“Blaze”

A tribute piece for a friend who lost her cat. 

Everyday we lose little beings will never be forgotten. 

May your spirit play forever in catnip field’s lil buddy.

Colored Pencil and Sumi Ink 

© Ramon Shiloh/2020

To my Elders in this difficult time. 

Thank you for your wisdom and strength. 

Thank you for fighting the fight you never could’ve imagined.

Thank you for all that you give. 

Thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,

Kid

Titled: Salmon Say, I Hope One Day....

Colored Pencil, Rapidograph Technical Pen, KOH-I-NOOR Black, Iwata Airbrush

©Ramon Shiloh June-2020

For poster prints go to my....ETSY STORE

(Murdered & Missing Indigenous Women & Girls)

#MMIWG

She was here.

But you still made this decision.

She walked for a better life.

But you still made this decision. 

She ran in a world of obstacles with very little.

But you still made this decision.

She didn’t know your intentions.

But you still made this decision.

Titled: “CoCreator of Life and Keeper of Time”

Medium: Prismacolor Premier Pencils, Rapidograph Technical Pen, Koh-I-Noor Red, White, Burnt Umber, Green, Yellow-Orange, Ink Ultra Draw, Sumi Ink, Iwata Airbrush and Stencil, Pantalic Paper

©Ramon Shiloh/2020

DOB: June 16th 1970

EXPIRED: Not Yet

By Ramon Shiloh

I would like to thank everyone for the Birthday shout-outs.

It was a reflective one, to say the least. 

I enjoyed the company of my amazing roommate with cool cats, and a garden I dig. 

My day was filled with what I enjoy doing...art. 

I spent the day reminiscing over old photos my younger brother posted throughout the day, which was brilliant and cringeworthy. 

My day was humbling. 

And at 50, it’s difficult understanding where the time went, or where its going. But I’m still here. That’s good enough for me.

How I Met Award Winning Author, Gerald Hausman

By Ramon Shiloh

As a society, our love for books has always been regarded as a condition of hope, wonder and an escape from everyday life. It’s a positive reinforcement of educating one’s self, but it really lets us silently fade into a vast perspective as we flip each page, entwined in the author’s universe.

My fascination with books started with Syd Hoff’s “Danny and the Dinosaur.” At age six, reading was always a wonderful lesson, but his illustrations were a particularly harmonious distraction. As Danny rode along with a dinosaur for the day, I enjoyed the fact that two friends could independently walk the streets, traveling through neighborhoods, eating ice cream along the way, catching a sporting event, goofing around at the playground. That blew my mind. Danny seemed like a kid who got things done, and I envied that. Now that I think about it, I was a bit jealous of Danny.

Many say that Dr. Seuss was the best. For me, he was more of an acid trip with words that went on and on and on. I loved Seuss’s books, don’t get me wrong, but my childhood was geared to a simpler time. The 1970s, in my community, was an innocent time for me, and “Danny and the Dinosaur” spoke to me about neighborhood relationships and the value of friendship. That tale rendered me speechless. It had managed to pull me in like no other children’s book had ever done.

I lived in a creative household and was whisked away from farm country to various cities as my mother looked for work, so it was easy to connect with Hoff’s tale of traveling from one place to the next. By age 10, my “Danny and the Dinosaur” book was tattered beyond belief from being carted around through my many travels. But I began to become disenchanted with the story as I lost my sense of community. Soon, I abandoned the idea of following Danny’s life as my guide, and the once treasured story found a place amongst the long-forgotten tales hidden in our garage. See, my mother was a book hoarder. From outdated encyclopedias and back issues of National Geographic to cookbooks, Native American perspectives and worldview lifestyles, our garage was a sea of literary chaos.

Finally, at 13, we found a little home that we stayed in for a while. It felt nice, not trekking to another town every three years.  It was then that I discovered, on one lazy afternoon, Gerald Hausman’s tale, “The Boy with the Sun Tree Bow,” in the mix of Mom’s old books. As I recall, it was a flimsy little paperback, but it grabbed my attention for some reason. I think it made sense because of the title. The book was about a boy. I was a boy. It made sense, right?

As I opened the book, the story began like a poem:

“In the beginning,

the sea was a true blue eye.

With the sun in the center by day,

and the moon in the corner by night.

Bright fishes swam in and out of the sun.

Dark turtles crossed over the moon and all was well in the world.”

