By Gloria Dulan-Wilson Hello All: October is full of heroes - I guess that's the nature of Libra - they believe in justice - they can't help themselves - they not only have the ability to see both sides of a situation, equitably, but they are heaven bent on making sure others are treated fairly. Such is the nature of brother/friend Rev. Al Sharpton - who celebrated his birthday on October 3rd. We're celebrating his milestone 65th Birthday Anniversary. I consider him one of the busiest brothers on the planet. He keeps a non-stop schedule in our behalves, leading the most dynamic national activist organization on the planet - appropriately named the National Action Network.
Happy Birthday, Reverend Al Sharpton
Today marks the 65th birthday of our Founder/President Reverend Al Sharpton.
We thank Reverend Sharpton for his sacrifice and commitment to social
justice and his vision in 1991 to create National Action Network, which
has become one of the nation’s most visible civil rights organization.
For almost 30 years, NAN has been at the vanguard in the fight for social justice. As President Barack Obama
noted, Reverend Sharpton has been the “voice for the voiceless.”
Throughout this month, there will be many opportunities to reflect on
Reverend Sharpton’s life and legacy as we continue forward in the fight
for equality.
Happy birthday, Rev!
Rev.
Sharpton has poured his life's work into building up NAN to last into
posterity. Please donate today to ensure that NAN continues fighting for
justice. Help us uphold the dream, legacy and spirit of Dr. Martin
Luther King.
Instead
of giving The Rev a gift, donate $1 - $1000 to help National Action
Network continue to fight for justice and equality with criminal
justice, police misconduct, voting rights, and so much more...
Click here to donate to the movement today and wish Rev. Al Sharpton a very Happy 65th Birthday!
Please note: National
Action Network, Inc. is a duly registered 501(C)-4, and thus your
donation is NOT tax-deductible for Federal Income Tax purposes
Rev.
Al is part of a pantheon of Librans whom I admire,
including the late Johnnie Cochran, who would have been 82 on October 2;
my sister/friend
Dorothy Pittman-Hughes, also October 2; Amiri Baraka, whose birthdate
is October 7, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, born October 8 - each of whom has
devoted their lives to justice, and a better quality of life for Black
people.
For me Sylvia's passing was like losing a member of my family. I've known and admired her and her family since my first eating at her then humble restaurant in 1968. Thanks to a friend, Sam Anderson, who took me there because I was homesick for home cooking, I became a regular diner of Sylvia's over the years.
That friendship and kinship was born of her eternal genteel nature, graciousness, elegance; her love of people, and her wonder food. Even when her restaurant was no more than a small facility with a few benches, plank floors, and a few high stools at the counter, you always felt loved when you walked into Sylvia's.
I was preparing to do a write up of the upcoming celebration of her 50th anniversary of Sylvia's Queen of Soul Food Restaurant. 50 years is a major mile stone, and a gargantuan feat for a teenie little lady who started from very humble beginnings in a beanfield in Hemingway, South Carolina. When I heard about the fact that she had made her transition, I felt as though someone had punched me in the stomach. I was in a state of suspended animation for nearly an hour, as memory after memory of Sylvia flashed across my mind. She had accomplished so much, and was so loved by so many, I wondered how many knew how great a woman Sylvia Pressley Woods really was.
Indeed, there had been many who found it incredulous that she still owned her famed restaurant; many who could not believe that this beautiful woman had the moxy to make such a long term success of her business without selling out. Those were the ones who did not understand the tenacity, dedication, discipline and vision that made, and continues to make, Sylvia's the most successful Black owned and run restaurant in the US (not just New York, folks – others are still trying to catch up).
You walk into the restaurant and you immediately feel welcome. I remember the days when Sylvia, and her late husband, Herbert, used to sit in the back of the restaurant at a designated family table, and observe as people came and went. She always took the time to personally greet visitors – out of state or out of the country; regardless of nationality, race or ethnicity, she was gracious to the core.
Thanks to food columnist, Gael Green's dubbing her Queen of Soul Food in the New York Times, the restaurant became internationally known; bringing tourists from Japan, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, France, Africa, South Carolina, Georgia, Atlanta, Texas, California – you name it, they came. The restaurant became a destination point for tourists. And she did not disappoint.
