LETOYA'S DESTINY: Ex DC member reflects on her now sweet success after being
booted from group
*For former Destiny's Child member, LeToya Luckett, now known as simply LeToya, success is sweet revenge. She may not come right out and say it, so we'll say it for her.
Of course we all know what happened to her 6 years ago when, out of nowhere, she and LaTavia Roberson were given their walking papers by Beyonce's daddy Mathew Knowles, DC's manager.
Her first clue that she was about to be ghost from the group was when she
watching the "Say My Name" video on TV and noticed that she and Roberson had
been replaced. Ironically, that song not only featured LeToya's vocals but she
co-wrote it. In spite of the indignity, LeToya told the NY Daily news that she
never felt anger, bitterness or a need for vengeance.
"It was more just hurt," she insists. "I knew I would never get to see
them again. I couldn't call Beyoncé just to talk. The only way of seeing them
was in magazines and on TV, showing how successful they were. But I never felt
like I didn't want them to be successful."
A lot of folks would still be pissed, but success has a way of making one
feel gracious and move on. And that's what she's doing. Speaking of success,
LeToya's single, "Torn" went all the way to #2 and her eponymous debut CD was
released yesterday.
Surprisingly, LeToya, who met Beyonce in high school, in Houston, never
wanted to be a solo performer. With that in mind, she claims the rumors that she
wanted so sing more leads in Destiny are false.
"Everyone knew their role," she says. "I was singing support."
She explained that the drama in the group started because she and LaTavia
never got to see their families, but Beyonce and Kelly Rowland did. (Remember
Mathew and Tina Knowles ran the group and Kelly lived in the Knowles household.)
After the DC fallout, LeToya Robertson formed a group called Angel. But it
didn't work.
"Things weren't organized," She says. "We never even got a manager."
In the interim, LeToya used some of her Destiny's Child royalties to open
a clothing store in Houston. (And yes, she carries Beyonce and Tina's line of
clothing.) Still, she knew she'd sing again one day ... as part of a group.
When she inked a deal with an L.A. management company, she thought they'd
connect her with another group. Instead, they encouraged her to go solo.
'HOT FEET' BURNS OUT: EW&F inspired musical will end its run this Sunday.
*If by chance you were planning on visiting New York, say the first
weekend in August, and you wanted to take in the Earth Wind & Fire inspired
musical "Hot Feet," well, you and your feet will have keep on walkin'.
The critically-derided musical will end its Broadway run on July 23. When
it closes, it will have played 12 previews and 89 regular performances at the
Hilton Theatre.
"Hot Feet," starring Vivian Nixon as Kalimba, was conceived, directed and
choreographed by Maurice Hines. The show tells the Faustian tale of a beautiful
young dancer, Kalimba, whose life's dream is to be a Broadway dancer. Kalimba is
cajoled to dance with a pair of magical and enchanted red shoes, and when she
puts them on, they begin to take control of the talented dancer's fate.
The show features a book by Heru Ptah (best known for writing the book A
Hip-Hop Story). Earth, Wind and Fire founder Maurice White wrote original music
and lyrics for Hot Feet, but it also features the group's classic hits,
including "Shining Star," "September," "Boogie Wonderland" and "After the Love
Has Gone."
After a tryout at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., Hot Feet
opened on Broadway on April 30 to mostly negative reviews. In his Broadway.com
Review of the musical, William Stevenson wrote:
"The idea of fashioning a musical from the '70s R&B group's hits isn't a
bad one, and director-choreographer Maurice Hines' ensemble dance numbers often
match the energy of Maurice White's songs. The trouble comes when the cast stops
strutting and starts speaking."
EMINEM DODGES A BULLET: Rapper’s assault charges disappear.
*It appears that Eminem can’t even go to the bathroom without stirring up controversy. Recently, he was in a Detroit strip club and a man accused him of taking a shake then bitch smackin’ him all over the place.
