Tag: Black Excellence

https://www.cyruschestnut.net/about

Born in 1963, Chestnut started his musical career at the age of three, playing piano at the Mount Calvary Star Baptist Church at the age of six in his hometown of Baltimore, MD. By age nine, he was studying classical music at the Peabody Preparatory Institute inBaltimore. In the fall of 1981, Cyrus began jazz education in Boston, MA at the Berklee College of Music. In 1985, he earned a degree in jazz composition and arranging. While at Berklee, Chestnut was awarded the Eubie Blake Fellowship, the Oscar Peterson, Quincy Jones, and Count Basie awards for exceptional performance standards at the college. After Berklee, Cyrus began further honing his craft as a sideman with some of the legendary and leading musicians in the business. Some of these great people include; Jon Hendricks, Michael Carvin, Donald Harrison, Terence Blanchard, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Regina Cater, Chick Corea, Jimmy Heath, James Moody, Joe Williams, Isaac Hayes, Kathleen Battle, Betty Carter, and Dizzy Gillespie just to name a few. His association with Betty Carter, which began in 1991 significantly affected his outlook and approach to music, confirming his already iconoclastic instincts. Carter advised him to “take chances” and play things I’ve never heard,” Chestnut says.

https://www.recorder.com/William-Strickland-a-longtime-civil-rights-activist-scholar-and-friend-of-Malcolm-X-has-died-54879514

William Strickland, a longtime civil rights activist, scholar and friend of Malcolm X, has died

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

Elayne Viola Jones (January 30, 1928 – December 17, 2022) was an American timpanist. In 2019 she became the fourth female member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.

The Black Economic Alliance Appoints Samantha Tweedy Chief Executive Officer

Tweedy brings two decades of experience building and leading transformative racial and economic justice initiatives at the intersection of the public, private, and philanthropic sectors. While serving as inaugural President of the Black Economic Alliance Foundation, Tweedy raised tens of millions of dollars and launched strategic partnerships with the foremost corporate, philanthropic, research, and academic institutions in the country, in service of identifying and executing solutions that will grow Black economic prosperity.

Sherri Chisholm

Executive Director

Sherri Chisholm joined Leading on Opportunity as its director in September 2020, bringing nearly a decade of experience as an educational and nonprofit strategist to the role. She has worked in senior leadership at national nonprofits and major school districts across the country, where she drove transformation through strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, and leadership development.

https://tulainemontgomery.com/about

Tulaine Montgomery is a futurist, creative, educator, and, above all, a true believer that a better world is possible.

As the CEO of New Profit, she leads a coalition of social entrepreneurs and changemakers advancing a vision for an America where everyone can thrive.

https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2024-04-23/pa-election-results-congress-12th-district

First-term U.S. Rep. Summer Lee held off a spirited primary challenge from Bhavini Patel in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District on Tuesday after a race that drew national attention and was overshadowed by an international crisis.

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/24/1246716227/black-cowboy-culture-ivan-mcclellan-photographer-8-seconds-book

A photographer documented Black cowboys across the U.S. for a new book

Ivan McClellan spent nearly a decade documenting this unique culture all across the United States.

Bernard is a renowned leader in the innovation, assistivetechnology, and entrepreneurship for disability inclusion in Africa. He is passionate about being a success catalyst and bridge for Startup teams and venture founders using the power of technology and entrepreneurship to change the world.

Africa’s first Assistive Technology Accelerator

Innovate Now has helped to launch 21 African assistive tech ventures over four acceleration cycles. African start-ups receive mentorship, learning and expert guidance over a 3-6 month period to create market fit, scalable and investable Assistive Technologies (AT).