EMERGENCY ACTION ALERT TO ALL AMERICANS: It's time to repeal the rep-ugh-blicans & tea baggers

Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All. 

 

October 1 is shaping up to be pivotal day in our history.   Letitia James is in  a run-off for the role of Public Advocate for New York City, and the Rep-ugh-blicans and tea baggers are threatening to shut down the government unless Obama Care - the Health Care Reform Law - is repealed.

 

And I've been posting the following message on my and otherFaceBook timelines.

 

While we can certainly continue to carry on fun conversations and pass on wonderful images, we cannot ignore the evil that lurks among us in this country. 

 

I've only seen this kind of evil depicted in the movies in old George Stevens black and whites. You know the ones where the bad guys were so uber evil there was no way of mistaking them. You had to totally dislike them. And the hero was so totally good, you were immediately on his side, and you backed him up; and when he won, you cheered his victory. 

 

I thought this only happens in the movies, brothers and sisters. Well, guess what. Such evil does exist in real life; it lives among us, and has been elected to offices in Congress. The ring leader is a bozo from Ohio. But he is by no means the only culprit. 

 

We are the hapless "victims" in this scenario, unless we act to do something about it. We can't afford to just sit on our hands; watch the news, read the papers, and shake our heads. This is a threat to our very lives. Our well being. And the teabaggers and the rep-ugh-blicans are at the bottom of all this. 

 

This is rep-ugh-blican garbage. It's time to take out the trash - we need to get a movement on to recall the members of Congress who are responsible for the government shut down, or even the threat of government shut down.

 

I am also calling on Marc Morial and  the Urban League to boycott Cincinatti, Ohio, which is where their next convention in 2014 is set, as long as Bone-head Boehner is in office. We cannot underwrite their crap. 

 

I think we should be passing on empowering people to get rid of the congressmen/women who have no love or respect for the people they purport to serve. Stop paying their salaries. Get them out of office. Like a dishonorable discharge - no further benefits until they are gone. 

 

We make too light of this racist move against President Obama. We need to see it for what it is. This is no time for jokes. No time for passing the buck. No time for wait and see. They must go. NOW. 

 

Please copy and pass this on. Down with the Rep-ugh-blicans. They are evil, and they must go. 

 

Stay Blessed.

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 Stay Blessed &

ECLECTICALLY BLACK

Gloria Dulan-Wilson

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Leticfia James - the Only Selection for New York City Public Advocate

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

In case you missed the televised debate between Letitia "Tish" James and Dan Squadron on News 1, Tuesday evening, Tish James won, hands down!

Now the reason I can say that with all assuredness was because Squadron was caught in so many lies - including his receipts of funds from developers; endorsements from Bloomberg; and the fact that Brooklyn Bridge Park was to have been a mixed economy development, has become a luxury high end exclusive development.  

One of the most negative things about Daniel Squadron is the similarity between him and former public advocate, Mark Green, perhaps the most ascerbic public advocate ever.  His disdain for the Black community was so rank that Rev. Al Sharpton, in 2001, warned voters, when Green was running for mayor, "I can't tell you who to vote for, but I can tell you, don't vote for him (Mark Green)."  It was this exhortation that cost Green, the apparent front runner, the mayoral election.  Well, I'm making the same exhortation in reference to Daniel Squadron:  "Don't vote for him." 

The Public Advocate serves as an ombudsman to the public in the issues that affect them in terms of law, city policies.  They can hold hearings, convene the City Council, take the mayor to task.  The Public Advocate is considered an insiders voice of the people.  Letitia James has served in that capacity, one way or another, during her tenure as City Council Representative, frequently going above and beyond that role.  She combines her background as a lawyer with that of a social worker, and one who comes from a community, too often victimized by hostile or insensitive city policies. 

The following is an article that appeared subsequent to the debate which took place on New York 1.  For those who do not have cable, or did not catch the debate, as I mentioned before;  
  
 LETITIA "TISH" JAMES WON THE DEBATE HANDS DOWN! 

