Saturday, July 28, 2007

PIMP C For President!!!

(For W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Subscribers Please Access The Following Link If You Have Problems Seeing And Accessing The Listening Device For Pimp C Interview: http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2007/07/pimp-c-for-president.html )

Listen To The No. 1 Reason Why Pimp C Should Have His Own Reality TV Show...Check It Out And Let B.E.T., VH-1 & MTV Know What They Are Missing:

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Don't Miss Jena 6 Special On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio This Sunday (July 29) @ 4PM CST/5PM EST!!!

This Month’s Theme Is Great Revelations, Great Expectations…

“Southern Trees Bear Strange Fruit…”
tree photo by
Michael David Murphy

The Tragedy And Triumph of The Jena 6 a.k.a. The New Scottsboro 9

Please join us this Sunday July 29 @ 4PM Central/ 5PM Eastern for a special edition of W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio…Our special guests will be some of the key people involved in the Jena 6 case a.k.a. The Scottsboro 9 saga of our times!!!

Our Featured Guests Include:

A.) Sis. Tina Jones, The Brave And Persistent Mother Of Bryant Ray Purvis One Of The Jena 6…

B.) Popular Gulf Coast Radio Personality, Entrepreneur And Activist Bro. Tony Brown


The courageous media personality who broked the case and even coined the phrase “Jena 6” almost a year ago…He has devoted many radio programs to this gross miscarriage of justice…

To Find Out More About Bro. Tony Brown Please Access the Following Link:
http://www.eyesopenwithtonybrown.com/about.asp

Check Out Bro. Tony's Popular Daily Radio Show 'Eyes Open With Tony Brown' Which Is Broadcast Live Monday-Friday In Over 200 Cities:
http://www.eyesopenwithtonybrown.com/default.asp


C.) Bro. King Downing Director Of The ACLU(American Civil Liberties Union) National Campaign Against Racial Profiling
http://www.aclu.org



Plus There Will Also Be Surprise Guests As Well…

Please Be Our Invited Guest By Calling Us Live @ 646-652-4593 Or E-mailing Us Your Questions And Comments @ r2c2h2@gmail.com

Please Listen To The Show Live By Accessing The Following Link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?host_id=1952


*Please Read The Latest R2C2H2 Newsletter And See How You Can Become An Ad Sponsor Of W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2007/07/r2c2h2-newsletter-late-springmid-summer.html

As Always Please Spread The Good News!!!

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Waiting For You!!!

More About The Jena 6 a.k.a. The Scottsboro 9 Of Our Times:

Black Nooses Hanging From The "White" Tree

By BILL QUIGLEY

In a small still mostly segregated section of rural Louisiana, an all white jury heard a series of white witnesses called by a white prosecutor testify in a courtroom overseen by a white judge in a trial of a fight at the local high school where a white student who had been making racial taunts was hit by black students. The fight was the culmination of a series of racial incidents starting when whites responded to black students sitting under the "white tree" at their school by hanging three nooses from the tree. The white jury and white prosecutor and all white supporters of the white victim were all on one side of the courtroom. The black defendant, 17 year old Mychal Bell, and his supporters were on the other. The jury quickly convicted Mychal Bell of two felonies - aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. Bell, who was a 16 year old sophomore football star at the time he was arrested, faces up to 22 years in prison. Five other black youths await similar trials on attempted second degree murder and conspiracy charges.

Yes, you read that correctly. The rest of the story, which is being reported across the world in papers in China, France and England, is just as chilling. The trouble started under "the white tree" in front of Jena High School. The "white tree" is where the white students, 80% of the student body, would always sit during school breaks.

In September 2006, a black student at Jena high school asked permission from school administrators to sit under the "white tree." School officials advised them to sit wherever they wanted. They did.

The next day, three nooses, in the school colors, were hanging from the "white tree." The message was clear. "Those nooses meant the KKK, they meant 'Niggers, we're going to kill you, we're going to hang you till you die,'" Casteptla Bailey, mom of one of the students, told the London Observer.

The Jena high school principal found that three white students were responsible and recommended expulsion. The white superintendent of schools over-ruled the principal and gave the students a three day suspension saying that the nooses were just a youthful stunt. "Adolescents play pranks," the superintendent told the Chicago Tribune, "I don't think it was a threat against anybody."(MORE)

Monday, July 23, 2007

Were These Really 'Good Times'???



'Ghetto Tour' Showcases Chicago Projects

By DON BABWIN, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jul 23, 7:56 AM ET



The yellow school bus rumbles through vacant lots and past demolished buildings on a tour of what was once one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country.

For the woman with the microphone, the "Ghetto Bus Tour" is the last gasp in a crusade to tell a different story about Chicago's notorious housing projects, something other than well-known tales about gang violence so fierce that residents slept in their bathtubs to avoid bullets.

"I want you to see what I see," says Beauty Turner, after leading the group off the bus to a weedy lot where the Robert Taylor Homes once stood. "To hear the voices of the voiceless."

Turner, a former Robert Taylor Homes resident, has been one of the most vocal critics of the Chicago Housing Authority's $1.6 billion "Plan for Transformation," which since the late 1990s has demolished 50 of the 53 public housing high-rises — including Cabrini-Green — and replaced them with mixed-income housing.

City officials have heralded the plan. But Turner believes the city once accused of leaving residents to be victimized by violent drug-dealing gangs is now pushing those same people from their homes without giving them all a place to go.

