FLY - A Theatrical Tour de Force

Picture a dark, empty stage. A faint light from a cloudy sky. The U.S. Capitol in the background. A man’s shadow. Then, the sound of tap dancing feet echos through the shadows. Lights up! A tap dancer stomps, hops, leaps, shuffles across the steps of the capitol.  Not just any tap dancer, but a real hoofer like Gregory Hines or Savion Glover -- a Tap Griot tapping staccato rhythms, his pain, his sorrow, his hopes, joy and dreams. Tapping his life.

That was the opening of scene of FLY at the Pasadena Playhouse.  The tap dancer exits and Chet, an elderly Tuskegee Airman, appears on the capitol steps and tells his story of the Tuskegee Airmen, a story we’ve all heard.  Yet, the story is brought to life by a stunning cast of talented young actors. Brooks Brantly (W.W), Ross Cowan (Shaw), Omar Edwards (Tap Griot), Anthony J. Goes (O'Hurley), Brandon Nagle (Reynolds), Desmond Newson (Chet), Damien Thompson (J. Allen) and Terrell Wheeler (Oscar)

Written by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan, FLY kicked off Black History Month at the Pasadena Playhouse with a bang. Brilliantly directed by Khan it takes the audience through the rigorous training, racial slurs, insults that these young men, some of the best and brightest minds of the country, endured when they were accepted into the U.S. Army's Pilot Training Program in July, 1941 at the segregated Tuskegee Army Airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama.  It takes them on their first flights, bumpy and scary. Then as they became skilled aviators, on their first combat missions protecting bombers as fighter escorts over Europe during WWII. As the story unfolds, we learn about their personal lives, their families, their ambitions, their humanness.

According to a story in Performances magazine, the Red Tails as they were called, “flew over 15,000 missions and earned 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 744 Air Medals, 8 Purple Hearts” and the admiration and respect of the white pilots whose lives they saved. Nevertheless, they returned to the U.S. to endure the same prejudice and discrimination they fought against in battles against the Nazis.

Still, the story is not so much about racism, but about courage, fortitude, endurance and achieving one's dreams in spite of adversity.

It is an American story. A theatrical tour de force. A performance you won’t want to miss.  FLY plays at the Pasadena Playhouse through Feb. 21.

Joys of Autumn

Leaves changing colors bright and bold

from green to brown, red, yellow and gold

Season’s harvest -- squash, pumpkins, persimmons

oranges, apples, pomegranates and lemons

Football games

Steelers, Raiders, Vikings, Browns

Crowds cheering when their team scores touch downs

 

Cups of hot chocolate, tea, or apple cider

whichever one you prefer

 

People buying Halloween candies and sweets

for ghosts and goblins who knock on their doors yelling

 “trick or treat”

 

Rains that cool and cleanse the scorched earth

Fires blazing on your hearth

 

Sharing turkey, stuffing and Happy Thanksgivings

May you enjoy all the wonderful things autumn brings.

 

 

Copyright, October, 2015

Hazel Clayton Harrison

Whitney and Bobbi Kristina - An Inseparable Bond

As is the mother, so is her daughter. Ezekiel 16:44

Like Whitney Houston, I have an only daughter with whom I share a bond so strong that no force can separate us. Maybe that’s why the news of Bobbi Kristina Brown’s death, so close on the heels of her mother’s, touched a deep cord of sorrow in my heart.

I lost my own mother when I was thirty and the loss knocked me to the ground.  It took me years to come to terms with my mother’s passing and at times I still find myself groping in the dark for that wisdom and unconditional love that only a mother can give. So I can only imagine the force of the blow losing her mother dealt to the twenty-two year old Bobbi Kristina. 

Like the bond between Houston and Bobbi Kristina, my daughter and I share a bond borne from the trials of living in a world that seems to be spinning more and more out of control.  Some of the challenges I shared in common with Houston include holding down a demanding job while parenting my daughter (though, of course, my wages were considerably less than hers); going through painful divorces and break ups with husbands and boyfriends while trying to teach my daughter how to avoid the pitfalls of dating and marriage; attempting to resist the temptations of alcohol and illegal drugs in a world where they are so readily available.

Fortunately, my daughter and I did not have to go through these trials in the limelight of the public eye, which I’m told magnifies situations by quantum leaps.  We were also fortunate to be able to draw from the well of my mother’s and grandmothers’ wisdom which continuously guided us. The churches we belonged to were beacons of light which pointed us to higher ground. And we had family, friends and community members who counseled and encouraged us along the way. No one really knows why the traditional systems failed Houston and Bobbi Kristina. Maybe the lights of stardom are just too bright for some to endure.

In every human tragedy there are lessons to be learned.  Whether we like it or not, as mothers we are role models and examples for our young.  They consciously and subconsciously emulate our behavior. The best we can do is give them a strong foundation, teach them basic values, and reach toward our own higher selves. In doing so, we give them coping mechanisms that will help sustain them when they are faced with the ultimate reality.

