Singer, Educator, Athletic Director Sonni Graham talks her Career & Annual Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade

What's up? Y artist is Doug E. Frush and you're watching and we talk weekly. You're listening to right here. Shout out to our young reporters out there. I love our youth man. They doing some great work. You know, you got a young one out there that's interested in learning anything about journalism. Holler ad is We got Laurences out there. She love working with the youth for you civic news. Shout out to you know, the twins out. Shout out to everybody who's doing the work out there in those streets. So we ready for our next guest. You're doing the honors holt. All right, Well, I am proud to announce that we have Sonny Graham. She's an educator and athletic director, a performer with more than twenty years of experience, a graduate of tut you. Like Atlanta University. She's dancing the NBA, toured nationally as a vocalist with Kindred, the Family, so and so much more. As y'all already know what to do, let's give a warm we talk weekly. Welcome to Sony. Thank you. Let me see if I get your mic right? Okay there it sounded crisp. Okay, No, doubt, no doubts. The first, you know, we'd like to start out with our guests to ask how would your day? How would your day day? It has been great, It's been long, but it's been We were I was. Actually in the Juneteenth meeting today, so we had one of our many in person meetings to do the run of show for the events for Juneteenth. Fast approaches, it's coming national holiday, came fast. And since since we're already there, because I didn't want to jump in that, because I want to talk about you a little bit, because this is uh the portion of the show where we you know, try to amplify the good old folks that's out there and we're in. I guess now that us since wearing Woman History Month, right. Yes, that away shout out to shout out to you all the good old work that you're doing. So let's start from you know, day want let's start from the temple things, right, A lot of people don't know me, Sony got. A little yeah you go way back, way way. Let's talk a little bit about you know, what got you into arts, you know, entertainment, things of that nature. I started in the arts ever since I can walk, I've been a dancer. I've been in national television commercials. I've been on TV. I've danced in the NBA. I say, I sing with Kindred the Family Soul. I've been singing with them for like twenty years. I've been in the arts forever. And then I took my love for the arts and I put that into education and started teaching. And now I am a longtime educator and athletic director from Master Charter Schools and the producer, the executive producer for the Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade and the Pennsylvania June teen Scholarship Pageant. Yeah wow, ye, absolutely, So let's let's before we get into Juneteenth the parade, I do want to talk about the pageant. You know, the young the young ones that's been doing some amazing work and so talented. Right, what inspired the pageant first and foremost? And how long has it been? Well, this would be year four for the pageant. What brought the pageant on was that first, first and foremost the Pennsylvania Juneteenth Initiative, which is the producers of the Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade and festival. We always want to give back outside of just the parade, right, it's just it's not just about the parade, it's not just about the festival. How else can we give back to our community? And one of those things where to create a place for young people to be able to express themselves and showcase their talents and their intellect. And what better way to do that than to have a pageant. So we have a Pennsylvania Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant. We give away scholarships, we give away small prizes, but it's also an opportunity for us to kind of big up our youth and give them a platform to be showcased. So this is year four for the pageant, and this year's pageant is on June sixth. It's at the Croc Center and we are also we have we have our first boy, so we have a king who won last year and we opened it up to both young ladies and to young men. So he's actually doing really, really great. He's at Coppin State University. He's a freshman this year. And our Miss Tuneteenth Pennsylvania is on her. Way to an HBCU. She's trying to get. Into Howard, so we're helping her in that process and she is She is awesome. She's a writer, just wrote a fantastic article about the Big Beautiful Bill, which will be. Put in the Sunday Sun. So it's it's just a really great way for us to give our young people in Pennsylvania some shine and some showcase. Yes, education here entertainment, Like how did those two worlds meet? And what shaped you the most? If in. I always said that, how do I take what I love the most and pass it on to young people but help them shape themselves in a way where they can make money and survive off of it. As we all know, the arts is not right. It's right, it's always a struggle when it comes to the arts. But I've found an end in education, and so my goal is always to help aspiring artists to say to young people, like, you want to be a dancer, let me show you what to do to become a great dancer one, but let me show you how to make money, right, Like, there are a thousand things that you can do in the arts. That doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be in the forefront. You can be a producer, you can be a lighting director. You know, you