Artist Interview x AVERY*Sunshine

Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone

Born and raised in Chester, Pennsylvania, Avery grew up with parents who exposed her to a variety of artists such as The Clark Sisters, Earth Wind & Fire and Aretha Franklin. Nurturing her natural inclination to soulful music, she experienced the first stages of her Gospel roots while participating as a member in the Wilmington/Chester Mass Choir.

The predisposed-manufactured-in-music-history climax to her story one would assume is actually invalid for Ms. Sunshine. That's because at first she wasn't sure her path would take on the artist role, but instead as choir director or the sort.

Since Avery took on her independent artist route, the acclaim followed. Jet Magazine named her as one of "2011's Independent Artists To Look Out For." Before that, she was very active on the scene, lending her talents for the 2008 Democratic Convention as well as performing at events during President Obama's 2009 Inauguration.

Her self-titled 2010 album release, Avery Sunshine placed on Itunes R&B/Soul charts and her track "All In My Head" peaked at #15.

Like many who have interacted with the songstress that is Avery*Sunshine, her charisma is addicting and contagious.

Singer/songwriter/pianist Avery Sunshine sat down with The M Report to discuss her recent Texas shows, the message behind her music and what's next for this rising artist.

Women's Equality Day 2012

"Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?" isn't your every day verbal outcry for justice heard in modern-day America. But over the seventy-two years between the first major women’s rights conference in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848, to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, women were demanding to be heard.
    Despite the milestone that occurred on Capitol Hill, a waning interest among female-centered activism overshadowed the atmosphere.

It wasn’t until fifty years later on August 26^th when Betty Friedan and the National Organization of Women organized a nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality that turned the fuel into fire.

More than ninety major cities and small towns organized demonstrations, lobbied and marched for equal opportunities in employment and education. Lady Liberty was taken over by forty-two feet of banners hanging from her crown stating “Women of the World Unite.” An organized group managed to stop the ticker at the American Stock Exchange and 50,000 women marched 5^th Avenue in Manhattan. In Chicago, an entirely women-run world’s fair highlighted the determination to alter public opinion about women’s roles in contrast to their exclusion to participate.

Drawing such national attention allowed Representative Bella Abzug (D-NY) to introduce a bill in 1971 that passed and designated August 26^th of each year as Women’s Equality Day. Every president since then is authorized to issue a proclamation recognizing the day.

Today, women hold political and educational leadership roles, are CEOs of billion dollar companies, entrepreneurs, control executive editorial positions and dare to give back as philanthropists. Although only nine years have passed for FORBES to rank the 100 most powerful women in the world, one must not forget those impacting their world without making headlines.

As we approach the date that marks women’s continued fight for equal rights, The M Report profiles those women in their designated field that corresponds with the theme for Women’s History Month 2013: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Read President Obama’s 2012 “Presidential Proclamation” here

The Message

Finally, the piece written by the cast of four Core leaders to the youth we've been fortunate to learn from.

From left: Chu, C.Mai, Adrienne and Missy