Black People are the First Wonders of the World--

"Until the Lion writes his own story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter."

---African proverb---

Thoughts for the Week

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow but do good anyway...
--Mother Theresa

Holla-Outs

To: Jose, a teller over at Wells Fargo Bank. You know you are the best, Holla!

Hey, Gwen O’Neal, cashier at Walgreens at Highway 100 and Capitol. Since they closed our Walgreens on Silver Spring, many of the customers have been looking for you and now we have found you. We still think you are one of the best employees Walgreens has. You knew all the customers, you’re very friendly and you had us spoiled; you knew how to give that good customer service! I’m glad I found you.

To: Kimberly Johnson; just wanted to holler at you, Holla!

Hey, Janice Winfrey I enjoyed being with you while we got the Gee Experience, I loved it, Holla!

To: Tamikia Taylor of Mother’s Touch Cleaning Services, boy could I use you right now, yes I am too tired and too busy to do all the little things, Holla!

Hey, Mary over at Sweet Mary’s Style, I know you make some of the best scrapbooks there are; just wanted to Holla at you!

Hey, Yasi McGowan over at Marquette High School, just wanted to Holla at you and tell you to keep advancing that next generation, I love it!

Birthday Holla-Outs

Hey Brenda Windom it’s yo’ birthday, it’s yo’ birthday, Happy Birthday.

Martha Love of Martha Love Associates B., I hear it’s your birthday, I guess I will not sing to you today, but I wish you the best day ever, Happy Birthday to you.

Charlene Hunter I know you are a faithful reader of I-Witness and I just want to say thank you but I also want to wish you the biggest Happy Birthday ever!

Hey, Doris Macklin just hollering at you. Why it’s your Birthday, wishing you the best day ever. Happy Birthday!

Okay, Reverend Furman Robinson I hear your daughter Sharon Robinson came all the way to Battle Creek, Michigan to wish you a Happy 70th Birthday so I thought I would chime in and Holla at you too, Happy Birthday wishing you 70 more!

Atten--tion

Hey, Anthony and Jeronica Sledge, I hear the two of you have decided as husband and wife to enlist in the U.S. Army and will be leaving at the end of this month. Andrea Sledge I also hear you have enlisted in the U.S. Navy. I just want to wish you well in your endeavors and remind you that love will keep you safe and together, Milwaukee is sending their prayers with you, you are our heroes, Atten--tion Salute!

The Lakefront was vibrantly decorated in red, black and green

Eddie Levert
Crowd goes wild

Scenes from the fest: (top photos left to right) Eddie Levert sings in concert as the crowd goes wild. (bottom photos left to right) Festivalgoers bear the rain to listen to area’s gospel choirs. (photos by Barbara White)

African World Festival celebrated its 25th Anniversary with many commemorative activities. The theme this year: "Our Power, Our Pride, Our Future," reflecting a quarter century of bringing all our community together in one place to celebrate the richness of a culture that has given so much to the world. The UNIA Flag (Red, Black and Green) has always been used since the festival’s inception to symbolize what our culture represents.

Oshiyemi Adelabu is president, and Bathena Webber is first vice president of African World Festival.

It has been 25 years that I-Witness has been attending African World Festival; it was an event my children and other family members never missed. Just like now, many plan their vacations around it; folks come home from other cities to attend. It has always been like a family reunion for many of us. Here is where you see the person you went to school with when you were in the third grade, or those from the old neighborhood even your old boyfriend or girlfriend for whomever you see; it is done in celebration with a mindset of having a good time.

There were all kinds of activities and new additions to the festival, like the Black History Knowledge Bowl, which was great, the celebration of our elders, the signing of the Sister City Agreement with Tanzania that Alderman Joe Davis sponsored. The South African delegation promoting tourism to their country. There was hair braiding, sports clinics of all kinds including fishing, Gospel Aerobics and a Double Dutch Contest.

There were even family reunions held on the grounds like the UWM Alumni’s and the Richardson Family Reunion who had T-shirts that displayed their family pride "Black Together Again-Decent and In Order, Icor.14:40. I loved it!

