City of Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, 8 May 2023

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From YouTube: City Hall Sessions - Episode 22 - Jabee and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic

Description

In City Hall Sessions, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt hosts artists in his office for a concert to highlight the musical talent coming into and coming from OKC. We had the pleasure of hosting a performance by Jabee with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic conducted by Alexander Mickelthwate recently, taped on May 8, 2023.

A

Hi I'm David Holt, the mayor of Oklahoma City, welcome back to my office for City Hall sessions. This is a very special episode of City Hall sessions. It's kind of an extra episode, but we've timed it around the Centennial of Clara looper's birth, so Clara Looper, of course, is a civil rights icon here in our city, who helped spark the sit-in movement that changed our city forever and ultimately was a catalyst for the sit-in movement, which was a major tactic of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

A

It really Clara Looper really changed the world, and so we want to always remember her. We want to always make sure that her Legacy is recalled and also that it inspires us moving forward. So Maps four, of course, has the Claire Looper civil rights Center.

A

We have an amazing Monument underway in downtown Oklahoma City at the site of the original sit-in, but also we're excited to see that Claire looper's Legacy is inspiring the artists in our community, and we have some of our leading artistic talents here today for this very special episode of City Hall sessions. So this week the film harmonic on Saturday May 13th this week as I'm speaking to you on Saturday May, 13th to Philharmonic and JB and Philharmonic under the leadership of maestro Alexander mickelthwaite, is collaborating with JB and others on a very special program.

A

What you're seeing here today is actually not going to be presented on May 13th, which makes this even more special, but it is certainly an example of the type of collaboration that we're going to see Saturday and we're so grateful for for their work in bringing that special concert to us on May 13th in honor of the Centennial of Clara looper's birth.

A

But today is a as far as I'm concerned, a one-time only very special concert here in my office in honor of the legendary Claire Looper, and so with no further Ado I introduce to you Maestro Alexander, micklethwaite, the Oklahoma, City, Philharmonic and JB. The floor is yours.

B

Trying to paint a picture so vivid, I live it, give it the image Mandela's sitting in prison, no different mission of business reminiscing with Estes militant Chuck, D Public Enemy Vengeance I, was born in the 80s dog Ronald Reagan baby torn from a crazy claw. I guess we are what we say. We are I. Think I'll pick me to a bars till they laid me off, trying to understand rhyming reason hell heaven and he the jail said. It's a dream: dreams defer.

A

Cause each dreams.

B

Are blur at 16 cents things make dreams to turn.

B

uh Yeah yeah pray, it don't sound like.

C

B

Yeah prayer pray, pray. It don't sell like uh compare to share my vision, detail it. What position this is it'll bring provision. Listen. My mission is be a witness. Dig. It live in and mimic I keep it written ambition like I'm In, My, Own Zone in My, Own Zone in My, Own, Zone,.

B

I understood as pain, I ain't never had nothing, they understood the same. Malcolm wasn't Martin, but we understood his dream. You dream of being rich. You can dream of being free. I dream of Russell Jones live and die like opp. What's up yeah.

C

B

What's up what's up what's up.

D

Okay, sorry, all right, this next song is called hope, and um it's a little bit about. You know having hope and uh really just how uh I guess for me, uh for a lot of us hope is how we get you know through the day and through you know, through life. So here we go.

C

B

Yeah yeah, no more parties, ain't, no more new friends trying to tie these loose sins and starting to be a nuisance. I mean.

C

B

Since they taught me where my loose went, these people, too rich ain't, trying to hear your two cents look. I was too sick. Odb built the blueprint live below the Stars rise above the Moon everybody living people dying too soon. My pitbulls I'm really trying to.

A

B

Looking on foreign.

B

We can have a Christmas if they keep us on free lunch. I can't get no shows. If my uncle do my thing, we can eat spaghetti, cause spaghetti lasts for days. Let them cut the lights. We eat our home with the oven. I can't get new clothes if I can share.

