Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
B one O three is w vazsm oak Bark Chicago,
an iHeartRadio station guaranteed Human V one O three presents
Chicago Speaks with your host Daryl Dinard. This program is
designed to address issues that affect you. Your opinions matter,
toll free at eight three, three, five nine one V
(00:21):
one O three. The views and opinions expressed are not
necessarily those of the station, it's management, sponsors, or iHeartMedia.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
In Hello and Welcome to Chicago, speaks your communications conduit
for speaking to the issues impacting our community. I'm your host,
Daryl Dinard. It is Sunday, July twelfth, twenty twenty six.
We can look for a near picture perfect day weatherwise,
with sunny skies and a high in the mid to
upper eighties. Currently it's sixty eight degrees. Despite random upticks,
(00:49):
Chicago continues to be on track of reduced incidents of
violent crime. Many experts attribute the city's focus on supporting
youth programs and keeping the streets safer. This morning, we'll
talk to the leaders of Build in Chicago youth programs.
We'll also talk to actor comedian Phillis von Stickney about
her extraordinary career in her upcoming Chicago show. Plus, we'll
(01:13):
take your calls as we pay tribute to the trailblazing
career of the late Chicago businessman George Johnson. And we'll
close out our discussions learning about one of the nation's
oldest civil rights organizations, the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs. So,
as is the case every Sunday morning, there is a
lot to speak to, and we begin with a podcast
(01:34):
that brings laughter to the soul. It goes without saying
that these are difficult times we're going through. When life
seems heavy, laughter can lighten the load. My next guest
knows something about that. He's mc gin, a trailblazing rapper, actor,
comedian best known for his performances on BET's Freestyle Fridays,
(01:54):
as well as several roles in movies including The Fast
and Furious Too. He's also the host of the podcast
Laugh But Not Lease.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Jen.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Welcome to the program.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Darryl, good morning, Good morning, and blessings to you. Thank
you for having me.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
Man.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
It's always overwhelmingly endearing when you hear people kind of
introduce you and kind of recap your life in thirty seconds.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Well, it's a life that has extraordinary elements. You are
the host of the podcast Laugh but not Lease, but
you're also the first Asian American solo rappers signed to
a major record label in the United States. And when
I think of you in the podcast, I think about
two universal elements, laughter and hip hop. You're a unique
(02:41):
combination of both.
Speaker 6 (02:42):
Wow, thank you for that, Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 7 (02:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
I think there has definitely been intersection between the two
all the way back to my childhood quite quite frankly,
And you know, these things become more apparent to me
the further along I go, not only in the podcast journey,
but even in the life journey. Right, I'm a, for
lack of better words, I'm a middle I don't know
what is I've been trying to figure out. I guess
(03:07):
you could google this too, But when do you officially
step into middle age domt I would think it'd be
around forty to fifty, right, is that kind.
Speaker 8 (03:16):
Of the ball park?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
It's definitely forty to fifty.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
Okay, So I'm in that range for sure. I qualify
for the middle age card. And I think it is
in this particular season of life where you know, you
do more reflecting and to what you just said, the
hip hop component.
Speaker 6 (03:33):
I mean that's been with me since probably fifteen.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Fifteen is when I had the clearest day vision for
my life path, and that was I would be married
to the microphone. I mean, at fifteen, the aspirations are
a little more superficial.
Speaker 6 (03:47):
We'll put it like that. I just want to be
a rap star.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Right at fifteen, I was dead set on being a
rap star, and sure as day. I mean, I think
the laughter component, it definitely was present right away because
when I told my mom and dad, oh, yeah, I want.
Speaker 9 (04:02):
To be they had to left.
Speaker 6 (04:03):
They left, Yeah, you're crazy. And I don't even know
if it was a endearing laugh.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
It might have been more of like a maniacal laugh
combined with a like a yeah you think you're going
to do this rap thing and not go off the college.
So anyway, the point is, it's been cool to watch
the rap journey unfold, like as you mentioned before getting
signed and having a chance to watch my childhood dream
(04:29):
come true at the age of nineteen. And it was
just I think at the time it didn't dawn on
me what it meant to me. And more importantly, I
don't think it dawned on me at all what it
meant to anybody that was watching it unfold, not whether
that's just the general rap community, hip hop community, and
if we unpack it more, I mean when you break
(04:50):
it down to you kind of touched on it earlier too,
the whole Asian American component. I definitely I was aware
of it, but I don't think it really dawned on
me what that.
Speaker 10 (05:01):
And I found it significantly in terms of Asia actually
being one of the first continents to fully embrace hip hop.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I remember, you know, when I would look and I'm
going back in the days when Saturday started to permeate,
and I'm like, look at these cats, you know, a
very you know, kind of monolithic society because you know,
in Asia, whether China or Japan, the owarming population looks
a certain way. Yes, but I said, but yet they're
(05:34):
putting on you know, they're putting on all of the
hip hop gear. And I said, they want and buying
the record and buying the records, and I said that
you know, this is this is this is wonderfully encouraging
that culture transcends ethnicity.
Speaker 6 (05:51):
Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
I think what's cool is, you know, again having had
the tenure that I've had in the not only just
the music industry, but so within the the elements of
hip hop. I think I'm confident to say that I've
watched the growth of it, you know, from my own
POV and even to what you just said about, you know,
like the the perception of Asia, like you know people
(06:14):
think at least when I was a kid, yes, growing
not only just growing up, being born and raised here
in America. I've certainly experienced firsthands the the idea that yo,
you guys are all the same, right, Like like like
when people be like where you from, Oh, my family's from,
you know, from from Hong Kong, right.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
They're like, oh, yeah, Hong Kong, Korea is all the same.
I'm like.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
Like like like the and they would be levels to
the I guess kind of the obliviousness, so to speak, right,
And I try to show grace because I think it's
just a matter of.
Speaker 6 (06:45):
I don't want to use the word ignorance.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
I think it's just be a matter of a knowing, right,
just not knowing so nobody like yeah, lack of exposure. Correct,
So they're they're they're they're grouping. What's really a diverse
and if we're talking about the continent of Asia, very diverse,
rich continent with so like, endless amounts of history culture.
(07:08):
But yes, I think to the outside view looking in, no,
you all all the same. Now, what's been beautiful to
me about hip hop? As the years have gone by,
and especially here in modern you know, twenty twenty six,
let's say, I think hip hop has also allowed these
different cultures.
Speaker 6 (07:24):
To shine too.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
So if you look at hip hop in Japan, hip
hop in Korea, in China, as you mentioned, which has
been booming in the last ten years. I don't want
to say it started to exist, but for sure in
twenty seventeen it was a critical year because I always
remember twenty seventeen because it was a year that I
kind of first stepped into you know, the broader mainland China,
(07:47):
let's just.
Speaker 6 (07:47):
Say hip hop sphere.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
And there was a show there called The Rap of China,
and that Rap of China show, I would say, is
the catalyst for a whole new chapter of hip hop
in China, specifically in China.
Speaker 6 (08:01):
I think with.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
This conversation with you, it is something I've also been
learning through this podcast experience. I tend to overthink, sometimes
beneficially and sometimes it ends up being like a counterproductive
type of overthinking. So to your question, I think what
(08:23):
has been the moment where I was like, hey, this
is it?
Speaker 6 (08:28):
Is when.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Even in the midst of overthinking everything, I did feel
a heavy, heavy sense of like, if no one else
resonates with this particular theme or this particular direction that
I'm going, at least I know that it resonates with me.
Because I think leading up to where we ultimately ended
(08:51):
up going direction wise, I explored like a million different directions, right, themes, topics,
just potential ideologies that I wanted to highlight within the podcast,
whether it was the name, whether it was the conversation.
But once I landed on the idea of like, hey,
how do we find something that speaks to you jin
(09:15):
and use that as the anchor, I think laughter just jumped.
Speaker 6 (09:18):
Out right away. And it could be a combination of things.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
It could be as we've been talking about since we
started talking, the overall journey combined with where I'm currently at. Right,
So where I'm currently at is, yeah, I have all
these hats that I wear, you have the wrapper, you
have the podcasting, but also stand up right, So could
you know stand up in comedy as a whole is
something that has really risen to the top.
Speaker 10 (09:40):
And I think this list yeah, yeah, well you get
all of that and more when you tune in to
this extraordinary podcast.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Of course, it's available on our iHeartRadio network. Laugh but
not least, and the wonderful thing about it is the
healing power of not only laughter, but us not taking
ourselves too seriously. Jenn, I want to thank you for
joining us this morning.
Speaker 6 (10:08):
Thank you, Darryl, thank you, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Coming up, we'll learn how two Chicago youth programs are
helping to make the streets safer.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Please stay with us Chicago Speaks with Daryl Dinard. You
can voice your opinion right now toll free at eight
three three five nine to one V one O three.
Now back to Chicago Speaks with Daryl Denard, Share what's
on your mind toll free at eight three three five
nine one V one oh three.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Welcome back at Sunday, July twelfth, and you're listening to
Chicago Speaks.
Speaker 9 (10:43):
For more than.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Fifty years, BUILD, which stands for Broader Urban Involvement and
Leadership Development, has inspired area youth through youth development and
violence prevention programs. Joining me this morning to talk about
the BUILD mission and its impact on today's youth is
Bradlee Johnson. He is the chief executive officer of BUILD
and we also have joining us our intern with the
(11:06):
Northwestern University, Samuel Lsario. I guess I want to be
in first with you, Bradley, in terms of speak specifically
about builds mission and its service area.
Speaker 11 (11:17):
Okay, well, you know BUILD establashed in nineteen sixty nine,
and our mission really and at the end of the day,
is that we help youth overcome systemic barriers and achieve
positive futures. And we do that through our programs which
create that include intervention services, so that's working downstream. These
(11:38):
are youth who evolved in the justice system or risky behaviors,
gang activity, violence. And then there's the upstream work which
are prevention services and so thus after school time, out
of school camps, all types of services and programs that
include enrichment services which are the arts and sports and
(12:00):
music and agriculture.
Speaker 9 (12:03):
We have a small farm here as well.
Speaker 11 (12:06):
And then there's also education services, so we're looking at
our young people getting an education but also starting for
elementary school, think about high school, and then from high school,
thinking about college or whatever, post secondary including.
Speaker 9 (12:20):
Careers, then mental health services.
Speaker 11 (12:22):
One thing that we've learned over our fifty seven years
is that hurt people hurt people, but on the flip.
Speaker 9 (12:28):
Side of that, healed people, healed people.
Speaker 11 (12:31):
And so with that work with mental health services, our
young people as well as that connected family are able
to get mental health services and supports as well as
some of those basic needs being met. Many times we
have families that are struggling just to make ends meet,
so we help with things, whether it's clothing or food,
(12:52):
even rental assistance at times. And we serve the greater
West Side of Chicago, so that includes Austin, Garfield Park
Park and all the connected neighborhoods around it.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Everything that you talked about right now is the fact
that you really take a holistic approach to the development
of youth, because it's not just the youth themselves, but
you also have to look at the environment, You have
to look at the family structure, and you guys are
trying to fill in all of those holes.
Speaker 9 (13:19):
You know what, And that's exactly and that's intentional.
Speaker 11 (13:22):
That's intentional, and it evolved over time based on the
needs of our young people. One thing is is that
we are dedicated. Young people are at the center of
our work. We want to see them thrive. But we
also recognize that it really takes a village to raise
a child.
Speaker 9 (13:40):
They need all these background supports.
Speaker 11 (13:42):
And when you unpack violence, if you unpack justice involvement
and you walk that backwards, you're going to find economics,
You're going to find trauma, You're going to find poverty,
You're going to find poor educational attainment. And then also
many times it's the parents needs as well. And then
we also know that our young people need exposure and opportunity.
(14:05):
We gained so much experience in youth development over the years,
and it's tied to young people saying put the guns
down and say no to drugs.
Speaker 9 (14:12):
That does not work by itself.
Speaker 11 (14:14):
What works is pick up our music, career pathways, education,
finding other exposures of things that possible for your life.
Speaker 9 (14:25):
So I call that hope with legs.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Talk specifically about this experience that we've been going through
in Chicago with regard to team takeovers far too many
times erupting and violence.
Speaker 11 (14:39):
I think that the key is you have to you
have to address this before and I know people say
it's unpredictable where they show up and all that, but
all these young.
Speaker 9 (14:48):
People are coming from communities and places.
Speaker 11 (14:51):
As a young person, I was a young person too
in the summers, and I know this was decades ago,
about forty years ago, essentially when I was a young
but teenager. I love to go downtown. I love to
be at.
Speaker 9 (15:03):
The lake Front.
Speaker 11 (15:04):
I remember me and my friends even in my early
twenties going to thirty first Street beach and cars parking.
Speaker 9 (15:10):
You talk to the girls. So young people gathering is
not the problem.
Speaker 11 (15:15):
They will gather, but I think the key is understanding
what's going on with them, and so how do we
address this.
Speaker 9 (15:21):
I think the mayor has a few things right.
Speaker 11 (15:24):
The Chicago Youth Works, that summer program that engages young
people in employment throughout the summer months is great. What
I would say, though, is that what we have to
do is look at what are the activities and how
can that work.
Speaker 9 (15:38):
Extend to later in the evenings.
Speaker 11 (15:40):
Typically they end at five o'clock and there Monday through
Friday or Monday through Thursday. I think what we could
actually do is help the train folks across the city.
Even with our parts they need to be open later,
and they need to offer opportunities and be welcoming spaces
when young people get there.
Speaker 9 (15:57):
So you could have programs.
Speaker 11 (16:00):
So I think as a matter of preemption and not
look at them as the problem because that tends to
trigger a lot of issues as well.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Shall y'all know that you have a question?
Speaker 4 (16:11):
I do?
Speaker 5 (16:11):
Well?
Speaker 12 (16:12):
First of all, I really like how you mentioned like
kind of just like how it's important for an organization
to build. I wanted to ask you, like, how has
Chicago changed, and how has that reaction the city to
be evolving, and how have you guys reacted.
Speaker 11 (16:27):
There's limitations of what the city can do, so to
think that a city government can solve the problem is
not even realistic. What I look at is what's different
is that family units are not the same as they
used to be.
Speaker 9 (16:44):
When I was growing up.
Speaker 11 (16:46):
Everybody I grew up with we went to the same
community school for elementary school. All the families knew each other,
everything was intact. It's not like that anymore. This is
the twenty first century, and so as a city evolves,
I think there has to be more attention paid to
how we also utilize our schools there's so many things,
like the schools are different because they're no longer just
(17:10):
a community school that everybody went to anymore.
Speaker 9 (17:13):
Kids are moved, you know, they move all over the place.
Speaker 11 (17:15):
And then in our neighborhoods there's a high mobility rate,
so young people move around a lot, even if families
don't stay in one neighborhood. On the West Side, they
moved from Austin to Garfield Park, to North Lawndale to
Humbo Park to build min Kragan and this could be
in the span of ten years.
Speaker 9 (17:33):
One family could move that many times.
Speaker 11 (17:36):
So I think one thing that I would say that
the city has got right with is youth employment. They
do have some year round work. We need more year
round services and programs. And then also what I would
say with the city, and this is one of the challenges, is.
Speaker 9 (17:54):
That it's segmented. So the park district has.
Speaker 11 (17:57):
Its own thing, the school schools have cps have their
own thing. City government does what they do, and they
operate independently of each other. In a large regard. There
has to be more coordination between them has to be
and also how do we utilize the schools more as
more of a community hub, as opposed to just a
(18:18):
school year kind of place that kids get dropped off
or walk to and get picked up.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
So, as you seek to build these connections, what would
you say to those people whose patience has warmthin in
terms of saying, hey, we've been investing with doing this
and we're not seeing good results. We're still seeing people
end up unfortunately murdered.
Speaker 11 (18:42):
You know, and that's a tough situation. And I do understand.
I'm a parent, but I'm also a homeowner. I think
that they deserve to feel safe. What I would counter
that with, though, is the structure has to be put
in place right. There has to be a push and
a drive and a demand for our parts to remain
(19:02):
open and offer programs. We can utilize our libraries more,
take the school buildings that many are underutilized, and.
Speaker 9 (19:11):
Add more services and programs.
Speaker 11 (19:13):
And then on the other end of it, we have
to recognize that every young person who comes out is
not coming out to be involved with violence. Now, I
would say there has to be accountability. Let's look at
where does we stort of justice come in. Because just
the same punative measures that happened, you know, for years
and years and years, what is the.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Best way for people to find out more information about
the services offered with Build.
Speaker 11 (19:38):
You can call seven seven three two to seven two
eight eight zero, or you can reach us on our
way of www dot build Chicago dot org, where you
can see.
Speaker 9 (19:49):
All of our services.
Speaker 11 (19:50):
You can actually connect with us if you want to
partner with us, if you want to do programs, or
if you want to be involved or volunteer even at.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Lee Johnson, Samuel Osario, we thank you so much for
joining us this morning.
Speaker 9 (20:04):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
It goes without saying that the key to building better
communities is investing in our youth. Since nineteen eighty four,
Chicago Youth Programs has endeavored to serve the comprehensive needs
of each youth with an asset based approach that intends
to mitigate risk while building strengths. Joining us this morning
(20:27):
to discuss that mission and its annual Hope Gala Ore
CWP President Diamond McNulty, and Kathy Jackson, who is the
vice president of Engagement and Development. There's a pleasure to
have the both of you join us this morning, and
I guess I want to begin first with you. Diamond,
(20:47):
you served as the chairman of the board. Talk to
us about this hidden gem that's on the South side
of Chicago called Chicago Youth Programs.
Speaker 13 (20:57):
Chicago Youth Programs is just the wonderful jem I could.
Speaker 6 (21:00):
Speak personally from it.
Speaker 13 (21:01):
So born and raised in Chicago, I grew up on
the Near North area. I was actually a participant in
the organization at the age of five, So I've been
through the organization five years old. I've been through the
organization at every level, from our read to me doing
our concept package, having mentors, receiving scholarships when I attended college,
(21:23):
and then having the benefit of having angel supporters give
me additional funds to have everything I needed in order
to be successful. So the organization we support kids from
birth to college and beyond. So that's the secret. The
secret is some organizations only support after school, but our
goal is the long term approach where we want to
(21:44):
make sure our kids are with one out of the
streets to support it from the beginning until they become
successful and sustaining on their own.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
You have an extraordinary track record in doing this. Like
I said, you've been around since nineteen team A four,
which is a long time. And the fact of the
matter is you have this stellar track record in terms
of one hundred percent of your high school program participants
actually graduate and go on to matriculate in terms of
(22:16):
a post secondary matriculation. Talk about that.
Speaker 13 (22:19):
Yeah, So it stems from we have to give support
to our volunteers. So we have tutors and mentors that
come on after schools, whether it's throughout the entire week,
So once our kids get out of school, they may
meet them at the law school, at hospitals, we have
volunteer spaces and they help them with all of their gaps.