can be a writer, you can be a sound producer, you can be an engineer. So I always wanted to figure out a way to teach young people how to stay in the arts, but how to survive in the arts. And that's kind of how those two worlds collided. Sonny, Where was you when I was in college inheritance? Because I don't see any financial gain from it, So I decided to do something different and I went to law school where I might be able to see But it bothers me at this age that you know, there wasn't a way for me to kind of do both. But I really appreciate your work. It is definitely needed. Thank you. Yeah, and you'd be surprised how much kids don't understand or know the knowledge of the things that you can do behind the scene and how much money you can make fun. So yeah, I think it's important that you're showing and that it's showing them that because now when you see so many different especially when it comes to child actors and entertainers, a lot of the dark side of entertainment in Hollywood and the stories that are coming out now with you know that we didn't know, like what's going on and you just see this child star and why are they going through what they're going through now and then you learn that something happened to them when they were a child. So it's important that they have you showing them the ropes and training them and training them up the way this you go, you know what I mean. So I think that's important. Yeah, awesome, And speaking of that, not so much of the dark side. But what was the sacrifices that you had to make in order to accomplish these many accomplishments. Well, you know, if I could be a dancer forever and just choreograph dances all day long and be in right and being videos and be on the NBA court dancing and survive, I would, but I can't. So some of the sacrifices to me were, you know, yeah, you got to find another route. You gotta find another pathway to survival and staying in the arts. And I guess at the same time, it's not really struggle. I went back to school, I got my master's in education leadership. I figured out, like, how do I mend the two? How do I stay in what I'm doing, you know, and and still move forward. But I think it's I think it's a struggle always to not be able to just be a singer or a dancer, and that's it. But unfortunately, in this day and age, if you're not super famous and super rich, you're. Not going to survive that way. So, you know, I think my struggle has always been just you know, I want to. Just I just want to perform. I just want to be on the stage. I will do it. It will be a disjustice or I will be remiss if I didn't talk a little bit about where you came from. Lord, Right, So we got to talk about MoMA. Why don't you know intro her? And you know, because you're talking about black excellence right there, why don't you talk a little bit about her and amplify her a little bit because I think a lot of who she is rubbed on you, you know, and so she's just just a dope person. So I just want you to talk a little bit about mom. That's my mom. My mother is Helen Salah Houdine. She is an entertainment attorney, She is a she has a She started a nonprofit with my dad alis Ala Houdine called African Genesis, where they took thousands of kids to Africa for free and an effort for them to learn about themselves. And learn about the. Continent and she is the CEO of Juneteenth. My mom is. Mom, doc is mom, doc is My Mama is the truth. She's just you know, she's just a She's just a stellar person who's been a stellar person in Philadelphia for. A long long time. She's a pioneer of a lot of things. That's right. That's right, and it speaks volume when you could be a mother to your children and then mother to other children's that's when you're now. We call her mama hell and they called her Mama help. That's who you know God, because you're not just loving on your own, you know what I mean? And that's what love is. You know. Athletics, we got a lot of different athletes coming up, and one that I'm gonna. Specifically talk about is Clarissa Shields, young woman. I just seen her last fight. I mean she was in there. It was almost like, yeah, the growth right she was. It was phenomenal seeing even though the young lady she was fighting. But there is a a finesse of you know, media literacy, having conversation, knowing how to build your brand. What would you tell Clarissa or young women such as that that are coming out that may have a disdain against them or how media looks at them, or how do you how do they navigate that. When I think about that question, I think about I guess I'm telling my age a little bit when I say this, But I think about back in the day when you used to be in the entertainment industry and. You had to be cromed right to be on TV. Media training, to be on TV, and especially as an athletic director and being around the children now and understanding all the talent that I have around me. To just to media training is a thing. It's such a quorum to how you are and what you are and you want longevity, and if you want longevity and what you do, you always have to think about what you're saying and what you're doing and who's watching you. And so I think that it would be important to say, get some training, get some media training, make sure you're watching what you're doing. Remember who people are watching you. You don't know who they are, but media training, that's what I would say. I would say, make sure you get some training. And that said that said, it could be a possibility that she knows what she's doing, right, And so some people