January 5, 2024 • 9 mins
For her once-a-month feature “VLS Journeys” Vanesse Lloyd Sgambati speaks with Lisa D. Brathwaite, author of the book Miles of Style: Eunice W. Johnson and the EBONY Fashion Fair. Brathwaite will be one of the featured authors at the 2023 African American Children’s Book Fair which takes place Saturday February 3, 2024from 1-4 pm at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
MILES OF STYLE
https://theafricanamericanchildrensbookproject.org/
For her feature – “What is Philadephia Reading?” Vanesse chats with NBC10 evening anchor Fred Shropshire. @therealfredshropshire
MILES OF STYLE
https://theafricanamericanchildrensbookproject.org/
For her feature – “What is Philadephia Reading?” Vanesse chats with NBC10 evening anchor Fred Shropshire. @therealfredshropshire
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Good morning, and welcome to Insight, a show about empowering our community.
And I am Lorraine Ballard Morrell joiningme as she does once a month every
month is Vanessa Lloyd's gumbody. Sheis an icon in the city of Philadelphia,
the founder of the African American Children'sBook Fair, the Literary and also
a world traveler. You just celebratedyour birthday month, right, Yes,
(00:23):
and I had a great time.I even got a chance to go down
to Florida to surprise my granddaughter.She had not seen her cousins, her
female cousins since she was two andshe turned eight, so I threw a
big bash for her. Ah.Yes, it was really really special.
But you know what, the nextbig month for me is February. We
kick it off in a big way. I'm so excited to celebrate the thirty
(00:46):
second annual African American Children's Book Fair, and I'm announcing this to all of
you. Nicki Grimes, Vashtie Harrison, Dare Culter, and we have Lisa
Brathwhite is one of the authors whowill be presenting at the book event.
So if you don't know those names, those are the biggest names in children's
(01:07):
books. That you can find.Literally, The New York Times said they
had the best books ever for twentytwenty three. And I will be talking
to a special person also from NBCten. And I'm so excited to welcome
here to Philadelphia. I'm sorry otherpeople have done that, but let's get
down to business. Lorrange, Okay. My first guest is Lisa D Brathwhite.
(01:33):
She is the author of Miles ofStall, Eunice W. Johnson and
the Ebony Fashion Fair and it's apicture book. We're debuting the book.
It's the first time that people willbe able to see the book and purchase
it in the entire country. I'vegot like six books that are debuting at
the African American Children's Book Fair.Lisa, I'm so excited to have you
(01:53):
at the book fair. How didyou start writing books, because you know,
it's really really difficult. This isit's your first book, and it's
difficult to get into the business.You're so right, Vanessa. I'm delighted
to be here to speak with youtoday. Yeah. I got in through
curiosity, community, and commitment.I've always been a lifelong learner and curious
about something and I'll dig in andresearch it. And with research and with
(02:17):
learning. Fundamental to that is reading. So I've always been a reader.
And James bald would say, read, read, read, and after you've
done reading, write, And soI was compelled to start writing as well.
And I started reading to students atelementary schools as a volunteer. And
then I had a student, achild who was not a reluctant reader,
(02:39):
and she was not interested in thebooks that she saw on the library.
And I was committed to writing forgirls like her, writing for children like
her. You want a contest,Yes, I won the New Voices Award
contest with Lean Lowe Books. Andthe manuscript that I submitted that was inspired
by that child was Miles of Style. Unis W. Johnson and the Evan
(03:00):
Fashion Fair. Now why did youpick Yunis? She grew up believing beauty
and dignity were things that everyone shouldexperience, and from that she created the
Ebony Fashion Fair. And she wasthe wife of the founder of Ebony magazine.