"I have people becoming homeless behind this plan, people that's living on top of each other with relatives," said Turner, who has given informal tours for years before the community newspaper she works for began renting the bus in January and charging tourists $20 for the ride. "For some it has improved their conditions, but for the multitude of many it has not."

Chicago Housing Authority officials say Turner glosses over the failures of public housing. They say the 25,000 units being built or rehabbed are enough for the number of people whose buildings were demolished.

"She is running out of bad things to show people," housing authority spokesman Bryan Zises said. "She is taking a circuitous route so she doesn't have to drive by the new stuff," including, he adds, Turner's own home in one of the new mixed-income communities.

On the tours, Turner talks about the strong, black women like herself who raised their children in the projects.

"This is where people lived, played, stayed and died here, just like in your area. ... Children played here," she tells the students, academics, activists and residents of Chicago and surrounding suburbs who take the tour — most of them white and visiting a part of Chicago they've only seen on television or from the expressway.

"The same thing that you do in your community is what the residents of public housing did in theirs," she says.

Turner takes her group by the home of Carol Wallace, 63. As the visitors make their way into a dreary looking low-slung building that has not been rehabilitated, Wallace tells of her suspicions that she and a lot of people like her are going to be left out of the "Plan for Transformation."

"Overall, I think it's just a way of getting us out of here," said Wallace, standing in front of the iron security door she lives behind. "Because they're not letting everyone back in."

Wallace's home stands in stark contrast with the nostalgic picture Turner paints of the old projects. She recalls when parents like her kept an eye on the neighbor's kids, a time when the projects shined every bit as much as the buildings now going up in their place and lawns were kept as neat as putting greens.

She downplays the years of violence, saying that all those news reports distorted what day-to-day life was like.

"All the horror stories that you heard about in the newspapers, it was not like that at all," she said.

But the stories loom over the tour. They are impossible to forget. By the time the city started pulling down or rehabilitating the projects in the late 1990s, each one had its own headlines that spoke to the failure of public housing in Chicago.

At Cabrini-Green a boy was struck by a bullet and killed as he walked hand-in-hand with his mother. At the Ida B. Wells project, a 5-year-old boy was dangled and then deliberately dropped to his death from a 14-story window by two other children.

And at Robert Taylor, where the illegal drug trade thrived, a rookie police officer was shot to death on a stakeout outside a gang drug base.

Turner could even add her own story. She saw a teenage boy shot on the very day she arrived at the Robert Taylor Homes in 1986.

Her approach had some on the tour shaking their heads.

"Are they romanticizing these communities?" asked Mark Weinberg, a 44-year-old Chicago lawyer. "These were drug-ridden, violent neighborhoods where people wanted to live a good life but couldn't."

D. Bradford Hunt, a Roosevelt University professor writing a book about Chicago's public housing, said he appreciated that Turner told the story from the perspective of tenants but wasn't quite sure what to make of the commentary.

"People got killed," he said. "You don't make that story up."

Still, Turner says the city has a duty to keep the community that law-abiding citizens of public housing built up over the decades, despite their challenges. That is what she fears is being lost, and why she'll keep giving the bus tour.

"People that come in don't want to look across the street and see seven little black churches in a three-block radius," she said. "What they want to see is a Dominick's and sushi joints and a Starbucks."

Monday, July 16, 2007

Come Meet R2C2H2 Tha Artivist In Washington D.C. On July 18

photo by Wilma Potts
R2C2H2 Tha Artivist Recently Profiled In Impact News:


Hey Gals and Guys:

My friend R2C2H2 Tha Artivist (who some of you know from the email threads) will be in town from Memphis this week and I am hosting a small reception for him at my house.

If you would like to meet him in person and see/purchase his artwork, or just have a free glass of wine please stop by.

When: Wednesday, July 18
Where: 2005 13th ST NW, 20009 (basement apt) near U ST/Cardozo Metro (Green line)
Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
What: R2C2H2 and his artwork; wine/beer and snacks; good company

Please reply by e-mail @ r2c2h2@gmail.com if you can make it. Yes, you may bring a friend.

About R2C2H2 Tha Artivist

all art is copyright property of R2C2H2 Tha Artivist
"MY JOB AS AN ARTIVIST (ARTIST + ACTIVIST) IS TO ACTIVELY PROMOTE UNDERSTANDING, LOVE AND APPRECIATION FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS AS WELL AS FOR CREATIVE PEOPLE...I USE MY ART IN PARTICULAR TO BREAK DOWN ALL TYPES OF WALLS AND BARRIERS THAT PEOPLE PUT UP EITHER TO JUSTIFY THEIR HATRED, PREJUDICE AND INDIFFERENCE OR BECAUSE OF THEIR IGNORANCE AND NAIVETE TOWARDS CERTAIN ISSUES AND TOPICS CONCERNING PEOPLE, HISTORY AND CULTURE (S)...ONE OF MY MAIN OBJECTIVES IN MY PROFESSION IS TO TEACH THE WORLD HOW TO LOVE NOT JUST TOLERATE BLACK PEOPLE AND OTHER BEAUTIFUL BEINGS AND THINGS!!! IF I REACH JUST ONE HUE-MAN BEING THAN MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE IN ALL ITS MEANING WILL BE TOTALLY JUSTIFIED!!!


