James A. Dahlgren - Commentary

Black Vendors Protest Live 8

Photo By Carol Williams
African American Business Men And Supporters Block Broad Streeet As They Protest The Exclusion Of Black Vendors
In The Live 8 Event

PHILADELPHIA, PA-- A sizable group of African American business people and supporters marched around City Hall recently in protest of the fact that the organizers of the upcoming Live 8 concert has not offered business opportunities for Philadelphia Black vendors at the event. The march lasted for an hour.

Carrying signs that read "If Blacks Can't Participate, Stop Live Aid," the group demanded inclusion.

There was also some controversy around the cost of vending at the event which was said by the protesters to be around $2,500 a price that most Black vendors cannot afford.

Bruce Crawley, the chairman of the African American Chamber of Commerce stated
that the protesters would like to set up shop at LOVE Park on the day of Live 8. He said that the vendors should be returned to the park. Vendors participating in the march agreed.

"We have a right to earn a living and with an event this large coming into the city we are not going to sit back and quietly be excluded. Holding this event to help hungry people in Africa is great, but they got to remember that some of us right here in this city are suffering as well," one protester said.

Deborah Boiling commented that she did not know where the Black vendors got the $2,500 figure. She said that the Commerce Department has not set any terms as of yet, but Crawley said that this is the exact figure that is now being discussed.

Crawley met with the Mayor's office speaking with representatives who told him that the city will consider whether to allow the vendors to use LOVE Park. He said that the Mayor's office said that they would make a decision later in the day. In the interim Crawley said that the group will continue and even step up their protest in the coming days.

"This is all about the Live 8 Concert and the exclusion of Blacks. We feel that the price they are charging for inclusion is outrageous. We support any effort to help Africa, but our concern is about Philadelphia Blacks. We have some issues here too," James Grant one of the participants in the protest said.

The Live 8 Concert is being sponsored by Electric Factory Concerts via a contract with the City of Philadelphia. Proceeds from the event are said to benefit plight, disease and hunger in the motherland, Africa.

June 20, 2005

(c) 2005 Carol Williams

Live 8 Update
Minority Vendors Win Contract
By Carol Williams

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

PHILADELPHIA, PA--When Mayor John Street turned down Black vendors' request to set up business in LOVE Park located at 15th & the JFK Blvd during the Live 8 Concert, it sent a cold chill through out the African American Community. Street is Black and the disappointment was quickly felt. Street told the press that was not happy with the plan because it would be too costly for the city ($100,000).

"We just can't do it." Street said.

A. Bruce Crawley (African American Chamber of Commerce) asked the city for $100,00 for vendors operating between July 2nd and Labor Day. He also stated that the Chamber would like to see Black vendors with a minimum of 40% of the vending opportunities along the Parkway during the Live 8 event.

Last winter African American vendors set up their tables in LOVE Park for 30 days. Crawley said that the AACC would like to see the same thing happen in 2005. But, the city is in jeopardy of serious law suits by setting up "Black Only" opportunities.

Crawley stated that the city should be more interested in investing in Black business, especially around an event that is about improving the quality of life in Africa, the original home of African Americans. He said that he wants funding from the city to help to build Black business.

"We're asking for the funding as necessary to pay for tents, to pay for signage in the same way we did for the first African American vendors mall. They are putting $20 million dollars in Live 8. Is the mayor implying that the city should not be investing in African American business development," Crawley asked?

Today, the city signed a series of vending contracts amounting to $150,000. The money will to help defray the cost of the upcoming Live 8 concert on the Ben Franklin Parkway.

Mayor Street said that there are plenty of vending opportunities open along the Parkway in the vincinity of the Live 8 Concert and today it was announced that the city has sold vending rights to the event to Festival Food Management (FFM). The contract is for $90,000. The contract comes with the stipulation that the FFM would guarantee that at least 30% of the vending opportunities will go to minorities. There are a total of 235 vendor locations along the Parkway. The cost will range form $750-$1,500.

The city is also insuring that ten vending locations will go to ex-offenders who are having a problem finding "traditional jobs." The homeless will also have a vending opportunity through One Day At A Time a local non-profit organization that provides jobs for the city's many homeless people. In addition, the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation is granting a $30,000 loan that will help with supplies needed by the non-profit vendors.

So far Festival Foods has recruited sixty-two vendors. Twenty-six of them are women or minorities.

Is this the end of Black business people protesting in Philadelphia, Not likely one participant in today's protest said.

"This is just one event for one day. We have to continue to live here and support our families long after the music has stopped. We plan to keep this issue before the city until we feel that the playing field here is more level. No it's not over yet.

The city vending contracts for Live 8 will help to stifle the immediate protest, but others are likely to follow. So far no groups have filed for protest permits during the Live 8 protest and after losing a Civil Affairs Officer to a heart attack while trying to control a large group of protesters recently; the city of Philadelphia is hoping that the Live 8 event will be a peaceful one.

