Features

The Ru Report #129

Phenomenal Woman: Jill Scott
I think it was the soon-to-be-detoxified diva Whitney Houston who sang the most memorable version about "believing the children are the future" in her remake of the power-ballad "The Greatest Love Of All," but acclaimed, neo-soul diva Jill Scott is actually putting her money and energies where everyone's mouth is or were.

That's right. Jill Scott--one of my all time favorite beautiful people to write about--is doing some really great things.

And I'm not referring to her forthcoming third album, which is due out this summer, or her recent four-episode cameo on the hit UPN sitcom, "Girlfriends," either.

The six-time Grammy Award nominated singer/songwriter is on the verge of announcing the formation of her not-for-profit organization, named Blues Babe Foundation. On April 10, a check presentation and special afternoon mentorship workshop will commence in Ms. Scott's hometown of Philadelphia, sponsored by Keihl's Since 1851, Sister Sanctuary and the Marriott Hotel.

Ms. Scott, who has been trekking from coast to coast finishing up the yet to be titled opus, tells The Ru Report that she wants to empower young minds to reach their most highest achievements. "I am from North Philly and I understand what it means to be given a chance," she says, "I started the organization because the opportunity and mission presented itself."

According to the foundation's President Karen Taylor, who is also first-rate media and lifestyle specialist, the Blues Babe Foundation was formed for the purpose of nurturing college-bound students of color, ages 16-21, artistically and academically. The Foundation seeks to provide financial support and mentoring for those students who have shown the aptitude and commitment to their education, but whose families may not have the resources to ensure completion of their undergraduate degrees.

"Every moment I am thankful for all my divine blessings and I want to share," Ms. Scott adds.

A true advocate of philanthropy, Ms. Scott, has already pledged close to $100,000 of her own personal financial resources to help establish the foundation's scholarship efforts. She recently adopted The Creative Arts High School in Camden, NJ, and the academic institution will be re-christened The Jill Scott School, next year.

Now that's my kind of woman: one who says what she means, and means what she says.

While the goal of The Blues Babe Foundation is to grow to be national in its reach, the initial focus is on students in distressed areas of Philadelphia, Camden and the Delaware Valley. She's hoping to use her celebrity cachet to encourage corporate America to participate in the cause. "[Corporate America] has the money, resource and I have the passion and reach, so this will be great for everyone," she concludes.

Now, that's the spirit.

"Mother" Load
On March 27, The History Channel will air the world premiere of the one-hour documentary, "Mothers Of Invention," celebrating the unheralded achievements of women innovators throughout American history.

Madame C.J. Walker, who was a widowed African American woman, started a line of hair care products that turned her into the first female Black millionaire, while Margaret Knight a.k.a. the original Lady Edison, invented a device that created the square-bottom brown paper shopping bag. When her idea was stolen and patented by a man, she took him to court and won her case. In all, she had 90 inventions and 27 patents.

These are just two of the stories told in this documentary executive produced by Margaret Kim.

Other fascinating stories include the secretary who invented liquid paper, the Hollywood star who devised a missile defense system, and the woman who created Barbie.

Interestingly enough women were not allowed to hold patents in the U.S. until 1790 because patents were considered intellectual property, and women originally couldn't hold property. When the law was changed in 1790, only single or widowed women could be issued patents because husbands and wives were considered a single unit and the patent was issued to the husband. The first woman to hold a patent was Mary Keyes, who invented a machine for weaving ladies hats in 1809. The pace of women inventors picked up over the 19th century, yet as the 20th century dawned, only one percent of all patents were issued to women. Today, over 10 percent of all patents are issued to women, mostly in the fields of science and technology.

"Mothers Of Invention" features commentary from experts including Catherine Timmosh, author of Girls Think of Everything; Molly Murphy MacGregor, Executive Director of the National Women's History Project; Stephen Currie, author of Women Inventors; Autumn Stanley, author of Mothers and Daughters of Invention; Elliot Handler, cofounder of Mattel; Ruth Howes, physicist, and astronaut Ellen Ochoa.

Extra, extra
Power broker Suzanne de Passe is arguably the only old Motown diva who continues to work consistently and make strides as a woman in the entertainment arena. The former music exec reigns as the Chairman and CEO, de Passe Entertainment, whose extensive list of credits include the new and improved "Showtime at the Apollo," "Lonesome Dove," "The Jacksons: An American Dream," the NAACP Image Awards and the long running sitcom "Sister, Sister." Next month, the bottle-blonde Harlem native will receive the Legacy Award from the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), which is a leading advocate for diversity in the cable and telecommunications industry. The organization will present the 10^th Anniversary NAMIC Vision Awards and the NAMIC Creative Summit, April 15-16 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Actress Holly Robinson-Peete will present the award to Ms. de Passe, and filmmaker Robert Townsend will host the awards extravaganza which honors cable television entities that have demonstrated a commitment to producing quality, multi-ethnic and cross-cultural, original programming content.

Oprah Winfrey a.k.a. The Almighty O may have put her long overdue memoir project on hold, but she's getting deep into the recorded music game with the release of the "Oprah's Pop Star Challenge" compilation, which is due in stores on March 30. Although LaShell Griffin, the 36-year-old stay-at-home mother of five from Detroit, Michigan, received a major recording contract, her and her colleagues will be showcased on the disc, distributed by Sony's Epic Records. Detailed profiles, performance highlights and comments from the celebrity judges are posted on Oprah.com.

Notable/Quotable
"If I were asked what the best thing about being a Black actress in Hollywood is, I'd probably say at least I get more roles than if I were Latina or Asian.."
--TV sitcom child star turned Hollywood actress Regina King on show business.

...but it wouldn't be nothing, nothing, without a woman or a girl.

Message Karu F Daniels or email him directly at therureport@aol.com

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