I believe that Houston and Bobbi Kristina are together once again. Perhaps it was Houston who called her beloved “Krissy” home so she would no longer suffer. As we grieve their passing, the best we can do is appreciate the gifts of song they left us, honor their memories, and keep them in our prayers.

A Father's Lessons on Aging and Dying

When I go down to the grave I can say I have finished my day's work. But I cannot say I have finished my life. My day's work will begin again the next morning. -Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

     My mother died at the age of fifty while still in her prime. So, although she taught me almost everything I knew about becoming a woman, she passed on before she could teach me about aging. Thus, I looked to my father for those life lessons. He died at the age of 80, but truth be told, that was not the end of his life. In many ways it was the beginning.

     My father retired at the age of 62 after working for 35 years in a steel mill.  Before his retirement he had been a heavy drinker and I worried that without my mother to nag him about his bad habits, he would drink himself into an early grave. But after his retirement, he sobered and ripened into a wise elder and respected community member.



Dad and me in 1980s after he retired 

     My father loved to garden and after he retired his garden overflowed with beans, tomatoes, and greens. In his youth he had joined the Freemasonry. After retirement he was elected treasurer of their local lodge.  He also assumed the role of caretaker for our dear Aunt Lily who was well in her 90s by then. In short, he lived a full life after retirement.



Dad and Aunt Lily

     I'll never forget the phone call I received from my nephew telling me my father had been stricken with lung cancer.  He was 79 years old and the doctors had given him only four months to live. Hearing that news was a blow to my stomach
 

     When I recovered, I had to accept the inevitable. My sisters, nephew and I went into action to assume the role of caretakers for dad who had been independent since he left home at the age of 18. There were doctor appointments, chemo and radiation treatments, medical bills, wills and estate plans - all the business of death and dying.

     Through it all, I observed my father's reaction to becoming dependent on his children. After getting over the initial shock, he assumed the role of a father and grandfather who was determined to live to the fullest whatever days he had left.

     There was his 80th birthday to celebrate.  His children and grandchildren traveled from all over the country for his first and last birthday party.  There were balloons, singing, picture taking, and plenty of food. He reclined on the sofa in his pajamas soaking up all of the birthday wishes, hugs and kisses, and even gathering up enough wind to blow out candles on the cake.


Dad at his 80th birthday party

     The ten months he lived after that birthday are forever etched in memory. The were hours spent playing checkers with him to ward off dementia. Trips to the local gym for physical therapy. And hours just sitting at his bedside in silence when he was too weak to talk. Once when I was helping him change his Depends, he joked, "Well the Bible says once a man twice a child. I guess I'm a child again."

     Through it all, I never heard him complain - not once! When asked how he was feeling, he'd always say, "I'm fine. I feel good."
 

     He passed away quietly at home in July 2005. At his memorial service and funeral, countless neighbors, friends, and family members expressed their condolences and spoke of ways he had helped them. Although he has left this world, I feel his presence now as strong as ever. Driving around in the old Buick he left me, I can still hear him guiding me, telling me to slow down and pay attention to the road ahead.

     I am forever grateful for a father who loved me unconditionally and taught me not only how to live, but how to age and die gracefully.

Sonia Sanchez - Quotes from her Reading at 2015 Jean Burden Poetry Series (Cal State L.A.)

I have been a fan of Poet Sonia Sanchez's since my activist days at Kent State University in the late sixties. So when I heard she was scheduled to be the featured reader at the Jean Burden Poetry Series at California State University, L.A. on Thursday, May 14, 2015, I planned to be there, front and center.  It was a good thing I arrived at the Annenberg Lecture Hall early. By the time she arrived, there wasn't an open seat.  Throughout her lecture and reading, I hung on to every word and took notes. Here are some of her quotes.

"You should be pissed at the mess of the earth your elders have made."

"It is an obscenity for 1 percent of America's population to own 99 percent of the wealth."




"You must speak out against racism and sexism."

"Teach people how to breathe and you teach them life."

"Teach children haiku and you teach them life."

"Write peace haikus."

"Poetry is unconscious conversation."

Quoting Octavio Paz: "Poetry is a bridge between history and truth."

What has Professor Sanchez been doing lately?  Besides lecturing internationally on Black Culture and Literature, Women's Liberation, Peace and Racial Justice, she completed her most recent book, "Morning Haiku".  BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez, a new feature documentary about her life and work, is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2015.

Author Hazel Clayton Harrison with Distinguished Poet Sonia Sanchez



The Black Madonna - Symbol of a Mother's Love

Black Madonna Photo by Ramon FV Velasquez

With Mother's Day right around the corner, I've been thinking a lot lately about a mother's love. Not that I don't think about that every day. After all I am a mother of two beautiful children and am blessed to have had an extraordinary mother to raise me.

