President Obama's First Inauguration

POWER MAGAZINE www.powermagazine.org

ORDERED STEPS

B O

THE INAUGURAL EDITION

arack bama

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2009

THRU PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

“

.... for Barrack Obama to win the elections today. He has what it takes to lead America to greater heights. He is humanitarian, multicultural, eloquent, well grounded spiritually and downright intelligent!!!!

As a South African, I cannot vote for any American president but I will pray like crazy for Obama. The saying around here is, ʻwhen America sneezes, everyone in the globe catches a coldʼ. There is fever everywhere, Iʼm telling you and it is highly contagious! Take care, Kim. May God enfold you guys in His loving arms.

Ntombi

11/4/08

Ms Ntombi Mdunge Academic Development Division University of Johannesburg Soweto Campus

”

Barack at Kings Church

contents

January / February 2009 - The Inaugural Edition

soulfood 14 spiritual growth 20 house & home 36 ďŹ nance 48 meet the artist 52 cover 70

Grammy Award-Winner Al Jarreau to Warm Hearts in St. Louis on Valentine’s Day Weekend Al Jarreau is the only vocalist to win a Grammy Award in each of the jazz, pop, and R&B categories. Along with this incomparable peer recognition, his prolific talent, critical acclaim, and crossover fan base have sustained Jarreau’s decades-long career, which shows no sign of fatigue.

Perhaps best described in the lyrics of one of his most popular tunes, “Weʼre in this Love Together”, Jarreauʼs singing voice, “like berries on the vine, get(s) sweeter all the time.” Time magazine recently noted that he has “a range and agility that would be impressive at any age.”

He is further revered for his gift for scat and ability to perfectly imitate guitar, bass and percussive instrumentation. Jarreauʼs repertoire includes so many romantic tunes that he released a compilation album, Love Songs in early 2008.

Just in time for Valentineʼs Day, Al Jarreau will appear live in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri - St. Louis on February 13, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.

Boston Children’s Chorus, Academy Award winning Actor Louis Gossett Jr. and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream.

More than 45 years later, the singers of the Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) are carrying it forward for future generations.

On Monday, January 19, the BCC will join special guests Academy Awardwinning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. and the Young Peopleʼs Chorus of New York City for “Raising the Roof!” A nationally televised tapestry of

words and music honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “It is the responsibility of every generation to raise the quality of life for the next one,” said Gossett, who in 2006 launched

The Eracism Foundation, a non-profit organization which seeks to promote education and awareness of racism, ignorance and social apathy.

“This is progress,” he said of the BCC. “This is great progress and a model for the rest of our nation.”

In a nation with a contentious history and sometimes racially-charged climate, the children of the BCC seek to harness the power and joy of music as a catalyst to unite our nationʼs diverse communities and inspire social change. Coming from more than 50 communities in and around Boston, these talented singers transcend race and class in pursuit of something greater than them-

selves. They are honored and proud of their efforts to carry on Dr. Kingʼs legacy, particularly on the eve of the historic inauguration of President-elect

we still have many challenges to reach his dream, it is time to step back and celebrate what successes we have had in this journey,” BCC Artistic Direc-

June, when they travel to Jordan at the invitation of King Abdullah II and perform a selection of pieces that meld American and Arabic musical traditions.

“We want to extend Martin Luther King, Jr.ʼs message to our time,” said Mia Ferguson, one of the singers who will make the trip this summer. “We really need to bridge the divide between our cultures and music is a way to do that.”

Barack Obama.

“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a vision of a world without limits, a world where anyone no matter their race or gender could co-exist in unity. While

tor Anthony Trecek-King said. “It is in the young that we can clearly see and hear the future of our world.”

The BCC will continue their mission of change in

The show will air live at 7 p.m. EST and will be nationally televised, from Jordan Hall in Boston.

B. Smith (Entrepreneur), and the Honorable Congressman James E. Clyburn (Public Service). The second annual event will take place at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, January 17 and premiere on the network during Black History Month on Monday, February 9 at 9:00 p.m.*

BET Networks kicks off the inaugural festivities in Washington, D.C., with the second annual BET HONORS on Saturday, January 17 and concludes with BETʼs first-ever Inaugural Ball.

Hosted by world renowned actress Gabrielle Union, THE BET HONORS will celebrate legendary songstress Mary J. Blige (Entertainment), groundbreaking filmmaker Tyler Perry (Media), celebrated dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison (Education), businessman, philanthropist and basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Corporate Citizen), entrepreneur extraordinaire

“We are thrilled to kick off this historic inauguration weekend with the return of THE BET HONORS, a truly inspirational event that pays tribute to extraordinary individuals in our community,” said Debra L. Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks.

“And it couldnʼt have worked out more perfectly that THE BET HONORS and the Inauguration are happening within days of each other, as President-elect Barack Obama epitomizes all that we had in mind when we first put this show together. Iʼm certain that this yearʼs BET HONORS will be even more poignant and powerful than we could have ever imagined.”

“THE BET HONORS recognizes excellence in achievement and celebrates inspiration,” said Stephen Hill, President of Programming, BET Networks. “Last yearʼs inaugural show had a number of leave-your-seat performances dedicated to our honorees. This year, weʼre finding new ways to musically pay tribute so look forward

to fresh, unforgettable moments. The pride will show.”

During the historic weekend and following THE BET HONORS, BET Networks will host its first-ever Inaugural Ball and will air a one-hour special, YES WE WILL! BETʼS INAUGURAL CELEBRATION. Taking place at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, the Ball will be in support of our next generation of national and local leaders, with proceeds benefiting Americaʼs Promise Alliance, the nationʼs largest non-profit alliance dedicated to the wellbeing of children and youth founded by Colin and Alma Powell.

Additionally, the Ball will support two institutions that are committed to the education and advancement of todayʼs youth in Washington, D.C. - Dunbar High School and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

“As we celebrate this historic inauguration and begin a new chapter in our nationʼs history, itʼs important that we stay focused on our most precious resource -- our children and youth,” said Alma J. Powell, chair, Americaʼs Promise Alliance. “We are deeply honored to partner with BET to raise awareness of the challenges facing our young people -- and applaud those making a positive difference in their communities. We cannot afford to stand still as more than a million students drop out of high school every year.”

SOULFOOD

For the first four of us it may have started in the summer of 1991, where stood Greg Taylor, Eric Brook, Jamie Pinder, and I trying to hash through what seemed a ridiculous idea to everyone but us. For after all it was “….only a bike race.”, or was it?

TEAM MAJOR TAYLOR the first African-American racing team to enter the “little 500”.

coming 03.09

Who Is Major Taylor?

1878 -1932

“…the greatest athlete the world ever forgot.” Indianapolis, native Marshall W. “Major” Taylor, who in the 1890ʼs, as the grandson of slaves, became the highest paid athlete in the world, and the world cycling champion during an era where cycling was the most popular sport in the world. Though he was the first American to achieve such a feat, he was banned from racing in the majority of the United States on the basis of his skin color.

B

T S HE

COTTSBORO

They were called “boys” partly because of they were all teenagers, but mostly because the American South always referred to black males of any age as “boy.” It was then, and still now, a term of disrespect, always used to demean and insult.

Willie Roberson

Ozzie Powell

OYS

Charles Weems

who could find work might do so for fifteen cents a day worth of credit by a landlord or from a company store.

African Americans by the thousands abandoned their fields and traditional homes for northern cities, but fared little better there.

Roy Wright

In 1929, hard times came to the United States with the Great Depression. No group of Americans was hit harder than rural blacks. The price of cotton spiraled downward from eighteen to six cents a pound.