(22:40):
So it's really throughout the entire week where we're covering
our kids and we're ensuring that they're successful. And one
of the things that we found out is paring our
youth with those that are in college or medical students
or corporate executives, that they see what they desire to
be and that inspires them to keep going and to
not give up.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Kathy speaks specifically about program offerings and community engagement.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
So with the programs, there are various programs and as
Diamond mentioned about the mentoring and the tutoring, and that
there's programs that are addressing the needs for our younger
kids as well as our middle school and as well
as high school. With the high school programs though, that's
(23:27):
where it's a lot about college preparedness and helping them
to identify careers rather be going into college for four
year college two years, or even into the trades. Some
of the programs are STEM programs and it's just a
(23:47):
variety of programs that address the needs of our youth
and also to give them exposure.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
You serve some seven hundred and fifty kids annually. The
thing that I found most impressive is that though there's
a tremendous focus on high school students in terms of
making sure that they succeed after high school, you do
something that I thoroughly believe in, and that is getting
them while they're young, as young as five years old.
Speaker 5 (24:13):
Speak about that it truly matters.
Speaker 13 (24:16):
So we have two programs that start at that age,
and it's our prep programs, So that's our parent run
evening preschool where we not only support the kids, but
we also involve the parents, and that is where we
bring that family aspect together.
Speaker 14 (24:30):
And then that.
Speaker 13 (24:31):
Same program mirrors over to what is called our Read
to Me where we have volunteers or medical students to
come in and do the exact same thing where we're
working with our kids with Concept Package. What we found
out is not only is it working with those kids,
we're able to identify and help them with their comprehension,
(24:51):
help them with sounding out different words, and we have
so many learning aids to ensure that okay, well going
to different levels. One of the things that we found
out what our kids is as they're going through different levels,
as we're celebrating them, they're actually wanting to run after
their challenges more than the things that they know, because
(25:12):
they get rewarded by overcoming different packets that they are
not familiar with. So every time they do something that
they're not familiar with and they accomplish it, we reward them.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
So that's one of the secret sauces, Kathy, and it's
a wonderful sauce. You know, it needs to be spread
on every piece of bread. I have had the pleasure
of em seeing the Hope Gala in the past, and
I'm also going to also be there along with my
wonderful colleague from ABC seven News, Trade Ward talk about
(25:43):
Hope Gala and why it's so important for people to
support this event.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
You know, each year, Cyp hosts a special fundraising that
really generate the critical support for the youth and the
families we serve, and so by supporting us, it's an
evening to bring together corporate, civic and philanthropic profic leaders
to celebrate and to honor our remarkable young people and
(26:10):
the lives that have been transformed through participating in our programs.
You know, I must say that this celebration would not
be possible without the support that we have from our donors,
our volunteers, partners and staff and that come together and
build stronger communities for the Chicago area. This year's theme,
(26:36):
Expanding Access Elevating Futures, reflects both on our progress and
our purpose. Various communities outside of the communities that we
are currently serving have reached out to us and asked
if we could support them in their particular communities. Yeah,
we've met with aldermen outside of our usual areas of offering,
(27:01):
and so we're being called to deepen our impact and
reaching out and providing essential resources to help empower youth in.
Speaker 7 (27:12):
Other communities as well.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
So this cannot be done without the support of our sponsors,
our donors, you know, volunteers and of course the staff.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Let's talk about the Hope Galer. It's taking place on Wednesday,
July twenty.
Speaker 6 (27:29):
Ninth, Yes, five point thirty.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
It will be held at the Dossi Fulton Market, which
is located at three h two North Green Street.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
It's a wonderful venue space to be there in full
Ton Market and it's just electric because people come and
it's truly a party with the purpose because you know
that you'll get tangible results in terms of your investment,
whether it's financial or whether it's in person, in terms
of as a volunteer. So Diamond, they can always sends
(28:01):
a donation.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
They can there are sponsorship opportunities available as well as
ticket purchases and if people are interested in purchasing doing
a packet where they could do the ten ticket packet
or five ticket packet. So there's various ways that they
can do that. They can either go to our website
(28:22):
which is www. Dot's Chicago Youth Programs dot org and
click on events, or they can contact me directly at
seven seven three four nine three for zero five three.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
And Diamond in terms of you matriculating through this program
from the ten to age at five, talk to me
about what you think is the thing that strengthens you
and provides you with a sense of urgency and mission
as your role in your role as president.
Speaker 13 (28:55):
Well, right now, we're seeing so much happening across the
city of Chicago, and I know how important it is
for our kids to be covered and supported.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
And CYP has.
Speaker 13 (29:08):
Been here long term. We have a track record of
taking kids from birth to college and beyond which myself,
sitting in this role, I am a reflection of what
success looks like through the organization. So I want to
make sure that all of our kids across the city
of Chicago has the opportunity to benefit from us the
same things that I benefit from. So it's really being intentional,
(29:29):
and that's why this year we're talking about expanding access,
because we're looking at other community areas, whether it's Henry Horner,
whether it's more on the South Side, inside school system.
So we're really preparing for our strategic plan so that
we can expand access to more kids and give them
the opportunities to be successful.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
I love just saying what people can see is also
giving them a roadmap for what they can be. It's
going to be phenomenal.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
And then too of some of the key things that we've.
Speaker 7 (30:01):
Added on being enroll like this.
Speaker 13 (30:04):
It's so intentional that we've added chess, a chess club,
we're adding golf, We're bringing.
Speaker 6 (30:08):
Toastmasters to the kids.
Speaker 13 (30:10):
Just some of those intentional exposures that's going to help
them throughout their life, but at an earlier age. I
know how it benefited me at a later age. So
we can get them early and give them these additional exposures.
They're going to skyrocket and our ceiling is going to
be their floor.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
And also they can come up with the excuse there's
nothing to do.
Speaker 13 (30:31):
Definitely, we have everything they need.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
That sounds so very good to give that website.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
So the website is www dot Chicago Youth.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
That is Kathy Jackson as well as Diamond McNulty. We
thank you so much all that you do.
Speaker 13 (30:47):
Thank you, thank you very much, Thank you so much
for all you doing.
Speaker 15 (30:50):
All you've done is support.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Coming up next, we talked to the entertainment powerhouse that
is Phyllis von Stickney. Please stay with us.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Chicago Speaks with Darryl Denard. You can voice your opinion
right now toll free at eight three three five nine
one V one O three V one O three presents
Chicago Speaks with your host Darryl Denard. This program is
designed to address issues that affect you. Your opinions matter,
toll free at eight three three five nine one V
(31:21):
one O three. The views and opinions expressed are not
necessarily those of the station, it's management, sponsors, or iHeartMedia.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Inc Actors and comedians provide us with the opportunity to
truly see ourselves for who we are, and also to
not take ourselves too seriously. One individual who combines those
talents in a compelling comedic way as an actor and
comedian is Phyllis E. Von Stickney. Welcome to the program.
(31:48):
I have enjoyed your work, phil Is, going back to
the mid nineteen eighties. You are an extraordinary talent. Now,
if you were to write your own introduction, what would
you say?
Speaker 8 (31:57):
Oh my god, I would probably say my own introduction.
How would I introduce myself?
Speaker 16 (32:06):
I would say, oh, gosh, A jack of many trades,
a master of most.
Speaker 8 (32:18):
From something born I was born for this. Oh my god.
I don't know that I've ever been asked that, well
would I be?
Speaker 5 (32:25):
How would I myself?
Speaker 2 (32:26):
That's good because I'm happy that I haven't asked you
something that others have.
Speaker 16 (32:31):
I'm going let me think that would be because there's
so much I would like people to know.
Speaker 8 (32:36):
So the introduction I now start.
Speaker 16 (32:39):
When I'm speaking to publicists and people that are going
to speak about me, I usually say to them, start
with one of the two hundred African American women who's
changed the world. I want to talk to you about
Philicia Vonserguzine, one of the two hundred African American women
who's changed the world, and then we can talk.
Speaker 8 (32:58):
Then we can unpack a little bit about that why.
And comedy was the vehicle.
Speaker 16 (33:03):
It was comedy that I was that first brought me
to the knowledge of if you will, I think the
national audience, audiences and where my comedy came from or
how it's how it's gleaned, I think is pretty much
as I said, the backstory is as as intriguing as
(33:25):
the work I've done.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
And I'd say that because you are unique, we haven't
really well, you know what, I'm going to take that
back you. You know you when I think about you,
You know what I think of is I think of
people like Moms Maybey in terms of having that that
unique character, every role that you've played that I've witnessed,
(33:49):
you know, particularly on TV. Because you're also an accomplished
stage actress. I'm going to talk about you working in
purpose as well as the City Winery performance that you're
going to have on Tuesday, August fourth, But I want
to talk about your upbringing because and reading about you,
there is this unique cross country I guess experience that
(34:13):
you have that I think had to have some role
in terms of making you who you are. You were
born in Little Rock, Arkansas, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 8 (34:22):
Absolutely, you're absolutely correct.
Speaker 16 (34:24):
It had so much to do my family, my close
knit family, my extended family, growing up on the road,
if you will, Because people even now when they say, well.
Speaker 8 (34:34):
Where do you live, I say in airports. It's the truth.
Speaker 16 (34:38):
I travel a lot, but the love of travel, the
travel bug was given to me by my parents, our parents.
I'm one of five children that my mother.
Speaker 8 (34:49):
Birth that lived.
Speaker 16 (34:50):
I think probably there were seven that tried to come through,
but only five of us made it, and there's four
of us to live in. But my beginning in Little Rock, Arkansas,
with a loving family, growing up with a lot of
love and a lot of understanding, of what family meant,
so I never lost that.
Speaker 8 (35:10):
But my father's work with the.
Speaker 16 (35:11):
YMCA took us to different cities, and average of every
eighteen months, every year and a half, we were moving
from it to a different city, from Little Rock, Arkansas
to Dallas, Texas, from Dallas, Texas to Port Arthur, Texas.
From Port Arthur, Texas to Wichita Falls, Texas. From Wichita Falls,
Texas to Kansas City, Missouri. From Kansay, Missouri to Wilmington, Delaware.
(35:31):
And that every eighteen months meant that our grades could
not suffer because we were in a new school that
was not allowed. But for me, what it meant was
identifying what was the rhythm, what was the language of
the community or the people that I was encountering that
were new to me.
Speaker 8 (35:51):
Because I didn't want to be the new girl.
Speaker 16 (35:52):
I didn't want to be singled out, so I learned
how to listen differently. I learned how to listen so
that I could sound like they sounded, so that I
could speak like they spoke.
Speaker 8 (36:03):
Uh. And then that was that was for me.
Speaker 16 (36:05):
Now as an actor, I'm able to embody many characters,
you know, swiftly because because of that ability to move
and read and pivot on a dime, pivot because we're
in a new school, we're in a new environment, we're
in a new community, and nothing can lag.
Speaker 8 (36:23):
There can be no lag.
Speaker 16 (36:24):
Our parents did not accept you know that, no seas
or something average about you.
Speaker 8 (36:28):
Our parents would tell us so.
Speaker 16 (36:30):
So that that those were the that was the ground
or the fertilization that gave me the ability to be.
As I say sometimes in my comedy, I got company
when I'm by myself.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
You know, there's you know, I think in terms of
what you're talking about, because we're of the same age.
And back in the day when we were growing up
in grade school in high school, America had, especially for
Black America, we had what I like to call cultural
(37:05):
nuances that were regional. And the reason I say that
because back in the day, you know, we as young
people watching older people, you knew when somebody was from Chicago,
you knew when somebody was from the Deep South, you
knew when somebody was from the East Coast or New
York or California. Because they had these regional not only dialects,
(37:28):
but also in terms of cultural nuances. And what happened
is that with the advent of let's say, I really
say it happened with rap music in terms of you know,
people emulating you know, kind of characterizing themselves like they
straight out of the Bronx and they're actually in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(37:51):
It kind of, you know, diminished those kind of cultural
nuances that we had.
Speaker 16 (37:58):
Yes, that was a time when you and like you said,
you knew, I mean every summer, I knew I was
going to come down to Little Rock.
Speaker 8 (38:03):
I know I was going to go back to the
Little Rock every summer.
Speaker 16 (38:06):
I knew I was going to see my cousin's naw
my big Mama and Nam. I knew I was going
to go down there. Then I knew I was going
to be in Chicago if Mom and Dad decided, because
we were going to see my mother's older brother, uncle Welton,
that would live there on the South Side.
Speaker 8 (38:20):
I knew I was going to come.
Speaker 16 (38:22):
There, and I knew that everywhere I went there was
I was going to have. It was like a smorgas
board of personalities and cultural nuances. As you say, it
was a wonderful experience for me to see how people
move differently, how they dressed differently, how they you know,
the diet was pretty much the same, you know, until
I became a vegetarian and that.
Speaker 14 (38:43):
Was that was.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
You know, we got some good, good vegetarian and vegan
restaurants here in the shot. And I say that because
we owe a debt to you and your family being
natives of Arkansas, because so many of our black leadership
in terms of making Chicago the black mecha that it
is actually hell from Arkansas. George Johnson who just died,
(39:11):
John H. Johnson, Strosuer, all of these, you know, trail
blazing individuals well from Arkansas. I don't know what's in
the water down there, but you know.
Speaker 8 (39:22):
And the water, it's in the soil, and the water
make some of the best.
Speaker 16 (39:25):
John Curley who started Black Wall Street from Arkansas. You know,
there's a lot of and I've learned since I rekindle
my love, you know, and I say rekindle to go
back and purchase property and decide to have that as
my as a second home again. There's just so much
richness there. There's so much history that's there. And I
(39:49):
now look at where I am and where I where
I'm you know, my trajectory, and I'm grateful for all
of the stories I'm grateful for, you know, all the
standing on the front and turning that ice cream and
you know getting you know, Johnson and Johnson Baby powdered
was a different story.
Speaker 8 (40:07):
We know now that might not have been a thing
to do that doubts us.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Baby.
Speaker 6 (40:12):
That only happened when.
Speaker 16 (40:13):
My aunts from down home would come and be responsible
for us, you know, uh, for that summer when mom
and dad were at work or.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
They like a baby until the need to change in listen, listen.
Speaker 16 (40:26):
So yeah, that little rock Arkansas, Arkansas was the fertile,
the furtiling h fertilization for me. Uh, those relationships, those rhythms,
you know, understanding what those rhythms were, understanding what community meant.
Speaker 8 (40:41):
It was really community.
Speaker 17 (40:43):
Uh.
Speaker 16 (40:44):
And then and then all of a sudden, we have uh,
we have social media, which I think not only rap music,
but social media changed the change the terrain and the
playing fields.
Speaker 8 (40:55):
So you have to I.
Speaker 16 (40:58):
Hold strong to my roots because it's what gives It's
what gives me my sauce, my special sauce.
Speaker 2 (41:05):
Yeah, you know, we know you of course from standout
roles at Malcolm X's New Jack City House, Stella Goat,
Groove Back to your television work on a Different World
and other shows, Women to Brewster Place. But there was
something that happened in the mid nineteen eighties where you
were on this phenomenal trajectory and you have to deal
(41:29):
with this intersection between hosting Showtime at the Apollo and
I believe what a different world at the time.
Speaker 8 (41:38):
Yes, that was what it was.
Speaker 16 (41:40):
That was so I guess now at this stage that
things have happened and we've all grown and had careers,
and I can tell some of the stories that I
didn't talk about because it wasn't it wouldn't have it
wouldn't have made me popular. But now I'm like, hey,
I gotta you know. I gotta let y'all know, Gotta
make y'all remember some of you that didn't know. I
was actually the first host of Showtime at the Apollo
(42:01):
that sold the network to the show to Network Television
by being the comedian who'd won in the real Showtime.
Speaker 8 (42:10):
At the Apollo. It was just a regular Apollo amateur Hour,
and so I went on as a comedian.
Speaker 16 (42:15):
My motivation was to win enough money to send my
brother home for the summer. My brother was then my
roommate Timothy was also an amazing actor and educator, and
so that was my motivation that I you know, it
was like, let me have a summer where I could
just be, you know, because he was my roommate. Long
story short, I got on that stage and someone had
(42:36):
seen me in Washington Square Park where I used to
work as a stand up comedian in the streets. And
the last thing she said to me is I was
about to mount the stage, was oh, I know you
from the park.
Speaker 8 (42:48):
She said, you funny, go out there with authority.
Speaker 14 (42:51):
She said, New York accent. There I already baby.
Speaker 16 (42:57):
I went out there gravening, Hey, dang, how the.
Speaker 7 (43:02):
Heck are you?
Speaker 16 (43:03):
And that was the beginning of how I enter the
stage as a comedian from that day on. And then
once the network they were they were considering taking the
show to network television, and there was a twenty minute pilot.
Ten minutes of that twenty minute pilot was philis Yvonne Stickney,
(43:26):
and so I was excited when I got offered the
opportunity to host and began to work with Bob Banner
and the other European Caucasian folks because at that time
we were not gentrified in Harlem, Darling at.
Speaker 8 (43:40):
All, we were not.
Speaker 18 (43:43):
They were still scared to come above one hundred and
tenth Street, myda, and so I had to be a
love of you know, Harlem.
Speaker 16 (43:51):
I had a love affair with Harlem, and so I
knew where to go, where they should eat for the crew,
and where they do, could do all this and that.
But one thing that I didn't have was an agent
or a manager at the time. And so when I
got the role offered for Different World, which is a
whole nother story which I unpack a little bit now,
(44:11):
because I was my own agent and I created her
Bonnie Rosenthwool, and I did all of my negotiations myself, Darling.
Speaker 8 (44:20):
Are you listening? And uh?
Speaker 16 (44:23):
And so I had to do what I had to
do to get what I needed to get to you
understand what I'm talking about, im, But.
Speaker 5 (44:30):
I do, Lisz.
Speaker 16 (44:31):
It was a wonderful experience for me to see how
people move differently, how they dressed differently, how they you know,
the diet was pretty much the same, you know, until
I became a vegetarian and that was that was you.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Know, we got some good, good vegetarian and vegan restaurants
here in the shot. And I say that because we
owe a debt to you and your family being natives
of Arkansas, because so many any of our black leadership
in terms of making Chicago the Black Meccha, that it
is actually hell from Arkansas. George Johnson who just died,
(45:12):
John H. Johnson, Strosuer, all of these, you know, trail
blazing individuals well from Arkansas. I don't know what's in
the water down there, but you know, and the.
Speaker 8 (45:23):
Water, it's in the soil, and the water makes some
of the best.
Speaker 16 (45:26):
John Curley, who started Black Wall Street from Arkansas. You know,
there's a lot of and I've learned since I rekindle
my love, you know, and I say rekindle to go
back and purchase property and decide to have that as
my as a second home again. There's just so much
richness there. There's so much history that's there. And I
(45:49):
now look at where I am and where I where
I'm you know, my trajectory, and I'm grateful for all
of the stories. I'm grateful for, you know, all the
standing on the front porch and turn in that ice
cream and you know, gett you know, Johnson and Johnson
baby powdered it was a different story. We know now
that might not have been a thing to do that
(46:10):
doubts us baby power.
Speaker 8 (46:12):
That only happened when.
Speaker 16 (46:13):
My aunts from down home would come and be responsible
for us, you know, uh, for that summer when mom
and dad were at work, or.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
They smell like a baby until the need to change in.
Speaker 14 (46:25):
Listen, listen.
