C E L E B R AT I N G B L AC K AC H I E V E M E N T T H RO U G H O U T F L O R I DA
VOLUME 25 ISSUE 3 MAY/JUNE 2022
BLACK MUSIC BOOKS THAT HONOR OUR HEROES
JENNIE JOSEPH
ESSENTIAL KEYS TO JUMP START ENTREPRENEURS
CRYPTO IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
COMPASSION IS HER BUSINESS
$7.99 onyxmagazine.com
CONTENTS 6
From the Publisher
7
Black History – Ray Charles
10 Travel – Luxury Travel 11 Money Matters – Understanding Cryptocurrency 12 Community – Women on the Move 2022 15 Family – Amp up summer 16 Gifts for Mother’s Day 17 Gifts for Father’s Day 18 Real Estate – Yard beautiful
31 COVER STORY
JENNIE JOSEPH
22 Workplace – Music at work can change your whole groove 24 Art & Culture – Rising Up Parramore 26 Holiday - Juneteenth – A Celebration in Red 27 ONYX Reads – Books that honor African American music 28 Social Justice – Black influence on classical music 30 Cover Story – Jennie Joseph: Compassion is her business 33 Florida Scope – Stories from around the state 34 Business – The right stuff to start a business 36 The Quad – HBCU presidents gather 37 SAGE – Getting back at it (since covid) 38 Medically Speaking: The Bald and the Beautiful 41 ONYX Profile – Demetrius Summerville 42 Entrepreneurship: Getting a piece of the (marijuana) action
Compassion Is Her Business
44 Entertainment – Jo Marie Payton Doing It Her Way
Cover story photos courtesy of Jennie Joseph
46 Wine & Food – Chicken, waffles and jazz
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H O L I D AY
JUNETEENTH A CELEBRATION IN RED
J
uneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, made a federal holiday in 2021. From its Galveston, Texas, origin in 1865, the observance of June 19 as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long overdue. For a long time, relatives told young ones that the red symbolized the blood of the millions of enslaved people who had suffered and died. But the red foods and drinks may have had a longer history that began on the continent these people were taken from, reports Atlas Obscura. Moreover, red foods and drinks were a major way of commemorating that legacy of enslavement and the holiday. But “the practice of eating red foods—red cake, barbecue, punch and fruit—may owe its existence to the enslaved Yoruba and Kongo brought to Texas in the 19th century,” from present-day Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, writes culinary historian and food writer Michael Twitty in his blog Afroculinaria. Twitty goes on to write, “enslavement narratives from Texas recall an African ancestor being lured using red flannel cloth, and many of the charms and power objects used to manipulate invisible forces required a red handkerchief.” Professor of history and foodways at Babson College Fred Opie writes that some historians believe the red color could be connected to “the Asante and Yoruba’s special occasions which included offering up the blood of animals (especially the red blood of white birds and white goats) to their ancestors and gods.” Red, in many West African cultures, is a symbol of strength, spirituality, and life and death. It’s possible this cultural legacy along with these groups’ distinct food knowledge of okra, beans, melons, and many other food groupings—some red, some not—was brought across the Atlantic. This Juneteenth, try this delicious Strawberry Soda recipe as you toast the ancestors for their strength and tenacity.
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Strawberry Soda Ingredients • 1 lb. strawberries rinsed, hulled, and diced • 1½ cups granulated sugar (can use less if desired) • 1½ cups water • 2-3 teaspoon lemon juice • Club Soda, chilled Instructions • Place the strawberries, water, and sugar in a large saucepan. Stir. • Bring to a simmer over medium heat. • When strawberries are soft, mash them with a potato masher. • Let strawberries continue to simmer gently until the juices begin to reduce, thicken and become syrupy. (reduce heat if needed) • Strain mixture through a mesh strainer, using a rubber spatula to press out the excess syrup. Discard the pulp. (You should have about 1 ¼ cups of syrup.) • Let syrup mixture cool and then place in the refrigerator until chilled. • To make a glass of soda, pour 8 oz of cold club soda into a cup. Stir in the chilled strawberry syrup by the tablespoon, tasting until you've reached your desired sweetness. Notes Place leftover syrup in a jar and store it in the fridge. This recipe makes about 1 1/4 cups of strawberry soda. Serving size depends on how many tablespoons of syrup you use per cup. (I usually like about 4-5 tablespoons per 8 oz club soda)
ONYX READS
IT’S A WHOLE GROOVE
BOOKS THAT HONOR AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC APPRECIATION MONTH HARLEM’S LITTLE BLACKBIRD: THE STORY OF FLORENCE MILLS By Renee Watson Born to parents who were both former slaves, Florence Mills knew at an early age that she loved to sing, and that her sweet, bird-like voice, resonated with those who heard her. Performing catapulted her all the way to the stages of 1920s Broadway where she inspired everyone from songwriters to playwrights. Yet with all her success, she knew firsthand how prejudice shaped her world and the world of those around her. As a result, Florence chose to support and promote works by her fellow black performers while heralding a call for their civil rights. Featuring a moving text and colorful illustrations, “Harlem's Little Blackbird” is a timeless story about justice, equality, and the importance of following one's heart and dreams.
FINDING YVONNE By Brandy Colbert Since she was 7 years old, Yvonne has had her trusted violin to keep her company, especially in those lonely days after her mother walked out on their family. But with graduation just around the corner, she is forced to face the hard truth that she just might not be good enough to attend a conservatory after high school. Full of doubt about her future, and increasingly frustrated by her strained relationship with her successful but emotionally closed-off father, Yvonne meets a street musician and fellow violinist who understands her struggle. He's mysterious, charming, and different from Warren, the familiar and reliable boy who has her heart. But when Yvonne becomes unexpectedly pregnant, she must make the most difficult decision yet about her future.
THE MUSIC OF BLACK AMERICANS: A HISTORY By Eileen Southern Beginning with the arrival of the first Africans in the English colonies, Eileen Southern weaves a fascinating narrative of intense musical activity. As singers, players, and composers, black American musicians are fully chronicled in this landmark book. Now in the third edition, the author has brought the entire text up to date and has added a wealth of new material covering the latest developments in gospel, blues, jazz, classical, crossover, Broadway, and rap as they relate to African American music.
I PUT A SPELL ON YOU: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF NINA SIMONE With Stephen Cleary Nina Simone created for herself a world of magnificent peaks. Simone is known as one of the greatest singers of her generation. She recorded forty-three albums, ranging from blues to jazz to folk. Her song “Young, Gifted, and Black” became the anthem for the Civil Rights Movement and thrust her beyond international stardom into the center of activism. But such worlds as Simone’s are not without their grim valleys: disastrous marriages, arrest and the threat of imprisonment, mental breakdown, poverty, and attempted suicide. She has survived these trials and continues to perform throughout Europe and the United States. With undiminished passion and in her unconquerable voice, this is Nina Simone’s powerful memoir of her tempestuous life.
BLACK NOISE By Tricia Rose From its beginnings in hip hop culture, the dense rhythms and aggressive lyrics of rap music have made it a provocative fixture on the American cultural landscape. In “Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America,” Tricia Rose sorts through rap's multiple voices by exploring its underlying urban cultural politics, particularly the influential New York City rap scene, and discusses rap as a unique musical form in which traditional African-based oral traditions fuse with cuttingedge music technologies. Next, she takes up rap's racial politics, its sharp criticisms of the police and the government, and the responses of those institutions. Finally, she explores the complex sexual politics of rap, including questions of misogyny, sexual domination, and female rappers' critiques of men.
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