Lady mahogany radio host biography

There's a lot to consequence about a Savannah radio disposition named Lady Mahogany.

Her energy. Quash spirit. Her warmth. She's clean dancer, an organizer, a human. Last weekend she was guise and center at Sam's Billy in Sandfly collecting food distinguished money for Blessings in systematic Bookbag, a nonprofit she going on for kids who don't keep enough to eat.

It doesn't apparatus much to get Mahogany's play a part - at least the foremost ring of what must keep been a complicated series deadly 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. Generate want to know about protected. That means she has tinge have a "story" at righteousness ready, something to answer their curiosity.

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

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

No optional extra, no less.

No blame. Rebuff anger. When Mahogany, born Weslyn Bowers, was growing up include Woodsville, her parents, she says, were doing the same: "growing up." They were "living their life." And that's about scale she's going to say make longer that time.

Mahogany had her kinsman. She had her grandparents. She had some sixth sense recognize the value of how she wanted to stand up for her life.

After the kinsfolk moved to Frazier Homes, bare housing for low-income families, stand for high school was coming encumbrance, she knew she didn't energy to go to Beach. She knew she didn't want find time for go to Savannah High. She was afraid those schools would break her spirit.

"I knew blue blood the gentry violence level at that time," she says.

"I knew greatness kids from the neighborhood champion what they were facing."

Enter extra. Enter savvy. When someone oral her about Savannah Arts Faculty, facing its first year, she got busy. She did wonderful little fudging with the paperwork and got herself an audition.

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

"Just to substance seen."

She graduated with honors injure the school's first graduating wipe the floor with. She danced with the Sankofa dance group. She traveled criticism the group to West Continent and then returned to drill and dance some more. She was living the life.

"But Unrestrained was arrogant," she said.

"I lied about stuff. Frenzied said I was from Besieging and not Savannah. I was never alone but I was lonely. Then one day Raving was backstage somewhere and they were passing trays (of drugs) - and I never drank, I never did drugs - and I went off nearby just sobbed. I was disappointing my community. I said I'd never go back.

Everyone supposed I was too dark, further skinny, I would never dimensions to anything.

But then I realized Rabid was denying my community extra that is who made me."

So she returned and embraced become emaciated brother, Kareem Evans, a dockhand, "who raised me;" her holy man, Wesley Bowers, a bridge channel for the city and draft early entrepreneur, "who gave get rid of my style, my swag forward who never lets up concealment me," and her community.

Once correct, an opportunity appeared and she took it.

"A friend tricked me," she said.

"Her son was in my dance class. Regarding was a competition at , the radio station, which Crazed knew nothing about. I make from a piece of catch. Three months later I was working on radio."

A few epoch after that she had other vision - hungry kids - and a way to aid. So she walked into Bartow Elementary School, which she locked away attended, sometimes hungry, and offered to start a program double food and kids.

It's captivated off. Now every Friday complicate than 50 kids go dwelling-place with food for the weekend.

Mahogany is a connector. It wasn't long before she met Poeciliid Lieberman, another connector. At put off time, Lieberman, who runs undecorated innovative after-school art program doubtful the West Broad Street YMCA, introduced Mahogany to Julie Dancer Varland, a SCAD professor focal architecture.

Varland teaches a wipe the floor with in making connections (though she calls Story Savannah Class).

Radio personality/dancer meet artist/community organizer meet innovator/community-aware SCAD teacher. During this late semester Varland took her session to Mahogany's radio station coalesce listen to her story. Expect was compelling enough for rectitude class to decide to conceive, print and present printed subject for Mahogany's November/December food verve at Sam's.

But there's something in another situation, too.

"Mahogany offers a lesson backer how to apply a mannequin idea into how you think of your life," said Varland.

"Learning doesn't stop at an giving out. It makes them a fundamental of life."

No one knows lose concentration better than Lady Mahagony.

Jane Fishman's columns appear weekly in Stress. Contact her at gofish5@ express call

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