The incident allegedly happened early Thursday morning. But suddenly, the vicitim has had a change of heart and told Detroit’s finest that he no longer wants to press charges.
"He said that the suspect had struck him several times," said Detroit Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Eren Stephens Bell. The spokeswoman also said police do not know why the charges had been dropped.
The alleged assault victim told Detroit’s channel 7 his name is Miad J and it seems the incident came as a total surprise to him.
"Eminem got done and boom. He started swinging," he told WXYZ. "I was just minding my own business, taking a leak."
Em, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, hadn’t had trouble with the law since he served a two-year probation for a pair of concealed weapons charges stemming from 2000.
He had an incident with a member of the Detroit-based heavy metal/rap group Insane Clown Posse. And another incident was the alleged pistol whipping of a man he caught at a Detroit bar kissing his wife, Kim Mathers.
SPIKE TV…AGAIN!: Controversial director tries out the small screen.
*NBC has made a gutsy move to bring Spike Lee to the network to develop a new drama series.
Negotiations with the controversial director began in May, after he directed the pilot for the new CBS legal drama "Shark," which stars James Woods.
Now the search is on for a writer to create the drama series, which Lee will develop, executive produce and possibly direct.
Lee's filmmaking career includes such groundbreaking work as "Malcolm X," "Jungle Fever,” “Do The Right Thing,” and “School Daze” to name a few. His latest documentary, "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" is the four-hour examination of the government response to Hurricane Katrina. The world premiere will be held August 16, at the New Orleans Arena and will air on HBO August 21.
T.O. JUST NEEDS LOVE: Ex-Eagle blames media for his image.
*Terrell Owens has not been in the limelight for a while after being dismissed from the Philadelphia Eagles. He blames the media for making him appear to be a selfish player, but he admits saying things about others that he wouldn't want said about him.
Tuesday night, he appeared on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” to sort of set the record straight on a few things.
"The only thing I can really think of is maybe it was the way I grew up, you know," he said, according to a transcript released Monday to The Associated Press. "I got picked on so much, and it's like I feel like I'm still constantly being picked on."
Although Owens said he doesn't think reporters are necessarily out to get him, he believes that in their quest to gain ratings he’s been "misunderstood." He added that other players have been, too, "but I feel like I have been one of the main guys who've been vilified."
Owens also talked about his “misunderstanding” with quarterback Donovan McNabb that ultimately ended his run with the Eagles. He believes that McNabb was jealous of the attention he received from Philly and things came to a head when he cursed at him in a huddle after a play.
"When I tried to address that after the game, he blew me off," Owens said. "So, that let me know it's more than just being competitive. It was more than that."
Owens is set to suit up with the Dallas Cowboys at the end of next week for training camp.
JANET WANTS TO SHARE HER COVER: Singer will let the fans choose her next album image.
*Janet Jackson wants to make a family affair of her upcoming set “20 Years Old,” by giving the fan a chance to weigh in on her album cover.
The newly 40-year old will hand over the artwork to the fans through a Yahoo! Music contest that began Tuesday, July 18.
Starting at noon PST, fans were able to download 33 images of Jackson to develop their own covers. Jackson will be the judge and will choose four finalists, whose winning covers will appear on "selected publicly distributed copies" of the album, according to Virgin.
Another sixteen finalists will win Jackson's complete album discography on CD. Each design will get its own link that can be shared.
"20 Years Old" is due to drop Sept. 26. The set was produced by Jackson's super producer boyfriend Jermaine Dupri, as well as her honorary brothers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. After four weeks on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the single "Call on Me" is No. 16.
TEENA MARIE DISCOVERS 'SAPPHIRE': R&B diva has a rare gem on her hands.
by JC Brooks
*From Soul Train to BET’s 106 & Park, we’ve enjoyed nearly three decades of soulful sounds from a woman who the Black community has adopted as their own.
