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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this press release are not the official views, opinions, beliefs or perspectives of W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News or The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc....W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News is an organization that thoroughly believes in supplementing the information narrative that is usually supplied by the corporate news entities with those viewpoints/expressions which may be marginalized or ignored for a plethora of reasons...We are about informing the general public on alternative perspectives as it relates to news and information and letting the general public be the ultimate judge in deciding on how to use said information...Informed citizens are responsible citizens...Thank you for your support!!!
***For Immediate Release***
Contact:
Bro. Ron C. Herd II aka R2C2H2 Tha Artivist
E-mail: weallbe@gmail.com
Phone: 901-299-4355
Website: weallbe.org
FaceBook: http://bit.ly/2nagGty
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BABA & ME: My Thoughts On The Late Great Baba Dick Gregory
Photos: My Last Pics WITh Baba Dick GREgory, Mother's Day 2017 IN St. Louis, MO.
Photo: My First Photo With Baba Dick Gregory, June 2012, Sankofa Bookstore, Washington D.C.
“The Free Man Is The Man With NO Fears.” ~Dick Gregory
(Sunrise 10/12/1932 - Sunset 8/19/2017)
By
Bro. Ron C. Herd II aka R2C2H2 Tha Artivist
9/18/2017
Baba Dick Gregory was a Holy Man, Who Cuss A Lot, But His Heart, Like His Mission, Was Larger Than Life. Hollywood could not imagine a character like him. He is Forrest Gump with a brain, a moral compass and a sense of purpose. Who he is and what he is about is not accidental or a stroke of luck but divinely inspired, conspired and calculated. He is not a funnyman but a conjure man, he is not a clown but a trickster and he is not a storyteller but a master griot in the greatest African tradition. Baba Dick was to modern comedy what Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk & company were to modern jazz: you had to stop being silly, dancing and laughing in order to pay attention and actually seriously hear and listen to what they were communicating via their craft in order to receive the real blessing/nourishment. I always tell people that true Black History is better than Hollywood fiction and it can sometimes be stranger than Science Fiction. Baba Dick Gregory was the ultimate Uncle Tom, one of the greatest shapeshifters of all time. By the way research the original meaning of the phrase ‘Uncle Tom’ and you will ‘overstand’ what I am talking about, Baba taught me that, see how it works??? In the span of 84 years he was able to live 9 very distinctive lifetimes, constantly reinventing himself with the only constants being a dedicated and faithful servant to ‘Hue-Manity’ and the ultimate soldier for true social justice and ‘universoul’ peace. He went from being a person weighing nearly 400 pounds, smoking 4 packs of cigarettes and drinking a 5th of scotch daily to a person weighing 98 pounds, utilizing extreme fasting for several months to protest the horrors of the Vietnam War and to running 50 miles daily cross country to protest worldwide hunger. He was the spiritual guru of both Beatles Legend John Lennon & his Yoko Uno helping them to not only detox from ‘the evils’ of the high life but also co-composing (uncredited) ARGUABLY John Lennon’s biggest hit, ‘Imagine.’ He was the nutritionist for the Greatest, Muhammad Ali, helping him to win key boxing matches later in his career, he was the holistic doctor to both the G.O.A.T. entertainer Michael Jackson & the G.O.A.T. Black politico, former Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, intervening to save and extend their lives, albeit briefly, from the clutches of the terrorism which is a system of White supremacy/racism…He wore so many hats and was so many different things to so many different people…He was the best friend and confidant of, albeit briefly, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Medgar Evers, all iconic freedom fighters of the Black liberation struggle, all loving patriarchs of young Black families and all dead before the age of 40. Baba Dick was the ultimate Brothers’ Keeper because he not only carried the cross of his burdens, but he also had to pick up the generational crosses and burdens of his fellow warriors who were cut down in their prime on the battlefield of white supremacy.
Baba Dick’s greatest weapon was information. He knew information was power. He also knew that some of the most powerful institutions in this system are ran on information, whether it be the FBI, CIA, DIA, NSA, Wall Street or Las Vegas gambling among other things. He also believed in the power of the Black media to tell the story, struggles and triumphs of our people. He invested heavily in information whether it be spending thousands of dollars weekly on newspapers, being the deciding vote in saving the now popular ‘The Democracy Now!’ news program form extinction at Pacific Radio, or helping a young and ambitious entrepreneur named Cathy Hughes in co-hosting her daily talk radio show on her upstart media platform known as Radio One, Baba Dick ‘overstood’ that people must know before they can act in the desired manner and to paraphrase the great ancestor Ida B. Wells-Barnett there is no greater educator than the press.
