Spoken Vizions - June, 2003

Spoken Vizions Magazine - Angela McKenzie:A Canadian Beauty Fights the Ugliness Of Hunger

An interview with Floyd Boykin, Jr.

To have compassion for at least one person in this day and time seems to be a chore for most people, but not for this Canadian activist. She has taken on a huge task that should not be taken lightly. After moving to New York then facing hunger and poverty first hand, Angela McKenzie joined the battle against hunger. Part of her dream is to creatively use the performing arts to raise awareness of good causes. Thus the emergence of AMcK Initiative, Inc., a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that creatively advocates against hunger and poverty. Outside of being a community activist, she is also a writer and she has helped produce live fundraising events for the Ebony Fashion Show to benefit non-profits like The Sickle Cell Anemia and Children’s Wish Foundations. Angela McKenzie is committed to making a difference to humanity and to building on the concept of helping others in a world of adversity.

SV: Tell us a little about your background.

AM: I am a product of multi-cultural heritage. My grandmother on my mother’s side was an East Indian Hindu. I believe that this accounts for my love of Indian movies and Bombay’s Bollywood industry, which is equivalent to LA’s Hollywood. My grandfather is said to be an Irish man. I’ve never met him but this probably accounts for my love of the Guinness beverage. I am an only child, who was raised by my mother in Toronto, Canada. Mom is also my best friend.

Canada can be considered a quasi-socialist country by virtue of the excellent standard of education and healthcare, both of which are free to all her citizens. As a child, I did not immediately recognize how fortunate I was to grow up in Canada because access to American television showed us how glitzy and exciting life is south of the border, in contrast to our seemingly slow-paced and structured lifestyle.

SV: When did your musical interest and your desire to be a performer come into existence?

AM: I have always enjoyed singing and to some degree acting, even as a wee child. I remember seeing a photograph of myself performing with my grade school choir and it was obvious that among all the other children, my performance was the most vigorous and expressive. In junior high school, I gave up the choir for a time to become a member and eventually leader of the color party corps i.e. twirling and tossing flags and rifles with the parade band. This experience helped me to gain leadership skills and confidence. So one summer, I decided to test my confidence by searching for a paying job, with the condition that the fast food industry was not for me. I decided instead that I would become a professional singer and actor. Ha! Naively, I consulted the Yellow Pages and telephoned every small to medium sized theatre company listed, introduced myself and asked for an audition. One company invited me to meet their musical director, partly because they were curious about me and how I’d dared to cold call them, no agent and all. They also were about to begin rehearsals for a play about the Underground Railroad to Canada, and there still remained the role of a young slave girl to be filled. I filled that role and in a nutshell, I earned a summer job that gave me the opportunity to earn cash, sing, act, travel, make television appearances and learn tough show-biz type lessons. Thereafter, I applied for and won a scholarship to attend a performing arts high school, where the entire student body consisted of fifteen young people who received private tutoring while they pursued professional careers in the performing arts.

SV: Tell us about your company, The AMcK Initiative, Inc.

AM: If The AMcK Initiative, Inc. is described informally, it can be considered Angela McKenzie’s own initiative and passion for grass roots philanthropy and music turned professional in the state of New York. The formal description is The AMcK Initiative, Inc. is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that uses the performing arts to advocate against hunger and poverty in the local, national and global community. At the national level, AMcK is associated with Hunger Free America, whose mission is to eliminate hunger in America, with particular focus on the elimination of childhood hunger. From an international perspective, AMcK is part of Friends of the United Nations, which is associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) and whose mission is to educate the general public about the work of the United Nations and its critical role in ensuring fundamental human rights and maintaining world peace and security. Our main activity is producing musical events that are also food drives. The audience comes out to listen to live performances, in exchange for a suggested financial donation to help cover our production costs and also a mandatory donation of one or more non-perishable food items. After the event, the food is turned over to the needy. The formalized initiative is just over a year old. Our day-to-day operations are funded by Charles de Montebello’s CDM Sound Studios, Inc. in New York City, and our per project activities are supported by the likes of the Village Voice publication, office supply giant WB Mason, Street News media, actor Jeff Bridges’ End Hunger Network and good faith individuals who have supported the mission from its inception.

SV: Being an activist to prevent hunger and poverty is a highly honorable effort. This activism was inspired by your move to New York City. Would you explain this situation?