It seems that Ms. Teena Marie has been quite an elusive powerhouse when it comes to pegging her style and audience. From the beginning of her career, we’ve been uncertain of her cultural roots, but clear that her love of R&B, jazz, and hip-hop would eventually bring her back to us.
Her 2004 offering, “La Dona,” was her first album since “Passion Play” dropped in 1994. She showed that her musical talent and/or abilities had not missed a beat. The album dropped so hard, no one knew she had ever left the scene. But now that she’s released her second offering from the Cash Money label “Sapphire” which has sold over 100,000 copies, she is a force to be reckoned with. She may finally get the recognition that has been due her for so many years.
The album, so smooth, yet hard enough for a true playa to bump in his ride on the gangster lean, has collaborations with Kurupt and his wife Gail Gotti, Gerald Albright, and her personal favorite, Smokey Robinson.
“All the reviews have been great. There were like 18 reviews and 10 of them were five stars, four of them were four stars,” said Marie. “Everybody’s loving it. One of the ones I saw was cruel … There’s always gonna be somebody that doesn’t get it, but everybody has a right to their own opinion.”
She shared that she not only wrote and produced the album, but a lot of personal experience has been apart of the secret recipe that makes up the music in her brilliant career. Her style is obviously enough for her fans and she is not willing to compromise.
“I write about my life and the things that are around me,” said Marie. “And you know, one of the comments was, ‘She shouldn’t produce herself anymore. She shouldn’t write for herself.’ But that’s what I do. And ‘the lyrics were corny as compared to what’s out there.’ I’m just gonna keep doing what I do and appreciate the 15, 16 fans out of 18.”
But, this album differs from any of the others in her career. Her mentor, lover, one-time producer and friend, the infamous Rick James, was not by her side, not even a phone call away. The album isn’t a depressing sounding album, but just the opposite, though it was highly influenced by the pain of Rick James’ passing.
“This particular album, I was really in a lot of pain when I wrote it because of Rick’s passing,” admits Teena. “So, I think that this was God’s way of letting me write my way out of my pain even though the album’s not depressing at all … I felt like [Rick] was writing with me a lot … I’m glad that the whole record wasn’t reflecting my pain and what I was feeling cause I think that would’ve been very depressing. I don’t like listening to a depressing album.”
The album’s energy stays up with tracks like “Baby Whose Is It?” that features Kurupt. An interesting mixture between the diva and the rapper makes for one of the hottest tracks on the album.
“I just thought it was exciting and I thought the hook was real tight and I called Kurupt and actually I wrote the rap and when he heard it he was like ‘I don’t wanna change this, Ma,” explained Teena. “They all call me Ma … I got a whole other extended family. He was like ‘This is great, I’m just gonna say what you said.’ And so, I thought it would be really interesting if I sang it while he spoke it.”
While Rick was not in the other room physically, he certainly put his touches throughout the album via Teena’s spiritual connection with the funk genius. Not only that, he named the album … sort of.
“The album is called Sapphire because Rick wrote a song called Sapphire that’s never been released,” reveals Teena. “It’s a song that he wrote like right before he died; it was one of the last things he recorded. It’s a song about black women and their contributions in society, from Cleopatra to Nefertiti to Barbara Jordan, Harriet Tubman, and Oprah Winfrey. It’s just really, really a beautiful amazing song that he wrote … When I heard it I was like, ‘Oh Rick … I can’t wait for this to come out because people really need to hear this from you.’
The memory of Rick James, according to Teena, has been reduced to Super Freak. His talent is much more far reaching than one of the most recognizable, nearing satirical, songs of his career.
“When people talk about him they always gravitate to the whole Super Freak thing and it’s very disrespectful to me because he was such a brilliant writer and he wrote so many incredible songs,” she points out. “Ebony Eyes, all the Mary Jane Girls stuff, Déjà Vu with me, Fire and Desire, it goes on and on and on, but for some reason they just say, ‘Oh yeah, Super Freak!’ and it aggravates me. So when I told him that, he would always look at me and he would go ‘Yeah Teena, well, I look at you like Sapphire too. You’re Sapphire.’ So, that’s why I thought of that.”