What I love about Baba Dick was his ability to embrace the new technological phenomena known as social media to effectively leverage and amplify his message of ‘universoul truth,’ social justice, history, health, and ‘lovability.’ He told me on several occasions that the wonders of alternative media platforms like mine in particular and the internet in general has allowed him to be bigger now than he ever was 50 years ago. I often find that hard to grasp when you consider that he was once one of the highest paid entertainers, at one point making more money annually than Frank Sinatra, and the 1st Black person to ever run for President of the United States (mind you unlike Shirley Chisholm, Rev. Jesse Jackson or Barack Obama he did not have to go the primary voting route of a Democratic or Republican candidate, but he rather ran as an independent write-in candidate) effectively garnering both a large number of votes (according to the Wall Street Journal, Baba Dick allegedly won Pennsylvania with 9 million votes but it was later retracted by the powers that be and attributed to a rare computer glitch in the voting system, yeah right) and attention for his causes.
With that said there was an unexpected Baba Dick Gregory renaissance starting in 2013. But first let me back up. I have known Baba Dick Gregory for 6 yrs. In 2009, the late great Marcus Jones, a friend and the father of Mychal Bell one of the Jena 6, suggested back in 2009 that I interview Baba Dick. He told me how instrumental he was in keeping him spiritually grounded and encouraged as he and others led the fight to exonerate his son and the five other African American males who were targets of a ‘just us’ system bent on emasculating, genociding and destroying the lives and potential of Black folks. He gave me Baba Dick’s phone number to his home in Plymouth, MA. I called and a female I think who was Baba Dick’s wife, The BE-YOU-TOO-FULL Sis. Lillian, answered the phone and told me to fax my interview request. Simple request, after all I was sitting in my car at a FedEx’s Kinkos in Memphis when I made the call. However, It took me 2 years to fax that request. I do not really know why it took me so long to do so. Before I finally did I had to do some research on my potential subject. I went to my local library to check out Baba Dick’s classic autobiography ‘Nigger.’ Finally, I made the call again and faxed my request, and it changed my life. Feb. 9, 2011, was the first of many times that I interviewed Baba Dick Gregory. The 1st interview was live for my podcast, W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio, in primetime on blogtalkradio, hundreds of listeners anticipating his every word as well as hundreds of callers waiting to join the conversation. It was truly surreal for me.
But the real 2nd Act or maybe 9th Act for the Dick GREgory Renaissance began when I release THE MOVIE REVIEW HEARD AROUND THE WORLD. I asked Baba Dick to give his review or critique of the controversial movie ‘Django Unchained’ by Quentin Tarantino. Baba Dick in true form said that he thoroughly enjoyed it and that it freed him. He also put the film in historical context, stating that the Django character was inspired by the real historical figure known as Dangerfield Newby, one of John Brown’s Black Raiders at Harper’s Ferry back on Oct. 16, 1859. Among the first to die at Harper’s Ferry in West, Virginia, after Dangerfield was killed on his person a letter was found from his wife telling him to rescue her from slavery, which was a major theme in the movie. He also went out of his way to call filmmaker Spike Lee who was hypercritical of the movie but did not see it at the time a ‘thug punk’ and went h.a.m. on Spike’s portrayal of a young Malcolm aka Detroit Red in his Malcolm X biopic. Once I uploaded it on my Youtube channel it immediately went viral. Within 24 hours I received a phone call from Baba Dick thanking me immensely for the interview because within that period he received a phone call from Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Foxx and others involved in the movie thanking him for his powerful endorsement. I also started to receive phone calls, emails, and text messages from around the country and the world requesting an interview, sometimes a joint interview with Baba and me but I already knew who they really wanted. My ego wasn’t bruised by the notion of me being used just to get to Baba Dick. It didn’t bother me at all because like Baba Dick told me many times before that when ‘The Universe’ decides to use you it doesn’t always leave fingerprints.
And so when you stop and think about it, Baba Dick reinvented himself again. The creative genius and ‘universoul’ phenomena known as Baba Dick Gregory was reintroduced to a new generation of younger fans and people yearning for information from a credible and venerable Elder in every sense of the word. I could go on and on, but I will save the rest for a book perhaps. Baba Dick Gregory was truly in the words of the great Duke Ellington ‘Beyond Category.’ Many Thanks To The Creator For Manifesting A True Original In Every Sense Of The Word & I Believe It Is Safe To Say That There Was None Before Him & There Will Be None Like Him Every Again…SEE HOW IT WORKS???