Speaker 16 (46:27):
So yeah, that little rock Arkansas, Arkansas was a fertile
the fertiling h fertilization for me. Uh, those relationships, those rhythms,
you know, understanding what those rhythms were, Understanding what community meant.
Speaker 8 (46:42):
It was really community.
Speaker 17 (46:44):
Uh.
Speaker 16 (46:44):
And then and then all of a sudden, we have uh,
we have social media, which I think not only rap music,
but social media changed the change the terrain and the
playing fields.
Speaker 8 (46:56):
So you have to, I hold.
Speaker 16 (46:59):
Strong to my room because it's what what gives It's
what gives me my sauce, my special sauce.
Speaker 7 (47:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (47:06):
You know, we know you of course from standout roles
at Malcolm X's New Jack City House, Stella gat Groove,
back to your television work on a Different World and
other shows Women to Booster Place. But there was something
that happened in the mid nineteen eighties where you were
on this phenomenal trajectory and you have to deal with
(47:29):
this intersection between hosting Showtime at the Apollo and I
believe what a different world at the time.
Speaker 8 (47:39):
Yes, that was what it was.
Speaker 16 (47:40):
That was so I guess now at this stage that
things have happened and we've all grown and had careers,
and I.
Speaker 8 (47:48):
Can tell some of the stories that I didn't talk about.
Speaker 16 (47:50):
Because it wasn't it wouldn't have it wouldn't have made
me popular. But now I'm like, hey, I gotta you know,
I gotta let y'all know, got to make y'all remember
some of you that didn't know. I was actually the
first host of Showtime at the Apollo that sold the
network to the show to Network Television by being the
comedian who'd won in the real Showtime at the Apollo.
(48:12):
It was just a regular Apollo Amateur Hour, and so
I went on as a comedian. My motivation was to
win enough money to send my brother home for the summer.
My brother was then my roommate, Timothy, was also an
amazing actor and educator, and so that was my motivation
that I, you know, it was like, let me have
a summer where I could just be, you know, because he.
Speaker 14 (48:32):
Was my roommate.
Speaker 16 (48:33):
Long story short, I got on that stage and someone
had seen me in Washington Square Park where I used
to work as a stand up comedian in the streets.
And the last thing she said to me is I
was about to mount the stage, was oh, I know
you from the park. She said, you funny, go out
there with authority.
Speaker 14 (48:51):
She said, New York accent there already, baby.
Speaker 8 (48:57):
I went out there, good eve, hey, dang, how the
heck are you?
Speaker 16 (49:03):
And that was the beginning of how I mount into
the stage as a comedian from that day on. And
then once the network they were they were considering taking
the show to network television, and there was a twenty
minute pilot. Ten minutes of that twenty minute pilot was
(49:25):
Phillis Yvonne Stickney. And so I was excited when I
got offered the opportunity to host and began to work
with Bob Banner and the other European Caucasian folks because
at that time we were not.
Speaker 8 (49:39):
Gentrified in Harlem Darling at all. We were not.
Speaker 18 (49:44):
They were still scared to come above one hundred and
tenth Street, my dia, and so I had to be.
Speaker 8 (49:50):
A love of you know, Harlem.
Speaker 16 (49:51):
I had a love affair with Harlem, and so I
knew where to go, where they should eat for the crew,
and where they could do all this and that. But
one thing that that I didn't have was an agent
or a manager at the time.
Speaker 8 (50:03):
And so when I.
Speaker 16 (50:04):
Got the role offered for Different World, which is a
whole nother story which I unpack a little bit now,
because I was my own agent and I created her
Bonnie Rosenthwal, and I did all of my negotiations myself, darling,
are you listening? And so I had to do what
(50:25):
I had to do to get what I needed to
get to you understand what I'm talking about, But.
Speaker 8 (50:30):
I do listen. Oh though, don't be proclumped, all right.
Speaker 6 (50:34):
Love me.
Speaker 14 (50:35):
Don't want to make the people to be proclumped over there.
Speaker 8 (50:37):
But it was just a time that I had to
make decisions.
Speaker 16 (50:41):
I had to make decisions, and I made them quickly,
and I'm grateful that I made them. But for years
I could not talk about that one truth that at
that time there was no agent or manager that represented me.
And so when I got the offer, I accepted it.
Speaker 8 (50:57):
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Speaker 16 (51:00):
But at that time, because I didn't have an actual
manager or agent, when they started doing this little political
game with me, because they realized I was one of
the would have been one of the first black women
with two shows in net in primetime television, and I
don't think I don't think Hollywood wanted that to happen,
(51:22):
and so they ultimately would fly me back and forth.
I'd fly to La to be to do a segment
in different world, and that they would produce my lines
to two and then uh, but I was I would
I would have been too late to go back to tape,
and so.
Speaker 8 (51:37):
I figured it out. I figured it out.
Speaker 16 (51:40):
That they really just trying to frustrate you, get you
to go all be ugly and then give them a
reason to fire you. I was the first host, the
first leadd host, before Steve Harvey, before Kim Calls. It
was Phelicia von Steve was the one that ultimately held
the held the mic for the longest. But I gave
(52:00):
them Ricavillas. I said it Ricavellas is clean because I
knew he had a substance of these problem. I said
he would be great to fill in for me when
I was gone. But I did that for the first
season and then realize that they don't want you to
have this power. They don't want you to have that
position of power. It was just a little bit too
much for a little black girl to have at that time.
Speaker 2 (52:21):
I wanted to tell our listeners that we're talking to
Phillis E von Sticknick and she's going to be appearing
at Chicago City Winery on Tuesday, August fourth at seven
thirty pm. You can go to a website to purchase
tickets there. Just how liberating is it for you to
do stand up comedy in terms of finally having the
result to say, hey, this happened back then, and I
(52:44):
kept quiet about something all these years.
Speaker 8 (52:47):
It's very liberating.
Speaker 16 (52:48):
You know, it's still a little scary because I'm still
in the game. You know, I do have an agent.
You know, I do have a manager now, you know,
real people that respect what I do and what I've done,
which is important, you know. But it's good for me
to be able to speak, you know, it was I
started in comedy. I want to thank Damon Williams and
(53:10):
my co you know, my peer comedians like Godfree and
Dion Cole, who, as you know, Chicago men. They were
very very much a part of this happening for me
at the City Winery, and I want to thank them, damon,
especially for making that call an intro. Because the funny
thing about me was that I was an independent. I
(53:33):
didn't work the legit clubs because I didn't like the
politics of the clubs. I wasn't going to sit there
and hear them call me their favorite spots. I wasn't
going to be called the IN word or the B
word all night long. And I knew that my politics
and my feelings about people that were not as originally
melanated was not going to be popular because it's like,
(53:55):
I know who.
Speaker 8 (53:56):
You are and why you are.
Speaker 16 (53:58):
I read a book called an Empire their Own, So
I know you didn't create this for me or any
of my black friends.
Speaker 8 (54:04):
So let me be clear that I might.
Speaker 16 (54:07):
Say something that would keep me out of the mix,
so to speak, keep me out of out of the
list of folks. So I started producing myself years ago,
years ago, I produced my own things. And also because
comedians didn't embrace me as a comic, Are you an
actress or a comedian? They would ask me, and I'm like,
(54:27):
I'm both depends on what the check is.
Speaker 8 (54:29):
You know who's doing who's doing the hiring?
Speaker 16 (54:32):
I do, I said, yes, And that's that's exactly used
to be in my in my in my bio. She
is a chameleon because it depends I didn't pigeonhole myself.
Speaker 8 (54:44):
I knew that I.
Speaker 16 (54:44):
Had a man's you know, uh expansive range, and I
utilize all of it, So why limit myself? So this
is this today is now a celebration of my of me.
I can celebrate the fact that I survived number one.
You know, my show is called Still Funny, Still Fine,
Still Funny, Still Fine, Still here, Okay. And because the
(55:10):
journey was not an easy one, I was not embraced
by many of the comics, the female comics. I always
came on stage dressed, you know, as elegantly or as
femininely as possible. I never did profane or vogue humor
by choice, by choice, because I wanted.
Speaker 8 (55:29):
There were a couple of things of Mamma. They raised
me like that. Oh and you know, I know how
to subsidence, you know, that's what I'm a dope.
Speaker 16 (55:38):
So however, I knew that it was not going to
allow me to be in benues that I wanted access to.
I've been able to travel around the world as a comedian.
I've been invited to Israel as a comedian because of
my you know, sensibility and also because I did before
it was you know, clean comedy or.
Speaker 2 (55:58):
Christian check and so you know that is thank you
for calling.
Speaker 8 (56:02):
Thank you so snow chicks and dians love it.
Speaker 2 (56:07):
Yeah, I wish I wish I had, I wish I
had an eternity to talk to you, because you are
such an extraordinary person. We want to tell people once
again that they can go to Chicago City Winery and
purchase tickets for your upcoming show on Tuesday, August fourth
at seven thirty pm. And we're looking forward to you.
(56:27):
I wish I had more time to talk about you
appearing in the Boston production of Chicago's very own Tony
Award winning production of Purpose. So nothing but the best
for you, Phyllis.
Speaker 16 (56:39):
Thank you, And I just want to say before we
sign off today that every listener, everyone that says they're
going to go, and I say this to black people
in cities that I travel.
Speaker 8 (56:50):
Go early. Don't wait until the last minute. We do
often do. I'm going to walk up. I'm gonna get
my ticket.
Speaker 16 (56:56):
What I've discovered and why I produced myself was if
we club owners do not have the faith in us.
They don't if they don't know who we are. If
they don't, if they have can't call our names, you know,
then they will.
Speaker 8 (57:07):
Cancel the shows.
Speaker 16 (57:09):
And so I have to encourage us to show up
early to get those advanced tickets to go on today.
Speaker 8 (57:16):
Don't delay.
Speaker 16 (57:17):
I know you doing that Sunday dinner. I know you
got that. You know you got that whatever in the oven.
You know you about to take it out the oven
or you about to hot that pot. But before you
do that, go ahead and get your tickets if you
plan to see me, If you plan to see me live,
I say, if they like me in New jack City,
Jungle Fever was love got to do with the house
(57:37):
that I got to grow back. They need gonna love live.
So come see me live and get your tickets by early.
Thank you so much, Daryl for sharing your audience with
me today.
Speaker 2 (57:47):
It is my pleasure, nothing but the best for you.
Speaker 8 (57:49):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (57:51):
Coming up next, we'll take your calls as we reflect
on the life and legacy of Chicago businessman George Johnson,
the creator of Afroshene, pass the way this past week.
His life is a model of black business excellence. Call
us now, which had thoughts and comments at eight three
three five nine one V one O three.
Speaker 1 (58:10):
Chicago speaks with Daryl Dinard. You can voice your opinion
right now toll free at eight three three five nine
one V one O three. Now back to Chicago speaks
with Daryl Dinard. Share what's on your mind toll free
at eight three three five nine one V one O three.
Speaker 2 (58:30):
And welcome back. You had that number.
Speaker 9 (58:32):
It is eight three three five.
Speaker 2 (58:34):
Nine one v one oh three. Time check for you
right now. It is seven seventeen in the morning and
the temperature is rising. It's seventy degrees. This past week,
Chicago and the world lost a shining example of black
business excellence. Pioneering businessman and philanthropist George Johnson passed away
from natural causes at his Chicago condo. He was ninety
(58:56):
nine years old. Joining us this morning to reflect on
the trailblazing career of this Chicago icon or Hemine Hartman,
publisher of Indigo and host of Indigo Studios, and Michael Garner,
who is the chief business Diversity Officer for the City
of New York, Herman. I'm going to begin with you.
George Johnson's business acumen touched various generations of people, not
(59:19):
just here in Chicago, but across the world. I want
you to offer your personal reflections on the life and
legacy of this extraordinary individual.
Speaker 5 (59:30):
Well, Darryl, he was a mentor to me. My first
big PR job came.
Speaker 19 (59:38):
From mister Johnson as he was celebrating his twenty fifth
anniversary of Johnson Products. There are a lot of business
lessons to be learned from mister.
Speaker 5 (59:49):
Johnson, and they're all in his book.
Speaker 19 (59:50):
Afrosen and I had the opportunity to extensively interview him
on Indigo Studio. But think one of the things. A
couple of the things to note. Mister Johnson went to
Window Phillips High School and did.
Speaker 5 (01:00:06):
Not complete high school. He was mentored by S. B.
Speaker 19 (01:00:11):
Fuller, who was a very successful black businessman in cosmetics,
and mister Johnson became a chemist and he worked there
for ten years before he started his business. And he
went to the bank to get a loan for two
hundred and fifty dollars. He was turned down the Whitefty
(01:00:35):
dollars two hundred and fifty dollars. The banker turned him down.
He told him he was ridiculous and that he probably
would not be successful and could not pay the loan back.
Mister Johnson was the master of what I call the pivot.
He went to another brand of the bank and he
told them that he wanted to take his wife on
(01:00:56):
a nice vacation and he needed two hundred and five
fifty dollars and the loan was granted.
Speaker 5 (01:01:03):
That was his beginnings.
Speaker 19 (01:01:04):
He was a hard worker as a kid. He shined shoes,
he sold newspapers, he worked in the restaurant. He did
anything that he could to make an honest dollar. Well,
that two hundred and fifty dollars turned into an empire
where he was really a pioneer and a trailblazer for
(01:01:26):
black hair care. At one point, mister Johnson's business was
eighty percent. Eighty percent of black America used his products
as a heck of a market share, and eighty percent
included me and you. Right, But the product started as
a product for men. It was a mail product started
(01:01:49):
in a barbershop when men used to get something called
the process, and people like nat Cole and Jackie Wilson
and Sam Cook and Sammy Davis, Kane Jishka, I'll go
to this barbershop on the South side of Chicago to
get their hair straightened.
Speaker 5 (01:02:05):
As mister and as mister Johnson was knocking.
Speaker 19 (01:02:08):
On doors for the barbers to sell products, he noticed
for every one barbershop, there were three beauty shops, and
so the product extended to women because he thought I
could sell more to women than I could men. So
the product were perfected for women when women were straightening
of straightening their hair. He started other businesses, not his
(01:02:33):
own businesses, but helped people like Tom Barrell because as
he was beginning to Vince Collers.
Speaker 5 (01:02:40):
Vin's Colors did afrochine.
Speaker 19 (01:02:42):
But as he was beginning to grow, he realized he
needed a particular niche advertising, and so he went to Burrell.
Speaker 5 (01:02:52):
He went to Vince Colors. What did that start?
Speaker 19 (01:02:55):
That started black models, that started black photography, that started
black graphics.
Speaker 5 (01:03:00):
So his business enhanced other businesses.
Speaker 19 (01:03:03):
And I think the real one of the real significant
things about mister Johnson is Ethens magazine was just beginning
and they were struggling for a minute, and they went
to mister Johnson for advertising, and he thought, oh, this
is perfect for my customer, my female customer.
Speaker 5 (01:03:23):
This is who I'm targeting, this is who I want.
Speaker 19 (01:03:26):
And not only did he advertise with them, but he
gave them two years worth of advertising, paid.
Speaker 5 (01:03:32):
Upfront in advance. And that was that was that was
that was fueling them. So he did things like that,
and of course, uh, soul Train.
Speaker 19 (01:03:42):
When he saw Don Cornelius in the little studio here
on the West Side, he liked it.
Speaker 5 (01:03:51):
He didn't understand it, but he liked it.
Speaker 19 (01:03:53):
And he says, oh, here's another generation. Here's some new
hairstyles called the afro. And he partnered with Don Cornelius
again for advertising his product, and he said, I will
take soul Train and I want you to come out
of this studio and black and white and let's do
a color version. Well that was that was that was
(01:04:15):
taking soul Train to the next level. And of course
soul Train became syndicated, it became pop culture.
Speaker 5 (01:04:22):
Uh, and that's.
Speaker 19 (01:04:23):
Another success story that mister Johnson enhanced. He was also
saying the philanthropy, Alphy.
Speaker 2 (01:04:30):
I want to talk about that, but we got we
got two other people also there. Because you have done
an extraordinary job. I am totally impressed by reflecting on
his tremendous business legacy as well as personal history. There
also joining us this morning as Congressman Jonathan Jackson, and
we're going to go to him. Matter of fact, Congressman,
(01:04:51):
just hold on for one second, because we also have
joining us Michael Garner, who of course is the Chief
Business Diversity Office for the City of New York. Hermine
had mentioned him taking his products to Chicago barber shops. Mike,
you were a user as a young person growing up
on the South side of Chicago of appro Sine.
Speaker 15 (01:05:15):
Yes, absolutely, I mean, you know, and you felt pride
of using the product because it was black owned and
it was in the stores on the cells of Walgreens,
which was a major outlet for Johnson haircare products. But understand,
at one given point in time, Daryl, because of segregation, uh,
the city of Chicago was to mecca for black business.
(01:05:37):
You had Johnson Johnson haircare products, you had Ebony and Jet,
you had Al Johnson Cadillac, you had RL Duke's oldsmobile.
I mean, and the list goes on and on and on,
and as a matter of fact, if you want to
fast Ice cream Bow and ice Cream Park hostage.
Speaker 17 (01:05:57):
Yes, it was.
Speaker 15 (01:05:58):
It was to mecca. And if you fast forward where
that happened because of segregation, now you have Bluke Capital
and other black businesses who benefited area kept John Rodgers,
and so Chicago was the mecca of black business, and
(01:06:20):
segregation created wealth and black wealth in the city of Chicago.
And so you you were very prideful to be able
to patronize black businesses and use those products, and you
felt good about yourself and good about doing it. And
you know a trait with George Johnson and John Johnson.
(01:06:42):
They had to spirit of never giving up and never
taking no for an answer, and as a result of that,
they flowers and their respective firms floors. But they also
created jobs in the black community here in the city
of Chicago.
Speaker 2 (01:06:58):
Yeah, Congressman, this is personal for you. Your father was
a close friend of mister Johnson, and of course mister
Johnson was a major support of Martin Luther King as
well as your father offered personal reflections on his life
and legacy.
Speaker 17 (01:07:17):
Well, I'm honored that I've had a great job her
main great job. Michael had the opportunity to know him
my adult life He was even one of my recommendations
that I put on my application from business school at
Northwestern And so you know, I can't thank him enough.
Just a wonderful human being, a devoutly Christian man as well.
(01:07:38):
And I would also add to that that when we
talk about the strength and the emergency of African American
business and where he stood as a giant, he believed.
And so every opportunity he had where he couldn't make
a difference impactfully, he contributed. And so I would say
that there was a marriage of those persons that were
civic minded and entrepreneurial. So he never turned his back
(01:08:02):
on civil rights. He was the founding member of the
Urban League Dinner to bring corporate leadership and the community together.
And if you look at the success of African American businesses,
you have to tie to Chicago with the civil rights
movement and the work of my father, Reverend Jesse Jackson.
He didn't magically get on the shelves of Walgreens. That
was a fight of boycott's and demonstrations. Who didn't magically
(01:08:25):
get into in these doors. Luth Capitol had to be
walked into these doors. That we must always remember how
people got there. There was a great agricultural secretary in
the state of Texas and said, if you see a
turtle sitting on the top of a fence post, you
know one thing for certain. It didn't get there on
its own. And so it was civil rights. It was
(01:08:46):
an activism and we must never forget that he invested
in blackiness.