I-Witness did not attend opening day as I was out of town but I did come right from the airport in time to see the O’Jays and they rocked it. The O’Jays sang all our favorites, "Use to Be My Girl" and the crowd went crazy when they performed "Money, Money, Money, Moneey, Moneyyyy." You could not stop the cheers and the O’Jays gave them what they were asking for, those smooth Temptation-like dance steps even had I-Witness doing a couple of them, Holla!

It was a party y’all.

There was a special recognition paid to singer and songwriter Harvey Scales. Harvey Scales wrote "Disco Lady" for Blues Maestro Johnny Taylor and it was the first song to ever go platinum. Harvey Scales and the Seven Sounds was one of the hottest show bands in the Midwest performing with a full rhythm and horn section with Harvey as lead vocalist. The group traveled the nation and overseas giving folks the best in entertainment and they were right here from Milwaukee. Watching Harvey perform, you would have thought he was James Brown, the hardest working man in show biz. Harvey and the Seven Sounds used to do the real "throw the panties on the stage shows," Holla! People of all races loved them because they knew how to go Showtime wherever they were.

Sunday was the day for me; I was at the Gospel Stage for a long while. Jevon Brock and Pastor C. Boulton from the Wisconsin Gospel Announcers Guild was the host and they rocked the stage as well as many of the acts. I sat with Marvin Bizzelle, an old time friend. He had really been keeping up with the Gospel group competition. So far, he felt that Anthony McGhee and the Voyces were winning. The choirs were competing for a grand prize. It was a tough one; they were all good. All of their messages were about victory. The group I loved was from Indiana called Greater First Church; they rocked the ground. They even had the fish praise dancing.

I ran into Doris Macklin, a friend of mine and we hung out a bit, y’all know I had to go over to Mr. B’s Brown’s Ham House to get me some of those good old chicken wings and catfish. Okay hungry again, we headed to Shani’s Exquisite Catering where they have "that make you want to slap yo’ mama" peach cobbler ala monde, it is so goooood! All of the food vendors were delicious!

Everyone at the festival had nothing but good words to share. Joe Chudzinski who was waiting on his wife near the women’s room had a different twist. He stated: "it was not bad but I want to talk about what I did not see. My wife Toni and I attend all the festivals here. Many talk of coming together but I do not see any of the major Black business people here like Burger King, etc. At Summerfest, all of the vending spots are open, why not here. Everyone says they want to see the festival successful, why are the vendors who own these buildings not here as sponsors, they are even at the smallest festivals but not here."

I headed on toward Bobby Blue Bland at the U.S. Cellar Stage and it was jam packed, 5 to 95 wanted to hear those down home blues and Bobby put it on them in spite of his health. Bobby brought the crowd to their feet as he sang ‘"Share Your Love With Me" and started snorting, as he sang; they loved it! Bobby turned them out.

Okay I’m headed over to Frankie Beverly and Maze, then I keep hearing this band doing Marvin Gaye, and whipping the Congo drums in the Culture Village, I had to go check it out. It was them again the Mali Blues Group, they are awesome.

Now what everyone has been waiting for Frankie Beverly, Maze has taken to the stage, and thousands of folks are everywhere to get those "happy feelings."

Frankie had them rockin’ he did not need any back up singers; he had thousands of them singing all the way back to the lakeshore line. I think I even saw the fish "Do Whopping," Holla! It was a party out there, y’all. A night up against dark skies with twinkling stars with all lovers visibly in sight and Frankie and Maze rocking their world taking them back to that very first night when they felt those "happy feeling" then discovered "joy and pain, sunshine and rain," I loved it!

As Frankie threw it out, the crowd threw it back. Folks danced on tabletops, in the aisles, in their seats, the bartenders at the beer tents were "stepping in the name of love" behind the bar as all shouted Frankie’s name.

Well the clock on the wall, say it is the end of another year of family reunions, reconnecting with old friends and family, being at a place to enjoy the best nature has to give us and celebrating us being the Creator’s first born in the spirit of love, peace and unity. Let us now take this spirit to our neighborhoods and spend it.