But everything changed when Hausman introduced boy. With a quick-witted approach, his words stung my imagination. Boy was a mischievous adventurer with only one goal in mind: “To shoot out the sun and the moon with a single arrow.” What?!

This type of reading material was foreign to me. It was as if I had discovered violence in a beautiful way. But this was scarier; a boy taking out the sun and the moon with a single arrow?! I couldn’t wrap my head around this idea, even though I had done my share of hurtful things, as most little boys do. I’ve squished creepy crawlers, trapped rats, dashed salt on slugs and snails. I spent many youthful years zapping trails of ants with my trusty magnifying glass. I carried sticks just to slash roses off their stems when walking from school. Ah, those were the days.

But in this tale, I felt my rebellious side was being called out. Hausman weaves a scary reality: Boy walks through life chopping down Elm, Pine, Cherry, Maple, Beech, Hickory, Oak and Ash to carve his perfect bow and arrow with the intention of shooting out the sun and the moon in one flick. In doing so, boy annihilates swaths of grand forests in search of two perfect trees – the sun tree and the moon tree.

Obviously, I found boy to be the worst kid EVER! I was angry, and I must have looked bummed out in front of my mother that afternoon. She asked me some questions, and I recall saying that this book made me feel bad. She took the book out of my hand and asked why I wanted to read this story. Like all children in the face of a simple question, I responded, “I dunno.”

She told me that she had found this book at a garage sale one afternoon and realized it had a lesson in it. She felt compelled to share its message with her students, who were troubled in different ways. Mom was an educator and activist in California. Her goal in life was teaching truth in history, and she made sizable impacts in the Native American community. She had a cool way of making complex issues seem simple to everyone around her.

“The Boy with the Sun Tree Bow” ends on a very tragic note. Boy finally reaches his goal, only to discover too late the true consequence of his actions. His fate was sealed along with every natural habitat by his own doing. What a sad reality. This scarred me. It woke me up, and I found myself questioning my intentions for the first time. I was that boy for a moment and never again.

Finding My Own Dinosaur

There was a dark period in my life. My mother died at 58. I was 21 and my little brother only 18. My older brother was married with my nephew in tow. The three of us took part in separating our mother’s things. Our older brother had a house, big enough to hold many of her belongings. But with my younger brother striking out on his own, blindly moving to Seattle, combined with my couch-surfing lifestyle, a storage facility was necessary.

At 23, I had many educators who tried their very best to help me emotionally. Many who knew my mother offered money, jobs and their homes. My father was a distant memory. I dropped out of college and followed in my mother’s footsteps to become a storyteller and artist. It didn’t really pay the bills, but it made me happy and that was most important. I lived a nomadic lifestyle with no rules. It felt weird seeing old friends become successes seemingly overnight. When running into them, the incessant questions about my personal life were awkward: “So, what do you do Ramon?” “I’m a storyteller.” “So you’re a bullshitter? Hahaha!!” “Um, yeah.”

 

On occasion, I would find myself going back to Mom’s storage unit. Rifling through these old memories gave me the strength to sort out many questions and answers. And like magic, the one memory that had me teary-eyed, fell with a number of other books, laid out by my feet. I shook my head as I stared down at Gerald Hausman’s tale, “The Boy with the Sun Tree Bow.”

During 20 years of journeys, I’ve carried Hausman’s story. With every encounter, I was always told his story is so relevant to today. The scary part about this tale is it’s true.

In 2005, I was called in to be a storytelling consultant for an animation project in the University of Washington Computer Science and Engineering Department. In its infancy stage, the students were developing an animated short based on a passage through a Native American perspective. The process wasn’t as simple as checking out Native books and drawing out the story. For one, the rule of engagement with any tribal nation is to ask permission for the use of their story. For as long as I can remember, I was always told never to describe a story without the blessing of the nation involved. Plus you might not be able to share that story in a particular season or timeframe, which may cause harm to the fabric of their belief system.

Still, I decided to share Gerald Hausman’s tale with the students. I don’t know why I did it, and there was a part of me that was angry that I let go of this precious story. But everyone was so floored by the colorful elements that they wanted to start animating it right then. I was concerned about licensing and copyright issues since they planned to share it commercially after producing it for their film final. With the project on hold until we could secure permission, I volunteered to make contact with my childhood idol – if he was even still alive.

After letting my nerves get the best of me for days, I finally sat down and typed out an email, which I sent through his website. Within hours, he responded. I was floored when I read his simple note, “I think I knew your mother. Call me.”

