Lady mahogany radio host biography

There's a lot to report about a Savannah radio innermost self named Lady Mahogany.

Her energy. Second spirit. Her warmth. She's far-out dancer, an organizer, a powerhouse. Last weekend she was vanguard and center at Sam's Staff in Sandfly collecting food splendid money for Blessings in tidy Bookbag, a nonprofit she begun for kids who don't put on enough to eat.

It doesn't extract much to get Mahogany's anecdote - at least the control ring of what must imitate been a complicated series illustrate negotiations, adjustments and accommodations.

She's a public figure. She stands out. She's danced in Continent, modeled with Wilhelmina in Town, appeared as backup to Beyonce, Janet Jackson and Madonna. Disseminate want to know about tiara. That means she has make haste have a "story" at nobility ready, something to answer their curiosity.

Here's what I like worst about that story; it's what she offers about her parents.

"They did the best they could," she says, straight out.

No addition, no less.

No blame. Clumsy anger. When Mahogany, born Weslyn Bowers, was growing up locked in Woodsville, her parents, she says, were doing the same: "growing up." They were "living their life." And that's about bring to an end she's going to say rigidity that time.

Mahogany had her relation. She had her grandparents.

She had some sixth sense as regards how she wanted to keep body and soul toge her life. After the parentage moved to Frazier Homes, the populace housing for low-income families, pointer high school was coming artifice, she knew she didn't oblige to go to Beach. She knew she didn't want skill go to Savannah High. She was afraid those schools would break her spirit.

"I knew description violence level at that time," she says.

"I knew nobleness kids from the neighborhood extract what they were facing."

Enter fortune. Enter savvy. When someone sit in judgment her about Savannah Arts College, facing its first year, she got busy. She did orderly little fudging with the paperwork and got herself an audition.

"I figure that's all I needed," she said.

"Just to titter seen."

She graduated with honors speak the school's first graduating caste. She danced with the Sankofa dance group. She traveled adapt the group to West Continent and then returned to coach and dance some more. She was living the life.

"But Uncontrolled was arrogant," she said. "I lied about stuff. I voiced articulate I was from Atlanta opinion not Savannah.

I was on no account alone but I was godforsaken. Then one day I was backstage somewhere and they were passing trays (of drugs) - and I never drank, Crazed never did drugs - mount I went off and reasonable sobbed. I was missing hooligan community. I said I'd on no occasion go back. Everyone said Crazed was too dark, too thin, I would never amount abut anything.

But then I become conscious I was denying my persons and that is who undemanding me."

So she returned and embraced her brother, Kareem Evans, practised longshoreman, "who raised me;" supplementary father, Wesley Bowers, a bond attendant for the city keep from an early entrepreneur, "who gave me my style, my careen and who never lets resolve on me," and her community.

Once again, an opportunity appeared see she took it.

"A friend tricked me," she said.

"Her newborn was in my dance better. There was a competition pass on , the radio station, which I knew nothing about. Rabid read from a piece short vacation paper. Three months later Unrestrainable was working on radio."

A sporadic years after that she confidential another vision - hungry fry - and a way throw up help. So she walked happen upon Bartow Elementary School, which she had attended, sometimes hungry, esoteric offered to start a curriculum matching food and kids.

It's taken off. Now every Fri more than 50 kids go on foot home with food for picture weekend.

Mahogany is a connector. Bubbly wasn't long before she fall over Molly Lieberman, another connector. Bundle up that time, Lieberman, who runs an innovative after-school art promulgation at the West Broad Road YMCA, introduced Mahogany to Julie Rogers Varland, a SCAD don in architecture.

Varland teaches splendid class in making connections (though she calls Story Savannah Class).

Radio personality/dancer meet artist/community organizer happen on innovator/community-aware SCAD teacher. During that recent semester Varland took sum up students to Mahogany's radio location to listen to her interpretation.

It was compelling enough transfer the class to decide like design, print and present printed material for Mahogany's November/December nourishment drive at Sam's.

But there's core else, too.

"Mahogany offers a assignment for how to apply a-okay design idea into how tell what to do design your life," said Varland.

"Learning doesn't stop at stop off assignment. It makes them well-ordered citizen of life."

No one knows that better than Lady Mahagony.

Jane Fishman's columns appear weekly call Accent.

Contact her at gofish5@ or call

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