Gospel singer anchors ‘Redwood’ in Bartlett and expects to tower over the competition

     William Ross Jr. has a penchant for music – all genres. He sings gospel – tenor, baritone and bass – and entreats his audience to worship the Lord and serve Him gladly. In church, his voice resonates throughout the sanctuary at Greater Community Temple Church of God in Christ. And resonates in the community, where he sings with various choral groups sending up praises to the Lord for his continual blessings.

Ross is also a businessman. On Nov. 21, he was aglow and counting his blessings when Redwood Music Group, a concept he finally brought to fruition since childhood, opened its doors to aspiring singers, songwriters or musicians seeking to improve his/her vocals, musicianship or business affairs.

William Ross Jr. (left) launched Redwood
Music Group to help aspiring singers, songwriters
or musicians seeking to improve his/her vocals,
musicianship or business affairs. Ben Salter will
teach clarinet and saxophone and Inho will teach
classical piano. Janice Hall is Redwood's executive
administrator. (Photo: Wiley Henry)

 “I had a passion and wanted to help. I wanted to give excitement to the music industry. And as time passed I’m now able to go into…and invest in a music company,” said Ross, Redwood’s CEO and president.

Ross named the music group after the sky-scrapping Redwood tree, a species native to the forests in California. “It’s very strong and deep,” he said. “And I just want Redwood Music Group to be just that – as a strong company, tall and rising above the rest of its kind. And also just to have a deep legacy.”  

Located at 5154 Stage Rd., Suite 101, in the Primacy Oaks business district in the Bartlett community, Redwood offers vocal and instrumental development, branding and management to help artists “reach for perfection.”

The company’s philosophy is “making musical dreams a reality” – which means any artist, skilled or unskilled, can apply or call in for an interview to become a Redwood partner, said Ross, or a part of the group.

The coaches or consultants on staff at Redwood are contract professionals with a degree in their field. They are prepared to teach individuals five and up. “They are very versed in their music capabilities,” Ross said.

• Inho Yang will teach classical piano and other genres of music.

• Ben Salter, a Shelby County Schools band teacher, will teach students how to play the clarinet and saxophone and other instruments as well.

• Kenya Nichols, a vocal trainer, will also teach piano, particularly to the very young students.

• Tamara Hart Louis, a vocal trainer as well, will teach beginning piano.

Other coaches and trainers will be added to the roster as well, said Ross, who has two musically gifted siblings. His brother, Tony Ross, is a recording artist. And his sister, Dominique Ross, is a vocalist. Their mother, Elnora Ross, also sings; and their father, the Rev. William Ross Sr., is an avid supporter and pastor of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Somerville, Tenn.

“I want Redwood to become a household name,” said Ross. “I learned from some of the best to watch the industry and I’m trying to make the right steps, do the right thing, to make sure Redwood is a company of integrity and also known for its professionalism. We actually help and not just talk.”

Ross also envisions Redwood as the catalyst to help students in public schools yearning for a more music-and-art-based curriculum, particularly when the often-wielded budget axe is used to cut away music and art programs from public schools.

“Hopefully, Redwood will be able to partner with the local school system,” said Ross. “We definitely would want to contract with them to bring music into those schools that don’t have music.”

Unlike Stax Music Academy – which “inspires young people and enhances their academic, cognitive, performance, and leadership skills…with an intense focus on the rich legacy and tradition of Stax Records” – Ross said Redwood is a one-stop shop, a boutique, designed to leverage success in the music industry.

“I look up to Stax,” he said. “We would actually like to think that Redwood is going to customize the training for those that may not be as talented to get into Stax, but they can come here and we’ll actually nurture them.

“I know they’re doing similar things like Redwood, but this has been a dream from childhood up. Stax is definitely a great facility, a great organization, and they have some of the most popular, famous, individuals there at Stax.”

Fame just may be the final outcome of Ross’ efforts to position Redwood in the forefront of the music industry. If it happens, he hopes to heap much of it on the artists who walk through the doors and leave with a professional makeover.

“We are starting today with the legacy of Redwood,” said Ross, showing friends and supporters at the “open house” the journey the music group is about to embark on.