And I grew up, as manyof my of my time did,
with Ebony on my coffee table.So I dug in and learned and did
(03:21):
some research about her, and Iwas compelled to write the story. I
read the book from cover to coverand it is amazing. And you know,
I knew her, and I knewher at a time when she was
just starting to do the Ebony FashionFair, and she used to come to
the couture collections. Many of youI've talked about this before I was a
fashion journalist. I was one ofthe few black women who was covering the
(03:43):
ready to wear in couture collections.And she would walk in the room and
it was like the nah was partyingbecause not only did she come with you
know, being the wife of amajor publisher and a millionaire, and that
was a big thing, a blackmillionaire at that time. But she did
not look for discounts. We paidrack prices. And the Ebony Fashion Fair
has gone on to be one ofthe most amazing I understand. Over the
(04:06):
course of his reign, they maybefifty million dollars they were able to raise
for various charities. Ebony's no longeraround. You can buy the archive,
the back issues, and the photographsbecause the Pew Foundation was able to secure
the rights to that. Tell uswhy people should come, yes, yes,
yes, well they should come becausejust like you said, you and
(04:28):
its Johnson's story, Ebony. Itbelongs to our culture. So many people
know about Ebony, but they don'tknow the story behind it, and so
I want people to come to learnabout her. That's why black books matter,
because those are stories that need tobe told. Thank you so much.
And she's coming to the African AmericanBook Fair Saturday, February third,
wonder fourth, and it's free andsome of the sponsors will be giving away
(04:51):
her book, but you can alsopurchase it. Thank you, Lisa,
Thank you so much. Vanessa.Looking forward to seeing everyone there. My
Philly people show up. We've cometo one of my favorite parts of this
segment. What is Philadelphia reading?You know, I like it in the
people's business, their literary business.And I have a very special guest,
(05:14):
and I hope I pronounce his namecorrectly because I've got one of those kind
of names, Gumbati. And hisname is Fred Shropshire. Did I get
it right? You got it closein the Shropshire. Well, that's as
bad as people calling me Vanessa insteadof Vaness. But we even now.
Okay, so Fred, you arethe evening anchor. You're looking good on
TV. You just came from NorthCarolina and you're going to be at the
(05:40):
thirty second annual African American Children's BookFair. NBC ten, Telemundo sixty two
and Comcasts are one of the sponsors. And I'm so happy that you're going
to be introduced to the many peoplein the Philadelphia area. So tell us,
how did you land up here?Oh? Man, Well, everything
that I've done before this point ledme to this position. I've always admired
(06:01):
Philadelphia from Afar my brother. Ihave an older brother who spent a lot
of time up here and just goingback and traveling back and forth over the
years. Always liked this city andhad an opportunity to come here and be
a part of this news team.And it just the timing. You know,
opportunities happen at different times in ourlives, and this is just one
of these opportunities that was too hardto turn down, that came at a
(06:26):
very good time in my life.Now, you know what's so encouraging.
I'm from the generation where we sawJohn Facenda on Channel ten, and to
see someone like yourself on TV reallyreally is inspiring, encouraging and enlightening for
young people to see you reporting thenews. And I know what that's about,
because for me, that person wasEd Bradley. When I was a
(06:47):
kid, my dad used to makeus watch sixty Minutes and it was an
acquired taste for me. But Ialways thought it was so cool to see
Ed Bradley on TV telling those stories, doing it in such a way that
he seemed cool, and he seemedlike he was being himself. And I
was inspired by that. So Iknow what that's like. When you see
something, it's like you can youcan actually imagine yourself doing it. Well,
(07:12):
you know, at Bradley's Philly Bred, Philly Bourne, and we're very
proud of him. In fact,I'm sitting in a studio that if I
walk a block, there's at BradleyWay. So let's get down to business
in So, what is Philadelphia reading? What book are you reading? The
power positive thinking? First book youread? It would either be Charlotte's Web
or Wrinkle in Time. Best bookyou've read, Wow Night, worst book
(07:38):
you've read. That's a question markYou'll go to author the Apostle, Paul.
I read a lot of New Testament. That's one of my favorite sections
of the Bible. Buyer or Barrboth. What book should everyone have in
their library Bible fiction or nonfiction.Nonfiction. You have a literary dinner named
(07:59):
three people from the literary community.You must have. I'm gonna say Maya,
Angela, Alex Haley and Mark Twain. Wow, that's a dinner party.
If you wrote a book about yourlife, what would be the title?
