Tuesday, December 29, 2020

SAYING GOODBYE: 2020 IN MEMORIAM

 


By Darlene Donloe

2020 has been a year that will down in history – for all the wrong reasons. A deadly coronavirus was unleashed that caused massive casualties around the world. No one was immune. No one was safe.

A number of noteworthy people of color closed their eyes for the last time in 2020. They were writers, actors, directors, musicians, activists, community leaders, and politicians. All were influential in their own way. And, before leaving the planet, they all made their mark and touched the lives of so many.  This column pays tribute to those who passed this way. Rest in Paradise!

JANUARY

Jan. 1 – Nick Gordon, the former boyfriend of the late Bobbi Kristina. He was 30.

Jan. 1 – Lexii Alijai rapper. She was 21. 

Jan. 2 – Martha Levert, mother of the late R&B singers Sean and Gerald Levert.

Jan. 5 - Cliff Hall, an inventor who photographed Los Angeles high society. He was 94.

Jan. 6 – Richard Maponya, South African businessman. He was 99.

Jan. 15 - Rocky Johnson, WWE Hall of Famer and father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He was 75.

Jan. 19 - Jimmy Heath - Jazz saxophone player. He was 93. 

Jan. 19 - Robert Parker, singer/songwriter scored a 1960s hit with ‘Barefootin’. He was 89.

Jan. 24 – Leila Janah, social entrepreneur who employed thousands of poor people in Africa and India. She was 37.

Gianna and Kobe Bryant

Jan. 26 – Kobe Bryant. NBA Legend, Los Angeles Laker great, and his daughter, Gianna. He was 41. She was 13.

Jan. 28 - Thomassina Carrollyne Smith, aka Toni Smith, singer/songwriter. She worked with a number of great artists and did her own thing, i.e., “Funkin in Jamaica” with Tom Browne.

Jan. 28 - Chris Doleman, pro football Hall of Famer. He was 58.

Dec. 31, 2019 - Woody Phillips, owned Woody’s Bar-B-Cue in Los Angeles. He was 78.

FEBRUARY

Feb. 2 - Johnny Lee Davenport, Chicago stage actor. He was 69.

Feb. 6 – Gary Jackson, one-time editor of Urban Network Magazine.

Feb. 7 – Ronny Drayton, guitarist, writer, singer.  He was 66.

Eric Stringfellow, former Clarion-Ledger columnist.

                                                                     Paula Kelly

Feb. 9 - Paula Kelly, dancer, and actress. She was 76.

Feb. 11 - Joseph Shabalala, Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder. He was 78.

Feb. 12 - James Carmichael, Instant Funk lead singer. He was 71.

Feb. 13 – Charles Hobson, Emmy Award-winning producer who helped shatter racial stereotypes by delivering a black perspective that had been missing from early television programming. He was 83.

Feb. 15 - Nikita Pearl Waligwa, star of Disney’s ‘Queen of Katwe.” She was 15.

                                                                   Ja'Net DuBois

Feb. 18 – Ja’Net DuBois, Good Times actress and singer/songwriter for The Jeffersons.  She was 74. 

Feb. 19 – Bashar Baraka Jackson, rapper known as Pop Smoke. He was 20.

Feb. 20 – Rita Walters, first Black woman elected to Los Angeles City Council and former member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. She was 89.

Feb. 20 – Gerald Krone, a Negro Ensemble Company Founder. He was 86.

Feb. 22 – B. Smith, model, TV host, restaurateur, and lifestyle guru. She was 70.

                                                              Katherine Johnson

Feb. 24 - Katherine Johnson, NASA pioneer whose life was featured in the movie, ‘Hidden Figures.’ She was 101. 

Feb. 25 – Grace F. Edwards, noted author. She was 87.

MARCH

March 2 – Justice Charles E. Freeman, first African American on Illinois high court. He was 86.

March 6 - McCoy Tyner, Jazz piano great, He was 81.