Two-thirds of over two million black farmers either made no money or went into debt. Those

“

The Scottsboro incident was just one of the more infamous Olen Montgomery cases of extreme prejudice and miscarriage of justice imposed against African Americans in the South.

”

Andy Wright

Clarence Norris

By 1931 the United States was well into its most serious economic depression and thousands of homeless and out-of-work men, or hobos as they came to be called, would secretly ride in railroad freight cars to go looking for work or just to stay on the move.

In the Scottsboro Case of March 25, 1931, a white hobo stepped on the hand of a black hobo and the incident escaladed into a fight. The blacks won, and threw the whites off the train. The whites, incensed at having been defeated by blacks, ran to local law enforcement and complained of an assault by black men. The sheriff telegraphed ahead to the next town of Paint Rock, Alabama to stop the train and arrest all blacks on it.

An angry mob of gun toting, rope-carrying whites greeted the train an hour later. They seized nine black youths; some of them not even involved in the incident, and snatched them from the train. The blacks ranged in age from twelve to nineteen.

As the sheriff continued to search the train, he discovered what seemed to be two young white men. But in fact, it turned out to be two white women. Ruby Bates, age seventeen, and Victoria Price, age twenty-one, were dressed in men’s clothing and also riding the rails that night. Suddenly the assault charge levied against the blacks for fighting with whites was elevated to rape charges against all nine black youths. Apparently, the white women had been encouraged by the sheriff to make the accusation. The women had previous arrest records on solicitation charges and were threatened with, and afraid of, incurring new charges. All nine youths

Eugene Williams

were arrested and taken on the back of a flatbed truck to the Jackson Count Seat in Scottsboro, Alabama. Word of the incident spread, a lynch mob immediately gathered, and the young men were saved from certain death by the protective presence of 120 Alabama National Guardsmen.

On April 6, 1931 the first of many trials of the Scottsboro Case was begun. In less than two weeks, and with a presumption of guilt, the blacks had been tried and sentenced to death for rape. The trial was so patently unfair that two organizations came to the aid of the

young black men. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and a communist group, the International Labor Defense (ILD), treated the case as a cause celebre.

Both groups had radically different ideas on how to broach racism. In 1933, in a retrial, a judge dismissed the death sentences because of weak evidence. But another retrial in 1934 reinstated it. The Scottsboro Case was even reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In short, none of the nine were ever executed for any of the charges. But they spent a collective total of 100 years in Alabama jails and penitentiaries.

Court trials, retrials, and appellate decisions were handed down until the 1940s. Even though the women had long recanted their false allegations, the last Scottsboro “boy” was paroled from prison in 1950. After nineteen years of trials, retrials, and imprisonment, he finally obtained his freedom.

But like the other eight in the case, some of whom died in prison, he never obtained justice.

Spiritual Growth Isaiah 40:28-31 (New International Version)

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Patrick

Soul

Patrick Soul steps onto the Christian Urban Gospel stage with his debut radio release “Strength to Move on.”

A heartfelt song that details Soul’s journey to his acceptance of Gods calling on his life.

“Strength to Move on” packs a unique sound with creative vibe to give the listener a deeper meaning to the everyday struggles we face but that God helps us persevere.

M

arion L. Jones is the author of “Poems from within Me, a Recovering Addict,” and a motivational speaker who shares his story of how he made it through his circumstances, highlighting to audiences that there is a way out. Although the book has been a work in progress since 1998, the book became a full-time reality in 2006, a gift he says was given to him by God. Jones is a former drug user and has been clean and in recovery since October 19, 2005. It was then that he realized that he could help others with his testimonial poems of encouragement.

Jones honestly grapples with narcotic and emotional demons revealing a bare bones unexaggerated account of a spiral into addicton and vice. He weaves an unflinching biography of his struggles with depression, drugs and feelings of abandonment. Jones addresses with candor and astonsighing vunerability, a journey of persaverance through poetry and redemption through the Lord

In retrospect, he knows he was messed up as a child, as a result of his fatherʼs death. During those painful times, he had no clue of the way his life was going and stuffed all the pain and hurt deep inside himself with no one to talk to about what he was going through. For a long time, he didnʼt even know himself, but he could see now that God was preparing him. Now with such clarity, he sees himself in his son who is sort of doing what he use to do but at a much earlier stage in life. Jones knows that he had to get clean and straighten up to be a better example for his son in order to keep his son from going down that same path.

Although Jones worked as a Sales Associate, a Car Salesman, a Construction Worker, and Counselor, he believes his current career as a successful motivational speaker helps others. He says, “It would be one less soul messed up, if only I can plant positive seeds and give people hope and something to hold onto. That would make a big

difference to those who need help and have their own desire to help others who are recovering from any addiction, symptoms of depression or suicide attempts.

IĘźve been there. I know what it feels like to be alone and think that no one cares. I donĘźt give up. I keep trying. If I could reach just one, he or she will tell someone else that there is a way to not to just get their life back but keep it and help others too. God wants all his children to be saved and well.

Marion L. Jones CEO/Owner/Author MLJ Recovery, LLC Motivational Speaking & Mentoring For Booking Engagements: levijones55@yahoo.com Tel. 443-824-7157 Website: www.outskirtspress.com/mljrecovery

Joel Kibble Shines in 2009 Joel Kibble member of multiple award-winning vocal group Take 6 and motivational speaker celebrates 2009 Grammy nominations and makes plans to release inspirational book.

Joel, a member of the multiple award-winning vocal group Take 6, has been nominated for three 2009 Grammy Awards in the following categories: Best Gospel Performance, for “Shall We Gather At The River”; Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for “Grace”; and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo “Seven Steps To Heaven”.

Kibble reflects, “For a Christian group to be recognized like that (multiple Grammy awards) is a huge honor.

But you donʼt let it go to your head.”

Stacia Wright, BRMM President and CEO enthuses, “2009 is shaping up to be an outstanding year for Joel.

In addition to being a part of the most nominated singing group in Grammy history, he is planning to release an inspirational book and will continue to motivating others by speaking around the country as well as overseas.” The upcoming book will be an expansion of Kibbleʼs former blog series on the Take 6 website.

About Joel Kibble: As an insider in the music industry for almost twenty years Kibble is thoroughly acquainted with the strategies of successful teamwork. Whether singing with the six member vocal group Take 6, producing, writing, or speaking, his focus is on excellence. As a motivational speaker he addresses how to break the cycles that hinder success. Kibble has been speaking since he was a college student. He is also an active leader and supporter of programs that mentor, motivate, and empower troubled youth.

FOR THE LOVE OF

GOD

By Marcellus Martin

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance�.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

How well does your love hold up under this standard?? Have you ever been selfish? Have you ever given up on someone? Have you ever been rude and irritable toward someone?

Have you ever rejoiced in the news that a longtime enemy is suffering? Well, unless your name starts with “J” ends in “S” and unless you have nail prints in your hands, you have not been consistent in the area of love. God is the living embodiment of love (1John 4:8, 16).

Even though we are made in the image of God and share the ability to express His moral attributes, our fallen humanity is scarred with sin. We do not have the capacity to express “perfect” love. Jesus showed us, through His sinless life, how our humanity should be lived out. His is the example that Paul wrote about in First Corinthians 13.

What this article will focus on is the Love of God....the purest love possible. The love that

compelled a holy and omnipotent being to pursue a loving relationship with lesser beings that cared nothing for Him.....namely us.

What we will see are four main components of Godʼs moral attribute of love. These are His Benevolence, His Grace, His Mercy, and His Persistence.

GODʼS BENEVOLENCE

When we talk about Godʼs benevolence, we are speaking of His concern for the welfare of those whom He loves. This is an unselfish interest in us for our sake. It is concern for our good and not for what He can get out of it.

God does not need us!