From boy to Man? Wow?We got the soundtrack all ready for
that. Well, thank you,Thank you, fred I look forward to
(08:22):
meeting you and folks. Come outSaturday, February third, from one to
four pm at the Pennsylvania Convention Centerand NBC ten, TELEMUNDU sixty two Comcast
will be there giving away those threebooks at the door. As always continued
to read, buy a book,and of course have a blessed day.
And that was Vanessa Lloyd's gumbody ofthe literary. I'm Lorraine Ballard Marlow.
(08:43):
We'll have more insight after these messages.
Good morning, and welcome to Insight, a show about empowering our community.
And I am Lorraine Ballard Morrell joiningme as she does once a month every
month is Vanessa Lloyd's gumbody. Sheis an icon in the city of Philadelphia,
the founder of the African American Children'sBook Fair, the Literary and also
a world traveler. You just celebratedyour birthday month, right, Yes,
(00:23):
and I had a great time.I even got a chance to go down
to Florida to surprise my granddaughter.She had not seen her cousins, her
female cousins since she was two andshe turned eight, so I threw a
big bash for her. Ah.Yes, it was really really special.
But you know what, the nextbig month for me is February. We
kick it off in a big way. I'm so excited to celebrate the thirty
(00:46):
second annual African American Children's Book Fair, and I'm announcing this to all of
you. Nicki Grimes, Vashtie Harrison, Dare Culter, and we have Lisa
Brathwhite is one of the authors whowill be presenting at the book event.
So if you don't know those names, those are the biggest names in children's
(01:07):
books. That you can find.Literally, The New York Times said they
had the best books ever for twentytwenty three. And I will be talking
to a special person also from NBCten. And I'm so excited to welcome
here to Philadelphia. I'm sorry otherpeople have done that, but let's get
down to business. Lorrange, Okay. My first guest is Lisa D Brathwhite.
(01:33):
She is the author of Miles ofStall, Eunice W. Johnson and
the Ebony Fashion Fair and it's apicture book. We're debuting the book.
It's the first time that people willbe able to see the book and purchase
it in the entire country. I'vegot like six books that are debuting at
the African American Children's Book Fair.Lisa, I'm so excited to have you
(01:53):
at the book fair. How didyou start writing books, because you know,
it's really really difficult. This isit's your first book, and it's
difficult to get into the business.You're so right, Vanessa. I'm delighted
to be here to speak with youtoday. Yeah. I got in through
curiosity, community, and commitment.I've always been a lifelong learner and curious
about something and I'll dig in andresearch it. And with research and with
(02:17):
learning. Fundamental to that is reading. So I've always been a reader.
And James bald would say, read, read, read, and after you've
done reading, write, And soI was compelled to start writing as well.
And I started reading to students atelementary schools as a volunteer. And
then I had a student, achild who was not a reluctant reader,
(02:39):
and she was not interested in thebooks that she saw on the library.
And I was committed to writing forgirls like her, writing for children like
her. You want a contest,Yes, I won the New Voices Award
contest with Lean Lowe Books. Andthe manuscript that I submitted that was inspired
by that child was Miles of Style. Unis W. Johnson and the Evan
(03:00):
Fashion Fair. Now why did youpick Yunis? She grew up believing beauty
and dignity were things that everyone shouldexperience, and from that she created the
Ebony Fashion Fair. And she wasthe wife of the founder of Ebony magazine.
And I grew up, as manyof my of my time did,
with Ebony on my coffee table.So I dug in and learned and did
(03:21):
some research about her, and Iwas compelled to write the story. I
read the book from cover to coverand it is amazing. And you know,
I knew her, and I knewher at a time when she was
just starting to do the Ebony FashionFair, and she used to come to
the couture collections. Many of youI've talked about this before I was a
fashion journalist. I was one ofthe few black women who was covering the
(03:43):
ready to wear in couture collections.And she would walk in the room and
it was like the nah was partyingbecause not only did she come with you
know, being the wife of amajor publisher and a millionaire, and that
was a big thing, a blackmillionaire at that time. But she did
not look for discounts. We paidrack prices. And the Ebony Fashion Fair
has gone on to be one ofthe most amazing I understand. Over the
(04:06):
course of his reign, they maybefifty million dollars they were able to raise
for various charities. Ebony's no longeraround. You can buy the archive,
the back issues, and the photographsbecause the Pew Foundation was able to secure
the rights to that. Tell uswhy people should come, yes, yes,
yes, well they should come becausejust like you said, you and
(04:28):
its Johnson's story, Ebony. Itbelongs to our culture. So many people
know about Ebony, but they don'tknow the story behind it, and so
I want people to come to learnabout her. That's why black books matter,
because those are stories that need tobe told. Thank you so much.
