Hoyer Leads Black History Month Event

(Rep. Steny H. Hoyer Facebook photo)

Congressman Steny H. Hoyer spoke at the 43rd annual Black History Month Breakfast held earlier this month. The congressman has helped organize the event since its inception. He thanked colleague Rep. Glenn Ivey for joining him as co-chair.

Rep. Hoyer introduced Cathy Hughes, founder and chairwoman of Urban One, the morning’s guest speaker.

“I always appreciate this opportunity to come together to reflect on Black history and its significance to America. This year, our theme is African Americans in the arts. Indeed, we can learn history in classrooms and museums, through textbooks and lectures. When we want to immerse ourselves in history, however, when we want to feel an intimate connection to the past, we look to the arts.

“The famed writer, poet, and activist James Baldwin once said: ‘An artist is a sort of emotional or spiritual historian his role is to make you realize the doom and glory of knowing who you are and what you are’

“That’s exactly what he and so many other black artists throughout history accomplished. They demonstrated not only ‘the doom and glory’ of the human condition but also how these seemingly opposite experiences so often go hand in hand.

“I think of the poet, Phillis Wheatley, who was born in West Africa in 1753 but sold into slavery as a child and taken to Boston. By 14, she was penning her own poems in English, Greek, and Latin. She was only 20 when she became the first African-American author to publish a book of poetry. Although she earned praise from George Washington, other founders – especially Thomas Jefferson – criticized her work. Sadly, she died in obscurity at only 31 years of age.

“She and so many artists like her went unrecognized in their time but are now receiving the recognition they deserve. I’ve gone down to Selma on an Annual Civil Rights Pilgrimage year after year to march with my friend and brother John Lewis across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. On my trip back in 2022, I also met some of the black women artists who make the quilts of Gee’s Bend. I think of the mesmerizing colors and intricate patterns of those quilts, first woven by enslaved African-American women centuries ago. Their conditions were brutal, and yet they still saw – and created – something beautiful.

“The same was true of the Black G.I.’s who helped bring jazz music to Europe during the First World War. Many of them had seen untold horrors on the battlefield. Nevertheless, their music entranced a continent that had grown numb after years of bloodshed.

“Famed painter Jacob Lawrence did the same with his artwork during World War II, capturing both the doom of its devastation and the glory that came with victory.

“I think of Langston Hughes’ poetry; Augusta Savage’s sculptures; Louis Armstrong’s jazz; and the other artists who shaped black American culture during the Harlem Renaissance. They did so despite segregation, Jim Crow, and the lasting scars left by slavery.

“Their lives, as Hughes wrote, were ‘no crystal stair.’ But they kept ‘a-climbin’ on.’

“Art not only captures history; it changes it. Everyone here has felt art’s powerful influence firsthand.

“Actors like Denzel Washington or Octavia Spencer can bring an audience to tears or to uncontrollable laughter with their performances. When I hear the Platters, Herbie Hancock, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, or another one of my favorite musicians come on, I can’t resist the urge to tap my foot or nod my head to the beat. And then, of course, there’s the electric slide.

“Art influences how we feel, think, and act. That’s why those who can change the culture can change the country. It’s no coincidence that some of the greatest civil rights activists were also renowned artists.

“I think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s longtime friend, Harry Belafonte – the ‘King of Calypso’ – who passed away just last year. While Dr. King wrote his famous ‘letter from a Birmingham jail,’ Belafonte worked around the clock to raise $50,000 to pay the bail for Dr. King and the other protestors.

“When Dr. King led peaceful protestors from Selma to Montgomery, Belafonte marched with him. With them marched Mahalia Jackson – another titan of both the civil rights movement and the music industry.

“Halfway through Dr. King’s speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, she was the one who shouted: ‘Tell them about the dream, Martin!’ Her cry led him to improvise a refrain that echoed throughout history: ‘I have a dream.’

“She inspired him in that moment – as she did on so many occasions. At times when King felt demoralized, he would call Mahalia and ask her to sing his favorite gospel songs. Indeed, art can strengthen our resolve. When the feelings of ‘doom’ feel insurmountable, artists remind us that ‘glory’ is within our grasp.

“‘Glory’ – that was the name of the theme song for the movie: ‘Selma.’ A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting the rap artist ‘Common’ – one of the two musicians behind that song. I was so impressed to see how he is carrying on the tradition of Harry Belafonte, Mahalia Jackson, Whitney Houston, Betty Wright, Josephine Baker, and so many others.

“In that song, Common sings the lyric: ‘The movement is a rhythm to us.’ America is fortunate to have a new generation of black artists who sustain that movement and keep that rhythm. A rhythm that reverberates through Amanda Gorman’s poetic verses and Misty Copeland’s ballet steps, in Spike Lee’s films and Kara Walker’s brushstrokes.

“We are fortunate to have a keynote guest today who has helped amplify the voices of so many artists: Cathy Hughes. She is a woman with great appreciation for the arts and a tremendous work ethic – traits she developed growing up in the projects in Omaha, Nebraska.

“Cathy’s mom, Helen Jones Woods, was one of America’s most famous jazz trombonists and a founding member of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. Facing racial prejudice in the music industry, Helen eventually had to pivot to a career in nursing and social work. Money was often tight.

“When Cathy was just 14, she lied about her age to get her first job to help put food on the table for her three siblings. As a young woman, Cathy started to hone her business acumen through courses at the University of Nebraska Omaha and Creighton University – all while raising her son largely on her own.

“After a brief career in local journalism and radio, Cathy came to D.C. in 1971. She dramatically grew Howard University’s radio station, WHUR-FM, as its General Sales Manager. She also developed a reputation as an innovator in the industry for pioneering the ‘quiet storm’ radio format, which quickly spread across the country.

“In 1980, she bought her first radio station, WOL-AM – radio one. Over time, she acquired more stations and launched bold ventures into talk radio, new music genres, and television. Cathy’s son, Alfred, became CEO in 1997.

“When the business went public two years later, Cathy became the first African American woman to Chair a public company in history. Together, they grew their business – now known as Urban One – into America’s largest black-owned multimedia conglomerate.

“Today, Urban One oversees dozens of stations spanning many of the biggest media markets in America. Urban One has created a platform for black voices and artists that would have seemed unimaginable just a generation ago. None of it would have been possible without Cathy Hughes and her extraordinary vision.”

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