say bad press, it's still press. It's a different time too. I know that that's true too. That's true. I want to pull up this comment real quick because the Diamond, Black Shot, the Domina's a happy Woman's Day, Happy Woman's History Monthrow. International International. Yeah, I'm giving you this all. I mean, I think about that women couldn't we couldn't get a job, we couldn't vote, and then if you're a black woman, it was even more impressed. So it's like a three strike with being a black woman. So but think about that. Yeah, I think about you know, shout out to y'all. You deserve all your press in that for sure. So we talked a little bit about moms, you know, even you know Pop, because Pops he has a legacy. Why don't you talk a little bit about the brother too, because he's he's he's a boss, he's a king, and he's been in a he's a he's a legacy. He's the legacy. Yeah, least ad he's passed now, but he's this he's the beginning of June teenth, Philadelphia. Him and Michael Rashid. I'm not sure if you all know who Michael Rashid is started Juneteenth Parade a long time ago, side by side with Kinney Gamble, and the idea was, originally we wanted to create something that was cultural in Philadelphia and they. Always wanted to do something. For Juneteenth, and started the Juneteenth Parade and Festival actually downtown. And eventually we're like, why are we doing this downtown? This makes no you know, it didn't make sense. We weren't bringing any black dollars. Nobody black was making any money off of it. Where can we go now to bring black dollars in a black community and make make dollars make sense? And we came to West Philly. We went to fifty second Street on the black business car door and he was the he's the pioneer. Him and Michael Rashie. They started that. That's how that's the beginning of the Juneteenth Parade. And tell us how big and now we're how amplified it is? Now? Oh yeah, I said all the time, Philadelphia Juneteens Parade and Festival is. The largest team festival at parade in the country. Yes, yeah, yes, And it travels from it goes from So we start at fifty second in South Concourse is where the man is and It goes all the way down fifty second Street and we stop at the Malcolm X Park. Huge festival, lots of food. We have children's village, or we'll call it children We called the Kids Pavilion. Now we have the Kids Pavilion. We have concert. This year we're featuring out Lady. Alma our grand marshall. Yeah, lady, my girl. This year's grand Marshall is d Jazzy Jeff. So yeah, we don't have we have good time every year, right, can you come and ask you yeah? Yeah, yeah, to. Know that that your family, you're the legacy of the beginning of. June teen, that's that's major. It feels great. Yeah, it has to. Yes, it's a good time. So make sure you're there. I'll be there. Make sure that I had the opportunity to be on the flow about two years ago. I was because I got sick. But I'll be around. All right, We're waiting for you this year. But also, and before we go on, a lot of people have just really start to learn what Juneteenth is and not even pronouncing it correctly. Can you tell us what June teeth is and why it's observed. So in Galveston, Texas, there were slaves that were there that did not know that they were free, and they had been free for two hundred and fifty years, and there was lieutenant that came to Galveston and they had to let them know, you know, you're free and you don't have to be doing this anymore. So we that became an actual holiday or an actual day to be remembered, and that's what June teenth is. And sadly they didn't know they were free because they wanted to continue slavery for free labor and across the world other people other slaves quote unquote free, but I'm. Free because you're still you're still yeah, you're still trying. But to know they worked all that to be in that type of you know, arrested development and not having thinking they didn't have freedom. I don't know if it's a quote that they say, Harriet Tubban says, I haven't fact checked it, but they she said, I could have freed more sleeves only. You know so, but yeah, that's sound. Yeah. I was gonna ask about the increase of support once the former President Biden signed made it a federal holiday. What what is what was the difference in the level of support. Believe it or not. I feel like the level of support did never change. I feel like it's always been the same. I think people are very supportive. We've always had great support from sponsors, from the city of Philadelphia, from organizations. I mean, it's always been. Heavily supported, and more crowds coming out now that they're aware. Yeah, they're aware of it, you know, and especially being in the community. People are coming outside, they got their Juneteenth decorations. On their houses. Now everybody's got fledged, you know. So it's always been like a day unity and I just I don't feel like it's ever been a thing where it wasn't supported. Right, Yeah, that's awesome. Well tell us more about you your duo with the Kendrick the Family Soul. Yeah, tell us how that became. And you know, oh, that's going to be hilarious, hilarious. Story is going to have a fit. So how I know Kindred is before Kindred was Kindred. When Fatin was in high school, my mother was his manager and he had a singing group. With he's I can remember the name of the group now, but he was in. A singing group and my mother managed him, and then eventually he kind of rolled on and I mean, I have a lot of relationships with a lot of people in Philadelphia and such, and we just