Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Baracka Flacka Flames - Head Of The State

Michael Jordan's Response To Lebron James...

Michael Jordan's Response To Lebron James...

Hire R2C2H2 Tha Artivist To Speak And Perform At Your Event…

Tha Artivist Speaks!!!

photo by wilma potts

Charismatic, Well Read And Very Engaging Tha Artivist Delivers Timeless Messages For Timeless Occasions…Topics Include:

1.) Art History.
2.) Black History.
3.) United States History.
4.) History of Jazz And Blues.
5.) Why Jazz Is So Jay Z: Finding The Bridge Between Jazz And Hip Hop
6.) Art Making As It Relates To Success In Life.
7.) Your Gifts Are Not For You…How To Give Your Gifts To The World.
8.) What To Do When You Feel Blue.
9.) Finding Your Genius…How To Make Your Contributions To The World And Humanity
At Large On Your Own Terms
10.) The Revolution Will Not Be Televised But It Will Be Blogged, Podcasted, Twitted & Broadcasted Online!
11.) The Art, Life And World of R2C2H2 Tha Artivist
12.) What Can Cultural Commerce Do For You?
13.) Find The Good And Praise It.
14.) Obama Ain't The Only One: Change Agents "R" Us!
15.) Try Until To You Do: Habits Of Achievement.


Copyright By R2C2H2 Tha Artivist

What The People Are Saying About R2C2H2's Work

1.) [R2C2H2] Have Obviously Attained A Sense Of Spirit
That Many Who Are Years Older Than [R2C2H2] Would
Covet.
- Kweisi Mfume, Former President And CEO Of The
NAACP


***

2.) [R2C2H2] Gave Them Elements Of Their Jazz History
That Most Of Them Will Never Receive In Classrooms.
[R2C2H2’S] Format Was Very Well Organized And Captured
The Children’s Attention…It Also Gave Them The
Opportunity To Believe In The Power Of Their
Individual Creative Spirit.
- Debra Morrowloving Literary Artist, Arts Educator,
Founder/Director Of Sister Nineties Literary Group


***

3.) Much Like The Jazz Music That [R2C2H2] Pays
Tribute To, His Artwork Is Spiritually Informed And
Speak To People In A Very Humane And Direct Way.
[R2C2H2] Is One Of The Most Knowledgeable People That
I Ever Met, Yet His Artwork Is Not Clouded In Codes
That Prevent The Layperson From Understanding It.
Neither Is It So Simple As To Be Dismissed…The Journey
Through His Consciousness Took Me To Historical And
Spiritual Places Carved Out Through Abstractly Formed
Rhythmic And Voluptuous Bodies Of Jazz Musicians,
African American Heroes And Martyrs.
- Chandra Williams; Visual Artist, Arts Educator And Founder Of The Brilliant Easel

***

4.) [R2C2H2] Has The Ability To Not Only Survive, But
To Possibly Even Thrive.
- Jeff Daniel, Visual Art Critic For The St. Louis
Post Dispatch


***

5.) [R2C2H2] Has Clearly Demonstrated Skills And
Abilities That Excel Within The Studio Environment And
Beyond. A Humanist With A Pen – A Promoter With A
Larger Purpose – [R2C2H2] Is An Artist Who Will Have
An Impact, An Artist Who Will Challenge And Who Will
Reward Those Who Accept His Challenges.
- Jeff Pike; Dean Of The School Of Art, Washington
University (St. Louis)


***

6.) [R2C2H2] Has A Love For Life  And  A Love For People
That Bleeds Over Into His Art…As A Multi-Faceted And
Multi-Talented Artist, [R2C2H2] Has Risen To The Ranks
Of One Of The Nation’s Most Promising Voices. His Art
Speaks Of Legacy, Maturity And Hope. Through His Art,
[R2C2H2] Captures The Depth Of Jacob Lawrence, The
Creative Innovation Of Charlie Parker, The Sincerity
Of Ralph Ellison, The Spirituality Of John Coltrane
And The Social, Political And Economic Commentary Of
Tupac Shakur.
- DR. Emmett Price III; Musician And Professor Of
Music And African American Studies At Northeastern
University Of Boston 


***

7.) [R2C2H2] Has Developed A Very Personal Style Of
Painting And Drawing...He Has Expanded His Knowledge
Of Black History, Jazz, Gospel Music, African
Art…Using All The Elements He Gathers From Experience
And Study He Synthesizes His Images, Real And
Dreamlike, Into Large Scale Works Filled With Line And
Color. They Are In Vocative Messages Which Can Be
Seen Over And Over, Each Time Presenting New Thoughts
And Questions For The Viewer. He Does Not Shy Away
From Presenting The Truth In History, So There Are
Passages Which Echo The Tragedy And Violence Of The
African American Experience…That Young Man Is Going
Places.
- Georgia Binnington;Associate Dean For
Student Services For The School Of Art At
Washington University (St. Louis)


