Category: WORDS OF WISDOM

Dick Gregory was a pioneering comedian and civil rights activist who took on race with layered, nuanced humor during the turbulent 1960s. He participated in the Civil Rights Movement , and even ran for political office. In his later years, he worked as a lecturer and pursued his interests in health and fitness.

Listen to his words of wisdom for young African Americans.

Civil Rights Leader Dr. Dorothy I Height

Dr. Dorothy Irene Height,  was an African American civil rights and women’s rights activist. She focused on the issues of African American women, including unemployment, illiteracy, and voter awareness.  Along side Dr. Height are my children , Jeffrey, Jamar and Jasmine Harrison.

Senator Edward Moore Kennedy,  was an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party and the Kennedy political family, he was the second most senior member of the Senate.    Senator Kennedy and Jasmine Harrison  were reading partners for the Everybody Wins Reading Program for 6 years and friends until his death.

Pamela Smith makes history as first African-American woman to head Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department.

General  Colin Luther Powell,  is an American politician, diplomat and retired four-star general who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. Powell was the first African-American Secretary of State. Along side General Powell are  Mrs. Alma Powell, their grandson  and Jasmine Harrison. 

Dr. Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon is currently Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

 

Mrs. Virginia Ali,  a warm and beautiful spirited woman, is  Ben’s Chili Bowl  co-founder and owner , 62 years and counting,  as well as a Washington, DC local treasure, that open the famous restaurant on U street Black Broadway with her husband Ben Ali in 1958.  

Honorable Rebecca Ann Kleefisch,  is an American politician and former television news anchor, who was the 44th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019. 

Representative John Robert Lewis, ( Good trouble)  was an American statesman and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia’s 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020. He was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee from 1963 to 1966

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee,  is an American lawyer and politician who is the U.S. Representative for Texas’s 18th congressional district, having served since 1995. 

Senator Marsha Blackburn,  is an American businesswoman and the senior United States Senator from Tennessee. She is a member of the Republican Party. 

Representative Elijah Eugene Cummings, was an American politician and civil rights advocate who served in the United States House of Representatives for Maryland’s 7th congressional district 

Senator William Morgan Cassidy, (top ) is an American physician and politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Louisiana, a seat he has held since 2015. A member of the  Republican Party, he served in the Louisiana State Senate from 2006 to 2009 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2009 to 2015

Senator Murphy D-CT, (left) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Connecticut’s 5th congressional district. 

Senator Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr, (right)  is a retired American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 2003 to 2021

Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson,  is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997

Mayor Muriel  Bowser,  is an American politician serving since 2015 as the eighth mayor of the District of Columbia. She is the second female mayor of the District of Columbia  and the first woman to be reelected 3 times in the  position and has made history.

 

Dr. Oz,  is arguably the most influential health professional in America. The Dr. Oz Show, which started in 2009, has an average audience of more than 4 million people each day in 118 countries. He has his own magazine (The Good Life) and syndicated columns that have run in the most widely read periodicals in North America. He has radio segments, about a dozen books, and the show’s website.

 

Dr. Roger A. Mitchell, Jr,  former  Washington, DC Chief Medical Examiner for the Government of the District of Columbia.    Mr Mitchell  is a graduate of Howard University, Washington DC, and UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ.

Jennifer Marshall,  is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of This Is My Brave, Inc., the leading platform for individuals to share their story of overcoming mental illness through creative expression.

Donnie Simpson,  is a longtime American radio DJ as well as a television and movie personality. He hosted The Donnie Simpson Morning Show on Washington, D.C. radio station WPGC-FM from March 1993 to January 29, 2010.

Patrick Joseph Kennedy II,  is an American politician and mental health advocate. From 1995 to 2011, he served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island’s 1st congressional district.  He is the son of Senator Edward Kennedy.

Ilyasah Shabazz, is the third daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz. She is an author, most notably of a memoir, Growing Up X, community organizer, social activist, and motivational speaker.

Dr. LaQuandra S. Nesbitt,  is a board-certified family physician with over a decade of experience leading population health initiatives in governmental public health agencies. Dr. Nesbitt currently serves as the Director of the District of Columbia Department of Health in Washington, DC.

Cora Masters Barry,  is a community builder, dream maker, tennis and educational entrepreneur, and trailblazer, she  has literally changed the lives of over 15,000 inner city youth through the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center (SETLC). As former First Lady of the District of Columbia, Mrs. Barry, in 1994, founded the Recreation Wish List Committee (RWLC) to provide safe, state-of-the-art recreational environments for underserved DC youth.  was and is a professor and civic leader. 

Marion Barry,  the  “Mayor for Life” as he was known. Mr. Barry was an American politician who served as Mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991 and 1995 to 1999.  When Marion Barry first became mayor in 1979, he committed local funding and doubled the size of the summer job program in the District of Columbia.  Barry, who died in 2014, became one of the summer job program’s most consistent champions, endearing himself to an entire generation of Washingtonians.  

Linda Rosenberg MSW, former President & CEO, National Council for Mental Wellbeing. … Under her leadership, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing has become our nation’s most effective advocate for behavioral health prevention, early intervention, science-based treatment, and recovery.

Councilmember Vincent Gray,  is an American politician who served as the seventh Mayor of the District of Columbia from 2011 to 2015. On November 8, 2016, Vincent C. Gray was again elected to represent his home ward on the Council of the District of Columbia.

Anthony Allen Williams,   is an American politician who was the fifth mayor of the District of Columbia, for two terms, from 1999 to 2007. His predecessor had served twice, as the second and fourth mayor. Williams had previously served as chief financial officer for the District, managing to balance the budget and achieve a surplus within two years of appointment.  