March 6 – Danny Tidwell,  ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ star. He was 35.

March 12 - Danny Ray Thompson, saxophonist with Sun Ra Otherworldly Band. He was 72.

March 17 - Roger Mayweather, uncle and legendary boxing trainer to Floyd Mayweather. He was also a two-division boxing world champ. He won world titles at super featherweight, super lightweight and welterweight. He was 58.  

March 20 - Oliver Stokes Jr., popular New Orleans DJ better known as Go DJ Black N Mild. Due to coronavirus. He was 44.

March 23 - Zororo Makamba, a television journalist in Zimbabwe. Due to coronavirus. He was 30.

March 24 – Manu Dibango, veteran Afro-jazz star. Due to coronavirus. He was 86.

March 26 - Fred “Curly” Neal, Harlem Globetrotters. He was 77.

                                                                    Joseph Lowery

March 27 - Joseph Lowery, civil rights leader. He was 98.

March 30 – Bill Withers, singer, and songwriter. He was 81.

March 31 - Wallace Roney, jazz trumpeter. Due to coronavirus. He was 59.

March 31, Louis Johnson, dancer-choreographer. He was 90.

APRIL

Apr. 1 - Ellis Marsalis, pianist and the patriarch of the first family of jazz.  He was 85.

                                                                     Ellis Marsalis

Apr. 2 - David C. Driskell, tireless advocate for black art history.  He was 89.

Apr. 4 - Cheryl A. Wall, Champion of Black Literary Women, author, and longtime professor at Rutgers. She was 71.

Apr. 6 - Onaje Allan Gumbs, pianist, composer, arranger, and producer. He was 70.

Apr. 6 – Earl Graves, Sr., founder of Black Enterprise. He was 85.

Apr. 8 – Chynna Rogers, model turned rapper. She was 25.

Apr. 8 - Charles Gregory Ross, Emmy-nominated hairstylist. Due to coronavirus. 

Apr. 9 - Darren Simon, Washington Post journalist. He was 43. 

Apr. 10 - Diane Rodriguez, champion of theater artists of color. She was 69.

Apr. 11 - Minister Abdul Hafeez Muhammad, leader of the Eastern Region Headquarters of the Nation of Islam.  

Apr. 12 - Ernest Collins, fashion and beauty photographer, and makeup artist. 

Apr. 12 - Theodore Gaffney, photographed the 1961 Freedom Riders. Due to the coronavirus. He was 92.

Apr. 13 - Sarah Maldoror, pioneer of Pan African cinema. Due to the coronavirus. She was 90.

Apr. 13 - Gil Bailey, Godfather of reggae radio. Due to the coronavirus. He was 84.

                                                                        Roland Wirt

Apr. 13 - Roland L. Wirt, Los Angeles promoter. He was 68.

Apr. 13 – Tarvaris Jackson, who played with Minnesota Vikings and won Super Bowl with Seattle. He was 36.

Apr. 15 - Henry Grimes, bassist, and violinist known as an Avant-Garde player. (coronavirus). He was 84. 

Apr. 15 – Willie Davis, owner of All-Pro Broadcasting (KACE FM) and All-Pro defensive end of the Green Bay Packers and pro football Hall of Famer. He was 85.

Apr. 15 - Akin Euba, father of African pianism. He was 84.

Apr. 16 - Eugene Kane, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist. He was 63.

Apr. 17 - Larry Griffin, bandleader, Seriuex.

Apr. 17 – Alhaji Abba Kyari, the chief of staff to President Muhammad Buhari Due to the coronavirus. 

Apr. 17 - Lila Fenwick, the first Black woman to graduate Harvard Law in 1956. Due to the coronavirus. She was 87.

Apr. 20 – Milton McGriff, journalist, author, poet, former Black Panther. He was 81. 

Apr. 22- Irene Johnson Ware, gospel radio personality.

Apr. 23 - Rapper Fred The Godson Due to the coronavirus. He was 35.