***

8.)Not Only Through His Scholarship And Commitment To
Artistic Perfection, But Also In His Unwavering
Commitment To Enhancing Others' Understandings Of The
Human Experience, [R2C2H2] Has Demonstrated The
Highest Of Professional Values And Excellence. His
Work Occupies A Unique Place In Early 21st Century
Representations Of Jazz And Emotion. I Commend Him
For Making A True Contribution To The Artistic World.
- Nathaniel Cris Gualberto; Scholar, Philosopher And
Human Rights Activist


***

9.)[R2C2H2'S] Work Is Very Moving, It's Detailed, It's
Very Inspirational...It Speaks To The Soul Of Viewers
Who Have Passion About Art, About Life And About
People In General.
- Frieda Wheaton, Arts Advocate And
Board Member Of The St. Louis Art Museum


***

Also Check Out...


W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio***Tha Artivist Reaches 
 & Teaches: The St. Louis Session @ The Gya 
(Recorded 8/20/2010)
W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio***My Perspective: Tha Artivist Speaks...
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2010/08/12/tha-artivist-presentswe-all-be-radio

***

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio***Listen To The Inspiring 2009 BDPA Workshop Lecture Known As 'The Revolution Won't Be Televised, But Will Be Blogged, Podcasted, & Broadcasted Online' By R2C2H2 Tha Artivist Now:

***

Read The Article By R2C2H2 Tha Artivist...'The Revolution Won’t Be Televised But It Will Be Blogged, Podcasted & Broadcasted Online':

***

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Needs Your Support...Give To Grow The Movement!
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2010/03/we-all-be-needs-your-supportgive-to.html

Tha Artivist Available As An Arts/Educational/Political/Life/Music Consultant For Hire...

Affordable Prices At Affordable Terms…Please Feel Free To Contact Us By E-mail r2c2h2@gmail.com And/Or Call Us Anytime @ 901-299-4355

Artivistically yours,
Ronald Herd II 
a.k.a.
Tha Artivist 
Founder of the W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.
AMPLIFY W.E. A.L.L. B.E.!

For Immediate Release: Sis. Margaret Block & Rev. Alan Bean Are The 2010 W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Artivists Of The Year!

 Copyright 2006 Image is Property of R2C2H2/Ronald Herd II

***For Immediate Release***
Contact
R2C2H2 Tha Artivist
phone: 901-299-4355
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 752062
Memphis,TN 38175
Date: 11/30/2010

Sis. Margaret Block & Rev. Alan Bean Are The 2010 W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Artivists Of The Year! 

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."~Harriet Tubman 

"Be the change you want to see in the world"~Mahatma Gandhi 

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." ~Muhammad Ali 

"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."~Dr. Martin Luther King

The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc. has chosen this year to honor two very extraordinary everyday people, Sis. Margaret Block & Rev. Alan Bean, as the recipients of the 2010 W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Artivists Of The Year Award. According to W.E. A.L.L. B.E., “an artivist” is a person who uses his/her talents to advocate for and create effective and progressive change in his/her community in particular and in the greater society in general. They are humanitarians who possess a creative and proactive vision for the world. Although they may come from different walk s of life, it is their love to serve others that is the tie that binds and makes them a truly unique group of people. 

Sis. Margaret: A Grassroots General That Can Carry A Tune 
 
Sis. Margaret Block (photo courtesy of W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News)

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Freedom Singing With Sis. Margaret Block, An American Civil Rights Legend

Miss. Civil Rights Legend Sis. Margaret Block Demonstrates & Discusses The Importance Of Freedom Songs In The Mississippi Civil Rights Movement @ The 46th Annual Mississippi Civil Rights Martyrs Memorial Service In Neshoba County, Ms...6/19/2010.


Sis. Margaret Block is a true grassroots cultural warrior activist…She has been a Freedom Fighter using words and song to fight bigotry and racial oppression since the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement, working alongside now legendary icons such as Stokely Carmichael and Fannie Lou Hamer in the very brutal Mississippi Delta Campaign. Coming from a long line of activists which included her brother, the very charismatic and highly revered Sam Block (the SNCC Field Secretary for the Northern Mississippi campaign), Sis. Margaret knew that serving the people was not only a choice, but a calling much like folks called to preach. 

Her activities in the movement raised the ire of many powerful entities and enemies of the people including the Klu Klux Klan and The Mississippi Sovereignty Commission a.k.a. The White Citizens Council…She became the target of so many death threats that she at one point had to be smuggled out of Charleston,MS, in a funeral hearse driven by unsung Mississippi Civil Rights Martyr Birdia Keglar. Since coming back to Cleveland, MS, from Oakland,CA, some years ago she has picked up where she left off in the 60s, not missing a beat. 

