Inez Dickens Hosts Summer Soiree

L-R: Charles Rangel, NYS Sen. Robert Jackson, Inez D. Dickens, NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rev. Carl Washington, District Leader Maria Luna, and Manhattan Borough Pres. Mark Levine

Most of the August 23 Democratic primary victors attended Assembly Member Inez Dickens’ Summer Soiree at her Harlem home on Thursday, August 25, where NY Governor Kathy Hochul and NYC Mayor Eric Adams were among the guests. The great food, sincere fellowship, and notable company made for a glorious summer afternoon. —TPC Staff

L-R: Restaurateur Melba Wilson and NYS Attorney General Leticia James NY Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Charles Rangel, Inez D. Dickens, and Assembly Member Eddie Gibbs

The party is live!

L-R: NYS Governor Kathy Hochul and Inez D. Dickens President/CEO Greater Harlem Chamber Loyd Williams MC'd the event

L-R: NYC Assembly Member Inez D. Dickens and NYC Mayor Eric Adams

Culture

music, art + literature

survival!By James Frazier Newark News & Story Collaborative Health ideas for wellness Black Theater Companies Pivot, Present | In-person Theatre is Back

Valerie Simpson surprises fans with Provenance Music Group

Praise and worship timeF rustrated with the lack of diversity in American theater, Ricardo Mohamed Khan and L. Kenneth Richardson conceptualized the Crossroads Theatre Company. Since its founding in 1978, Crossroads has produced over 100 works, many of them premiere productions by African and African American artists, including The Colored Museum and Spunk by George C. Wolfe, Jitney by August Wilson, Sheila’s Day by South African writer Duma, Ndlovu and many more. Crossroads received the 1999 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in the United States in recognition of its 22year history of artistic accomplishment and excellence.

“My father’s heritage is East Indian; my mother is African-American and so they were bringing together L-R: Grammy Nominated Singer/Songwriter Valerie Simpson and LPCCD Executive Director Anthony Smith two cultures,” said Kahn. “That’s ethically as well as geographically. Growing up, there was never a sense that we were solely identified by being Black kids in Camden, New Jersey. Yes, we were Black in Camden, Winner of BET's Sunday's Best gospel competition, Le'Andria Johnson but our roots are global. What I’ve always wanted to tell people through Crossroads is that it’s about our roots. As Black people in this country we should not forget or even allow people to think this is all of who we are.” He continued, “There’s much more! The sense of a connecting, having a theater like Crossroads that connects to many different communities in this country and around the world is in order for us to redefine who we are on a larger level.”

Across the Hudson River, one of the pioneering institutions integrating artists of color and women into the mainstream American theater, Woodie King Jr.’s New Federal Theater (NFT), faces major changes. Founded in 1970, NFT began as an outgrowth of a theatre L-R: Newark Councilwoman-At-Large Rev. Louise Scott-Rountree and program called Mobilization for Youth. The theatre’s Unity Fellowship Church Pastor Rev. Kevin E. Taylor first season opened in the basement of St. Augustine’s

Money Church on Henry Street. Many performers benefited from early successes on NFT’s stage—the late Chadbuiness, finance + work wick Boseman, Debbie Allen, Morgan Freeman, Phylicia Rashad, Denzel Washington, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Education Ricardo Kahn Crossroads Theatre Company Jackson, Issa Rae, and many more. Woodie King Jr. retired from leadership of the illustrious theater at the end of June. “During the first part of the pandemic, March 2020, the art + science of learning I had been thinking about retiring,” King revealed. “Then the pandemic increased in time. The offices closed down. Then people needed to have shots. I said, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t want to go back to work. I’m 83 years old. So, what should I do?’ I thought, I needed a young person to run it. And that person was Elizabeth Van Dyke, our artistic director. She’s experienced and understands how to communicate with this generation. And getting that younger person to run it and work with me over the last year and five months, solidified it for me.” As millions of people quarantined last year, theaters around the world temporarily closed their doors and we were forced to stay at home without live entertainment. For the first time, the theater found the need to compete with social media and streaming platforms. NFT embraced change, deciding to shift theater to the digital space with pre-recorded and live

Gospel in the Park

The 15th Anniversary of the Lincoln Park Music Festival featured a “Gospel In The Park”concert. The event, hosted by Rev. Kevin E. Taylor of Unity Fellowship Church and Newark Councilwoman-at-Large Rev. Louise Scott-Rountree, brought music, praise, and fellowship to downtown Newark on July 27.

Attendees were gobsmacked by a special surprise appearance by R&B legend Valerie Simpson, one half of the iconic duo, Ashford and Simpson. She joined the Provenance Music Group onstage, blessing those in attendance with her powerful vocals.

Joyful noise from Anthony Ponder & Ministry’s Desire (APMD), Le’Andria Johnson, and the Christ Love International Church Youth Choir enthralled the thankful crowd. —TPC Staff

Anthony Ponder (left) and Ministry's Desire