copyright property of R2C2H2 Tha Artivist


My art is one created through the use and motivation of three of my main passions: my love of art, my love of music and my love of history in particular African and African American History. I love to tell stories through the use of symbols. I think four of my biggest influences, Jacob Lawrence, El Greco, Miles Davis and Paul Gaugin, have taught and convinced me that interesting stories can be told in a visually expressive and highly original individual style without the use of the written word. These artists among the countless others that I admire like Picasso, Charles White, Van Gogh, William H. Johnson, Romare Bearden, Lois Jones, Archibald Motley, George Hunt, Jean Michel Basquiat to musicians John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Run DMC, Louis Armstrong, Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf, Billie Holiday, Robert Johnson, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and 2pac remind me through their prolific outputs that research is one of the most important ingredients in forming your own artistic voice. Before I create a series of related artworks I dive deeply into the subject(s) of my choice through the use of books, movies (documentaries), music and discussions with people who are connected to the subject(s). These tasks take me countless hours to perform, but I honestly feel that me taking the time to collect and analyze the information have made me a better artist as well as a better human being. In this way I feel artists are like synthesizers, taking in all foreign information and materials mixing it with the artists' experiences and knowledge and then compressing it into a product made in the artists' likeness or image based on the artists' own ideas and philosophies. All great art to me seems to be those works that have substance and tell unwritten as well as written stories that are to be retold and reinterpreted for years to come. Hopefully my dedication to my art will continue to lead me in this direction."

Check Out The Recent R2C2H2 Newsletter:

http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2007/07/r2c2h2-newsletter-late-springmid-summer.html

Other Artivist Contact Info:

Phone: (901) 299-4355

E-mail: rcherdii@yahoo.com

Websites:
http://www.r2c2h2.com/
http://www.cafepress.com/r2c2h2
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe
http://www.weallbe.blogspot.com/
http://www.jazzlieutenant.blogspot.com/
http://www.soldierboygrip.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/r2c2h2


Thursday, July 12, 2007

R2C2H2 Newsletter-Late Spring/Mid-Summer 2007 Edition

1.) W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Is Beyond Category!!!

Six Months Has Passed Since Its Inception On Jan. 7,2007, But It's Official: Tha Artivist Presents...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Is A Certifiable Success And An Undeniable Populist Hit!!!




Many Thanks To All The Fans And Supporters Who Have Faithfully Tuned In, Listened Up, Called, E-mailed And Spread The Good News!!!


This Is A Brand/Movement That Was Truly And Purely Made By Grassroots Support, Word Of Mouth And Unconditional Love...


Thanks To The Hundreds And Thousands Of People That Downloaded And Listened To The Little Internet Radio Show That Could...


The Guests Are Truly Headliners And Legends In Every Sense Of The Phrase…Listen To The Words Of Wisdom Being Dropped And As Always Please Spread The Good News!!!


Check Out The Last Three Months To See What All The Fuss Has Been About:











Frequently Asked Question:

What Others Ways Can We Support Tha Artivist Presents...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio???

A.) Buy Ad Space

Quality Guests+Quality Host+Quality Content= $$$

That's Right The Internet Provides You With Access To Over Millions And Billions Of Potential Customers...What better way to get your message out to the masses than by a proven internet radio show highly favored and enjoyed by those same masses on a consistently weekly basis??? W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Is A Proven Brand With A Following...

For Reasonable Rates We @ Tha Artivist Presents...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Will Be More Than Happy To Let Our Listeners Know About Your Product And Cause On A Weekly Basis Without Fail...Please e-mail us @ r2c2h2@gmail.com or call 901-299-4355 if you have any further comments/questions

B.) Be Our Guest...

That's Right If U Ain't Scared To Get On The Air And Express Yourself Then W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Is Just The Right Place for You...We are always looking for interesting people to showcase and interview...If you are that somebody then please feel to tell us why and send us an e-mail with some info about yourself @ r2c2h2@gmail.com
C.) Donate

Tha Artivist Presents...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio was a project started out of love for the people not money...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Is A Leader In Making Sure That The Lion's Side Of The Story Is Told As Well As The Hunter's...

Dedication,perseverance, discipline, passion and patience are the keys to success in any endeavor...Although money isn't the objective it is still useful as a resource to help acquire services such as keeping the internet and phone services on for us @ W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio...We have interesting stories to tell about those subjects alone , but we will save that for another day and possible chapter in the upcoming book...But if you heard anything on the nearly 40 shows that has made you a better person by inspiring you to make a change in your life as well as a difference in the lives of others then feel free to give us some $funds$...

Please donate by giving to our PayPal account by clicking on the following link:




Freely Subscribe To The Show By Clicking On The Following Link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/feeds/weallbe

As Always You Can Catch Tha Artivist Presents…W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Live Every Sunday @ 4PM Central/5PM Eastern By Clicking On The Following Link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?host_id=1952


