While Aretha Franklin may be the designated Queen of Soul, the heart and soul of our blockbuster ‘Taste of Soul’ is our very own Brenda Marsh-Mitchell.

Brenda will probably kill me for writing this because she just does what she does out of the passion and commitment she has to my family and the Sentinel family and the women of Mothers In Action and those dedicated to the ever growing Respect Me movement, but by the time you show up on Saturday Oct. 13 to have the day of your life, her indefatigable efforts will continuing.

Last year she didn’t even have time to go home and get dressed for the occasion and from every vendor to every spectator who had a question Brenda had the answer.

Having said that, it is our hope and sincere desire that you consider ‘Taste of Soul’ as your personal holiday, a day to celebrate our culture, mingle with old friends and meet new ones.

It is also a day of celebration for our many vendors who for years have worked right next to each other but never had the opportunity to meet and greet.

For our children who will have their own kiddy ‘Taste of Soul’ complete with rides, games and animals it is an opportunity for them to relish in the opportunity of their very own neighborhood, while we as adults and doting parents maintain a responsibility to safeguard their lives and the future in front of them.

For many of the teenagers it is a chance for students from Crenshaw and Dorsey to mingle, for those from View Park and Audubon to rejoice over a treat without the all-important schoolbooks in hand.

For our community leaders to have the unique opportunity to speak to citizens in person and hear their complaints and graciously accept their kind complements on a face-to-face basis.

For those who say ‘Taste of Soul’ is just a big giant concert they are correct, but that is not the least of it. It is a concert in which we all join in unison to share the commitment of community, the culture of our food and the binding love for each other that many say we do not have.

It’s ‘Taste of Soul’, your ‘Taste of Soul’, and we are all ‘Taste of Soul’ and together we shall all stand and not to be divided again.

I need to hear from you now more than ever. I need to know what is going on in our community. I also need to know what other stories we need to tell, and what is on your mind. I really do want to hear from you, I want you to “Talk to Danny.”

Sincerely,
Danny J. Bakewell, Jr.
President & Executive Editor

Published in : Executive Editor Blog, Talk To Danny