VOTE FOR LETITIA JAMES AS THOUGH YOU WERE VOTING FOR PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.  IT'S THAT IMPORTANT! 

Bitter Tone in Debate Between Public Advocate Rivals 

By KATE TAYLOR

NY1

Letitia James, 54, a councilwoman, and Daniel L. Squadron, 33, a state senator, hurled personal accusations at each other.

• Debate Offers 2 Similar Public Advocate Rivals a Chance to Stand Out (September 24, 2013)

Nearly 40 minutes into a chilly debate between the two Democratic candidates for public advocate, one of them, Letitia James, had not so much as looked at her opponent, Daniel Squadron, directing her eyes straight ahead as the two traded accusations.It was a lightning-round question that finally broke her focus: Had either of the candidates tried marijuana? Ms. James said she had not, citing the dangers of drugs. When the professorial-looking Mr. Squadron answered that he had, Ms. James looked at him quizzically. “Really?” she said, and laughed. 

It was the closest the two candidates came to a human connection in a debate marked by bitter exchanges. The setup was informal: the two sat side by side at a table in a studio at NY1, across from the moderators, Errol Louis of NY1 and WNYC’s Brian Lehrer. But the mood was frosty.

Ms. James, 54, a Brooklyn city councilwoman, and Mr. Squadron, 33, a state senator who represents parts of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, will face off next Tuesday in a runoff for the Democratic nomination for public advocate. The runoff was required because none of the five candidates in the primary received 40 percent of the vote. As there is no Republican candidate, the winner of the runoff is expected to assume the office. 

Turnout is expected to be exceedingly low, which may have influenced the fiercely negative tone of the debate, as both candidates sought to win over the tiny number of undecided voters who plan to go to the polls and to motivate their supporters to do so.  

THESE ARE THE KINDS OF SELF-FULFILLING PROPHESIES THAT THE MEAN STREAM PRESS ARE FAMOUS FAR.  IT IS TRAGIC THAT THEY CAN'T FIND WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE READING PUBLIC TO INCREASE TURN OUT AND PARTICIPATION.  EVEN MORE TRAGIC IS THE FACT THAT WE CAN BE SO SUSCEPTIBLE TO THESE KINDS OF SUGGESTIONS THAT WE ACTUALLY FALL FOR IT, AND DON'T TURN OUT.  DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN THIS TIME AROUND.  WE NEED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU OUT THERE VOTING FOR LETITIA JAMES ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1.  THE CITY YOU SAVE, WILL BE YOUR OWN.

Ms. James painted Mr. Squadron as an ally of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, noting that he was endorsed by the mayor when he ran for State Senate in 2008 and that he did not endorse Mr. Bloomberg’s opponent, William C. Thompson Jr., in the 2009 election. Mr. Squadron, in turn, described Ms. James as untrustworthy, saying she had failed to disclose rental income from tenants in her Brooklyn brownstone, as required by law, and that she was the only candidate for citywide office who had not released her tax returns. 

AN INTERESTING ALLUSION LETITIA JAMES AS A LANDLADY, AS IF IT WAS A CRIME, OR AS IF SHE WAS MAKING MULTI-MILLIONS, COMPARED TO BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK AND OTHER UBER-EXPENSIVE DEVELOPMENTS WITH WHICH SQUADRON HAS BEEN INVOLVED, WHICH HAVE ALSO BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN DISPLACING THOUSANDS OF LOW AND MODERATE INCOME FAMILIES.

When Ms. James said that she would release her tax returns “to you and to anyone else,” Mr. Squadron pressed her on whether she would do so on Wednesday morning, noting that she had pledged to do so in an earlier debate but then had not. 

“Yes, Dan, I will release my tax returns,” Ms. James said, bristling, “just as I hope that you would release the fact that you have a trust fund.” 

Mr. Squadron, who had been referred to as “Trust Fund Dan” by another candidate in the primary campaign, chastised Ms. James for making what he called an inappropriate personal attack, and added that it was not true that he had a trust fund because his family had lost all its money to Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. 