***Reason For Award: Empowering A Community To Stand Up & Act***
Sis. Margaret Block: Civil Rights Legend/ Activist & Co-Organizer Of The 2010 Cleveland, MS, Schools Boycott

In February 2010, she helped organize a successful one day school boycott to fight segregation within the Cleveland Schools District. A grassroots organizer and advocate of the highest order, Sis. Margaret was also instrumental in motivating the disenfranchised youths of Cleveland to organize a march and rally to protest the unneeded police tasering and killing of 30 year old Jermaine Williams. The youths involved valued her leadership so much that they nicknamed her the commander in chief a.k.a. the general. 

Sis. Margaret is the personification of what a true Elder is: a person who applies his/her wisdom to great effect in the service and for the benefit of others and one who is also open and receptive to learning from others in order to enhance his/her own world view. Sis. Margaret’s efforts truly epitomize the potential of intergenerational teaching and reaching. 

More Margaret Block On W.E. A.L.L. B.E.:
Contact An American Civil Rights Veteran Today:
http://www.crmvet.org/

***

Rev. Alan Bean: A Crusader For Justice
Tha Artivist & The Reverend
 



Dr. Alan Bean is the executive director of Friends of Justice, a nonprofit organization that works to uphold due process in the criminal justice system. It was formed in response to the infamous Tulia, Texas, drug sting of 1999, in which forty-seven people, thirty-nine of them African Americans, were rounded up based on the false testimony of a corrupt and racist undercover agent. Bean, a local Baptist minister, played a key role in organizing to expose the Tulia travesty and working to free the defendants. The Texas legislature, in response to the work of the Friends of Justice, passed the Tulia Corroboration Bill, which has led to the exoneration of dozens of innocent people by raising the evidentiary standards for undercover testimony.

Rev. Alan Bean comes from a great if often underappreciated and/or misunderstood line of journalist activists who take hold of the story to not only state the facts but to put flesh and bone to it in order to create a human appeal and moral compass that incites the reader to think and to either act or react…His writings sometimes forces us to lift the veil and confront uncomfortable truths about our individual thoughts and behaviors as well as society’s collective psyche…

His passion for his subjects really comes through and that what makes him a very effective advocate for the true underdog in the U.S. Judicial system…This is what also makes him such a polarizing and intriguing figure among adversaries and fans alike…Whether it was Tulia,TX, in 1999 or Jena 6 in 2007, you can usually find Rev. Alan Bean and his organization The Friends Of Justice on the frontlines feeding stories to be disseminated to the public via the corporate media news machine and independent media outlets…It is because of his resolve and hard work that many stories that normally wouldn’t get any interest or light of day coverage may find themselves in the Chicago Tribune Sunday Edition or as a story of interest on the CNN News Network…

In the tradition of Elijah Lovejoy, William Lloyd Garrison, Ida B. Wells-Barnett and many others before, Rev. Bean has the courage of his convictions to stare down his harshest critics and actually hit them in their mouths with indisputable facts so piercing that even their own will to deny and cover them up does not succeed. Rev. Bean also possesses the uncanny ability to make even the most hostile of environs bend to his will for justice thus transforming these places into a homecoming venue of sorts welcoming his inquisitive and cerebral nature in discerning truth from fiction. Like a seasoned defense lawyer he takes the evidence and then cross examines it against the official story or verdict with surgeon like precision and a let no stone go unturned attitude.

Those who are normally benchwarmers in the game of life and indifferent to the suffering of their brethren either catch the holy ghost for social justice or fire and brimstone hell for apathy when Rev. Bean energetically and unapologetically makes his presence known where justice has been a stranger far too long...Lord have mercy.

***Reason For Award: Pioneering Citizen Media Coverage Of Curtis Flowers' 6th Trial***

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Rev. Alan Bean Gives A Brief Synopsis Of The Curtis Flowers Saga...

Video: Ain't No Sunshine For Defendant In Flowers VI:

Past accolades aside, Rev. Bean was selected for this year’s award for his amazing play by play coverage of the historical 6th capital murder trial of Curtis Flowers (who this past June became the first person in known U.S. Judicial history to be tried 6 times on the same evidence in a capital murder case). Almost like the biblical Daniel in the lion’s den, Rev. Bean went into Winona ,MS, into an emotionally heated and venomous courtroom for several straight days enduring harassment from some locals who thought of him as an outside agitator and troublemaker (sounds familiar?)…

Nevertheless, Rev. Bean kept his cool in the stifling Mississippi Delta heat and used his blog as a therapeutic and cathartic exercise or in this case exorcise to offer detailed summaries of the day’s proceedings as well as hard hitting analysis and commentary with an easy to follow historical timeline of the Curtis Flowers’ saga from its murky beginnings to its even murkier present status. What can be said with extreme clarity is that Rev. Bean knows his purpose in this life and he won’t rest until true justice has been served. 