Apr 23 - Willie Mae Sheard, wife of Bishop John H. Sheard, pastor of Greater Mitchell Temple Church of God in Christ in Detroit. She was 84.

Apr. 24 - Hamilton Bohannon, artist and producer who created the iconic dance jam, Let’s Start The Dance. He was 78.

Apr. 27 - Troy Sneed, Grammy-nominated gospel singer. Due to the coronavirus. He was 52.

                                                                 Irrfan Khan

Apr. 29 – Irrfan Khan, Bollywood actor, Slumdog Millionaire star. He was 52. 

Apr. 29 – Randy ‘O’Jay’ Brooks, St. Louis radio legend. He was 61.

MAY

May 1 - Tony Allen, Fela Kuti’s drummer.  

May 5 - Hillard “Sweet Pea” Atkinson, soul singer, Was (Not Was). He was 74. 

May 6 - Lloyd Cornelius Porter, Brooklyn actor and entrepreneur. Due to the coronavirus. Owned a bakery called Bread Stuy. Also the brother of jazz great Gregory Porter. He was 49.

                                                              Andre Harrell

May 8 - Andre Harrell, founder of Uptown Records.  He was 59.

May 9 - Little Richard, “architect of rock and roll’ superstar. He was 87.

                                                                   Little Richard

May 10 - Betty Wright, R&B singer best known for The Cleanup Woman. She was 66.

May 16 – Larry Aubry, community activist, Los Angeles Sentinel columnist.  He was 86.

May 17 – Gregory Tyree Boyce, The actor, who played Tyler Crowley in Twilight, and his girlfriend, Natalie Adepoju.

May 17 - Judge “Lucky” Peterson, bluesman. He was 55.

May 21 - Marty McNeal, former Kings beat writer. He was 64. 

May 19 – Wilson Roosevelt Jerman, the White House’s longest-serving employees (cleaner, doorman and butler).  Due to the coronavirus.  He was 91. 

                                                     Reginald Keith "Pepe" Brown

May 24 - Reginald Keith “Pepe” Brown, brilliant attorney, former child actor, my friend. He was 63.

May 24 - Jimmy Cobb, a legendary jazz drummer. He was 91.

May 25 – George Floyd, Minneapolis murder victim. He was 46.

JUNE

June 5 - Tyrone ‘The Bone” Proctor, Soul Train dancer. He was 66.

June 7 - Lynika Strozier, Field Museum Scientist. Due to the coronavirus. She was 35. 

                                                               Bonnie Pointer

June 8 – Bonnie Pointer, singer was part of The Pointer Sisters. She was 69.

June 10 - Jas Waters, “This Is Us” writer. She was 39.

June 10 - Kimberly C. Roberts, entertainment reporter at Philadelphia Tribune. She was 63.

June 16 - Louie Patton, Side Effect singer, and co-founder. He was 71.

June 16 - Ola Mae Spinks, a retired librarian who helped organize 'Slave Narratives.' She was 106.

June 16 - Galyn Gorg, The Fresh Prince, RoboCop 2 and Twin Peaks actress, dancer, model.  She was 55.

June 17 - Larome Powers, singer, songwriter. He was 67.

June 27 – Freddy Cole, an American jazz singer, and pianist. He is the brother of musicians Nat King Cole and Ike Cole. He was 88.

June 27 - Khari Parker, popular Chicago drummer.  He was 46.

June 27 – Sandra Feva, singer. She was 73.

JULY

July 3 - Earl Cameron, Black pioneer in British film and television. He was 102.

July 5 – Sharon Paige, an R&B singer with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. She was 67.

July 8 – Naya Rivera, actress. She was 33.

July 10 - Eddie Gale, trumpeter. He was 78.

July 10 - Rev. Vickey Gibbs, Houston pastor, and activist. She was 57.

July 11 - Nicole Thea, YouTube star. Thea was pregnant at the time. She was 24.

July 13 – Zindzi Mandela, daughter of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. She was 59.

