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Whitney Houston – “Remembering our Church”
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As a little girl, I attended New Hope Baptist Church.
Whitney Houston's family and my family are joined by love, music and friendship. Her Mother (Cissy Houston). her aunts (Anne and Rebe), her cousins, (Dionne and Dee Dee) and my sister (Carolyn) sang together in the church choir while her uncle (Nick) played the piano. They also sang together professionally. I remember her Great Aunt Flossie and Aunt Lee. I remember watching Dionne Warwick soar from a church choir soloist to a super-star----recordings, movies, and television. Dionne was a role model for me and many of the young girls at New Hope Baptist Church. I remember being enthralled by the music and the sound of an angelic voice that called the parishioners to worship. "To the Utmost Jesus Saves," sung by Cissy Houston as she leads the massive young-adult choir into the sanctuary. The procession seemed endless as their voices resonated throughout the building and into the community. They were our neighbors and friends. We all shared faith, music, and a sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves. Today, 55 years later, many have gone, but some faces I still remember to this day. I was not there when Whitney sang her first solo in church, Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah," Cissy Houston was the minister of music and my sister Carolyn was the director of the over One hundred voice children's choir. Whitney was 11 years old. When Carolyn called me, I could hear the excitement in her voice as she described how "Nippy," as we called her, captivated the entire church that morning. |
My experiences at New Hope have influenced
who I am today. A large painting of Jesus Christ kneeling by a rock especially influenced me. The painting hung behind the minister above the pulpit. As a child, I was mesmerized by the scale, colors and emotions of the painting, his hands overlapping as he looked up toward the heavens, his eyes sympathetic, as if praying for each of us. I knew then that I wanted to paint. In 1967, New Hope Baptist Church awarded me my first scholarship to study art at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts. Ironically, 19 years later, as a gift to Whitney Houston, I was commissioned by the City of Newark, New Jersey to paint a portrait of the superstar. I chose to capture her first Grammy moment. I feel the pain and, with a heavy heart, I extend my deepest symphony to the Houston family and to the New Hope Baptist Church family with whom I share so many precious memories. |
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National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc.
is proud to announce that its 4th annual art auction gala,
Black Woman Speaks
which will benefit its gender-related initiatives on
health, education and economic development,
will spotlight outstanding African American women artists.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
at the Helen Mills Theater, 135-139 W. 26th Street, in
New York City
Elizabeth Catlett, Artist Lane, Faith Ringgold and Margaret Slade Kelley are among
some of the contributing artists.
The works are original and will be offered for sale at the auction
is proud to announce that its 4th annual art auction gala,
Black Woman Speaks
which will benefit its gender-related initiatives on
health, education and economic development,
will spotlight outstanding African American women artists.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
at the Helen Mills Theater, 135-139 W. 26th Street, in
New York City
Elizabeth Catlett, Artist Lane, Faith Ringgold and Margaret Slade Kelley are among
some of the contributing artists.
The works are original and will be offered for sale at the auction
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FOS
For Sisters Only
sponsored
V-103 FM
The World Congress Center
285 Andrew Young International Blvd. N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia
September 16 - 17, 2006
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Boarders
Special Events 2008 "Rise Again New Orleans" A collaboration between mother and son, art and music. Rise Again New Orleans is dedicated to the memory of the city we love and the family and friends we miss. It calls contributors to donate to organizations already working to better the community. |
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