Although motherly love (what the Greeks call Storge) is one of the most powerful forces on earth regardless of the mother's ethnicity, I believe that a Black mother's love has a strength greater than the earth's gravitational pull.  Why? Because a Black mother's love has been fired in one of the hottest kilns on the planet - the kiln of slavery and its horrific aftermath.

During slavery a slave mother's children were literally torn from her arms and sold to the highest bidder. Yet, stories abound about slave mothers who stole away at night to find their children on other plantations. To this day, a Black mother's children are often torn from her arms by a system that denies her basic human rights such as decent housing, education, and food. Her children are too often easy pickings for rogue cops who use them for target practice.

My mother (center) and Great Aunt Lily

Black mothers and fathers have been criticized for spanking or whipping their kids. Now Toya Graham, the African American mother who went off on her son for throwing rocks at the Baltimore police, is being applauded. Finally, psychologists, social workers, and parents are seeing what black mothers and fathers have always known - if we don't firmly discipline our children, the system will maim or murder them.

My mother showered her five children with love but had a firm hand, and I am better off for it.  Despite the many whippings we got, we knew she loved us and woe be unto anyone who tried to harm us. She was a fierce protector of her young.


Edna Crutchfield

When I left home and moved into the larger community, I was adopted by surrogate mothers. There was Minnesota Artist and Poet Ginny Knight of Guild Press, Edna Crutchfield,  a founder of International Black Writers and Artists (IBWA), and  Los Angeles Artist and Community Activist Edwina Gaines who mentored me in writing and public speaking. I am eternally grateful to have had such remarkable maternal figures in my life.



Black Madonna Plate

One of my favorite images is that of the Black Madonna or Black Virgin.  According to mythologists, the Black Madonna symbolizes the archetypal dark goddess. Marian statues and paintings of her have existed since Medieval times and hundreds of her forms still exist in artwork all over Europe and South America.

For me, the Black Madonna personifies all that the Black mother suffers, sacrifices and endures.  Though hidden in the shadows of cathedrals, shrines and museums, she is revered and honored by many who view her as a representation of the great Earth Goddess who provides for all of her creatures and yet is often neglected and abused.

Today and every day, I honor all mothers, and in particular our Black mothers and grandmothers who came before to lay a foundation of love, courage, and faith on which we can stand.

Epic's Spring 2015 XGM: A Space Odyssey

Look! Up in the sky! It's a space shuttle! It's a school! It's a farm! It's a museum! It's Epic!

Epic System's new corporate headquarters in Verona, Wisconsin sparks the imagination and challenges software development companies to think outside the cubicle world when it comes to the development of electronic medical record (EMR) systems.

At this year's Expert Group Meeting (XGM), Epic's campus was as much of an attraction to the over 600 participants from 193 healthcare companies across 44 states and 3 countries  as the conference itself. Sitting on 1,000 acres of farm land in Verona, about a 30 minute drive from Madison, the Epic farm as it is fondly called is a showpiece in and of itself.

Designed in a spaceship-like configuration, Epic's learning center is made up of three main halls: Voyager, Epicenter, and Deep Space. Each hall transports visitors to a different world. In Voyager Hall we admired artwork from Indiana Jones' Lost Ark, the Greatest Show on Earth, an Epic Trek and 007. In Epicenter we strolled past images of the Wild Wild West and rocked it with Elvis and the Beatles.  My favorite was the caves of Deep Space where we explored rock, cave, dirt, magma, and sky layers of planet earth.

In its enormous hallways, every nook and cranny is filled with artwork that titillates and teases the imagination. On a tour of the campus, my colleagues and I were taken through halls decorated to look like everything from New York's Times Square to jungles of Africa. 



There were conference rooms overlooking duck ponds and waterfalls and halls designed to look like heaven.  There was a door to hell too, but our tour guide whisked us right past it.

The XGM offered sessions on a wide range of topics including demos on Epic's newest software. Also offered were presentations on e-learning, distance learning, and traditional classroom training methods.  Judging by the buzz in the dining halls and training rooms, the XGM was a huge success.

My guess is that even more Epic customers will be wowed at Epic's User Group Meeting (UGM) which is usually held in the Fall.

Let us Continue our Celebration of Black History

What a rhythmic, pulsating, life affirming, vibrant force this Black History Month has been! It started in January with Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday and the premier of Selma in movie theatres throughout the country, with John Legend singing "Glory" to the drum beat of Common's victory rap.

Last week I sat in church, watched the beautiful men and women of First AME flow down the aisles wearing green, gold, magenta robes. Yesterday, KPAAPA's (Southern California Kaiser Permanente African American Professional Association) celebration of Black History Month was a testimony to what our ancestors always did - make riches from rags.