July 17 – Rev. C.T. Vivian, Martin Luther King’s Field General. He was 95.

                                                                 John Lewis

July 17 – John Lewis, civil rights icon and freedom fighter.  He was 80.

July 22 - Charles Evers, civil rights activist, and brother of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers. He was 97.

July 26 - Mimi Jones, a civil rights activist in a historic St. Augustine swim-in. She was 73.

July 27 – Joseph B. Jefferson, songwriter “Mighty Love”.  He was 77.

July 27 - Richard Wallace, singer, and guitarist, Mighty Clouds of Joy. He was 80.

July      - Ben Vereen Jr., son of actor/dancer Ben Vereen. He was a dancer and choreographer. He was 55. 

July 29 – Malik Abdul Basit, known as Malik B., a founding member of The Roots. He was 47.

July 30 – Herman Cain, businessman, and former presidential candidate. Due to the coronavirus. He was 74.

AUGUST

Aug. 6 - LaFayette Dorsey Jr., Nicholls State University basketball standout. He was 23. 

Mel Swint, a.k.a. “Uncle Mel,” provided CSS Security Protection Services to Black music and the Hollywood entertainment industry. Due to the coronavirus.

Aug. 6 - Jack Carter, Fort Worth musician. He was 90.

Aug. 17 – Quinn ‘DJ Spicoli’Coleman, son of former BET CEO Debra Lee. He was senior director of A&R at Capitol Records.  He was 31.

Aug. 22 - Producer and 70s soul singer, DeWayne Julius ‘D.J.’ Rogers. He was 72.

Aug. 27  – William Harbour, freedom rider and civil rights activist. He was 78.

                                                           Chadwick Boseman

Aug. 28 – Chadwick Boseman, actor, star of ‘Black Panther.’ He was 43. 

Aug. 28 - Clarence Burke, Sr., ex-Chicago detective who managed his kids, The Five Stairsteps. He was 90.

Aug. 29 - Clifford Robinson, former Portland Trail Blazers star. He was 53.

Aug. 31 – John Thompson Jr., legendary Georgetown coach. He was 78.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 2 - Mother Betty Price, ran Englewood soup kitchen.

Sept. 2 - Esther E. McCready, first African American admitted to University of Maryland School of Nursing. She was 89.

Sept. 4 - The Rev. Leon Finney Jr., a longtime power player in Chicago politics. He was 82.

Sept. 6 – Lou Brock, baseball Hall of Famer. He was 81.

Sept. 6 - Bruce Williamson, lead singer of the Temptations (2006-2015). He was 49.

                                                                Ronald Bell

Sept. 9 – Ronald ‘Khalis Bayyan’ Bell, co-founding member of Kool and the Gang. He was 68.

Sept. 11 - Danny Webster, singer/guitarist/composer of the band SLAVE. He was 60.

Sept. 11 – Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert, Reggae artist credited with naming the genre. He was 77.

Sept. 12 - Edna Wright, song stylist and former lead singer of the R&B group “Honey Cone.” She was 76. 

Sept. 16 - Stanley Crouch, jazz critic. He was 74.

Sept. 18 –Pamela Rose Hutchinson, member of The Emotions. She was 61.

Sept. 18 – Georgia Dobbins Davis, an original member of The Marvelettes and the co-writer of their classic hit, “Please Mr. Postman.” She was 78.

Sept. 19 – Major George W. Biggs, Tuskegee Airman, and retired Air Force Major. He was 95. 

Sept. Maudell ‘FXXXXY’ Watkins, Dallas rapper and producer. He was 25.

Sept. 20 - Robert S. Graetz, white minister who backed bus boycott. He was 92.

Sept. 23 – Gale Sayers, legendary Chicago Bears running back. He was 77.

OCTOBER

Oct. 2 - Sweet Lou Johnson, Los Angeles Dodgers legend. He was 86.