Kevin Wayne Durant, also known simply by his initials KD, is an American professional NBA basketball player. As a professional, he has won two NBA championships, an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, two Finals MVP Awards, two NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Awards, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, been named to nine All-NBA teams (including six First Teams), and selected 11 times as an NBA All Star player.

Horace Junior Grant Sr.  is an American former professional basketball player.   Horace went on to play 17 seasons in the NBA, winning four championship rings: three with the Chicago Bulls (1991, 92, 93) and one with the Los Angeles Lakers (2001), all with Coach Phil Jackson. He also was chosen for the 1994 All-Star team.

Michael P. Botticelli,  is an American public health official who served as the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) from March 2014 until the end of President Obama’s term. 

Dr. Sislena Grocer Ledbetter,  University of the District of Columbia, is the  former host for  A Health Mind Program, on the UDC Television Studio. Dr Ledbetter  is also the past Director of Counseling and Student Development at the University of the District of Columbia.

Denise Rolark-Barnes, is the Newspaper Publishing Executive for the Washington Informer. She is also  the president of the District of Columbia chapter of AARP and is a member of the board of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and the United Black Fund, Inc. \

 Bobby Gailes, Radio Personality/WHUR 96.3 FM,  Host of Taking It To The Streets program and  the Steve Harvey Morning Show. Mr. Gailies, is an entrepreneur, and motivational speaker.

Doreen Gentzler,  is an American television news anchor. She has anchored the news at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C, since 1989. Mrs Gentzler, is  the on-air spokesperson for the station’s successful NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo, held each January at the Washington DC  Convention Center. 

Chris Gordon,  is a  longtime local TV news anchor and reporter in Washington, DC.

K. Lowery Moore,  is a author and poet,  who hosts The K. Lowery Moore Show on the Listen Vison . Com online radio station. 

Legendary Mr. Gene Chandler (born Eugene Drake Dixon, is an American singer, songwriter, music producer, and record-label executive. Chandler is nicknamed “the Duke of Earl” or, simply, “the Duke.” He is best known for his most successful songs, “Duke of Earl” and “Groovy Situation”, and his association with the Dukays, the Impressions, and Curtis Mayfield.

Tamar Estine Braxton is an American singer and television personality. Braxton began her career in 1990 as a founding member of The Braxtons, an R&B singing group formed with her sisters.

MEET THE PIONEERS OF WASHINGTON, DC GO-GO MUSIC

 Legendary Gregory “Sugar Bear” Elliot  Experience Unlimited E.U. (top left)

Legendary James “Jas.Funk” Thomas  from Rare Essence (top right)

Legendary  Andre “Whiteboy” Johnson  Rare Essence (bottom left)

 Legendary William “Ju-Ju” House Experience Unlimited E.U. (bottom right)

 Legendary ~ Ralph Anwan Glover Big G from Back Yard Band 

 

Meet Mr Aniekan . His murals share the rich history and culture of the different communities they are created in, whether it’s the gagged George Washington on 15th and U Street or the very bright and colorful Marvin Gaye in the Shaw area of Washington DC, and his most famous Ben’s Chili Bowl mural, Udofia’s public works speak for themselves.

Sam Ford is the DC Bureau Chief for 7News and WJLA 24/7.

He has been with WJLA-TV for more than 35 years. He has been a broadcaster for 50 years, starting with radio stations in Kansas and Minnesota before moving on to television.

Robert J. Contee III is the former Chief of the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department. He is a Washington native who joined the Metropolitan Police Department as a police cadet in November 1989. 

Actor Richard Gere is an American actor

Tom Sherwood is an American journalist. As of now, he serves as a Political Analyst at WAMU 88.5 FM Politics Hour in Washington D.C. He joined the political analyst team in 2009. He is also a contributing writer to The Washington City Paper. Before MAMU, he spent 28 years as a reporter at NBC4 Washington.

When God created woman, he was working late on the 6th day. An angel came by and asked.” Why spend so much time on her?” The lord answered. “Have you seen all the specifications I have to meet to shape her?”

She must function on all kinds of situations, She must be able to embrace several kids at the same time, Have a hug that can heal anything from a bruised knee to a broken heart, She must do all this with only two hands, “She cures herself when sick and can work 18 hours a day”

The ANGEL was impressed “Just two hands…..impossible! And this is the standard model?” The Angel came closer and touched the woman “But you have made her so soft, Lord”. “She is soft”, said the Lord, “But I have made her strong. You can’t imagine what she can endure and overcome.” “Can she think?” The Angel asked… The Lord answered. “Not only can she think, but she can also reason and negotiate.”

The ANGEL touched her cheeks…. “Lord, it seems this creation is leaking! You have put too many burdens on her” “She is not leaking…it is a tear” The Lord corrected the Angel… “What’s it for?” Asked the Angel….. . The Lord said. “Tears are her way of expressing her grief, her doubts, her love, her loneliness, her suffering and her pride.”…

This made a big impression on the ANGEL, “Lord, you are a genius. You thought of everything. “A woman is indeed marvelous”

Lord said. “Indeed, she is. She has strength that amazes a man. She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens. She holds happiness, love and opinions. She smiles when she feels like screaming. She sings when she feels like crying, cries when happy and laughs when afraid. She fights for what she believes in. Her love is unconditional.

Her heart is broken when a next-of-kin or a friend dies but she finds strength to get on with life” The Angel asked: “So she is a perfect being?” The lord replied: “No. She has just one drawback She often forgets what she is worth.”

-Author Unknown