Ms. James frequently described herself as “independent” and as someone who had “stood up to very powerful interests,” including Mr. Bloomberg. She noted that she had opposed Mr. Bloomberg when he sought to extend term limits, close schools and ban the sale of large sugary drinks. She also said she had stood up to “powerful developers” — an allusion to the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, which she opposed. 

THE BIGGEST BONE OF CONTENTION WAS IN REFERENCE TO BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN FOR MODERATE INCOME FAMILIES, BUT WITH SQUADRON'S  IT ENDED UP AS AN EXCLUSIVE, EXPENSIVE HIGH RISE DEVELOPMENT.

Mr. Squadron countered that Ms. James had opposed Mr. Bloomberg’s soda limits while accepting contributions from Coca-Cola, and he asserted that she had also taken contributions from developers while weighing their projects. Ms. James barely responded to these accusations, repeating like a mantra, “No one has questioned my integrity.”

 

“Any contribution that I receive,” she added, “is not going to change my policy one iota, not one bit.”

Mr. Squadron also tried to undermine Ms. James’s claim to be independent of the mayor, asserting early in the debate that she had voted with the mayor “159 times in the City Council — 98 percent of the time.” 

Essentially responsible for fielding complaints about the city’s services, the public advocate has a minuscule budget and little direct power (AS A RESULT OF THE EVISCERATION OF THE BUDGET UNDER THE BLOOMBERG REGIME). Still, the office has frequently proved a steppingstone to running for mayor. 

Some of Ms. James’s supporters have made race and gender issues in the campaign, saying that, because the mayor and the comptroller are both expected to be white men, voters should elect Ms. James, who is black, rather than Mr. Squadron, who is white. 

THE OTHER FACTOR, IN ADDITION TO HAVING A BLACK WOMAN IN THIS POSITION, IS THAT LETITIA JAMES RELATES TO THE ISSUES EFFECTING THE MAJORITY OF NEW YORKERS WHO HAVE FALLEN VICTIM TO THE LAST TWO MAYORAL REGIMES - A CONTINUITY OF DEPRIVATION, LACK OF RESPECT AND REPRESENTATION, FOR  20 YEARS -  8 UNDER GIULIANI, AND 12 UNDER BLOOMBERG. 

Ms. James, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to insert class into the debate, with her “trust fund” comment, and an assertion that she was endorsed by labor unions because “I do not represent the interests of the rich and well connected.” 

THE ISSUE OF CLASS HAS BEEN PROMINENT FOR QUITE SOME TIME, BECAUSE NEW YORKERS HAVE BEEN FORCED INTO A "HAVE NOT" POSTURE, WHILE THE CITY HAS BEEN PUT UP FOR SALE TO THE HIGHEST BIDDERS - MOST OF WHOM HAVE COME FROM OUTSIDE THE US.  THE WORKING CLASS MAKES UP THE LARGEST PORTION OF THE CITY, YET ARE RECEIVING THE LEAST AMOUNT OF SERVICES, AND DWINDLING.  THE SCHOOL CLOSURES, THE DE-LICENSING OF CHILD CARE CENTERS; THE ESCALATION OF TRANSIT FARES; OVER PRICED APARTMENTS, DEPLORABLE LIVING CONDITIONS - IT  MAKES CLASS FRONT AND CENTER.  TO VOTE FOR DAN SQUADRON WOULD BE TO VOTE FOR THE FURTHER DEMISE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS. 

THEREFORE; VOTE FOR LETITIA JAMES AS NEW YORK CITY'S NEXT PUBLIC ADVOCATE, OCTOBER 1, 2013.

Stay Blessed &

ECLECTICALLY BLACK

Gloria Dulan-Wilson

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Congressional Black Caucus 43 in Washington DC 2013 - Part 1

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

To state that 2013 is a pivotal year in Black history is an understatement.  We are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation; the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, the 100th Anniversary of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the 43rd year of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Converging on Washington DC this weekend are elected officials, community activists, businessmen and women, as well artists, activists, rank and file community members - all there for one main purpose:  setting the agenda for African Americans (and people of African Heritage) for the next year. 