The connection with Gerald was instantaneous. We talked for hours about the world of storytelling, about “The Boy with the Sun Tree Bow,” about my childhood and about my mother. Afterward, I put my whole heart into the animation project, guiding the students through their work. What a surreal moment in my life and very rewarding. For Gerald and I, this experience cemented our friendship forever.

From then on, we both talked about working on a project. There was a particular story Gerald had in mind. It began with a simple word, “Listener.” It was going to be a graphic novel, but then we decided to create an all-ages book. This grabbed the attention of World Wisdom/Wisdom Tales Press, eventually becoming a 4 and up read re-titled as “The Otter, The Spotted Frog and The Great Flood.”

Despite working so closely together during the past eight years, in November 2013, I’ll be meeting Gerald for the first time in person as we embark on our East Coast Book Tour in Florida. He and I will get to spend a whole month playing, talking, learning and teaching kids to enjoy reading.

I would never say this to Gerald Hausman’s face, but I think I found my Dinosaur.

Ramon Shiloh  

Additional appearances with Ramon Shiloh and Gerald Hausman include:

November 13, Storytelling at the Pine Island Public Library, Bokeelia, FL 

November 10, Young at Art Children’s Museum, Fort Lauderdale, FL

November 16, Calusa Trail Museum, Pineland, FL

November 21-24, Miami Book Fair International, Storytelling Tent

 

Additional information about Gerald Hausman:

Gerald Hausman’s bestseller “How Chipmunk Got Tiny Feet” has already reached over 1 million copies in foreign and American editions. Gerald’s native stories have been used on the History Channel, NPR, Pacifica Broadcasting and Christian Science Monitor Radio. His picture book “Three Little Birds” (cowritten with Cedella Marley and illustrated by Mariah Fox) has been adapted into a musical for children, which has already put on performances in several cities, including New York City.

The University of Washington Graduate Film School made an animated short film of his book “The Boy with the Sun Tree Bow.” During this time, Gerald became close friends with artist Ramon Shiloh, who was the Native arts consultant for the film project. For the next six years, they worked together on “The Otter, the Spotted Frog & the Great Flood,” an ecological prophecy and picture book from the Creek people. The project was published by Wisdom Tales in October 2013.

Praise for Gerald’s anthologies includes The New York Times Book Review for “Tunkashila: From the Birth of Turtle Island to the Blood of Wounded Knee,” which stated, “An eloquent tribute to the first great storytellers of America.” The same review goes on to extol Hausman’s style, noting that it is “richly lyrical; his language creates a swirling, lustrous world in which his characters come triumphantly to life.”

Gerald has received awards and honors from the American Folklore Society, the American Bookseller, Children’s Protective Services, Bank Street College of Education, the National Council of Social Studies, the International Reading Association, Parent’s Choice, The Ministry of Education of Jamaica, The New York Public Library, CCBC Choices/Best of the Year and the Junior Library Guild.

Sad Truth of a Mural Artist's Fight against the Seattle Public School System (PART 1)

North Seattle, Washington – From April 16-18, 2013, the Wilson-Pacific School hosted the Seattle Clear Sky 3rd Annual Native Youth Conference. For three days, keynote speakers, storytellers, musicians, teachers, and artists offered a wealth of indigenous knowledge, education, and culture, fostering unconditional support for all children in need of guidance, direction, and creative freedom. This year’s theme, “The Good Road of Life,” celebrated the strengths and achievements of Seattle’s youth.

The event, held at the Wilson-Pacific campus—home to the American Indian Heritage Middle College High School—also served as a rallying point for the community, raising awareness about Seattle Public Schools' decision to demolish the historic building. This decision threatens a 40-year legacy of tribal continuity, athleticism, and indigenous-based education, as well as the destruction of murals by Native American artist Andrew Morrison.

Native Education Lacks Support from Seattle School Board

Before the approval of the $695 million Capital Levy (Proposition 2) in February 2013, the Native American community had been advocating for justice. Despite the levy’s promise to improve the educational future of Seattle’s children, it jeopardizes Native American academic support services by cutting the Indian Heritage Program at Wilson-Pacific.

Jose Banda, with just nine months as Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, determined that moderate structural improvements to the aging Wilson-Pacific building were not worth the investment. School board members further justified the demolition by citing the decreasing number of Native American students, suggesting the building should be replaced with a modern facility to meet 21st-century demands. However, to North Seattle residents and community supporters, this decision desecrates the values of Wilson-Pacific and American Indian heritage.