Tour buses lined up around the block on Malcolm X (Lenox) Ave. not just because of the food, but because of Sylvia's personal stamp of hospitality. But as much as she appreciated the patronage of the tourists, she loved the support of the local community who came again and again to enjoy food at Sylvia's. There were several romances and marriages spawned at Sylvia's because it was so easy to just "be" there.
I remember admiring how patient she was when people asked her to pose with them for photographs, autographs, and just an opportunity to tell her how much they enjoyed the food. I admired how Sylvia and her family – Herbert (her husband) Van, Bedelia, Kenneth, and Crizette, worked together to make the business a success. How she taught her children, grand children and great grand children the value of honoring the customer, how to work together, how to manage the food, service, and business and still have a life. I admired how they worked together, honored their mother, and each other, during the course of their working together. Regardless of the ups and downs, she, and the love of her life, Herbert, managed to maintain their family and their business.
I have sooooo many fond memories of Sylvia. As the former editor of their newsletter, “Sylvia: Nothing But the Good News” - which was started by her eldest son, and my friend, Van Woods, I had the privilege of being involved in many of the events – good and bad – that made the restaurant the great place it is.
If Sylvia was the heart and guiding light of the restaurant, Van was the business expansion guru for the family. But the wonderful thing about it was that his mother gave him full support for his ideas, as long as it did not encumber the original restaurant. The concept of “Nothing But the Good News” came out of Sylvia's concern for so many negative headlines in the news and on TV. Van took up his mother's interest in providing people with the overlooked empowering information that often go unreported in most major publications. It was a great opportunity to really highlight people in the community, many of whom came to the restaurant, and what they were doing to contribute to society.
Other fond moments include Johnnie Cochrane who came regularly to eat at Sylvia's. He always celebrated his birthday (October 2) by having a birthday breakfast there. When President Barack Obama won the presidential election in 2008, Sylvia had already commissioned an ice sculpture with his name, image and likeness on it, and had it prominently displayed in front of the restaurant for everyone to see.
For years Fox Five Television used to broadcast live from Sylvia's restaurant on the anniversary of her opening because it coincided with the launching of their news show. Jim Ryan and Lynn Brown, would coordinate with field reporters, and would broadcast live from the restaurant. Sylvia's would close off the street in front of the restaurant, and serve free breakfast to the community consisting of grits, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, coffee and juice. Live entertainers, such as Boyz to Men, Lonnie Youngblood, the Silver Belles (former Cotton Club Dancers), among others would perform. In the evening a gala was held under a tent that was erected between the main restaurant and the newly renovated property on the corner – Sylvia's Also. Sylvia and Herbert were always the most gracious hosts. They made sure they honored their staff, people in the community as well as family members who had worked so hard to keep the restaurant a success – Clarence, Moogie, Olga, Ma Mae, Sidara, and other mainstays who have been part of the Sylvia family for decades.
Sylvia's was the unofficial capital of Harlem. Political aspirants held campaign fundraisers there. Strategy meetings to improve Harlem were formulated there. Dignitaries from every stripe made a pilgrimage there - President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev.Jesse Jackson, Dexter King (son of Martin Luther King), James Brown, Diana Ross, among others - the photos that regale the walls of the restaurant are a small percentage of the people who frequent Sylvia's over the past fifty years.
When they were invited to put a Sylvia's Restaurant in Atlanta, GA by then mayor Bill Campbell, I had the privilege of covering the grand opening. Johnnie and Dale Cochrane, Mayor Campbell, former mayor Maynard Jackson were among the dignitaries who attended. But few knew that the grand opening almost didn't happen because the chef did not make biscuits to Sylvia's standards. Sylvia refused to allow the restaurant to open until he got it right. “Those biscuits represent the quality of our food. I will not have him put out something that is not like the quality we give in New York. If he can't get it right, we may have to get another chef.” Which, by the way, is exactly what they ended up doing. It was then that I totally understood why the restaurant in New York was so successful. Her standards for quality control were unimpeachable. People tended to look at that beautiful little chocolate brown lady and think she was a pushover. She was anything but.