New Yorkers in the Borough of Brooklyn, were fortunate to have free buses provided to bring down those interested in attending workshops, sponsored by Congressional members Yvette Clarke, Hakeem Jeffries, and Assemblymember Walter Moseley, so they could learn first hand about what the Caucus is about, and participate in the many events that centered around the programs. 

For those who think the Congressional Black Caucus is about partying, has never attended the Brain Trusts, workshops and forums their congressional members have diligently assembled to provide participants with cutting edge information.  Prodigious research goes into the selection of topic, speakers, experts, as well as reading material and collaterals that will be distributed to their audiences.  

This year is no different.  With over 80 workshops being presented, in an atmosphere where African Americans voting rights are under siege by the Supreme Court; our education, employment and health under siege by the rep-ugh-blicans; were economic downturn and foreclosure/housing crises still plague the Black community, the CBC attempts to address and resolve those issues; or at least to provide a means by which solutions can be established. 

This is also the beginning of registration and implementation for Health Care Reform, also called ObamaCare.  The increased opportunity for those who have been deprived of health insurance was very much on the agenda of the Caucus, as more than seventeen (17) workshops devoted to every aspect of health challenges as well as wellness options.  

Also uppermost on the mind of the Caucus is the future of Africa - our Mother Land - and developing alliances with African leaders as well as African communities throughout the Continent.  Congresswoman Karen Bass' blue ribbon panel comprised of participants from Africa and the US, was empaneled  to  focus on what  continues to drive the problems in the Congo, Sudan, and other areas; as well as what works, and what needs to be done to expand the opportunities and options for future growth and development.

Co-conveners of the Health and Wellness workshops were  Congessman Gregory Meeks, Donna F. Edwards, Barbara Lee, Marcia L. Fudge (DST), Eliah E. Cummings, James Clyburn, among others.  With the advent of ObamaCare, challenges like diabetes, kidney problems, arthritis, cancer, and lack of access to cutting edge medical interventions may soon be a thing of the past.  Preventative measures - myths and realities - were also part of the focus of the health forums.

Housing and home ownership were also uppermost on the mind of the Caucus, as so many African Americans suffered the loss of their homes through an economic downturn that would have been turned around had it not been for the rapacious behavior and antagonistic actions of a rep-ugh-blican congress that apparently has little, to no, respect for our lives, education or existence.  NACA - the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America - provided a forum for first time homebuyers, as well as those who are facing foreclosure - with more than 400 people crowding into a room that was designed to accommodate 300.  

Education and employment addressed the future of college graduates, the challenges families face in affording education, the need for more relevant educational programs for high school students, as well as the danger HBCU's face with the dual crisis of underfunding forcing our colleges into bankruptcy, as well as the trend toward newly appointed presidents (also known as "trojan horses") deliberately being hired to systematically dismantle them (Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, NY just emerged from such a challenge.  There are several other colleges facing the same problems, including Lincoln University, PA, and Morris Brown University, Atlanta, GA.  - necessitating the focus of the caucus as well as constituents, whether they attended those schools or not, to focus on the protection and preservation of  these historical legacies which provided higher education at a time when Black people were refused admission to mainstream educational centers.

Challenges to our voting rights and the resolution of a stalemated congress, with rep-ugh-blicans holding the rest of Congress hostage with their co-called sequestration and blockage of funding for essential programs, should give you a pretty good idea of what the CBC are up against as they negotiate and legislate in our best interest.

It goes to the reason why it's of the utmost importance that we not only vote, but take an active interest in what is going on, and provide support to our elected officials.  The theme of the caucus - "It All Begins With You," signifies that it is more important than ever that we, among the rank and file, become even more involved than ever with helping our elected officials in ensuring that our rights are restored, and that we help them in garnering the required support prevent them from depriving us of our rights.

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting some of the more relevant highlights from the CBC/ALC 2013.  The topics are much too important or comprehensive to just give you a cursory overview.  And as you know, I never right short, because what's going on is waaaay too important to encapsulate in an "elevator message."  We not only need to know, we need act, as well.

