This event produced by Neo Gospel Music Group was moderated by Hunter Havlin Adams III, a Chicago, Illinois native and President and CEO of Haloli International, Ltd. He is also Vice President of the Royal Circle Foundation (an international health and education organization).
Adams is a social entrepreneur, humanitarian, nationally and internationally recognized speaker and writer.
Event Moderator
Adams shares, “I love science and am a cultural neuroscience and consciousness researcher, and appreciate history of ideas. My passion, from more than three decades of research and practice, is to connect the dots and make complex ideas in nonlinear physics, philosophy, morality, and spirituality easily understood.”
Adams has a new soon to be published book. His premise is as simple as it is profound: Africans in the Americas were called “slaves” for at least 250 years, but never were! Starting with the shocking title, “We Were Never “Slaves”! will—now and forever—totally change the way anyone of African heritage see themselves, and how people worldwide understand history. This ground-breaking inquiry rips to shreds the canvas of our conceptions of—“slave,” exposing it as an insidious idea, a cruel curse, and an unchecked identity fraud.
The Venue
New Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church was chosen by Neo Gospel Music Group founder, Dwight McKee, as the venue for this 2020 Black History Month closing event for several reasons, “One being that it is the site of historic stained glasses windows that tell the same stories of our African diasporic journey that we convey and exemplify in the music trilogy “South Side Nativity” that we are screening,” explains McKee, adding that, “Dr. Hatch, the host minister, is a guest performer on the project who sings an old ‘Dr. Watts’ long meter melody and is featured on a spoken-word piece, entitled, ‘I Am Persuaded’ from Romans 8, quite uniquely produced and arranged by Robert Irving III who collaborated with Miles Davis for almost a decade.”
The host Pastor Dr. Marshall Hatch Sr. explains, “The Sankofa or peace window (shown above) depicts the faces of the four young girls who were killed in the church bombing in Birmingham in 1963 and then, on the bottom, “These are young people we call ‘urban martyrs’ in Chicago’s violence epidemic,” said Rev. Hatch. Those violence victims include Hadiyah Pendleton, Blair Holt, Laquan McDonald, Demetrius Griffin and Derrion Albert. “These young people were selected by our youth group at the church as representative of, not only their fears, but also their hopes,” he said. In the middle of the window is Jesus walking with children toward the village.”
In 2001, the Maafa Remembrance window (also seen above) was installed. Maafa is Swahili for “unspeakable horror.” The window provides a powerful graphic reminder of the slave trade’s imprint on this African-American church and the surrounding community.
Dr. Hatch was also an panelist for this Neo Gospel Music Group event.
Co-Panelists
Rev.Veronica Johnson is the Co-Pastor of the historic Hyde Park Union Church where she holds the distinction of being the first African American Woman pastor of this 145-year old church. Her Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana secured her career in corporate America for 20 years. After being called to ministry in 2006, she subsequently earned a Masters of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in 2012, where she now serves as the Sr. Director of Admissions and Enrollment. Rev. Johnson also serves as the President of the American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago, a region of over 60 churches representing many cultures and languages. 
Josephine Hamb Robinson is a member of Sisters of Struggle, a group of women who work to sponsor community events and mentor young girls and young women in the Greater Englewood. She is also co-founders and convener of the Cradle to Success Pipeline Coalition that serves the South New City and Greater Englewood Communities. She is also Child Defender Fellow with the Children’s Defense Fund with over 40-years of experience in the social service field. passionate about improving the quality of life for young people and their families.
Event Executive Producer
When introducing Dwight McKee at a recent speaking engagement, Dr. Cornel West exclaimed, “Dwight McKee is my mentor as well as the mentor of Revrend Al Sharpton and Reverend Jessie Jackson.” Although these words speak volumes as to the depth and breadth of McKee’s prominence and influence behind the scenes, as a social scientist, it barley scratches the surface concerning the true wealth of his contributions to Black music culture. He first coined the term “Neo Gospel” in the 1970’s as the manager of contemporary gospel music pioneers, Edwin Hawkins and Walter Hawkins. He advised and mentored a generation of artists, music industry lawyers and record executives across genres from the gospel group, the Hutchinson Sunbeams–who–under his guidance, became the Emotions. He likewise mentored a, then, burgeoning young lawyer who went on to manage Bebe & Cece Winans. He, likewise, nurtured the early career of gospel music pillar, Richard Smallwood.
McKee is a regular guest commentator on the television and radio show of Santita Jackson (daughter of Rev. Jessie Jackson).
Another reason the McKee selected New Pilgrim Baptist Church for this Black History Month event is that this is the location of the Maafa Redemption Project of which he is Dean. This program founded by Marshall Hatch Jr. (also a featured vocalist on the EPHIFFONY project on the Neo Gospel Music Group label).
The Kiswahili word “MAAFA,” translated as “great disaster or terrible occurrence,” is commonly used to refer to the tragic history of the Transatlantic African Slave Trade, and its ensuing effects on people of African descent. The program recruits at-risk emerging adult men to invest in them for nine months with housing, employment, educational opportunities, and evidence-based wrap-around social services. The project creates an oasis of opportunity as these young men participate in two rigorous courses: Economics & Financial Literacy, and Identity & Purpose-Development. Lastly, the young men work as construction-trades apprentices; rehabbing abandoned buildings on the Westside of Chicago, and working with experienced contractors to learn plumbing, electrical, drywall, and painting skills.
Special Event Performances
Ajene Cooks is taking the music world by storm at a very young age with his mature voice and confidence as a performer. He is a member of EPHIFFONY and very prominently featured on the South Side Nativity Trilogy.
Drummer/Vocalist Terry Garrett is an international touring artist who has worked extensively with the popular world music ensemble Funkadasia.
Laura E. Walls is an multi-Jeff Award and Emmy Award Nominated actress and jazz vocalist who is featured as the “voice of Miryam” on the South Side Nativity trilogy with the group EPHIFFONY. She is a Sonic Portraits Jazz Recording Artist.