Senior Kaiser Leadership, Dr. Benjamin Chu, Executive VP of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Dr. Edward Ellison, Director/Chair of S. California Permanente Medical Group kicked off the celebration.  Beautiful Sister and Master of Ceremonies Dr. Rae Boganey entertained us with her story and joke telling.  We rocked and swayed to the beat of a drum circle, a healing balm for wounded souls. The love songs of singer Gene-O lifted us to the heavens. The list of speakers at the event would make the gods stand up and applaud.

Dr. Michael Morris, Asst. Medical Director and Pastor - an African flower that bloomed out of the ashes of the Watts riots.  "If I looked at the probable, I would be in jail," he said, "but I always look at the possible.  Death is not tragedy. Tragedy is when your dreams die before you do."

Speaking on leadership, Michael Cook, Ph.D. said, "Leadership is engaging people.  It's personal and impactful." Morchelle Tease inspired us to thrive with her poetry. Ronald James Brown, 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist and former NFL player for the L.A. Rams, reminded us that it is our obligation to reach back to help our communities.  Keynote Speaker, Dr. Susanne Afflalo echoed Brown's call for action and mentorship.

It was an evening of inspiration, creativity and hope.  Many thanks to Ebony Lewis, Regional Co-Chair, Rosemary Wilson, Erica Dewar and all the other volunteers who helped to organize the event.  They proved that on the calendar Black History Month ends today, but in our hearts it is only the beginning.

Harnessing the Power of Your Intentions

After the Christmas tree has been taken down and the Hanukkah and Kwanza candles blown out, our thoughts turn to the new year.  The earth has made a full rotation around the sun, and we are at the beginning of a new cycle. We gaze into the distance and wonder, what opportunities, possibilities, tragedies will the year bring? What hand will fate deal us? 

The terms fate and destiny are often used interchangeable, but the American Heritage dictionary defines fate as the force or power that predetermines events.  While destiny is defined as an individual's inevitable course of events. On the other hand, we all have free will, the ability to make choices that affect our destiny. 

Although fate and destiny play important roles in what the future holds for you, never underestimate the power of your intentions. Intention is defined as a plan of action, or an aim that guides direction.  Through intentions we exercise free will.  Intentions become more powerful when they are written. A written intention or plan of action can be a great road map -- a guide that will focus your energies and help you to achieve your goals.  So when you imagine the future, consider what your intentions are. 

Some people use New Year's resolutions to set their intentions.  However, resolutions are generally too vague and undefined.  For example, your resolution might be, "to lose weight".  Then the questions become how much weight are you going to lose, how are you going to lose it, and by when.  If you are serious about harnessing your intentions, set goals that are SMART. 

Specific
Measureable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-Related

A well written goal provides answers to what, when and how. Here is an example of a goal written in specific terms:

By June 1, I plan to lose ten pounds by adding more fresh vegetables to my diet, eating red meat only once a week, and exercising five times a week for 20-30 minutes each time.

Goals should not be boring or tedious.  To set goals that are exciting and rewarding, make sure they reflect your life's purpose - the thing which you were born to do.  If you love to travel and want to fly to Spain this year, set a goal that includes important details like how you plan to pay for the trip and when you plan to leave. If you want to change your career or start a business, set goals that include taking classes to build your skills, or creating a business plan.  To stay on track, review your goals monthly or quarterly.

In Philippians 3-13, the Apostle Paul exhorts his followers to set goals and manage their time wisely.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth toward those things which are before.

Goal setting will help you to define your intentions, manage your time, and exercise free will as your future unfolds.

New Years - a Time for Reflection

We are laborers together with God. I Corinthians 3:9

For many the new year is a time of self reflection.  What did I accomplish this year? How am I doing in the present? Have I achieved the goals I set out to accomplish? What lies in the year ahead?  That is where I am today.  As I look back over 2013, I am happy to say it has been a tremendous year of ups and downs.  Internationally, I watched the Philippines devastated by Typhoon Haiyan.  From October 1-16 there was the government shutdown after Congress failed to pass a 2014 budget -- a  standoff between Democrats and Tea Partyers who were hellbent to prevent the Affordable Care Act (ACA) from getting launched.  After the government re-opened there were website glitches that kept Americans from registering for health insurance made available through the ACA. Although the American economy improved a bit, there were worries about layoffs in industry, especially the healthcare industry with looming Medicare cuts.

In my family life, despite the rising costs of college tuition, we were able to send my 23 year old son off to college in Northern California.  He earned above a 3 point GPA, and we are making plans to send him back for the next semester.  My daughter took an epic journey to Kenya and returned with the glow of the African sun in her eyes.  My grandson graduated from middle school in the spring and started high school in the fall.  Over the summer, I flew to Ohio to support my brother who was in the ICU recovering from surgery.  He is a survivor and from all indications will live to see the New Year. In October, I flew to Atlanta with my daughter for a reunion of her father's family.  I was surprised to find she had siblings who looked so much like her. In November I celebrated my 65th birthday at Red, White and Bluezz with family and friends. That milestone birthday was another life changing event that gave me pause to reflect on the past, present and future.  In November we mourned the death of Nelson Mandela who lead the South African people in the struggle against Apartheid and through a process of reconciliation after he was elected president.