He is all-powerful, all-sufficient. He can accomplish what He wishes without us, although he has chosen to work through us. Our love is often clouded with hidden agendas....but not Godʼs. Benevolence is the basic dimension of

his love. His caring and providing for those He loves is seen in numerous ways. God even cares for the subhuman creation (Matt 6:26, 28). His protection and provision for Christians is extended (Matt 6: 25; 30-33).

What speaks even more volumes about God is His care towards His enemies. “He makes his sun rise on the just and the unjust” (Matt 5:45). How do we treat those that hate us? Do we quickly return love for hate? No we donʼt, if youʼre honest. Usually itʼs hate for hate. He loves all of mankind provided and salvation through his Son for whoever will accept it. “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). So we see that God not only feels inherently positive towards the objects of His love, but He acts on their behalf and for their welfare. He demonstrates that love is action not words.

GODʼS GRACE

This is another manifold attribute of Godʼs love. This simply means that He deals with man not on the basis of merit or worthiness, but simply according to manʼs need! He deals with us instead based on His generosity and goodness. It is possible for God to love us unselfishly, with concern for others and still insist that His love be deserved, thus requiring something that would earn favors or to be received. Grace, however, means that God supplies us with undeserved favors. He

requires nothing from us! Do you make people earn your respect or do you extend grace to them because they are Godʼs creation? Grace is indeed an amazing thing! God offers the righteousness of His Son to those that deserve the harshest requirement for transgression.

But instead, He steps in and supplies us with the means to be at peace with Him. God, the offended one, offers the offenders (us) the olive branch of peace....no strings attached, through faith in His Son Jesus. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God –not because of works, lest any man boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

GODʼS MERCY

This is Godʼs tenderhearted, loving compassion for His people. It is His tenderness of heart towards the needy.

If grace contemplates humans as sinful, guilty, and condemned, mercy sees them as miserable and needy. The Psalmist wrote “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He understands how weak they are; He knows they are only dust” (103:13-14). Jesus felt great compassion for the physical and spiritual sicknesses of those that flocked to hear His teachings or receive a healing touch (Matt 14:14).

How is your heart today?? How do you view your fellow man? Does your heart go out to lost souls on their way to hell? Do you see them as God sees them? Do

you share the gospel through your life and words? Do you pretend that the homeless man does not exist, as you walk by?? Where is your mercy? Where is your pity today? Christians must make the concerted effort to reach out to a dying world with this key component of Godʼs love.

GODʼS PERSISTENCE

This one last component of Godʼs love should really give us pause. His persistence is written about through out scripture. “But you Oʼ Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to get angry, full of unfailing love and truth” (Psalm 86:15; Romans 2:4). Peter writes “The Lord really isnʼt being slow about His return, as some people think. No He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so He is giving more time for everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9). We are talking about Godʼs patience with us. Godʼs long-suffering was particularly apparent with Israel. They repeatedly rebelled against Him. They desired to return to Egypt, worshipped idol gods, intermarried with unbelievers, rejected Mosesʼ leadership and ultimately wanted a king to rule them instead of God. Though He punished them at times, He never cut them off! Godʼs sending 10 plagues against Pharaoh was actually ten chances for Egyptʼs king to repent! God could have struck him down at any time. How many Christians bail out relationships

with those that have wronged them? Was it a spouse?

A wayward child? We take marriage vows and pledge before God and man, “For better or for worse”, never contemplating what “worse” could be. However, God continues to show patience with us. Through all of our promises to handle our money better, to get involved in ministry, to attend Bible study and Sunday school regularly, to stop smoking, to report to work on time....the list is endless, God is patient even our faithlessness.

However, as I stated before, He did punish Israel and He killed Pharaoh. His wrath continually beats against the dam of His mercy. His justice requires that there be a payment for sin. His love however, desires a restoring of fellowship. This is not unlike those of you who have given your child chance after chance before bringing down the hammer. But your love for your child yearns to restore the communication and relationship. You donʼt want to “stay” mad. Well...neither does God. As we celebrate this month of Valentine hearts, flowers and candy, let us truly take inventory of where our hearts are. Read the words of Paul in First Corinthians 13 and set them up as your standard. Tape those words to your refrigerator. Put them in your car. Live them out in front of every man and woman. Do it for the Love Of God.

D ivine A

BOND

Is it possible that someone has been made just for another?

Has God carefully picked out one person to help guide us throughout our lives? If so, how long will it take to meet this person, and is it for us to know the best relationship to be in with this person?

Will we prematurely meet them before weʼre supposed it. The perfect gentleman ( Till we all come in the unity to, or will we meet them too late in life to be able to do of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, anything about some sort of relaunto a perfect man, unto for He tionship? How can we be for sure the measure of the stature is good, and His mercy endureth forever.” of the fulness of Christ:) about something if things arenʼt made known to us? gave His life that you may Why do some of us long for something someone live, so why do you put up with what you do? He was else has and doesnʼt appreciate, but canʼt have it because humble, “Why do you call Me, Good? There is only one itʼs not our time, yet?

Good, and that is the Father.” He was kind and never too If it were possible, maybe we could travel in busy, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” He search of the answer to these questions and ones like was compassionate, “Jesus wept.” He wouldnʼt lie, “He these. Oh, but you can if only you be led by God. is a Man that He shall not lie.” He even opened the door, To the best of your knowledge and as strongly as you “Knock, and the door shall be opened.” He understood when you were tired, “Come unto Me, all ye that are burmay feel about this, someone maybe out there looking for you. But because of the intensity of your search, you den and heavy laden, and I will give you rest for My yolk walk right past your significant other without knowing. is easy and burdens light.” Heʼd let you go places with Why? Because man looks based on the outward appearHim, “Take up your cross and follow me.” He even had a ance, we spend more time looking for a diamond when since of humor, too, when you think about it, “It is easier we really should be looking for rubies. True enough, to stick a camel through the eye of a needle, than it is for most like the bling-bling of the ice in comparison to a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Now, thatʼs subtle beauty of a stone that was bought and paid for funny anyway you think about it. He also kept His promwith blood, but it wasnʼt just any blood that paid for it. ises, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words It was the blood of an innocent King that purchased this shall not pass away.” He wasnʼt scary towards expressing precious jewel, not our four fathers, but our Heavenly His emotions, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto Father, that sits on high. Because these precious gems death...” He ultimately took care of His responsibilities were paid for with a precious blood, it seems only fit to and gave His Life that you wouldnʼt have to die, “O my give it the color of the crimson blood that was slain for Father, if this cup may not pass away from me,

“Oh, give thanks unto the Lord,

except I drink it, thy will be done.” He could even keep His mouth shut in stressful situations, “...and He still held His peace.”

For something so precious in value, why would you settle for less than what you were bought with...blood.

Blood is life, and to make a blood covenant with someone that isnʼt willing to give his or her life for you, isnʼt in your best interest. Your husband should be willing to give his life at whatever cost to safe yours, likewise, you should be willing to give yours to save his. “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.”

This passage of scripture may not be used by a lot of people for this purpose, but if you think about it, it not only refers to a married couples sex life, but their everyday life, as well. The Lord was even willing to do things that He wasnʼt comfortable doing, “...and He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” He understood that “...the sufferings at the present time werenʼt worthy to be compared to the glory” He was going to reveal after He took care of His Fatherʼs business.

In many ways, we, men, strive to be like Christ, but sometimes we neglect the simple or small things that we

are faced with daily. Thatʼs why we have to constantly stay prayerful and on guard against the enemyʼs subtle actions that have the potential to turn into a mountain because he knows that when faced with fear, many of us will be overcome, but the Bible says, “Be not overcome by sudden fear.” Fear is a form of torture because it can bother you to the point that you feel that itʼs too much.