In 1999 they decided to inaugurate a Sylvia's Family Cookbook because Sylvia and Herbert said they came from a family of cooks. Sylvia, who was an active member of her church in Hemingway, and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, often spoke of how popular venison was in South Carolina. They decided to have a family cook off to determine whose recipes would be included in the cookbook.
In driving down to their home town of Hemingway with Sylvia and Herbert in their signature car – a Rolls Royce with the vanity plates “HerbSyl” on the back, we had an ongoing conversation about their life, their love and marriage, and their children.
Sylvia and Herbert wore matching satin jackets with the “Sylvia's Queen of Soul Food” logo on the back. They were a striking design in purple, gold and black. The nearly 12-hour drive took us through many southern communities. At one point we stopped for gas in one southern town. While Herbert Woods was pumping gas, Sylvia and I had gone to the ladies' room and stopped to pick up snacks. As we were checking out at the cashier, a very enthusiastic white woman, upon seeing the Rolls Royce, and Sylvia's jacket came over to her and said: “That's your car out there?” Sylvia responded by saying “Yes”. To which she asked, “Are ya'll somebody famous?” Sylvia started laughing, but did not answer. So I responded, “She is the owner of Sylvia's restaurant in New York City.” The lady got so excited, and ran over to one of her friends, and exclaimed: “I knew it! I tole you they were somebody famous. I tole you!!” She turned back around to Sylvia and said, “Can I have your autograph?”
When we reached Hemingway, SC, it was like royalty returning home. Everybody turned out for Sylvia, not only to participate in the contest, but to great one of their most beloved citizens. I was introduced to Spots, a kind of fish that is so sweet and easy to cook, I found myself easily eating 10 of them at one sitting. We walked around the place where Sylvia was born, and her mother built their first home from scratch. We picked pecans and greeted neighbors. But the main thing we did was sample food for selection for the cookbook. I had never eaten so much venison in all my life. It seems as if there had to have been hundreds of ways to prepare it; as well as sweet potato pie! I had to write a descriptive about the dish, a brief bio on the cook and his or her relationship to Sylvia; and finally the recipe for the particular dish. The research and meticulous attention to detail that went into the book is reflective of how Sylvia did everything.
I will always remember attending Herbert and Sylvia's 50th wedding anniversary, where they renewed their vows at their beautiful, palatial home in Mt. Vernon, NY. It was the first time I had been to their beautiful home. You could feel the love in every room of that palatial home. The vow renewals were presided over by the Reverend Calvin Butts, and was one the most beautiful I've ever attended.
Even when I was residing in Jersey City, NJ, I made it my business to come to Sylvia's if I was in Manhattan, to check in on the family. And when 911 happened, I made a bee line to Sylvia's to make sure everybody was all right. I remember Sylvia saying that she was glad Herbert was not there to witness the collapse of the World Trade Center. She had already maintained that she didn't know what would happen if she died before Herbert. “We love each other so much, but I think Herbert would be lost if I left before he did.”
Indeed, their love was the stuff that fairy tales and dreams were made of. Sylvia and Herbert met when they were 10 and 12 years old, in a bean field. Herbert was an orphan and was picking beans for a living. Sylvia remembers thinking even then that he was going to be her husband. And throughout the years they were inseparable. When Sylvia's mother Julia took her to New York to so she could attend beauty school, Herbert was devastated. He enlisted in the Navy under the assumption that he would be stationed in New York and close to Sylvia. However, they sent him everywhere but New York. So it was two years before they were reunited.
In their golden years, Sylvia and Herbert used to spend quiet days at home relaxing and enjoying each other's company. He would prepare breakfast in bed for her, to give her a break from cooking. They'd read the newspapers, and basically keep each other company. They never lost the romance in their marriage – something I always admired about them. They were the rare couple who put each other first, no matter what.
I can envision Sylvia now, finally reunited with her beloved Herbert once again, enjoying those quiet moments together, as he serves his queen breakfast in bed. She's done a great and mighty work, built and empire for her family, provided hospitality for the world. I always cherish those days, but know that it is now for the new generation of the Woods family to continue the legacy as she rests in peace, knowing that it is now completed.
As we approach the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Sylvia's next week (July 31 through August 1) there will no doubt be thousands of Sylvia stories. There is so much to celebrate. And we all owe it to one tiny, elegant little woman – Sylvia Woods, who totally understood the meaning of family, and made it happen in the heart of Harlem.