For more information about Redwood Music Group, visit www.redwoodmusicgroup.com or call Janice Hall, the executive administrator, at (901) 379-8120. 

Perignon’s premieres ‘Sunday Gospel Showcase’

     

Customers patronizing Perignon's Restaurant on Sundays, like Anthony "Ambee" Johnson
(left) and David Tate, will be treated to a delectable meal and "Sunday Gospel Showcase," a platform
for gospel singers and musicians to entertain the Sunday crowd. Patrice Myers (right) is the manager and
Thadesha Barber is one of the servers. (Photo: Wiley Henry)

     “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” – Psalm 100:2 (NIV)

The scripture is an exhortation to praise God in song – and that’s what Robert Myers will be doing each Sunday, starting Nov. 22 at 5 p.m., when liturgical dancers, gospel singers, poets, choirs and quartets take to the stage at Perignon’s Restaurant for “Sunday Gospel Showcase.”

The gospel showcase is a platform for gospel artists and musicians, said Telisa Franklin, an on-air personality for AM 1380 WLRM, who will host the weekly showcase. “I want to give the new artists a platform to perform, to showcase their gifts and talents, to give them an outlet,” she said.

The world needs to see noted and aspiring gospel artists and musicians, said Franklin, particularly those on the local level, who have the desire to serve the Lord through spirited gospel music and entertainment.

Telisa Franklin

 “I want to be this generation’s Dr. Bobby Jones (host of Bobby Jones Gospel, which premiered in 1980 on Black Entertainment Network). I want to take the baton and take it to the next level,” said Franklin, who plans to air the gospel showcase on various TV networks.

It didn’t take much to convince Myers, though, that the church-going crowd is just as gung-ho about gospel music and entertainment as the un-churched is about secular music. The only difference is the choice of music and entertainment and, of course, the patron’s age.

Myers launched Perignon’s three years ago as a restaurant and lounge, which often filled with very young patrons – the hip-hop generation. Now he’s rebranding the facility to attract an older, more settled, crowd.

 “We stopped calling it a lounge, because it didn’t attract the church crowd,” he said. “The gospel showcase will give the restaurant a (new) twist…from a gospel standpoint. I want to keep it gospel or gospel jazz.” 

The showcase is open to anyone who wants to sing or bring in a choir. Myers is not sure about adding rap to the lineup or whether the genre has the potential to reach the “settled” adult crowd that he’s looking for.

“I’m more traditional, some contemporary, when it comes to gospel music,” said Myers, a member of Breath Of Life Christian Center in the Raleigh-Frayser community. “This is based on faith, but I do want people to know that we do good business.”

So Myers spiffed up the restaurant to enhance the ambience and aura of fine dining. He’s also trying to make the restaurant the go-to place and where singers and liturgical dancers, for example, can ply their skills.

“We will introduce you and you can present your skills,” said Myers, offering an opportunity to anyone interested in showcasing their talent or anyone looking to build a rapport with a settled, adult audience.

Perignon’s is located in the Timbercreek Plaza in the Raleigh-Bartlett community. The restaurant is located on the east side of the building and adjacent to a banquet facility on the west side. Myers owns both, including a hair salon in the area – Valentinos Hair Salon.

“We are a family-owned and family-friendly business,” said Myers. His wife, Valerie, operates the salon, which opened 25 years ago. Their daughter, Patrice Myers, is Perignon’s manager; and their son, Valentino Myers, is employed at Perignon’s.

Before Perignon’s was born, there was V’s Café and Mr. V’s Wings, two businesses that preceded the sleek and dainty restaurant, which was named, Myers explained, after a fine and exquisite champagne, Dom Pérignon.

“We didn’t want to do anything ordinary, something that everybody was doing,” said Myers, hoping the launch of Sunday Gospel Showcase will be more than an ordinary platform for gospel artists and musicians.

“We want to give something that people can relate to,” he said.

For more information about Sunday Gospel Showcase, visit www.sundaygospelshowcase.com or call (901) 373-9952.