Oct. 2 - Bob Gibson, Hall of Famer and Cardinals legend. He was 84.

                                                           Thomas Jefferson Byrd

Oct. 3 - Thomas Jefferson Byrd, actor in Spike Lee films. Also a Tony Award-nominee for revival of August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” He was 70.

                                                                 Armelia McQueen

Oct. 4 – Armelia McQueen, ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ actress. She was 68.

Oct. 6 – Johnny Nash, singer (I Can See Clearly Now). He was 80.

Oct. 12 - Joyce Dinkins, the wife of former New York Mayor David Dinkins. She was 90.

Oct. 15 - Dr. Irving Pressley, McPhail, president of Saint Augustine University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Due to coronavirus.  He was 71.

                                                             Anthony Chisholm

Oct. 16 – Anthony Chisholm, stage, television, and film actor. Veteran of August Wilson’s plays, including Jitney, Two Trains Running, Radio Golf, and Gem of the Ocean. He was 77.

Oct. 26 – ‘Fast’ Eddie Johnson, two-time Atlanta Hawks NBA All-Star. He was 65.

Oct. 29 – David Rodriguez, producer, and director for “The Chi,” “Animal Kingdom” and “Chicago P.D.” He was 50.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 6 - King Von, rapper. He was 26.

Nov. 8 – Cliff Joseph, artist. He was 98.

Nov. 11 – Lawrence Clayton, Broadway actor and ‘Dreamgirls’ star. He was 64.

Nov. 12 – Jerry Rawlings, former president of Ghana. He was 73.

Nov. 13 - Terry Duerod, legendary Detroit basketball player and city firefighter. He was 64.

Nov. 16 – Ben Watkins, MasterChef Junior. He was 14. 

Nov. 19 - Dr. Lloyd T. Bowser Jr., podiatrist. Due to coronavirus. He was 56

Nov. 21 – John C. White, NABJ founder, and journalist.

                                                                   David Dinkins

Nov. 23 – David Dinkins, New York City’s first Black mayor ( 1989). He was 93.

Nov. 28 - Othella Dallas, Keeper of Katherine Dunham’s Flame. Dancer, singer. She was 95. 

DECEMBER

Dec. 2 – Rafer Johnson, Olympic Champion, sports icon. He was 86.

                                                                    Rafer Johnson

Dec. 4 – Ganxsta Ridd, real name Paul Devoux of the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.   He was 52. 

                                                                    Natalie Desselle

Dec. 7 – Natalie Desselle, ‘Eve’ and “B.A.P.S.’ actress. She was 53.

Dec. 7 – Lillie Fort, former Ray Charles Raelets singer. She was 78.

                                                                    Marguerite Ray

Dec. 9 - Marguerite Ray, the actress is best known for being the first Black character on The Young & The Restless. She was 89. 

Dec. 10 – Carol Sutton, actress. She was 76. Due to the coronavirus.

                                                               Tommy "Tiny" Lister

Dec. 11 – Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, actor best known for playing ‘Deebo’ in the ‘Friday’ franchise. He was 62.

                                                                      Charley Pride

Dec. 12 – Charley Pride, pioneering Black country music star. He was 86. Due to the coronavirus.

Dec. 12 – James Reynolds, former Detroit King head football coach. Winningest coach in PSL history. He was 75.

Dec. 18 - Adál Maldonado, a Puerto Rican photography pioneer, and master surrealist. He was 72.

Dec. 23 - John Fletcher, a.k.a. ‘Ecstasy’ vocalist and co-founder of the hip-hop group Whodini. He was 56.

                                                                   John Outterbridge

Dec. 23 – John Outterbridge, a key figure in L.A.'s Black assemblage art movement. He was 87.

Dec. 25 - K.C. Jones, head coach of the Boston Celtics. He was 88.

Dec. 26 – Ty Jordan, Pac-12 running back from Utah. He was 19.

Dec. 29 - Joe Clark, baseball bat and bullhorn-wielding principal of Eastside High School in Paterson. He was 82.