But to the best of my knowledge, the Bible also says that He wonʼt put more on us than we canʼt bear. Fear is an evil trick of the adversary that he uses in this spiritual warfare.

Fear is used in conjunction with intimidation. When youʼre intimidated, you tend to back down and loose the boldness that once inhabited your spirit. Once he sees that he intimidates you, heʼll start to induce fear. Fear has little operation teams that attack when the time is right.

Fear is a war vet that is patient. Itʼll sit there and wait until you get nervous, antsy, and worried.

When we get afraid of something, we usually call on Jesus, but because the thought of what once threatened us is still in our mind, fear lingers off in eyesight waiting for another chance to strike. It knows you and how you will react. Itʼs grown up with you, and it doesnʼt want to let go of the relationship that it once held with you. Now, you must beat fear at its own game, patience.

Patience is a virtue. Yes, that is true, but did you realize that patience is the fraternal twin of faith. Sure,

Dream By Faith Bronson

with Sherry Bronson.

EMPOWERING WOMENʼS LIVES THROUGH CHRISTIAN MEDIA.

www.sherrybronson.com

have their own distinct qualities, but they have many of the same, too. For example, the Bible says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence if things not seen.” What that means is that when you hope for something, it hasnʼt yet happened, but youʼre looking for it to happen. Deeper? When you cook something, you know what itʼs supposed to look like when itʼs finished.

Even deeper still?! When your gas tankʼs on “E” and youʼre driving home or to the gas station, youʼre not running on fumes as we once previously thought. It was the faith that you would get to your destination before you would end up stranded somewhere. When youʼre patient, youʼre in a state of relaxation or peace. Youʼre not all wound up about something, and at times, that can mean the difference between life and death. When someone is drunk, and their in a car accident, because of their state of relaxation, they can walk to the hospital, but the sober person they hit is now in critical condition because they braced for impact.

When youʼre impatient, youʼre worrying about the situation. When youʼre worrying about the situation, youʼre taking the problem back out of Godʼs more-thancapable hands, and in doing so, youʼre making a mockery of all that the Bible says and all that God has spoken. He asked Jeremiah, “Is there anything too hard for me?” He asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the world?” He told Moses, “When they ask who sent

you, tell ʻI Amʼ sent you.” In that, God was referring to anything that His people would need. “I am the blood that once was the water that nourished the kings and queens of Egypt.” “I am the frogs that you worshipped in My stead that now lie dead in piles with a stench that not even a mother would love.” “I am the way, the truth, and the light.” “I am one that was responsible of the death of your firstborn.” “I am the one that single-handedly led you and your army on a dummy mission into the midst of the sea where you would find your eternal resting place.” “ Jesus answered and said unto them, ʻVerily I say unto you, “If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;” it shall be done.ʼ” Pharaoh was the children of Israelʼs mountain that was cast into the sea. “ And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.”

All in all, when you have the gift of the Holy Ghost, you are always connected to someone in the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:4: “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through

...be it no place like

House & Home

ZERO

MAINTENANCE OCEAN FRONT HOME

In 2002, San Diego-based architect Jonathan Segal FAIA, who is heavily inspired by his peers Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Tadao Ando, was hired to design the 4,800 sq. ft., 62 ft. wide oceanfront masterpiece, which now stands on an oceanfront bluff top in La Jolla.

The four-level glass tower home was built 13 feet deep into the ground, providing 2,000 sq. ft. of subterranean living to maximize precious living space on the lot. In beach cities, building down is the best way to get the most out of limited lots without violating any strict restrictions on the height and footprint of the home, and also draw less attention from the street giving the

homeowner more privacy. “Dr. Lemperle always wanted an ultra-modern, zero maintenance oceanfront home with maxed- out square footage that would last forever,” said Segal. And despite the many site constraints, Segal would adhere to Lemperleʼs requests.

Although Lemperle says the design is ʻelegantly simple,ʼ he admits the actual building was extremely complicated. Lemperleʼs goal was to create a “Home of the Future”, or as he puts it, “Clean modern lines, minimalistic, green technology, maximized ocean views and... no maintenance-, and last he says, “And no worrying if I locked the doors and went away on a very long trip.”

As if there werenʼt enough “must haves” on Lemperleʼs list, he wanted to achieve his design using every single square foot of the lot...and then some. This would be accomplished by adding plenty subterranean living space illuminated by natural daylight via glass ceilings.

Segal responded to Lemperleʼs vision with a massive, four-level poured-in-place and then polished concrete structure, lots of glass, walnut, Corten® weathering steel, and Reynobond® envelopes, raised to the maximum allowable height of 30 feet.

“Building underground is urban, Segal says and more exciting than suburban sprawl.

Itʼs also practical--perhaps the best way to offset “unforgiving land costs”-$4 million for this 4,200-square-foot, pie-shaped lot, half of which must be reserved for patios or landscape to meet building restrictions.

Thus, adding subterranean living gave Lemperle 72% more living space that is neither taxed nor counted toward the

maximum buildable square footage.

Fine art displayed throughout the house includes various local artists. Metal sculptures by artist Matt Devine are placed in the outdoor entertainment area as well as below the glass ceilings in the subterranean level.

Paintings by German artist Matthias Koester can be found in both, the living room and subterranean space.

Undeniably gorgeous, Lemperleʼs glass and concrete masterpiece was featured in an article found on www. modernluxury.com - Riviera Magazine, San Diego, September 2008 issue, showcasing the homeʼs unique beauty, as well as the 180 degrees of aquatic views Lemperle gets to wake up to.

About the La Jolla glass tower oceanfront home: The home took seven years to complete, including the lengthy coastal permitting process of three years. The design includes Smart Home Technology, low voltage Lutron® lighting, hydronic radiant floor heat, solar energy and an extensive subsurface draining system to collect ground water and recycle it- and to keep the house dry.

Embellish your home HOME PERFECT BRINGS TO YOU AN ARRAY OF ONLINE PLUMBING, LIGHTING AND DÉCOR PRODUCTS THAT WILL BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME IN THE STYLE YOU WISH. Understanding that your home is a reflection of you -- Home Perfect has handpicked a wide variety of products. From the elegance of Blanco sinks and faucets, to the futuristic and classic trends of Kohler kitchen and bath suites, the highly practical Grohe designs to savvy Robern Medicine Cabinets. Home Perfect understands its customerʼs needs for practical products that are highly styled and affordable.

Home Perfect is engineered on an advance platform that will continue to elevate its customers experience online as the website matures. Home Perfect has molded not only its site, but also its employee training to place the consumer on the highest pedestal possible.

“Home Perfect was created with the frustrated home owner in mind. As we expand the Home Perfect store,

weʼre prioritizing our customerʼs requests as the necessary enhancements to make the experience better each and every time,” affirms Heather Coen, Director Marketing & Advertising.

“Through smart Marketing and a targeted approach to assisting the consumer we can maximize our customer service efforts knowing we are helping the right customer at the right time. That translates directly into profitable sales and satisfied, repeat customers,” states Coen.

With a perfect balance of variety, sleek prices and a service-conscious consumer experience, Home Perfect hopes to change the way furbishing ones home is perceived. Home Perfect can help your home be a reflection of anyoneʼs immaculate styles.

Link: http://www.homeperfect.com/page/aboutus

12thStreet 397 West

The perfect blank canvas Buyers looking for a unique opportunity to design their own architectural masterpiece will ďŹ nd the perfect blank canvas at 397 West 12th Street. Meticulously crafted with unusual attention to detail, 397 West 12th Street offers ďŹ ve raw loft condominiums within a 10-story building inspired by the classic maritime warehouses of the Far West Village.