One thing people may not realize is that her biggest influence is the legendary Smokey Robinson. He appears on one of the smoothest tracks of the set.
“I have idolized him since I was a young girl. I really feel that he was the one that I studied to learn how to write music,” says Marie. “When I was probably 15 years old, I used to go to the parties and stuff and take my guitar, and all my friends called me little Smokey because I knew all his songs and I could sing them and I could sing them just like him … I would study his music and I wanted to be that kind of writer. I wanted to write love songs.”
Then it would be only fitting that the set begins with a duet with Smokey that leaves Teena’s fans surprised and happy, even if it isn’t Rick holding the other mic.
“He (Smokey) heard “God Is Created” and he looked at me and was like ‘This is mean.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, but I got it from you.’ And I said do you want me to sit here and go over it a couple of times and he was like ‘no I got it.’ He heard it like once and he just walked in there and just laced it.”
Teena’s daughter Alia Rose also appears on the last track, Resilient (Sapphire). The appearances have been embraced well by reviewers. They complete the package that is Sapphire.
“I’m just really excited that people are liking it the way they do, they’re mentioning [Rick] a lot and that makes me feel really good, they’re mentioning Smokey, they’re mentioning my daughter. They really like the guest appearances on the record.”
Whether you’re a Teena Marie fan or aspiring to be, there’s no way this album can miss. The old sound is still brilliant and crisp as ever and it offers the new fan an updated Teena Marie that knows how to satisfy her new listeners, blending classic Teena with a new and improved Diva for the 21st century.
MARIAH CAREY CLIPS HER OWN WINGS: Diva wants to get grounded and shoot a few films.
*Mariah is preparing to hit the road for her Adventures of Mimi tour and for the first time, she won’t be using the jet.
The queen diva won’t be walking the runway, but catching curbside service on a tour bus. In the past, she’s always flown. The tour will jump off in Miami, Fla., on August 5.
"I'm doing something I've never done before. I'm doing the tour bus this time around. There will be much time for writing songs,” Carey tells MTV. "It's an experience I've never had. It will reconnect me, in a deeper way, to what's going on in the world - to what people are doing and thinking."
Not only that, she has been mulling over the idea of a mobile studio, so she can record on the road.
Also, Carey recently shot short films in Los Angeles that will be screened during her Adventures of Mimi Tour. She has enlisted Spike Lee to direct the vignettes where her fans can catch her in a coral Herve Leger dress.
TIGER WOODS WINNING AT HOME: Golfer settles himself with Dad’s death.
*Tiger Woods could’ve let competition take him away from dealing with his Dad, Earl Woods, passing, but he is trying to take it head on.
It’s only been since May that he lost his No. 1 fan, but now he’s trying to come to terms with his death. Earl Woods was his role model and best friend. The loss left him floundering for peace after the 74-year-old succumbed to prostate cancer after an eight-year battle.
"I've come to terms with it, there's no doubt about that. He's not here anymore,” said Woods. “It's not like I can pick up the phone and call him and say, 'Pop, what do you think about my putting stroke?' Those days aren't here anymore. But there's not a day that I go through without thinking about my dad. I love him dearly."
EUR FILM REVIEW: Been Rich All My Life -- Sentimental Memoir Recounts the Glory Days of Harlem’s Chorus Girls
by Kam Williams
*When the Apollo opened in 1934 at the height of the Big Band Era, one of the famed theater’s most popular features was its chorus line of chocolate cuties.
Comprised of 16 shapely showgirls, these enchanting tap dancers managed to upstage some headlining jazz groups led by the likes of Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Count Basie.