I'm going to close with this first part by saying this time next year each of us should endeavor to send at least 1 busload of constituents from wherever you live to participate in the Congressional Black Caucus.  Have them set up with requirements to participate in specific workshops, and bring back comprehensive information to the community so that you can work in concert with your elected officials in your own states and communities.  

So consider this Part I - an overview of sorts, with more to come.

Stay Blessed & 
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK 
Gloria Dulan-Wilson

DO NOT ELECT SPITZER COMPTROLLER OF NYC; It will be the death of the Black community

DO NOT VOTE FOR ELLIOT SPITZER AS COMPTROLLER OF NEW YORK CITY


By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:  New Yorkers are on the eve of a pivotal Election:  Tomorrow, September 10, several key seats are open:  Mayor, City Council, All 5 Boro Presidents; and the City Comptroller.  I have mentioned numerous times in my blog (www.gloriadulanwilson.blogspot.com) that Elliott Spitzer is behind the demise of the Black United Fund of New York (BUFNY); he is also behind the death of HALE HOUSE.  And is the reason why Dorothy Pitman Hughes had to leave and move down south to get away from his persecution.   Why would you put  him in charge of the city funds you need when his very existence is to destroy your access as Black People?  We can't be stuck on stupid; we can't just go for name recognition.  I noticed with great dismay that several shops along Fulton, particularly in the Caribbean communities had Spitzer's signs in their windows.  I hope that's not who you're really voting for.  Read the following and see if you still want to risk your well being at this man's hands.  Haven't you had enough under Bloomberg; or do you need to continue suffering?  Before Spitzer's persecution of the Black United Fund (which he did to impress his white backers that he would be a governor in the same style of the outgoing Pataki) BUFNY was raising $111,000,000/yr to help Black causes.  They had built and improved affordable homes in Harlem, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.  Spitzer destroyed all that through his lies.   Wake up New York.  A vote for Elliott Spitzer is suicide for the Black community.
Scott Stringer - waaaaay better choice.
Stay Blessed & ECLECTICALLY BLESSED - Gloria Dulan-Wilson
The following article is reprinted from TheBlackList Pub For All Points-Of-The-View. NYMetro

Spitzer destroyed the Black United Fund of NY. Why would African Americans vote for him?
    Posted by TheBlackList-Publisher on September 9, 2013 at 12:56pm in POLITICS
    View Discussions

"As I read the papers and listen to the news, I am totally confused at the polls that say Black New Yorkers are in favor of Eliot Spitzer over 2 to 1 in the primary election for Comptroller. My question is: Why?
                                            
Don't you know –or, at least, you should– that  Spitzer, former Attorney General and then the disgraced Governor, was responsible for the destruction of the only Black Self-help organization in New York Stare building an economic base to empower the Black community?  BUFNY was seized by Spitzer in May 2003, supposedly to investigate the organization for late grant payments and State filings, and involving itself in real estate, ie, affordable housing development programs sponsored by New York City and the State.  Imagine that!  

 That investigation did not result in one accusation or charge. The two top executive managers were fired by the Spitzer-appointed board in August 2003, after he replaced the entire volunteer BUFNY board. To this very day, Spitzer has never explained why or what he was looking for –and found– that warranted such abuse of power with such tragic and destructive results for an organization described even by Assistant Attorney General Juan Merchan, who conducted the so-called investigation, as “a successful and innovative charity …which had served the community for nearly 25 years.”    

 It must not be omitted that this destruction of BUFNY was aided by a willing hit team that is best described as Jackals for Spitzer:  William E. Davis, Jr., Briding Newell, Delores Kershaw, Bettye Easley and Lance Clarke. "Our goal here is to help BUFNY flourish. The interim board … will breathe new life into BUFNY, and help shepherd its finances and programs," Spitzer announced May 13, 2003.    

