Amelia Ashley Ward and Marvin X: A Conversation of their love for Dr. Julia Hare

Amelia Ashley-Ward, Publisher of the San Francisco Sun Reporter Newspaper and Dezi Woods-Jones, Founder and President of Black Women Organized for Political Action
photo Adam Turner

Marvin X, author of thirty books, most below the radar but his works are beloved in the community.
Poor people sometimes pay $100.00 per copy for the limited editions of his books. Often they put them on lay-a-way. Marvin X, who teaches at his Academy of da Corner, 14th and Broadway, downtown Oakland and Lakeshore Ave., says, "I wish our people  knew the beauty of our people. I give credit and 99% of the people pay me while I keep no record of their account. Of course, money means nothin' to me. I don't write for commercial success, I writer for the joy of writing and to educate my people and all people, no matter what color.



Amelia Ashley-Ward, Publisher of the Sun Reporter Newspaper, founded by Dr. Carlton Goodlett and Tom Fleming, organized and officiated the memorial ceremony for Dr. Julia Hare at Third Baptist Church. Marvin's review of the event is in the current edition of the Sun Reporter. The occasion made possible the renewal of friendship between Amelia and Marvin X, who is known to travel on the other side of planet earth!



Sun Ra, Father of Afro-futurism, see the movie Black Panther, see Space is the Place, filmed in Oakland. In 1971-72, Sun Ra and Marvin X taught Black Studies at UC Berkeley. Sun Ra arranged music for Marvin's musical Take Care of Business, performed at X's Black Educational Theatre, Fillmore District, later at the Harding Theatre on Divisadero Street; a five hour concert without intermission, reviewed in the Sun Reporter.

Indefatigable, peripatetic poet/playwright Marvin X and Sun Ra, co-founders of the Black Arts Movement; Sun Ra is the undisputed father of Afro-futurism In 1972 these Gemini twins taught Black Studies at UC Berkeley. Sun Ra's UC Berkeley lectures, audio version, are available on YouTube in four parts. Sun Ra and his Myth-Science Arkestra did the music for Marvin's classic play Take Care of Business.


After all, he was a coast to coast confident and artistic associate of the legendary father of Afro-futurism, Sun Ra, who synchronized Kemetic mythology and science fiction. Thus, Marvin X traveled the space ways with his buddy Sun Ra, not to mention his other earth and space travelers: Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, Eldridge and Kathleen Cleaver, Amiri and Amina Baraka and Drs. Nathan and Julia Hare, et al.

Dr. Huey P. Newton said, "Marvin X was my teacher. Many of our comrades came through his Black Arts Theatre, e.g., Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver, Emory Douglas, Samuel Napier,  Judy Juanita, JoAnn Mitchell, Ellendar Barnes, Sharon Treskanoff, et al."

After Marvin's aunts and uncles joined the ancestors and he became elder of his many cousins, in despair at the lost of his eders, he "adopted" Julia and Nathan as his aunt and uncle and became even closes  friends,associates and comrades in the revolutionary black nationalist liberation movement. Nathan Hare wrote the introduction to X's Black Arts Movement autobiography Somethin' Proper, Black Bird Press, 1998. Hare wrote the forward to his How to Recover from the Addiction to White Supremacy, a manual based on the twelve step model. Dr. Hare did the introduction to X's latest work Notes of Artistic Freedom Fighter Marvin X, Black Bird Press, 2019.


Amelia used to have phone conversations with Julia every morning at 6AM. Although Dr. Nathan Hare informed her Marvin would be attending the San Francisco memorial, Amelia was shocked to see him in person after so long, and happy to see he was calm and cool at the service. She noted that he seemed to be enjoying himself. He told her after the service, "If that preacher, Rev. Haynes, III, said two more words, I might have become a Christian!"


Rev. Haynes honoring Dr. Julia Hare at Third Baptist Church, San Francisco
photo Adam Turner

Marvin congratulated Amelia on the excellent memorial she organized and officiated. "I doubt we can top that when I officiate the Oakland memorial on Saturday, April 6, 3-6PM, at Geoffrey's Inner Circle, 410 14th St., Oakland. "Marvin, why do you think you need to top what I did?""Well, I don't really mean top, all I can say is the Oakland celebration will be different!" Their conversation continued throughout the week anod as the Oakland date neared, Marvin told her, "Amelia, in Oakland we gonna put the funk in the game, Oakland style. Blues musician/hustler Fillmore Slim's going to sing St. James Infirmary.""Yes, and I see you stole Ricardo Scales for your event as well.""Yes, Ricardo is going to get down funky too, as he did at Third Baptist Church. Amelia, when I produced the Kings and Queens of Black Consciousness Concert at San Francisco State University, 2001, Dr. Cornel West told the folks, "We must keep the funk in place. That's whey we love Marcus Garvey, Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., they kept the funk in place, kept it real, they were authentic!"


Now, this was the same event that Julia proclaimed to the sisters, "Sisters, I didn't wait for my ship to come in, I swam out to meet it," then called out her husband in the audience, "Nathan, didn't I swim out to meet you?" and blew him a kiss! She also told the audience, "When Marvin X calls you to do something, it's like God calling. When he says jump, you say how high!"

Amelia and I agreed that we were united in our love for Julia and Nathan, that's it that's all. I invited Amelia to speak at the Oakland celebration, especially to share a few tidbits of her 6AM conversations with Julia. After telling Dr. Nathan Hare of our conversation, he said she needs to also mention the many luncheon conversations she and other women had with Julia throughout the years.:

Dr. Nathan Hare at the Third Baptist Church memorial of Dr. Julia Hare, wife of 62 years.
photo Adam Turner


Nathan and Julia Hare in the UK, where the Black newspaper called her the female Malcolm X
Dr. Ayodele Nzinga
Tureeda Mikell
Geoffery Grier
Pam Africa
Fillmore Slim
Representatives of Congresswoman Barbara Lee's office
Vocalist Bryant Bolling
Pianist Ricardo Scales
Violinist Tarika Lewis
Officiated by Marvin X, Minister of Poetry

Videographers

William Drummond
Khalid Waajib
Mitchael Satchel


Sound/lighting
Langstyon Williams
Bobby, Blue Dream
William Drummond

Program
Dennis Jeffrey
Karen Cheadle

Repast 

Geoffrey Pete
Congresswoman Barbara Lee
LaNiece Jones
Judy Juanita
Delores Noche
Dr. Ayodele Nzinga
Dr. Ramona Tascoe
Mr. and Mrs. Leon and Carolyn Teasley
Mr. and Mrs. Hasan James
Attorney Amira Jackmon
Nefertiti Jackmon