Jackson Free Press

Miss Doodle-Mae: "As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, the staff of Gadus Discount Dollar Store and I want to share with our customers what we believe is the true meaning of Thanksgiving by presenting a brief one-man play titled 'Thanks for Giving Us Casinos and Hotels Without Reservations: A Black Indian Speaks on Thanksgiving,' featuring our resident playwright and stage actor (who claims one-third Native American ancestry) Ralph 'Chief Crazy Brotha' Wilson.

"Jojo, the store owner who also claims one-tenth Native American ancestry, has allowed 'Chief Crazy Brotha' to perform the play daily at high noon inside Jojo's Discount Dollar Store. (Look for the performance stage located on aisle three of the Arts-n-Crafts and Hair Weave section.)

"This Thanksgiving, Jojo wants his customers to become critical thinkers. He says: 'We focus our thoughts and efforts on eating lots of food, being off work and having parties.' He also encourages the community to reflect on the poignant lyrics penned by brother William Devaughn in 1974:

"'You may not have a car at all.

But remember, brothers and sisters, you can still stand tall.

Just be thankful for what you've got ...

Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac,

Diamond in a bag, sunroof top,

Diggin' the scene with a gangster lean,

Gangster whitewalls, TV antennas in the back.'

"Daily performances of 'Thanks for Giving Us Casinos and Hotels Without Reservations: A Black Indian Speaks on Thanksgiving' ends Thanksgiving eve. Come, learn, shop and enjoy at Jojo's."

Previous Comments

ID

73982

Comment

Thanks Ken. I enjoyed both columns. With the new leaders of the House and Senate planning to raise minimum wages "po' folks are fin to COME UP." Just a little though.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-11-09T14:27:12-06:00

ID

73983

Comment

I wonder how much Native American ancestry Chief Crazy Brotha really has. You can't go by oral history all the time. If you've ever heard of Henry Louis Gates, you may be familiar with his "African American Lives" special on PBS. He used DNA analysis to trace the lineage of Oprah Winfrey, Chris Tucker, Whoopi Goldberg, etc. Whoopi said she had always heard that she had Native American ancestors, but the test results showed that she didn't have a drop - just African and European. Gates himself was shocked to find out that he is 50% European, but I could tell after seeing what his parents and his aunt looked like. I hope to get a DNA test done for myself, but whatever the results are, I'm still going to embrace my African heritage. I hope I can find out what tribe I came from. Someone told me I looked Ibo, and I think there may be some Yoruba in there somewhere.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-11-11T14:04:57-06:00