This Article Also Appeared In Hood Talk Magazine:
https://hoodtalkmagazine.com/baba-and-me/***
Buy & Wear R2C2H2 Art Honoring Baba Dick Gregory!!!
https://teespring.com/stores/r2c2h2s-place
Buy & Wear R2C2H2 Art Honoring Baba Dick Gregory!!!
https://teespring.com/stores/r2c2h2s-placeW.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Baba Dick GREgory's Last W.E. A.L.L. B.E. INterview (4/4/2017): #MLK49, BEfoRE THE Storm
WATCH NOW:
https://youtu.be/UNRBMvX8RxE
(Note: This Interview Was Done In Downtown Memphis Just Blocks Away From Where MLK Was Crucified On April 4, 1968, 49 Yrs Ago)
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The Top 7 Most Popular Baba Dick Gregory W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News Interviews Of All Time:
1.) W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: OctoBEr Surprise 2016: Dick GREgory Talks Donald Trump Scandal, NO Election 2016 & Martial Law
WATCH NOW:
https://youtu.be/dP1rGOpQWjI
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2.) W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Play Time's Over 2016: New Dick Gregory (Full INterview)
WATCH NOW:
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3.) W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Baba Dick GREgory Uses $1 Dollar To Show WHEn & WHERE JFK Was AssassINated
WATCH NOW:
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4.) W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Dick Gregory On 'Django Unchained': "Spike Lee Is A Thug & A Punk." (1/13/2013)
WATCH NOW:
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5.) W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: PRE-INauguration 2017: Dick GREgory On 2 SUNs, 2 Donald Trumps, Fake WhITes, & Bishop Eddie Long"
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6.) W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Baba Dick Gregory On Bill Cosby Scandal~12/18/2014
WATCH NOW:
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7.) W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Baba Dick GREgory On Dr. Sebi, PrINce, Donald Trump & MOOR (8/7/2016)
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Baba Dick Gregory Speaks!!!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf2dmz6Pnwp8uH2jwk1IiTadZg4IpSrrL
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Admirers, Family, Fans & Friends Pay Homage To Baba Dick Gregory's Legacy...
W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Tha Artivist REviews New Dick GREgory Book @ Baba Dick GREgory's Grave
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Baba Dick GREgory's Son, Christian, REveals His Actual Cause Of Death
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: THE Honorable MINister Louis Farrakhan Eulogizes Baba Dick GREgory
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Ayanna GREgory SINgs 'A Ballad For HEr FaTHEr,' A Tribute To Dick GREgory" #DaughterOfTHEStruggle
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: THE ChildREn Of Richard Pryor, MEdgar Evers, MartIN LuTHEr KINg, Jr. & Malcolm X Salute Dick GRegory
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Papa Pope Does Baba Dick GREgory #BabaGoINgHoME
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Comic Mark GREgory Does CoMEdic Tribute To His UNcle Baba Dick GREgory #FamilyAffair
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Poetess Sis. OWEns Does BE-YOU-TOO-FULL Tribute To Baba Dick GREgory's Woman, Sis. Lillian GREgory
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: "I HEart D!CK!!!" #BroRonTribute #MasterTeacHErSendoff
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: 4 X NBA Champ & Activist Craig Hodges Sends NuthIN But Love & REspect Baba Dick Gregory's Way!!!
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Ron INterviews Dr. Carolyn Thorburn On HEr Friend Dick GREgory & BEINg INspiREd By Malcolm X
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Ron GREgory: My BroTHEr Dick GREgory Was A PropHEt, His Disciples Must Now BEcoME Apostles"
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: "What Would Dick GREgory Do??? Bro. Ron GREgory Makes IT PlaIN About His Big BroTHEr's Legacy"
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Sylvester Brown, Jr. Talks About What THE SWEet Potato & GettIN Cu$$ed Out By Baba Dick GREgory!!!"
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: REv. CT Vivian On RUNnINg WITh Dick GREgory & Muhammad Ali, AndREw YoUNg & Joel Osteen
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Rudy, @PaulEalyMooney's CousIN, Pays Tribute To THE Elder Dick GREgory!!!
WATCH NOW:
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: THE Honorable Judge Joe Brown On THE Late GREat Dick GREgory!!!
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***Check Out All The Baba Dick Gregory Tributes On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV***
WATCH NOW:
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Buy The Dick Gregory Limited Edition 2018 Black History Calendar
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