This might just be a question that even “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali, can’t answer. Brian Victor sat in the comfort and security of the Lower Manhattan Storybooth and told Carl Scott about his first Boxing Day experience.

When he was a nine year old, his family was preparing to spend the Christmas holidays in Guyana where his parents grew up. There was one aspect of the festivities that Brian was not clear about, so he asked his father about Boxing Day. To prep him for the experience, his father told him that Boxing Day was a day on which everyone comes out into the streets and start to fight – it’s just a big brawl.

The prospect of a communal brawl really scared this young boy. He wondered, “Am I going to die”? So, on the days leading up to the event, he worked out, practiced boxing, and even studied some boxing videos.

Brian got up bright and early on December 26th, and looked out the window. He didn’t see a soul anywhere. He thought, “O.K., I guess things are going to start a little late. This is what West Indians do; when they are suppose to show at 7:00, they don’t show until 9:00 or 10:00. O.K.”

After a while he went into his dad’s room, only to find that he’d been punk’d. Laughing, his father said, “I can’t believe you fell for that one”. This was just one of the many times Brian’s dad made his childhood a wonderful place to be.

“Where Stars are born and Legends are Made”

On this 75th Anniversary of the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night, Melvin Sheppard came into the Lower Manhattan StoryBooth to tell the story of how he won first place for seven consecutive weeks in the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Hour.

He was discovered at a talent show by Apollo Theater’s legendary “executioner” and dance virtuoso, Sandman Sims. Unfortunately, he came in second place on his first try singing Marvin Gaye’s, “Stubborn kinda Fella”. Years later he returned determined to win first place, and he did for seven consecutive weeks.

Now, after winning first place for four weeks running, a contestant is crowned the Winner, and earns a performance in the professional show. So, why did Mr. Sheppard have to compete for seven weeks you might ask? Well, it went like this. He won first place for three weeks, but tied with a group for first place on the fourth week, and again on the fifth week, and again on the sixth week. But, oh my goodness, the seventh week was the charm. When he changed his song from Al Green’s, “Let’s Stay Together”, to Otis Redding’s, “Try A Little Tenderness”, he rocked the joint and his competitors didn’t stand a chance.

Despite the fact that Melvin Sheppard sang with musical giants like the Drifters, and enjoyed a solo career for many years, singin and winin at the Apollo was the most exhilarating experience of his career.

Mary’s sister, Cordelia Hinkson and her cousin, Georgine Willis, were the among the first African American women to attend Cornell University.

Dr. DeHaven Hinkson

Mary’s father, Dr. DeHaven Hinkson, was the first African American to direct a U.S. Army hospital during World War II. He was charged with building the Army hospital at Tuskeegee Institute.

Mary: Lady in White
Mary was one of the first African American dancers to join the Martha Graham Dance company. A few of the many dances performed by her include Dark Meadow, Canticle for Innocent Comedians based on the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, In Praise of Earth, Seraphic Dialogue about Joan of Arc, Diversion of Angels, Cave of the Heart, based on the life of Madea, Deaths and Entrances, based on the life of the Bronte sisters, and Lady in White.

More…

Mary: Circe

Mary was also the first African American, along with Arthur Mitchell, to dance with the New York City Ballet. They performed George Balanchine’s Figures in the Carpet, which was Balanchine’s response to George Wallace’s aggressive stand against desegregation at the University of Alabama in 1963.

Julian Jackson

Mary’s husband, Julian Jackson, owned and operated the D&G Bakery in Little Italy. There were no other African American proprietors on Mulberry Street when he purchased the bakery. Across the street was a Gambino family establishment, and at the other end of the block was a Genovese establishment. In the beginning of Julian’s venture, both of his trucks were torched. He responded by paying a visit to the Genoveses. Mary says that after that visit they had no more problems running their business in Little Italy. In fact, for 18 years after Julian’s death, three African American women – Mary, her daughter, Jennifer and her niece, Beverly – managed the D&G Bakery at 240 Mulberry Street.

Amazing! And this is just a snapshot of this family between the middle and end of the 20th Century!

After listening with just a little bit of envy to other Facilitators’ accounts of proposals in the booth, couples documenting their engagements, newly weds coming to the booth right after taking their vows, I facilitated my very own newly engaged couple last week — as you can see, they are absolutely precious.

Leiana Miller and Tony Meister filled the booth with infectious young love. I predict that they will keep each other singing, dancing, and laughing for many years to come.

Norman Chin was born into a poor farming family in 1920, during the worst time in China. He was sold to an illegal immigrant family in order to raise money to support his own family after his father became too ill to work the farm. His family had no money and no relatives to call upon, so the conclusion was that they either sell seven-year-old Norman or his three-month-old baby brother. Norman was sold.