This was in stark contrast to his handling of the grant-making Grand Mariner Foundation where board members had for years lined their pockets at $50,000 each annually and then had to repay $1.5 Million in settlement. Only three directors were forced to resign, five were added and the organization is still operating. "Our goal is to help nonprofit organizations flourish and meet their charitable mission," Spitzer said February 20, 2004.  Sounds familiar?

 The assault on BUFNY was even more egregious when compared to Spitzer’s treatment of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and American Section (AS) where the violations of law were far more serious than those at the Grand Marnier Foundation, including the international transfer of $1.2 Million in pension funds; excessive compensation; no operating board or oversight; illegal lobbying; inaccurate, incomplete and late IRS 990 filings; loans to officers; and more.

The WJC and AS were allowed to re-organize and re-structure themselves and even to re-file years of amended 990s to be in compliance with the lenient settlement  agreement. No one was fired.  No board members were forced to resign. Neither of these Jewish organizations, WJC nor AS, suffered the indignities like those Spitzer showed BUFNY. They were encouraged and allowed to “flourish.” There was even a January 31, 2006 joint press release announcing the conclusion of the investigation by the Attorney General.

After “working tirelessly with the Attorney General’s office…” it was announced that “The World Jewish Congress was stronger than ever.” Was this a case of Jews helping Jews?  It sure looks, walks and quacks like a duck!

Is this a case of like father like son where the taint of discrimination against African Americans by the father, Bernard Spitzer, rubbed off on the son Eliot?  The elder Spitzer lost a $1.3 Million discrimination suit in 2008 to four African American workers at a 57th Street luxury apartment owned by Spitzer Enterprises. Eliot Spitzer is now being asked to “make right what his father messed up,” as reported by Buzzfeed, August 16, 2013.      

We, at BUFNY, were building an economic base involving land (ie, real estate) and economic development (businesses) in New York State and across the country, which is something that the African American Community must do, if we expect to have any true power and freedom anywhere.  Economic power always takes precedence over political power.    

Every other nationality in this country has built or is building except the Black community.  That fact is most evident in Harlem where the Black community has been decimated and gentrified. The Black politicians are powerless to stop it or, worse, so co-opted that they must betray their own people and community.     

African Americans must have independent sources of income, eg, workplace payroll deductions, business revenues, intra-community commerce, etc.; and we must have people that won't give up no matter what they are offered to jump ship and move to the “Big House.”  

Please remember, don't be an Alfred Sharpton or a former “jail-house” Congressman Clarence Norman or a weak-kneed David Paterson and become an even silent supporter of a man without principles and integrity; a hater of Black people; and a man without morality such as Elliot Spitzer who quickly ran to the very community he has exploited for help to get him back in the political game.  That 2 to 1 margin of support for Spitzer says you fell for it again. 

Ladies and gentlemen we must become smarter than we are and learn from history.

For further Information go to www.kermiteady.com and read about the Black United Fund of New York."

Kermit Eady
President, Eady & Associates
917-642-1878
E-Mail: kermiteady@gmail.com
Web: www.kermiteady.com

Contributions to this article were by Larry Barton, former BUFNY vice president and general manager, September 2013. Contact: lbperf@juno.com.   

I REPEAT:  DO NOT VOTE FOR ELLIOT SPITZER AS COMPTROLLER OF NEW YORK CITY
Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson

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Tony Williams and Bill Cosby Team up to Raise Scholarship Funds for Future Musicians

