This evening I was the only good in a baseball hat and jeans in attendance at the Harmony 2010 Humanitarian Awards.
I won't bore you with the details of the party/awards ceremony but it was a good time and hosted some of this town's power players.
For me, one of the highlights of the evening was watching Former Councilman and Community Activist Alvin Brooks present a Humanitarian Award to Sister Vickie Perkins.
In their own respective fields Perkins and Brooks have defined the Civil Rights Landscape in Kansas City for the past few decades.
This year's Hoffman Legacy Award recipient was R. Crosby Kemper, III
Instead of a bland award speech, the namesake of the legendary Kansas City family did a reverse reenactment of his show Meet The Past and was interviewed by UMKC professor Bill Worley playing the part Boss Tom Pendergast.
Again, Kemper surprised me with his comedic talents but accepted the honor with a great deal of humility. He not only gave extensive shoutouts to the KC Public Library Staff but also spoke of the racial struggle that has defined Kansas City which was exceptionally apropos for the Harmony Crowd.
For more info on all of the award winners check the Harmony page.
Drivel and dribble all on the same play list! Awesome! Sounds like a place that Tony belongs.
ReplyDelete--crickets---
true dat?
ReplyDeleteAl Brooks tried to do some good work in the '70s and has coasted on his celebrity ever since.
ReplyDeleteThe proof of all this is in the results. Can anyone tell me that the east side and the residents who still live there are better off today than they were 20 years ago?
And, except for some very dedicated, underfunded, and unrecognized vounteers and neighborhood groups, there's not much being accomplished right now.
Way past time to recognize the people who are actually getting results and making a difference.
Those comments are very easy to make from people who don't keep nearly as high of a profile or work as hard as Mr. Brooks.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Mr. Brooks mostly works real hard maintaining his high profile.
ReplyDeleteAlvin is always around for a camera shot - kind of like Scott Burnett.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, he's all talk and all take.