Speaker 2 (01:08:54):
Yeah, and they were black businesses that were located on
the South side out of Chicago. I mean talk about
in terms of that wonderful manufacturing facility that he had
over on Lafayette Avenue at eighty five twenty two, which
is now Prospective's High School. But that's where they created
(01:09:16):
and formulated oat Trashene and Classy curl and curly perm
and Black Time men's cologne.
Speaker 5 (01:09:24):
That's right.
Speaker 19 (01:09:25):
So the story there, Daryl is mister Johnson where he
was had a fire and his business burned down. The factory,
the office is burned down. He was in New York
when his wife called him to tell him that the
building had burned and he should come home immediately.
Speaker 5 (01:09:43):
He came home to a disaster. Bewildered, puzzled, say it,
didn't know what to do.
Speaker 19 (01:09:51):
He went back to his mentor, which is s B.
Fuller to say, I'm out of business?
Speaker 5 (01:09:56):
What do I do? And Fuller said, you bring your
business here? What you do?
Speaker 19 (01:10:00):
All you need is a place. He remembered that and
after he got on his feet re established eighty seventh Street,
where he did eventually build his business was a dump.
Speaker 5 (01:10:12):
It is where garbage was dumped.
Speaker 19 (01:10:15):
He liked the location because of the expressway exposure. And
he went to the man and he said, I would
like to buy your property. And the man said, why
would you want to buy a dump? And he says,
because I'm going to build my business here. And that
was the beginning of the building at eighty five twenty
(01:10:36):
two South Lafayette, where he built a world class building
and offices with art and employed about five hundred people.
Speaker 5 (01:10:48):
And that's where the business remained.
Speaker 19 (01:10:51):
Yeah, but it came as talking result of his building
burning down.
Speaker 2 (01:10:57):
We're talking about the extraordinary life of Chicago business icon
George Johnson, who passed away at ninety nine in his
downtown Chicago condo. We're going to go to the phone
lines right now and here from Brother Hall. Brother Hall
is calling from Bronsville. Brother Hall, you're on Chicago Speaks
Personal reflections on George Johnson, what would you like to say, sir, well, thank.
Speaker 7 (01:11:22):
You so much, dere I appreciate it. And let me say,
I'll WoT your guests, and particularly to Donathan that had
a chance to give him like a Donalds and souf
is that who one that idle after in terms of
being involved which back during the time, certainly appreciate everything
(01:11:43):
that he's done and certainly appreciates this show. Are mean
and the guests that you have on are telling it
like it is, brother. And when we get this type
of information, it's good for the heart, it's good for
the soul. See. I remember as before us. I remember
Dorothy Heights. I remember these folk who stood up for
(01:12:07):
something because they understood if they were interacting with these
unions and folks who run this place, then they were
looking for what was in it for us. You know,
because you're pro don't mean that you're anti. And and
that's what Bobers mean when you hear us fussing on
(01:12:27):
these radio stations. You know, we think about the Johnson
and the ones who who stood up could have just
say I'm gonna keep this all for myself, but instead
they shared. They made sure that our community was a community.
We don't have that today. We had a neighborhood, but
we don't have that community, and that's something we got
(01:12:51):
to get back to it. How do we do that
what you're doing today when we reminisce and go back
and we had these the faces of these are real conversation, sir.
This is not just stuff just lying out of the air.
This is stuff that happened and we need our people
to know about it. And I just want to thank
(01:13:12):
you and the one or three family for giving us this.
Thank you so much, and to your guests as well, well.
Speaker 2 (01:13:23):
Yeah, and you know I'm humbled by it. But also
we have to remain staunch advocates of e plur basunam
out of many one, because it is in our diversity
that we have strength, that we have economic development, that
we have opportunities. And I could think of few better advocates,
(01:13:45):
better advocates in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion then
Mike Gardner. Only reason I say that is because here
it is somebody who grew up in Chicago, went to
Hyde Park High School, and under his leadership, the City
of New York over the last four years has spent
over twenty five billion dollars with minority and women owned businesses.
(01:14:11):
That's an extraordinary track record. But it was fueled, in part, Mike,
by your understanding of seeing the beauty of diversity and
the beauty of black excellence.
Speaker 15 (01:14:24):
Yeah, yes, and absolutely and being inspired by individuals like
Mayor Harold Washington, who actually a question one day who
said that he asked the question of he traveled with
his urban planners, and he asked me, did I know why?
I totally know, he said, because if you're not planning,
(01:14:44):
you're being planned. And Mayor Washington created a lot of
black millionaires in the city of Chicago when he got
an office. Same thing for David Dinkins, the same thing
for Percy Ellis Sutton, who was Malcolm X's attorney and
a very prominent businessman in the city of New York.
(01:15:04):
And so when you talk about the lessons and learn
from the city of Chicago transforming to the City of
New York and Harlem, as you know, Darryl, which which
is viewed by some as the mecca, what you have
to understand that those leaders who came before us planet
the seeds. Now we have the ability to flourish and
(01:15:29):
understand this concept that access to contracts equals job creation
and communities of color who have his theropy been shut out.
It equals home ownership opportunities for those respected business owners,
better educational opportunities for their kids, and healthcare options. And
so that is why that's my mission of being inspired
(01:15:52):
by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who, by the way, created
more black millionaires in this country than any one else.
And you know Steve high Toower Darro who has a
company based in Ohio. He gets a phone call one
day from the Reverend Jesse Jackson and asks him to
(01:16:13):
come over to Japan because he created a fuel oil
business and the Rev was meeting with some Japanese automakers
and as a result of that meeting in Japan, all
of the cars that were getting off of the manufacturing
line they needed gas. So High Tower was hired to
(01:16:39):
put gas in cars as they were coming off the
assembly line. This is the impact that the Reverend Jackson,
the Reverend Jesse Jackson has had nationally in creating more
black millionaires than any other person in the history of
this country. In addition to registering six off million new voters,
(01:17:00):
which resulted in blacks assuming offices all over the country.
This is great history. It is inspiring, and that's the
reason why it needs to be talked about. As the
Callee just said, information is key and vital and inspiring.
Speaker 2 (01:17:17):
Jeffs.
Speaker 19 (01:17:18):
Can I pick up on something Michael just spoke of
Harold Washington. One of the things that is little noted,
maybe even unknown, but it's revealed in mister Johnson's book Afrochine.
But as you might recall, Harold Washington's campaign was topsy
(01:17:39):
turvy as it began in its young beginning stages. It
was mister Johnson who looked at the campaign from a
business vantage point to say, you know, we can win
this thing. And mister Johnson gave money, indeed, but more
than money, he gave Harold ten people from his company
(01:18:01):
to include his secretary, to include Grayson Mitchell who was
his press person, and said go work for Harold.
Speaker 5 (01:18:11):
He paid them, of course, and said we've got to
win this election.
Speaker 19 (01:18:15):
And that was a turning point and a winning point
all for Harold Washington.
Speaker 5 (01:18:20):
Then, after Harold won, he had become so attached to
Lois Steens and sow Grace.
Speaker 19 (01:18:27):
He said, mister Johnson, can they stay with me. Mister
Johnson said, well, I guess I gave them to you.
I guess I can go find another secretary and another
press person. And from time to time I came in
and played played the press.
Speaker 5 (01:18:43):
Rolls a couple of times.
Speaker 19 (01:18:45):
But Harrold said, I don't want to steal them, but
I do want to keep them.
Speaker 2 (01:18:51):
This is the beauty of living history. And you know,
Carold and Hank and other people trying to call. I
just want to apologize in terms of not having more
time to dedicate to this particular topic, but I just
wanted you within the last minute. We have here to
reflect in terms of where do we go from here,
Congressman Jackson, in terms of black business excellence, and what
(01:19:16):
do we need to do to make sure that we
have future generations generational leaders like mister Johnson.
Speaker 17 (01:19:26):
Well, first of all, thank you so much for what
you're doing, Daryl. That we have to stop acting like
everything is new. We've been here before. There are models
of people that have demonstrated excellence and have done great things,
and now it's up to a future generation or current
generation to pick up the mantle and continue. We have
invested in one another, we have given back we have
(01:19:48):
invested in our communities and we've had a broad picture.
They were always connected to the plight of our people.
This wasn't just the balance set in the ledger. This
is people that invested in the movement, and we forever
being vigilant and remained faithful to that calling. Invested our
people and both invested our civic action.
Speaker 2 (01:20:09):
Yeah, it is an incredible and we also have to
realize that his wife played her mean, you got thirty
seconds here. His wife played a big role in helping
him develop as a business person.
Speaker 5 (01:20:22):
It was a family business.
Speaker 19 (01:20:23):
She was by his side. She initially worked in the
company as the accountant, and as they began to have children,
you know she did she went home and dedicated herself
to her children, but she always had her hands in
the business. To Jonathan's point, mister Johnson was a stewart
of the black community, of the black community, by the
(01:20:43):
black community, and for the black community. And he understood power,
not power from the voting side, but power from the
money side. And he used his money accordingly to contribute
and to steward and to develop. I dare say you, Daryl,
there might not be a Jesse Jackson if there was
(01:21:04):
not a George Johnson.
Speaker 5 (01:21:06):
He saw the talent.
Speaker 14 (01:21:07):
Of Jesse and he invested in Jesse.
Speaker 19 (01:21:10):
He didn't give him money, He invested in him, and
he developed him.
Speaker 5 (01:21:14):
He helped him develop well.
Speaker 2 (01:21:16):
We want to tell people that George Johnson's visitation will
take place on July sixteenth from four pm to eight
pm over at Lincolnsn's Funeral Home, and then the funeral
service will be held July seventeenth at eleven am at
Trinity United Church of Christ. We want to thank her
Mare Hartman, Congressman.
Speaker 5 (01:21:35):
Leak's Leak's Funeral Home.
Speaker 2 (01:21:37):
Oh, okay, Lincoln Son Funeral Home, very good, thanks for
question there, and the funeral itself will take place at
Trinity United Church of Christ right off ninety fifth Street.
We want to thank Congressman Jonathan Jackson as well as
Michael Garner and Hermil Hartman for joining us this morning.
Speaker 15 (01:21:56):
Okay, great, thank you.
Speaker 9 (01:21:58):
Now we were.
Speaker 2 (01:21:59):
Talking about history. We have history for you coming up
in the next segment as we talk to the president
of one of the nation's oldest black civil rights institutions.
It's called the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, and
it's next on Chicago's Peaks. Please stay with us.
Speaker 1 (01:22:22):
Chicago Speaks with Daryl Donard. You can voice your opinion
right now, toll free at eight three three five nine
to one.
Speaker 5 (01:22:30):
V one O three.
Speaker 1 (01:22:32):
Now back to Chicago Speaks with Daryl Denard, Share what's
on your mind, toll free at eight three three five
nine to one V one O three.
Speaker 2 (01:22:42):
For one hundred and thirty years, the National Association of
Colored Women's Clubs, the nation's oldest national African American women's organization,
has sought to unite Black women across the country and
service leadership, advocacy, education, and community empowered. It's guided by
its his historic motto, lifting as We Climb. On July
(01:23:03):
fifteenth through the eighteenth, NACWC will hold its sixty fifth
biennial Convention at the Western O'Hara and Rosemont. Joining us
this morning to talk about the mission of NACWC and
its convention is Denise Williams, national President, as well as
its national historian, doctor Lynda Nance, and also Michelle Duster,
(01:23:27):
who is a journalist as well as professor and the
great granddaughter of Ida B. Wells. I want to welcome
you all to the program. I want to begin first
with you, doctor Nance, what is the history of the
National Association of Colored Women's Clubs?
Speaker 16 (01:23:45):
Thank you very much for having us this morning and
asking such a wonderful question. The National Association of Colored
Women have been about the business of families of children,
of empowering economically women African American women of this country.
They've been about providing them with information about healthcare, about education.
(01:24:06):
They've started kindergartens, they've started colleges. They have done a
variety of different things to uplift women. The model of
this organization is lifting as we climb. In every situation
that I have read about, I have seen that the
women of this organization across the country have lifted women
(01:24:28):
in every way they possibly could.
Speaker 2 (01:24:30):
And it's interesting because many times when we think about
historic legacy Black organizations, of course what comes to mind
is the NAACP and the Urban League. And were they
working under the radar or just that they were doing
they were so compelled in terms of their mission that
they didn't worry about having the national recognition.
Speaker 16 (01:24:52):
I think you could answer that by saying it's a both.
And those ladies were definitely focused on their mission to
uplift women in education, in politics, in industry. One of
the things that I find very interesting is at one
point they were focused on industrial education because they did
(01:25:14):
not see that colored men, colored boys could have a
way to support themselves, and they didn't see it in
the education system, so they decided to insert it into
the education system. Did they mind or did it matter
to them whether the nation knew? I don't really think so,
Although it was the National Association of Women that focused
(01:25:36):
on that and pushed that. There are buildings on university
campuses that are named after many of the women. There
are colleges named after many of the women even today.
Speaker 8 (01:25:47):
So I think that it's a both.
Speaker 16 (01:25:49):
And yes, they were focused on understanding, on helping people
to understand that were a national organization, But did they
care whether or not the nation recognized them as that
It would have been a good thing, but I think
their mission was more important.
Speaker 2 (01:26:03):
Denise Williams, you are the National Association of Calling Women's Clubs.
Tell us about this sixty fifth biennial convention with its
theme embracing evolution to shape our legacy. It's all about her?
Is her going to be there?
Speaker 14 (01:26:19):
Her?
Speaker 6 (01:26:19):
Good morning, Daryl. Her will definitely be there in the
room all through our.
Speaker 20 (01:26:24):
Convention because, as you say, it is all about her.
We are thrilled to host our sixty fifth bi annual
Convention celebrating our one hundred and thirtieth anniversary at the
Weston O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois, during July.
Speaker 6 (01:26:41):
The fifteenth through the eighteenth.
Speaker 20 (01:26:43):
Our theme embracing evolution to shape our legacy. It's all
about her, which her represents harnessing excellence and resilience, and
her will be all throughout the convention. We are welcoming
more than two hundred and fifty members from across the
United States who will be gathering for four days of
(01:27:05):
leadership development, educational workshops, youth programs, business sessions. We will
also be having our national elections, and we will be inspiring.
Speaker 6 (01:27:16):
Fellowship and sisterhood.
Speaker 20 (01:27:18):
We are especially excited to welcome seventy three first time attendees.
Speaker 6 (01:27:25):
To this convention.
Speaker 20 (01:27:26):
The convention will also feature an outstanding lineup of speakers
Senator Johnson, Ambassador Cousins.
Speaker 6 (01:27:35):
We have a.
Speaker 20 (01:27:36):
Social media influencer, Stephanie Williams, will be coming to speak
at our Young Adult Empowerment Breakfast and one of our
featured speakers for our awards banquet is Linda Johnson Rice,
whose grandmother was a member of the organization. A highlight
(01:27:56):
is also our parade, the State's Luncheon, which we will
be celebrating all of our states, and we also host
the Frederick Douglas Luncheon during that time.
Speaker 6 (01:28:06):
That is our youth luncheon. Other honorees will be Michelle Duster,
who is actually on.
Speaker 20 (01:28:12):
The call with us this morning, so we are very
excited about being in Chicago for the fourth time.
Speaker 2 (01:28:19):
Michelle, what does it mean for you to receive an
award from this organization? And given the fact that the award,
or one of the awards given out during the convention
is the I. B. Wells Barnett Award.
Speaker 21 (01:28:32):
Thanks for having me on the show, Darryl, Denise and
doctor Linda Nance and Denise Williams, thank you so much
for honoring presenting this honor to me. My great grandmother
ad B. Wells, as many people know, was a journalist,
a suffragists, a civil rights activist. She was one of
(01:28:52):
the founders of the nac WC, along with many other women.
Some people have heard of Mary Church Terrell and Josephine
Saint Pierre Ruffian. So my great grandmother was a trailblazer
when it came to fighting for women's rights, and the
fact that my great grandmother is recognized by the organization
(01:29:15):
is an amazing honor.
Speaker 2 (01:29:18):
What type of honor is this for Chicago.
Speaker 20 (01:29:22):
This is our fourth time in Chicago. We are incredibly
thrilled to be back in Chicago. Bringing our organization to
this area with the opening of the Obama Presidential Library
is another big and important thrill for our organization, for
our members to actually be able to go to that
(01:29:46):
Presidential Library and also to embrace the history of Chicago.
Speaker 6 (01:29:51):
That is part of this particular organization.
Speaker 20 (01:29:54):
We have a national president that was from Chicago, that
was Irene McCoy Gaines, and so we will also be
recognizing the work that she has done in Chicago and
also as one of our past national presidents.
Speaker 16 (01:30:08):
One of the very first referendums that this organization approved
and stepped behind was one that pushed.
Speaker 8 (01:30:18):
To end lynching, and Ida B. Wells was ahead of
all of that.
Speaker 16 (01:30:23):
For me to be on a call with her granddaughter
or a great granddaughter and for us to honor her
during this particular convention session is a real high kind
of honor for me personally. I look forward to meeting
you in person and knowing that our organization has been
(01:30:45):
We've picketed at the White House to end lynching. We've
done lots of different things in different organizations throughout the country,
different clubs throughout the country, to bring up how important
it was to end lynching. And it is very significant
that in eighteen ninety six, when this started, we didn't
get success at that until twenty twenty two. That says
(01:31:08):
a lot about our country, but it says a whole
lot about how right Idam B.
Speaker 8 (01:31:13):
Wills was, how right.
Speaker 16 (01:31:16):
The National Association of Colored Women's Clubs was, and our
nation needs to celebrate the fact that we finally got it.
Speaker 2 (01:31:25):
Done, Michelle, during this time where black history and black
contributions are literally trying to be erased from the books
and the books banned, why is it so important for
people to not only celebrate, but to support organizations like this.
Speaker 21 (01:31:42):
I think that as African Americans, we've always had to
take our destiny into our own hands. It's nothing new
for us to live in a country that is hostile
towards us, that is putting all levers of power to
suppress us, erase marginalize us. It's nothing new. We got this,
(01:32:04):
we can do this, We've we've always done it.
Speaker 2 (01:32:06):
And Denise, what is the best way for people to
support the organization.
Speaker 20 (01:32:11):
People can support our organization by going to our national
website NACWC eighteen ninety six dot org. People can also
support by becoming an associate member. So again, if anyone
would like to be a part of NACWC, visit our
wonderful website NACWC eighteen ninety six dot org.
Speaker 2 (01:32:33):
I want to thank Denise Williams, doctor Linda Nance, as
well as Michelle Duster for joining us this morning. What
that wraps up this edition of Chicago Speaks. As always,
I want to think my guests most importantly, you, the
listeners and callers into this program. If you desire news
on a twenty four to seven basis, it's always available
with our sister station with the Black Information Network at
AM six forty. Right now, get ready to get your
(01:32:55):
praise on what's on your blake, Am Daryl Dinard. We'll
see you back here next Sunday beginning at six day
for another edition of Chicago Speaks. Please be sure to
take care of yourself
B one O three is w vazsm oak Bark Chicago,
an iHeartRadio station guaranteed Human V one O three presents
Chicago Speaks with your host Daryl Dinard. This program is
designed to address issues that affect you. Your opinions matter,
toll free at eight three, three, five nine one V
(00:21):
one O three. The views and opinions expressed are not
necessarily those of the station, it's management, sponsors, or iHeartMedia.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
In Hello and Welcome to Chicago, speaks your communications conduit
for speaking to the issues impacting our community. I'm your host,
Daryl Dinard. It is Sunday, July twelfth, twenty twenty six.