Full Text: Ain't No Sunshine For Defendant In Flowers VI:

More Curtis Flowers On W.E. A.L.L. B.E.:

For More On The Curtis Flowers Saga Please Visit The Friends Of Justice Website:

***

 Like What You See? Then Donate To W.E. A.L.L. B.E.!!!


Or Send A Check Or Money Order To The Following Address:
Attn: Ron Herd II
The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.
P.O. Box 752062
Memphis, TN 38175

(At This Present Time Donations Are Not Tax Deductible)

Artivistically Yours,
Bro. Ron
a.k.a.
Tha Artivist 
Founder of the W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.
AMPLIFY W.E. A.L.L. B.E.!

Monday, November 29, 2010

W.E. A.L.L. B.E.: U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Sings The Praises Of Jimmie Lunceford

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Sings The Praises Of Jimmie Lunceford


*** 


For More Information On Jimmie Lunceford & The Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival Please Visit The Official Website: 

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Spreading The Jimmie Lunceford Legend Via 21ST Century Technology Is Our Business…Support The JLJF Movement.


W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Spreading The Jimmie Lunceford Legend Via 21ST Century Technology Is Our Business…Support The JLJF Movement. 

"Jimmie Lunceford Has The Best Of All Bands. Duke [Ellington] Is Great, [Count] Basie Is Remarkable, But Lunceford Tops Them Both."
-- Legendary Swing Band Leader Glenn Miller

"Jimmy Lunceford Was Buried Here In Memphis. The Spot He Occupies Should Have Something Of A Special Significance. ...He Took A Group Of Relatively Unsophisticated Memphis Colored Boys And Welded Them Into An Organization Which Scaled The Heights Of Musical Eminence. ... He Presented Something New In The Way Of Musical Presentations By Negro Orchestras. "

"Lunceford and many others like him chose to remain at home, and with their people. [His death] should have meaning in inspiration and guidance to others. If we permit it, Lunceford's burial in Memphis can mean this."
--Legendary Memphis Educator And Syndicated Columnist Nat D. Williams

We Need Your Support. Please Consider Donating…

Or Send A Check Or Money Order To The Following Address:
Attn: Ron Herd II
The Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival
P.O. Box 752062
Memphis, TN 38175

(At This Present Time Donations Are Not Tax Deductible)


Please Continue Reading To Find Out Why…

2012 Is Not The Ending, It’s Just The Beginning!  

Please enjoy these recent tv documentaries that were produced by W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV that exposes the true genius and staying power of the Jimmie Lunceford Legacy. The  Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival (JLJF) will be honoring this unsung genius and the first self-proclaimed high school band director in Memphis City Schools History in a one year celebration in “The City Of Good Abode” starting in 2012 which will mark the 110th Anniversary of his birth and 65 years since his untimely passing.


We will have art exhibits, symposiums, workshops, parties, plays, battle of the bands and music concerts among many other things to give this man the greatest tribute from the city that helped manifest his show biz dream of an exceptional swing band composed of his best high school students and college buddies and a city he loved so much that he saw fit to be buried in it. We are also in the process of creating a scholarship fund for deserving students who are interested in continuing the living legacy of Jimmie Lunceford through pursuing excellence in music and music education… Please feel free to join us in raising the funds, awareness and enthusiasm for this amazing man and his timeless achievements.

Right now the City of Memphis is in dire need of an image makeover and what better way to give the city a facelift and self esteem boost than by giving it a truth serum of its own powerful and majestic history?

Our goal @ The JLJF is to make every single Memphian proud of our city’s heritage and true place in music history by encouraging music education and development for every school aged child at every school in the city. We also want to reestablish Memphis rightful place as a jazz mecca on par with other celebrated music cities such as New Orleans, Chicago and New York.

The JLJF represents a viable opportunity to build both true education and economic sustainability in a city that is not only the commercial hub of the nation but also arguably represents the cultural epicenter of the nation’s cultural heritage. What other city can lay claim to the following:

1.)    Giving birth to the modern phenomenon known as the supermarket (Clarence Saunders’ Piggly Wiggly opened @ 79 Jefferson in Memphis in 1916).
 
2.)    Tennessee Williams, one of the greatest  America playwrights, premiered his first play "Cairo, Shanghai, Bombay!" in the Bluff City @ The Garden Players community theater in 1935. Regarding this production, Williams wrote, "The laughter ... enchanted me. Then and there the theatre and I found each other for better and for worse. I know it's the only thing that saved my life."
3.)     20th Century Literary Giant Richard Wright spent his childhood in North Memphis in New Chicago.
4.)    A man named Elvis who also lived in North Memphis made his music debut @ Sun Records and eventually had the world all shook up.
5.)    The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, made her stage entry into the world she would rule with soul in South Memphis….


