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For Keeps: A Note to the 27 – 33yr Olds Facing the Storm.

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When I was 26 or 27 years old I was facing some personal and professional adversity. I had spent my early and then ending mid twenties as a relative star in my hometown. I was known, popular, and genuinely committed to doing what I could to help support our community. A storm was on the horizon though…

Two things about being in your mid-twenties:

1. You don’t realize how young you really are

2. It feels like you’re facing the beginning of the end of your young adulthood, when it actually is the start of it.

So there I was. Fortunate, popular, and not only known- but known for a lot of cool and meaningful work that I had put in. Bruce Lee famously said once:

“If I tell you I’m good, probably you will say I’m boasting. But if I tell you I’m not good, you’ll know I’m lying.”

I can relate to this sentiment. I can play coy but the reality is at 27 years old I had already been ill (ill like fresh in these streets, cousin :)) for a long while.

I went to a former mentor of mine with some of my troubles and he asked me if I had ever heard of “Saturn’s Return”. I hadn’t. He explained an astrological theory that our cosmic lives are in alignment with the 29.5 year time span it takes Saturn to make a full orbit back to the place it was when we were born. That Saturn is scrutinizing and brings a harsh, yet beautiful at the end cleansing to our lives. it begins around 27 years old, is at peak at 30yrs, and subsides around 33. I considered it. But then I lived it…

So there I was at 26 or 27 years old strolling along in my life and then, whoa…

The ground started shaking. Family issues started to really erupt. Then weird business happenings started to threaten my earnings. Ground shook harder… Betrayal by loved ones and confidants… Shake, shake, shake. Family issues worstened. These were all external factors I was waring off, but then my own mistakes and shortcomings started to reach up for me. I was willing to face myself and deal with those things- but it all happening in the heat of the quake made it even more difficult. I’m walking along the quake line and I’m 29 or so… Loss of love, loss of hope. More shaking. More so my earth was a bellowing convulsion beneath me.

But I was bobbin’ and weavin’,homie. Picture me shadow boxing:

Lean left, EYH! Still ballin on these suckas… Dodge right! EYH! Missed me Saturn punk! Still standing, still have love in my life… Duck! EYH! Career intact! Lookout for the jab! EYH! EYH! Wooooooo! Too slow sucka! I’m still in the game!

Then came an ultimate betrayal… POW! 

Got me…

I was down flat on the mat. Fly as shit like Bruce said, but out cold. Probably drooling…

And I really had been out for a minute. I had just escaped into a fort built of materials and wisdom gathered along the way during the spell before Saturn’s harsh love storm arrived. At had been raining outside all along. I couldn’t get a break long enough to finish my next record, and my time went to sustaining my business and life rather than growing it.

You see, before you get there, you picture turning 30 as an arrival. Like this moment where you will be relishing in your success and the hard work from your twenties. But really, 30 sucks. For everyone. Ask anyone to reflect on what was going on in their lives between the ages of 28 and 32 and if they’re honest there’s some real sucky sh*& poppin off in there somewhere.

My ears were ringing when I stepped out of my fortress at 33 years old. Cuts from the storm all healed up, minimal scarring, and ever stronger.

Fast forward to me here at this park in the Nishi-Azabu district of Tokyo (pictured below (no filter)). It is quiet as quiet as quiet can be. I found the park by (non) mistake after searching for a temple I had been pointed to. I’m sitting here alone and this Cherry Blossom tree is gleaming at me. I just sat here soaking it in for 3 hours. There was no noise and I am careless. As in care-free. I came here alone. I brought myself to Tokyo. Blood, I’m from East Oakland.

The storm passed. Accepting it, braving it, and emerging it has been one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. You know what surviving it requires? Acceptance. Accepting yourself and others, as well as not accepting what is not truly you, and not taking on other people’s crap in some odd act of politeness. Getting over yourself and facing yourself. For me, these were all tenets of how I got through it.

So to all the folks out there braving Saturn’s beautiful push and pull, keep walking and play for keeps along the way. The storm passes. There’s a perfect Cherry Blossom tree at the end of the tunnel.

**Oakland native Ise Lyfe is currently in Japan on a month long artistic journey. Visit his tumbler for updates on his trip. 

Arts and Culture

Oakland Jazz Great Offers Master Class as City Declares “John Handy Day”

World-renowned jazz master saxophonist John Handy, a McClymond’s High School graduate, was presented with a Mayor of Oakland Proclamation declaring Feb. 12, as John Handy Day in the city. Handy is most notably known as the featured saxophonist for Charles Mingus on “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” from the album “Mingus Ah Um” (1959) and on “Hard Work” from his own album “Hard Work” (1976).

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(L-R) Del Handy, John Handy, Roger Glenn, and Joe Warner celebrate John Handy Day at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, Oakland. Photo by Lady Bianca.
(L-R) Del Handy, John Handy, Roger Glenn, and Joe Warner celebrate John Handy Day at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, Oakland. Photo by Lady Bianca.