Thank you Sylvia!!!
Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK &
Eternally Loved - from
GLORIA DULAN-WILSON
To Van, Bedelia, Kenny, Crizette and the kids: You know how much I loved your mom, and how much I wish I could be there for her homegoing services; but I'm in Oklahoma City visiting my mom and family. My love and condolences to each and every one of you; as well as my gratitude for your being my New York family. I treasure each and every time I've had the privilege of being with you all.
I recently wrote a piece that appeared in one of my personal emails about a quote from the great Frederick Douglass. It was sent to me by Jimi Holloway, the Empresario, who gives those great parties in New York City. And it was sooooo true. I sent it out online, and got some very positive responses; then I got some very ascerbic ones. This one, that I'm responding to from Kamm Howard, really was out of line as far as I'm concerned. So the following is my response to him:
You know my brother, I do believe in giving credit where credit is due. And I also believe that charity and love begin at home, amongst us -we who call ourselves Black people. But we have the irritating habit of being our own worst critics. We are amazing in that regard.
Your statement about President Barack Hussein Obama is not only offensive, it's totally erroneous! Where do you come off saying the Brother has no race ( I assume by that you mean "Black") consciousness? It shows that you have no understanding of what Black consciousness is in the truest sense of the word.
Not only is he an exemplar of the statement quoted from Frederick Douglass, but you by your own words of criticism, have proven Douglass' point. I couldn't have done it or argued it better myself. Thank you! As the late Johnnie Cochran said, let me refresh your recollection:
"Though the colored (Black) man is no longer subject to barter and sale, he is surrounded by an adverse settlement which fetters(ties up/hampers) all his movements. In his downward course he meets with no resistance, but his course upward is resented and resisted at every step of his progress. If he comes in ignorance, rags and wretchedness he conforms to the popular belief of his character, and in that character he is welcome; but if he shall come as a gentleman, a scholar and a statesman, he is hailed as a contradiction to the national faith concerning his race, and his coming is resented as impudence. In one case he may provoke contempt and derision, but in the other he is an affront to pride and provokes malice.” Frederick Douglass, September 25, 1883
You stated, and I quote, "Barac Obama in this context, he is no Frederick Douglass. He does not possess a race consciousness in no shape, form or fashion..." And you're absolutely right (by the way you misspelled his name).
Barack Obama is not Frederick Douglass. He is most definitely his own man. He has not tried or pretended to be Frederick August Washington Bailey (a/k/a Douglass), but his wit, wisdom, courage, vision do most definitely match his. And while Mr. Douglass was taking his life in his hands through the promulgation of freedom and later integration and equality for former slaves; don't you ever think that Barack Obama is taking any less of a risk as the first BLACK President of the United States, trying to bring about just for all in a system that was/is build on injustice, inequality and lies. And don't you think for one moment that he does not know that his life is on the line.
These are the people who have murdered and martyred four heroes in the 60's two white and two Black (and those are the one who at the time were considered leaders). In case you don't recall: El Hajj Malik el Shabazz better known as Brother Malcolm X; Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States; Robert Kennedy, candidate for the Presidency of the US.
It's interesting. We act like Obama is our own personal poverty program. We act as if he is the president of the Black portion of the United States - not the entire US. Sorry, my brother, that dog won't hunt: he has to handle the entire pie, not just one slice. And if it's a cherry pie, he gets to deal with the pits right along with the fruit and the crust - if you catch my drift.
It's like being the head of a poverty program in the Black community - it's really an interesting phenomena: the whites are afraid they are going to do too much, be too successful, and make things work too well. The Blacks thought things weren't moving fast enough. Yes, now they have received affordable housing, free down payments and closing costs, but now they need you to walk on the moon, cater to them all day and night, hold their hands and take their kids to school. Or, the big question was "how come they got this and we didn't?" If it was the (ethnicity), they'd have this. If I were (ethnicity) they wouldn't say, or do, or have that - whatever that is.
And, yes, I totally believe that we deserve all the reparations, compensation, genuflecting, and groveling we can make the caucasians come up with for having put us through 400+ years of hell. But that's them - not Obama. Don't get it twisted.