Hey, African World Festival it was great, I know how much hard work goes into this and I know it will be bigger and better next year. Congratulations.

I-Witness goes to Charlotte as a proud Black mother, witnessing her daughter’s commencement...

(Top photo) Tanasha White, daughter of Barbara "I-Witness" White, recently received her Master’s degree in Health and Business Administration. (bottom photo) Tanasha and Drumicus Johnson are all smiles as they marvel in success. (photos by B. White)

I Witness traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina as a proud mother, to watch her No. 1 daughter, Tanasha (Nasha) White graduate from Pfeiffer University, the School of Graduate Studies in Albemarle, North Carolina.

As a parent, it makes your heart beam to see your children become successful at conquering their dreams and endeavors in life. Some their dreams are instilled in them as a family mission but more importantly it is the dreams they chose to conquer to set and prepare their life journey to pass on to their next generation.

I was truly excited, not bragging but my daughter is a goal-setter. She decides what it is she wants to do and she focuses and works hard to make it happen. Tanasha attended Bryon Kilbourn Elementary School, it was here that I discovered she had a problem with reading and the lesson from the teacher was that she would read in time. Well that was unacceptable to me, because as I knew it she should have been able to read small words. We worked with her at home and her father David and I soon changed her school; she began to attend Granville Elementary and was placed in the IGE Program (Individual Guided Education) we put her in the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center for tutoring. There she had excellent tutors, Ellen and Richard.

Tanasha could do anything with numbers she was good at that. She just could not read. The new school put her in low math because she was in low reading. Again, We fought against that she was taken out of low math and put where she needed to put and by year end she received the most improved "Student Award" in reading and overall from both her school and MPS itself.

We went on to John Muir Middle School where we were in the gifted and talent program. I became PTO President and 6-grade boy’s basketball coach. As PTO President, I brought in many programs like Chapter 1 and Title 1 reading programs. We left John Muir with honors and headed for Rufus King for the College Bound. It was here I discovered I didn’t like my daughter’s study habits and thought she needed some more tutoring, so I took her to Huntington Tutorials, it was here she learned how to study with success and learned test taking techniques. As any parent would know this cost, money and we had to go without many things but we made the decision that, it was more important for her future to learn how to compete in the real world.

After about two months of nearly starving to death, Nasha told us she felt she had it down now and did not need to go anymore. (Wow, I could now maybe buy me a couple of cappuccinos) she got a job at various food chains and worked while she went to school. Okay that day arrived, high school graduation.

It was here she told me she wanted to join the army because she did not feel she was really ready to be without supervision. I did not want her to go; I wanted her attending North Carolina A&T. However, her father, David and Lee Holloway convinced me I needed to let her do it her way so I agreed but only if she went to the U.S. Air Force.

Off to the Air Force, we went and in fours years we obtained an associate degree in Allied Health and an Accounting Degree from one of the most prestigest Baptist Universities in the nation Campbell University.

After Nasha’s honorable discharge from the Air Force, we worked for a couple of firms and decided we wanted to be a nurse. Therefore, we became a nurse. We didn’t like simply being a nurse so we became a travel nurse, where we traveled all over the country working at hospitals specializing in different areas of nursing, we even did a stop at Yale University, this is where they taught us how to be a real nurse.

We decided to go back to school to get our Master’s Degree at first in business then we added health.

So here, I-Witness is in North Carolina with my sisters Kay from Atlanta, Georgia, Shirley, my brother James White, my nieces, Leonie and Ashley and Nasha’s brother David Smith Jr. and his wife Elaine, we were welcomed by my Goddaughter Drumicus, her husband Joel Johnson and their dog, Teddy, to their five-bedroom house.

Drumicus (McDaniel) Johnson is from Milwaukee also and she attended all the schools that Nasha did and went into the U.S. Air Force at the same time. I have known her all her life as well as. Drumicus served two terms in the U.S. Air Force where she got her degree in Criminal Justice. As of June 2007, she is now carrying a Masters in Management and Leadership. They are both 30-years-old.

