It has been said that a woman’s work is never done, and I must say that this has been true for me throughout my entire adult life. I was fortunate, however, to have people around me who loved life and brought joy to my work and my play. In the 1980s, my work involved raising children, raising money for Cleveland State University, and raising my voice in song (my play), among other things.
I really like this 1985 picture of me holding my son, “Billy D,” while volunteering at Cleveland State University’s annual alumni phonathon. I first shared this online in a 2015 pre-Mother’s Day Facebook post, since Billy and his older brother Mike, a poet, appear to have inherited an appreciation for hard work and the arts from their mother.
The 2014 image on the right is of me with my voice teacher, Dr. A. Grace Lee Mims, whose love for the Black Arts is a strong now as it was in 1981, when I became her student. I will be celebrating Black Music Month 2015 with Dr. Mims at a June 20th program at the Western Reserve Historical Society, 10825 East Boulevard, Cleveland OH 44106. The event, “The Black Arts,” starts at 1:30 p.m., and the title recognizes the fact that Dr. Mim’s, one of the founders of the African American Archives Auxiliary of the Western Reserve Historical Society, has hosted “The Black Arts” on WCLV Radio for nearly 40 years. This event is free and open to the public, but registrations is required. For more information, please visit www.wrhs.org.
Keep your eyes and years open in June, because you are sure to see and hear more good things during the 2015 celebration of Black Music Month. My hope is that you will always enjoy your work and play!
The RASHAD Center, Inc. 