Tennessee Mass Choir celebrates 25 years in honor of its founder

Jason T. Clark (center), choral director for The Tennessee Mass Choir, assumed the role
after the death of his mother, Fannie Mae Cole Clark, in 2013. (Courtesy photos)

Jason T. Clark gets a little emotional when he talks about his mother and her arduous job of corralling a group of singers and fine-tuning their voices into a melodic blend of traditional and contemporary gospel music.

“It definitely makes me emotional to know that she taught us so well to the point that we have the ability to carry out exactly what she placed in us,” said Clark. “We haven’t missed a beat for the last two years.”

The beat will go on Sunday, Nov. 15, when Clark pays tribute to his late mother, Fannie Mae Cole Clark, and when The Tennessee Mass Choir, the choral group she founded in 1990, celebrates its 25^th anniversary at First Baptist Church-Broad, 2835 Broad Ave.

Hosted by Michael Adrian Davis of 95.7 Hallelujah FM, the concert will start at 5 p.m. Special guest artists include Karen Brown, Everett McBee, Tara Clark, Tabitha Adams, and more. The concert is free and open to the public. 

Mrs. Clark, who once led The Fannie Clark Singers prior to founding the TMC, died in 2013. She’d become an integral part of the local gospel music scene and was regarded as the quintessential choirmaster.

Fannie Mae Cole Clark

“She was such a giant in everything she did,” said Clark, who now presides over the choir. “I get emotional even just thinking about the fact of…first of all…this being a milestone of 25 years of something that she built, even though she’s no longer here with us.”

Mrs. Clark led, directed and promoted the TMC, using wit and personality to bring attention to the choir and her ministry. She was a one-woman, public relations guru, who would ferry press releases and photos to the media and follow up with a kind word.

She was determined to catapult the choir to the “big stage,” on which they’d eventually share with nationally known gospel recording artists such as Fred Hammond, John P. Kee and Shirley Caesar. They’ve also performed at upscale events such as the Titanic Exhibition, the Memphis Sunset Symphony, and the Southern Governor’s Regional Convention.

“She prepared us well,” said Clark, one of his mother’s four children. The Rev. Derek Clark, pastor of Rejoice in the Covenant Church in Memphis, is the eldest, followed by Mignonette Clark Durham of Carrollton, Texas, Jackie B. Clark, and the youngest, Jason Clark.

“We’re (the TMC) like a well-oiled machine…a level of professionalism that she instilled in us, a level of service, a level of community. It’s not just in me as a leader, but it’s in all of us. We’re like a big happy family.”

The “family” consists of 35 members, in addition to the seven or eight choir members Clark added after he took over as choral director. He brought on new members, he explained, to expand the choir and to take them farther in ministry than where his mother had taken them, including adding to their repertoire of songs.

“We are very, very diverse. We do everything from down home gospel to praise and worship to inspirational to spirituals and a cappella numbers. And we do contemporary songs,” said Clark. “That’s why over these 25 years we’ve been able to reach so many ages and be relevant to the times.”

The people who attend the TMC concerts are as young as nine and as old as 90, he said. “There is something for everybody…something that everybody can relate to. Again, that’s just a testament of who my mother was.”

Leadership is also important, said Clark, adding that each member of the TMC is just as capable as he is when representing the choir and ministering to God’s people. His mother, he said, had set the example.

“All of us can lead in our respective communities,” said Clark. “I just know within my heart that she would be proud because of the simple fact that we’re really carrying out the legacy exactly the way that she taught us. We haven’t deviated at all.”

Clark said his mother had never met a stranger that she didn’t feel good talking to and vice versa. “As a ministry, that’s what we aspire to do even in our music. We want you to be able to experience our concert and walk away from it knowing that there was something that we sang or something that we said or spoken that inspired you.”

That’s what Clark intends to do when the TMC unleashes a plethora of songs in concert. The audience can expect a spirit-filled afternoon, Clark said, when the Holy Spirit shows up.  And in the coming months, the choir will rev up the spirit once again when they start recording for a new album.