Despite setbacks, hurdles, sickness, and catastrophes 2013 was a good year. This week I will write my goals for 2014.  Goal setting is a way of solidifying thoughts, ideas, and plans that otherwise rattle around in our heads.  Goals help us to see in black and white what things we want to accomplish.  As I think of my goals and bucket list, I am reminded of Paul's letter to the church of Corinth.  In Corinthian 3:6-8, he wrote:

I have planted, Appolis watered; but God gave the increase.  So then neither is he that planted anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth increase.  and everyone shall receive his own reward according to his labour.  For we are laborers together with God; ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

Thus, whatever works we set out to accomplish in 2014, let us remember that we should but do our part in kingdom building.  Put your faith and trust in God, He provides the abundance!  Whether it be to teach, plant, write, build, or create, do your best and God will do the rest.

As Arthur P. Stanley wrote, Leave some good work behind you that shall not be wholly lost when you have passed away.  Do something worth living for, worth dying for.

Happy New Year and God Bless!

A Salsa Song for Halle Berry

Every now and then the gods and goddesses will step down from their thrones and grace us with their presence.  They will walk amongst the poor and middle classes perhaps remembering a time when they were mere mortals.  Such was the case yesterday when academy award winning actress and model Halle Berry appeared magically in the crowd at the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art (LACMA) free Latin/Jazz concert.

I was headed toward the ladies room when a male security guard came over to me and asked, "Is that Halle Berry?" I stared hard at the back of a petite woman who walked a few feet ahead of me.
  "It looks like her back, but I can't tell for sure," I said.  "Run up and see!" 

The guard trotted ahead of me.  As the woman veered toward the ladies room, I quickened my pace.  When I reached the entrance, the guard stood there gawking and grinning.  I turned my head and there she was, standing in line with about a half dozen Latina and African American women.  Except for that unforgettable face, she was incognito.  A below the knee black skirt draped her slender hips. A loose gray cashmere sweater grazed the skirt just below the waistline.  Large round sunglasses hid her eyes, but not the beauty of that heart shaped face.

What stood out most about her was not her glamour, but the way she stood in line to a public toilet like everyone else, not demanding to go ahead of others though I am sure they would have let her if she had asked. My fingers itching to take a photograph of her, I asked if I could take a picture, but she shook her head.  "You don't want to do that," she said.  "I'm not wearing make up.  I'm tired.  We just came from Disneyland."

"Okay, I will respect your privacy," I said.  Noticing the small baby bump that protruded from her waist, I changed the subject. "When is your baby due?" I asked.

"October," she replied and flashed that million dollar smile.

"Do you know if it's a boy or girl?" I asked.  She shook her head. "Sometimes it's better to be a surprise," I added. We chatted two women standing in line at the entrance to the restroom -- strangers, yet familiar in the way women are who have shared similar life experiences, regardless of their status in life. A few seconds later a woman emerged from a stall.  Halle waltzed in and closed the door. 

From the outdoor arena, the rhythmic sound of salsa music drifted through the park.  I stood in line reflecting on how in L.A. occasionally you can run into a celebrity, a star and suddenly realize that like you they are vulnerable and human.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Los Angeles

Last Wednesday's performance of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre was a tour de force of elegance, beauty and grace.  A huge fan of the dance theater, I've attended many of their shows over the years, but this week's performance at downtown Los Angeles' Music Center was extraordinary.  Maybe it was because this was their first appearance at the Music Center since the torch was passed from Judith Jamison to the new Artistic Director, Robert Battle.  Maybe it was because my friend and I had great seats in the orchestra section, a few feet away from celebrities such as actress Dihanne Carroll and her beau.  Nonetheless, Robert Battle made his mark on the theater's legacy.  The dance troupe thoroughly entertained and wowed the packed house with new choreography, Grace and Minus 16, and the traditional Revelations.

The dancers rocked the house with Grace, a rhythmic, pulsating, soul stirring choreography by award winning choreographer, Ronald K. Brown.  Choreographed by one of the world's preeminent contemporary choreographers, Ohad Naharin, Minus 16 featured dancers trapped in gray business suits twisting and turning to free themselves from corporate bonds.  Towards the end, they free themselves by kicking their shoes off, disrobing and gyrating across the stage in their underwear. 

The show ended with my favorite Alvin Ailey choreography, Revelations. As the dancers performed ballet and modern dance through three movements; Pilgrim of Sorrow, Take me to the Water, and Move Members Move, they evoked memories of the African American struggle from slavery to religious and spiritual awakening.

This week's performance certainly proved that Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is an American treasure and one of the premier dance companies of the world.

