Memories of Heal the Community 2010 tour...

Focus on the northeast states and cities 

What a whirlwind of activities and networking.  Visits to so many cities across America...universities and community centers; freedom schools and private homes; radio stations, jazz clubs and poetry slams! What a jammed packed time it was. ..and the Blessings Flowed.  I give thanks...big time!  Enjoy these few scenes from the tour...more to come!

The Jam before departure...



It was the night before I was leaving...got in my last jam for a while at ViaVia with Dunia Truth! We jammed hard... determined to get enough to last for three months at least!


...it was a joy to not only host our dear friends Mama Sala and Nana (visiting from Ghana and DC)but Bro Nana actually sat in a couple of sets with us!
I always enjoy jammin' with Akula Akwabi and Bro Kama!


 

JOY!...and time to get started on the tour!

It Begins...


Our children Malcolm and Ann aka Stormy were there to meet me at the airport and hosted me whenever I was in Kansas City during the tour...


It was great to see my Dad,
Mzee Sterling Hill, Sr.


We marked the end of my 59th year and celebrated my journey into my 60th at a birthday party at my Sister home


My blood sister, Sharon Amadi
We had a ball catching up in
 Kansas City

Next Stop...Rhode Island...


Solangel Rodriguez, long time community activist in Rhode Island founder of
OPEN Doors, my hosts in Newport and Providence  Here we took time out to catch the fantastic poetry of Carlos Andres Gomez at Brown University


With Brother Everett Muhammad at the community event in Rhode Island where I spoke and brought poetry and song

...Troy, New York

Warrior Woman of Peace: Mama Charlotte Hill O'Neal
at the Sanctuary for Independent Media    Troy, NY


Date & Time: 
Friday, March 19, 2010 - 7pm - 9pm
Admission: 
by donation ($10 suggested, $5 student/low-income)

Former Black Panther, Mama Charlotte Hill O'Neal is an accomplished poet, musician and visual artist, and Founding Director of Tanzania's United African Alliance Community Center (UAACC), a community-based organization which promotes community development in rural Africa. The UAACC has a number of independent media projects as part of its powerful community work including hip hop, music production, photography, videography, poetry, theater and the development of an independent radio station. Four decades after leaving this country for exile in Tanzania, Mama Charlotte Hill O'Neal returns to share the inspirational story of how she and her husband's past as Black Panthers affects their work among the urban and village youth of East Africa and America.

She will be screening an excerpt from A Panther in Africa, the award winning PBS documentary about the life, work and inspiration of Charlotte's husband, former Kansas City Black Panther leader and founder of UAACC, Pete O’Neal, and a clip from Spirit of Resistance--the story of the UAACC's work with Prometheus radio to build an independent radio station. In addition she will share hip hop videos created by youth at the UAACC, as well as perform poetry from her book Warrior Woman of Peace.

 

...Brooklyn


My dear Sister Lisa Russell, community activist and Emmy award winning film maker hosted a beautiful Welcome Back to Brooklyn Barbeque at her home...we partied til almost 4 in the morning!! 


I was elated to not only meet Marie Daulne aka ZAP Mama but jam with this uniquely creative musician til the wee hours of the morning...


Renown jazz pianist, Harold O'Neal, my nephew, bought mo fiyah to the keyboards that night. He is also a bboy supreme and a shiatsu practitioner and worked on just about every person in the house!


Grammy award winning vocalist and woman's health rights activist Maya Azucena, was in the house to help us rock...


 

...Brazilian photographer artist Joao was there...


...as were several poets from the Urban Word collective including Sciryl, ...., and Halo pictured with his lady. We jammed like nobody's business!!


Bro Malogboho is a chef supreme and his special veggie stew with peanut sauce had me eating like a maniac!!

 


...after the screening of Lisa Russell's film Not Yet Rain at the Renaissance Hotel, I was blessed to jam a little bit with Maya Acuzena who called me out of the audience when she was giggin' with her band. What a joy to sing with such a great performer in Times Square! Chris Bashinelli, of Bridge the Gap, was there to enjoy it too!


Travis Sullivan (snuggling with his sweetheart) bought his saxophone to the Welcome to Brooklyn part at Lisa's. I later went to hear he and his band play in Manhattan!
OooWeee...they are supa baaaaddddd!!!


...a real Power Lunch...all Sisters...all Artists...at a Brooklyn cafe, including Marie "ZAP Mama" Daulne;
Lisa Russell; Khaliya (who is doing an internship with Lisa); a jewelry artist just in from Jamaica and a dancer just in from Dar es Salaam...and me!
 

...the Bronx and Harlem
from pre-schools to universities...the mission was the same to spread love and understanding and the spirit of volunteerism!


story telling to pre-schoolers


Fordham University


Community school cultural presentation

click here for an article about the tour titled There's no place like A.town

Plus ...stay tuned for many more photos to come from memories of more cities visited!