On July 3, 2012, at his first board meeting at the Seattle Public Schools John Stanford Center, Banda was confronted by concerned parents and teachers, including the Seattle Clear Sky Native Youth Council. They voiced their opposition to the Capitol Levy and the demolition of Wilson-Pacific. Banda’s initial agenda item involved the demolition of the building and the relocation of students, teachers, and staff to Middle College High School at Northgate Mall, situated above a transient center near Macy’s.

According to the Seattle Public Schools website, Banda was selected for his visionary leadership, instructional expertise, managerial knowledge, and effective communication. However, many parents were dissatisfied with Banda’s approach. What especially angered the community was that he never consulted with Wilson-Pacific affiliates or visited the site. Local mural artist Andrew Morrison expressed his frustration, saying, “The fact that not one public school official approached me or consulted others about this building says everything about their mentality.”

The Fight Continues

Chris Jackins, co-chair of the Seattle Committee to Save Schools, has witnessed this scenario too many times. A Ballard High School graduate from the 1990s, Jackins recalls how he and his peers fought to save their school from demolition after Seattle Public Schools diverted funds meant for its renovation. Despite gathering over 1,000 signatures and mobilizing community support, Ballard High was ultimately torn down.

Jackins believes that the school district should invest in the existing community rather than displace it. He argues, “When the district opens large schools, it’s a deliberate and cheaper way to run the system by closing nearby schools and consolidating students. This disrupts neighborhood systems and radically changes how children learn and how teachers teach.”

When asked about what could prevent the demolition, Jackins responded, “Money seems to be the driving force behind the Indian Heritage issue. But I don’t believe these awful things need to happen. The school district doesn’t always win.”

Sarah Sense-Wilson, an Oglala Sioux born and raised in Seattle, has been deeply involved with Indian Heritage since 1995-96. Now the Coordinator for the Clear Sky Youth Council and Chairwoman of the Urban Native Education Alliance (UNEA), she has dedicated herself to empowering urban Native youth. “We have opposed this demolition from the start,” Sense-Wilson says. “This is an act of cultural genocide. Disrupting our program will sever the cultural continuity of these children and our people.”

Native Artist Fights to Save His Murals

The demolition will also destroy the historic murals by Andrew Morrison (Haida/Apache), which have become a significant cultural resource for the Pacific Northwest. Since 2001, Morrison’s murals, which adorn the Wilson-Pacific campus, have honored the past, present, and future of the Native community. His work has captured the hearts of his peers and elders, who champion his efforts to preserve their heritage.

Morrison has become increasingly frustrated with Seattle Public Schools’ handling of his murals. Although it is common to relocate artwork for public display, Morrison is troubled by the district’s decision to digitally reproduce his work without his consent. “The reason I’ve excluded myself from public officials on this issue is because they’ve blatantly lied to my face about preserving my murals,” Morrison explains. “First of all, digitally reproducing my work is a joke!”

As the community braces for the radical changes ahead, Morrison remains resolute. “The district underestimates my knowledge, common sense, and dedication,” he says. “They may believe they can erase our presence, but I am an artist, and my work will continue to speak for itself.”

© 2013 Ramon Shiloh

The Overture of Responsibility and Symbolic Generosity in a Time of War

by Ramon Shiloh

I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and a member of a team.

I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.

I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself. I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life. I am an American Soldier.

- The U.S. Soldier‟s Creed (Army)

Within every branch of the United States military exists an ethos that empowers the soldiers to focus on their allegiance to their country. Most of the armed service men and women leave loved ones behind for extended periods of time, only to return mentally disciplined, psychologically damaged, physically injured or as casualties of war. Their willingness to enlist, engage and die in defense of their country, especially during an active war, is fueled by an enormous amount of strength and courage. Yet, those who choose to join the military do not consider it an act of bravery, but rather an honor and privilege that allows them to be able to serve and protect.

“For me, it was pretty simple,” explains Major Dexter Brookins, who has dedicated 22 years of service to his country through the Army. “I joined as an 18year-old in 1987 and back then a drill sergeant scared you just the way they looked or their tone of voice. So, for me, it was easy to break me down in order to conform to be an American soldier.”