Clark said he and his mother had talked about recording two years ago. She had given the album a name. “I was like, ‘We already have a name for the record: Timeless Message, New Revelations.’ The thing that I’m carrying out is…all of the things that we talked about…”

Music is in the family’s blood, said Clark, recalling one of his fondest memories as a child when he cap-napped on an amplifier while The Fannie Clark Singers were in concert. He was a willing musician, but he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

“I was about six years old,” said Clark. “And back then I used to play the tambourine. I would sleep on the amp during the concert and then wake up and start back playing the tambourine. I was always around it (music).”

The enthusiasm that Clark had shown then will be amped up as chorale director, which he plans to channel when The Tennessee Mass Choir celebrates its 25^th anniversary and pays tribute to its founder, Fannie Mae Cole Clark.

To learn more about The Tennessee Mass Choir, go to www.tnmass.org. For concert information, contact Jason Clark at (901) 503-4611 or email him at jclark@tnmass.org.  

Controversial author and social activist Shahrazad Ali will speak at MLK Labor Center on Nov. 14.

       

Shadrazad Ali (Courtesy photo)

        Shahrazad Ali, a noted author, activist and social commentator from Cincinnati, Ohio, will be in Memphis Saturday, Nov. 14, to discuss the topic “A Nation Can Rise No Higher Than Its Woman: Where There’s No Decent Women, There's No Decent Men” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Center, 485 Beale St.

The Men-nefer Project, an African-centered concept that was developed to create and develop unity in Memphis, is bringing Ali to Memphis. The doors will open at 4 p.m. The show will start promptly at 4:30 p.m.

A bestselling author, independent publisher and social activist, Ali is one of the nation’s most “controversial” speakers. She is a self-taught educator who has worked for over 35 years specializing in social issues affecting the black community.

“Sister Ali will bring vital information (to Memphis) regarding the black family structure, one of the areas we need to focus on in order to strengthen the black family,” said Titus Robinson, representing The Men-nefer Project.

Robinson said he collaborated with Ali on the topic of her lecture, which comes from a message espoused by the late spiritual leader Elijah Muhammad – the “Messenger of Allah,” his followers had called him – who led the Nation of Islam (NOI) from 1934 until the time of his death in 1975.

Ali rose to fame after her book, “The Blackman's Guide to Understanding the Blackwoman (1989),” drew widespread controversy, criticism and ridicule, which led to appearances on several national talk shows such as “Tony Brown’s Journal,” “The Sally Jessie Raphael Show,” “The Phil Donahue Show and Geraldo.”

Here’s an excerpt from the book: “Her unbridled tongue is the main reason she cannot get along with the Blackman...if she ignores the authority and superiority of the Blackman, there is a penalty. When she crosses this line and becomes viciously insulting it is time for the Blackman to soundly slap her in the mouth.”

“The truth is always controversial especially when people are attractive to falsehoods and lies,” said Robinson, who doesn’t advocate hitting women. He pointed out that Ali, however, the mother of 12 children (nine adopted), doesn’t place women on pedestals.

“She brings them back to earth,” he said. “She is telling all the black women’s secrets and the method she uses to keep a black man in her web.”

Ali’s reputation and tongue-lashing remarks have been fodder for news stories and commentaries in more than 1,000 newspapers, journals and magazines throughout the country. She has been a constant presence on TV and heard on the radio for over 20 years.

“People will come looking for an alternative and a solution. People want help for their marriage and family based on cooperation,” said Robinson. “She talks about how to survive in America without being killed by the enemy…and what must be done.”

Ali has penned other books as well: “The Blackwoman’s Guide to Understanding the Blackman (1992),” “Are You Still A Slave? (1994)” “Things Your Parents Should Have Told You (1998),” “How Not To Eat Pork: Life Without the Pig (1985)” and a textbook called “Urban Survival for the Year 2000.”

Ali is also featured in the critically acclaimed documentary “Hidden Colors,” a four-part film series suggesting the marginalization of African Americans in America and the world.

After a brief hiatus from the airwaves, Ali emerged in 2013 as a guest commentator on HLN’s “Dr. Drew on Call,” where she expressed indignation after George Zimmerman was found “not guilty” for killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Although controversy continues to follow Ali, the activist has earned numerous awards and citations for her efforts to help solve some of the problems affecting black people: crime, waywardness, a lack of family values, and errant relationships.

