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Tayari's Blog: Dreams From My Father Inaugural Ball!

Posted by TayariJones on January 2, 2009 07:04 PM
Filed under Current Events

As promised, here is a Q&A with novelist, entrepreneur, PR professional-- Gretchen Cook Anderson, one of the organizers of the "Dreams From My Father" American Scholars Inaugural Ball. I know that a lot of people out there want to participate in the festivities in DC, but besides google mapping the route to DC, we don't have the first idea on how to get involved. So, with no further ado, here's Gretchen and what she has to say:

Tayari: Gretchen, for many people—myself included—all the inauguration stuff is uncharted territory. Can you quickly let everyone know what exactly IS an inaugural ball?

Gretchen: The short answer is that it's a party. The long answer is that the best balls, in my opinion, bring two worlds together. In the most basic sense, it is a gala to celebrate the new president and with Barack Obama, there is obviously a lot to celebrate. So there will be food, music, party clothes, swank amenities.

Tayari: Sounds like my kind of party.

Gretchen: But a ball should also bring attention to an important issue. For the “Dreams From My Fathers” ball, we are highlighting the achievements of African American intellectuals. We’re honoring Toni Morrison, Cornell West, and other black scholars. We’re also giving a portion of the proceeds to education advocacy groups.

Tayari: I think it’s important that these folks be honored on this historic occasion. When you think about it, they really paved the way.

Gretchen: We want to honor them, but we also want to make sure that they have a good time! Macy Gray will be the MC and we’re expecting LL Cool J, Alicia Keys, Chrisette Michele and others. There will be a DJ and also a house band.

Tayari: You know I am in favor of that. I believe in a good time, especially for a good cause.

Gretchen: Did you see that we are honoring Johnnetta B. Cole?

Tayari: I did see that. I love that there are people on the list from HBCUs, the Ivies, and lots of other places. It’s like the true diversity of black scholarship is on full display.

Gretchen: That’s really what we are going for. We wanted it to be as diverse as possible. The honorees are multi-generational, they hail from all over the country. We've got novelists and neurosurgeons on the list. But biggest thing is that is it going to be welcoming to everyone.

Tayari: What about people that want to attend? I know I was interested, but I didn’t know how to go about getting tickets to a ball. I thought I needed to know a congressman or something. And I had no idea that there would even *be* events like this!

Gretchen: There are still some tickets available. You can get them at our website. It’s filling up fast, but right now, there are some available spaces.

Tayari: Just don’t give away my seat!

Gretchen: You know I wouldn’t do that.

January 3, 2009 09:20 PM

January 5, 2009 07:18 PM