins and Hon. C. Virginia Fields share a moment during luncheon at Pier 60.

Comedian Paul Mooney on the red carpet at the Apollo 75 Gala.

Rev. Al Sharpton, Apollo President/CEO Jonelle Procope and Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, Dr. Marcella. Maxwell, and NAACP friend pictured right.

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NAACP THE CENTENNIAL

Pictured: Top left, President Barack Obama gives keynote address at NAACP Centennial; top right National NAACP President/CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous; small inset, panel of legendary leaders: seatedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Benjamin Hooks, ? , Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, Dorothy Height. Middle Row, left to right: NAACP Vice Chair Brock, NYS NAACP President Hazel Dukes and Professor/ NAACP First Lady Lia Epperson -Jealous. Manhattan Youth NAACP Branch, ACT-SO; Photo bottom left Participant with Cornel West and above President Barack Obama with NAACP Chairman Julian Bond.