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson > Wow! It's already nearly half past September, and I've go so much to write, I hardly know where to begin. I'm having a hard time keeping up with myself, let alone all the activities that are going on around here. But I can't let this month pass without completing my report on Tony Williams' Labor Day Jazz Scholarship Fundraiser, held August 30 through September 2, at the Embassy Suites-Airport, in Philadelphia, PA. > I have a deep appreciation of, and love for Jazz; but I am by no means an expert or officianado when it comes to all the greats who have made Jazz what it is today. Many of us know of Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Bird Parker, and so many others who have made it the culturally iconic music it is today. Well artists on those levels and more graced the stage in the ballroom of the Embassy Suites, and engaged an audience with their talent, all for a good cause - to raise money for youth who wanted to pursue a professional career in music. > The concept was the genius of Mr. Tony Williams, jazz saxophonist extraordinaire. He started it 23 years ago after it became obvious that the school systems were not fostering the genius of the African American students. > I had met Tony Williams at LaRose Jazz Club in Germantown, where he performs on Monday evenings to a packed house of loyal followers. The club has been in existence for quite some time,and caters to a sophisticated mature crowd. Many of these same patrons were at the Embassy Suites. However, the popularity of this event goes well beyond Philadelphia, with attendees from Delaware, Maryland, DC, and New Jersey. The package deal included hotel rooms, meals, and nearly non-stop music from breakfast in the morning through dinner and late night shows. > The guests and musicians all come together over the Labor Day holiday weekend not only to play great music, but for the good cause of making sure that our youth will have the financial wherewithal to go forward with their careers as they progress through higher education. > Among the artists performing at the event was the great bass guitarist Gerald Veasley. His mastery of the bass is extraordinary. He did things with that instruments that defied comprehension. His jazz saxophonist, Chris Farr, was as smooth as silk. The entire group had the audience held the audience captivated for more than an hour as they channeled Mingus and other jazz greats. Tony TNT Jones, former keyboard artist who played with Nina Simone for ten years, also performed with Frank Bey. When I say the week end was filled with Jazz greats, I mean it. > But greatest thing about this event was that none other that Dr. William H."Bill" Cosby himself, not only performed, but kept us in stitches for the better part of an hour, as he regaled us with his finest stand up comedy routines. We laughed ourselves silly as he chided the audience about trying to chime in on his jokes: "I work alone up here. I don't need you to chime in and tell me my lines." > Now 76 years old (yes, he admitted to being 76), Coz is funnier than ever without a script or a teleprompter! And he was truly on a roll that evening. He has been on the education circuit appearing at schools and colleges throughout the US, with an entourage called "The Reunion Band" - consisting musicians on acoustic bass, trumpet, sax, keyboards, and drums. And while he carried out his comedy routine, he would prompt the band membes to come in at particular intervals to punctuate his routine. Of course they never came in on cue, which in and of itself was hilarious enough. But Cosby's efforts to get them to do so was even more side splitting. > However, when one of the scholarship recipients was called to the stage to demonstrate why he was awarded a scholarship, Cos asked him if he knew Honeysuckle Rose, an old jazz standard that came out probably during his grandfather's era. When he said he didn't know it, Cos went on a tangent that was sheer genius - all off the top of his head, pulling the youth into the joke as well. At the culmination of the chiding, he got on the drums and played along with the Reunion Band, much to the amazement and delight of the entire audience. So who knew Bill Cosby knew how to play drums? And he's not only good, he's great at it!! >Suffice it to say that Bill Cosby is one of my heroes. And I'm clearly not alone in that sentiment. The ballroom was packed, nearly standing room only, with fans who came just for that evening's performance - a chance to see the master at work. And he did not disappoint. Throughout his routine he would interject words of wisdom about the necessity to get a good education; fostering good education; and other value laden messages - much to the delight of the audience. It really was more like an amen corner, since the audience was in full accord with him on the importance of supporting higher education in a hands on manner. The mastery of Bill Cosby is that he couches his messages in his comedic style, making it unforgettable and applicable at the same time. As I said, the brother is a genius! > This was my first year attending Tony Williams Jazz fund raiser, but I can guarantee you it won't be my last. Those of you who were not there, but still want to contribute to the scholarship fund may do so by logging on to: www.tonywilliamsjazzfestival.org. and sending in a pledge. The more we contribute, the more we ensure the future of Jazz, our original cultural music here in the US. > And check out LaRose Jazz Club, 5531 Germantown Ave, in Philadelphia on Sunday and Monday evenings - doors open at 6:00pm. > Also, if you are aware of a young man or woman who is already studying for a music career, please feel free to recommend them for a scholarship, as well. Stay Blessed & ECLECTICALLY BLACK Gloria Dulan-Wilson
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