Kevin Haywood:  Kevolution

April 19 1967-March 19 2006

Two years ago, Kevin Haywood debuted his clothing line to the cheers of thousands at the Expo's West Coast Fashion Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  From that time to this, he has been a constant friend to Myra Wallace, then Fashion Director, now Expo Director. 

 Born in 1985, Kevin graduated from Long Beach Poly, then Long Beach Community College.  There his first love of cheering and tumbling developed,  and he went on to work for the United Spirit Association. 

Always creative, his family noticed that "he would make a masterpiece out of trash, partly because he was so darn cheap."  Kevin developed an amazing dancing ability, and to get an edge on auditions, he started designing his own clothes. In 1989, Kevolution was born.  He said " the model was to turn the "E" backwards giving the reflection of love (you have to look at the spelling to see what he means.)

Kevin lived "a revolutionary testimony evolving with oneself"  and his goal was to spread his positive message  to world.

He was baptized in 1997 at Faith Inspiration MBC.  He always had a thing for Gospel music and loved the way it stirred his soul.  A family man, he was always a ring leader for pulling family events together.  He loved his nieces and nephews and talked about them often.

Kevin survived a tragic accident in the late 1990s, which left him in a coma and paralyzed. After he pulled through, his life as a dancer and choreographer, was challenges, but he focused on his designs.  And that's how he wound up crossing our paths at the Expo.

" What a gifted and loving person he was," said Myra Wallace.  "His men's line is very cutting edge. He was such an inspiration of overcoming and it showed through his creative work. For me I could see the love of God in everything that he did. I was honored to speak to him frequently. He would call me every month to let me know what was going on with him. He had that overcoming desire to be the best.  I would look ay his physical handicap but he did not allow that  to stop him."
 

The Los Angeles Black Business Expo expresses condolences to the family and friends of Kevin Haywood.  Long live his memory.

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Brock Peters

I Remember Brock Peters
By Kwaku Person-Lynn, Ph.D.   /  Photo by Leroy Hamilton

It is common knowledge that Brock Peters was a great pioneering actor, so I prefer to remember him as a really nice man who never allowed himself to get upset. His late wife was always by his side, no matter what he was involved in. I also remember being in class with his daughter, Lisa,  at UCLA as we struggled through our class learning the West African language "Yoruba ."

No matter what the situation, Brock was available for advice and consultation. I recall the frustration he encountered while purchasing and organizing a building on Adams Boulevard one block east of Western Avenue in Los Angeles (now FAME Renaissance). He wanted to set up a studio to train the community in the art of filmmaking and acting. When he was not working on a set, his heart was always set on passing his vast knowledge and experience onto the community.

Whenever I was producing something on radio, he always wanted to be kept abreast and was very supportive. I remember one conversation about his role in a Star Trek movie and how he was the only Black character cast, only to be eliminated. I told him I was going to contact the producer and find out why. The producer stated that was just the way the story was written.

One of his favorite areas of interest was Afrika. When the ancient Nigerian art exhibition came to Los Angeles in the 1980s, he was one of the main figures involved. When Nelson Mandela came to Los Angeles after his release from decades of imprisonment, Brock was right there. He loved to say, "To know Afrika is to know ourselves."

I will miss our conversations, but he really is not gone. On any particular week we will be able to see his genius on our TV screens. And as the Afrikan saying goes, "One does not die until the last person who remembers him dies."  In this case, Brock Peters will live forever.

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Emma Pullen Bids Farewell

How sad were we at the Expo office when we received the devastating news that Emma E. Pullen had passed.  Emma has written for WATTSHealth back in the day, worked closely with Harold Hambrick, and helped write books on various projects.  Then she came to work with Isidra Person-Lynn as a writer for the Expo.  As recent as last year she cranked out the special Resource Guide we published with Wave Newspapers. What was phenomenal is that Emma was a filmmaker, producer, director and a story teller as well as a writer.  And she was un charge of the Africa Marketplace at the same time she was doing all this writing for the Expo! The woman could crank them out and we will certainly miss her this year.

Her services were held in her native North Carolina recently.  August 13, the William Grant Still Art Center director Joyce Maddox said they are planning something for her.  If interested, please send an email to isidra@prperson.com and we will send your emails with the particulars as soon as we get them.  Thank you! 

Links to read more about Emma: http://www.africanmarketplace.org/press.htm

http://www.mediarights.org/search/fil_detail.php?fil_id=01754

http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/Black-Filmmakers/message/4348?viscount=100

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/36/distribution2.html