I

n conceptualizing a development that celebrates raw space interiors, architect and developer Cary Tamarkin took extra care to provide a robust concrete superstructure and top-of-the-line construction.

397 West 12th Street features a distinctive facade comprised of hand-laid, sand-finished and custom-molded Roman bricks punctuated by dramatic expanses of multi-paned industrial steel windows. The five residences range in size from 2,826-square-feet to 6,409-square-feet.

Prices for the raw spaces start at $5 million.

Accentuating their expansiveness, three of the homes feature double-height ceilings that soar to 20 feet, while all incorporate exposed concrete floors to facilitate future flooring options, multiple riser locations that maximize the flexibility of layouts and exhaust ducts on every floor to accommodate professional-quality kitchens. A

majority of the homes feature generous outdoor loggias with views of The Hudson River and one includes a large private garden. In addition to a full-time doorman, residents at 397 West 12th Street will be treated to thoughtfully selected amenities which include private storage, a museum-scale elevator that opens directly into each apartment to allow easy transportation of furniture and artwork, a bicycle room and stateof-the-art building security system.

Located just steps from Hudson River Park and its recreational piers, 397 West 12th Street is situated within one of Manhattanʼs most desirable neighborhoods, near quaint coffee shops, boutiques, sidewalk cafes, and some of the cityʼs finest dining venues.

Sothebyʼs International Realty is the exclusive sales and marketing firm for the development.

For more information, please contact (212) 431-2454 or visit www.397W12.com.

Finance

R ECESSION DEPRESSION

ENOUGH ALL READY

Website Launches AntiRecession Movement

How do you opt out of a recession that has so clearly begun to define our economy for the foreseeable future? The creative minds at Holton Sentivan + Gury (HSG), an advertising agency based in Philadelphia, have developed “No Recession for Me” ( www.norecessionforme.us ), a no-holds-barred, video-centric website that asks all Americans: will you surrender to the bad news and negativity, or take a stand and strike back?

The website is hosted by actor Floyd Marshall, who plays two distinct roles: a Rocky-meets-Dennis Leary anti-recession warrior, up against a neurotic, sky-is-falling defeatist. Through humor and good advice (via links to the best economic minds in the country), the website

plays one against the other, and asks viewers to vote and take a stand. When all votes are tallied this spring, Holton Sentivan + Gury will run a large ad in The Wall Street Journal that will include the names of all who declared “no recession for me!”

“Whether a prospect or a client, all anyone wants to talk about is the recession -- so we looked for a way to talk about the recession, with a smile and, in our opinion, good advice,” says Glenn Gury, HSGʼs Creative Director. “Along the way, we realized we were also talking to ourselves, and what kind of armor and attitude we need to put on to weather the recession as an agency.”

While the website clearly acknowledges that “you canʼt will a recession away,” it does suggest a new mindset for weathering the current economic storm. So what next? Log onto www.norecessionforme.us and add your name to the growing list of Americans that already ranges from CEOʼs to burger flippers fed up with the negativity.

“Weʼre looking to flood an entire Wall Street Journal page with thousands and thousands of names - all those who signed on and clicked no recession for me,” says Gury. “Hopefully, thatʼs just the beginning.”

HSGʼs tagline, “Be conspicuous,” sums up the agencyʼs philosphy, and advice, for marketing during good times and bad. Glenn Gury, HSGʼs Creative Director, says it this way: “you canʼt show up with the same tuna fish sandwich everyday and expect people to keep buying it. Especially now.”

www.NoRecessionForMe.us

Finance

Pay Yourself

FIRST In the mid 1990’s I read a book that offered steps for becoming financially independent.

The first step was to “pay yourself first,” above and beyond any entity or person you to whom you may owe money. For many, that simple step is easy to write, easy to say, and easy to ponder, but the true application of that simple step can be a daunting task.

The beautiful thing about getting paid, is that there are many ways to do it. One way is through financial independence, or the pursuit thereof. However, the notion of paying yourself first can be applied to loving and forgiving. Sometimes to love and forgive ones self is a payment of a different kind, but the value is priceless. Let me explain.

I learned as I attempted to perfect the art of letting

role in the failure of this relationship? What was my

go of stuff, that to truly let go of a habit, internal

role in the altercation with that person? What was

dialog, or to change your attitude toward someone

my role as I argued with that person? Just as we

or something - the first place to begin is with the

should be responsible for our role, we must also be

person in the mirror. And by the way, I have not

willing to forgive our selves for our part, particularly

perfected that art of letting go of stuff yet, for it is a

if the outcome of a particular situation was

never-ending process of learning that I am sure will

unwanted.

last a lifetime.

Being able to forgive is powerful. I have found how-

“

Paying yourself first, when it comes to forgiveness means – having the courage to start with you. Forgiving your self is the only way that you will be able to forgive any one else. Seriously. It is true.

Letting go of stuff includes forgiveness. Walt

”

ever, that when I do personal development coaching with people, many don’t know how to forgive themselves; much less others.

Eventually, not knowing how to for-

give turns in to not wanting to forgive.

Kelly, in a 1970 Pogo comic strip wrote, “we have

Here is the bottom line: always begin with you.

met the enemy, and he is us.” I interpret that to

Forgive yourself first. Love yourself the most. By

mean that we must first point fingers at ourselves,

doing these things, you will in effect, pay yourself

before pointing them at anyone else. It is important

first. How do you forgive yourself? First, you must

to genuinely ask and respond to questions like:

love yourself enough to do so. You must make a

What was my role in this situation? What was my

sacrifice. You must change your thought patterns.

Below are some steps to get you started on the path to self-forgiveness. Forgiving “you” is crucial to forgiving others. According to Harvey Mackay, if you want to get even with someone, then forgive and really get them back. Forgiveness allows you to move from a place of pain and suffering to a place of peace and harmony. For many, holding on

3.

4.

5.

Forgive your self by literally looking in the mirror, at you, and saying, “I forgive you

for...”

After forgiving your self in the mirror, look at that person again and say, “I love you.”

Contact each person on your list and genuinely forgive them by saying to them, “I for-

to pain, anger, frustration, resentment, and the like

give you for...” (be specific about what you forgiving

is slowly eating away at ©2008 InsideOut Learning,

them for). 6. This is important: when you forgive

Inc. All Rights Reserved your mental and spiritual

those on your list, you must accept their response,

being, and eventually will destroy your physical be-

no matter what it may be.

ing. So forgive, beginning with you. Here are some steps that will put you on the path for

They may not accept your forgiveness. If they do

self-forgiveness.

not accept, you must still accept the response in order to let it go. You can’t force them to accept

1.

2.

Make a list of those you need to forgive (be

your forgiveness. Remember you are doing this for

honest and include your self)

you, not for them. This process of forgiving my not

Give yourself permission to forgive by mak-

always be easy, but it is definitely worth it. You may

ing a claim that it is okay for you to forgive

find that you will be spiritually fed if you allow

those on your list.

yourself to experience this or some other process

of self-forgiving. Forgiving allows you to become better at the art of letting go of stuff, which then allows you to move forward in your life. So pay yourself first and forgive the one who matters the most – you.

Bio Darren L. Johnson is an author and personal development coach. He holds a masters of science in organization development and behavior from American University.

His book is titled Letting Go of Stuff®.

Contact him at www.

LettingGoOfStuff.com or 615-248-2400

meet the artists Damon

Brandi

Larry

For The LOVE of Art

At the time that I met this couple they weere just friends. Incredible masters of their art, they had just began laying the foundation for their union and their life long passion for creativity. When I visited their home I noticed artwork that blew me away. So unusual and incredibly creative, I had not seen anything quite like it. These particular pieces were made from tiny torn pieces of paper arranged as a collage that told a story. Intrigued I asked “who created this?” “My wife Brandi” he explained. I then turned

ing COUPLE of creative geniuses. I had to learn more. I wanted to share with the world the talent I noticed in these two and give insight into how they manage life as a creative couple and what fuels their LOVE of Art. CC – Damon when did you first recognize that you had a gift for creating such great works of art.