Starting the New Year Right

Most Americans ring in the new year in with some special food, tradition, or celebration.  There's usually plenty of champagne, or some other sparkling beverage.  I've heard folks from New Orleans say they fix gumbo for New Years.  Some of my Southern friends still fix chitlins and hog maws.  Having been born and raised in Georgia, my mother always cooked black-eyed peas, fresh collards, mustard and turnip greens, and corn bread of course.  "Back eyed peas for luck and greens for the money," she would say.  Mama also believed that if a man was the first person to visit on New Years, you would have good luck all year.  So, if a woman was the first person to knock on our door on New Years, Mama wouldn't let her in. Although I pride myself on being a modern, liberated woman, I still follow those traditions.

This year, I had the pleasure of going to the Rose Parade with my ex-husband (we're still friends).  Although I've lived in the Pasadena for over twenty years, I always shied away from the annual event. I never liked crowds and the idea of getting up at an ungodly hour to stand in a crowd just didn't sit well with me.  But this year, a local real estate developer sent me two free tickets to watch the parade from the lobby of their building which faces Colorado Boulevard. 

I had to get up at 6:30 on New Years Day morning to get downtown by 7:30 for the parade, but it was well worth it.  The parade was more spectacular than ever. The beautiful floats, colorful flowers, prancing horses, marching bands, beautiful Rose Queens.  Some of my favorite floats were Delta Sigma Theta's "Transforming Communities Through Sisterhood and Service" and Kaiser's "Oh, the Healthy Things You Can Do".  Why, you couldn't have asked for a more exciting event.  No wonder people come from all over the world to see it. 

The parade ended before noon, so afterward I headed home to fix my black eyed peas and greens. I knew my New Year was off to a great start when a man (my friend and neighbor) Sonny dropped by to wish me a Happy New Year.  I could just hear Mama laughing.

Letter to my Dad on Father's Day

Dear Dad,
On this Father's Day, I want to thank you for being the first man in my life.  For being there to love and guide me through all my ups and downs.  For telling me the stories of your boyhood -- how you grew up in the Deep South picking cotton and raising hogs.  You were such a young man, only twenty-one, when you married Momma and started a family.  How difficult it must have been for you at such a young age, finding your way North out of the Jim Crow South.

To this day, I remember the lessons you taught.  How even in lean times, you managed to put food on the table and save for a rainy day.  What was it you used to say? "Your outgo should never be more than your income."  To this day I still use that simple economics lesson when trying to stretch my paycheck to the end of the month.

I can still hear you say, "Get a good education; nobody can take that away from you ."  So, with your encouragement, I went to college and earned two degrees.  You always said you were a man of your word; and you lived up to that creed by never making a promise that you couldn't keep. 

Every day you got up at dawn and went to work come rain or shine.  At night, you got down on your knees and prayed before going to bed.  Now, every day I go to work and do my best even when I don't feel like it.  And I pray morning, noon, and night.

If I have made anything of myself, it is largely because of you, Dad.  So today, I honor, praise, and thank you for being such a wise and loving father.

Save Gas Money; Save Our Planet

I have to admit I am so blessed.  Just as I was about to blow a gasket about the astronomical rise in gas prices over the past weeks, I get an e-mail at work.  I am lucky enough to work for a healthcare company that cares about its employees and the communities in which they work.  The subject line on the e-mail was "Let's Build Healthy Communities."  In the e-mail was a link to a website that gave information on how to reduce fuel consumption.  Just what I needed when gasoline prices have gone up to over $4.50 a gallon in my neighborhood. It's a great site.  Some of the tips it gave are for reducing fuel consumption are:

• Avoid vehicle trips when possible, especially for shorter distances; walk or ride a bicycle instead.
• Carpool, vanpool, or use public transportation once or twice a week.
• Improve fuel economy by:
  1) Accelerating and decelerating more slowly
  2) Driving within the speed limit
  3) Removing unnecessary weight in your car to lighten resistance
  4) Turning off the ignition when your car is standing still
  5) Maintaining proper tire pressure.
  6) Following proper maintenance of your vehicle
• Linking trips together

Sure, some of the tips are plain common sense.  But how often do we drive around the corner to the store or post office?  I don't know about you, but I am so tired of paying exorbitant prices at the pump.  I'll try just about anything to save a buck or two.  Maybe I'll even lose a few pounds by walking or bicycling a few times a week.

Farewell to Brother Jamal Ali

His death came as no surprise.  For years, cancer had coursed its awful way from his lungs to the rest of his organs.  All through surgery, chemo, radiation, Jamal fought gallantly like a wounded soldier never complaining about the toll the treatments took on his mind and body.  When he finally passed on November 4, 2011, his last breath was a sigh.  Having spent his last days sitting at his bedside, holding his hands, massaging his shoulders, whispering love songs in his ears, we all sighed, relieved that his Spirit had ascended. 

