Apart from being my best friend my dad was "The Preacher Of Sugar Hill". That's the name I gave him because he was loved by many people who lived in Sugar Hill (a very special place in Harlem, New York City).

Sugar Hill got its name in the 1920s when the neighborhood became popular for rich African Americans to live during the Harlem Renaissance.

Because it was considered the "sweet life" there, Sugar Hill featured row houses where many famous African Americans like Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Langston Hughes lived (to name a few).

For fun look up their names on the internet. Youtube will have videos of their artistic and important contributions that you will discover.

When Daddy first married my Mother (Barbara) they attended church functions with my Grandfather Rev. Enoch W. Terry and my Grandmother Frances. In the picture Daddy is standing with a big smile in the back to the right. My Mom (Barbara) is the beautiful lady standing in front of him. My Grandmother is standing to the Left of her and my Grandfather is standing with the big white flower on his jacket.

Can you locate everyone I mentioned in the photo?

Daddy had many different jobs. As a minister he would officiate weddings. He was the one who read the wedding vows and blessed the marriage of the bride and groom.

Here he is with the newly weds after the wedding. When he would pronounce them "Man and Wife" they lived happily ever after!

Daddy really loved me. I was born in Manhassett, Long Island, New York City. I was my dad's first born child. I lived in South Hampton, Long Island, New York at first. Our house was on a little farm near an Indian reservation (where Daddy helped the local Indians). We had a couple of farm animals and we lived next door to the church where my daddy preached.

We moved when I turned 6 years old.

When I was six I lived on Fish Avenue in the Bronx. That's where our new home was located. We didn't live in Sugar Hill but we lived one half hour away. I attended P.S. 78 elementary school, Ms. Dorothy's Dance Studio and I sang in concerts at the school. I started playing the piano at age 5 and played violin at 8. My mom would take me all around so people could hear me sing. My parents were very proud of my gift and I loved music!

Do you play an instrument? Do you have music classes in your school?

The house you see is where I lived. I used to walk to school everyday! I played in the driveway with my friends. My dad, friends, brother and I would pick fruit off of the trees we had outside. We also had a grape vine and black berries that we picked and ate. I remember when my dad bought us a dog named Jete (a french name that means black). Jete was a black french poodle and she passed away. Daddy buried her in the back yard and gave her a proper funeral with prayer and song. We had many other dogs, squirrel monkeys and gerbils. It's sad when animals pass away but it's good our memories of them remain. Do you have any animals?

Daddy started a Teen Canteen on 155th Street Between Edgecomb Avenue and St. Nicholas Place (where some of my family live now). He fixed up an abandoned building so that teens could have somewhere safe to play games, eat snacks and play musical instruments. In this picture taken by Mr. Crenshaw, they can be seen playing and singing. The middle picture is Daddy to the left with teens and Mrs. Turner his assistant.

My dad was great friends with Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy. Mr. Abernathy visited our house and stayed with us whenever he was in town and Rev. King's dad (known as "Daddy King") also visited. I was not there but I remember my family talking about the historic March On Washington. My dad organized a trip to the march (with his friend A. Phillip Randolph) attended by his church members, family and friends. Years later I attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art (called "the Fame" school) who's name got changed to A. Phillip Randolph. One of my daughters attended the school after the name change.

Apart from the equal rights that African Americans were requesting in the 60s, Daddy was a lover of the music that took place during that time. In the picture are Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson who at one time sang in my mother's choir at St. John's Baptist Church. Stevie Wonder (a blind multi-instrumental genius), knew my dad. As an adult (multi-instrumentalist), I met Stevie Wonder when he recorded the Sir Duke album. I was in Edwin Birdsong's band. Life repeated itself in a funny kind of way, don't you think?