Happy Father's Day!

Yesterday, Father's Day Saturday, the Big Poppa of our family, Kwaku, was on the air with Jacquie Stephens at KJLH, who was doing her annual Father's Day Special at Derrick's Jamaican Cuisine.

The show, produced by her daughter Steja, (go, girl!) featured 4 men who had 19 kids between them. One had 10, one had 5 (that would be Kwaku), one had 1 and I think Derrick has 3. It was delightful to hear these Dads counsel other Dads.

Then, Kwaku rushed to Kaos Network where his first of the Black History for Young People program kicked off. Every time I peeked my head in class, hands were raised, and the discussion was lively. (We have a few scholarships available, thanks to generous donors. Email drkwaku@hotmail.com).

Then, thanks to Leroy Hamilton, we were able to go-- for the first time in our lives--to the Playboy Jazz Festival. We had great seats and a parking pass. Talk about a good time...Kwaku surely enjoyed the music, one of his favorite things: Pancho Sanchez, Al Jarreau, Tower of Power among many others. The lifted spirits of the 18,000 happy people in attendance at the Hollywood Bowl were infectious.

We watched Leroy lug all this photographic equipment around in the hot sun...shooting from every angle from the stage. Can't wait to see what images he comes up with. And he has to do it all over again today!

Today, Kwaku wants tacos for Father's Day, and lucky for him, Renee Brown made some gourmet tacos when I was in Dallas and I took notes. Since--as a rule--I do not cook, I think I'll do OK. I'll have to--the sons are coming!

I think about my own Dad, who I wish you could have met. Andrew Person could sing, play the piano and wrote long extensive tomes (yes, I get it honestly). He was the life of the party. He wanted to be a lawyer, but my Grandmother told him lawyers are liars. Instead he became a body and fender man.

He is the reason I am in California. He used to tell intriguing stories about it which made it sound so wonderful--and he was right. This is my first time writing about my Dad--a gentle soul who would slap his thigh and tell us to cry out so my mom would think he was spanking us. It should make me sad that he passed away the summer I came to California, except that my youngest son--the soon to be lawyer-- is a live ringer of my Dad by all family accounts, so Daddy is with me still.

Happy Father's Day All!

Of course, the best gift of all would be a win by the Lakers...