As Always Please Spread The Good News!!!


~~~~~~~~~


2.) Become A Patron Of Tha Artivist...Buy And Support!!!


A.) Hire Tha Artivist To Speak And Perform At Your Event !!!

Photo By Wilma Potts
CliCk On The Following For More Info:

http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2007/07/hire-r2c2h2-tha-artivist-to-speak-and.html


B.) Buy Artivist Stuff By R2C2H2 @ Cafepress.com



What the folks have been saying about Artivist Stuff merchandise:


"Ron, your work is still jaw-dropping. Way to make art accessible to poor student folks. The fam loved the art on clothing I gave as Christmas gifts. keep doing what you're doing."

---Kristin S.(Austin,Tx)







More Artivist Stuff Available @:
http://www.cafepress.com/r2c2h2

C.) Buy James Reese Europe: Jazz Lieutenant

*Named To The Smithsonian Institute's Jazz Books For Young Kids And Adults List*
Official Website:
http://www.jazzlieutenant.blogspot.com/
Buy @ Amazon:

D.) Buy R2C2H2 Art Prints Framed/Unframed

Powerful U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters Is A Fan Of Tha Artivist...


Living Civil Rights Legend Dr. Benjamin Hooks Is A Fan Of
Tha Artivist...

Progressive U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen(Tennessee District 9-D) Is A Fan Of Tha Artivist ...

The Great Award Winning Actress, Activist, Writer, Entrepreneur And Fitness Guru Jane Fonda Is A Fan Of Tha Artivist...

So The Question Remains...
Are You A Fan Of Tha Artivist???

What the folks have been saying about R2C2H2 Art prints:
"Thanks so much for the incredible artwork and the efficient process!"
---Brian S. (New York,NY)

What's The Price???
We are selling framed, matted, numbered, signed and ready to hang R2C2H2 Art (size, 16" x 20") for $110 plus $20 shipping + handling…I am also selling 11" x 17" unframed signed prints for the special limited price of 2 for $65 plus $10 for shipping and handling…
Check Out The Following Sites For Available R2C2H2 Art:
http://www.r2c2h2.com/
How To Place An Order:
Use my paypal account to pay your order and e-mail r2c2h2@gmail.com with your exact order details (ex. The title of unframed print/framed print (s), mailing address etc.,...)
Turn around is very quick and you will receive your item(s) in two to three business days upon receipt of funds.

E.) As Always A Brother Is Doing Artastic Commissions:
Le Jazze Hot

Jazzy Lady
~~~~~~~~~

3.) W.E. A.L.L. B.E. The Alternative To The Alternative News Is Looking For Contributors:
Many Thanks To The Invaluable Support That The People Have Provided To Insure The Growth And Survival Of The E-News Blog Sensation Known As W.E. A.L.L. B.E....Our Purpose Was To Always Make This A Community Project...
We need the community support now more than ever...If you have anything orignal or newsworthy that you want W.E. A.L.L. B.E. to put out for the masses please let us know by either e-mail r2c2h2@gmail.com or by calling us@ 901-299-4355...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. looks forward in playing an even bigger part in insuring that those often maligned voices in our community will have their platform and their say...This call is open to any and every thing and is on going!!!

Please Visit The Alternative To The Alternative News @ The Following Address:

http://www.weallbe.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~


4.) Get You Read On By Checking Out The Last Three Full Months Of W.E. A.L.L. B.E.:

June

http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html

May

http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html

April

http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html


~~~~~~~~~

5.) Looking For Money/Scholarships For College, Paid Internships, Jobs After Graduation???


Then Visit The Award Winning And Nationally Recognized Website Known As:
http://www.ctherd.blogspot.com/

~~~~~~~~~

6.) *W.E. A.L.L. B.E. FESTIVAL COMING THIS FALL 2007!!!
STAY TUNED TO
W.E. A.L.L. B.E. FOR MORE DETAILS!!!*


~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Everybody For Your Continued Support...And In The Words Of The Immortal Duke Ellington We Love You Madly!!!

As Always Look For Me In The Whirlwind...
Artastically, Blacktastically, and Jazzliciously yours,

http://www.r2c2h2.com
http://www.cafepress.com/r2c2h2
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe
http://www.weallbe.blogspot.com
http://www.jazzlieutenant.blogspot.com
http://www.soldierboygrip.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/r2c2h2

*If You Like To Be Removed From This Mailing List Please Reply And Write "Remove" In The Subject Line Or Body...No Need To Be Impolite…Thanks!!!*









Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Each One Teach One On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio...O7/08/07

This Month's Theme On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Revelations And Great Expectations...

Sis. Sherie Said:

Hey Bro,

You are the man! What a delightful experience that interview was. Howard was right, what a great trio we were. Age differences, parts of the country, educations and race. I learned a lot.

My mother taught me to write real thank you letters - you know, the snail mail type. Where do I send one to you? Do you produce your show? If not, who is your producer, too, please.

Thank you for expanding my horizons.

I'm glad I'm your sis.

Sis. Shamontiel Said:

I enjoyed the last show you invited me on, but this one is my favorite because I got to talk about my passion for education, the Harlem Renaissance, and you had some great guests on there to educate people on voting and diversity. Thank you for inviting me on and letting me get some information out there. As for your other guest, what an intelligent and thought-provoking conversationalist Sherie is. The person who called in had some great views as well, and I'm glad he called in to share his thoughts. You've got a great show on your hands and some of the most relevant topics to date. Keep doing you, and I'll keep listening.

Tha Artivist Writes:

On Sunday July 8, 2007 intergenerational reaching and teaching was definitely the order of the day on Tha Artivist Presents…W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio…Yours truly had the honor and privilege of sharing the airwaves with two passionate women of the written word and the valiant deed…Sis. Sherie Lebedis and Sis. Shamontiel Vaughn definitely went together like Ebony and Ivory…Not only do these beautiful kindred spirits share a love for writing but they also have a passion for speaking truth to power and activism on the college campus and beyond…

Sis. Sherie talked about her experiences as a middle class White suburbanite from California registering rural Black voters in South Carolina during the turbulent 1960s…She also talked about her experiences as the only White student @ Allen University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in Columbia, South Carolina during the 1960s as well…

Sis. Shamontiel, an alum of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri another HBCU respectively, shared her experiences as a student activist on a mission at her first college of choice , Northern Michigan University…She shared with us her inspiring story of actually changing the curriculum requirements to stress the importance of African American Studies and diversity in an overwhelmingly White student population through her one woman protest and letter writing campaign…Although she transferred to Lincoln University her efforts were not in vain as you will hear in this interview…She also talked about going to a HBCU where half the student population was White (quite different from Sis. Sherie’s experiences @ Allen University in the 1960s)…

Other Topics We Touched Upon Include:
Voting
Politics
American Culture
Education
The Consequences of Brown v. Board Decision

Please Listen To The Actual Show By Clicking On The Following Link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2007/07/08/tha-artivist-presentswe-all-be-radio

Please check out the following for more info on our guests…

Our Scheduled Featured Guests Were...