Originally, forced to work a half-dozen shows during grueling, 15-hour days which generally kept them on stage well past midnight, the women eventually unionized and went on strike. Their efforts paid off, leading to better employment conditions not only for all of Harlem’s hoofers, but also for the then lily-white Rockettes, who were high-kicking downtown at Radio City Music Hall.
After World War II erupted, out of a sense of patriotism this African-American troupe decided to join the USO tour in order to entertain the troops, only to be disillusioned about the United States as their caravan crisscrossed the country. For they experienced the sting of segregation whenever they were denied access to facilities or accommodations because of the color of their skin, hypocritical mistreatment which apparently even transpired on military bases in the “land of the free.”
Although the dancers’ popularity waned in he wake of the end of the War, five of them reunited to resume their careers in 1985. Now calling themselves the Silver Belles, and ranging in age from 84 to 96, their life stories are the subject of Been Rich All My Life, a labor of love directed, produced, filmed and edited by Heather Lyn MacDonald.
Each of the Silver Belles is a joy to behold. There’s 89 year-old Cleo Hayes who matter-of-factly explains her interest in show business with, “I’m from Greenville, Mississippi. I don’t have to tell you why I left.” Similarly, Fay Ray, 84, explains that she was only 11 or 12 and already picking cotton when she impulsively left Louisiana by rail for the North by stowing away aboard a freight train.
This enchanting, if bittersweet memoir seamlessly interweaves such wistful, tenderhearted reflections with archival film footage and the readily observable harsh realities associated with advanced age to yield a splendid slice of African-American history. These hardy survivors are nothing shot of inspiring to observe as they shuffle out on stage, never embittered either by racism or by the host of aches, pains and diseases which presently beset them, ranging from arthritis to broken hips to heart disease to colon, breast and ovarian cancers.
Elaine Ellis, 86, maintains her cheery demeanor and grace under pressure in the face of asthma, high blood pressure, cancer and strokes, taking two buses and two subway trains to rehearsals right after her radiation treatments. Just as uplifting are the efforts of Marion Coles, an energetic
88 year-old who teaches tap to youngsters in order that the cultural tradition not be lost. Senior spokesperson Bertye Lou Wood, 96, seen in the full bloom of youth here dancing astride Bill “Bojangles” Robinson in a clip from the Hollywood classic Stormy Weather, sums up the Silver Belles perseverance and overall optimistic attitude best when she announces resolutely with determination, “I’m going to dance, dance, dance, ‘til I can’t dance no more, and I’m going to live, live, live, ‘til I die.”
For MORE info, visit: http://www.tootscrackin.com/braml_pics.htm or: http://firstrunfeatures.com/beenrich_synopsis.html
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 81 minutes
Studi First Run Features
TANIKA RAY GIVES HER VIEW: Correspondent takes a crack at sitting in Star’s chair.
*Star Jones’ chair has gotten a lot of action since her departure from The View. Her seat hasn’t had a chance to cool and one after another the seat has had its share of visitors.
Brandy, Susan Lucci, Carrie Ann Inaba, Kelly Monaco are just a few of the guest hosts since Star’s leaving. Now it’s time for Extra correspondent, Tanika Ray, to give it a go.
Ray took her turn in Star’s chair Tuesday morning on "The View" as a guest co-host, and she brought a refreshing humor and/or wit to the show.
The shows popular "Hot Topics" segment gave her an opportunity to put her two cents in on the Oprah and Gayle King gay controversy, Christie Brinkley’s break-up, Brad Pitt, and breasts.
But what would seem to be a “no no” was taken quite well by Ray. Just before signing off, Walters took a pull at Ray’s hair to check for authenticity. Tanika showed everyone that it was all real. She will return to "The View" for Friday's show.
METHOD MAN FURIOUS: Rapper ready to hurt Wendy Williams.
*Gossiping radio host Wendy Williams has a knack for pissing off celebrities as well as their fans. But this time, she’s traveled into what could be a dangerous battle zone in a war of words.
