Honoring the Life and Legacy of MANDELA

The outpouring for Nelson Mandela is well deserved and uplifting to millions.  I have always admired the courage, dignity, humanity, and African pride that he demonstrated throughout his struggle for freedom in South Africa.  In the mid-eighties and throughout the nineties, I was host of a weekly radio program on WMSP-FM.  From the beginning I started playing a song entitled “Free Nelson Mandela” by the band “The Special AKA.” ...

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Student Leadership Development Institute

On November 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 2013, I had the awesome pleasure of once again participating in the Annual Robert Lynch Student Leadership Development Institute (SLDI).   The SLDI is a weekend conference for African American college students and other underrepresented groups at Pennsylvania colleges and universities.  The hope is that the participants who attend the SLDI will return to their respective campuses as change agents and trailblazers.   Indeed, many who have attended the SLDI have...

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I TOO AM MALALA

Her name is Malala Yousafzai, and she is from Pakistan.  On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, Malala was shot in the face by a Taliban assassin.    She was shot because she spoke out publicly in support of girls going to school to receive an education.   Her crime was clear to the man who shot her.  She was clearly out of her mind to disrespect the rule of the Taliban regime, whose decree said that girls are not allowed to be educated.   Malala, and her family, felt that the Taliban regime...

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Missing Ava Berg

Ava Berg, the activist Poet and marijuana advocate, has died.  I will miss her.  Ava “The Hip Soul” Berg was a great friend of the Writers Wordshop.  She hardly ever missed a Friday night “Spoken Word Café” sponsored by the Wordshop.  Ava encouraged others to attend, and they followed her to the open reading forum, and lent their voice to the gathering of word masters.  Ava always presented her original poetry and often shared a bit of community news that she felt was important to all present. Ava...

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Lessons Learned

On Sunday, July 28th, my son and daughter-in-law, David and Shimera Gadsden, were honored by the Pennsylvania Family Coalition as Steelton, PA’s “Parents of the Year.” I was very proud of the both of them, because I know how difficult it has been for them to be young struggling parents. The thing that made this honor even more special is that they were honored by Harrisburg City Councilmen, Kelly Summerford, who observed the love and care that David and Shimera have given to all three of their children, especially little...

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Go For Greatness!

Peacocks strut because they can’t fly – fly like an Eagle! At some point, help becomes a handicap! Sometimes you can be so open-minded, your brains fall out! Life is a perpetual audition.    Always be prepared to shine! If you’re going to stand, stand.  If you’re going to sit, sit, but don’t wobble. When you know better, you should do better! A winner knows what to do when he or she is losing! YCDA (You...

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