1.) Civil Rights Movement Veteran, Activist, Author And Educator Sherie Labedis
(Sherie Holbrook)




SCLC, SCOPE, South Carolina, 1965-66

http://www.crmvet.org/vet/labedis.htm

I was a voter registration worker in rural Berkeley County, SC. I walked miles and encouraged entire farming communities to register and vote. We helped the local workers de-segregate restaurants. We helped people fill out confusing paperwork. We were witnesses to the fact that white people are not all prejudiced.

I went south feeling like I was taking freedom to the people I would find there. Instead they taught me wisdom, patience and endurance. I attended Allen University, an African Methodist Episcopal college in Columbia, SC. I was the only white student. I became a U.S. history teacher and retired after 35 years to write a book about my experiences. My story "A Line in the Sand" was published in Chicken Soup for the African American Woman's Soul.


2.) Author Extraordinaire, Entrepreneur And Enamored With The Culture Of Hip Hop Shamontiel L. Vaughn a.k.a. Maroon Sista
http://www.myspace.com/shamontiel_maroonsista

ABOUT THE NOVEL Change For A Twenty:
Growing up is hard enough, but when six completely opposite people meet to argue, cry, laugh, pledge, fight, and hang together on a Historically Black College campus, a bond is formed. Seleste is a college junior with her own place, no boyfriend, and determined to hold on to her virginity. Her best friend, Cara, is a college junior who lives in the dorms, has an on-again off-again boyfriend, Arnez, and thinks sex is the answer to all her problems. Travis, nicknamed Memo, is a troubled senior from New York who came to Chicago, running from his fathers past as a crooked cop. Jermaine wants to join a fraternity and O wants to get rid of the Super Senior trait hes earned. Change for a Twenty is a fiction novel set in Chicago about six college friends, two nemeses, and the path to adulthood.

Check out Shamontiel L. Vaughn's debut on W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio:
http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/blogtalkradio/show_22842.wax

Also, feel free to visit http://www.lulu.com/shamontiel to find out more background information on the author and the book.


As Always You Can Catch Tha Artivist Presents…W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Every Sunday @ 4PM Central/5PM Eastern By Clicking On The Following Link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?host_id=1952
As Always Please Spread The Good News!!!

Good Leaders Produce Good Leaders: Miles Davis

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Subscribers Please Access The Following Link To View Videos In Article:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2007/07/good-leaders-produce-good-leaders-miles.html


Tha Artstorian Lays The Bassline Down...Artivation 101 Style...

I love the music of Miles Davis…He may not have been the greatest technician of his instrument like a Louis Armstrong or Dizzy Gillespie but he was still a virtuoso in his own right…He was always effective with his trademark warm, dark beautiful tone which sounded like the voice and pleas of a woman who needed attention and wanted to give the world her affections…And one thing Miles possessed above everyone else was an amazing charisma to attract some of the greatest musicians of his generation as well as other generations...Whether it was alto saxophonists Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker or Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderly; pianists Bill Evans or Herbie Hancock; drummers Max Roach or Tony Williams; arrangers Gil Evans or Quincy Jones and even rocker Prince or rapper Big Daddy Kane, Miles always found a way to get what he musically wanted…

Miles Davis Interview With Bryant Gumbel


To paraphrase Miles he used to say that he personally learned more from his band than they could ever learn from him…Modesty aside Miles did have something to teach and his band learned it well…

One reason why Miles was such a successful leader was that he gave people space to musically and individually be themselves ...Whether it was letting them play their instruments to their heart’s desire like John Coltrane or letting them have conceptual input into a creation of a timeless song or mood like Gil Evans or letting them write award winning liner notes for a legendary album like Bill Evans, Miles always found a way to incorporate and accommodate everyone’s passions and talents into his musical world or as Bro. Ray Charles would say letting do what it do…

He knew his OWN strengths and weaknesses well which allowed him to further exploit everyone’s else’s strengths and weaknesses...For example, if Miles thought of something musically that his limitations on trumpet would not allow him to play he always had a plethora of virtuoso musicians in his band to call upon to do so…Miles was an expansive not restrictive thinker and doer...He always found ways to add ideas into his ever evolving musical world…In other words Miles embraced the unknown and ideas that were bigger than himself…Big things popping little things stopping as rapper T.I. would say…

Miles demonstrated that being a good leader is always about having the best personnel around you or inspiring those around you to participate in the creative process to their highest levels possible…Good leaders recognize their is more than one way to solve a problem or get to the solution of a matter…Good leaders put all of their resources, no matter how limited or expansive, to good use...Good leaders are not worried or intimidated if their people are or are perceived to be better than them, all they care about is getting the job done at the highest quality possible…

The Visual Art Of Miles Davis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaX_ujXTwVo

Miles had the faith that no matter what he will be a willing and free participant in wherever the winds of change may take or lead him…By doing so not only did Miles find his musical voice or style, but also his disciples who spread and will continue to spread his artistic message for many generations to come…Like Miles all good leaders must be able to adapt in order to be successful and to have longevity in their field of choice…

And for the record everybody who played with Miles ended up being good leaders of their own bands which proves my point that good leaders produce good leaders…

Miles Davis And John Coltrane Plays So What


In conclusion, all good leaders are like Johnny Appleseeds, planting seeds that will manifest in the right season and reap a bountiful harvest…Good leaders are prophets who will deliver the message by any means necessary…They also know that disadvantages are just opportunities waiting to be exploited and that success is only a matter of “when” and not “if”…


So Ask Yourself Are You A Good Leader???