Dec. 30 - Adolfo 'Shabba-Doo' Quinones, hip-hop dancer and 'Breakin' star. He was 65.






















Thursday, December 10, 2020

Season Two Premiere of 'Godfather of Harlem' Set For April 2021

 

Forest Whitaker



About Season 2 

Season two will see Bumpy continue his struggle to reclaim command over Harlem from the Italian mobsters by attempting to seed internal discord and sever their vital heroin pipeline. Meanwhile, Malcolm X will be forced to choose between violent and nonviolent responses to the near-constant threats to his life and his relationship with Bumpy will be severely tested.



Season 1 Cast

In addition to Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) as star and executive producer, season one cast members included Vincent D’Onofrio (Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Daredevil), Ilfenesh Hadera (She’s Gotta Have It, Baywatch), Nigél Thatch (Selma, American Dreams), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, The Mandelorian), Lucy Fry (Bright, Vampire Academy), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (It Comes at Night, Mudbound), Rafi Gavron (A Star is Born), and Antoinette Crowe-Legacy.  

About Godfather of Harlem: 

Godfather of Harlem tells a story inspired by infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned from eleven years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles.  With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X – catching Malcolm’s political rise in the crosshairs of social upheaval and a mob war that threatens to tear the city apart. Godfather of Harlem is a collision of the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement during one of the most tumultuous times in American history. 

ABOUT ABC SIGNATURE

ABC Signature is a global leader in the development, production, and distribution of entertainment content across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. The studio produces many of ABC Entertainment’s most significant hits, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “black-ish,” “mixed-ish,”  “American Housewife,” and “Station 19”; and co-productions “The Good Doctor,” “A Million Little Things,” ”For Life,” “The Rookie,” and late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” ABC Signature’s returning and upcoming series include “Godfather of Harlem” for EPIX; Hulu’s “Dollface,” “Marvel’s Helstrom,” and co-production “Woke; “grown-ish” for Freeform; and “The Wilds” for Amazon. The Studio produced the Emmy® Award-nominated event limited series “Little Fires Everywhere” for Hulu. For streaming service Disney +, upcoming series include “The Mighty Ducks” and “Big Shot.”

 

About Epix®:

EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases, and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on-demand, online, and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; epic fantasy drama series Britannia; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon; docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast; docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen; Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey; six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott; music docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem; six-part docuseries Enslaved featuring Hollywood icon and human rights activist Samuel L. Jackson; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody; dramedy Bridge and Tunnel, written and directed by Ed Burns; docuseries Fiasco and season two of Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred. Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite, and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming. 

 


Friday, December 4, 2020

The Robey Theatre Company To Host Virtual Kwanzaa Celebration on December 11

 

            Kwanzaa is coming, and The Robey Theatre Company will have a virtual celebration (online) of the joyful holiday on Friday, December 11, 2020, at 6 p.m. PST. Festivities include musical performances by some of your favorite Robey artists including Cydney Wayne Davis, Julio Hanson, Marva Smith, plus the Hearts On Fire Choir, and young artists of The Amazing Grace Conservatory. There will also be comedy performances by Jason Mimms, Vanja Renee, and Stevie Mack. This event will be presented on Zoom.          

            This is a free event. Please register for tickets at http://therobeytheatrecompany.org/our-events

            The Robey Theatre Company is a nonprofit developmental theatre organization. Please feel free to make a suggested donation of $10 to support our programming at http://therobeytheatrecompany.org/donation-page


            The previously announced Kwanzaa playwrights competition has concluded, and a scene from the winning entry will be read during the Virtual Kwanzaa Celebration.


            The Virtual Kwanzaa Celebration will be available on The Robey’s YouTube Channel starting Friday, December 18.


            The Robey Theatre Company was founded 26 years ago by Danny Glover and Producing Artistic Director Ben Guillory with the objective of the theatrical presentation of stories of the global black experience.