“We’re dealing with the same issues that we dealt with in the 1930s, ‘40s, ‘50s and up to 2015,” said Robinson, who believes Ali can help shed light on many of those issues and provide a workable solution for black people in Memphis.

Aside from Ali’s lecture, attendees will be privy to music, food and entertainment. Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.menneferproject.com or by calling 901-502-3481. For More information, call (901) 864-5008.

Can Mayor-elect Jim Strickland bridge a splintered Memphis community?

     

Mayor-elect Jim Strickland thanks his supporters, including a bevy of African-
Americans who stumped with him on the campaign trail. (Photo by Wiley Henry)

       “It’s over!” said former Shelby County Commissioner Sidney Chism, a resounding declaration that his longtime friend, Councilman Jim Strickland, had already scored a major victory before it was known that he’d trounced the incumbent mayor of Memphis in the Oct. 8 mayoral election.   

Chism had predicted Strickland would defeat Mayor A C Wharton Jr. at 8:30 p.m., an hour and a half before Strickland stood gaily amid a throng of supporters at Memphis Botanic Gardens to announce that he’d indeed won the race.

The former commissioner had foreseen a new chief executive moving into City Hall based on “the amount of support that A C has lost in the black community…and based on black folks wanting a change…and not who the candidate was.”

“With that in mind, it was easy to predict who would win,” said Chism, former chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party.

“When we started, we felt like we had the message that would resonate all throughout this city – which was focused on driving down crime and change. And that’s what the people wanted, whether North Memphis, East Memphis or South Memphis,” said Strickland following his victory speech.

Strickland is the first white mayor of Memphis since Dr. Willie W. Herenton beat incumbent Dick Hackett by a mere 142 votes in that historic election in 1991. Herenton would go on to serve five terms before the charter was amended to two consecutive four-year terms for Memphis mayor.

Strickland made history as well. He beat Wharton 2-to-1 in a race that pitted him against a slate of African-American candidates that included Strickland’s council mate Harold Collins and  Mike Williams, president of the Memphis Police Association.

“This is historic,” said Ken Moody, a former Memphis State University basketball standout, city division director under Herenton, and Strickland’s co-campaign manager. “In the words of Dr. King: ‘We are on the move!’”

With all 119 precincts reporting, Strickland amassed 41,810 votes (42 percent) to Wharton’s 22,184 votes (22 percent). Collins garnered 18,481 votes (18 percent) for a third place finish and Williams trailed with 16,174 votes (16 percent). Six other mayoral candidates received 1 percent or less.

Wharton was first elected mayor in a special election in October 2009 to replace Herenton, who vacated the seat after winning his fifth term in office. There were 25 candidates in the race and 61 percent of the electorate sent Wharton to City Hall. He was reelected in 2011 with 65 percent of the vote.

Early returns on Thursday were hampered by glitches in the voting equipment. But after the votes were finally tallied later in the evening, Wharton conceded the race to Strickland after 10 p.m. It was a heart-breaking defeat for Wharton, but he remained composed.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine,” he told his supporters at the Holiday Inn Memphis-University of Memphis.

Wharton’s last day in office is Dec. 31. Strickland will be sworn in as the new mayor of Memphis on Jan. 1, 2016. During the transition period, he’ll start filling key positions in his administration and preparing his new team to govern after he takes the oath of office.

Strickland said his first order of business is to “go after the best possible” chief administrative officer, finance director, human resource director, and police director. “Those are the four most important positions,” he said.

Crime abatement remains a high priority on Strickland’s list of things to do. “Starting Jan. 1,” he said, “I will personally focus on driving down crime every single day and just serving the public. That’s all the public wants.”

African Americans want even more from the mayor-elect. His victory is a mandate to right what they believe is wrong with Memphis and to set the city and their community on a trajectory toward growth and prosperity.

Wharton, on the other hand, failed to persuade the electorate – both black and white – that he has the wherewithal to take the city forward. So based on water cooler conversations in the African American community, a vote for Strickland was more or less a vote against Wharton.