AM: I believe I am naturally inclined to want to make a positive difference in my community. In Canada, when I was a kid, I’d be the one in class to speak up when I sensed any type of injustice towards students. Outside of activism though, I was very shy. As I matured, I was involved with the production of events like The Ebony Fashion Fair Show tour to help fight against Sickle Cell Anemia, an illness that is prevalent in the Black community. When I came to New York, I wanted to continue on the path of marrying the performing arts with philanthropic causes but I did not realize how intimately I would come to embrace hunger and poverty alleviation. This happened because, like every other naïve and hopeful immigrant, I came with limited finances and unlimited ambition. My funds were limited to exactly $300.00 so obviously I was almost immediately thrust into hunger, poverty and at one point near homelessness. I’m not sure why I did not forecast these circumstances before I left Canada, but I guess I subconsciously abandoned logic in order to stay focused and fearless. On days when I was hungry, I had the good fortune of knowing a generous restaurant manager who kept me fed with soda and pizza slices. When things improved, I eventually landed a consultancy at the mother of all philanthropies -- the United Nations. During my time there, reflections on my brush with poverty, coupled with my daily exposure to diplomacy and human rights issues made it clear to me which philanthropic path I should take. So, with the support of colleagues and friends, I started to produce concerts/food drives to spotlight local musicians and the hunger issue.

SV: What inspired you to move from Toronto, Canada to New York City?

AM: I was convinced that I should make the move to New York City because there is a very large population here in a relatively small space and it is the home of all major creative and media outlets. I believe that if you have a good idea there are millions of people in the city to share it with and through word of mouth a big enough buzz will be generated to gain greater attention for whatever idea or cause you are promoting. To me New York City is the gateway to the international community so why not introduce my ideas to the world.

SV: You are definitely doing more than the average person. What is your motivation to do all the projects, events and music that you are doing?

AM: What drives me to stick to my mission is my nature. If I am not consistently engaged in creative activities and do not have reason to feel that I am of service to my community (wherever that community may be at any given time) I feel out of sorts. Cats must meow, birds must sing and I too must do what comes naturally.

SV: Tell us about the band you sing with. Do you all anticipate cutting a record or full length CD?

AM: My band is still a work in progress. I do not play gigs unless I can afford to pay all the musicians. I hire a musical director who in turn recruits professional musicians then we usually have three to four rehearsals before a performance. This may seem like a stringent operation but in the end, because it’s organized, it winds up being fun, stress free and economical for me. With regards to cutting a record or full length CD, I believe that this would be the next logical step. In spite of our limited resources for such a project, I hope to create an opportunity to pursue this before 2003 is over.

SV: What is the ultimate goal for The AMcK Initiative, Inc.?

AM: The ultimate goal for The AMcK Initiative, Inc. is to adjust the world’s attitude towards impoverished people. We think that privileged people, in general, do not spare a thought for the plight of the less fortunate because they are simply too busy enjoying themselves with recreational activities and the like. We believe that if we can relay our message on behalf of the impoverished during some of these recreational activities, we can gently remind and inspire others to also take action against hunger and poverty.

SV: What type of obstacles have you come across in establishing your business?

AM: Some of the obstacles I have encountered when establishing The AMcK Initiative, include hearing others tell me how difficult it would be for me establish a federally recognized 501 (c) (3) organization without an attorney preparing our paperwork. I have also run into resistance from an employee at a very large food relief agency who thought that my approach to advocating against hunger was literally too sexy. And furthermore, support for any idea is difficult to generate at first because popular culture observes trends to help fuel capitalism. Public service, even when presented within the context of arts and entertainment, has more to do with arousing social consciousness. As noble as this may be, the greater establishment does not deem it hip, trendy or popular with the average teenager or college kid. I have to believe that many times the establishment has underestimated teens and young adults. It would be more valuable to feed their minds with more substantive ideas.

SV: What would you say are your top five CDs of all time?

AM: I have had the opportunity to listen to a wide array of music from many great artists the world over. My top five picks, in no particular order, are as follows:"Tera Chera" by Adnan Sami (Pakistan) "Turbulent Indigo" by Joni Mitchell (Canada)"Let’s Get It On" by Marvin Gaye (USA) "Come" by Prince (USA) "Talking Blues" by Bob Marley (Jamaica)

SV: So how do you feel about the state of music and the growth of spoken word poetry in this nation?

AM: With regards to the growth of spoken word in America, I think it will be a challenge for the non-hip-hop/rap spoken word artists to penetrate and keep a presence in the mainstream, unless they approach the situation from a position of strength. When it comes to using the performing arts to raise social consciousness, it’s a tough battle hence poets and alternative artists of any genre must also be entrepreneurs. Remember the nature of the establishment beast, for better or worse, is to be on the prowl for the next big thing. If spoken word and consciousness is developed and turned into the next big thing you bet the beast will bite. And hopefully at that time the spoken word entrepreneur will also be ready to seize his/her opportunity for payback. Remember, Russell Simmons built Def Jam from scratch and in my opinion his greatest professional achievement is being one of America’s stellar entrepreneurs and not just an icon in the rap world.

SV: How can someone contact your organization?

AM: Our organization’s contact information is as follows: The AMcK Initiative, Inc. 2588 Seventh Avenue, Unit #2A New York, NY 10029 Tel: (212) 368-6745 Email: amck83@hotmail.com Website: http://www.theamckinitiative.org

Spoken Visions
May/June 2003
St. Louis, MO