Wendy Williams chose to piss off the king of words himself, Method Man, by telling her listening audience about his wife’s battle with cancer. The battle was not common knowledge and it would’ve remained that way.
Meth was on a recent episode of an Internet hip hop show called The Break Down, when the Wu-Tang member let Williams have it.
"You can attack me any way that you want to. But you don't attack my family,” he said on the show. "My wife had nothing to do with that. Her family members didn't even know she was sick. Everybody looking at her, staring at her. You know how uncomfortable that makes somebody feel, especially, someone that's going through chemo? Stupid ass b#@!h."
It should be no secret at this point that he doesn’t like her and probably wouldn’t appear on her show, but he made it clear saying that he “ain't no Nsync, Justin Timberlake ass ni**a” and that she need not look for him in the future.
Method Man’s new album, 4:21 … The Day After, is scheduled for release Aug. 29.
STEVE HARVEY WELCOMED IN NEW YORK: Comedian’s radio show does well.
*Last fall, Steve Harvey took the morning show spot at WBLS (107.5 FM) in New York. There were plenty of skeptics that did not believe that the show would do well at all with Harvey’s loud mouth “country” style, but now he can officially shake off all the haters.
The Arbitron ratings show the city showed their love giving him the No. 5 morning show - and the No. 1 urban program in the midst of a very competitive market.
"It's a different kind of radio show, which is exactly what he said he wanted to do when I talked him into taking the job," said WBLS program director Vinny Brown. "The thing about Steve is that he sounds like a regular person. He doesn't have the 'radio announcer' sound that some listeners are tired of. He's funny, naturally, because he's a comedian, but he also tells you the mood he's in. He talks about spiritual things.”
Harvey did four years of radio in Los Angeles, but Brown says Harvey was not given enough freedom there.
"My feeling about Steve," says Brown, "is the same as with [afternoon host] Wendy [Williams]. You hire them and let them be themselves. They've earned the right to experiment."
WBLS are enjoying the results of a good morning show and Brown says everyone has reaped the benefits.
"A strong morning show helps lift everyone," says Brown. "Wendy's doing great, Vaughn Harper is getting higher numbers in the evening. We've hired Guy Black to provide a higher level of entertainment in middays.”
MUSIC BITS: New Valentino album; prison release for Big Hutch; Jay-Z and Timbaland collabo; Mariah shooting with Spike.
*"Slow Down" crooner, Bobby Valentino, is back with his sophomore project, 'Special Occassion.' The album is set for a Sept. 19 release. Valentino co-wrote three quarters of the 14-track album and received help from producers such as Rodney Jerkins, Sean Garrett, Bryan Michael Cox, Tim & Bob and Dre & Vidal. The first official single from the album will be the Jerkins-produced, "Turn the Page," which is an emotional ballad that has Valentino crooning about trust and taking risks in a relationship.
*The Black Eyed Peas have postponed an Aug 2 and 3 concert that was to be held in Mumbai, the economic center of India and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, according to their tour management. The reason for the cancellation was "unspecified," but if we were into betting, we'd bet it had something to do with the train bombing that ripped through the city's first-class railway system last week. The blast killed 200 people and injured 600. According to reports, the group plans to reschedule the dates in the near future.
*Big Hutch aka Cold 187um will be released from prison this Friday (July 21). The Above Law frontman is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Forrest City, Arkansas, where he has served 105 weeks for conspiracy to traffic hundreds of pounds of marijuana. The rapper still denies the charges he was convicted of, claiming that acquantainces of his framed him. "I knew them through mutual friends," Cold 187um told AllHipHop.com in July 2004. "It was a situation where guys who were working with my company and doing their thing. I had knowledge of what was going down, but that's it. They decided to put me in it and I was hit with a conspiracy charge." Above The Law released several critically acclaimed releases, including their debut, Living Like Hustlers and the follow up Black Mafia Life for Eazy E's Ruthless Records. The rapper is said to have penned over 50 songs while incarcerated.