always he's like my brother, Like we were always like hip to hip. And then he married Aga, that's my sister. And then when they got together, they were like, we're gonna do this thing and we're gonna have a band, and we it was about five five background singers, then four background singers and backgrounds. Because then five. But I've been singing with them since since it started, and yeah, I got an opportunity to travel the world with them and still singing with them. Yeah, I want to circle back to juneteenth because you've been also traveling and bringing Miss June teenth, right, so you have like a little Miss June teenth. You got let's talk a little bit about that graduation of missus when it comes to that. So we do a little Miss June team, we do a junior missjun team, and then we have Miss June team, and so we we I feel like that is it's fitting because it helps us kind of walk through the stages of life with them. We don't just give them a crown and then they walk away. We are there with them through everything. I mean even now with our king who is at copp And State, we send them food and snacks and sweatshirts, and you know, so I think it's an opportunity for us to not only like name that you're a queen, but we're going to also walk through life with you and help you through hard times or anytime you need something, or now it's time for school, let me help you get into school or whatever that looks like. It's just an opportunity for us to walk through life with them, not just. In the moment. And how does one get you know, like the sisters, the young ladies that want to be involved in yes, and the whole pro that process. So you can go onto the website and that's for the parade too. Anybody wants to be a part of the parade, you just go on to www dot Juneteenthphilly dot org. Go to participate, click the link all the opportunities for you to participate. If you want to be a volunteer, if you want to be in the parade, or if you're interested in putting a young person into the pageant, you just go onto the website, click the link and apply. Awesome, now they are Why don't you expand on how the ladies are judged. You know, what are they judged on in that full process. So we do they have to write an essay about Juneteenth. We judge them on their We call it their opening, so they have like a moment where they're, hi, my name is and I'm your miss Juneteenth because give them an opportunity to kind of showcase who they are. So we call that, you know, the opening or the introductions. We do a talent section where they get to show us their talent. We do a question and answer, so they don't know what the questions are going to be. They have to be able to think on the spot and answer the question on the spot. And then we do an evening where so those are all of the categories that they're judged on. The essay portion is for the older ones, so we do that with Miss and King because they're fifteenth to eighteen and it has to be you know, a standard at college formed essay that they turn in and that's those are the categories. But pulling back the layers, this is resilience, This is confidence, like this is things that sadly some are not getting this at home, yep. And this is allowing them to have that moment of public speaking an ad a kid of you know, And I'm glad you said that too, because that's part of what they do because we don't even when we have the participants and yeah, there's the pageant, but there's a prep. So we use a whole month, the whole month of April in May, we are prepping them. We're giving them. Public speaking classes, We're teaching them how to walk, were giving them lessons on what June teen means. We're talking about community, we're doing team bonding. So it's more than just the pageant. And I dare to say to you know a lot of the ones if you if you're not winning, you're still winning. Yes, right, you're still winning. Got all of that, Absolutely, you're still winning. You're getting everything you can get to become better and to become more confident and to become you know, to. Add those nuggets and knowledge to you. So cut us to you, your family, all of your team, like, that's amazing, thank you. It's just appreciate it. That's what giving back is. That's what it is. That's what it is. So I know your parents are extremely proud that you got you kept that legacy going, yeah, it's awesome. Yeah, I'm going to talk a little bit more about the process, right because I know it's people actually watching some of the youth that potentially want to be a part of that. So is there a safe example a deadline for them? So I'm going to tell you the deadline is March twenty ninth to apply. Coming up. It's coming up, coming up, because. We're right around the corner, we're getting read in Roland to April. Deadline is I know, right, deadline is March twenty ninth. You have to have your report card. You have to send your report card in. We have to prove that you're in the state of Pennsylvania, believe or not. When you do pageants, you have to be a resident of Pennsylvania. So we need proof of residency. We need proof that you are doing great in school. So we ask for report cards, for the latest report cards, and everything else is just you know, basic information. And again you just go onto the website and you fill out that application and get it in by March twenty ninth. What about the mentors? How about that? Are you all looking for them? And so how do you join? I never turned mentors away. What we do is workshops throughout them two months before we you know, we prepare and we we've