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Hi Five's Tony Thompson's Death Ruled 'Accidental'


Tha Artivist Says: I Don't Know How Accidental This Really Was...Huffing On Freon Like Anything Else Is Bound To Catch Up With You...We All Make Life/Death Decisions Everyday...Some Die Fast While Others Die Slow...But It Seems Like The Good Die Young Or Mostly Over Bullshit...R.I.P. Tony Thompson...I Know You, David Ruffin, Frankie Lymon, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye And Johnny Ace Are Definitely Setting It Off Up In Heaven...

Tony Thompson Death Ruled Accidental OD
By: Julianne Shepherd
POSTED: 08:06 EST, July 2, 2007

Autopsy report says Hi-Five singer passed while huffing Freon.

Tony Thompson, singer of R&B group Hi-Five, died from inhaling toxic levels of Freon, according to an autopsy report. The substance is a hydrocarbon commonly used in air conditioners and refrigerators.

The report, released last Friday (June 29) by a medical examiner at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas, Tex., said Thompson had a history of inhaling freon. It also noted his bloodstream contained trace amounts of methadone, a drug commonly used to combat heroin addiction, but that no other drugs or alcohol were found in his body.

As a member of Hi-Five, Thompson went platinum with such hits as "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)," "I Can't Wait Another Minute" and "I Just Can't Handle It." He released a solo album, Sexsational, in 1995. Though Hi-Five dissolved in the '90s, Thompson had reunited the group with four new members, who released The Return in 2005.

Thompson's body was discovered June 1 outside an apartment complex in his hometown of Waco, Texas. He was 31 years old.
More Tony Thompson On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. :

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Venus Wins Wimbledon In Historic Fashion...

In The Spirit Of Althea Gibson...


Venus Williams Win Wimbledon Title...


July 7, 2007
By Duncan Bech Special to PA SportsTicker

WIMBLEDON, England - Venus Williams claimed her fourth Wimbledon singles title with an efficient 6-4, 6-1 victory over Marion Bartoli on Centre Court.

Williams, competing in her sixth final at the All England Club, overpowered her 22-year-old opponent with a display which was ruthlessly effective at key moments.


The American met with stubborn resistance throughout as Bartoli, who was clearly fatigued from yesterday's epic triumph over No. 1 seed Justine Henin, battled bravely for every point.

Bartoli had produced one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history in toppling Henin but there was to be no fairytale ending to her fifth appearance at SW19 and best run at a Grand Slam event.

"Venus played some unbelievable tennis," Bartoli said. "I mean, she reached some balls like I never see one person reach on a tennis court, and she would even hit it harder back to me. So I really tried my best I think, and I played a great match, but at the end she was just too good.

"I can't say a player can beat her when she plays like this on grass. I mean, it's not possible to beat her. She's just too good, you know."

But she had made history by contesting the lowest-ranked women's final at the All England Club - Williams was seeded 23 and Bartoli 18.

Williams sounded an ominous warning when she blazed through the opening game by winning every point, and then picked apart Bartoli's serve in the second.

The Frenchwoman, ranked 19 in the world, looked nervous and double faulted on break point to hand Williams a 2-0 lead. Williams was glued to the baseline where she could overpower her opponent with a string of accurate, powerful strokes.

With her stamina sapped by yesterday's epic against Henin, Bartoli double faulted once again to concede another break point in the fourth - only for Williams to squander the opportunity with a long forehand.

It was Williams' turn to double fault in the fifth, conceding two break points and hitting the second long to haul her opponent back into the set.

The American's error-count was growing steadily as her earlier authority vanished, largely as a result of the resistance offered by Bartoli.

Bartoli was serving to save the set in the 10th and she wilted in the face of a ferocious onslaught from Williams, who accompanied every shot with a loud cry of intent.

A double fault handed the 27-year-old two set points. The first was saved with a fine passing shot but Williams smashed the second out of reach.

Bartoli came under siege early in the second set and initially dug herself out of trouble with a series of crisp forehands, only to then be broken by a thunderous Williams backhand.

Play was interrupted when the former junior French Open champion required treatment on an array of blisters on her left foot and Williams followed suit, receiving attention to her left leg.

Bartoli was first up on her feet and she grew impatient waiting for Williams, whose thigh was now heavily strapped.

When play finally resumed, Bartoli raced through her serve and caught the eye with a precise lob which left Williams stranded.

But she conceded three break points in the sixth with Williams smashing a vicious backhand to claim the third.

Serving for the match, Williams ended Bartoli's resistance with an unstoppable serve to take the set 6-1 - and the title.

Williams admitted the victory was made all the sweeter by her season-long struggle with a wrist injury that has affected her world ranking.

"I have so many people to thank. My sister Serena inspired me by winning the Australian Open at the start of the year. I wanted to be like her," Venus Williams said. "My mum helped me out in the first round and my family knows what I went through when I was off with the injury.

