Brother George's

Fairly recently I picked-up a camera and began snapping photos of everything I saw trying to ascertain whether or not I have an eye for the art. After randomly snapping pictures I thought it would be more productive to create a specific project for myself and seeing as I am far from having the funding to finance a trip to either Spain or Egypt, I figured I would start with something closer to home. So with that in mind I have begun taking pictures of places and people that I frequent and influence me here in the Norfolk, VA area. The working title of the project at the moment is “Where I’m From.” Although the project is far from complete I thought my blog would be the perfect place to work through the process. The first place that jumped in my mind was the Self Improvement Educational Center. It is an oasis of knowledge and health located in the center of the Park Place, one of Norfolk’s most notorious neighborhoods.

Sad to say during my grammar and high school years I did little more than just enough to get by. Meaning I basically rote memorized my way through school. I eventually joined the Navy and it was there I quickly realized the importance of having an education and more importantly direction. I found myself fascinated with the conversations about religion, culture, and politics I was hearing some of the older cats engaging in during off hours in the berthing compartments. As much as I wished to join in I had no frame of reference to add to the conversation other then the jingoistic perspectives one receives from public school education.
So it was sometime during my first year in the Navy I decided for the first time to pick-up a book for no other reason than to expand my mind. I don’t recall how I came across them but I got a hold of a copy of ; The Last Speeches of Malcolm X, and The Philosophies of Marcus Aureilus. After I tore through both of those books I was ready to devour more.

The sign on the building says it all “Self Improvement Educational Center.” I had passed by the store numerous times but for one reason or another never bothered to stop in. With my recent discovery of Malcolm and the numerous Islamic references being dropped in Hip-Hop music at the time, I wanted to learn more about the subject and something told me that the store on 35th and Newport may just have what I was looking for. Not only did I find the information I was looking for but I found a place that would guide and support me to this very day.

The guide I found came in the way of the proprietor of the store George Welch, known throughout the community as “Brother George.” In fact Brother George’s presence is so ubiquitously linked to the store that no one ever refers to it as the “Self Improvement Educational Center” but simple as “Brother George’s.” Back when artist such as Check D and KRS 1 were dropping science in their songs about historical figures and events, it was Brother George who directed me to what books to read. Not only did he direct me to the proper literature but he was always available to provide an explanation and insight into the new information I was digesting. Once I became heavily active in grass roots organizing I could always count on Brother George to allow us to use his store for meetings, video showings, or even a press conference. As a member of the paler nation Brother George never once made me feel as if I wasn’t welcomed in his store, as I’m sure others have had something to say about it, but from the day I walked in to his store Brother George never blinked an eye and has never been anything but supportive of myself and my endeavors. In fact it was Brother George who provided me with one of the more memorable moments of my activist life.

During the run up to the Million Family March in assisting the local Nation Of Islam contingent Brother George invited local grass roots organizations out to help assist in drumming up publicity and getting people bussed up to the march. At the time I was running the local chapter of the International Family and Friends of Mumia-Abu Jamal chapter and in that capacity received an invitation to help organize. As the March date approached Min. Farrakhan went on cross country speaking tour to further advertise the march. When the Minister arrived here a personal meeting with local activist and city official was setup at his hotel and I was asked to be a part of the meeting. Not only did I get to meet and talk with the Minister but a picture of me at the meeting appeared in The Final Call newspaper. As I was preparing to leave the meeting Minster Albert who was running the local NOI temple at the time asked if I would give some opening remarks and an update on Mumia’s case later that evening prior to Minister Farrakhan speaking a local church. Needless to say I was honored and horrified, honored that I was going to get to speak before the Minister but horrified that I would be speaking before the Minister ya dig? Anyway I got my fifteen minutes that evening and because of my association with Brother George I can actually say I spoke on the same dais as Minister Farrakhan.

My story is only one of hundreds of brothers and sisters who have stepped foot in Brother George’s store. It is place one can feed their body proper nutrients and their mind right knowledge. On any given evening there will be brothers in a cipher discussing anything from Dr. Ben to Jazz music or the benefits of holistic living. For years I have stopped by at least twice a month to get a bean pie and a Final Call newspaper. Now days I take my babies for their bean pies and more importantly their exposure to a place that could hold the key to unlocking the vast potential of their minds. I have been to book stores similar to Brother George’s from New York to San Diego but this is the one I call home and it is the one for me that all other are compared. Although Brother George has talked of turning the store over to a younger brother of late no matter who is running the store, to me and I think most others, the Self Improvement Educational Center will always be “Brother George’s.”


Nas Dawud and Brother George.

Requiem For A B-Boy

I started this on April 4th (the 40th year recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King JR’s assassination) and around this time I would normally write some euphuistic ode on how Dr. King’s words and image is so often taken out of context in a disingenuous manner by those utilizing them for ulterior motives that have little to do with King’s complex vision. But last evening I got news of the passing of Wayne “Frosty Freeze” Frost an incomparable member of the NYC B-Boy crew, Rock Steady Crew, and this caused me to reflect in a much different manner.

Like any cultural changing movement some names transcend the movement as King did in the American Civil Rights Movement, and the B-boy movement is no different. Names like Crazy Legs and Ken Swift can usually be thrown out by a pedestrian observer of the culture. But Frosty Freeze was more like those who marched and held up the signs that produced the ground swell of people power that allowed King the ability to be heard and affect change. Although Hip-Hop culture and the Civil Rights movement are far from transparent they both have had a profound affect on the intersection of race, class, and social interaction in the last half of the 20th century, and Hip-hop continues to inform the early part of the 21st century. Frosty Freeze’s importance in Hip-Hop culture was equally as influential and profound as not only the foot soldiers in the Civil Rights movement, but those lesser known organizers (Bayard Rustin, Fred Shuttlesworth) who were equally as visionary as King.

Quiet as kept if it were not for cats like Frosty rolling with Crazy Legs B-Boying may have been erased as an element altogether in the late 70’s. It was through the commitment and dedication to the culture of B-boys like Frosty that when the original cotangent of B-Boys were moving in other directions with their lives this second generation of B-boys not only resuscitated the art but proved to be innovators as well. Not only did the dance survive but Frosty and this second generation of B-Boys became international stars appearing in movies and on television throughout the world in the early to mid 80’s. They were integral in laying the foundation for the international appeal of the culture.

To me Frosty represents all the people who came out to Kool Herc’s building parties at 1520 Sedgwick Ave in the Bronx, which soon grew into people filling up near by Cedar Park that then turned into jams in parks all over NYC, onto the clubs, and eventually the world. Frosty represents not only those who filled up the parks back in the day but those who continue to embrace the entirety of the culture (meaning the four original elements as laid down by Afrika Bambatta-Writing, DJing, B-Boying, and Emceeing). Frosty represents the B-Boys who do if strictly for the love. The ones who do it for the thrill of those fleeting moments when your in the middle of the circle and the crowd is yelling and clapping with anticipation of your every move, and the beat pulsating through your body as you wreck the floor commanding the respect of all in attendance. That is who and what Frosty represents to me.

Unfortunately large portions of Hip-Hop culture have become mired in the decadence and hedonism of the age. Fortunately there are still gyms and small venues where DJ’s throw down playing classic break beats, and B-boys rule the floor. There is still Zulu Anniversary parties where you can still smell the original incarnation of the culture. Although many scenes like this may be difficult to find they are out there, and it is there where the spirit of Frosty Freeze, and true Hip-Hop culture will always live.
“…keep rockin don’t stop it, keep rocking don’t stop…”