Beauty and Courage in our Community

Bob White new
Professor asked Dropout, “What is the most beautiful day?”
Po Boy put up his hand and said, “Today.”
Crystal said, “Let’s be crystal clear. If you keep up with the news in the USA, the president and attorney general are making positive moves for African-Americans and humanity… African Americans are part of humanity.”
Dropout said to Just Chillin, “I made a mistake. I was watching the local news on TV, they were promoting a Blues show this summer, but I did not see any Blacks. A Blues show in Montreal with no Blacks?”
I decided to watch a movie called “Taps” with America’s greatest tap dancers. After the movie, I went to the source, the truth, and the barbershop, to talk with people who know Ethel Bruneau, an expert on tap dancers. If you ask Ethel Bruneau she will tell you about Howard “Sandman” Sims, Groundhog, Honi Coles and Charles Atkins, Bunny Brigs, Gregory Hines, the Nicholas brothers, the great Bill Bojangles Robinson, Savion Glover.
The last time the late Gregory Hines came to Montreal he made a mistake by asking a sold-out audience at Place des Arts, “If there are any hoofers in the house, you’re welcome to come up.” About 15 people went up on the stage, including two senior citizens who walked up slowly. Gregory Hines took a good look at them; he didn’t know they were seniors. The other hoofers danced for Gregory Hines, and then he asked the elderly gentleman who everybody found out was Charles Griffith. He did a soft shoe, to the surprise of Gregory Hines and the sold out audience, then he asked the lady to do her thing. The audience found out her name was Ethel Bruneau; they stood up and gave her a standing ovation.
This was the great Ethel Bruneau, who all parents should take their boy or girl to see, to learn how to tap dance. Why? Because she is the best. In Montreal, she is the best.
All the Regulars of the Ways and Means Committee agreed that Ethel Bruneau is the best.
Oletymer said, “Don’t forget Teddy Hale, he was also a great tap dancer.”
This is one reason why there is a Black History Month, because they refuse to teach it in school, why? Whatever excuse they give is a lie. And remember, the most dangerous person is a liar. If they taught Black History in schools, it would educate everybody, not just Blacks.”
Dropout said, “Listen close to what I’m going to tell you. All you people who think you know rap music, all you have to do is YouTube Grand Master Flash 1977; he was working with Kurtis Blow. Now this was rap. “The message,” Jay-Z should listen to it along with Sean “Puffy” Combs Aka P Diddy. If they come to Montreal we will holler at him and tell him.”
There was an Amen from the Ways and Means Committee.
Joe and Yvonne were overheard telling someone that you don’t have to be an expert in real estate to know that a small house in St. Henri, aka Little Burgundy, sells for $700,000. Now how could the NCC, one block from the metro, sell for $300,000? Everybody at St. Mary’s Hospital wanted to know, how could this happen.
There was an Amen in the barbershop from the Regulars of the Ways and Mean Committee.
The telephone rang, Rufus pointed to Dropout to answer.
He said, “If it’s long distance don’t accept the call, unless it’s from the White House and it’s the President on the phone.”
Dropout said, “It’s Hampstead Harry.”
“Tell him I’m busy, and I have two people waiting. Take the message.”
Dropout relayed the message, then he leaned over to the desk where a notebook was and started taking notes and listening to Hampstead Harry. Then he hung up.
Rufus the barber said, “What did he say?”
Dropout said, “Hampstead Harry said he picked up an issue of Community Contact March 19, 2015 and he had a message to “you people.” That’s what they call us (Blacks).”
He said that he had to stop by the Jewish General Hospital because his grandmother is there and he hired a sitter for her; she’s from the islands, the Caribbean, and she’s great.
He also said, “I was at a funeral years ago. (We own our own funeral home…own it.) I saw a Black lady sitting with the family, when it was over, I slipped her my business card, because I knew she was not a family member, and I was right. She called me a week later, and I hired her because I knew if she could work for that family she could work for me. She said that she did not have a criminal record, so she was available to travel to Florida every winter with the family.
I only pay her ten dollars an hour, and the sitting business is a big business because this is an aging population.”