We can look for a near picture perfect day weatherwise,
with sunny skies and a high in the mid to
upper eighties. Currently it's sixty eight degrees. Despite random upticks,
(00:49):
Chicago continues to be on track of reduced incidents of
violent crime. Many experts attribute the city's focus on supporting
youth programs and keeping the streets safer. This morning, we'll
talk to the leaders of Build in Chicago youth programs.
We'll also talk to actor comedian Phillis von Stickney about
her extraordinary career in her upcoming Chicago show. Plus, we'll
(01:13):
take your calls as we pay tribute to the trailblazing
career of the late Chicago businessman George Johnson. And we'll
close out our discussions learning about one of the nation's
oldest civil rights organizations, the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs. So,
as is the case every Sunday morning, there is a
lot to speak to, and we begin with a podcast
(01:34):
that brings laughter to the soul. It goes without saying
that these are difficult times we're going through. When life
seems heavy, laughter can lighten the load. My next guest
knows something about that. He's mc gin, a trailblazing rapper, actor,
comedian best known for his performances on BET's Freestyle Fridays,
(01:54):
as well as several roles in movies including The Fast
and Furious Too. He's also the host of the podcast
Laugh But Not Lease.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Jen.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Welcome to the program.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Darryl, good morning, Good morning, and blessings to you. Thank
you for having me.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
Man.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
It's always overwhelmingly endearing when you hear people kind of
introduce you and kind of recap your life in thirty seconds.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Well, it's a life that has extraordinary elements. You are
the host of the podcast Laugh but not Lease, but
you're also the first Asian American solo rappers signed to
a major record label in the United States. And when
I think of you in the podcast, I think about
two universal elements, laughter and hip hop. You're a unique
(02:41):
combination of both.
Speaker 6 (02:42):
Wow, thank you for that, Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 7 (02:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
I think there has definitely been intersection between the two
all the way back to my childhood quite quite frankly,
And you know, these things become more apparent to me
the further along I go, not only in the podcast journey,
but even in the life journey. Right, I'm a, for
lack of better words, I'm a middle I don't know
what is I've been trying to figure out. I guess
(03:07):
you could google this too, But when do you officially
step into middle age domt I would think it'd be
around forty to fifty, right, is that kind.
Speaker 8 (03:16):
Of the ball park?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
It's definitely forty to fifty.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
Okay, So I'm in that range for sure. I qualify
for the middle age card. And I think it is
in this particular season of life where you know, you
do more reflecting and to what you just said, the
hip hop component.
Speaker 6 (03:33):
I mean that's been with me since probably fifteen.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Fifteen is when I had the clearest day vision for
my life path, and that was I would be married
to the microphone. I mean, at fifteen, the aspirations are
a little more superficial.
Speaker 6 (03:47):
We'll put it like that. I just want to be
a rap star.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Right at fifteen, I was dead set on being a
rap star, and sure as day. I mean, I think
the laughter component, it definitely was present right away because
when I told my mom and dad, oh, yeah, I want.
Speaker 9 (04:02):
To be they had to left.
Speaker 6 (04:03):
They left, Yeah, you're crazy. And I don't even know
if it was a endearing laugh.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
It might have been more of like a maniacal laugh
combined with a like a yeah you think you're going
to do this rap thing and not go off the college.
So anyway, the point is, it's been cool to watch
the rap journey unfold, like as you mentioned before getting
signed and having a chance to watch my childhood dream
(04:29):
come true at the age of nineteen. And it was
just I think at the time it didn't dawn on
me what it meant to me. And more importantly, I
don't think it dawned on me at all what it
meant to anybody that was watching it unfold, not whether
that's just the general rap community, hip hop community, and
if we unpack it more, I mean when you break
(04:50):
it down to you kind of touched on it earlier too,
the whole Asian American component. I definitely I was aware
of it, but I don't think it really dawned on
me what that.
Speaker 10 (05:01):
And I found it significantly in terms of Asia actually
being one of the first continents to fully embrace hip hop.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I remember, you know, when I would look and I'm
going back in the days when Saturday started to permeate,
and I'm like, look at these cats, you know, a
very you know, kind of monolithic society because you know,
in Asia, whether China or Japan, the owarming population looks
a certain way. Yes, but I said, but yet they're
(05:34):
putting on you know, they're putting on all of the
hip hop gear. And I said, they want and buying
the record and buying the records, and I said that
you know, this is this is this is wonderfully encouraging
that culture transcends ethnicity.
Speaker 6 (05:51):
Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
I think what's cool is, you know, again having had
the tenure that I've had in the not only just
the music industry, but so within the the elements of
hip hop. I think I'm confident to say that I've
watched the growth of it, you know, from my own
POV and even to what you just said about, you know,
like the the perception of Asia, like you know people
(06:14):
think at least when I was a kid, yes, growing
not only just growing up, being born and raised here
in America. I've certainly experienced firsthands the the idea that yo,
you guys are all the same, right, Like like like
when people be like where you from, Oh, my family's from,
you know, from from Hong Kong, right.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
They're like, oh, yeah, Hong Kong, Korea is all the same.
I'm like.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
Like like like the and they would be levels to
the I guess kind of the obliviousness, so to speak, right,
And I try to show grace because I think it's
just a matter of.
Speaker 6 (06:45):
I don't want to use the word ignorance.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
I think it's just be a matter of a knowing, right,
just not knowing so nobody like yeah, lack of exposure. Correct,
So they're they're they're they're grouping. What's really a diverse
and if we're talking about the continent of Asia, very diverse,
rich continent with so like, endless amounts of history culture.
(07:08):
But yes, I think to the outside view looking in, no,
you all all the same. Now, what's been beautiful to
me about hip hop? As the years have gone by,
and especially here in modern you know, twenty twenty six,
let's say, I think hip hop has also allowed these
different cultures.
Speaker 6 (07:24):
To shine too.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
So if you look at hip hop in Japan, hip
hop in Korea, in China, as you mentioned, which has
been booming in the last ten years. I don't want
to say it started to exist, but for sure in
twenty seventeen it was a critical year because I always
remember twenty seventeen because it was a year that I
kind of first stepped into you know, the broader mainland China,
(07:47):
let's just.
Speaker 6 (07:47):
Say hip hop sphere.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
And there was a show there called The Rap of China,
and that Rap of China show, I would say, is
the catalyst for a whole new chapter of hip hop
in China, specifically in China.
Speaker 6 (08:01):
I think with.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
This conversation with you, it is something I've also been
learning through this podcast experience. I tend to overthink, sometimes
beneficially and sometimes it ends up being like a counterproductive
type of overthinking. So to your question, I think what
(08:23):
has been the moment where I was like, hey, this
is it?
Speaker 6 (08:28):
Is when.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Even in the midst of overthinking everything, I did feel
a heavy, heavy sense of like, if no one else
resonates with this particular theme or this particular direction that
I'm going, at least I know that it resonates with me.
Because I think leading up to where we ultimately ended
(08:51):
up going direction wise, I explored like a million different directions, right, themes, topics,
just potential ideologies that I wanted to highlight within the podcast,
whether it was the name, whether it was the conversation.
But once I landed on the idea of like, hey,
how do we find something that speaks to you jin
(09:15):
and use that as the anchor, I think laughter just jumped.
Speaker 6 (09:18):
Out right away. And it could be a combination of things.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
It could be as we've been talking about since we
started talking, the overall journey combined with where I'm currently at. Right,
So where I'm currently at is, yeah, I have all
these hats that I wear, you have the wrapper, you
have the podcasting, but also stand up right, So could
you know stand up in comedy as a whole is
something that has really risen to the top.
Speaker 10 (09:40):
And I think this list yeah, yeah, well you get
all of that and more when you tune in to
this extraordinary podcast.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Of course, it's available on our iHeartRadio network. Laugh but
not least, and the wonderful thing about it is the
healing power of not only laughter, but us not taking
ourselves too seriously. Jenn, I want to thank you for
joining us this morning.
Speaker 6 (10:08):
Thank you, Darryl, thank you, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Coming up, we'll learn how two Chicago youth programs are
helping to make the streets safer.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Please stay with us Chicago Speaks with Daryl Dinard. You
can voice your opinion right now toll free at eight
three three five nine to one V one O three.
Now back to Chicago Speaks with Daryl Denard, Share what's
on your mind toll free at eight three three five
nine one V one oh three.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Welcome back at Sunday, July twelfth, and you're listening to
Chicago Speaks.
Speaker 9 (10:43):
For more than.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Fifty years, BUILD, which stands for Broader Urban Involvement and
Leadership Development, has inspired area youth through youth development and
violence prevention programs. Joining me this morning to talk about
the BUILD mission and its impact on today's youth is
Bradlee Johnson. He is the chief executive officer of BUILD
and we also have joining us our intern with the
(11:06):
Northwestern University, Samuel Lsario. I guess I want to be
in first with you, Bradley, in terms of speak specifically
about builds mission and its service area.
Speaker 11 (11:17):
Okay, well, you know BUILD establashed in nineteen sixty nine,
and our mission really and at the end of the day,
is that we help youth overcome systemic barriers and achieve
positive futures. And we do that through our programs which
create that include intervention services, so that's working downstream. These
(11:38):
are youth who evolved in the justice system or risky behaviors,
gang activity, violence. And then there's the upstream work which
are prevention services and so thus after school time, out
of school camps, all types of services and programs that
include enrichment services which are the arts and sports and
(12:00):
music and agriculture.
Speaker 9 (12:03):
We have a small farm here as well.
Speaker 11 (12:06):
And then there's also education services, so we're looking at
our young people getting an education but also starting for
elementary school, think about high school, and then from high school,
thinking about college or whatever, post secondary including.
Speaker 9 (12:20):
Careers, then mental health services.
Speaker 11 (12:22):
One thing that we've learned over our fifty seven years
is that hurt people hurt people, but on the flip.
Speaker 9 (12:28):
Side of that, healed people, healed people.
Speaker 11 (12:31):
And so with that work with mental health services, our
young people as well as that connected family are able
to get mental health services and supports as well as
some of those basic needs being met. Many times we
have families that are struggling just to make ends meet,
so we help with things, whether it's clothing or food,
(12:52):
even rental assistance at times. And we serve the greater
West Side of Chicago, so that includes Austin, Garfield Park
Park and all the connected neighborhoods around it.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Everything that you talked about right now is the fact
that you really take a holistic approach to the development
of youth, because it's not just the youth themselves, but
you also have to look at the environment, You have
to look at the family structure, and you guys are
trying to fill in all of those holes.
Speaker 9 (13:19):
You know what, And that's exactly and that's intentional.
Speaker 11 (13:22):
That's intentional, and it evolved over time based on the
needs of our young people. One thing is is that
we are dedicated. Young people are at the center of
our work. We want to see them thrive. But we
also recognize that it really takes a village to raise
a child.
Speaker 9 (13:40):
They need all these background supports.
Speaker 11 (13:42):
And when you unpack violence, if you unpack justice involvement
and you walk that backwards, you're going to find economics,
You're going to find trauma, You're going to find poverty,
You're going to find poor educational attainment. And then also
many times it's the parents needs as well. And then
we also know that our young people need exposure and opportunity.
(14:05):
We gained so much experience in youth development over the years,
and it's tied to young people saying put the guns
down and say no to drugs.
Speaker 9 (14:12):
That does not work by itself.
Speaker 11 (14:14):
What works is pick up our music, career pathways, education,
finding other exposures of things that possible for your life.
Speaker 9 (14:25):
So I call that hope with legs.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Talk specifically about this experience that we've been going through
in Chicago with regard to team takeovers far too many
times erupting and violence.
Speaker 11 (14:39):
I think that the key is you have to you
have to address this before and I know people say
it's unpredictable where they show up and all that, but
all these young.
Speaker 9 (14:48):
People are coming from communities and places.
Speaker 11 (14:51):
As a young person, I was a young person too
in the summers, and I know this was decades ago,
about forty years ago, essentially when I was a young
but teenager. I love to go downtown. I love to
be at.
Speaker 9 (15:03):
The lake Front.
Speaker 11 (15:04):
I remember me and my friends even in my early
twenties going to thirty first Street beach and cars parking.
Speaker 9 (15:10):
You talk to the girls. So young people gathering is
not the problem.
Speaker 11 (15:15):
They will gather, but I think the key is understanding
what's going on with them, and so how do we
address this.
Speaker 9 (15:21):
I think the mayor has a few things right.
Speaker 11 (15:24):
The Chicago Youth Works, that summer program that engages young
people in employment throughout the summer months is great. What
I would say, though, is that what we have to
do is look at what are the activities and how
can that work.
Speaker 9 (15:38):
Extend to later in the evenings.
Speaker 11 (15:40):
Typically they end at five o'clock and there Monday through
Friday or Monday through Thursday. I think what we could
actually do is help the train folks across the city.
Even with our parts they need to be open later,
and they need to offer opportunities and be welcoming spaces
when young people get there.
Speaker 9 (15:57):
So you could have programs.
Speaker 11 (16:00):
So I think as a matter of preemption and not
look at them as the problem because that tends to
trigger a lot of issues as well.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Shall y'all know that you have a question?
Speaker 4 (16:11):
I do?
Speaker 5 (16:11):
Well?
Speaker 12 (16:12):
First of all, I really like how you mentioned like
kind of just like how it's important for an organization
to build. I wanted to ask you, like, how has
Chicago changed, and how has that reaction the city to
be evolving, and how have you guys reacted.
Speaker 11 (16:27):
There's limitations of what the city can do, so to
think that a city government can solve the problem is
not even realistic. What I look at is what's different
is that family units are not the same as they
used to be.
Speaker 9 (16:44):
When I was growing up.
Speaker 11 (16:46):
Everybody I grew up with we went to the same
community school for elementary school. All the families knew each other,
everything was intact. It's not like that anymore. This is
the twenty first century, and so as a city evolves,
I think there has to be more attention paid to
how we also utilize our schools there's so many things,
like the schools are different because they're no longer just
(17:10):
a community school that everybody went to anymore.
Speaker 9 (17:13):
Kids are moved, you know, they move all over the place.
Speaker 11 (17:15):
And then in our neighborhoods there's a high mobility rate,
so young people move around a lot, even if families
don't stay in one neighborhood. On the West Side, they
moved from Austin to Garfield Park, to North Lawndale to
Humbo Park to build min Kragan and this could be
in the span of ten years.
Speaker 9 (17:33):
One family could move that many times.
Speaker 11 (17:36):
So I think one thing that I would say that
the city has got right with is youth employment. They
do have some year round work. We need more year
round services and programs. And then also what I would
say with the city, and this is one of the challenges, is.
Speaker 9 (17:54):
That it's segmented. So the park district has.
Speaker 11 (17:57):
Its own thing, the school schools have cps have their
own thing. City government does what they do, and they
operate independently of each other. In a large regard. There
has to be more coordination between them has to be
and also how do we utilize the schools more as
more of a community hub, as opposed to just a
(18:18):
school year kind of place that kids get dropped off
or walk to and get picked up.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
So, as you seek to build these connections, what would
you say to those people whose patience has warmthin in
terms of saying, hey, we've been investing with doing this
and we're not seeing good results. We're still seeing people
end up unfortunately murdered.
Speaker 11 (18:42):
You know, and that's a tough situation. And I do understand.
I'm a parent, but I'm also a homeowner. I think
that they deserve to feel safe. What I would counter
that with, though, is the structure has to be put
in place right. There has to be a push and
a drive and a demand for our parts to remain
(19:02):
open and offer programs. We can utilize our libraries more,
take the school buildings that many are underutilized, and.
Speaker 9 (19:11):
Add more services and programs.
Speaker 11 (19:13):
And then on the other end of it, we have
to recognize that every young person who comes out is
not coming out to be involved with violence. Now, I
would say there has to be accountability. Let's look at
where does we stort of justice come in. Because just
the same punative measures that happened, you know, for years
and years and years, what is the.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Best way for people to find out more information about
the services offered with Build.
Speaker 11 (19:38):
You can call seven seven three two to seven two
eight eight zero, or you can reach us on our
way of www dot build Chicago dot org, where you
can see.
Speaker 9 (19:49):
All of our services.
Speaker 11 (19:50):
You can actually connect with us if you want to
partner with us, if you want to do programs, or
if you want to be involved or volunteer even at.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Lee Johnson, Samuel Osario, we thank you so much for
joining us this morning.
Speaker 9 (20:04):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
It goes without saying that the key to building better
communities is investing in our youth. Since nineteen eighty four,
Chicago Youth Programs has endeavored to serve the comprehensive needs
of each youth with an asset based approach that intends
to mitigate risk while building strengths. Joining us this morning
(20:27):
to discuss that mission and its annual Hope Gala Ore
CWP President Diamond McNulty, and Kathy Jackson, who is the
vice president of Engagement and Development. There's a pleasure to
have the both of you join us this morning, and
I guess I want to begin first with you. Diamond,
(20:47):
you served as the chairman of the board. Talk to
us about this hidden gem that's on the South side
of Chicago called Chicago Youth Programs.
Speaker 13 (20:57):
Chicago Youth Programs is just the wonderful jem I could.
Speaker 6 (21:00):
Speak personally from it.
Speaker 13 (21:01):
So born and raised in Chicago, I grew up on
the Near North area. I was actually a participant in
the organization at the age of five, So I've been
through the organization five years old. I've been through the
organization at every level, from our read to me doing
our concept package, having mentors, receiving scholarships when I attended college,
(21:23):
and then having the benefit of having angel supporters give
me additional funds to have everything I needed in order
to be successful. So the organization we support kids from
birth to college and beyond. So that's the secret. The
secret is some organizations only support after school, but our
goal is the long term approach where we want to
(21:44):
make sure our kids are with one out of the
streets to support it from the beginning until they become
successful and sustaining on their own.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
You have an extraordinary track record in doing this. Like
I said, you've been around since nineteen team A four,
which is a long time. And the fact of the
matter is you have this stellar track record in terms
of one hundred percent of your high school program participants
actually graduate and go on to matriculate in terms of
(22:16):
a post secondary matriculation. Talk about that.
Speaker 13 (22:19):
Yeah, So it stems from we have to give support
to our volunteers. So we have tutors and mentors that
come on after schools, whether it's throughout the entire week,
So once our kids get out of school, they may
meet them at the law school, at hospitals, we have
volunteer spaces and they help them with all of their gaps.
