Urban League of Philadelphia Celebrates 90th Anniversary

Urban League of Philadelphia Celebrates 90th Anniversary

The Song of Equality Gala on May 19th to Honor Local Jazz Legends Trudy Pitts & Mr. C with the Prestigious 'Harmony Award'

Special Musical Performance by Jeffrey Osborne

PHILADELPHIA, May 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Urban League of Philadelphia celebrates its 90th anniversary at the 5th Annual Song of Equality Gala and will pay homage to two extraordinary individuals who exemplify peace, harmony and justice, and play a vital role in narrowing the equality divide. Join us on Saturday, May 19, 2007 at 6:00 pm the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th & Market Street (Entrance), as we honor this year's Harmony Award recipients: Trudy Pitts Carney & William "Mr. C" Carney. The electrifying Jeffrey Osborne will perform in concert. Concert tickets are $40 and are on sale at TICKET PHILADELPHIA (215.893.1999). The ticket box office closes this Friday at 8 pm!

90 Years Ago ...

With the ending of the Civil War, the latter years of the 19th century heralded the emancipation Proclamation and buoyed the hopes of millions of African-American men and women. Although many were skilled artisans, the subsequent disenfranchisement of African-Americans ensured persistent obstacles to opportunity in education, employment, and housing. The turn of the century saw the continuing denial of opportunities and began the Great Migration to Philadelphia and other northern cities, as African-American families sought opportunities that had been systematically denied to them in the south.

The Armstrong Association, which later became the Urban League of Philadelphia, arose from the ashes of a people's despair to signal a new beginning and was later to become a formidable foe of racial and economic oppression. The association was founded under the leadership of John Thompson Emlen, a Germantown Quaker, who named the organization in memory of General Samuel T. Armstrong, founder of Hampton Institute. Through 90 years of tradition and service, the Urban League of Philadelphia has provided an ever widening network of services to the people of Philadelphia. As it moves toward its centennial year, the League continues its commitment to the traditions of community service that empowers economic and social equality for African- Americans.

Harmony Award Recipients ...

Married for over 45 years, Trudy Pitts and Mr. C have shared their lifelong love of music with diverse audiences in Philadelphia and around the world, and together, they create music that has the power to lift the spirit and transcend cultural barriers.

Trudy Pitts, an award-winning composer, pianist and educator, began playing the piano at the age of six. After years of touring as a classical concert pianist, she joined a jazz band with John Coltrane, Albert Heath and William Carney in 1958. By the mid-1960s, the band, with new personnel, became known as "Trudy Pitts & Mr. C." Rather than pursue countless opportunities for stardom elsewhere, Trudy and Mr. C chose to remain in Philadelphia and raise their family. Trudy taught music in the School District of Philadelphia and at several area colleges and universities. Throughout her career she performed with such jazz greats as Ben Webster, Gene Ammons, and Sonny Stitt. Appearing on Prestige Records, Trudy recorded four critically- acclaimed albums with Willis Jackson, Pat Martino, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. She was the first jazz artist to perform on the new Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ at the Kimmel Center of the Performing Arts. Utilizing the color and sound of the organs' 7,000 pipes, Trudy took the medium to a whole new level.

Mr. C is an award-winning drummer, mentor, jazz historian and preservationist. He worked alongside such notables as John Coltrane, Grover Washington Jr. and Shirley Scott. Mr. C is deeply committed to educating the public about music, and has worked tirelessly to foster a supportive environment for other Philadelphia-area musicians. He established numerous performance venues; assisted in the development of Temple University's WRTI Jazz FM; and co-created Jazz Vespers, bringing live jazz to local churches. Mr. C was also instrumental in raising over $4 million to rejuvenate the Clef Club, which opened its new doors in 1995 on the Avenue of the Arts.

In Concert ...

As a drummer, solo artist and lead singer of L.T.D., recording artist Jeffrey Osborne has earned unprecedented international success with numerous hit songs and albums to his credit. His mighty voice was the center of a series of gold and platinum albums including Love to the World, Something to Love, and Togetherness & Devotion. He is widely known for recording many R&B/pop classics including Love Ballad, On the Wings of Love, Back In Love Again, Stay With Me Tonight, Only Human, and One Love. Marking his 30th year since the release of his first album, Osborne recently released a new CD, Music Is Life, on Koch Records and continues to give electrifying performances throughout the world.

Today ...

The Urban League of Philadelphia (ULP) is a non-profit, nonpartisan, civil rights and community-based movement that provides direct services, research and policy advocacy to help individuals and communities reach their fullest potential. Primarily working with African-Americans and other emerging ethnic communities, the ULP is an affiliate of the National Urban League. The National Urban League serves over 2 million people through professionally staffed affiliates located in 105 urban areas across the U.S., working to close equality gaps for people at all economic levels and stages of life, and giving residents a chance to give back as volunteers. Visit us at http://www.urbanleaguephila.org/.

Source: Urban League of Philadelphia

CONTACT: Amber Jaynes of the Urban League of Philadelphia,
+1-215.561.6070 ext. 211, ajaynes@urbanleaguephila.org

Web site:

http://www.urbanleaguephila.org/

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