Soul
sweating
You
knowyou’ve got soul if you can let
it all hang out on Saturday mornings. While the majority of the working class
is going extra rounds with the sandman, Tamiko Byrd, her sister Tamala David,
Rob Johnson, and Miss Imani lead health-conscious urban folks in Soul Fitness.
It’s a pro-active attempt to get people to manage their weight and health
through low-impact aerobics. And it’s all to the throb and sway of soul,
hip-hop, and r&b.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Byrd (“Miss T” to her participants)
came to aerobics almost by chance. She was commissioning to be an officer in
the Air Force, and while working out at the YMCA noticed flyers for aerobic
trainer certification. “So I said ‘Since I’m here working out, why not do it?'”
she says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Then Miss T’s mom got sick. “She had
blood clots in her legs, and basically it was from leading a sedentary
lifestyle,” she says. “As a society, we make obesity very easy and losing
weight extremely hard.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย So Miss T wanted to help change
things. And offering Soul Fitness classes to urban folks was the plan. But
besides sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets, Byrd saw a financial
obstacle.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “The target population that we were
serving just was not ready to pay for exercise,” she says. “We’re trying to
serve the underserved — basically those African Americans who have the
highest instances of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, weight —
as well as the poor.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย So, in 2002, Byrd secured a location
and contacted WDKX.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I said ‘If you will announce it to
your listeners and provide the music, I’ll do the workout,'” she says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย To Byrd’s delight and surprise,
classes filled up rapidly.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I expected 10 to 12 max,” she says.
Classes now top upwards of 60 participants with no shortage of first-timers.
“You never know who’s coming through the door,” she says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Byrd and crew lead these 45-minute
workout sessions with so much vigor and enthusiasm, you’re left exhausted and
grinning. Miss Imani belies her 60 years with the grace and agility of a
9-year-old. Byrd is a whirling dervish who joyously barks encouragement when
folks show signs of giving up.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Then there’s the music.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “The music is definitely what you
feel when you come in here,” she says. “Your soul feels good, so it feels like
a harder workout.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Miss T’s energy and determination
are infectious, encouraging, and limitless. Soul Fitness has applied for
not-for-profit status, and Byrd is determined to take it across the map. Her
long-term goal is to have her community exercise program implemented in urban
areas across the country.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย It’s only a matter of time.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Soul Fitness is held Saturdays at 8
a.m. and 12:15 p.m. in the James Madison School of Excellence gym, 200 Genesee
Street, and every Monday through Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Clinton-Baden
Community Center, 485 Clinton Ave. Info: 944-7894.
—
Frank De Blase
Busing
the (data) tables
As
bulldozers warm up for demolishing the northwest corner of Main and Clinton, Rochester Central Station’s enablers
are grinding through the paperwork.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Specifically, a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement has been released, and a public comment period on the document
is underway. Written comments must be received by December 15 at the
Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, ATTN: Mark Aesch, 1372
East Main Street, Rochester 14609. Moreover, a public hearing on the plan will
be held Tuesday, November 25 (see Urban Action below for details, and for
locations where the DEIS can be reviewed). You can contact Aesch at RGRTA for
more information; he did not, however, return our calls.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย With endless data tables and
verbiage, the DEIS presents the same concepts you’ve seen in an interminable
series of ads starring RGRTA board chair Bill Nojay. The concept is basically a
triple-arched structure facing East Main Street, with underground bus-bays and
passenger platform. There also may be a 20-story office tower (up to 300,000
square feet) on the corner, with emphasis on the may. The terminal will be designed “to recreate the image and
ambiance of the turn of the 20th century train station designed by local
architect Claude Bragden [better known as, and spelled, Bragdon].” And the
plan calls for “passenger support elements” that will include seating
for 175 people, food concessions, restrooms, and bicycle racks.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย As shown by the reference to
“Bragden,” the DEIS has an odd take on architectural history. By law,
such documents look at a wide surrounding area (and plumb deep into geological
history). Still, it seems odd that the DEIS shows respect for architectural
treasures like the old Rochester Savings Bank and Baptist Temple way over by
the Liberty Pole while neglecting the older — and thus intrinsically historic
— buildings at Main and Clinton. The document says the Main-Clinton buildings
are not on the National Register of Historic Places and will be studied in
“a separate report.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Stylistically, the multi-volume DEIS
is as dry as bone, just as you’d expect. But it’s a highly politicized document
aimed at selling Rochester Central Station with strategic turns of phrase. Take
this example: “Recent opinion polls by the local newspaper have shown this
project is viewed as number one priority for the city.” Leaving aside the
implication that Rochester has just one newspaper (sniff, sniff), the statement
ignores some polls that indicate the fast ferry is higher on the local
wish-list. Moreover, the statement doesn’t acknowledge that the polls have
measured only the public’s reactions to a menu of big-ticket construction
projects, not “priorities” in general.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Indeed, you have to wonder how a
hearts-and-minds battle between Central Station and, say, a low-pollution bus
fleet would turn out.
Veep
grabs cash, runs
Vice President
Dick Cheney was visited on the Riverside Convention Center for a fundraising luncheon
November 17. The Buffalo News said he
made off with $200,000 in campaign donations from the appearance; he got
$400,000 in Buffalo later that day. What gives? Isn’t the Image Center’s ruling
elite as bloated and selectively generous as the Queen City’s?
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Cheney, who reportedly gave a short
speech defending tax cuts for the wealthy and the illegal war in and occupation
of Iraq, may have picked up a message from the 400 demonstrators outside the
Convention Center. What was the message? Basically, it was against US policy in
Iraq. But the demonstrators were following the money, too — through the
presidential campaign as well as the Pentagon.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “A lot of people are pretty
disgusted” at the resources being “drained out of the
community,” says Bill McCoy, a Metro Justice council member. (Metro
Justice organized the demonstration.) What did the demonstration accomplish?
“How we did is tough to measure,” says McCoy, referring to effects on
US war policy. “Our people are being killed; their people are being
killed,” he says. “The outlaw element [in Iraq] is operating almost
as well as in Afghanistan.” Citing a recent piece by a liberal
commentator, McCoy asks: “Why do [Iraqis] gather around and cheer when a
helicopter is shot down?”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The demonstration drew around 40
disability-rights activists, too — and these activists brought slightly
different grievances. According to Chris Hilderbrant of the local Center for
Disability Rights, the activists are steamed that Bush-Cheney have not followed
through on promises to move legislation that would benefit disabled persons
“who transition from institutions to the community.” Specifically,
says Hilderbrant, the legislative package includes a $1.75 billion “Money
Follows the Individual” demonstration project that would meet one longtime
goal of rights groups: ending the plight of disabled persons who are in effect
“locked up” unnecessarily in nursing homes.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “We don’t have a specific
position on the war,” says Hilderbrant, speaking for CDR and allied
groups. “But conclusions can de drawn,” he says. For example, there’s
the fact that that a certain $1.75 billion is AWOL while huge amounts go to the
military. Hilderbrant notes that a unifying slogan at the November 17 rally was
“Health Care, Not Warfare.”
This article appears in Nov 19-25, 2003.