(22:40):
So it's really throughout the entire week where we're covering
our kids and we're ensuring that they're successful. And one
of the things that we found out is paring our
youth with those that are in college or medical students
or corporate executives, that they see what they desire to
be and that inspires them to keep going and to
not give up.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Kathy speaks specifically about program offerings and community engagement.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
So with the programs, there are various programs and as
Diamond mentioned about the mentoring and the tutoring, and that
there's programs that are addressing the needs for our younger
kids as well as our middle school and as well
as high school. With the high school programs though, that's
(23:27):
where it's a lot about college preparedness and helping them
to identify careers rather be going into college for four
year college two years, or even into the trades. Some
of the programs are STEM programs and it's just a
(23:47):
variety of programs that address the needs of our youth
and also to give them exposure.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
You serve some seven hundred and fifty kids annually. The
thing that I found most impressive is that though there's
a tremendous focus on high school students in terms of
making sure that they succeed after high school, you do
something that I thoroughly believe in, and that is getting
them while they're young, as young as five years old.
Speaker 5 (24:13):
Speak about that it truly matters.
Speaker 13 (24:16):
So we have two programs that start at that age,
and it's our prep programs, So that's our parent run
evening preschool where we not only support the kids, but
we also involve the parents, and that is where we
bring that family aspect together.
Speaker 14 (24:30):
And then that.
Speaker 13 (24:31):
Same program mirrors over to what is called our Read
to Me where we have volunteers or medical students to
come in and do the exact same thing where we're
working with our kids with Concept Package. What we found
out is not only is it working with those kids,
we're able to identify and help them with their comprehension,
(24:51):
help them with sounding out different words, and we have
so many learning aids to ensure that okay, well going
to different levels. One of the things that we found
out what our kids is as they're going through different levels,
as we're celebrating them, they're actually wanting to run after
their challenges more than the things that they know, because
(25:12):
they get rewarded by overcoming different packets that they are
not familiar with. So every time they do something that
they're not familiar with and they accomplish it, we reward them.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
So that's one of the secret sauces, Kathy, and it's
a wonderful sauce. You know, it needs to be spread
on every piece of bread. I have had the pleasure
of em seeing the Hope Gala in the past, and
I'm also going to also be there along with my
wonderful colleague from ABC seven News, Trade Ward talk about
(25:43):
Hope Gala and why it's so important for people to
support this event.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
You know, each year, Cyp hosts a special fundraising that
really generate the critical support for the youth and the
families we serve, and so by supporting us, it's an
evening to bring together corporate, civic and philanthropic profic leaders
to celebrate and to honor our remarkable young people and
(26:10):
the lives that have been transformed through participating in our programs.
You know, I must say that this celebration would not
be possible without the support that we have from our donors,
our volunteers, partners and staff and that come together and
build stronger communities for the Chicago area. This year's theme,
(26:36):
Expanding Access Elevating Futures, reflects both on our progress and
our purpose. Various communities outside of the communities that we
are currently serving have reached out to us and asked
if we could support them in their particular communities. Yeah,
we've met with aldermen outside of our usual areas of offering,
(27:01):
and so we're being called to deepen our impact and
reaching out and providing essential resources to help empower youth in.
Speaker 7 (27:12):
Other communities as well.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
So this cannot be done without the support of our sponsors,
our donors, you know, volunteers and of course the staff.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Let's talk about the Hope Galer. It's taking place on Wednesday,
July twenty.
Speaker 6 (27:29):
Ninth, Yes, five point thirty.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
It will be held at the Dossi Fulton Market, which
is located at three h two North Green Street.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
It's a wonderful venue space to be there in full
Ton Market and it's just electric because people come and
it's truly a party with the purpose because you know
that you'll get tangible results in terms of your investment,
whether it's financial or whether it's in person, in terms
of as a volunteer. So Diamond, they can always sends
(28:01):
a donation.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
They can there are sponsorship opportunities available as well as
ticket purchases and if people are interested in purchasing doing
a packet where they could do the ten ticket packet
or five ticket packet. So there's various ways that they
can do that. They can either go to our website
(28:22):
which is www. Dot's Chicago Youth Programs dot org and
click on events, or they can contact me directly at
seven seven three four nine three for zero five three.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
And Diamond in terms of you matriculating through this program
from the ten to age at five, talk to me
about what you think is the thing that strengthens you
and provides you with a sense of urgency and mission
as your role in your role as president.
Speaker 13 (28:55):
Well, right now, we're seeing so much happening across the
city of Chicago, and I know how important it is
for our kids to be covered and supported.
Speaker 5 (29:06):
And CYP has.
Speaker 13 (29:08):
Been here long term. We have a track record of
taking kids from birth to college and beyond which myself,
sitting in this role, I am a reflection of what
success looks like through the organization. So I want to
make sure that all of our kids across the city
of Chicago has the opportunity to benefit from us the
same things that I benefit from. So it's really being intentional,
(29:29):
and that's why this year we're talking about expanding access,
because we're looking at other community areas, whether it's Henry Horner,
whether it's more on the South Side, inside school system.
So we're really preparing for our strategic plan so that
we can expand access to more kids and give them
the opportunities to be successful.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
I love just saying what people can see is also
giving them a roadmap for what they can be. It's
going to be phenomenal.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
And then too of some of the key things that we've.
Speaker 7 (30:01):
Added on being enroll like this.
Speaker 13 (30:04):
It's so intentional that we've added chess, a chess club,
we're adding golf, We're bringing.
Speaker 6 (30:08):
Toastmasters to the kids.
Speaker 13 (30:10):
Just some of those intentional exposures that's going to help
them throughout their life, but at an earlier age. I
know how it benefited me at a later age. So
we can get them early and give them these additional exposures.
They're going to skyrocket and our ceiling is going to
be their floor.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
And also they can come up with the excuse there's
nothing to do.
Speaker 13 (30:31):
Definitely, we have everything they need.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
That sounds so very good to give that website.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
So the website is www dot Chicago Youth.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
That is Kathy Jackson as well as Diamond McNulty. We
thank you so much all that you do.
Speaker 13 (30:47):
Thank you, thank you very much, Thank you so much
for all you doing.
Speaker 15 (30:50):
All you've done is support.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Coming up next, we talked to the entertainment powerhouse that
is Phyllis von Stickney. Please stay with us.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Chicago Speaks with Darryl Denard. You can voice your opinion
right now toll free at eight three three five nine
one V one O three V one O three presents
Chicago Speaks with your host Darryl Denard. This program is
designed to address issues that affect you. Your opinions matter,
toll free at eight three three five nine one V
(31:21):
one O three. The views and opinions expressed are not
necessarily those of the station, it's management, sponsors, or iHeartMedia.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Inc Actors and comedians provide us with the opportunity to
truly see ourselves for who we are, and also to
not take ourselves too seriously. One individual who combines those
talents in a compelling comedic way as an actor and
comedian is Phyllis E. Von Stickney. Welcome to the program.
(31:48):
I have enjoyed your work, phil Is, going back to
the mid nineteen eighties. You are an extraordinary talent. Now,
if you were to write your own introduction, what would
you say?
Speaker 8 (31:57):
Oh my god, I would probably say my own introduction.
How would I introduce myself?
Speaker 16 (32:06):
I would say, oh, gosh, A jack of many trades,
a master of most.
Speaker 8 (32:18):
From something born I was born for this. Oh my god.
I don't know that I've ever been asked that, well
would I be?
Speaker 5 (32:25):
How would I myself?
Speaker 2 (32:26):
That's good because I'm happy that I haven't asked you
something that others have.
Speaker 16 (32:31):
I'm going let me think that would be because there's
so much I would like people to know.
Speaker 8 (32:36):
So the introduction I now start.
Speaker 16 (32:39):
When I'm speaking to publicists and people that are going
to speak about me, I usually say to them, start
with one of the two hundred African American women who's
changed the world. I want to talk to you about
Philicia Vonserguzine, one of the two hundred African American women
who's changed the world, and then we can talk.
Speaker 8 (32:58):
Then we can unpack a little bit about that why.
And comedy was the vehicle.
Speaker 16 (33:03):
It was comedy that I was that first brought me
to the knowledge of if you will, I think the
national audience, audiences and where my comedy came from or
how it's how it's gleaned, I think is pretty much
as I said, the backstory is as as intriguing as
(33:25):
the work I've done.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
And I'd say that because you are unique, we haven't
really well, you know what, I'm going to take that
back you. You know you when I think about you,
You know what I think of is I think of
people like Moms Maybey in terms of having that that
unique character, every role that you've played that I've witnessed,
(33:49):
you know, particularly on TV. Because you're also an accomplished
stage actress. I'm going to talk about you working in
purpose as well as the City Winery performance that you're
going to have on Tuesday, August fourth, But I want
to talk about your upbringing because and reading about you,
there is this unique cross country I guess experience that
(34:13):
you have that I think had to have some role
in terms of making you who you are. You were
born in Little Rock, Arkansas, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 8 (34:22):
Absolutely, you're absolutely correct.
Speaker 16 (34:24):
It had so much to do my family, my close
knit family, my extended family, growing up on the road,
if you will, Because people even now when they say, well.
Speaker 8 (34:34):
Where do you live, I say in airports. It's the truth.
Speaker 16 (34:38):
I travel a lot, but the love of travel, the
travel bug was given to me by my parents, our parents.
I'm one of five children that my mother.
Speaker 8 (34:49):
Birth that lived.
Speaker 16 (34:50):
I think probably there were seven that tried to come through,
but only five of us made it, and there's four
of us to live in. But my beginning in Little Rock, Arkansas,
with a loving family, growing up with a lot of
love and a lot of understanding, of what family meant,
so I never lost that.
Speaker 8 (35:10):
But my father's work with the.
Speaker 16 (35:11):
YMCA took us to different cities, and average of every
eighteen months, every year and a half, we were moving
from it to a different city, from Little Rock, Arkansas
to Dallas, Texas, from Dallas, Texas to Port Arthur, Texas.
From Port Arthur, Texas to Wichita Falls, Texas. From Wichita Falls,
Texas to Kansas City, Missouri. From Kansay, Missouri to Wilmington, Delaware.
(35:31):
And that every eighteen months meant that our grades could
not suffer because we were in a new school that
was not allowed. But for me, what it meant was
identifying what was the rhythm, what was the language of
the community or the people that I was encountering that
were new to me.
Speaker 8 (35:51):
Because I didn't want to be the new girl.
Speaker 16 (35:52):
I didn't want to be singled out, so I learned
how to listen differently. I learned how to listen so
that I could sound like they sounded, so that I
could speak like they spoke.
Speaker 8 (36:03):
Uh. And then that was that was for me.
Speaker 16 (36:05):
Now as an actor, I'm able to embody many characters,
you know, swiftly because because of that ability to move
and read and pivot on a dime, pivot because we're
in a new school, we're in a new environment, we're
in a new community, and nothing can lag.
Speaker 8 (36:23):
There can be no lag.
Speaker 16 (36:24):
Our parents did not accept you know that, no seas
or something average about you.
Speaker 8 (36:28):
Our parents would tell us so.
Speaker 16 (36:30):
So that that those were the that was the ground
or the fertilization that gave me the ability to be.
As I say sometimes in my comedy, I got company
when I'm by myself.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
You know, there's you know, I think in terms of
what you're talking about, because we're of the same age.
And back in the day when we were growing up
in grade school in high school, America had, especially for
Black America, we had what I like to call cultural
(37:05):
nuances that were regional. And the reason I say that
because back in the day, you know, we as young
people watching older people, you knew when somebody was from Chicago,
you knew when somebody was from the Deep South, you
knew when somebody was from the East Coast or New
York or California. Because they had these regional not only dialects,
(37:28):
but also in terms of cultural nuances. And what happened
is that with the advent of let's say, I really
say it happened with rap music in terms of you know,
people emulating you know, kind of characterizing themselves like they
straight out of the Bronx and they're actually in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(37:51):
It kind of, you know, diminished those kind of cultural
nuances that we had.
Speaker 16 (37:58):
Yes, that was a time when you and like you said,
you knew, I mean every summer, I knew I was
going to come down to Little Rock.
Speaker 8 (38:03):
I know I was going to go back to the
Little Rock every summer.
Speaker 16 (38:06):
I knew I was going to see my cousin's naw
my big Mama and Nam. I knew I was going
to go down there. Then I knew I was going
to be in Chicago if Mom and Dad decided, because
we were going to see my mother's older brother, uncle Welton,
that would live there on the South Side.
Speaker 8 (38:20):
I knew I was going to come.
Speaker 16 (38:22):
There, and I knew that everywhere I went there was
I was going to have. It was like a smorgas
board of personalities and cultural nuances. As you say, it
was a wonderful experience for me to see how people
move differently, how they dressed differently, how they you know,
the diet was pretty much the same, you know, until
I became a vegetarian and that.
Speaker 14 (38:43):
Was that was.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
You know, we got some good, good vegetarian and vegan
restaurants here in the shot. And I say that because
we owe a debt to you and your family being
natives of Arkansas, because so many of our black leadership
in terms of making Chicago the black mecha that it
is actually hell from Arkansas. George Johnson who just died,
(39:11):
John H. Johnson, Strosuer, all of these, you know, trail
blazing individuals well from Arkansas. I don't know what's in
the water down there, but you know.
Speaker 8 (39:22):
And the water, it's in the soil, and the water
make some of the best.
Speaker 16 (39:25):
John Curley who started Black Wall Street from Arkansas. You know,
there's a lot of and I've learned since I rekindle
my love, you know, and I say rekindle to go
back and purchase property and decide to have that as
my as a second home again. There's just so much
richness there. There's so much history that's there. And I
(39:49):
now look at where I am and where I where
I'm you know, my trajectory, and I'm grateful for all
of the stories I'm grateful for, you know, all the
standing on the front and turning that ice cream and
you know getting you know, Johnson and Johnson Baby powdered
was a different story.
Speaker 8 (40:07):
We know now that might not have been a thing
to do that doubts us.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Baby.
Speaker 6 (40:12):
That only happened when.
Speaker 16 (40:13):
My aunts from down home would come and be responsible
for us, you know, uh, for that summer when mom
and dad were at work or.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
They like a baby until the need to change in listen, listen.
Speaker 16 (40:26):
So yeah, that little rock Arkansas, Arkansas was the fertile,
the furtiling h fertilization for me. Uh, those relationships, those rhythms,
you know, understanding what those rhythms were, understanding what community meant.
Speaker 8 (40:41):
It was really community.
Speaker 17 (40:43):
Uh.
Speaker 16 (40:44):
And then and then all of a sudden, we have uh,
we have social media, which I think not only rap music,
but social media changed the change the terrain and the
playing fields.
Speaker 8 (40:55):
So you have to I.
Speaker 16 (40:58):
Hold strong to my roots because it's what gives It's
what gives me my sauce, my special sauce.
Speaker 2 (41:05):
Yeah, you know, we know you of course from standout
roles at Malcolm X's New Jack City House, Stella Goat,
Groove Back to your television work on a Different World
and other shows, Women to Brewster Place. But there was
something that happened in the mid nineteen eighties where you
were on this phenomenal trajectory and you have to deal
(41:29):
with this intersection between hosting Showtime at the Apollo and
I believe what a different world at the time.
Speaker 8 (41:38):
Yes, that was what it was.
Speaker 16 (41:40):
That was so I guess now at this stage that
things have happened and we've all grown and had careers,
and I can tell some of the stories that I
didn't talk about because it wasn't it wouldn't have it
wouldn't have made me popular. But now I'm like, hey,
I gotta you know. I gotta let y'all know, Gotta
make y'all remember some of you that didn't know. I
was actually the first host of Showtime at the Apollo
(42:01):
that sold the network to the show to Network Television
by being the comedian who'd won in the real Showtime.
Speaker 8 (42:10):
At the Apollo. It was just a regular Apollo amateur Hour,
and so I went on as a comedian.
Speaker 16 (42:15):
My motivation was to win enough money to send my
brother home for the summer. My brother was then my
roommate Timothy was also an amazing actor and educator, and
so that was my motivation that I you know, it
was like, let me have a summer where I could
just be, you know, because he was my roommate. Long
story short, I got on that stage and someone had
(42:36):
seen me in Washington Square Park where I used to
work as a stand up comedian in the streets. And
the last thing she said to me is I was
about to mount the stage, was oh, I know you
from the park.
Speaker 8 (42:48):
She said, you funny, go out there with authority.
Speaker 14 (42:51):
She said, New York accent. There I already baby.
Speaker 16 (42:57):
I went out there gravening, Hey, dang, how the.
Speaker 7 (43:02):
Heck are you?
Speaker 16 (43:03):
And that was the beginning of how I enter the
stage as a comedian from that day on. And then
once the network they were they were considering taking the
show to network television, and there was a twenty minute pilot.
Ten minutes of that twenty minute pilot was philis Yvonne Stickney,
(43:26):
and so I was excited when I got offered the
opportunity to host and began to work with Bob Banner
and the other European Caucasian folks because at that time
we were not gentrified in Harlem, Darling at.
Speaker 8 (43:40):
All, we were not.
Speaker 18 (43:43):
They were still scared to come above one hundred and
tenth Street, myda, and so I had to be a
love of you know, Harlem.
Speaker 16 (43:51):
I had a love affair with Harlem, and so I
knew where to go, where they should eat for the crew,
and where they do, could do all this and that.
But one thing that I didn't have was an agent
or a manager at the time. And so when I
got the role offered for Different World, which is a
whole nother story which I unpack a little bit now,
(44:11):
because I was my own agent and I created her
Bonnie Rosenthwool, and I did all of my negotiations myself, Darling.
Speaker 8 (44:20):
Are you listening? And uh?
Speaker 16 (44:23):
And so I had to do what I had to
do to get what I needed to get to you
understand what I'm talking about, im, But.
Speaker 5 (44:30):
I do, Lisz.
Speaker 16 (44:31):
It was a wonderful experience for me to see how
people move differently, how they dressed differently, how they you know,
the diet was pretty much the same, you know, until
I became a vegetarian and that was that was you.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Know, we got some good, good vegetarian and vegan restaurants
here in the shot. And I say that because we
owe a debt to you and your family being natives
of Arkansas, because so many any of our black leadership
in terms of making Chicago the Black Meccha, that it
is actually hell from Arkansas. George Johnson who just died,
(45:12):
John H. Johnson, Strosuer, all of these, you know, trail
blazing individuals well from Arkansas. I don't know what's in
the water down there, but you know, and the.
Speaker 8 (45:23):
Water, it's in the soil, and the water makes some
of the best.
Speaker 16 (45:26):
John Curley, who started Black Wall Street from Arkansas. You know,
there's a lot of and I've learned since I rekindle
my love, you know, and I say rekindle to go
back and purchase property and decide to have that as
my as a second home again. There's just so much
richness there. There's so much history that's there. And I
(45:49):
now look at where I am and where I where
I'm you know, my trajectory, and I'm grateful for all
of the stories. I'm grateful for, you know, all the
standing on the front porch and turn in that ice
cream and you know, gett you know, Johnson and Johnson
baby powdered it was a different story. We know now
that might not have been a thing to do that
(46:10):
doubts us baby power.
Speaker 8 (46:12):
That only happened when.
Speaker 16 (46:13):
My aunts from down home would come and be responsible
for us, you know, uh, for that summer when mom
and dad were at work, or.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
They smell like a baby until the need to change in.
Speaker 14 (46:25):
Listen, listen.