We had a great time. My daughter loves her mother’s spaghetti, catfish and shrimp so I laid it out for them on Friday. My sister Kay made homemade caramel and lemon lime cake and my nieces made salad and garlic bread, we feasted for real. We all had a great time even the dog Teddy has his own room. Of course, we played dominoes and you know who won, Holla!

The next morning, my sister Kay cooked breakfast and my sister Shirl made southern sausage gravy for the biscuits.

Off we were to the graduation, Pfeiffer is a nice Methodist University campus. However, what struck me was see so many young Black people getting their master’s degrees. I was so proud. I watched my daughter as well as the other students as they put on their colored collars. Gold represented a degree in Business Administration, Pink Health Administration and the Pink and Gold, which my daughter wore, represented the double masters in both Health and Business Administration.

The program was short the Pfeiffer University Brass Ensemble played, Reverend Kathleen H. Kilbourn gave the Invocation, Felicia J. Reed representing the Class of 2007 gave the Welcoming. There was a solo by Eric Thinman, a young Black opera singer Kitengie Milka Shisso who sang so beautifully. Paul Clark did Greetings from the Alumni Association, Dr. Charles Ambrose gave the Charge to Graduates, all of their words were of finding self and the place that works for you in the world, be a contributor to society, making Pfeiffer look good and always stay in the spirit with God.

Dr. Phillip Orr did the presentations of the Master’s Degrees. Every time a name was called you could hear families cheering, see tears flowing. I-Witness was almost in tears as I watched all the young Black males names being called to receive their degree. (Hey y’all they are not all in orange suits and shackles, it is a lie, it’s a lie. They are the minority. These campuses and the U.S. Armed Services have our best and our brightest. I see it.)

When they called my daughter’s name and she flashed her pretty smile, tears tried to fill my eyes and my heart was filling with emotion because I wished everyone could see this. Our children are people of the world, they are leaders, and they are out here doing it as the true guardians of this planet and I felt so proud.

The graduates picked up their gifts and greeted their family and friends in celebration taking pictures, hugging, shedding tears and having much joy and laughter. I want y’all to know Uncle Sam paid for all this after education my daughter has received. The Cook Group in Indiana as a Research Clinical Monitor has just hired Nasha; the Cook Group does pharmaceutics and medical devices. We went out to celebrate at Nakato Japanese Restaurant where Shawn Huggins joined us, he was my daughter’s date, it was my first time meeting him, you know but he appears to be a very nice young man. Okay, we had everything from lobster to, shrimp, filet Mignon, New York Strips, fried rice, noodles; you name it everything was cooked right there at tableside with the chef entertaining us all the way. We surprised Nasha with a cake and song in Japanese; No, I do not know what they were singing either, Holla!

I went back to say good-bye to Teddy the dog and to thank Joel and Drumicus for the great hospitality. Joe is the man y’all, Drumicus really lucked up but she’s a jewel also. Once on the plane, my 38D’s began to swell again. I think I am a size 54 EEE. Again, I thought about seeing all the young people getting their masters, some a double masters and tears formed in my eyes, no they are not a lost generation, yes we have some we need to work with if we can or move them out the way for those who do, but I know now, I can go in peace because I know I seen Black into the future on that day and it will only get better. Hey, Nasha I love you more than the world and you to G-Girl the two good examples of Oh, yes you can cancan, why can’t you if you wanta yes, you can can can. The universe is yours, you two have claimed it now dance in it dance...Congratulations I love you both.

I shared this story with all of you to show our children can’t do it alone. As parents, we must be there to guide them, hear them as well as protect them. You notice throughout this story, I used the word we, education must become the mission set with goals for your entire family and settle for nothing less.

Our children must know getting an education is what is expected and demanded of them, education is not only what they owe to themselves, they also owe it to their families as a family treasure that dreams the best for them and make those sacrifices for a better day for all Black people then the world. They owe it to generations past who died for their rights to have these opportunities and they owe it to generations of the future yet to come.

I encourage all parents to become involved in their children lives and their education, make the sacrifice your children are worth it.