already we already have our workshop or our mentors in place. So but I never turn them away. So they could just go to the website. They can go to the website as well. They can put in for a volunteer or whatever that looks like. Or you can if you know, Hope, Hope shout out to Hope, play Hope is our volunteer coordinator. Can always go online and go under volunteers, sign up to be a volunteer. We any any way that we can get them mentor even if it's the day of right, we'll take them. So ages right as they all of they all have the same deadline, right, and so break down the ages. Rule seven to eighteen, so as young as seven and. So the categories like little miss is from what to what the. Eight so your categories are seven to nine and then you go ten to twelve and then thirteen to eighteen. Now that can always but it could always change. And then we've done it for four years. I feel like two of those years it changed based on the ages that we got right. So if you don't get like, for instance, one year we didn't get any seven year olds. We only got eight, nine and ten, so we changed little miss to eight, nine, ten, and then we went eleven to thirteen and then fourteen eighteen. So it really depends on the ages. That we get. Fantastic I had the opportunity to judge that he did. Yes, just wait for him to bring his fashion. Sent But it was an amazing time. You know, I'm always amazed, right, which I shouldn't be because it's no you know, it's kind of like we know that they're talented, we know that they have the talent, but I'm. Always amazed to see that much talent. Right, And you know these little girls, you know, these little sisters, these little young women are doing some amazing work. You know, seeing their skits, you know, they're doing like full skits. Yeah, they're remembering, they're talking about you know, their classes, their grades, they're talking about the process. Right. And one thing that you Kobe'll Be said, he said, it's not the destination, it's the journey. And that's what I like about the Juneteenth Pageant, right, It's a journey that they take these young ladies on. It's not just you know, come to the pageant, be cute and see if you win. You know they're doing you know, fundamentals they're doing. You know, they're they're learning certain things, they're I mean, it's just an amazing thing. And so I usually know we can't like call to action, but what I will say is that the pageant is just an amazing and amazing experience for these young ladies. And so how do they get in contact with you? To do that? Again? Go online, go to www dot Juneteenth Philly dot org. Go under participate, click on that link for the pageant, fill out the application and press in. Fantastic. Now for those for those who want to be let's talk a little bit about the floats right in organization potentially that want to be a part of that. How does that work? So floats are a little different. Floats are usually sponsored and if you want to float, and you can also go on to w dot org and you can go under sponsors or sponsorship and you can always sign up for more information about sponsorships. Our sponsor packet is also online. They give you all the information about sponsoring the float or being being on a float. But you could be in the parade too, and there's there's all. There's many opportunities to be in the parade. You don't you don't have to be on the float. You can march, you can walk. It was a party and it was raining and I was gonna leave. They was like, no, wait, literally, it was a party. That's what it is. It was a part. I was a part of the part. Test right, it was. It was it's a time we have spent the times. It was yep, I thought you a question. Oh no, I wasn't saying anything, but I was agreed. She was a great It was a barge. Yeah, yeah, I mean, if you actually I pulled up some footage as we continue the conversation, but we talked weekly had the opportunity to be there and cover the full garade, and potentially we. May be there again. We're just trying to We're not talking potentially. Okay. So what can people expect this year when they come out? I always said, well, listen, we have marching bands, drum lines, dance teams, nonprofit organizations. Come see Jazzy Jeff while he drives down the street. We have Lady Alma performing at the end. We have. Loads of vendors, we have food we just finished. I mean we are literally I think we get room for eighteen vendors. We booked seventeen already. Wow. The food is going to be amazing. It's always great stuff when it comes to the vendors to buy. It's just a time, yes, you say, it's a party, classical, classic cars. We have a car show, support for the kids, the children's village, we have it. It's just something for everyone and we just have a good time. Radio one will be out there. We have the basement party with Lady Ban touch tone. We have. We have a good time. It's gonna be a movie, a movie, yeah yeah. And so what you're seeing is a little footage right there for let me see if we can see some of the people, some of the floats that was actually down there. Now, ladies and gentlemen, when I tell you that it was a time and you don't want to actually rained a little bit. I thought it was storming, people going nowhere. It meant nothing. The sun came out and said. And let me say, that is the very fir we have been doing Juneteenth now for years. That is the first time it's ever rained and it didn't stop. Fat Yeah, yeah, yeah, are your highlights on Juneteenth. Well, when you when you say that, you mean the parade or any anything like what stands out? What