"It was a long road back with some tough losses to take. But it was great to be here and Marion was a really tough opponent. It's so exciting to win four titles. I always believed I could do it, but to actually do it is something different completely."

Bartoli paid tribute to her father and coach Walter and set her sights on winning next year's Wimbledon title.

"I'm disappointed with the result but I have to thank everyone on Centre Court for the support I've had," Bartoli said. "The world number one on grass is Venus so congratulations to her for the way she played here.

"For me to play in the final on Centre Court was a dream come true and it is possible because of one person only - my dad. Thank you Dad. I'll be happy if I come back here next year and reach the final again - with the trophy in my hands."


A Line In The Sand

By Sherie Labedis

Blue. Once the paint was blue.Weathered, sun tarnished, the house slumped on the sand in the clearing. The door stood open, and though the few windows were glass free, it was dark inside.A roof of rusted tin shaded the front porch and steps, never painted. A shabby cane chair, a broken box of firewood, that’s all there was.

She was as weathered as her home, dressed in a gray skirt; the blouse darker gray, but still gray.Her hair, black and gray, was pulled severely back from her face. Her skirt stopped at cracked, bare feet as she stood on the hot sand and watched me trudge up the road.

The same grit of the lane pulled at my low heeled white pumps making each step a commitment. The runs in my nylons and scratches on my legs were witness to an earlier encounter with a raspberry bush. I’d read books about the sun searing the skin on the desert. Not here. The clouds formed a lid on the pot I’d simmered in since June. Sweat oozed persistently between my breasts, under my arms, down my thighs. My blond hair sagged against my neck for support. Many hand washings had not released a moldy whisper from my orange and yellow striped cotton dress, which glued itself to my damp body. I yearned to be dry.

What was she thinking as she watched me? White folks drive up in cars; they don’t walk up to the house. She went to church regularly and perhaps she guessed who I was as we frequented churches encouraging people to vote. When I reached her, her eyes were veiled, but not cold. She didn’t trust me, but she wasn’t locking me out.

“Evenin’. Mrs. Crawford?” I asked.

“Evenin’,” she answered, her voice almost a whisper as she looked at her feet. She wasn’t going to help me.

“My name is Sherie Holbrook and I am here registering voters for Martin Luther King.”

I had said the magic words, Martin Luther King, and she looked up at me quickly and then down.

“We’re talking to people about going to the court house to register to vote. Have you registered yet?” I wished she would offer me a glass of water.

The soft voice answered, “Yes, ma’am.” Perhaps I would go away now.

I didn’t believe her.I had been taught to say exuberantly, “Good for you, so few people have. Do you have your registration card?”

“Yes, ma’am.”She turned toward the house, limping slightly as she walked up groaning steps and disappeared into the darkness. Time went by. I thought she had decided not to return. Sometimes, that’s what folks did. They just disappeared so they wouldn’t have to explain they were terrified to vote.

This was the summer of 1965 and waves of change were crashing against shoals of tradition across the American South. The American Negro demanded freedom and the rights that freedom bestows and they were determined to get that freedom now! For many, the price for that freedom was costly. Some of the people we met told us that Negro votes were not counted, so there was no reason to vote. They knew that some people who resisted the system lost their jobs, like Rosa Parks when she refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Some relied on surplus food to feed large families when the income from chopping cotton fell short. With the mere flourish of a pen, this source of sustenance could disappear. There were beatings, lynchings, bombings and burnings. Just having us in the community could have lethal consequences as it had in Neshoba County, Mississippi where churches were burned and three civil rights workers disappeared. A year later their tortured bodies were found buried in an earthen dam. In Birmingham, Alabama a church was bombed and four little black girls in Sunday school died in the rubble. We represented change, but we also represented danger and eventually we would leave and the community would be left with the Ku Klux Klan, the White Citizen’s Council and politicians who owed their success to stopping this change at any cost. Terrorism wasn’t shipped from afar; it was home grown and racially specific.

Now I brought that danger into her dooryard.Mrs. Crawford had no job and her husband could not be fired.He died longago.S he had no children who could be hurt. They had moved north for jobs in the cities. Her house was all she had, and she knew it could easily be burned to the ground. That’s what happened to her church when the white “Civil Right” people came and held their mass meetings there.

Her hands were empty except for calluses when she reappeared.She watched the ground as she came closer.“Cain’t find it.” she mumbled an apology.

“But you don’t need it.” I didn’t want her to get away.“You can help us anyway because you have registered to vote.” She glanced up at me for a second.

“On next Monday, we are taking a bus of people down to Monck’s Corner to register. If you come with us, you can help them understand how important voting is and they will see that you have done it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she murmured.I’ll come.”

“We are meeting at Redeemer Church at 10:00I insisted.

“Yes, ma’am.”

***

Mrs. Crawford was not there as the old, faded green bus crunched across the church parking lot and rested before the crowd of quiet people. The importance of the occasion was clear that sultry morning:Sunday dresses and suits, fancy hats with feathers and tulle, polished shoes, pocketbooks.They were too quiet, too afraid, but they were there.They deserved more. They deserved to celebrate their courage! Florence began to sing, “Oh, Freedom.Oh, Freedom.Oh, Freedom over me.And before I’d be a slave, I’d be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free.”The crowd tentatively followed her lead.

We stepped up the tempo by singing “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.”Voices committed more in volume and conviction.With "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round", the crowd picked up the verse and their pride as everyone got on the bus and it slowly whined out onto the road.