Damon - I got my start at birth. When I was a kid my mom was attending Herron School Art. I can remember going through the halls and smelling the

to another wall in the room and there were several photographs hanging that caught my attention. One looked like a photo of a tattered dress of some sort with other objects surrounding it. When I asked Damon what was going on in the photoʼs, he explained that he had taken pictures of Brandiʼs wedding gown along with some other items that had gotten burned when their house caught on fire shortly after they had gotten married. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen and sentimental. These two are truly an amaz-

paint and pencil shavings in the hall. I grew up with art all around me. I can remember my Grandmother, Mother and Aunt working hard on their art, sculpting and photography. My particular gift became apparent around 3rd grade. My friends use to pay me 25 cents to draw pictures for them of Bart Simpson and the Ninja Turtles, thatʼs when I knew I might be on to something.

CC – When did you get your big break and begin actually making a living at your craft?

articulating their artistic talents and doing BIG things

Damon – In 1998 I got my professional start while still in high school-designing custom apparel and websites for a local custom tee shirt shop (Basement Enterprises) where I met one of my long standing mentors. Imhotep Adisa, he helped to instill in me the entrepreneurial mindset while I was still a teenager. Those developmental years set the ground work for the multi discipline design work that I do today (Apparel, Web, Print, Motion, & Brand Development) CC – Damon, tell us about the other love in your life.

Damon – I have many loves in my life including my two children. My son Ali who is one and a half and the new addition to our family, my daughter Sanai who is two months old; But neither of them would be possible without first having the love of my wife Brandi. We met in College at the Herron School of Art where I majored in Graphic Design and Branding and Brandi was a Fine Arts major with a minor in Art History. We were both quite ambi-

tious at the time. We helped to start and run the first minority student artist group (Spectrum Group) the first in the schoolʼs 100 plus year history. The Spectrum Group continues itʼs exhibitions at the IBE Celebration, Indiana State Museum, Herron Gallery and even abroad. Brandi became group president in 2003. She intrigued me so much so that I asked her to marry me that same year and we have been married now for almost six years.

CC – It must be exciting living and growing a life with a mate who shares in your same passion.

Has that been helpful in building your career or does it have its challenges?

Damon – We critique each others work all of the time. At first it was a bit difficult to take but now we respect each others vision and creative ability so much that it has been helpful in our individual growth as artists and as a couple. We feel very fortunate to have someone who understands and shares the same passions.

CC – Do you both have the same style of ex-

ecution for your art work.

Damon – No, not at all. Brandiʼs work is more gestured or suggestive than structured, which is what I think makes her art so unique and I tend to be very detailed and clean cut with my work, more on the realistic side. I think this helps us not to clash or have

conflicts because we both have very distinct styles that are different.

CC – Can you tell us how you and Brandi have been able to take your talents from the “drawing board to the board room?”

Damon – We moved to Atlanta Georgia in

2005 where Brandi completed her certification in Art Education and became a contracted portraiture in the prestigious Buck Head Area and is still doing fine art portraits to this day. She also illustrated her fist childrenʼs book called Little Lily Mays and The Daddy Deli mea written by Jessica Lollina. As for my boardroom experience, I expanded my design and brand consulting company to serve large clients like Home Depot, The Atlanta Silver Backs, Universal/Motown Music Group for artist like Asher Roth and Tami Chynn, Warner Brothers Music for Artist like Talib Kweli, Vocalocity, and a host of medium to large Ad Agencies like Uniworld Group New York and Infinite Inc. CC – So what does the future hold

for the two of you and your work together?

Damon – We both will continue to work in our respective fields, Art Education and Design and Branding. In addition, we have been working on our first official collaboration - A childrenʼs book titled: Mommyʼs Love (A Pledge to My Sweet Child) It is a fully illustrated multicultural- childrenʼs book with a funny twist....Releasing in summer 2009.

Look for Damonʼs latest gallery showing in Fountain Square - spring of 2009 and keep a look out for the upcoming collaboration (Mommyʼs Love) To learn more about this dynamic duo check out their website at www.bdtarts.com “Always in Fashion Cc.elaine”

BRIDGING

THE GAP a living peice of history

On a cold and rainy winter day, I had the chance to sit down with bassist Larry Ridley in his lower east side apartment to discuss jazz, history, and the future of the music. Not only is it a pleasure to play with the legendary bassist and educator, but also to listen to the myriad of stories he has to tell. He is truly a living piece of history. Ridley is big on passing down the knowledge and traditions to the next generation whether it be through conferences and workshops with the NAJRI, via the internet, or good old fashioned one-on-one mentoring. I sat with him to ask a few questions about his life, his current projects, and to discuss the importance of passing on the music.

By Krystle Ford

KF—So, how did you get your start?

LR—Well I started playing the violin when I was 5 yrs old, and was very fortunate at the time in Indianapolis, an African American lady named Ruth McArthur had a conservatory and set up a deal with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Mildred Lind who was one of the violinist in the ISO, so I settled in on the violin and started studying with her. I was introduced to jazz early on. I was always hearing jazz because my mother and father always listed to Duke Ellington , Count Basie, Nat King Cole. My motherʼs youngest brother introduced me to be-bop. Then I went to a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert and I heard Ray Brown with Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, and they were accompanying Ella Fitzgerald. I was just so taken with Ray on the bass; thatʼs when I made the switch over. I taught myself how to play the bass and I started when I was at Shortridge High School. My first bass was a black tin bass; they made them back during the war because the government took all the plywood so they made a

Rodney

Larry

Lynne

Michael

Ridley siblings

few basses out of tin. Iʼll never forget it. I met Freddie Hubbard playing softball. Then I met Jimmy Spaulding, Virgil Jones, Albert Walton, Melvin Rhyne when we were all kids, and they had a band called the Monarchs. So we started playing at about 15 or 16 years old. Slide Hampton used to come by and sit in when we played at 16th and Northwestern.

I approached Monk Montgomery on the street

and told him I wanted to take some lessons. So I went by his house and they were having a rehearsal. It was Wes [Montgomery] playing the guitar, Buddy Montgomery on the piano, Sunny Johnson on the drums and Pookie Johnson playing saxophone. Monk said ʻgo on and pick up the bass,ʼ and I said ʻI came here for lessons!ʼ So I played and those guy admired the fact that I knew a little music and I had the guts to stick in there with them. They used to play fast tempos!

After that rehearsal Ridley was invited to take Monk Montgomeryʼs place in a group called the Mastersounds. From there he ended up going on the road at the ripe age of 16 with Conte and Pete Candoli, Slide Hampton, Benny Barth and others.

Ridley later attended the Lennox School of Jazz in Massachusetts with Dave Bake and others.

There, he took various courses on music history.

He also attended Indiana University from 19551959 where he met Max Roach. He completed his Music Education degree at NYU. “I ended up coming to New York with Slideʼs

David Baker

Slide Hampton

Larry Ridley

[Hampton] Octet in 1960 and we ended up working at the original Birdland, the Halfnote...all of those places.”

He called Roach when he came to NY and ended up doing the famous Freedom Now suite. From there Ridley met other musicians and continued to work and record.

“Back then there were a lot more clubs in New York. The jazz scene was a lot different than it is now.”

KF—How has it changed?

LR—Thereʼs not as much happening like there was in terms of a real heavy presence in the black community. There were a lot of things that caused that; we had the riots and the blackouts.