do you look out for? Of course, the whole the whole thing. We get it. I get it. But what's one of the things that you love to say, like, yo, I can't wait to see which one of your favorite courts. Here's here's what I always say. I always say that the parade for me is when you can see. You can't see what you can't You can't be what you can't see. Right, It's an opportunity for young people to see black excellence come down your street, right, and you can say I can do that, I can be that, I could be a queen, I can be an AKA. I can be an exec from Pico. You know, it's like it's black excellence coming down fifty second Street. That's the best part of it all. And sometimes we don't get to see that all the time. You know, you don't get to know like, oh wow, she owns that business. These are this is black excellence coming down the street. That are people of all different types of organizations and businesses. It's that's what I like to say. Can I add to that? Too, just from observing it. You know, I'm from Mount Area, but my family is all in Southwest and you know, all around the neighborhood. So I've walked those streets, you know, many times throughout the years, and it's the networking. Do you know how many. People I've saw that I didn't see for years that I was like, oh, they go own, they were so and so. And then just people that you're walking up to that are selling sea malls or different types of all natural stuff and they're like, hey, my sister, here's a car, you know, and then now you've made a connection. So it was about the whole thing that you said, and then it was about the networking seeing each other with your melonin and your shade butter and all types. Of shake a huge fan, the beautiful thing. There was not a fight, Nope, there was no commotion. There was no altercation. And I'm talking it was packed the way we had to get out. It was like bumper to bumper, but everything was in harmony. So all of what you said a community. Yeah, and shout out to Vincent Hughes. I mean you can actually go to yes, one of our biggest supporters. Yes, and he's been. I mean he we had opportunity to actually interview him during the parade, and he had so much great things to say about just June teenth and the legacy of June teenth. So much so that he stayed in our booth. I'm like, yo, you can get out. You see, I'm not sitting there. He took over. He just said it in my mic you go ahead, go ahead, you sent it, or go ahead take it, you know. And so so it was. It was a great opportunity to be here and see so many people who actually you know, was just there, and it's just a time that the community actually come together and and just be a part of an amazing time. I would like to see uh more schools. That's walking in the parade. There was a few, there was a few. I would love to see a concerted effort to get more of school the school bands, the cheerleaders and everything to walk in their parade. It sounds to me like you might be helping us. That sounds like, yeah, job, I would love that. Listen, you know, I'm for the young people I want to see. I want to see that too. So look get out my mic man shout out to like very great guy, Yeah, he's very cool. He's there every year. He's our biggest supporter. Yeah, no doubt. So is it anything that we didn't cover when it comes to your team, because I know you came to you know, amplify such an amazing event that will siting there. This was Look look at the kids right there. I mean you're talking about people in the community that just kind of got together. And one thing that I, you know, I need to amplify and talk about because you know how you know certain. Outlets legacy media. If you bleeds, it leads. But guess what it was no bleeding, no right, it was just loved, right. And so that's what I like to do when it comes to the people, like there were no altercations, no fight. You're talking about thousands and thousands and thousands of people. No problems. Right. Oftentimes that doesn't happen, but nobody said anything about that, right, And so. I wanted to talk a little bit about that, right. And so, how how does it feel right now to be how long how long have your tie? How long has it been. It's been on fifty second Street now it has been since twenty twenty nineteen? Was the wow? So how does it feel to know that it's been that long and that successful, like. The love of that. To know that you can have an event that large, at that scale and not have an altercation is awesome. But I think it just speaks to you know, what it's about. It's a cultural event, you know. I think that everybody's there in love and unity, and it's just we've been blessed to have a positive event for a very long time exactly. It's the narrative is pushed that our people, you know, are on top of each other like that, but they're not. When we have unification and unity, we don't do that, you know what I'm saying. And it's sad that that's pushed, but you know, it's you know, it is what it is. But for something of. This magnitude, and it's not even just localized, I mean it's it's a traveling like they're literally walking from from downtown. Like that's not that's that's not a small thing. And then a lot of the traffic has to stop, bus routes have to stop a lot of stuff, and that's a rolling parade. Yeah, like it doesn't you know, we don't block off the sides once the parade goes, everything just continues to go, you know. Oh wow. So yeah, and that. Takes a lot of coordination to get all of that permits and conversations and calls. Now, let me ask you with the mayor now, with Jerrell Parker, first