6.)    The first All-Black cast and Oscar nominated Hollywood movie, “Hallelujah!”, was filmed not far from what is now present day LeMoyne Owen College.

7.) Louis Lettes, a Beale Street tailor, is credited with the creation of the zoot suit.

And Without Further Ado Here Are The New Docs Celebrating The Genius Of Jimmie Lunceford Created By W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV:

A Sophisticated Lady Remembers The King Of Sonic Swing, Jimmie Lunceford, A Conversation With Sis. Katheryn Perry Thomas

Sis. Katheryn Perry Thomas
(1/19/1915-1/7/2008)

***
Rep. Steve Cohen Sings The Praises Of Jimmie Lunceford
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vadBXzIkbH0

***

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Remembering Jimmie Lunceford, The Master Teacher Of Swing: An Interview With Jazz Great Gerald Wilson


Watch The Full Doc:

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Remembering Jimmie Lunceford, The Master Teacher Of Swing: An Interview With Jazz Great Gerald Wilson 

***

Or Watch It In 3 Parts:
Remembering Jimmie Lunceford, The Master Teacher Of Swing: An Interview With Jazz Great Gerald Wilson
Part 1

***

Remembering Jimmie Lunceford, The Master Teacher Of Swing: An Interview With Jazz Great Gerald Wilson
Part 2

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Remembering Jimmie Lunceford, The Master Teacher Of Swing: An Interview With Jazz Great Gerald Wilson
Part 3 

***
 "Writing About Jimmie Lunceford Is His Business:
An Interview With Jazzophile & Pioneering Lunceford
Biographer Eddy Determeyer"
 ***Watch***
"Writing About Jimmie Lunceford Is His Business:
An Interview With Jazzophile & Pioneering Lunceford
Biographer Eddy Determeyer"

The Full Documentary:

http://blip.tv/file/4436037 


Or View It In 4 Parts: 
"Writing About Jimmie Lunceford Is His Business:
An Interview With Jazzophile & Pioneering Lunceford
Biographer Eddy Determeyer"
Part 1 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_igeJ2fL6d0


***


"Writing About Jimmie Lunceford Is His Business:
An Interview With Jazzophile & Pioneering Lunceford
Biographer Eddy Determeyer"
Part 2


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkES0KsHMWw

***


"Writing About Jimmie Lunceford Is His Business:
An Interview With Jazzophile & Pioneering Lunceford
Biographer Eddy Determeyer"
Part 3 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsV2wyoiNgM

*** 


"Writing About Jimmie Lunceford Is His Business:
An Interview With Jazzophile & Pioneering Lunceford
Biographer Eddy Determeyer"
Part 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-SYCoJvi4c


***

"Jimmie Lunceford...Memphis Music's Missing Chapter: A Conversation With Dr. Jack T. Cooper"

 (c) The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group, Inc.
***

Watch The Full Doc: 
"Jimmie Lunceford...Memphis Music's Missing Chapter: A Conversation With Dr. Jack T. Cooper"


http://blip.tv/file/4460437

***

Or Watch It In 3 Parts: 
"Jimmie Lunceford...Memphis Music's Missing Chapter: A Conversation With Dr. Jack T. Cooper"
Part 1 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA2QXdXKpg4

***


"Jimmie Lunceford...Memphis Music's Missing Chapter: A Conversation With Dr. Jack T. Cooper"
Part 2
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbe5ItsPEhA

***


"Jimmie Lunceford...Memphis Music's Missing Chapter: A Conversation With Dr. Jack T. Cooper"
Part 3

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fEmKzi8wnQ

***

For More Information On Jimmie Lunceford & The Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival Please Visit The Official Website:


Jimmie Lunceford @ Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Lunceford

***
Please Spread The Good News & Don’t Forget To Donate To A Truly Worthy Cause!

Or Send A Check Or Money Order To The Following Address:
Attn: Ron Herd II
The Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival
P.O. Box 752062
Memphis, TN 38175

(At This Present Time Donations Are Not Tax Deductible)

Jazznocracily Yours,
Ronald Herd II 
a.k.a.
Tha Artivist 
Founder of the W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.
AMPLIFY W.E. A.L.L. B.E.!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: "Writing About Jimmie Lunceford Is His Business: An Interview With Jazzophile & Pioneering Lunceford Biographer Eddy Determeyer"

"Writing About Jimmie Lunceford Is His Business:
An Interview With Jazzophile & Pioneering Lunceford
Biographer Eddy Determeyer"

(Interview Conducted
October 2007)
 

 
(Bro. Eddy Determeyer is on the left)


Bro. Eddy Determeyer is a native of the Netherlands and a pioneer in jazz scholarship...He wrote the first definitive biography about the life, career and legacy of Jimmie Lunceford, "Rhythm Is Our Business."