A lot of stuff changed. Drugs moved in; then there was the urban blight. It just really got bad here in New York.

Newport All-Stars Tokyo 1969

KF—As an educator, you are known for implementing the jazz program at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

LR—When I was at Indiana University I noticed how these European classical players would go out and perform in Carnegie hall and tour and I always felt that jazz should have the same thing.

Thatʼs why I ended up not pursuing music full

time like I was and got off into the education thing as well. I tried to keep it balanced as possible but it was tough early on because I end up doing something, particularly at a white institution like Rutgers, that hadnʼt been done.

KF—Now you have created a partnership with the African American Jazz Caucus, the Jazz Research Institute and North Carolina Central University. Letʼs talk about the NAJRI and what Teddy Wilson Helen Merrill Larry Ridley Thelonious Monk

youʼre doing with HBCUs. How did that start?

LR—One of the big things I had help start was the AAJC [African American Jazz Caucus] back in 1977 as a part of IAJE [International Association of Jazz Educators].Iʼve always been concerned about the fact that most of the writers

writing about jazz have always been of European descent or of other descents. For the most part, we have not written about the legacy of our music, so it was because of that and the early jazz educators were not bringing in the black people to perform. They were setting up all these institutions to validate themselves. Iʼve had a great

relationship with Rutgers in building this thing but I had been thinking of moving the caucuses into establishing something at an HBCU. I met Dr. James Ammons through Dr. Ira Wiggins and presented this idea to him to address the issues that pertain to the African American community.

Itʼs not a point of saying they canʼt do their thing; we have to have our own way of identifying and defining whatʼs going on [in jazz]. In addition to the performing aspects, we have to have some control over setting up the institutions that market the music—that historically document the music whether itʼs photography, writing books, or manuals about improvisation. Thereʼs a gentleman named Dr. Lee Ransaw, whoʼs on the faculty at Morris Brown, who started the Natʼl Assoc. of African American Artists, so weʼre trying to mesh this

together so weʼre talking about not only the jazz but the African American cultural area...so weʼre interacting and recognizing what we have contributed.

KF—Thatʼs so true. We have to know where we come from and keep the music and tradition alive.

LR—When you listen to the greats...thereʼs a legacy there, why try to relegate that legacy and all those great musicians and the great music and concepts that came out of it. Itʼs all tied into that whole spiritual thing...the blues, gospel, jazz and various forms of soul music. Thereʼs a thread there, and we have to maintain that...even the true rappers that are infusing it with jazz—thatʼs where itʼs at to me! Every generation has something that is....

Kenny Barron Larry Ridley Freddie Waits James Moody

Ted Dunbar

Larry Ridley

Gov. Brendon Byrne Yusef Ali

Gig at New Jersey Governorʼs Mansion

KF—...telling itʼs story.

LR—Thatʼs telling a story of itʼs generation! As a people we continue to be creative. But if you donʼt know your past youʼre doomed to not be a part of the future. Everything is a continua-

tion. I just donʼt want to see those ties lost.

You donʼt have to play exactly like Charlie Parker or Louis Armstrong. But thatʼs a part of our heritage; and that should be perpetuated and young people should be made aware of it. So thatʼs why I started the NAJRI. Iʼm not trying to save the world!

I see that thereʼs something thatʼs needed and necessary in my opinion. So Iʼm going to try and build something thatʼs strong and important that can be lasting, and passed onto young peoples like yourself so they can have a source to go to. Thereʼs no excuse anymore for people to say ʻI canʼt afford to go to school.ʼ Even if you canʼt afford school, there are

libraries...and internet. But the education system is very important. And thank God we have Barack Obama! This is a wonderful thing.

KF—Isnʼt it exciting?

LR—Heʼs such a brilliant man; Iʼm very impressed with him...and he maintains a calmness about him.

I think heʼs preordained by the creator. Heʼs like a flower in bloom. Heʼs going to do brilliant things.

We have to pray positively for Barack.

KF—So, any advice for young musicians?

LR—Always surround yourself with people who are like minded...and never allow yourself to be subjected to people who are going to try to abuse you .

Donʼt settle for something thatʼs not what you want it to be...whatever compromise you make has to always be something that you know you can live with.

And donʼt be afraid! Youʼve got to get on that stage and make people feel something because youʼre there to make them feel.

KF—Itʼs all about that human connection.

LR—Exactly. You have to tune in to the intangible... that higher power. Whatever it is because itʼs not visible. Thatʼs the inner essence...when you can tune into that vibe and get a feel for your surroundings and audience.

KF—So tell us something most people wouldnʼt know about you.

LR—That Iʼm still a performer...what got me to this point was being a performer. My resume doesnʼt read the way it reads for nothing. Everybody that Iʼve performed with I have them listed on my website because Iʼm standing on the

Thelonious Monk

shoulders of all these people...I am the sum of many parts. And everyone that comes into my life is a part of my life. God put us here for a mission and weʼre not alone. We have to seek out those people who are like minded and we also have to listen to those who are not like minded so that we know how to constantly grow and create our ideas and redefine our mission and what weʼre about. Most people that know me know that Iʼm about progress. I have this unquenching thirst for knowledge, and to keep growing...when ever itʼs time for me to be called to move on they can say ʻwell you did a pretty good job!ʼ I cannot go to my grave without spreading those principles that Iʼve learned from those Iʼve met and performed with.

KF—Well thatʼs all the questions I have.

LR—Alright! So letʼs play a little music.

You can find out more about Larry Ridley and the NAJRI by visiting the following websites: www.larryridley.com www.najri.org www.aajc.us

Larry Ridley

Freddie Hubbard

Walt Miller

James Spauld-

ing Paul

“Jazz Contemporaries” Early ʻ50s as teenagers, working at Georgeʼs Bar Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis, IN Dizzy Gillespie Larry Ridley Bismarck Jr. College Rehearsal

L

It Was A Very Good Year

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Barack Obama Barack Obama has got to be the most fascinating man of this new millennium. One must marvel at his skyrocketing propulsion on to the national scene and his history making assent to the highest office in the nation. President-elect Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009. He was the second African American to be elected to the Senate from the State of Illinois, with Carol Moseley Braun being the first. Obama is the first African American to win the nomination from a major political party. And he is the first African American to win a national election for the presidency. This has been more than historic. It has been phenomenal. America has had any number of seminal moments in its history, but Obamaʼs landslide victory this past

November must rank with the greatest. In the 232 years since the first declaration of independence from a sovereign in Europe, it seems that the United States of America has finally lived up to the creed it has held out to the world. It has at last become one nation under God. From the moment that Barack Obama began his run for the presidency, he started a groundswell of enthusiasm that had been unequalled since the John F. Kennedy campaign of 1960.

For those old enough to remember, it may have seemed like Camelot all over again. He is eerily similar to Kennedy. He is young and vital, with bright ideas and polished idealism. He is smart and dynamic, which is pretty much to be expected from a Harvard graduate. But as we watch Obama with his youthful good looks and lanky build; as we listen to his sublime

eloquence; this is not Camelot we were seeing and hearing.

It is Kismet.

He was fated to be the next president. It was destiny that put him here at this time in history to fulfill a purpose. Whatever that purpose, possibly yet to be realized, will certainly keep us engaged for at least the next four years.

Obama campaigned with a slogan of

“Change.” And change is exactly what we got.

He has changed the way campaigns will be conducted from this time forward. His was the most high-tech campaign that this country or any other country had ever seen. The use of television and radio were pretty standard. But his use of email, text-messaging, You-Tube, and Face Book reached a whole new demographic. His grassroots efforts were unstoppable. There was a campaign office in every major city, staffed by young people and powered by older volunteers. He flew to the most populace cities and engaged people, groups, clubs, and unions. He told their stories in his campaign speeches. He visited every state, whether it was red or blue, several times over.