“No matter who won, it was going to be a difficult challenge,” said Strickland. “With 30 percent poverty…with the crime the way it is, with the blight the way it is…it’s going to be hard… but I’m excited about the opportunity to gather a team of quality people to change Memphis.”

“He’ll do what is right for the city of Memphis and the total population. His heart is in the right place,” said Chism, who has known the mayor-elect for more than 20 years.

Because there were snafus that Wharton could not fix or contain within his administration, Chism said he didn’t think people would tolerate from Strickland what they’d tolerated from Wharton.

The mayor-elect understands the delicate position that he’s now confronted with and understands there has to be some bridge building to pull together the diverse communities in Memphis.

“Change is coming to Memphis,” Strickland promised and noted that his work is just beginning to address the serious ills affecting Memphis. “We will build a new administration from the top down to reflect the diversity and richness of this city…

“It doesn’t matter where you were born or what you look like. It doesn’t matter who you are or who you know. It doesn’t matter if you live in Orange Mound or Midtown, South Side or Southwind, I will be everybody’s mayor.”

“His heart is in the right place,” said Kay Smith, the mother of Strickland’s wife, Melyne. “And if anybody can turn it around, he can.”

 Before it was announced that Strickland had won, Smith said she’d prayed for his wisdom, character and integrity to remain the same if he should become mayor.

“I want him to remain who he is,” she said. “I don’t want him to change. He’s a Christian and he was brought up that way.” 

‘Grandma’s Big Vote’ is a clarion call to encourage voting

       Mary Alice Gandy managed to survive the hardships of Jim Crow, but those difficult days paled in comparison to the joy she must have felt after her grandson drove her to the Shelby County Election Commission to early vote for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

The media swarmed over Mrs. Gandy during that watershed moment. It was her first and only vote for a candidate vying for any elected office, locally or nationally. She was 106 years old then and eager to cast her vote for the soon-to-be first elected African-American president. 

“She always wanted to vote. But because of Jim Crow, she got turned away. She lost her hope; she gave up until she saw advertisements on TV that a black candidate was running for president,” said William A. Gandy Jr., who also registered his grandmother to vote after she tried unsuccessfully in 1960s Mississippi.

Voting brought immense joy to Mrs. Gandy, her grandson said, and an invitation from the Democratic Party to attend the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C. But Gandy was convinced that his grandmother was too ill to make the arduous trip. Instead, the two watched the spectacle unfold on TV.

“It brought joy and tears to her eyes,” he said.

The herculean effort on Mrs. Gandy’s part to get out and vote, even in her feeble condition, motivated her grandson to self-publish a children’s book in 2011 titled “Grandma’s Big Vote.” Mrs. Gandy, however, died in 2009 at the age of 108, but not before fulfilling a once-denied, long-awaited, civic responsibility.

“If my grandmother could vote at that age, it means anybody can vote,” said Gandy, driving home the central point of the book. “It’s a civic duty that we should not ignore – especially minorities.”

That year Obama received a groundswell of support from minorities, many of them casting votes for the first time. The surge put Obama over the top compared to the number of minorities supporting Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee.

According to the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Connecticut, 95 percent of African Americans voted for Obama. Hispanic: 67 percent. Asian: 62 percent. Mrs. Gandy, however, was among those 65 and older voting for Obama. But not many people, her grandson surmised, expected a centenarian to vote.

“It’s a proven fact that democracy works better if people would go out and exercise their right to vote. The world would be different if they did,” he said. “Everybody should exercise their constitutional rights to vote.”

“Grandma’s Big Vote” is an important civic undertaking for Gandy in light of the hullabaloo over the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 2013. Voters are now required to show a photo ID as a condition for voting in a federal, state, or local election.

“The courts weakened the Voting Rights Act,” said Gandy, who hopes to change the mindset of people who don’t vote or who are reluctant to take part in the political process. “But I want people to know that they shouldn’t have a problem in voting.”

“The goal is to encourage kids at a young age and adults alike, when they become 18, to register to vote,” added Nathaniel Ray Nolan, a barbeque maven and national marketing director for “Grandma’s Big Vote.” 