Speaker 16 (46:27):
So yeah, that little rock Arkansas, Arkansas was a fertile
the fertiling h fertilization for me. Uh, those relationships, those rhythms,
you know, understanding what those rhythms were, Understanding what community meant.
Speaker 8 (46:42):
It was really community.
Speaker 17 (46:44):
Uh.
Speaker 16 (46:44):
And then and then all of a sudden, we have uh,
we have social media, which I think not only rap music,
but social media changed the change the terrain and the
playing fields.
Speaker 8 (46:56):
So you have to, I hold.
Speaker 16 (46:59):
Strong to my room because it's what what gives It's
what gives me my sauce, my special sauce.
Speaker 7 (47:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (47:06):
You know, we know you of course from standout roles
at Malcolm X's New Jack City House, Stella gat Groove,
back to your television work on a Different World and
other shows Women to Booster Place. But there was something
that happened in the mid nineteen eighties where you were
on this phenomenal trajectory and you have to deal with
(47:29):
this intersection between hosting Showtime at the Apollo and I
believe what a different world at the time.
Speaker 8 (47:39):
Yes, that was what it was.
Speaker 16 (47:40):
That was so I guess now at this stage that
things have happened and we've all grown and had careers,
and I.
Speaker 8 (47:48):
Can tell some of the stories that I didn't talk about.
Speaker 16 (47:50):
Because it wasn't it wouldn't have it wouldn't have made
me popular. But now I'm like, hey, I gotta you know,
I gotta let y'all know, got to make y'all remember
some of you that didn't know. I was actually the
first host of Showtime at the Apollo that sold the
network to the show to Network Television by being the
comedian who'd won in the real Showtime at the Apollo.
(48:12):
It was just a regular Apollo Amateur Hour, and so
I went on as a comedian. My motivation was to
win enough money to send my brother home for the summer.
My brother was then my roommate, Timothy, was also an
amazing actor and educator, and so that was my motivation
that I, you know, it was like, let me have
a summer where I could just be, you know, because he.
Speaker 14 (48:32):
Was my roommate.
Speaker 16 (48:33):
Long story short, I got on that stage and someone
had seen me in Washington Square Park where I used
to work as a stand up comedian in the streets.
And the last thing she said to me is I
was about to mount the stage, was oh, I know
you from the park. She said, you funny, go out
there with authority.
Speaker 14 (48:51):
She said, New York accent there already, baby.
Speaker 8 (48:57):
I went out there, good eve, hey, dang, how the
heck are you?
Speaker 16 (49:03):
And that was the beginning of how I mount into
the stage as a comedian from that day on. And
then once the network they were they were considering taking
the show to network television, and there was a twenty
minute pilot. Ten minutes of that twenty minute pilot was
(49:25):
Phillis Yvonne Stickney. And so I was excited when I
got offered the opportunity to host and began to work
with Bob Banner and the other European Caucasian folks because
at that time we were not.
Speaker 8 (49:39):
Gentrified in Harlem Darling at all. We were not.
Speaker 18 (49:44):
They were still scared to come above one hundred and
tenth Street, my dia, and so I had to be.
Speaker 8 (49:50):
A love of you know, Harlem.
Speaker 16 (49:51):
I had a love affair with Harlem, and so I
knew where to go, where they should eat for the crew,
and where they could do all this and that. But
one thing that that I didn't have was an agent
or a manager at the time.
Speaker 8 (50:03):
And so when I.
Speaker 16 (50:04):
Got the role offered for Different World, which is a
whole nother story which I unpack a little bit now,
because I was my own agent and I created her
Bonnie Rosenthwal, and I did all of my negotiations myself, darling,
are you listening? And so I had to do what
(50:25):
I had to do to get what I needed to
get to you understand what I'm talking about, But.
Speaker 8 (50:30):
I do listen. Oh though, don't be proclumped, all right.
Speaker 6 (50:34):
Love me.
Speaker 14 (50:35):
Don't want to make the people to be proclumped over there.
Speaker 8 (50:37):
But it was just a time that I had to
make decisions.
Speaker 16 (50:41):
I had to make decisions, and I made them quickly,
and I'm grateful that I made them. But for years
I could not talk about that one truth that at
that time there was no agent or manager that represented me.
And so when I got the offer, I accepted it.
Speaker 8 (50:57):
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Speaker 16 (51:00):
But at that time, because I didn't have an actual
manager or agent, when they started doing this little political
game with me, because they realized I was one of
the would have been one of the first black women
with two shows in net in primetime television, and I
don't think I don't think Hollywood wanted that to happen,
(51:22):
and so they ultimately would fly me back and forth.
I'd fly to La to be to do a segment
in different world, and that they would produce my lines
to two and then uh, but I was I would
I would have been too late to go back to tape,
and so.
Speaker 8 (51:37):
I figured it out. I figured it out.
Speaker 16 (51:40):
That they really just trying to frustrate you, get you
to go all be ugly and then give them a
reason to fire you. I was the first host, the
first leadd host, before Steve Harvey, before Kim Calls. It
was Phelicia von Steve was the one that ultimately held
the held the mic for the longest. But I gave
(52:00):
them Ricavillas. I said it Ricavellas is clean because I
knew he had a substance of these problem. I said
he would be great to fill in for me when
I was gone. But I did that for the first
season and then realize that they don't want you to
have this power. They don't want you to have that
position of power. It was just a little bit too
much for a little black girl to have at that time.
Speaker 2 (52:21):
I wanted to tell our listeners that we're talking to
Phillis E von Sticknick and she's going to be appearing
at Chicago City Winery on Tuesday, August fourth at seven
thirty pm. You can go to a website to purchase
tickets there. Just how liberating is it for you to
do stand up comedy in terms of finally having the
result to say, hey, this happened back then, and I
(52:44):
kept quiet about something all these years.
Speaker 8 (52:47):
It's very liberating.
Speaker 16 (52:48):
You know, it's still a little scary because I'm still
in the game. You know, I do have an agent.
You know, I do have a manager now, you know,
real people that respect what I do and what I've done,
which is important, you know. But it's good for me
to be able to speak, you know, it was I
started in comedy. I want to thank Damon Williams and
(53:10):
my co you know, my peer comedians like Godfree and
Dion Cole, who, as you know, Chicago men. They were
very very much a part of this happening for me
at the City Winery, and I want to thank them, damon,
especially for making that call an intro. Because the funny
thing about me was that I was an independent. I
(53:33):
didn't work the legit clubs because I didn't like the
politics of the clubs. I wasn't going to sit there
and hear them call me their favorite spots. I wasn't
going to be called the IN word or the B
word all night long. And I knew that my politics
and my feelings about people that were not as originally
melanated was not going to be popular because it's like,
(53:55):
I know who.
Speaker 8 (53:56):
You are and why you are.
Speaker 16 (53:58):
I read a book called an Empire their Own, So
I know you didn't create this for me or any
of my black friends.
Speaker 8 (54:04):
So let me be clear that I might.
Speaker 16 (54:07):
Say something that would keep me out of the mix,
so to speak, keep me out of out of the
list of folks. So I started producing myself years ago,
years ago, I produced my own things. And also because
comedians didn't embrace me as a comic, Are you an
actress or a comedian? They would ask me, and I'm like,
(54:27):
I'm both depends on what the check is.
Speaker 8 (54:29):
You know who's doing who's doing the hiring?
Speaker 16 (54:32):
I do, I said, yes, And that's that's exactly used
to be in my in my in my bio. She
is a chameleon because it depends I didn't pigeonhole myself.
Speaker 8 (54:44):
I knew that I.
Speaker 16 (54:44):
Had a man's you know, uh expansive range, and I
utilize all of it, So why limit myself? So this
is this today is now a celebration of my of me.
I can celebrate the fact that I survived number one.
You know, my show is called Still Funny, Still Fine,
Still Funny, Still Fine, Still here, Okay. And because the
(55:10):
journey was not an easy one, I was not embraced
by many of the comics, the female comics. I always
came on stage dressed, you know, as elegantly or as
femininely as possible. I never did profane or vogue humor
by choice, by choice, because I wanted.
Speaker 8 (55:29):
There were a couple of things of Mamma. They raised
me like that. Oh and you know, I know how
to subsidence, you know, that's what I'm a dope.
Speaker 16 (55:38):
So however, I knew that it was not going to
allow me to be in benues that I wanted access to.
I've been able to travel around the world as a comedian.
I've been invited to Israel as a comedian because of
my you know, sensibility and also because I did before
it was you know, clean comedy or.
Speaker 2 (55:58):
Christian check and so you know that is thank you
for calling.
Speaker 8 (56:02):
Thank you so snow chicks and dians love it.
Speaker 2 (56:07):
Yeah, I wish I wish I had, I wish I
had an eternity to talk to you, because you are
such an extraordinary person. We want to tell people once
again that they can go to Chicago City Winery and
purchase tickets for your upcoming show on Tuesday, August fourth
at seven thirty pm. And we're looking forward to you.
(56:27):
I wish I had more time to talk about you
appearing in the Boston production of Chicago's very own Tony
Award winning production of Purpose. So nothing but the best
for you, Phyllis.
Speaker 16 (56:39):
Thank you, And I just want to say before we
sign off today that every listener, everyone that says they're
going to go, and I say this to black people
in cities that I travel.
Speaker 8 (56:50):
Go early. Don't wait until the last minute. We do
often do. I'm going to walk up. I'm gonna get
my ticket.
Speaker 16 (56:56):
What I've discovered and why I produced myself was if
we club owners do not have the faith in us.
They don't if they don't know who we are. If
they don't, if they have can't call our names, you know,
then they will.
Speaker 8 (57:07):
Cancel the shows.
Speaker 16 (57:09):
And so I have to encourage us to show up
early to get those advanced tickets to go on today.
Speaker 8 (57:16):
Don't delay.
Speaker 16 (57:17):
I know you doing that Sunday dinner. I know you
got that. You know you got that whatever in the oven.
You know you about to take it out the oven
or you about to hot that pot. But before you
do that, go ahead and get your tickets if you
plan to see me, If you plan to see me live,
I say, if they like me in New jack City,
Jungle Fever was love got to do with the house
(57:37):
that I got to grow back. They need gonna love live.
So come see me live and get your tickets by early.
Thank you so much, Daryl for sharing your audience with
me today.
Speaker 2 (57:47):
It is my pleasure, nothing but the best for you.
Speaker 8 (57:49):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (57:51):
Coming up next, we'll take your calls as we reflect
on the life and legacy of Chicago businessman George Johnson,
the creator of Afroshene, pass the way this past week.
His life is a model of black business excellence. Call
us now, which had thoughts and comments at eight three
three five nine one V one O three.
Speaker 1 (58:10):
Chicago speaks with Daryl Dinard. You can voice your opinion
right now toll free at eight three three five nine
one V one O three. Now back to Chicago speaks
with Daryl Dinard. Share what's on your mind toll free
at eight three three five nine one V one O three.
Speaker 2 (58:30):
And welcome back. You had that number.
Speaker 9 (58:32):
It is eight three three five.
Speaker 2 (58:34):
Nine one v one oh three. Time check for you
right now. It is seven seventeen in the morning and
the temperature is rising. It's seventy degrees. This past week,
Chicago and the world lost a shining example of black
business excellence. Pioneering businessman and philanthropist George Johnson passed away
from natural causes at his Chicago condo. He was ninety
(58:56):
nine years old. Joining us this morning to reflect on
the trailblazing career of this Chicago icon or Hemine Hartman,
publisher of Indigo and host of Indigo Studios, and Michael Garner,
who is the chief business Diversity Officer for the City
of New York, Herman. I'm going to begin with you.
George Johnson's business acumen touched various generations of people, not
(59:19):
just here in Chicago, but across the world. I want
you to offer your personal reflections on the life and
legacy of this extraordinary individual.
Speaker 5 (59:30):
Well, Darryl, he was a mentor to me. My first
big PR job came.
Speaker 19 (59:38):
From mister Johnson as he was celebrating his twenty fifth
anniversary of Johnson Products. There are a lot of business
lessons to be learned from mister.
Speaker 5 (59:49):
Johnson, and they're all in his book.
Speaker 19 (59:50):
Afrosen and I had the opportunity to extensively interview him
on Indigo Studio. But think one of the things. A
couple of the things to note. Mister Johnson went to
Window Phillips High School and did.
Speaker 5 (01:00:06):
Not complete high school. He was mentored by S. B.
Speaker 19 (01:00:11):
Fuller, who was a very successful black businessman in cosmetics,
and mister Johnson became a chemist and he worked there
for ten years before he started his business. And he
went to the bank to get a loan for two
hundred and fifty dollars. He was turned down the Whitefty
(01:00:35):
dollars two hundred and fifty dollars. The banker turned him down.
He told him he was ridiculous and that he probably
would not be successful and could not pay the loan back.
Mister Johnson was the master of what I call the pivot.
He went to another brand of the bank and he
told them that he wanted to take his wife on
(01:00:56):
a nice vacation and he needed two hundred and five
fifty dollars and the loan was granted.
Speaker 5 (01:01:03):
That was his beginnings.
Speaker 19 (01:01:04):
He was a hard worker as a kid. He shined shoes,
he sold newspapers, he worked in the restaurant. He did
anything that he could to make an honest dollar. Well,
that two hundred and fifty dollars turned into an empire
where he was really a pioneer and a trailblazer for
(01:01:26):
black hair care. At one point, mister Johnson's business was
eighty percent. Eighty percent of black America used his products
as a heck of a market share, and eighty percent
included me and you. Right, But the product started as
a product for men. It was a mail product started
(01:01:49):
in a barbershop when men used to get something called
the process, and people like nat Cole and Jackie Wilson
and Sam Cook and Sammy Davis, Kane Jishka, I'll go
to this barbershop on the South side of Chicago to
get their hair straightened.
Speaker 5 (01:02:05):
As mister and as mister Johnson was knocking.
Speaker 19 (01:02:08):
On doors for the barbers to sell products, he noticed
for every one barbershop, there were three beauty shops, and
so the product extended to women because he thought I
could sell more to women than I could men. So
the product were perfected for women when women were straightening
of straightening their hair. He started other businesses, not his
(01:02:33):
own businesses, but helped people like Tom Barrell because as
he was beginning to Vince Collers.
Speaker 5 (01:02:40):
Vin's Colors did afrochine.
Speaker 19 (01:02:42):
But as he was beginning to grow, he realized he
needed a particular niche advertising, and so he went to Burrell.
Speaker 5 (01:02:52):
He went to Vince Colors. What did that start?
Speaker 19 (01:02:55):
That started black models, that started black photography, that started
black graphics.
Speaker 5 (01:03:00):
So his business enhanced other businesses.
Speaker 19 (01:03:03):
And I think the real one of the real significant
things about mister Johnson is Ethens magazine was just beginning
and they were struggling for a minute, and they went
to mister Johnson for advertising, and he thought, oh, this
is perfect for my customer, my female customer.
Speaker 5 (01:03:23):
This is who I'm targeting, this is who I want.
Speaker 19 (01:03:26):
And not only did he advertise with them, but he
gave them two years worth of advertising, paid.
Speaker 5 (01:03:32):
Upfront in advance. And that was that was that was
that was fueling them. So he did things like that,
and of course, uh, soul Train.
Speaker 19 (01:03:42):
When he saw Don Cornelius in the little studio here
on the West Side, he liked it.
Speaker 5 (01:03:51):
He didn't understand it, but he liked it.
Speaker 19 (01:03:53):
And he says, oh, here's another generation. Here's some new
hairstyles called the afro. And he partnered with Don Cornelius
again for advertising his product, and he said, I will
take soul Train and I want you to come out
of this studio and black and white and let's do
a color version. Well that was that was that was
(01:04:15):
taking soul Train to the next level. And of course
soul Train became syndicated, it became pop culture.
Speaker 5 (01:04:22):
Uh, and that's.
Speaker 19 (01:04:23):
Another success story that mister Johnson enhanced. He was also
saying the philanthropy, Alphy.
Speaker 2 (01:04:30):
I want to talk about that, but we got we
got two other people also there. Because you have done
an extraordinary job. I am totally impressed by reflecting on
his tremendous business legacy as well as personal history. There
also joining us this morning as Congressman Jonathan Jackson, and
we're going to go to him. Matter of fact, Congressman,
(01:04:51):
just hold on for one second, because we also have
joining us Michael Garner, who of course is the Chief
Business Diversity Office for the City of New York. Hermine
had mentioned him taking his products to Chicago barber shops. Mike,
you were a user as a young person growing up
on the South side of Chicago of appro Sine.
Speaker 15 (01:05:15):
Yes, absolutely, I mean, you know, and you felt pride
of using the product because it was black owned and
it was in the stores on the cells of Walgreens,
which was a major outlet for Johnson haircare products. But understand,
at one given point in time, Daryl, because of segregation, uh,
the city of Chicago was to mecca for black business.
(01:05:37):
You had Johnson Johnson haircare products, you had Ebony and Jet,
you had Al Johnson Cadillac, you had RL Duke's oldsmobile.
I mean, and the list goes on and on and on,
and as a matter of fact, if you want to
fast Ice cream Bow and ice Cream Park hostage.
Speaker 17 (01:05:57):
Yes, it was.
Speaker 15 (01:05:58):
It was to mecca. And if you fast forward where
that happened because of segregation, now you have Bluke Capital
and other black businesses who benefited area kept John Rodgers,
and so Chicago was the mecca of black business, and
(01:06:20):
segregation created wealth and black wealth in the city of Chicago.
And so you you were very prideful to be able
to patronize black businesses and use those products, and you
felt good about yourself and good about doing it. And
you know a trait with George Johnson and John Johnson.
(01:06:42):
They had to spirit of never giving up and never
taking no for an answer, and as a result of that,
they flowers and their respective firms floors. But they also
created jobs in the black community here in the city
of Chicago.
Speaker 2 (01:06:58):
Yeah, Congressman, this is personal for you. Your father was
a close friend of mister Johnson, and of course mister
Johnson was a major support of Martin Luther King as
well as your father offered personal reflections on his life
and legacy.
Speaker 17 (01:07:17):
Well, I'm honored that I've had a great job her
main great job. Michael had the opportunity to know him
my adult life He was even one of my recommendations
that I put on my application from business school at
Northwestern And so you know, I can't thank him enough.
Just a wonderful human being, a devoutly Christian man as well.
(01:07:38):
And I would also add to that that when we
talk about the strength and the emergency of African American
business and where he stood as a giant, he believed.
And so every opportunity he had where he couldn't make
a difference impactfully, he contributed. And so I would say
that there was a marriage of those persons that were
civic minded and entrepreneurial. So he never turned his back
(01:08:02):
on civil rights. He was the founding member of the
Urban League Dinner to bring corporate leadership and the community together.
And if you look at the success of African American businesses,
you have to tie to Chicago with the civil rights
movement and the work of my father, Reverend Jesse Jackson.
He didn't magically get on the shelves of Walgreens. That
was a fight of boycott's and demonstrations. Who didn't magically
(01:08:25):
get into in these doors. Luth Capitol had to be
walked into these doors. That we must always remember how
people got there. There was a great agricultural secretary in
the state of Texas and said, if you see a
turtle sitting on the top of a fence post, you
know one thing for certain. It didn't get there on
its own. And so it was civil rights. It was
(01:08:46):
an activism and we must never forget that he invested
in blackiness.