Since the disease had ravaged not only his body, but his checking account, a proper burial was never an option.  His remains would be cremated.  But where would his ashes be scattered?  We puzzled for days.  Jamal had been an avid hiker who loved to scale the heights of the Sierra Madre mountains that shoulder the San Gabrial Valley.  So in the end it was a no brainer.

Jamal was a follower of Ifa (a Yoruban religion). So, it would have been sacrilegious to even consider holding his memorial at a Christian church.  Thanks to three beautiful angels who hovered over him during his ordeal (Elaine, S. Pearl, and Hasani) arrangements were made for his Going Home Celebration to be held at KRST Unity Center of Afrakan Spiritual Science in L.A. 

On Saturday, Feb. 4, as I sat in the back pew of the Unity Center, my eyes taking in a golden ankh, Egyptian sculptures -- Afrikan symbols of life and death, I couldn't help but think how pleased Jamal would have been to have his celebration held in such a sacred circle.  Jamal was a great scholar, poet, engineer, culinary artist, jazz aficionado. And his Going Home Celebration was truly a reflection of his higher consciousness.  Gathered in the room that day were doctors, spiritual advisors, authors, engineers, astrologers, teachers, musicians who came to pay their last respects.  Hearing their music, eulogies and wise spoken words was like having a great light of consciousness radiate from a sphere.  After the ceremony in the dining hall, plates of Thai food (his favorite) were dished up and the deep thunder of a recording of his voice reading from his trilogy, "HeartFire Rendezvous", filled the room.

The next morning, Sunday, Feb. 5, (the day before what would have been his 59th birthday) the sun rose a fiery orange ball in a clear blue sky.  It couldn't have been a better day for releasing his ashes.  At about eleven a.m. seven of us (Elaine, Jean, Tchise', Hasani, Angela, John and me) caravaned through Altadena up to Chaney Trail.  We parked at the top of the hill and hiked through the forest searching for a good resting place for his ashes.

Since all the women except Angela and Tchise' are over fifty, I thought we would hike for only a short distance, but leading the pack, Elaine and Tchise' kept moving deeper and deeper into the forest.

Finally, after hiking for over a mile over steep mountain cliffs, we heard Elaine's voice, clear and strong.

"Here it is!" 

We rounded the bend and lo and behold, there it was -- a sturdy metal foot bridge crossing a  steep ravine of emerald green sloping downward to a waterfall on the other side of the hill.  Exhausted, we rested a moment in silence before Tchise' and Elaine began breaking the strings that held his precious Ifa beads.  After scattering his beads over the bridge, they climbed down the slope and sat near the dried creek bed.  We sang, prayed, laughed, cried as they scattered his ashes, which drifted like ghosts through rays of sun. 

"Farewell, Jamal," I said.

"We love you," someone else said.

Now he was truly free.  And in some ways, so were we.

Funny, how Nature has her way of communicating. As Elaine, Jean and I stood in the driveway of my house saying goodbye, Jean pointed at a tree overhanging the driveway and said, "Look at that." 

Searching in the direction in which her finger pointed, our eyes fell on a black monarch butterfly (a symbol of metamorphosis and transformation) sitting on the Y of the tree trunk.  I've seen many monarchs in my yard, but never a black one.

Jamal's trilogy, "Heartfire Rendezvous", is available through:

heartfirerendezvous.wordpress.com
amazon.com

Open Letter to Dr. M. L. King

Dear Dr. King,
I am writing this letter to wish you a Happy Birthday.  I am honored and privileged to be able to be here to celebrate what would have been your 83rd birthday, and to thank God that you were born.  For surely, He sent you here to teach and lead us to our higher selves.

Sometimes I wonder what kind of leader you would have become if you had not been gunned down forty-four years ago at the young age of 39 on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis.  What words of love, hope and encouragement would you offer to the millions of poor and disenfranchised among us -- to the middle class who have become disillusioned with the American Dream?  What counsel and advice would you give to President Barack H. Obama, our first African American President?  What advice would you offer to help our Commander in Chief to steer this giant ship of America back on a course of equal opportunity and justice for all?  To a time when everyone can sit at America's bountiful table.  Would you have reminded us that the fight for human rights is not over -- but in many ways has just begun?

Since you are not here physically to be our moral compass, perhaps the best gift we can offer you on your birthday is a commitment to keep your Dream alive, to continue to be drum majors for a more peaceful world.

Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude for all that you gave.  Despite your critics, the world is a better place because you lived, and we still have hope for a better future.

RespectfullyYours,

Miss Hazel

Fela -- The Show of a Life Time

If you want to see a performance that will transport you to another dimension, make you get up out of your seat and move to a pulsating beat, go see Fela!.  Produced by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and directed by Bill T. Jones, Fela tells the story of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, one of the hottest musicians borne from African soil. 

