Wishing you a Happy Black History Month
The Light By Raymond Tyler
Greetings one and all and best wishes for a Happy Black History Month.
Today I would like to wish a Happy Black History Month to several people I know, have met and people that made an impact on my life through the years…and they just happen to be people of color.
(Not that people not of color haven’t as well.)
Happy Black History Month to…
(Former ) Mayor James L. Usry– The late Mayor Usry was one of the first people I met that was actual living and breathing history. Mayor Usry played pro basketball with The New York Renaissance a team that often played against The Harlem Globetrotters. Known as “The Renns” or The Renn Big 5 the team won a few world basketball champions. My memories of Mayor Usry however are more personal. He coached me for a while in a league he put together at The Atlantic City Salvation Army. His coaching style was way less about game technique and basketball,but more about leadership and working with people. I learned that I am responsible for using my platforms and blessings to help my community in ways big and small.
Raymond Tyler Sr. – My father would have been celebrating his birthday with us on March 3rd. “Big Raymond” as the family called him, was of course responsible for the man I am today.
A little known fact is that he was one of the first black men to join Local 54 Carpenters’ Union in Atlantic City.
As a father he taught me about great music from Sam Cooke to Nat King Cole, to business people in music like Alan Freed. My father’s goal was to allow me to live my dreams and to make me aware of the need to have economic control of them.
James Avery-Though I never met the late actor. He was raised in Atlantic City and I have spoken several times with his co-stars DJ Jazzy Jeff and Karyn Parsons from Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
Both his co-stars remarked about his professionalism as an actor and his big and loving spirit.
I can say. I am proud of Mr. Avery’s contribution as a father and lawyer/judge on Fresh Prince.
As an artist I am happy to try and follow in his footsteps.
Jan Harper and Sparkle Prevard-Both of these beautiful ladies have had audience with President Barak Obama. Harper as an educator and Prevard as a student/artist.
Kelley Prevard-Not to be out done by her sister (Sparkle)….Kelley is an accomplished visual artist. Technically she is not in the history books yet. However, she has been on display at The African American History Museum in Atlantic City. Ms. Prevard’s subject matter is almost always looking through fresh eyes at the history of people of color. You can see her work on display these days at The Holtzman Art Gallery inside of The Jewish Community Center in Margate. I do see her as an artist that will be in history books.
I also want to take a moment to mention others who I do not have the space to write about, Rosalind Norrell-Nance, The Late Alice Cash, Eugene Allen, Rhonda Hart, Michael Bailey, Shermaine Gunter-Gary and many more. I do suspect that as time goes on…you will be reading more about them in The Light. Happy Black History Month one and all.
