A little
rain never stopped this show in the 27 years it has been happening at the West
Oakland Branch Library across the street from Lil Bobby Hutton Park at 18th and
Adeline Street. This year, we didn't have any youth or children on the program,
but Randolph Bell brought his daughter and the two enjoyed a bit of the program
before they headed to their next stop.
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| Halifu Osumare and Gene Howell Jr. |
A lot happens in the shortest month
of the year, which highlights the historic legacy of black Americans. For the
other 11 months, the megaphone is all but silent. Nonetheless, we know without
black people, America would not be the America it is today -- from the traffic
light and light bulb, to blood plasma and the ball point pen, refrigerator
transport systems and home security system, ice cream and ice cream scooper
(with spring) ironing board, swiveling sprinkler system, dry cleaning process,
automatic elevator shaft closing, computer, clock, watch, folding chair. It
goes on and on, especially when we include the theft of
Henrietta Lacks's
immortal cells renamed HeLa, were used to develop the vaccine for Polio, travel
in outer space and used to research for: "
herpes, leukemia, influenza, hemophilia, Parkinson's disease,
certain types of genetic diagnoses, cancer, AIDS, cloning, the effects of
radiation
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| Mr. and Mrs. Alexander |
and toxic substances, and in vitro fertilization."
It is said, Mrs. Lacks is the most
important woman in medical history. Unfortunately, everyone made money from her
cells, except her young children and husband in dire poverty when she died.
Avenging the Ancestors Coalition is an organization in Philadelphia which has a
list of inventions invented by black men and women.
ATAC says: We
did it. They hid it. Grounded in the Akan concept of Sankofa, ATAC explains that genius is political and if the person with the idea was owned by
another or the competitor was more powerful, then theft would go without prosecution. In the
case of Lacks, the doctor(s) just hid his research from the family and ignored Mr. Lacks refusal to cooperate by stealing Mrs.Lacks's cells.
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| Paradise Free Ja Love |
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| Steve McCutchen |
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| Tique and Husband |
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| Rahim (R) with Partner |
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| Audience Members |
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| Karla and Friend Poet |
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| Tyrice (poet) |
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| Lee and Wife perform |
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| Halifu Oṣumare and husband, Gene Howell Jr. |
Rahim Sabir opened with a nice live drum interlude. Later
on, Rahim also accompanied me with my poem. That say we had duets and sole
performances; however a highlight of this year was the tribute to Lee Williams,
Sr. a longtime supporter of the Celebration. Tique, eldest daughter, shared a few
Lee Williams standards and Lee II and
his wife performed songs from an upcoming recording. It was fun listening to
Lee and his wife perform, especially the song: “Mo Grown” where the singer
laments his errors and “Hard,” where the singer says life is hard because “he forgot
about God.”
Gene Howell, Jr. and Halifu Oṣumare performed a duet—their poetry full of
loving metaphors—Gene’s “Le live da la
femme noire or Black Woman Book,” Halifu’s answering “Where did you come from”
felt unrehearsed. It was as if poetry were their livelihood, their breath, all
else unnatural or pretense.
Steve McCutchen shared stories about NASA and the black mathematicians and
scientists he knew as a child, in his poem “A Lever and a Place to Stand.”
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| Ava Square Levias and Angela Wellman |
His
tribute, “Conversation,” to his friend Lee Williams was also lovely. At times
his voice sounded like Lee’s.
Darlene Roberts shared a meditation on the N- word. However, it was a poem she
wrote for Lee which he never heard, which took us back to Victor’s Café in Oakland
and to the Western Addition Cultural Center in San Francisco where Darlene, as
President of the International Black Writers in San Francisco would host monthly
Saturday meetings.
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| Quilt Artist with Rahim Sabir (drummer) |
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| Final Hugs |
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| Rahim and Girlfriend |
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| Randolph Bell (educator and artist) with daughter |
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| Avotcja (poet) with Reginald Wilkins (actor) |
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| Sister Najeebah Jaja Martin (poet) with Brother Makmud |