At some point we have to learn to sit back, relax, enjoy this little victory, while we strategize our next moves and goals. Perhaps if we take a few steps back, we can actually see that this brother has made a tremendous difference for Black people, despite Blue Dog Dems; Tea Baggers, Rep-ugh-blicans, and negroes who don't love themselves or him.
And speaking of comparisons - I doubt very seriously, if given the chance, you could have done half of what the brother did, with as much grace, wisdom, bravery, and pure machoism as he has. I doubt seriously whether or not most of his critics have the character to take the hits and still deal with the situation, running an entire country, married to one of the most beautiful sisters on the planet, raising two beautiful daughters, deal with mother-in-law issues, and look that handsome.
But, don't get me wrong. I understand your angst. I understand the umbrage we take at having to continue to put up with the crap that's spewed out via the meanstream media day in and day out. I can understand the need to see some speed in terms of the amelioration of the problems in the Black community. He has addressed that, and continues to address that daily. I am not going to post it here, because you can get the info on other Blogs - including the BlackList, BlackAmericasWeb, and other websites.
What I'd like to do is offer some suggestions that others are doing that will actually work for us, if we work them. Like the great Marcus Garvey and Elijah Muhammad, we have to DO FOR SELF (individually and collectively) Like the Japanese, develop systems of quality control that is taught across the board to adults and youth alike, so that we surpass these crappy standards that permeate the country.
Develop a community based neighborhood restoration program, if you happen to live in or near run down, dilapidated, blighted areas, where the homes have been neglected, but can be brought to life with some sweat equity. Draw straws, or lots,or whatever, and decide which worthy family deserves the home, help them to rebuild it and move in.
Now, I'm recommending this as opposed to HUD, which went over to the dark side under the Bush administration and has not found its way back to where the humans live. You can put your municipality on notice that you are willing to do the work, for the building; no more boarding up and leaving ghosts in your community. Do your own extreme home makeover.
Do some joint teach ins with your local church, so our youth begin to learn more their Black history and their role in the future of America.
Get some of your skilled craftsmen to teach these youth a marketable trade.
Make a log of gratitude. It appears we have forgotten how to give thanks - and I'm not talking about the holiday, either.
Start a Black United Fund in your areas, where people can pool their resources via a credit union type program, and in turn use the funds to take care of essential needs.
Start a real community garden, that rivals the overpriced vegetables in the supermarkets. And wean your kids away from fast foods (and if not your kids, the neighbor's kids, or the school kids). Obesity is on the rise thanks to the fact that we've either forgotten how, or are too lazy to cook nutritional food.
Start a vintage Black books club and get the adults and kids to read classic Black authors, Black Power, by Dr. Charles V. Hamilton & Stokely Carmichael; Black Like Me; any and all books by J.A. Rogers; The Philosophies and Opinions of Marcus Garvey; the MisEducation of the Negro - Carter G. Woodson; anything by W.E.B duBois.
If you start now, by the time the primary rolls around in 2012, you'll have a whole host of reasons to make sure that Obama is re-elected, and you and your compatriots will have added greatly to the expansion of Black empowerment in your community.
Stay Blessed & ECLECTICALLY BLACK Gloria Dulan-Wilson
This is the onerous letter I received From: Kamm Howard on October 4, 2011 3:36 PM
Use this great FREDERICK DOUGLASS QUOTE the next time someone says something ugly about President Barack OBAMA
"Great quote and yes Frederick Douglass should be read often. However, he should be read in the context of being an integrationist who possessed a high degree of race consciousness. (Perhaps the highest degree of race consciousness that one could possess as an integrationist.) He was brilliant and his untiring work on behalf of Afrikan people, in particular to getting Ol' Abe to admit Afrikans into the Union Army for the purpose of freeing themselves, is the utltimate example of woriking the system for true freedom. For this, he must also be held as a champion of militant action on behalf of Afrikans in America.