During the Sixties and Seventies while Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Angela Davis, and Stokely Carmichael and other activists were railing against American racial and social injustices, Fela was creating his own brand of music called Afrobeat, a mix of rhythms from around the globe.  He used his music as a weapon to raise consciousness and attack a corrupt Nigerian dictatorship and the giant oil companies that placed them in power.

Tony Award nominee Sahr Ngaujah and NEA and Bessie Award recipient, Adeosola Osakalumi do an amazing job of invoking Fela's indomitable spirit on stage.  Conducted by Aaron Johnson, the band rocks the house.  Not to mention the cast of singers and dancers whose acrobatic, gyrating movements take the story to another level.

A must see show, Fela not only tells the story of an incredible human being, but will also thoroughly entertain you and make you hunger for more. 

Fela! is playing at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles through Feb. 22.  For more information, visit felaonbroadway.com

Is the World Coming to an End This Year?

Several weeks ago I found my twelve year old grandson lying in bed sobbing his poor heart out.  "What's wrong?" I asked.  "The world is coming to an end next year and I'm worried about it," he said.

I did my best to reassure him that there was no truth to that vicious rumor, but quite honestly I didn't have any facts to back up my viewpoint.  I'd heard the 2012 Doomsday predictions, but had been too busy to pay much attention to them.

As New Years approached, rumors flew across the Internet faster than a nest of mad hornets, so I figured I'd better educate myself on the subject.  I got hundreds of hits when I googled 2012 Predictions, but I figured that information on NASA's website would be the most reliable. From NASA, I learned that the dire predictions are based on a number of widespread beliefs.

1. Nibiru (Planet X) is supposedly headed on a collision course with Earth on December of 2012. 
2. In December there is supposed to be an alignment of the Sun, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
3. A cycle of the Mayan calendar ends on the winter solstice, December 21, 2012.

My blood pressure lowered as I continued to read and discovered that when the Mayan calendar ends in December 2012, it will be no different than when our Gregorian calendar ends on December 31 and resumes on January 1. I was also relieved to learn that Nibiru and other wayward planets are an Internet hoax.  In a related link, E.C. Krupp, Director of the Griffith Observatory, stated that he expects no planetary alignment to occur on the winter solstice. 

An article in the Jan. 1, 2012 edition of the L.A. Times reported that according to NASA, solar storms do occur every 11 years, and the next cycle is expected to occur around 2012-2013.  However, effects of solar storms have been exaggerated.

I have to admit that I was one of those who ran around like Chicken Little crying "The sky is falling" during the Y2K scare of 1999.  After the hurricane force winds that tore through my neighborhood in early December of 2011, I plan to be better prepared for natural disasters, but I am determined not to panic.

After all with our economy still in a disaster and a Presidential Election on the horizon, I have enough to worry about.

Hints for a Happy, Healthy Holiday

The news media portrays the Christmas holidays as one of the cheeriest seasons of the year, however, it can be a stressful and depressing time for many.  It is a time when those who are single or divorced may feel lonely or isolated.  When the unemployed worry because they may not have enough money to make ends meet, much less buy expensive presents.  A time when the homeless huddle in overcrowded shelters.  A time when parents are stressed by heavy traffic on the streets and long lines at the mall.  Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves during the Christmas holidays?  Is there any such thing as a perfect Christmas, Kwanza, or New Year's?  I doubt it.  However, the December holidays can fulfill and enrich the human spirit if we focus on what's important.  Here are a few ideas to help make yours less stressful.

1. Don't overspend.  Make a budget for gifts and stick to it.
2. Keep gift giving simple. Give homemade gifts such as home baked cookies, certificates for babysitting, house cleaning, or a ride to the airport or doctor's office.
3. Invite a friend or neighbor over for lunch or dinner.  Go to the movies, or pop popcorn and watch videos.
4. Volunteer time to your favorite charity, or visit the sick at a hospital or nursing home. Give toys to a toy drive or donate to your favorite charity.
5. Go to church, a synagogue or mosque.  Many churches hold candlelight Christmas eve services.
6. Treat yourself to a hot bath with scented oils or candles.
7. Start a gratitude journal to record all the things you have to be thankful for.
8. Exercise and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
9. Get a group of friends together and go caroling.
10. Read a good book.
11. Read Luke 1:27 to remind yourself of the meaning of Christmas.
12. Plan a potluck dinner to avoid having to do all the cooking on Christmas day.
13. Laugh much and don't take yourself too seriously.
14. Avoid overeating and overdrinking.  Too much sugar and alcohol can lead to depression.
15. Pray or meditate to stay connected to Spirit.
16. Call an old friend you haven't talked to in a while.
17. Forgive someone you've held a grudge against.
18. Set boundaries on the  number of parties you attend, if you are not up to it.
19. Play music, sing, and dance.
20. Learn something new, or start a new hobby.

Wishing you peace, love, and joy during the holiday season.