Oletymer said, “There was a story in Contact, March 19, 2015, Call Her Crusader, the Aiesha Robinson story. After reading the story, everybody agreed in the barbershop that she is our hero. Call Her A Hero.
She is welcome to join the Ways and Means Committee and anything that the Ways and Means Committee can do for her, no problem.
In the article Aiesha Robinson said There were also times, when because of her appearance she faced discrimination to find jobs and wondered if she would ever find a man to see beyond her disorder so she can start a family. It was difficult finding her way out of her ongoing depression.
Well everybody in the barbershop had a discussion about Aiesha Robinson. If she was in the barbershop while the discussion was going on, she would have felt like Vanessa Williams, because Aiesha Robinson does not have a problem like she thinks, or thought she had. Aiesha Robinson is beautiful and she has brains, Whitney Houston was beautiful, talented, but had no brains.
Aiesha Robinson has to finish her education and graduate from University. Never mind looking for a job, look to get a position with a company, or start your own business. She will get all the help she needs, if she stays focused.
Joe and Yvonne at St. Mary’s Hospital called the barbershop and said the Aiesha Robinson story was excellent, Community Contact did a great job. Aiesha Robinson will be O.K. and she has our full support.
The Genius said, “Michael Jackson had vitiligo. Nobody cared, why? Because he was super talented. Stevie Wonder is blind; nobody cares, why? Because he’s super talented. All this beautiful Aiesha Robinson has to do is graduate from university and figure out how to make some money; the man she’s looking for to see beyond her disorder will appear so she can start a family.
Someone has to tell her that millionaire Sean “Puffy” Coombs aka P. Diddy said, “It’s all about the Benjamins.”
It takes the people that work for Oprah Winfrey two hours to put on her makeup, when Oprah does not have on her makeup, they say you cannot recognize her, but Oprah doesn’t care, she has the Benjamins. A lot of Benjamins.”
Money said, “I have been listening to everybody talking about the beautiful Aiesha Robinson and she is beautiful if you look at the photo in Contact, March 19, 2015. I read the story a few times, I looked at the photo and I said to myself: “Self, I wish Aiesha Robinson graduates from University, but along the way she learns about optimization. Learning about optimization she can turn the financial corner for her recently established not for profit organization. And if and when she does, the Regulars of the Ways and Means Committee will have a long talk with her. And the talk will be productive.”
There was an Amen from Money and the rest of the Ways and Means Committee.
Dropout said, “I told you so, it doesn’t stop. Racism on the campus at the University in Oklahoma; this time they told the students to leave the campus, get out, tell your parents to come and get you. What they didn’t say was that the football team and basketball team brings millions of dollars to the University, and racism is ingrained in the society. Just don’t go public with it and embarrass the university. Top Black student-athletes will refuse to come to our racist University and we need them very badly. If we don’t have top Black athletes to perform, we can’t make millions and millions of dollars like we have been doing.”
Crystal said, “Let’s make it clear, Crystal Clear, all young Blacks should learn the word ingrained, like ingrained racism. I’ll give you a sterling example. New York Daily News, NY DailyNews.com hanging body probe in Mississippi. “The body of a missing Black man was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi during a ground search Thursday, authorities said (Friday March 20, 2015).”
Professor raised his hand and said he wanted everybody to listen very closely.
He said, “This is 2015. There is a city in Quebec called the Saguenay. It’s Quebec’s Seventh largest city. The economy is it’s boreal forest and aluminum resources. Now a mayor called Jean Tremblay runs the place, he is a white man. He said, “Blacks work hard even if they don’t earn big salaries.” Gazette March 26, 2015 page A19.
Dropout said, “Why are you telling us this?”
Professor said, “I’m telling you all this because this is 2015, the province of Quebec. This is very important because if this mayor get’s sick and goes to a major hospital and a doctor or a nurse is there, his thinking is Blacks work hard, even if they don’t earn big salaries. What’s bad about this mayor is that the people voted for him, and he’s been the mayor since 1979.”
Now that is what the mayor believes and thinks about Blacks.