Speaker 2 (01:08:54):
Yeah, and they were black businesses that were located on
the South side out of Chicago. I mean talk about
in terms of that wonderful manufacturing facility that he had
over on Lafayette Avenue at eighty five twenty two, which
is now Prospective's High School. But that's where they created
(01:09:16):
and formulated oat Trashene and Classy curl and curly perm
and Black Time men's cologne.
Speaker 5 (01:09:24):
That's right.
Speaker 19 (01:09:25):
So the story there, Daryl is mister Johnson where he
was had a fire and his business burned down. The factory,
the office is burned down. He was in New York
when his wife called him to tell him that the
building had burned and he should come home immediately.
Speaker 5 (01:09:43):
He came home to a disaster. Bewildered, puzzled, say it,
didn't know what to do.
Speaker 19 (01:09:51):
He went back to his mentor, which is s B.
Fuller to say, I'm out of business?
Speaker 5 (01:09:56):
What do I do? And Fuller said, you bring your
business here? What you do?
Speaker 19 (01:10:00):
All you need is a place. He remembered that and
after he got on his feet re established eighty seventh Street,
where he did eventually build his business was a dump.
Speaker 5 (01:10:12):
It is where garbage was dumped.
Speaker 19 (01:10:15):
He liked the location because of the expressway exposure. And
he went to the man and he said, I would
like to buy your property. And the man said, why
would you want to buy a dump? And he says,
because I'm going to build my business here. And that
was the beginning of the building at eighty five twenty
(01:10:36):
two South Lafayette, where he built a world class building
and offices with art and employed about five hundred people.
Speaker 5 (01:10:48):
And that's where the business remained.
Speaker 19 (01:10:51):
Yeah, but it came as talking result of his building
burning down.
Speaker 2 (01:10:57):
We're talking about the extraordinary life of Chicago business icon
George Johnson, who passed away at ninety nine in his
downtown Chicago condo. We're going to go to the phone
lines right now and here from Brother Hall. Brother Hall
is calling from Bronsville. Brother Hall, you're on Chicago Speaks
Personal reflections on George Johnson, what would you like to say, sir, well, thank.
Speaker 7 (01:11:22):
You so much, dere I appreciate it. And let me say,
I'll WoT your guests, and particularly to Donathan that had
a chance to give him like a Donalds and souf
is that who one that idle after in terms of
being involved which back during the time, certainly appreciate everything
(01:11:43):
that he's done and certainly appreciates this show. Are mean
and the guests that you have on are telling it
like it is, brother. And when we get this type
of information, it's good for the heart, it's good for
the soul. See. I remember as before us. I remember
Dorothy Heights. I remember these folk who stood up for
(01:12:07):
something because they understood if they were interacting with these
unions and folks who run this place, then they were
looking for what was in it for us. You know,
because you're pro don't mean that you're anti. And and
that's what Bobers mean when you hear us fussing on
(01:12:27):
these radio stations. You know, we think about the Johnson
and the ones who who stood up could have just
say I'm gonna keep this all for myself, but instead
they shared. They made sure that our community was a community.
We don't have that today. We had a neighborhood, but
we don't have that community, and that's something we got
(01:12:51):
to get back to it. How do we do that
what you're doing today when we reminisce and go back
and we had these the faces of these are real conversation, sir.
This is not just stuff just lying out of the air.
This is stuff that happened and we need our people
to know about it. And I just want to thank
(01:13:12):
you and the one or three family for giving us this.
Thank you so much, and to your guests as well, well.
Speaker 2 (01:13:23):
Yeah, and you know I'm humbled by it. But also
we have to remain staunch advocates of e plur basunam
out of many one, because it is in our diversity
that we have strength, that we have economic development, that
we have opportunities. And I could think of few better advocates,
(01:13:45):
better advocates in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion then
Mike Gardner. Only reason I say that is because here
it is somebody who grew up in Chicago, went to
Hyde Park High School, and under his leadership, the City
of New York over the last four years has spent
over twenty five billion dollars with minority and women owned businesses.
(01:14:11):
That's an extraordinary track record. But it was fueled, in part, Mike,
by your understanding of seeing the beauty of diversity and
the beauty of black excellence.
Speaker 15 (01:14:24):
Yeah, yes, and absolutely and being inspired by individuals like
Mayor Harold Washington, who actually a question one day who
said that he asked the question of he traveled with
his urban planners, and he asked me, did I know why?
I totally know, he said, because if you're not planning,
(01:14:44):
you're being planned. And Mayor Washington created a lot of
black millionaires in the city of Chicago when he got
an office. Same thing for David Dinkins, the same thing
for Percy Ellis Sutton, who was Malcolm X's attorney and
a very prominent businessman in the city of New York.
(01:15:04):
And so when you talk about the lessons and learn
from the city of Chicago transforming to the City of
New York and Harlem, as you know, Darryl, which which
is viewed by some as the mecca, what you have
to understand that those leaders who came before us planet
the seeds. Now we have the ability to flourish and
(01:15:29):
understand this concept that access to contracts equals job creation
and communities of color who have his theropy been shut out.
It equals home ownership opportunities for those respected business owners,
better educational opportunities for their kids, and healthcare options. And
so that is why that's my mission of being inspired
(01:15:52):
by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who, by the way, created
more black millionaires in this country than any one else.
And you know Steve high Toower Darro who has a
company based in Ohio. He gets a phone call one
day from the Reverend Jesse Jackson and asks him to
(01:16:13):
come over to Japan because he created a fuel oil
business and the Rev was meeting with some Japanese automakers
and as a result of that meeting in Japan, all
of the cars that were getting off of the manufacturing
line they needed gas. So High Tower was hired to
(01:16:39):
put gas in cars as they were coming off the
assembly line. This is the impact that the Reverend Jackson,
the Reverend Jesse Jackson has had nationally in creating more
black millionaires than any other person in the history of
this country. In addition to registering six off million new voters,
(01:17:00):
which resulted in blacks assuming offices all over the country.
This is great history. It is inspiring, and that's the
reason why it needs to be talked about. As the
Callee just said, information is key and vital and inspiring.
Speaker 2 (01:17:17):
Jeffs.
Speaker 19 (01:17:18):
Can I pick up on something Michael just spoke of
Harold Washington. One of the things that is little noted,
maybe even unknown, but it's revealed in mister Johnson's book Afrochine.
But as you might recall, Harold Washington's campaign was topsy
(01:17:39):
turvy as it began in its young beginning stages. It
was mister Johnson who looked at the campaign from a
business vantage point to say, you know, we can win
this thing. And mister Johnson gave money, indeed, but more
than money, he gave Harold ten people from his company
(01:18:01):
to include his secretary, to include Grayson Mitchell who was
his press person, and said go work for Harold.
Speaker 5 (01:18:11):
He paid them, of course, and said we've got to
win this election.
Speaker 19 (01:18:15):
And that was a turning point and a winning point
all for Harold Washington.
Speaker 5 (01:18:20):
Then, after Harold won, he had become so attached to
Lois Steens and sow Grace.
Speaker 19 (01:18:27):
He said, mister Johnson, can they stay with me. Mister
Johnson said, well, I guess I gave them to you.
I guess I can go find another secretary and another
press person. And from time to time I came in
and played played the press.
Speaker 5 (01:18:43):
Rolls a couple of times.
Speaker 19 (01:18:45):
But Harrold said, I don't want to steal them, but
I do want to keep them.
Speaker 2 (01:18:51):
This is the beauty of living history. And you know,
Carold and Hank and other people trying to call. I
just want to apologize in terms of not having more
time to dedicate to this particular topic, but I just
wanted you within the last minute. We have here to
reflect in terms of where do we go from here,
Congressman Jackson, in terms of black business excellence, and what
(01:19:16):
do we need to do to make sure that we
have future generations generational leaders like mister Johnson.
Speaker 17 (01:19:26):
Well, first of all, thank you so much for what
you're doing, Daryl. That we have to stop acting like
everything is new. We've been here before. There are models
of people that have demonstrated excellence and have done great things,
and now it's up to a future generation or current
generation to pick up the mantle and continue. We have
invested in one another, we have given back we have
(01:19:48):
invested in our communities and we've had a broad picture.
They were always connected to the plight of our people.
This wasn't just the balance set in the ledger. This
is people that invested in the movement, and we forever
being vigilant and remained faithful to that calling. Invested our
people and both invested our civic action.
Speaker 2 (01:20:09):
Yeah, it is an incredible and we also have to
realize that his wife played her mean, you got thirty
seconds here. His wife played a big role in helping
him develop as a business person.
Speaker 5 (01:20:22):
It was a family business.
Speaker 19 (01:20:23):
She was by his side. She initially worked in the
company as the accountant, and as they began to have children,
you know she did she went home and dedicated herself
to her children, but she always had her hands in
the business. To Jonathan's point, mister Johnson was a stewart
of the black community, of the black community, by the
(01:20:43):
black community, and for the black community. And he understood power,
not power from the voting side, but power from the
money side. And he used his money accordingly to contribute
and to steward and to develop. I dare say you, Daryl,
there might not be a Jesse Jackson if there was
(01:21:04):
not a George Johnson.
Speaker 5 (01:21:06):
He saw the talent.
Speaker 14 (01:21:07):
Of Jesse and he invested in Jesse.
Speaker 19 (01:21:10):
He didn't give him money, He invested in him, and
he developed him.
Speaker 5 (01:21:14):
He helped him develop well.
Speaker 2 (01:21:16):
We want to tell people that George Johnson's visitation will
take place on July sixteenth from four pm to eight
pm over at Lincolnsn's Funeral Home, and then the funeral
service will be held July seventeenth at eleven am at
Trinity United Church of Christ. We want to thank her
Mare Hartman, Congressman.
Speaker 5 (01:21:35):
Leak's Leak's Funeral Home.
Speaker 2 (01:21:37):
Oh, okay, Lincoln Son Funeral Home, very good, thanks for
question there, and the funeral itself will take place at
Trinity United Church of Christ right off ninety fifth Street.
We want to thank Congressman Jonathan Jackson as well as
Michael Garner and Hermil Hartman for joining us this morning.
Speaker 15 (01:21:56):
Okay, great, thank you.
Speaker 9 (01:21:58):
Now we were.
Speaker 2 (01:21:59):
Talking about history. We have history for you coming up
in the next segment as we talk to the president
of one of the nation's oldest black civil rights institutions.
It's called the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, and
it's next on Chicago's Peaks. Please stay with us.
Speaker 1 (01:22:22):
Chicago Speaks with Daryl Donard. You can voice your opinion
right now, toll free at eight three three five nine
to one.
Speaker 5 (01:22:30):
V one O three.
Speaker 1 (01:22:32):
Now back to Chicago Speaks with Daryl Denard, Share what's
on your mind, toll free at eight three three five
nine to one V one O three.
Speaker 2 (01:22:42):
For one hundred and thirty years, the National Association of
Colored Women's Clubs, the nation's oldest national African American women's organization,
has sought to unite Black women across the country and
service leadership, advocacy, education, and community empowered. It's guided by
its his historic motto, lifting as We Climb. On July
(01:23:03):
fifteenth through the eighteenth, NACWC will hold its sixty fifth
biennial Convention at the Western O'Hara and Rosemont. Joining us
this morning to talk about the mission of NACWC and
its convention is Denise Williams, national President, as well as
its national historian, doctor Lynda Nance, and also Michelle Duster,
(01:23:27):
who is a journalist as well as professor and the
great granddaughter of Ida B. Wells. I want to welcome
you all to the program. I want to begin first
with you, doctor Nance, what is the history of the
National Association of Colored Women's Clubs?
Speaker 16 (01:23:45):
Thank you very much for having us this morning and
asking such a wonderful question. The National Association of Colored
Women have been about the business of families of children,
of empowering economically women African American women of this country.
They've been about providing them with information about healthcare, about education.
(01:24:06):
They've started kindergartens, they've started colleges. They have done a
variety of different things to uplift women. The model of
this organization is lifting as we climb. In every situation
that I have read about, I have seen that the
women of this organization across the country have lifted women
(01:24:28):
in every way they possibly could.
Speaker 2 (01:24:30):
And it's interesting because many times when we think about
historic legacy Black organizations, of course what comes to mind
is the NAACP and the Urban League. And were they
working under the radar or just that they were doing
they were so compelled in terms of their mission that
they didn't worry about having the national recognition.
Speaker 16 (01:24:52):
I think you could answer that by saying it's a both.
And those ladies were definitely focused on their mission to
uplift women in education, in politics, in industry. One of
the things that I find very interesting is at one
point they were focused on industrial education because they did
(01:25:14):
not see that colored men, colored boys could have a
way to support themselves, and they didn't see it in
the education system, so they decided to insert it into
the education system. Did they mind or did it matter
to them whether the nation knew? I don't really think so,
Although it was the National Association of Women that focused
(01:25:36):
on that and pushed that. There are buildings on university
campuses that are named after many of the women. There
are colleges named after many of the women even today.
Speaker 8 (01:25:47):
So I think that it's a both.
Speaker 16 (01:25:49):
And yes, they were focused on understanding, on helping people
to understand that were a national organization, But did they
care whether or not the nation recognized them as that
It would have been a good thing, but I think
their mission was more important.
Speaker 2 (01:26:03):
Denise Williams, you are the National Association of Calling Women's Clubs.
Tell us about this sixty fifth biennial convention with its
theme embracing evolution to shape our legacy. It's all about her?
Is her going to be there?
Speaker 14 (01:26:19):
Her?
Speaker 6 (01:26:19):
Good morning, Daryl. Her will definitely be there in the
room all through our.
Speaker 20 (01:26:24):
Convention because, as you say, it is all about her.
We are thrilled to host our sixty fifth bi annual
Convention celebrating our one hundred and thirtieth anniversary at the
Weston O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois, during July.
Speaker 6 (01:26:41):
The fifteenth through the eighteenth.
Speaker 20 (01:26:43):
Our theme embracing evolution to shape our legacy. It's all
about her, which her represents harnessing excellence and resilience, and
her will be all throughout the convention. We are welcoming
more than two hundred and fifty members from across the
United States who will be gathering for four days of
(01:27:05):
leadership development, educational workshops, youth programs, business sessions. We will
also be having our national elections, and we will be inspiring.
Speaker 6 (01:27:16):
Fellowship and sisterhood.
Speaker 20 (01:27:18):
We are especially excited to welcome seventy three first time attendees.
Speaker 6 (01:27:25):
To this convention.
Speaker 20 (01:27:26):
The convention will also feature an outstanding lineup of speakers
Senator Johnson, Ambassador Cousins.
Speaker 6 (01:27:35):
We have a.
Speaker 20 (01:27:36):
Social media influencer, Stephanie Williams, will be coming to speak
at our Young Adult Empowerment Breakfast and one of our
featured speakers for our awards banquet is Linda Johnson Rice,
whose grandmother was a member of the organization. A highlight
(01:27:56):
is also our parade, the State's Luncheon, which we will
be celebrating all of our states, and we also host
the Frederick Douglas Luncheon during that time.
Speaker 6 (01:28:06):
That is our youth luncheon. Other honorees will be Michelle Duster,
who is actually on.
Speaker 20 (01:28:12):
The call with us this morning, so we are very
excited about being in Chicago for the fourth time.
Speaker 2 (01:28:19):
Michelle, what does it mean for you to receive an
award from this organization? And given the fact that the award,
or one of the awards given out during the convention
is the I. B. Wells Barnett Award.
Speaker 21 (01:28:32):
Thanks for having me on the show, Darryl, Denise and
doctor Linda Nance and Denise Williams, thank you so much
for honoring presenting this honor to me. My great grandmother
ad B. Wells, as many people know, was a journalist,
a suffragists, a civil rights activist. She was one of
(01:28:52):
the founders of the nac WC, along with many other women.
Some people have heard of Mary Church Terrell and Josephine
Saint Pierre Ruffian. So my great grandmother was a trailblazer
when it came to fighting for women's rights, and the
fact that my great grandmother is recognized by the organization
(01:29:15):
is an amazing honor.
Speaker 2 (01:29:18):
What type of honor is this for Chicago.
Speaker 20 (01:29:22):
This is our fourth time in Chicago. We are incredibly
thrilled to be back in Chicago. Bringing our organization to
this area with the opening of the Obama Presidential Library
is another big and important thrill for our organization, for
our members to actually be able to go to that
(01:29:46):
Presidential Library and also to embrace the history of Chicago.
Speaker 6 (01:29:51):
That is part of this particular organization.
Speaker 20 (01:29:54):
We have a national president that was from Chicago, that
was Irene McCoy Gaines, and so we will also be
recognizing the work that she has done in Chicago and
also as one of our past national presidents.
Speaker 16 (01:30:08):
One of the very first referendums that this organization approved
and stepped behind was one that pushed.
Speaker 8 (01:30:18):
To end lynching, and Ida B. Wells was ahead of
all of that.
Speaker 16 (01:30:23):
For me to be on a call with her granddaughter
or a great granddaughter and for us to honor her
during this particular convention session is a real high kind
of honor for me personally. I look forward to meeting
you in person and knowing that our organization has been
(01:30:45):
We've picketed at the White House to end lynching. We've
done lots of different things in different organizations throughout the country,
different clubs throughout the country, to bring up how important
it was to end lynching. And it is very significant
that in eighteen ninety six, when this started, we didn't
get success at that until twenty twenty two. That says
(01:31:08):
a lot about our country, but it says a whole
lot about how right Idam B.
Speaker 8 (01:31:13):
Wills was, how right.
Speaker 16 (01:31:16):
The National Association of Colored Women's Clubs was, and our
nation needs to celebrate the fact that we finally got it.
Speaker 2 (01:31:25):
Done, Michelle, during this time where black history and black
contributions are literally trying to be erased from the books
and the books banned, why is it so important for
people to not only celebrate, but to support organizations like this.
Speaker 21 (01:31:42):
I think that as African Americans, we've always had to
take our destiny into our own hands. It's nothing new
for us to live in a country that is hostile
towards us, that is putting all levers of power to
suppress us, erase marginalize us. It's nothing new. We got this,
(01:32:04):
we can do this, We've we've always done it.
Speaker 2 (01:32:06):
And Denise, what is the best way for people to
support the organization.
Speaker 20 (01:32:11):
People can support our organization by going to our national
website NACWC eighteen ninety six dot org. People can also
support by becoming an associate member. So again, if anyone
would like to be a part of NACWC, visit our
wonderful website NACWC eighteen ninety six dot org.
Speaker 2 (01:32:33):
I want to thank Denise Williams, doctor Linda Nance, as
well as Michelle Duster for joining us this morning. What
that wraps up this edition of Chicago Speaks. As always,
I want to think my guests most importantly, you, the
listeners and callers into this program. If you desire news
on a twenty four to seven basis, it's always available
with our sister station with the Black Information Network at
AM six forty. Right now, get ready to get your
(01:32:55):
praise on what's on your blake, Am Daryl Dinard. We'll
see you back here next Sunday beginning at six day
for another edition of Chicago Speaks. Please be sure to
take care of yourself
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