I never knew how hard Ella Fitzgerald worked to be as good as she was. Ella Just One of Those Things is a new documentary on Netflix that tells story of the singer with people who were her contemporaries. It will introduce you to pieces in her catalog with a story or two behind them.
Fitzgerald’s resilience stood out to me. It was inspiring to see someone with a vision from their teenage years make it happen despite the struggles life through her way. It is stories like this that would encourage other women to not give up. Although her life was not perfect, her music was.
She and her generation open doors for today’s performers by working in places where they could not even eat or sleep. Stories like this remind us of the price that was paid to get to modern day. Something we all needed to be reminded of.
Dancing During The Storm is a collection of short stories that represent people dealing with the storms of life. There are times when we have to decide are we going to lay down or fight. All of these stories tell of people who are either coming out of, in the middle of or going into a storm. In this second volume, the stories deal with justice, women’s issues and deception.
My art reflects my faith, love of history and African American culture.
Consider bidding on one of these pieces of art to help raise money to pay for repairs on my Cousin Alice’s home. The person with the highest bid will win the image they bid on.
There are five choices to bid on. They will be printed on canvas.
The bidding starts at $65. Email me your bid at uppcreative@gmail.com
In a country where murder is usually very violent and action packed, the Sistas find a new type of murder. The weapons were not always a gun or knife nor was the crime always obvious. The Sistas have found some new shows that are very intriguing.
I am not completely sold on it, but the new Wonder Years which is being produced by Lee Daniels has Don Cheadle narrating and stars Dule Hill. The premise is interesting, but this can go two ways. I am waiting to see which one. But check it out and let me know what you think.
One of the first images I ever saw of Charles White’s was his portrait of Frederick Douglass. It was in a museum along with other portraits of notable African Americans. I was proud. During a time on intense racism, he created respectable images of African Americans.
The shirt of the month for October reminds us Self Control can change our lives. It is the thing that allows us to achieve and receive. It is not easy. It does not come without work. It can be very rewarding.
Participating in something you have no control over requires much control.
Bert Williams (1874-1922) was born in the Bahamas. In 1918 the New York Times wrote he was one of the greatest comedians in the world. Williams was also at one time was one of the highest paid performers in vaudeville and on Broadway. He and his team were one of the first African Americans to perform on Broadway, in a show titled Dahomey, a musical in 1903.
Because of his race, he was usually the solo African American performer in a vaudeville show, which meant he travelled, ate and slept separately from the Caucasian performers. He would be alone and separated from everyone else. A white supremist groups threatened theater owners to only have one black performer per show. When he signed with Ziegfeld’s Follies, Caucasian performers demanded he be fired, but management refused. He became so popular that others wanted to work with him.
Hattie McDaniel (1893-1952) was an African American actress and holds the distinction of being the first woman of color to win an Oscar. She won for the role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind. She appeared in over 300 films and was also a singer.
Even though she made enough money to live well, she found that it did not stop discrimination. She almost didn’t get to attend the Oscar ceremony where she won because it was segregated and didn’t allow African Americans in. She also had to file lawsuits to stay in her neighborhood because deeds restricted African Americans from purchasing there and was denied the right to be buried in the cemetery of her choice because race restrictions. She didn’t allow other people’s rules to allow it to limit her.
It took incredible self-control to continue to work and perform routinely. It took discipline to continue to give great performances every time. It took heart not to give up and go do something that was more just.
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