And every time, he won voters with his calm demeanor and eloquent oratory. Obamaʼs capacity to raise campaign funds overwhelmed his Democratic opponents in the Primaries, and

simply killed his Republican counterpart in the National Election.

What is most intriguing about Obama is that even though he is an African American, he brings none of the attendant history of slavery with him. His mother was a Caucasian American but his father was not African American, but East African. That is pretty far removed from the West African coast that engaged so ruthlessly in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade that brought Africans into the Americas. The Obama history is very different from the history of other African Americans in that respect only. For I am sure his experience has been very much the same when facing the racism that is so slowly dying in America.

One cannot be black in America and not come to know the weight of all that it means

to be black in America, even if you were raised by white grandparents.

He was born Barack Hussein Obama II on August 4, 1961 at a maternity hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. His mother was Stanley Ann Dunham, but everyone called her Ann. She was a nineteen year old college student. And his father was Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a foreign exchange student from Kenya.

The couple met while attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His father left

his mother to continue his studies at Harvard in 1963. Eventually, Obama Sr. returned to Kenya, his Kenyan family and numerous Kenyan children.

By the time Barack II was six years old, his mother was married to Lolo Soetoro and was living in Jakarta, Indonesia with Barack and his baby sister, Maya. When that marriage ended, Ann remained in Indonesia, but sent Barack to live in Hawaii with her parents. From that time forward, Obama was raised by his grandfather Stanley Dunham and his wife, Madelyn.

He saw his mother on he frequent visits to Hawaii. But he would see his father only once again when he was ten years old.

There are many black children in America being raised by grandparents. But few are raised with so much diversity in their backgrounds.

Obama was raised by his white maternal

grandparents in the remotest state from the mainland. His only sibling from his mother is half Indonesian. But from his father, there are many Kenyan half brothers and sisters. Obama attended public and parochial schools in Jakarta until age ten. From fifth grade through

twelfth grade, Obama attended the Punahou Preparatory School, an independent private school on Oahu, until his graduation in 1979.

Upon finishing high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in Occidental Col-

lege. He led a protest against South Africaʼs apartheid system, calling for America to divest, all the while struggling with his black, white, Hawaiian identity. He remained there for two years and transferred to Columbia University in New York City. There he majored in political science, specializing in international relations. After obtaining a B.A. from Colombia in 1983, Obama worked for one year for Business International Corporation (BIC). It was then a publishing and advisory company dedicated to assisting American companies operating abroad. From there Obama joined the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), a nonpartisan political organization. Obama was their Project Coordinator for “Mayday,” a community-wide effort to draw attention to the poor conditions of the New York City subway stations. It was a very pointed protest against the Mass Transit Authority

tion in a housing project. Obama increased his staff from one (himself) to thirteen. He also astoundingly grew the budget from $70,000 to $400,000 annually. He also found the time to consult with and teach at the Gamaliel Foundation, a community organizing institute.

and it was his first community organizer job after graduating from Columbia.

It was in Chicago though that Obamaʼs organizational skills and business acumen readily emerged. From 1985 to 1988, he was the Director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a faith-based community organization on the far Southside. His achievements at the DCP included instituting a college preparatory tutoring program, setting up a job training program, and organizing a tenantsʼ rights associa-

Before he entered Harvard Law School in 1988, Obama took the summer to tour Europe and travel to Africa. After attending schools away from the mainland, and in Indonesia, international mingling was nothing new to him.

He visited Kenya and met for the first time his fatherʼs extensive family, including his Kenyan siblings, aunts, uncles, and surrogate grandmothers. After such an eventful summer, he was settled and ready to tackle Harvard. By the end of his first year, Obama was selected to be the editor of the Harvard Law Review. He was elected the first black president of the journal

in his second year. This caused the national spotlight to shine on him for the first time.

During the summers he journeyed back to Chicago to work as an associate at two law firms there. Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1991, receiving a Doctor of Jurisprudence.

In 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson, his summer advisor at the law firm in which he was working. At first, she declined his offers for dates, but the couple became engaged in 1991 and married in 1992. They have two children Malia Ann and Natasha, known as Sasha.

In 1995, Obama became a published author with the best-selling “Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.” His second book, “The Audacity of Hope: Reclaiming the American Dream,” became a great sensation

when it was released in 2006 and endorsed

by Oprah Winfrey for her Book Club. Much of Obamaʼs campaign strategy and rhetoric is found in his second book.

From 1997 to 2004, Obama served as an Illinois State Senator in Springfield. His focus was on government reform and health care initiatives. In January 2003, he announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate and handily defeated the Republican perennial candidate, Allan Keyes. He became the only Senator in the Congressional Black Caucus. In the U.S. Senate, Obama carried with him the same spirit of bipartisanship he had always held. He sought ways to engage his idealism on every committee on which he worked. He voted against the war in Iraq, but he worked tirelessly on behalf of veterans. He directed his concern for people

to the areas of healthcare, education, and environmental affairs. He worked diligently on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee with Senators Dick Lugar and Joe Biden.

Having achieved the greatest “first” of his political career, one would think that Obama would wear it as a badge of honor.

If there is anything he has down-played the most, it is that he

was the first African American to achieve so much in such a short time. And he has never once welcomed the spotlight to be focused on race.

This may stem from his youthful inner conflict about race.

But more than likely, it stems from the man he has grown to be.

Obama was widely quoted as saying: “There is no white America and no black America; there is only the United

States of America.”

He has vowed to be the President of that America, not an America divided by racial issues. He seems humbled by the overwhelming number of popular and electoral votes that made him President-elect of the United States in the first place. He is even more humbled by the manner in which America has seized on his dream of what America can

be. And with that America firmly galvanized behind him, Barack Obama is calmly poised on the precipice of being the most powerful leader of the most powerful country in the world. by our favorite Historian Rosalyn Shropshire-West

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Final Note

TAKE THE TIME Why would you as a responsible parent permit your teenagers to drink beer, wine coolers, or any other intoxicant? Are you trying to be their buddy or pal. Your children do not need you to be a buddy or Pal. Your children need you to train them up in the way they should go, so that when they are old, they will not depart. They need for you to have them to understand that to honor you is to do them a favor.

Everywhere you turn, you hear or see the words, “say ʻnoʼ to drugs.” I urge parents to give their children instruction. Tell them the truth. Help them to know and to recognize the various drugs that are on the market and the harmful affects that accompany ingesting them into oneʼs system. And parents, remember, you cannot teach your children what you do not know. Take the time. Talk to your local police. Make the effort to become informed about drugs. Then, inform your children.

Itʼ not enough to teach them to just “say no.” They may take a drug without knowing what it is if you have not them. Further, teach your children to refuse drugs, but

to also tell you who it is that is selling or offering the drugs to them. Then, you be responsible and report that scum - and it does not matter who that scum is! It can be your closest and dearest friend. Listen to your child.

Check out your childʼs activities and friends. Encourage your child to invite friends home for dinner or to study.

Observe them. If your child has his or her own room, remember that room is a part of your house. The house rules apply to it. If you even suspect that something amiss is going on in that room, you donʼt have to call downtown. Just call the house detective. You donʼt have to have a warrant to enter. A knock on the door will do.

You have an absolute right to inspect that room. Donʼt let it become a marijuana parlor or your house a sugar shack. Learn the signs of a person who is on drugs so as to determine if your child is presently doing drugs.. If he or she is, that child needs help. Help from you, but also professional help. Donʼt be too embarrassed or too upset or too anything but concerned. Get Help! It is abundantly available.