He is a 2007 Jimmie Lunceford Legacy Awardee for his exceptional contributions to music and music education.

***Watch***

"Writing About Jimmie Lunceford Is His Business:
An Interview With Jazzophile & Pioneering Lunceford
Biographer Eddy Determeyer"

The Full Documentary:


http://blip.tv/file/4436037 


Or View It In 4 Parts: 
Part 1 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_igeJ2fL6d0


***


Part 2


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkES0KsHMWw

***


Part 3 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsV2wyoiNgM

***


Part 4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-SYCoJvi4c


***

For More Information On Jimmie Lunceford & The Jimmie Lunceford Jamboree Festival Please Visit The Official Website: 

Friday, November 26, 2010

Lest We Forget: World War One Veteran & Philanthropist Casualty In War On The Homefront.

Lest We Forget: World War One Veteran & Philanthropist Casualty In War On The Homefront.
 Isadore Banks
(7/6/1893-6/5/1954)

“Brave men do not gather by thousands to torture and murder a single individual, so gagged and bound he cannot make even feeble resistance or defense.” ~Ida B. Wells-Barnett 

“American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.” “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.” ~James A. Baldwin 

“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” ~Frederick Douglass 

We must honor Isadore Banks’ memory by bringing restorative justice and restitution to his family and beloved community as well as never forgetting his story or his sacrifice…Isadore Banks was a World War One veteran who was one of the wealthiest Blacks in Arkansas...He was a philanthropist for the Black community of Marion, Arkansas…He helped bring electricity to Marion and Crittenden County…he was nicknamed “The Bank” for his generosity in giving out money to help others start businesses and take care of their families… 

On June 4, 1954, Isadore Banks was kidnapped by his supposed Black friends when he left the bank to get money to pay the wages of his employees. One of the Blacks drove his truck around to deceive the town folks into thinking that it was Isadore Banks driving around and that all was well…Around that time Banks had to flee for his life to the safe harbor of a supportive neighbor, the Gammons, when a lynch mob of whites wanting to take his land, wealth and life came looking for him... 

He Was Too Black, Too Proud & Too Independent 

He was lynched because he refused to sell his land to white folks...He was too black, too proud and too independent to bow down to White Supremacy Jim Crow style…He was castrated, his penis stuffed in his mouth, viciously beaten, chained to a tree and set on fire...He was a big man at 6' 6" tall and 300 pounds, but he was only half that size after his upper body was incinerated by flames... He was gruesomely tortured before he was killed… According to the coroner, one of his arms and his penis were both blowtorched off…They could only identify his body by his feet and shoes...He wore a size 13...

Dorothy Williams says that her father was a hero to Blacks and feared by whites because of his wealth and land… He was allegedly tortured for days and folks could hear his unearthly moans and groans both day and night throughout the countryside… When the authorities found the remains of Isadore Banks they also found his truck with the battery run down, his car key still in the ignition and his rifle was found unfired inside which implied that he knew his assassins or that he was taken by surprise (probably a combination of both). 

Although Isadore Banks was a Prince Hall Free Mason, the Masons received numerous death threats (including the genocidal elimination of everyone at the funeral) if they showed up at Banks' funeral to perform Masonic Rites. Isadore Banks was finally given his Masonic Rites Oct. 2, 2010. 

He was also a World War One veteran, but he did not get a proper military burial sendoff until April 2010, almost 56 years after his murder!!! 

Ain't No Justice, Just Us!!! 

Isadore Banks' original land deeds were purposely destroyed after his death which suggests a political conspiracy of immense proportions…It is quite obvious that if you follow the paper trail or lack thereof of those who illegally owned and used the land from the time of Mr. Banks’ death up until the present time that you can find at least some of the culprits truly responsible for the violation of Mr. Banks’ human and civil rights which culminated in his grisly death and the ruthless takeover of his estate. 

The F.B.I. found copies of Isadore Banks' land deeds in 2006, but now they are “missing”…The F.B.I. destroyed files on the Isadore Banks case in 1992! The FBI destroyed invaluable files on the Isadore Banks' cold case and now they are allegedly stonewalling his granddaughter, Marcelina Williams, trying to seek justice...The case is still unsolved. There was no official investigation done into the murder of Isadore Banks. No one was ever brought to justice for the lynching. 

Motives For Murder 

Several Blacks and numerous whites MAY HAVE wanted Isadore Banks dead FOR THREE POSSIBLE & SPECIFIC REASONS: Debt Owed, Serial Womanizing & Land. 

Isadore Banks kept a detailed ledger of how much money Black folks in Marion, Ark. owed him. And he was by all accounts owed a lot. The ledger is currently in safekeeping of a family friend. 