Because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, no Chinese citizen could legally come to the U.S. to live at this time. Norman’s adoptive father, an illegal alien, bought the paper son rights from another illegal alien in order for Norman to come to the U.S. This was known as the Paper Son Deception. A “paper son” was a young man who was brought to the U.S. by someone who claimed that they were a Chinese-American citizen born in San Francisco before the 1906 earthquake and fire, and that all their papers had been lost in that disaster. Norman’s “paper father” claimed that he had three sons living in China, ages 9, 11, and 13. Norman came to the U.S. as the 13-year-old son.

As a result of the depression in China during this period, its people were scattered all over the world. As a result of the Paper Son Deception, many Chinese were able to come to the U.S. to live. This practice was quite common in those days.

In 1962 amnesty was offered to those Chinese who admitted they had committed the Paper Son Deception. It must be recognized that thousands of Chinese who came to the United States under this deception made invaluable contributions not only to the building of railroads and other major infrastructures, but to the overall economy and industry of the country.

Cham is the ancient ritual dance of Tantric Buddhism that has been preserved and performed in Bhutan for centuries. Performed at special religious festivals, the dances typically impart moral instruction or illustrate teachings. The masked performers are always male and usually monks.

Two dances are performed this day: Tum Ngam, the Dance of the Terrifying Deities, and Shanag Ngacham, the Dance of the Black Hats with Drums.

Enjoy.

Bhutan is a landlocked nation in South Asia, located amid the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains, bordered on the South, East and West by India and to the North by China.

John Thoms is one of those gifted storytellers who can make the act of splashing water on his face on a hot summer morning sound like a great adventure. I was taken on several exciting journeys as John regaled his daughter, Annie Thoms, with stories of his youth in Seattle, Washington and his young adulthood in New York City.

One particularly gripping story goes like this: John was the tag along in a gang of boys led by his older brother, Bob. They spent their days getting into the kind of mischief that threatened life and limb. In fact when he was around seven years old, John would have lost his life if it weren’t for the quick thinking and agility of his big brother. The gang was exploring a local saw mill when John stepped into what he thought was a sand pile. Within a heart stopping second, he realized he was being sucked into a well of sawdust. The rest of the gang were off in other areas of the mill as John quickly sank. Up to his shoulders in sawdust, yelling at the top of his lungs, he finally caught Bob’s attention. A vision that John will never forget is the sight of Bob leaping from log to log like an antelope towards him, and just as he was almost to his chin in sawdust, Bob grabbed him by the neck and pulled him out.

Of course, there are the stories of John’s polio as a young child, being home schooled by his mother, his absolute joy at being set free to attend school (and the day he stood up to a bully in elementary school, with a plate of hot spaghetti as his only weapon), growing up with two deaf parents, witnessing their often stormy relationship. John’s emotional telling of his first date with his future wife, Judy, at the Living Theater to see Paradise Now brought us all to tears.

But these are stories for another day and another blog entry.

The four co-founders – Ileana, Radhika, Mayuran, and RJ – recognized a need, and answered the call.

In their own words:

“Kids are in a constant process of transformation. We promote a childcare process that respects the autonomy, growth, safety and health of children. We reach out and make ourselves accessible to kids and families, listening and acting with humility and patience.”

It’s 1943 on the Gold Coast of Africa. An American merchant marine ship is docked for three weeks. One of the young marines, Victor Teich, decides that he would prefer the company of the local Africans to that of his mates, so he goes wandering. He enjoys a glorious day with the villagers eating and drinking in their ancient culture. He had been warned, however, about getting caught out after dark. The locals were not particularly fond of the often disrespectful and abusive Americans.

Unfortunately, evening closed in as Victor was making his way back to the ship. Passing a group of people, he noticed that one man started to follow him. Our young merchant marine became a little uneasy, so he started to walk faster, but the man in pursuit started walking even faster and then began jogging. At this point Victor started jogging, but the man caught up with him, ran around in front of him, faced him and said, “Have you ever been to Brooklyn?”

Victor Teich, who is 92 years old, shared this and many other fascinating stories with his son, David while visiting the Lower Manhattan StoryBooth in Foley Square. Having made a career change at age 76, he is now a successful documentary filmmaker.

Brooklyn for Peace, formerly Brooklyn Families for Peace, was founded in 1984 by a group of Brooklyn parents, neighbors, and educators who came together to create peaceful alternatives to the growing militarism in our society. In fact, immediately after September 11, 2001, individuals and organizations turned to them for guidance and support.

Dr. Charlotte Phillips, one of the original founders of Brooklyn for Peace, along with Nora Gordon, the outgoing Program Coordinator, and Edward Askew McWilliams, the incoming Program Coordinator, came to the Lower Manhattan StoryBooth to talk about the inspiration for the organization and some of its earlier and current initiatives around peace and justice.

A quote from the short story writer, poet, and political activist Grace Paley captures the essence of Brooklyn for Peace’s activism, “The only recognizable feature of hope is action.”