Author: Rachel Stoler

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/08/g-s1-26454/mustafa-dunya-poet-toronto-review

Throughout its history, hip-hop has spotlit the turmoil faced by Black communities, in housing projects and neighborhoods from coast to coast — and, eventually, around the world.

Who is there to preserve the memories and traditions of the lost, as folklorists for the streets?

For years, the poet and now singer-songwriter Mustafa has aimed to fill such a void — particularly for the city of Toronto, and the turbulent Regent Park neighborhood where he was raised, but also for all cities bearing a resemblance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_the_Poet

Mustafa Ahmed (born 28 July 1996), known as Mustafa, formerly known as Mustafa the Poet, is a Sudanese-Canadian poet, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker from Toronto. He released his debut studio album, When Smoke Rises, in May 2021.

https://www.andreacampbell.org/story

Andrea Joy Campbell has dedicated her life to fighting for greater equity and opportunity. At a time when so many people have lost faith in our government’s ability to solve problems, she continues to work hard everyday as your Attorney General because there has never been an office or state with so much potential and promise to solve the pressing issues of today.

https://www.arshaycooper.com/meet-arshay

ARSHAY COOPER is a Rower, Benjamin Franklin award-winning author, the protagonist of the critically acclaimed film “A Most Beautiful Thing,” a Golden Oar recipient for his contributions to the sport of rowing, motivational speaker, and activist, particularly around issues of accessibility for low-income families.

https://magazine.northwestern.edu/people/cheryl-freeman-smith-olive-harvey-college-manufacturing-transportation-engineering-career-education

When Cheryl Freeman-Smith looked around at Commencement in 1992, she was one of only 39 Black engineers in her Northwestern graduating class out of around 400. And there were “only four of us in industrial engineering,” she recalls. 

Today, Freeman-Smith, who grew up in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, is committed to holding the door wide open for other Black students who are interested in careers in manufacturing, transportation and logistics. For the past 12 years, Freeman-Smith has worked at Olive-Harvey College (OHC), a community college on Chicago’s far South Side that is part of the City Colleges of Chicago consortium. As OHC’s dean of career programs and continuing education and director of apprenticeship partnerships, she creates opportunities for students from low-income communities to gain the specialized skills required for the modern economy. 

Roger Thomas Ward, brilliant athlete and engineer, died at 76

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_Maxwell_Reid

Daphne Etta Reid (née Maxwell; July 13, 1948) is an American actress, comedian, designer, and former model. She is best known for her role as the second Vivian Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1993 to 1996.

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/03/nx-s1-5133287/lillie-cunningham-110-year-old-alabama-woman

At 110 years old, an Alabama woman credits one thing for her long life: faith

She may be one of the world’s oldest people. But age is just a number to Lillie Cunningham.

Celia Benvenutti

Celia Benvenutti is an Afro-Latina dance artist, native Detroiter, and Howard University alumna.

https://www.steinway.com/artists/adegoke-steve-colson

Steinway Artist, ADEGOKE STEVE COLSON is a Grammy® nominated pianist and composer – a native of East Orange, NJ – who has performed internationally as a leader of jazz ensembles ranging from trios to orchestras. His work has been recorded on labels that include Columbia/Sony, Evidence, and Black Saint. His Solo Piano recording Tones For, reflecting on the lives and work of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, was his most recent release on his label, Silver Sphinx.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/266520730/njoki-mcelroy

Born Hilda Nadine Hampton, she was the daughter of J.D. Hampton and Mrs. Marion (Washington) Hampton.

“A Special Gift: Dallas Playwright Njoki McElroy Remembered For Her Commitment To Racial Awareness —

Marian McElroy says her mother had a special gift. “Her ability to tell stories and to verbalize,” she says. Over 50 years, Njoki McElroy, who died last year in October, wrote 15 plays, two books and a plethora of short stories. She directed and produced performances throughout the United States, Africa, Canada, and the Caribbean.