The Whites and some Blacks were also mad at Isadore Banks because he was a handsome ladies’ man and a prolific womanizer...Many women both Black and white could not resist his combination of charm, looks and money… 

Mr. Banks, although he owed close to 2,000 acres of land, also leased land from an Italian lady to grow certain crops. It was rumored that the Italian lady and Mr. Banks were having an affair because she wouldn’t let others including the whites used her land for similar purposes. This no doubt raised the ire of several powerful entities. 

Mr. Banks’ granddaughter, Marcelina Williams, also offered up another theory or motive for his death. A White man was allegedly brutally beaten by Mr. Banks for trying to inappropriately advance himself on Mr. Banks’ eldest daughter. Back then, a Black man raising his hand against a White man in the deep American South was a “no no” regardless the reason. Although we may never know the exact reason, we now do know the consequences of his death and who benefited greatly from Mr. Banks’ demise. 

Crittenden County Should Be Labeled A Crime Scene! 

After Banks’ death, his land and businesses were illegally seized by his killers and their co-conspirators… The Black traitors took over his businesses while the whites took his land…$90,000 plus dollars that Isadore Banks had in his bank account went missing as well…The land that was illegally seized after Isadore Banks' death is now covered with 6 figure dollar homes, hotels, restaurants and retail store outlets. 

Many Blacks families left Marion, basically fleeing for their lives, without selling land due to the murder of Isadore Banks. At that time there was also a vendetta against anyone related to Isadore Banks living in Marion and Crittenden County. 

Some of those who chose to stay also suffered a similar fate as Banks…A family of 4 Black sisters were killed for their land. 

Many Blacks in Marion and Crittenden County are still afraid to talk about the murder of Isadore Banks…Folks are still fighting to keep their land in Marion, Arkansas, some 56 years after Isadore Banks' gruesome death. 

Never Too Late For Justice 

Dorothy Williams was only 7 years old at the time of her father's death…Her father put her and her family on a truck nonstop to St. Louis before he was killed…Her daughter, Marcelina Williams, is currently leading the crusader’s charge in rectifying as much as possible the tragedy that not only befallen her grandfather, but has also traumatically affected the entire family for generations… 

More W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Media Coverage Of Isadore Banks Story

Recently, W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News was honored by the chance to interview these two strong Black women about their relative’s assassination, pursuit for justice and peace of mind…We hope whether in written form, podcast, and/or video that our supporters will help us amplify this powerful and tragic story by sharing it through your networks and beyond. 

The Following Radio Podcast & Documentaries Are The Fruits Of Those Conversations…Please Share:
"They Killed My Daddy! The Daughter Of Isadore Banks, Dorothy Williams, Speaks."
Sis. Dorothy Williams

Watch The Full Doc:
"They Killed My Daddy! The Daughter Of Isadore Banks, Dorothy Williams, Speaks."
http://blip.tv/file/4380701

Or In Three Parts:

"They Killed My Daddy! The Daughter Of Isadore Banks, Dorothy Williams, Speaks."
Part 1 

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"They Killed My Daddy! The Daughter Of Isadore Banks, Dorothy Williams, Speaks."
Part 2 

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"They Killed My Daddy! The Daughter Of Isadore Banks, Dorothy Williams, Speaks."
Part 3 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Jx1yy5oDc

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"Never Too Late For Justice: The GrandDaughter Of Isadore Banks,Marcelina Williams, Speaks."

Sis. Marcelina Williams

Watch The Full Documentary:

"Never Too Late For Justice: The GrandDaughter Of Isadore Banks,Marcelina Williams, Speaks."

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Or View In Four Parts:


"Never Too Late For Justice: The GrandDaughter Of Isadore Banks,Marcelina Williams, Speaks."Part 1

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"Never Too Late For Justice: The GrandDaughter Of Isadore Banks,Marcelina Williams, Speaks."Part 2

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"Never Too Late For Justice: The GrandDaughter Of Isadore Banks,Marcelina Williams, Speaks."Part 3

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"Never Too Late For Justice: The GrandDaughter Of Isadore Banks,Marcelina Williams, Speaks."Part 4

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 W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV Was Present To Document The Masonic Rites Administered to Isadore Banks...
 (c) W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.

Better Late Than Never, Paying Respects To The Life, Death & Legacy Of Isadore Banks: Masonic Rites Being Performed  For The Late Isadore Banks 
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-fjo-CqYTM

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROFbziui1-Q

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJTyrgxPQ4Q


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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: They Took His Land, Wealth, & Life: A  Isadore Banks Story.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2010/11/11/tha-artivist-presentswe-all-be-radio

CNN: 50 Years After He Was Chained And Set Afire, WWI Veteran Is Honored 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/06/isadore.banks.cold.case/

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Needs Your Support...Give To Grow The Movement!
 