As a Battalion Operations Officer stationed in South Korea, Maj. Brookins is in charge of readying his battalion for battle, even in times of peace. “I know the war ended over 50 years ago, but the benefit of being in Korea is to make this place a better country. My son may join the military and be stationed in Korea. As I make better relations with the South Koreans, I want to make the bridge better for him if he chooses to make it here. On an international scale, I know we're making countries better. I've been to Afghanistan and visited our military and I think Korea is an example of what Afghanistan was. In about 50 years from now, I think Afghanistan will be built up the same as Korea is today. So, as I serve around the world, I feel I am making a positive impact in somebody else's backyard.”

Still, after nearly seven years of combat in the Middle East, many members of the military feel they are not being recognized for their service to this country. Maj. Brookins believes that the mainstream American media plays a large role in this crisis and has a responsibility to rectify the situation.

“When you look at your major news channels, you see more stories about our injured brethren than the positive news stories that our service members are carrying out. I know that the media is focused on whatever is hot today, but service members are saying, 'give us that time slot' and go out there and conduct those interviews where our service members are deployed and talk to their families,” says Major Brookins.

His views are supported by a recent study conducted by Maeve Hebert of Hart Research and Sean Aday and Steven Livingston from the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, who analyzed the objectivity and biases of 1,820 wartime stories that have aired on the five major American news networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox News Channel) and on the Arab satellite channel, Al Jazeera, since 2003. Results showed that the overwhelming number of stories broadcast by Al Jazeera and the American networks were fairly balanced and supportive of the American-led war effort. Yet, data also revealed broadcasters painted a sanitized picture of a war largely devoid of blood, dissent and diplomacy.

To combat this, Maj. Brookins says he “encourages our soldiers to go out there and tell their own stories as much as possible. I'll be leaving next month and I'll be visiting my nieces' school to talk about my military life. That‟s one way I can send my positive message,” he says.

Dureil Farnell, who serves as the Entertainment Program Manager for the Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) in Okinawa, Japan, says that even as a civilian employee of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the son of a father who served in the Air Force, he took for granted the sacrifices our soldiers make for our country. “I was just like every American, oblivious to the extent of what the military actually goes through,” he notes.

With experience as the head of an entertainment company under his belt, Farnell accepted the DOD position, which has allowed him to spend the past 11 years obtaining fresh entertainers on a demanding schedule to offer a gratifying diversion for troops who are ready for deployment. “I understood how the military works and the paces they go through to serve their country, making us safe and comfortable,” he says. “When I recognize this job means a lot to those who serve is when I recognized how important it was to serve in the terms of what I do.”

Civilian Frank Tagatac can relate to Farnell‟s experiences. As an Air Force brat, Tagatac constantly moved around and established relationships all over the world in the military community. He says his role as the Pacific Regional Entertainment Coordinator for the Armed Forces Entertainment (AFE) program become even more personally gratifying after 9-11 because it allowed him to support the large number of troops fighting for freedom.

“Just being a part of these events and personally knowing those troops over there fighting, I think it‟s important to acknowledge our brothers and sisters in combat and show them we care,” Tagatac explains.

Farnell has partnered with Tagatac and Captain Cody Gravitt, Pacific/Western Hem Circuit Manager for the Air Force, to encourage more American civilians to get involved through the programs offered by the AFE, which operates under the DOD. Established in 1951, the AFE provides live entertainment in an effort to enhance the quality of life for U.S. military personnel stationed overseas.

Because of its government sponsorship, artists who partner with the AFE often find themselves entertaining the soldiers who are serving on the frontline. During WWII, the Camp Shows

program recruited and transported thousands of well-known celebrities to entertain the troops. Today, AFE hosts at least 1,200 shows around the world each year, reaching more than 500,000 personnel stationed at 270 military installations. From muddy makeshift stages to show stopping extravaganzas, the performers bring a piece of home to those stationed so far away from all that is warm and familiar, while also providing service members a well-deserved break from the action.

“These festivals and events provide a number of different benefits,” explains Capt. Gravitt, whose duties include contracting acts to entertain deployed and overseas service members, as well as their families, for all the military branches. “The fact that we have the resources and capability to bring in acts that cover a whole spectrum of musical tastes and talents is great for our service members who wouldn't have been open to it before. But, that's really secondary to what I consider the primary issue which is that we don't go to war as individuals; we go with members of our unit. And, those who are left behind are left with other families, dependants and spouses, which is the community that allows us to succeed while the service members are gone.

That sense of community needs to be established in order for growth in every relationship.”