*Super-producer Timbaland and retired rapper Jay-Z are rumored to be collaborating on an upcoming album. In an interview with BBC's 1xtra, the VA producer indicated that he is currently working on tracks for the Def Jam president (The Neptunes also are rumored to be producing tracks on the album). Timbaland wouldn't reveal much information about the project, but noted it was the only hip hop project he plans to produce in the near future, as to focus on pop (he gave Nelly Furtado a chart-topper and is currently in the studio with Justin Timberlake). He just launched Mosley Music Group, a joint venture label with the Interscope/Geffen/A&M, to "bring Top 40 into the hood." Jay-Z recently commemorated the 10th anniversary of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, by performing the album in its entirety at New York's Radio City Music Hall and hinted to a possible come back album in a recent interview with the Associated Press. "I believe the industry as a whole needs certain events tohappen to sustain it and keep it alive," he said.
*According to MTV Mariah Carey recently shot short films in Los Angeles that will be screened at her Adventures of Mimi Tour, and she isn't working with just any director on the project. Spike Lee has teamed up with Carey on the vignettes, which features the singer dressed in a coral Herve Leger dress. The tour kicks off August 5 in Miami.
NAACP REPORT CARD RESULTS ARE IN: Group's president urges blacks to avoid some firms
*Since 1997, the NAACP has provided a report card that grades corporations on how well they work with blacks in employment, charitable giving, advertising, contracting and community service. This year, the civil rights group focused on telecommunications, lodging, finance, retail and auto industries.
The companies that actually work with minority-owned businesses barely spend five percent of their contracting dollars with them, the NAACP president, Bruce S. Gordon said Monday when the organization released report cards on several industries.
"If corporations spend their money on us, we'll spend our money with those corporations," he said. "It's real simple.
Gordon made these comments as part of his first keynote convention speech as head of the NAACP. He took over as president last August. Gordon said the contracting numbers were "totally unacceptable."
As a former division president at Verizon, Gordon brings a perspective that is beneficially informative and very much needed.
"I have a pretty unique perspective -- 35 years working for a corporation with a purchasing budget in the billions and billions of dollars, and a chance to observe internally how the procurement process works," he said.
Of the 50 companies contacted by the NAACP, five ignored the survey. Those corporations include: Dillard's Inc.; Kohl's Corp.; Sears, Roebuck and Co.; and Target Corp. All were given an “F” for not answering. The other company that failed to answer was Excel, a telecommunications company which also received an F.
For the second straight year, Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp. received the highest grade of all -- a 3.5 out of a possible 4.0. Valencia I. Adams, a BellSouth vice president said the company pushes its managers to look for vendors and employees who are black.
Wachovia Corp. and SunTrust Banks ranked highest amongst banks with a 3.17 score. Wachovia received a perfect score on community relations.
G. Dewey Norwood Jr., an assistant vice president said the company pays all employees to donate four hours a month to local charities, and employees volunteered for 650,000 hours in 2005.
Gordon gave blacks the task to stop shopping at Target, in particular, until they answer the NAACP's questions -- though he stopped short of calling the action a boycott.
"They didn't even care to respond to our survey," he said. "Stay out of their stores."
Special focus was put on Target by the civil rights organization because they're one of the nation's most prominent national retailers, said John C. White, NAACP spokesman. However, the group does not plan to picket or leaflet Target, but will rely on word of mouth, he said.
A Target spokeswoman said via e-mail that the company did not respond to the survey "because Target views diversity as being inclusive of all people from all different backgrounds, not just one group." The NAACP survey asks exclusively about blacks.
She added that minorities make up 40 percent of Target employees and 23 percent of all officials and managers.
Gordon went on to say during his keynote address, that blacks should end their "victim-like thinking" and take advantage of opportunities to help close the gaps between the nation's rich and poor.
“We may not have all the power that we want, but we have all the power that we need," Gordon said. "All we have to do is believe it and use it."