| Once again, black history month has come and gone, | | | | room for lipstick to use as his colored pencils and draw |
| but thankfully not the art or the artists. This year it didn't | | | | on whatever was not nailed down. |
| seem as though the usual speeches were trotted out | | | | Mr. Daniel's art has developed from the early days of |
| to make the people of Black America proud to be | | | | using chalk and lipstick to going on to using Photoshop |
| black. That in itself was a gift. Instead we were all | | | | and everything else in between. His artwork is |
| treated to new ways to be proud to be Americans | | | | gorgeous to say the least. Mr. Daniels is a part of the |
| that happen to be from the African Diaspora. If you | | | | Weusi* Group, in which 12 of the 50 members is being |
| watched channel 5, there was Wendy Williams who | | | | showcased now through September 3rd 2010. Starting |
| talked about a famous black inventors or filmmakers | | | | after September 4th or so another 12 will be on |
| or scientists. Sure there have been other people, like | | | | display to show off their wonderful talents. At the |
| Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis on Channel 7 who have | | | | Dwyer there is a 20 minute short that showcases the |
| spoken about other accomplishments in the past, but it | | | | present artists in the show and how they became |
| was nice to see someone smiling at us instead of | | | | affiliated with the Weusi Group. It can also be seen on |
| being somber about the greatness that runs through | | | | their website via YouTube. Weusi is a Swahili word |
| the Diaspora. | | | | which means both blackness and togetherness, quite |
| This year I had the privilege to go to an artist opening | | | | poignant for the art that is on display. |
| at the Dwyer Cultural Center up in Harlem. It was for | | | | I met several other artists there as well, part of the |
| invited guests only the evening before the actual | | | | Weusi Revisited: 2010 series. Emmett Wigglesworth, |
| opening to the public. There was of course the press | | | | Okoe Pyatt, Otto Neals, Perry Cannon, and Gaylord |
| from The Amsterdam News and other archivist with | | | | Hassan. Mr. Hassan, walks with a walker, but still |
| cameras to take note of the painters and their brand | | | | manages to produce gorgeous canvases almost |
| of art. It could be said that the glitterati of Manhattan | | | | twice his height of 5'- 10". Perhaps you know of them |
| Valley was there. I noticed at least ten different people | | | | and their works, if not check them all out at the Dwyer |
| who are members or go on a regular basis to | | | | Cultural Center. You will not be disappointed. |
| Riverside Church. | | | | Most of the artists have had to lead a completely |
| One of the artists invited me to this wonderful event | | | | different life from being an artist, but is shows that |
| and I was able to talk to him in depth about his work | | | | through persistence and determination, their natural |
| and how he came to be an artist. After more than 25 | | | | abilities had to shine through. That, I think, is most what |
| years in academia, as a high school teacher, he | | | | Black History Month wants to proclaim. These artists |
| decided to go back to his first love, art. His name is | | | | are doing their best to do just that. To see a full length, |
| Robert Daniels. As a young boy he started off using | | | | in depth interview with Mr. Daniels check out Maxine's |
| whatever he could get his hands on to draw in the | | | | Corner, which will launch on Monday, April 26th as an |
| kitchen while his mother was cooking dinner. Often | | | | Internet TV blog, hosted by this author, CharLena |
| when his mother was not at home he scoured her | | | | Pearson. |