A million people are expected to jam the Parkway on Saturday. The city's Black leaders told the press that they have no plans to protest but they may picket the event.

Live 8 A Success To Some
Other Say It Was All
A Bunch of Trash
By Joi Williams

trash

Photo by James A. Dahlgren
Visitors mill through Live 8 Trash

PHILADELPHIA, PA--One million people jammed the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia to attend the historic Live 8 Concert. The sea of humanity stretched for miles. 100,000 people logged on to the internet and there were 26 million messages in support of the concert's efforts to raise awareness around hunger on the continent of Africa.

While parents in the US worry about having obese children, 35,000 children die from hunger in Africa every day. Information such as this was put out by the Live 8 campaign, but some people feel that the concert did more to promote elite interests than it did to actually help the people suffering in Africa.

"Let's get for real," Brenda Campbell a visitor to the city from New York said. "Not a single penny of the money raised-and they are making a lot of money here-will go to the hungry in Africa. And you know what...most of these people will go back to their little towns and nice jobs and within the next two weeks-no, I won't give it that long. I'll say within the next week they will have forgotten all about Africa, hungry people and all."

In fact early news reports concerning the performers involved were more star struck about performing in front of an audience of one million people than they were struck about the awful suffering of the people of Africa.

Photo by James A. Dahlgren
African Americans from New Jersey at Live 8

Other performers admitted that the concert helped to raise their awareness about world hunger, saying that without Live 8 they may not have realized how serious the problem is.

"I have learned a little bit about world poverty. I think that the concert will help to raise awareness," one of the performers said.

Another performer, Toby Keith, admitted that he learned a lot about hunger in Africa because of the event.

Alisha Keys was honored to be a part of the event. She said that there were few things more important than feeding hungry people and that having the concert in Philadelphia was fitting.

"Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly love. It means a lot for the concert to be held here," Keys said.

Musical genius, Stevie Wonder's performance touched the crowd, but he was careful to keep the focus on the hungry. Wonder's stepped lively with dancers all dressed in white as on-lookers back stage kicked up their heels.

"We must keep our light of love on , not just at Live 8, but everyday of the year. There is so much work to do," Wonder said.

Photo by James A. Dahlgren
Live 8 Visitors

Twenty years ago the Live Aid concert kicked off in Philadelphia drawing thousands. Considering the level of hunger in America and in the world it seems that the concert did little to help. Concert founder Bob Geildof is not discouraged. He said that he is determined to make people understand that everyone is connected and that everyone can help if they just educate themselves around ending human suffering.

"We must move toward inner dependence instead of independence."

Geildof would not take monetary donations from the stars that performed at the concert, saying he didn't want their money he wanted them to perform. But the pay off may have been bigger for the performers than for the 30,000 children who died from hunger last Saturday.

"This was all well and good and a lot of fun. A lot of the people who came out might give hungry children in Africa a second thought now...that is on their way back homes. It would be nice to think that they have at least learned not to waste food. I live in Philadelphia. I work in Center City where some of the most affluent people in the area are employed. I see them everyday coming out of 5 star restaurants stepping over the homeless, the hungry, the destitute to get into their luxury cars or back into their air conditioned high rises. I'm waiting to see a change on this level.

What really bothers me is when I see Black people doing it and especially the so called 'Afro-centric ones,' dressed in all of their garb with their noses in the air. They are like...'look at me I'm connected to my roots.' But what they are really saying is, 'I'm a pathetic piece of humanity who would rather front it than really do something to impact change. They are the ones who are most impressed with what these politicians here in this city are doing. I'm impressed with what they are not doing. Right here in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, the site of the Live Aid and the Live 8 concerts has nearly 20,000 children who are homeless and go to bed at least one night out of the months hungry. It's a disgrace and this is just the reason why the PCJH was founded all those years ago. To try to get people to reconnect with their humanity and stop fronting.

I've been serving the people all of my life and I know how it works. I'm not impressed by a big show. I'm impressed by results. I want to see some of these million dollar and multi-million dollar stars who performed here be touched enough to put a real dent in their incomes into saving those children who are starving to death in Africa. Yeah, every body partied. The City of Philadelphia made a lot of money and like the mayor said 'showed that they can host a big event.' But sadly, while the party went on, people were dying at that exact moment. While all those concert goers pushed hotdogs and burritos in their greedy faces, little children in Africa mouths dried shut from the lack of water, they took their last breaths with empty stomachs. Yeah, everybody had a real good time at Live 8, but will it make a real change? I don't think so," said Carol Williams the founder of the People's Coalition (PCJH) said.

Live 8 shows were also performed in Toronto, Canada, London, Berlin Moscow and Japan.

More Live Aid Photos by Photojournalist James A. Dahlgren

Clever helium balloons mark toileting facilities

Live 8
Philadelphia Art Museum (in the foreground)

Live 8 visitors along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway

A variety of dishes representing the flavors of Philadelphia's diverse population
was offered to the visitors who came from around the nation and the world.

Contact Us!