If we look at Barac Obama in this context, he is no Frederick Douglass. He does not possess a race consciousness in no shape, form or fashion. Our gains in this country has only occurred in times when race concsciousness was the highest among the masses and the leadership. Garveyism, the New Negro are examples. The last race-conscious movement was the Black consciousness movement of the 60's and 70's. It was that time that we developed the highest degree of independence and as a result, received the greatest exertion of violent repression since enslavement by the American governmetnt - COINTELPRO and shortly thereafter, drug/chemical warfare - (that has resulted in the massive degradation of Afrikan culture and mass incarceration)
The masses have been on a downward trajectory since then. And the majority of our leaders are saying abandon race-first consciousness - strive to be a good American., (assimilate). To do so is certain death, as we see. Our salvation lies not in the salvation of America. If any one is looking, that is up in the air right now. Our salvation lies in a mass-movement fed by an Afrikan-cnetered consciousness - a 21st Century race-consciousness. See Afrikan-centered Consciousness Vs. New World Order or Blueprint for Black Power, both by Dr. Amos Wilson.
President Obama has asserted this alternative view on numerous occasions. "There is no Black America; there's just the United States of America." Aside from being the ultimate in self-delusion, this quote promotes ethnic cleansing which is a form of genocide under international law. (Ethbnic cleasening also consist of any program geared to forced assimilation or in the case of the President, decalring that we must assimilate in order to get any benefit from this country)
We have to be clear in our comparisons. Other wise we will raise one to a height he doesn't deserve, while at the same time lower one from the rightfully earned position of Sheps (Revered Ancestor). Mr. Douglass is a mighty Afrikan Sheps. Mr. Obama, history will show otherwise, although I'm sure he will be decalred a great American. A Luta Continua - The Struggle Continues, Kamm Howard NCOBRA, "Power concedes nothing without a demand." Fredrick Douglass www.ncobra.org Blackisbackcoalition.org Black consciousness is back; radical Black thought is back. Focused Black action is back. Black is Back!"
Now you see why I made the comments I did in my preliminary statement/response to him.
Now the following is my response to Jimi Holloway's quote from Frederick Douglass:
Hey Jimi - Wow!!
Thanks so much for this quote. Frederick Douglass is a personal hero of mine, having attended Douglass Sr. High School in Oklahoma City, which was named for him, while he was still living. I do try to re-read his book "My Bondage and My Freedom" every so often. But I have entirely missed this wonderful truism.
I am going to personally circulate it to friends and foes alike. This is a wonderful wake up call and a means by which we can deal with the continuous crap that emanates from the meanstream media, and mentally deficient, self effacing negroes at the same time. Thanx GDW
Subject: FREDERICK DOUGLASS QUOTE CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO OBAMA
114 years ago, Frederick Douglass provided the explanation for why people are so hard on President Obama. The quote below is worth remembering next time we are invited to pile on.
********************************************************* Though the colored (Black) man is no longer subject to barter and sale, he is surrounded by an adverse settlement which fetters(ties up/hampers) all his movements. In his downward course he meets with no resistance, but his course upward is resented and resisted at every step of his progress. If he comes in ignorance, rags and wretchedness he conforms to the popular belief of his character, and in that character he is welcome; but if he shall come as a gentleman, a scholar and a statesman, he is hailed as a contradiction to the national faith concerning his race, and his coming is resented as impudence. In one case he may provoke contempt and derision, but in the other he is an affront to pride and provokes malice.” Frederick Douglass September 25, 1883
My subsequent message to my friends and readers: I just received this quote from my great friend the Empresario, Jimi Holloway. Check it out, memorize it, put it on your wall, license plate, where ever. Frederick Douglass was/is deep! And, if you want to see how truly deep we are and have been for quite some time, get a copy of any of Frederick Douglass' writing or speeches and prepare to be blown away. And I absolutely suggest you read his book "My Bondage and My Freedom." There is nothing like clarity and wisdom in the midst of confusion and lies to put you on the right path. And after you read it, don't stop there - share it with your friends, family, especially you kids - they are never too young or too old to learn. Also note, that white folks are reading our stuff - you see them on the subways, buses - they're reading Langston Hughes, Stokeley Carmichael, Frederick Douglass, and others. What are we reading? Some trash urban garbage that keeps our mindset in the lower levels of development. They are learning the lessons that were meant for us. Time to change that equation. Stay Blessed & ECLECTICALLY BLACK Gloria Dulan-Wilson