By Conway Jones

World-renowned jazz master saxophonist John Handy, a McClymond’s High School graduate, was presented with a Mayor of Oakland Proclamation declaring Feb. 12, as John Handy Day in the city.

Handy is most notably known as the featured saxophonist for Charles Mingus on “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” from the album “Mingus Ah Um” (1959) and on “Hard Work” from his own album “Hard Work” (1976).

“John Handy is a jazz icon and an inspiration to musicians everywhere,” said Ayo Brame, a 16-year-old Oakland tenor saxophone player who is enrolled at the Oakland School for the Arts.

In celebration of this day, the reception in downtown Oakland at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle was a gathering of artists, young and old, coming together in his honor and celebrating his 91st birthday.

Handy presented a Saxophone Colossus free masterclass for musicians. This class afforded a rare opportunity to learn about the saxophone from an aficionado. The class was free and open to all – saxophonists, vocalists, aficionados, students, and casual listeners.

“As a longtime friend for over 60 years, and fellow musician who has had numerous opportunities to share the stage with John, it has always been a pleasure performing with him and hearing his creative interpretations of the music and his gift of ease inspiring the next generation of jazz musicians,” said Roger Glenn, a multi-instrumentalist.

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Arts and Culture

Musical Chronicling Life of Betty Reid Soskin Set for Bay Area Debut

Betty Reid Soskin’s storied 102 years includes time spent as a WWII defense worker, activist, business owner, songwriter, National Park Service park ranger and so much more. Now the Richmond icon is the subject of a musical based on her incredible life.

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Betty Reid Soskin. Photo courtesy of Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond.
Betty Reid Soskin. Photo courtesy of Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond.

The Richmond Standard

Betty Reid Soskin’s storied 102 years includes time spent as a WWII defense worker, activist, business owner, songwriter, National Park Service park ranger and so much more. Now the Richmond icon is the subject of a musical based on her incredible life.

Sign My Name to Freedom,” a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company (SFBATCO) production which will focus on the life, music and writing of Ms. Soskin, will premiere at San Francisco’s Z Space Friday, March 29 and continue through Saturday, April 13. Tickets range from $15–$65 and can be purchased online at https://www.sfbatco.org/smntf

The musical is directed by Elizabeth Carter, while playwright Michael Gene Sullivan integrates Ms. Soskin’s own music throughout dialogue between what SFBATCO calls “The Four Bettys” as they progress through a century of experiences of this awe-inspiring American woman.

The cast of “Sign My Name to Freedom” features Tierra Allen as Little Betty, Aidaa Peerzada as Married Betty, Lucca Troutman as Revolutionary Betty and Cathleen Riddley as Present Betty Reid Soskin, according to Artistic Director Rodney Earl Jackson Jr. and Managing Director Adam Maggio. Other casting will be announced in the future.

Jackson said that having Soskin’s blessing to steward her life’s story is an honor and career highlight for him and that her journey stands as “a beacon for Black Americans, women and people of color all across the world [and] is a testament to the strength of the human spirit.”

San Francisco’s Z Space is located at 450 Florida St. in San Francisco. Check out the trailer here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-ap9N2XBB0

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Arts and Culture

Gov. Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Host 2024 Hall of Fame Ceremony

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8. The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

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Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.
Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By California Black Media

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8.

The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

“The California Hall of Fame is one of our families’ favorite traditions as it is a time to come together to celebrate remarkable Californians as well as their loved ones because we know that it is about partnerships,” Siebel Newsom said. “The governor likes to say that California is a dream factory because it doesn’t matter what zip code or background you come from, the California dream is alive and well to everyone who calls this state home.”

The other Black honorees were filmmaker Ava DuVernay; Federal Judge and civil rights leader, the Hon. Thelton Henderson; and basketball Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Cheryl Miller.

“It’s what I’ve been waiting for and to be among a great group of individuals that also deserve the honor,” Brown told California Black Media on the event’s red carpet before the ceremony began. “No, I never thought someone from Texas would be recognized this way. But here I am, and it all happened in the great state of California. It’s a fantastic feeling.”

Other 2024 inductees are: master chef and “mother of fusion cuisine” Helene An; computer scientist and “father of the internet” Vincent A. Cerf; all-female pop punk band The Go-Gos; Chicano Rock band Los Lobos; former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Congressman Leon E. Panetta; and artistic director and choreographer Brenda Way.

This year’s honorees join a history-making club with over 150 inspirational Californians previously inducted for their groundbreaking achievements and personifying the state’s innovative spirit.

“It’s just a humbling experience. I want to thank the Governor and First Partner. Who would have thought 100 years ago (that I would be inducted?) It’s incredible,” Miller said after her induction. “I want to thank the governor and First Partner for an incredible event.”

During his acceptance speech, Henderson said he was deeply honored.

“You know, it really would have been a really big deal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the area where I grew up, for example, South Central Hall of Fame, or the Watts Hall of Fame, or the Straight Out of Compton Hall of Fame,” he said. “But being inducted into the California Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame of the greatest state in the country in this great nation is something else.”

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