MOURNING THE PASSING OF RADIO HOST/ACTIVIST ANGELO HENDERSON

 

CONTINUING TO WORK FOR A BETTER DETROIT IS BEST WAY TO HONOR HIS LEGACY

 

By Luther Keith

Executive Director, ARISE Detroit!

 

 

 

     What would Angelo say?

 

"It's not about my dying; it's about your living."

 

I can almost hear Angelo Henderson saying that on his "Your Voice" radio talk show on WCHB, even as thousands of people across Detroit and the nation try to make sense of his shocking and sudden passing at the age of 51.

 

Like so many others, news of his death hit me like a gut punch, a cruel joke that just couldn't be true because he had such a dynamic and beautiful spirit.

 

But life, as we all know, is not fair. It just happens.

 

     My first thoughts were of Angelo's wife, Felecia, and his, son Grant, a college student. They both will need prayers and support.  But after the funeral, after the consolation cards have been opened,  the eulogies have been read, and people have gone back to their normal lives, what then?

 

Just saying, "we miss Angelo," or "there will never be another Angelo" is not enough.

 

I don't believe Angelo would want it that way.

 

He would say, in his native Kentucky drawl, "Hey, Y'all I'm okay! I'm with the Lord! Y'all better keep on keeping on and get this thing in Detroit right!"

 

Angelo was a heart and soul person; he didn't just pass through life; he carried and lifted people with him. His passion for Detroit ran deep and strong and his loss is another in a devastating string of heart-and-soul warriors who have made their transition in recent months.

 

They include the legendary Catherine Blackwell, the educator and ambassador for African culture; community advocate the Rev. Joseph Jordan, pastor of Corinthian Baptist Church, Delbert Gray, a champion for local minority businesses and former 36th District Judge Willie Lipscomb, who used his judicial authority to encourage troubled youths to reform their lives.

 

Angelo and I first crossed paths as journalists. At the time, I was business editor at The Detroit News and he was my minority and small business reporter. We spent many a night, side by side, polishing and editing stories to capture just the right tone and tell the story just the right way.

 

He relished diving full bore into a story, digging out as much as he could to give his pieces color and flair. I couldn't help but think of that, and share the pride, after he left the News and won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for a story he wrote for the Wall Street Journal.

 

Ultimately, however, we both left journalism for careers tied to creating change in our communities, me as executive director of ARISE Detroit! and Angelo as a minister and radio host for WCHB.

 

When our paths crossed again, it made perfect sense to Angelo that we should work together since we both shared the  same mission to create a better Detroit. Angelo was one of the co-founders of the grassroots Detroit 300 patrol group to fight crime in city neighborhoods.

Angelo didn't just encourage folks to patrol; he participated in the patrols himself and Detroit 300 is credited with helping police solve a number of crimes.

 

He was a huge supporter of ARISE Detroit!, particularly our annual ARISE Detroit! Neighborhoods Day event, held every August, to encourage community service projects and volunteer efforts to help the city. He served as emcee and made appearances at a number of ARISE Detroit! events.

 

A few years ago, NBC's Dateline show did a profile of Detroit which many people, myself included, felt was a unbalanced portrayal of the city. Angelo had me on his show to talk about it.

 

But instead of just having me on the show one time, Angelo on the spot  said: "Hey, Luther I want to have you on every Wednesday to talk about the positive things in Detroit and how people can get involved."

 

So every, Wednesday Angelo would interview me on programs, activities, jobs and volunteer opportunities throughout Detroit. Angelo, named the spot,  "What's Happening Wednesdays," and used it to showcase other positive efforts in addition to ARISE Detroit!

 

This Wednesday, instead of talking about programs, I talked about Angelo and his legacy.

 

I will go to his funeral, comfort his family,  and shed my tears.

 

Then I will go back to work.

 

That's what Angelo would do.

 

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Angelo Henderson funeral arrangements

 

Public viewing from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22 and Sunday, Feb. 23 at Swanson Funeral Home , 14751 W. McNichols Rd. in Detroit. Funeral, Monday, Feb. 24; Family hour at 10 a.m., followed by funeral at 11 a.m.  at Greater Grace Temple 23500 W. 7 Mile Rd., Detroit.