And she's coming to the African AmericanBook Fair Saturday, February third,
wonder fourth, and it's free andsome of the sponsors will be giving away
(04:51):
her book, but you can alsopurchase it. Thank you, Lisa,
Thank you so much. Vanessa.Looking forward to seeing everyone there. My
Philly people show up. We've cometo one of my favorite parts of this
segment. What is Philadelphia reading?You know, I like it in the
people's business, their literary business.And I have a very special guest,
(05:14):
and I hope I pronounce his namecorrectly because I've got one of those kind
of names, Gumbati. And hisname is Fred Shropshire. Did I get
it right? You got it closein the Shropshire. Well, that's as
bad as people calling me Vanessa insteadof Vaness. But we even now.
Okay, so Fred, you arethe evening anchor. You're looking good on
TV. You just came from NorthCarolina and you're going to be at the
(05:40):
thirty second annual African American Children's BookFair. NBC ten, Telemundo sixty two
and Comcasts are one of the sponsors. And I'm so happy that you're going
to be introduced to the many peoplein the Philadelphia area. So tell us,
how did you land up here?Oh? Man, Well, everything
that I've done before this point ledme to this position. I've always admired
(06:01):
Philadelphia from Afar my brother. Ihave an older brother who spent a lot
of time up here and just goingback and traveling back and forth over the
years. Always liked this city andhad an opportunity to come here and be
a part of this news team.And it just the timing. You know,
opportunities happen at different times in ourlives, and this is just one
of these opportunities that was too hardto turn down, that came at a
(06:26):
very good time in my life.Now, you know what's so encouraging.
I'm from the generation where we sawJohn Facenda on Channel ten, and to
see someone like yourself on TV reallyreally is inspiring, encouraging and enlightening for
young people to see you reporting thenews. And I know what that's about,
because for me, that person wasEd Bradley. When I was a
(06:47):
kid, my dad used to makeus watch sixty Minutes and it was an
acquired taste for me. But Ialways thought it was so cool to see
Ed Bradley on TV telling those stories, doing it in such a way that
he seemed cool, and he seemedlike he was being himself. And I
was inspired by that. So Iknow what that's like. When you see
something, it's like you can youcan actually imagine yourself doing it. Well,
(07:12):
you know, at Bradley's Philly Bred, Philly Bourne, and we're very
proud of him. In fact,I'm sitting in a studio that if I
walk a block, there's at BradleyWay. So let's get down to business
in So, what is Philadelphia reading? What book are you reading? The
power positive thinking? First book youread? It would either be Charlotte's Web
or Wrinkle in Time. Best bookyou've read, Wow Night, worst book
(07:38):
you've read. That's a question markYou'll go to author the Apostle, Paul.
I read a lot of New Testament. That's one of my favorite sections
of the Bible. Buyer or Barrboth. What book should everyone have in
their library Bible fiction or nonfiction.Nonfiction. You have a literary dinner named
(07:59):
three people from the literary community.You must have. I'm gonna say Maya,
Angela, Alex Haley and Mark Twain. Wow, that's a dinner party.
If you wrote a book about yourlife, what would be the title?
From boy to Man? Wow?We got the soundtrack all ready for
that. Well, thank you,Thank you, fred I look forward to
(08:22):
meeting you and folks. Come outSaturday, February third, from one to
four pm at the Pennsylvania Convention Centerand NBC ten, TELEMUNDU sixty two Comcast
will be there giving away those threebooks at the door. As always continued
to read, buy a book,and of course have a blessed day.
And that was Vanessa Lloyd's gumbody ofthe literary. I'm Lorraine Ballard Marlow.
(08:43):
We'll have more insight after these messages.
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