Inside the bus fans fluttered like butterflies to beat back the heat.Many had pictures of Martin Luther King on them, others the image of Jesus.Someone else saw her first, walking slowly toward the church, waving her handkerchief. The bus creaked to a stop and Mrs. Crawford stepped up.

She came down the aisle to the empty seat next to me and smiled as she met my eyes.

“Everyone! We’re so lucky. Mrs. Crawford has already registered to vote and she has come to answer any questions about doing it.” Applause.We went on singing.


She sat quietly next to me in her broad brimmed straw hat. Five miles went by, and then she whispered, I ain’t never registred.”

I whispered back, “But, you will today.”

“But, I cain’t read or write.”

“I’ll teach you.You just need to sign your name.”

“I cain’t”

“We have time. I’ll show you.”

I took a pencil from my purse and turned to the back of the map of Berkeley County. I slowly wrote Rebecca Crawford.It was too much; I could tell as a furrow tightened between her eyes and her gaze dropped to her lap.

“Wait. Let’s start one letter at a time. Here, write over the top of this letter R.”

I wrote the R and handed her the pencil and paper. Awkwardly, she traced the letter over and over.“Now, write the R fresh here below”.Her hand shook as she tried. I couldn’t recognize the letter and we started again.

Fifteen miles is not very far when you’re trying to overcome 250 years of defeat. We registered 150 people that day, but Rebecca Crawford was not one of them. She asked me to come and teach her, so she could “registr” next time. I promised I would. I had nothing to give her with her name on it when I kept the map.

More than a month went by. As much as I remembered my promise, my other responsibilities kept me away. Begging our project director for some time to visit her, the time at last came where my promise could be fulfilled.

The road was as long and as hot as before.Far ahead, I could see someone moving toward me.I recognized the straw hat first, then a basket on her arm and finally that beaming, delighted face.

“It’s you!” She set down her basket in the middle of the road and raised her arms to heaven in thanks. I shook her hand and smiled back into her eyes. Before I could say anything, she said,

Chile, I been wonderin’ where you was.Sunday I prayed that you come and learn me how to write.”

I explained I had been busy trying to get other folks to register.

“When I gots up this mornin’ I was feeling something extra good was gonna happen today.I cleaned my house real good.I felt so grand I come on down the road. I saw you and I knew what that good was.Look what I cain do.”>

She bent down and picked up a stick. With a steady hand she wrote Rebecca slowly and deliberately in the sand.




About Sherie Labedis

"Is the right to vote worth dying for?" This question filled the minds of the black folks and white volunteers encouraging them to register in the summer of 1965.The essay, "A Line in the Sand," describes the dangers for black people voting at this time, the manner in which people were recruited to vote, and the courageous personal stories of two women.

In 1965 Sherie Labedis was a white volunteer enlisted by Martin Luther King Jr. to get black voters to register and vote. She was 18 and a middle class college student from California. Mrs. Rebecca Crawford was sixty, an illiterate black woman burdened with the racist legacy of the South. Her response to being treated with genuine respect led to a friendship that lasted through twenty-eight years and two generations

This Sunday The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio...

This Month's Theme On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Revelations And Great Expectations...

Please Join Us This Sunday July 8, 2007 @ 4PM Central/5pm Eastern For Tha Artivist Presents...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio

Link To Listen To Show Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?host_id=1952 Call In Number: 646-652-4593
E-mail: r2c2h2@gmail.com

Our Scheduled Featured Guests Are...


1.) Civil Rights Movement Veteran, Activist, Author And Educator Sherie Labedis
(Sherie Holbrook)




SCLC, SCOPE, South Carolina, 1965-66

http://www.crmvet.org/vet/labedis.htm

I was a voter registration worker in rural Berkeley County, SC. I walked miles and encouraged entire farming communities to register and vote. We helped the local workers de-segregate restaurants. We helped people fill out confusing paperwork. We were witnesses to the fact that white people are not all prejudiced.

I went south feeling like I was taking freedom to the people I would find there. Instead they taught me wisdom, patience and endurance. I attended Allen University, an African Methodist Episcopal college in Columbia, SC. I was the only white student. I became a U.S. history teacher and retired after 35 years to write a book about my experiences. My story "A Line in the Sand" was published in Chicken Soup for the African American Woman's Soul.


2.) Author Extraordinaire, Entrepreneur And Enamored With The Culture Of Hip Hop Shamontiel L. Vaughn a.k.a. Maroon Sista
http://www.myspace.com/shamontiel_maroonsista

ABOUT THE NOVEL Change For A Twenty:
Growing up is hard enough, but when six completely opposite people meet to argue, cry, laugh, pledge, fight, and hang together on a Historically Black College campus, a bond is formed. Seleste is a college junior with her own place, no boyfriend, and determined to hold on to her virginity. Her best friend, Cara, is a college junior who lives in the dorms, has an on-again off-again boyfriend, Arnez, and thinks sex is the answer to all her problems. Travis, nicknamed Memo, is a troubled senior from New York who came to Chicago, running from his fathers past as a crooked cop. Jermaine wants to join a fraternity and O wants to get rid of the Super Senior trait hes earned. Change for a Twenty is a fiction novel set in Chicago about six college friends, two nemeses, and the path to adulthood.

Check out Shamontiel L. Vaughn's debut on W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio:
http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/blogtalkradio/show_22842.wax

Also, feel free to visit the Geocities page to find out more background information on the author and the book.


As Always You Can Catch Tha Artivist Presents…W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Every Sunday @ 4PM Central/5PM Eastern By Clicking On The Following Link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?host_id=1952
As Always Please Spread The Good News!!!