Just as importantly, Gandy just wants people to know about his grandmother, the crux of “Grandma’s Big Vote,” which took him about six months to complete. Brian Truesby, a Memphis College of Art graduate, illustrated the book.

Gandy conceived the book in a dream, then put pen to paper. “I woke up at 4 in the morning and started writing the book,” said Gandy, who wrote an accompaniment called “Be The Vote,” a song that can be downloaded for 99 cents on iTunes.

A church musician, Gandy added his voice and soothing music to the 3:47 minute clarion call to attract voters. The lyrics underscore his plea:

“Your mother can be the vote/Anybody can be the vote/Let’s turn out and make a change.”

Gandy is now planning to introduce “Grandma’s Big Vote” to the educators for school-age children in Shelby County Schools. The book, he said, has already been introduced into the school system in Columbus.

With writer-director Larry NuTall, Gandy wrote a play called “Grandma's Big Vote: The Play,” which was performed at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. Actress Mary Woods played the leading role of the aging Mrs. Gandy. The play was filmed and shown – in addition to a voters registration drive – at the Malco Paradisco in 2013.

Gandy expects the movie version to debut next year in February during Black History Month. He already has a title for it – “A Lifetime to Hope.” “It’s going to be about my grandmother’s life and love interest…that she tried to vote but [they] ran her away from the courthouse. The Jim Crow laws in Mississippi.”

Mrs. Gandy, a sharecropper’s widow and descendant of slaves, was born in 1906 on the “Mullin Pratt Plantation” near Columbus, Miss., said Gandy, a self-employed barber. “My grandmother was the matriarch of the family. She was a seamstress and inspired people in the family to be entrepreneurs.”

The narrative that Gandy is drawing from includes other family members as well, such as his father, who died a year before Mrs. Gandy, his mother. Gandy’s mother is still living. He also has seven siblings.

“They totally support me 100 percent,” he said.

It has been seven years since Mrs. Gandy’s maiden vote. Gandy, however, is still trudging along, trying to encourage the electorate to do what his grandmother had waited most of her life to do – and that was VOTE!

“Grandma’s Big Vote” is sold at The Booksellers at Laurelwood. For more information about “Grandma’s Big Vote,” contact William Gandy Jr. at 901-483-9056 or go to www.grandmasbigvote.simdif.com. 

Can Memphis do what Nashville has done and elect a woman mayor?

     

Dr. Sharon A. Webb, the only woman in the 2015 Memphis mayoral race,
faces an uphill battle against formidable opponents. (Photo by Wiley Henry)

       Dr. Sharon A. Webb’s campaign for mayor could end up dead on arrival in the Memphis municipal election on Oct. 8 after failing to resuscitate a poor debate performance at First Congregational Church on July 28.  

Webb is the only woman on the ballot in the mayor’s race and made that point explicitly clear throughout the debate and from that point forward on the campaign trail. “I am the only woman in this race,” she said. “And we need a woman in that office.”

Webb’s point is well taken. But women have not been successful in their bid for the mayor’s job, said attorney Carol Chumney, who ran unsuccessfully for Shelby County mayor in 2002, city mayor in 2007 and again for city mayor in the 2009 special election.

 “I would hope people during some point will give a woman a chance,” said Chumney, a former state legislator and city council member. “We’ve got a lot of qualified women in this city and state. It’s time to break the glass ceiling. All people want is a level playing field.”

The glass ceiling was broken just recently in Nashville when Megan Barry became the first Metro Council member to be elected mayor. She beat David Fox 55 percent to 45 percent after a five-week run-off to become the first female mayor to head the metropolitan government.

But is it pure conjecture or wishful thinking on Webb’s part to believe that she could become the first female mayor of Memphis? Her performance in July, however, just didn’t jell with some voters and drew harsh criticism. To put it kindly, Webb is in a league of her own, one she believes is undergirded by divine intervention.

 “I do believe in miracles,” said Webb, the founder and senior pastor of Life Changing Word Ministries World Center. “I do believe in divine intervention. I feel good about the race. I feel I have just as good a chance as the other candidates.”