Capt. Gravitt asserts that a handshake can make difference in making better relations with all neighbors. “Just a simple handshake and a gesture of thanks for what people are doing serves as a gentle reminder that someone out there appreciates their service. The single greatest thing that a person can do for their country is to stay as informed as you can, stay out of harm's way and be cognizant of each other. Whatever the output is for one another, it's to recognize that togetherness is a national endeavor.”

The newest act to join forces with the AFE is three-time Grammy nominee Neo Soul artist Dwele, who recently wrapped a two week, 11-show tour through Japan and South Korea. Setting up the tour schedule took nearly a year to organize, but leaders from Dwele‟s camp, as well as the AFE, fought hard to make it happen.

“Dwele is actually the first celebrity AFE has independently booked on its own, separate from our partnership with the USO,” explains Farnell, acknowledging the enormous benefit of having someone of Dwele‟s caliber attached the program‟s marquee. “Now, we have leverage to bring in other high-profile names.”

Ron Estill, head of RT Music Group, says the collaboration is mutually beneficial. “We have been looking at new ways to guide Dwele in unique demographics to strengthen his resume, but also with a cause at hand,” he explains. “It's one thing to see these events when you‟re flipping channels and celebrities are doing USO performances. But, you really never think about how much it is touching those soldiers until you are in the interior of it. Artists should know there is a greater cause and it starts with tours like this.”

Dwele kicked off the tour at the annual MCCS Camp Foster Festival in Okinawa, Japan, on October 18. In his role as regional entertainment coordinator supervising more than 72 regional bases, Tagatac played a central role in bringing Dwele and his band to the soldiers. He hopes this will help pave the way for bringing in more acts to remote, isolated locations where troops are not able to venture far to see live acts.

“If there are places that cannot have those Dwele moments due to staff or base support, AFE sends them comedians, actors and professional athletes, with handshakes in tow,” he says. “Bringing entertainment to the troops has been very successful in offering morale assistance, offering a taste of home and making them feel we care and are thinking about them.

Performing in these many venues, I feel like I'm tapping into a new market. It's different and fun and humbling at the same time. It's really beautiful to perform for the troops because when I get off the stage, I can really feel what they are feeling,” Dwele explains as he takes in the sights of two gun-toting soldiers walking the perimeter of Camp Casey in Dongducheon, South Korea.

“As much as I appreciate them, in return they're embracing my music and that feels good. When you look at the routine they go through, how strict their life is, it seems like everything here is work-work-work. But, when they get dressed and come out to have a good time, that's when I feel the need to step it up and work for them, keep their mind off of things.”

Ahmed Walker, a Sergeant in the Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa, Japan, says the troops are very appreciative of the sincerity Dwele as shown on the stage. “It was a damn good show and everybody I saw in the crowd definitely enjoyed themselves. I think Dwele brings out an element to the music industry that is lacking right now. With everybody so caught up in voiceover this and voiceover that, in reality, nobody can sing anymore. When you get a raw piece of talent like Dwele, who can hold a live show without any vocal assistance, it's a throwback to the old school and what my pops was listening to, but with a modern twist. He combines it real nice.”

This is exactly the response Estill was hoping Dwele would receive, noting that this type of collaboration “has been in the back of my mind for quite some time, not just for Dwele, but for any one of our other artists, too. The apex of it all is when Dwele landed the campaign for the new McDonald's McCafé commercial. I thought, „Well, now, this could be a perfect marriage in getting my vision and awareness off the ground!”

Unfortunately, the timing was off and Estill was unable to enlist the full support of McDonald's corporate weight before the tour began. But, Estill remains hopeful that fast food giant will recognize the enormous benefits to be gained in supporting our troops. “I decided I needed to make these two weeks happen, go back home and show McDonald's the blueprint and say, "Hey, this is what happened and you need to be a part of this and get engaged.”

Estill admits that setting up the partnership wasn't easy, but the work was well worth it if this unity with AFE encourages other industry execs to support a cause that could potentially be a positive for music labels who rarely put their money where their mouth is.

“From what I've witnessed on this tour, there's a huge disconnect between the great things that MCCS, AFE and the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs are creating and what people need to know about. When I meet the troops, I reflect about how this is such an underutilized platform in the sense of brightening someone's frame of mind. This platform needs to be utilized, because with more recognition, it will place a sense of duty in the minds of those ready to uplift unnoticed areas.”