Title
Also naming the 1500 block of Wharton street "James Mtume Way," to honor the life and legacy of renowned musician, activist, and Philadelphia native James Mtume.
Body
WHEREAS, Philadelphia's own James Forman, known as "James Mtume" for his entire adult life, was a visionary whose influence still resonates today; and
WHEREAS, Mtume was born on January 3, 1946. He was the biological son of legendary jazz saxophonist Jimmy Heath, but was raised by his mother and James "Hen Gates" Forman, who was a professional jazz pianist himself; and
WHEREAS, Mtume's childhood was spent around musicians who frequented his childhood home, including Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Dinah Washington, and John Coltrane. His biological uncle, the jazz drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath, gave him his first conga drum; and
WHEREAS, Mtume grew up on the 1500 block of Wharton Street in South Philadelphia. He attended Overbrook High School, where he swam competitively. He eventually became the first Black backstroke champion in the Amateur Athletic Union's Middle Atlantic District. In 1966, he entered Pasadena City College on a swimming scholarship; and
WHEREAS, In college, he joined the US Organization, a Black nationalist cultural group that introduced the holiday Kwanzaa, and he took an African last name: Mtume, Swahili for "messenger"; and
WHEREAS, While in California, he also delved more seriously into music and made two jazz albums thematically focused on Black cultural identity. The first, Kawaida, was made under his uncle's name, and also featured his father along with jazz legends Herbie Hancock and Don Cherry. However, Mtume was a driving force behind the album, not only contributing percussion and vocals but also writing all of the songs; and
WHEREAS, During this time, Mtume developed a close relationship with renowned poet and activist Amiri Baraka, with whom he recorded a spoken word album. At Baraka's request, Mtume moved back east to help elect Newark's first ...
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