So what drives Webb to hedge her bets against four well-financed, politically astute front-runners – Mayor A C Wharton Jr., Councilman Jim Strickland, Councilman Harold Collins, and Mike Williams, president of the Memphis Police Association?

 “The city is going down,” she said. “The city needs to be nurtured back to health. I’m a nurturer. I know how to love the city back to life. Right now, a man doesn’t know how to fix it – and I do. I’m in the trenches every single day. I see what the people need.”

Like Chumney and a field of other contenders, Webb ran for mayor in the 2009 special election. Wharton ultimately won after ending his seven-year tenure as Shelby County mayor. But Webb loss more than she’d bargained for in that race when she drew a blank during a televised forum after she was asked about two actions she would take as mayor.

Webb admits being intimidated by her well-known opponents: Wharton, Councilman Myron Lowery, attorney Charles Carpenter, WWE standout Jerry “The King” Lawler, former school board member Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr., Robert “Mongo” Hodges, former City Council member Wanda Halbert, to name a few.

“During that time I was so afraid,” said Webb. “Fear gripped me and my mind just went blank. It wasn’t that I couldn’t think of an answer, or didn’t know the answer, I just went blank.”

Webb is facing Wharton again and others who are just as formidable and well known. But is she intimidated this time on the campaign trail? Or has she learned to craft her answers to avoid being subjected to mockery and unflattering remarks?   

 “If I didn’t love the people, do you think I would put myself through this again? I care about people, so I can look pass that. The need is greater than what they write or say about me. That’s why I keep moving in spite of the ridicule.”

Despite Webb’s perceived shortcomings – and she admits not being a great debater – Chumney acknowledges Webb’s affability “and a person of faith whose heart is right.” But will these attributes translate into votes and bring her within striking distance of City Hall?

“We’ve had an African-American county mayor, an African-American city mayor, African-American county commissioners and African-American city councilmen and women, but we haven’t had a woman in the mayor’s office,” said Chumney, noting the degree of difficulty for a woman to become the chief executive officer.

There is an exception: Former Shelby County Commissioner Joyce Avery served 45 days as the interim county mayor after Wharton took office at City Hall. Avery made history, but the Commission appointed Joe Ford to fill the remaining nine months of Wharton’s term.  

Former commissioner and businesswoman Deidre Malone, the Democratic nominee for mayor of Shelby County in 2014, tried to wrest the seat from incumbent Republican Mayor Mark H. Luttrell Jr., but she suffered a disappointing loss in the general election.

There are 10 mayoral candidates on the Memphis ballot altogether. But the spotlight hasn’t landed squarely on the so-called lower-tier candidates, which could elevate their profile significantly like the profiles of the big four: Wharton, Strickland, Collins and Williams.

“The media selected four candidates. It’s not fair and it’s not right when there are 10 people in the race,” lamented Webb, who was invited to participate in just a couple of forums or debates although there have been several.

“They didn’t invite me to the forums and debates because they don’t think I’m qualified,” she said. “That’s their choice, but it isn’t right.”

Webb has some political experience. She was elected to the school board of legacy Memphis City Schools and the Memphis Charter Commission, a body that reviewed and suggested changes to the city’s charter.

“It didn’t say you have to have 15 years of government experience,” said Webb, noting that her qualifications to run for mayor put her on the ballot. “When you work in a job or an administration you learn on the job.”

It’s a huge challenge for any woman, Chumney maintains. “Are we holding women to too high standards? Are we sexist? These are questions I grapple with. So how do you break the glass ceiling? You can’t break the glass ceiling unless you run.”

Webb says she’s not discouraged even though huge barriers are blocking her path to City Hall. “I refuse to allow anybody to put me in a box and say what I can’t do. It takes courage to stand up there, to put your name on the list. It takes Jesus.”

It also takes a lot of money to run a successful campaign. “Having $400,000 in your war-chest doesn’t make you a winner. It’s the voters,” said Webb, referencing the huge war chests amassed by the top two contenders, Wharton and Strickland.

“You don’t have to have billboards to win an election,” said Webb, running a grass root campaign instead. “Sometimes it gets hard, but you just get out your Kleenex and keep running. You have to encourage yourself. And I’m going to run to the end.”