black woman, hundredth mayor, has that had to be coordinated as well with her team and because it's always a coordination with the City of Philadelphia, Okay, right, Charrelle's one of our biggest supporters as well too. She was actually our Grand Marshall one year. She came last year. So we always coordinate with the City of Philadelphia. That's we always say, that's our major major sponsor. So yeah, wonderful. Interesting is there anything that we didn't cover? You feel like, you know, the people need to know about the parade, junior team, the festival, all of that. Well, I mean, I think we covered everything, but I want to see faces down that parade route. I want to we want to see you come out. We want you to you know, have a have a have a barbecue on your on your steps while the marching band is walking down the street. Reach. We want to see more people come out and enjoy the actual parade. Route. So if I were to say anything, I would say, come outside and enjoy seeing black excellence. Roll down fifty second Street, catch us outside. I guess the last thing before I let you go and you give all your information, I want to talk a little bit about Malcolm. X Park and that's where. That's where it is, and so I want to know the significance of that. Why y'all decided to kind of end there, right, because that's where it ends. But the number hundreds of organizations that's within the park. Well, I always, as I said earlier, fifty second Street period is the black business card. Or whenever I think about fifty second Street, I think about my mom. She always tells me, I mean a lot of my family members are from from West Philly. She always tells me stories about how she would her parents will take her off fifty second Street to buy shoes and. Get her hair done and ye yeah, like that was what it was. So it's a major business card or first of all, fifty second Street, and so I just think that the joy and knowing that at the end of fifty second Street is Malcolm X Park is. Kind of like, you know, like that's perfection. You can't get no better than that, So that you know, I think just having Malcolm X Park is just awesome. But inside of the park again, we got fenders. We also do yoga in the morning. We got art crafts for the kids. We have an art museum where we sell art in the park. Again, we got food. We have a lot of vendors selling lots of different things. There's a little pavilion in the park that has like a little awning and they part growing. It's all kind of stuff happening in that park. That park is a party and it's own under its own, so there's lots of things happening in the park and then on the sides of the park as well. So yeah, the Malcolm X is popping. Shout out to the sisters out there doing double Dutch two. They had their own girls jump jump every year. I mean, look, I love my people. I love every year. Philly is just Phillies, just. A vib. And so, uh, let me see if I covered everything. So make sure you know we talk weekly. Are gonna be out there again, you know, streaming, making sure y'all see. If y'all can't come down, you can at least see all of the festivities. You can actually go to we Talk weekly dot com and watch live. We're going to make that happen for you guys. So how can everyone to get to know some more information about you Juneteenth and all Like www dot. Juneteenth Philly dot org. Go on to participate gives you all the information about sponsorships, participation, the pageant volunteer. If you want to be a part of it, just go to www dot juneteenth Philly dot org. Fantastic. You know what, I want to do something a little uh h, I know right, So I'm gonna throw your curve ball right because see I know you right, and so you know I usually do this with some of the guests. I want you to tell us. One thing that no one else knows about Sonny Graham that you can tell us now. So you gotta dig deep in that purse, right and uh and you know because I I know you know, So I want you to tell. Us one thing that no one else knows about Sonny grand Oh. Let's see, one thing that no one knows about Sonny Graham is that I was uh a singer that had an actual solo career and was signed to I'll be sure and. Wow, you got. Why the curve balls. Don't worry. Yeah, I was. I was a solo artist and was running around Philadelphia singing and doing my things back in the day. That's that's good enough. That's good enough for you, brother. But I want you to. I want to leave you because you come from a dynamic and an amazing family. You're such a great and amazing person. You even married an amazing gentlemen. I did. Doing some amazing things to amplify this lady. So I want you to. I want to give you this opportunity to talk to a young lady who may be watching this and kind of feeling inspire. What would you tell a young lady watching you and want to kind of be like a sonny. You are smart, you are beautiful, You are wise, and to have the confidence to do whatever it is that you put your mind to. You can be anything, anything that you want to be, as long as you put your mind to it. Block the noise, get yourself in tunnel vision, and put yourself exactly. Where you want to be. Fantastic and give a roundom a clause for that. I think this is an excellent transition to go to one of our young young reporters. So I don't want you guys to go anywhere one more time. How can they get in contact with you and I www dot jeteenth Philly dot org. Fantastic. All right, y'all, don't go nowhere. We'll be right back at If we cannot be complete unless you listen to or WAT should we talk quickly? Please believe you bab