She taught Class

We lost two African-American Icons this week, Gloria Lynne and Maxine Powell.

Miss Powell, was Motown’s Maven of Style. Her pupils included Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson.

To quote Miss Powell,

“I teach class…and class will turn the heads of kings and queens.”

Check out this link to find out more about this great American icon.

Miss Lynne was a significant musical presence in my childhood home. Her unique jazz style and ability to interpret a lyric are qualities that should have attracted a greater audience.

Black & White

Monday started like any other.
The only difference was that I wore one of my favorite tee-shirts.
One that I normally only wear in the house.

In fact, as I made my way through the day, I honestly forgot that I had the shirt on.

From my neighborhood coffee stop to the drug store to the Post Office to the dry cleaner to the barber shop to the supermarket – my path was riddled with looks, both approving and disapproving.

I found the reactions mostly curious until one woman approached me and said, “I think the President went too far with his remarks about Trayvon Martin.”

My first thought was to ask this older White woman what she knew about being Black in America, but that would only encourage a conversation that I was neither in the mood or had the energy for.

True, in his recent remarks about the Martin/Zimmerman case, President Obama shared some little known Black History Facts.

Little known to people who are not Black…

A story from NPR, Polls Show Wide Racial Gap on Trayvon Martin Case highlights the simple fact that Black and White people in America just see things differently.

Inner City Blues – “Food Insecurity”

1 Reply

My colleague, Tony Martinez, shared this GALLUP article, “In U.S., Single-Parent Households Struggle More to Buy Food” with me.

Sobering statistics that underscore the fact that what was once mainly prevalent in only African-American households, is now a far-reaching urban reality.

Gems In New Orleans

: “Peaches,” Manet ,1886

: ”Portrait of a Young Woman,” Modigliani, 1918

: “Diamond Dust Shoes,” Warhol, 1981

: “Still Life”, Chagall

: “Boys in White Shirts on Steps,” Paulin, 1952

When one thinks of New Orleans, things like the French Quarter, Cajun Food, Jazz and Mardi Gras typically come to mind.

On a recent visit, I had some down time and decided to check out the New Orleans Museum of Art, NOMA.

To my surprise and delight, NOMA is filled with wonderful little gems including works by artists as renowned as Picasso, Renoir, Chagall and Warhol.

However, my favorite works were by Frank Paulin, an American Photographer, who captured a series of powerful images featuring African-Americans in New Orleans, circa 1952.