C

With my brothers, everything.

B

Was beautiful, Nothing Hurt outside coming? It's all real easy making something out of nothing like heaven for the climate hell for the company. Well,.

A

Yeah, whatever Heaven is in.

B

Front of me some things: I say you only have free bacon, try being poor and having aspirations you can watch me live my life. I! Won't! Let you watch me die cause I, ain't, superstitious and I. Don't knock on wood, don't believe the karma things happen. How It, Should I should be rich, but I ain't.

B

Personified I've never been compromised, trying to live, but life I can't afford it. Money makes the voice of God so distorted so sick. They gonna put you in the hole quick. Now, that's my Stairway to Heaven feeling homesick. So when I die, I hope my soul is Sanctified empty out my pockets toss my money to the sky finally made a ring. I finally made him cry. My mom could work two jobs. If I could learn to ride the bus, we can have a Christmas if they keep us on free lunch. I can get them shoes.

B

If my uncle do my thing, we can eat spaghetti, cause spaghetti lasts for days. Let them cut the lights. We heat our home with the oven. I keep getting close. If I can share with my brothers, everything was beautiful. Nothing Hurt outside coming.

C

B

All real easy making something out of nothing.

B

B

My mom can work two jobs. If I could learn to ride the bus, we can have a Christmas if they keep us so free lunch. I can get new shoes. If my uncle do my thing, we can eat spaghetti, cause spaghetti lasts for days.

D

That's my favorite part.

D

So this next song, like I, said I, keep changing the name of it, but we're just going to call it.

D

The Clara Looper tribute, um but I wrote it because I was at the boys and girls club and I was explaining to them about how important Claire Looper was and I was trying to explain to them about how the kids that that held this sit-in were just like them, the same age as them, and things like that and so uh I decided to you know: I need to to uh put these words into a song and try to explain it to them that way, and so um so I. We I wrote this song.

D

For that reason, and then, whenever I I sent it to a bunch of people, I think I sent it to uh mayor I, sent it to Alex. But uh whenever Alex uh decided we should do it with the field. Then we wanted to add another element to it.

D

And at the beginning of the song uh that they're going to play, there is an element of one of the freedom songs that these senators and that they were seeing when they were marching and when they were doing the sit-ins- and um it says ain't gonna- let nobody turn me around, and so the beginning of this song uh has that element of you know those songs that they used to sing back then so yeah.

C

C

B

August 19 1958, prepare your mind and body to endure hate turn the other cheek and control your temper them somebody's kids. What they don't remember can we get a Coke, a burger and fries. We gonna hold these seats until y'all, decide 13 kids from the youth Council, led by one woman who can move mountains, imagine being grown and not serve the kids I hate in them, color of the Conch skin that trip to New York, they was focused, then Beverly came home and she made a motion. We gon sit until they serve us was clever.

B

Looper students have purpose, don't fight each other. We must fight the hate. If you can't be non-violent, you can't participate, we gotta leave with love, that's the hope for all. We gotta see what love took behold: the walls I'm speaking for my heart ain't. No, stopping me with clever lupus heart and philosophy. She went to jail 26 times in a civil Liberation. On her mind, she went to jail 26 times in a civil Liberation. On her mind, look she said. So we had a chance to stand. She said so we had the chance to stand.

C

C

B

She sat so we had the chance to stand 1958 it All Began, I'm. Speaking from my heart ain't. No stopping me with clever lupus heart and philosophy. She said so we had the chance to stand 1958 it All, Began, I'm. Speaking from my heart, I hope you feeling me clever. Looper. Add that to Black History she sat so we had a chance to stand. I speak up from my heart. I hope you understand she said so we had the chance to stand. Yeah look.

B

She went to jail 26 times in a cell with Liberation. On her mind, she went to jail 26 times sitting in a civil Liberation on her Farm. What.

C

C

C

Thank you. Thank you.