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Mother Grieves Son's Death, Overshadowed By King Slaying

 Larry Payne, 16, was killed by police on March 28, 1968, in what officers said was a looting, knife-wielding incident during the sanitation workers' strike that preceded the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.   

Mother Grieves Son's Death, Overshadowed By King Slaying
By Michael Lollar
The Memphis Commercial Appeal
Friday, March 28, 2008 

After her son's death, Lizzie Payne put more than 600 miles between herself and the city that now inspires a sharp edge to her voice: "Down in Memphis is a low-down place," says Payne, 83, from Flint, Mich., where she moved in 1969 when injury, insult and two deaths made her fear for her own life.

Every year since 1968, Payne and seven of her children have dreaded the anniversary of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As the rest of the world prepared to celebrate the life and legacy of King each year, her family was reminded of her child's death at the hands of a Memphis police officer.

Larry Payne, 16, died March 28, 1968, the only fatality in a day of riots and looting in the aftermath of a sanitation workers' march led by King. More than 60 people were injured. King would later telephone Lizzie Payne to console her. He planned to visit her in her public housing apartment at Fowler Homes. Before he could visit, he too was dead, his murder overshadowing Larry Payne's death and turning the 16-year-old into a historical footnote except to his family.

"That has got the best of my life. It's taken everything out of me," says Lizzie Payne, crying once again as the memories return on the 40th anniversary of her son's death.

"I was in my living room watching 'As the World Turns.' A lady ran in and told me Larry had been shot by the police. I ran out. I ran to touch him. The police would not let me touch him. He said, 'Get back, nigger.' He put the barrel of the gun right into my stomach. I could feel it."

Her tears stop as the racial slur and the threat of her own death remind her of the police officer who took her son's life. "I hate the policeman that killed him. They didn't even arrest him for killing Larry."

Patrolman L.D. Jones said he and his partner, Charles F. Williams, had followed a group of youths carrying portable television sets from the Sears store at 903 S. Third to a basement in Fowler Homes.
Jones would later testify he ordered anyone in the basement to come out. Jones said Payne emerged with his left hand in the air and the right hand moving upward, grasping a knife. Jones fired a shotgun blast into Payne's stomach.

Lizzie Payne said her last image of her son was of him lying on his back with both hands outstretched above his head. "He didn't have anything in his hands." She said there was no knife on the ground. A grand jury declined to indict Jones. He faced no charges.

Payne family attorney Irvin Salky later filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Police Department, which they lost. Salky said police never produced a knife as evidence in the case, claiming the weapon was mistakenly collected with older evidence from the police property room.

"What they claimed was that it was dumped into the Mississippi River along with other weapons. We had a lot of skepticism over that," Salky said.

It wouldn't be the only note of skepticism. The FBI in Washington announced in February 2007 that it was reviewing an estimated 100 cases of black citizens killed during the 1950s and 1960s. The Payne case was among those being considered, but FBI special agent George Bolds said this week he is unaware of an active investigation into the case.

Salky and Payne's family say the FBI should review the case based on one simple premise. As Payne's brother, Malcolm Payne, 51, puts it: "Who's going to pull a knife on a guy with a shotgun?"
Malcolm, who moved with his mother to Flint, mourned his brother, but with a sense of rage: "When I was still a little boy, I wanted to catch a bus to St. Louis, then hitchhike to Memphis and kill that police officer."

His anger was fueled by his mother's grief. "My mother cried every night. She said, 'Lord, why didn't you take me? Why him?'

"It was all night, every night. She wouldn't comb her hair, wouldn't eat. Her heart and spirit were ripped in half," says Malcolm.

Lizzie Payne says that when the family decided to sue the Police Department, she feared she would be murdered. "I thought they were going to kill me to shut my mouth up."

Her daughter, Carolyn Payne of Memphis, was 13 when her older brother died. To her, it would have been out of character for Larry to be involved in looting. He was a good brother, a good student, she says. He worked after school as a maintenance worker at Bowld Hospital.

"Even if he was looting, looting doesn't justify murder. You don't shoot nobody for stealing, so the case really speaks for itself," says Carolyn.

Brother Carl Payne, a year older than Larry, says his brother's death led to depression that even 40 years later requires psychiatric help and medication. Carl says his family kept a shotgun in the home. His own anger almost cost another life that day: "I found the shotgun, but I couldn't find the bullets. I was going to kill the ... that shot Larry. They killed him for nothing."

In the end, sister Kira Tidwell, 58, says the anger and rage are not for the family to resolve. "In the end, everybody is going to pay for their wrong-doings. I'm looking for the high and mighty upstairs to take care of it all."
--Michael Lollar: 901-529-2793