Usually, I try to space out my communications with you so that you won't be inundated with an over-abundance of e-mails; but due to the fact that I am getting closer to the play, and because this important subject-matter was deposited in my spirit on yesterday, I thought it would be a good time to give it to you while it is fresh and I while I have a moment to reflect.  Therefore, here is June's newsletter a few days early.  On yesterday, while leisurely enjoying the Memorial Day weekend in the confines of my home, I caught a glimpse of a re-airing of a TV One segment, Livin It Up, with Patti LaBelle.  Patti was interviewing producer/actor Bill Duke, highlighting a movie that I haven't heard of that apparently premiered in limited theaters on February 22, 2008 entitled, Cover (it is funny how things of great importance is shown in limited theaters instead of on the major screens).  Cover is a film written by noted actor/producer Bill Duke (some of you may remember him as "Abdullah" in the film Car Wash).   Why is this film so important?  The setting is the church!   It is about a God-fearing woman who finds herself in a position that she never imagined - her husband who is on the "down low" has given her HIV/AIDs.  For those of you who are not familiar with that term "down low" it is when a heterosexual man, in a relationship with a woman, is seeing another man without the woman's knowledge.  Another important factor is that Bill received his mandate to write this screenplay about HIV in the church in the same year I received my mandate to write about domestic violence in the church - 2006! Hmmm, maybe God is trying to tell us something!  I wonder why He is sending such critical and controversial messages, whose roots and foundation are within our churches, in the form of entertainment mechanisms such as stage plays and films?  Could it be that He has chosen a global and public forum to deal with the issues that the church find difficult to discuss within their four walls?  Bill and Patti were having a discussion on the show about how people are coming to the church for help and the church is not helping them.  What a sad state of affairs! Bill Duke made a comment below that said "if we don't change our attitude, it is going to kill us!"  Yes, it is time for an attitude change within the church.  Silence is no longer the best solution, especially in the case of domestic violence.  Ignoring will not make the problems go away; AChange Is Gonna Come whether we deal with it or not.  Why not be pro-active and deal with it?  I often echo Bill's sentiments by saying "If we (the church)don't deal with our issues internally, they (our issues) will become a public powder keg that will blow up in our faces!"  Yes, God is definitely trying to tell us something!  Aids in the church?  Domestic violence in the church? Homosexuality in the church?  As it is written in 2 Timothy  3 that "in the last days perilous times will come"!   Perilous times are here - wouldn't you agree?  Won't you listen to the voice of God?  Will you be His mouthpiece and make a change?  He is asking an important question - who will go - who can I send?  Will you answer the call?  We need a few more Bill Dukes in the world!  Like our theme implies, One Voice Can Change Many!

COVER A film By Producer/Actor Bill Duke     Executive Producer/Director Bill Duke will expose startling issues of betrayal as he presents 'COVER'! COVER has been screened in venues ranging from the Magic Johnson Theatre in Los Angeles to Village East in New York, but this is the first time this alarming movie will step foot inside the church. "Our community is faced with numerous threatening challenges. The black church has always been the foundation of our community, and I simply want to use film as another tool that the church community can use to inform, educate, and begin to resolve some of the major crisis issues that we face as a community today," notes Bill Duke. And to begin that dialogue within the church community, he sought to partner with The City of Refuge's Bishop Noel Jones, who is already well known for his efforts to combat religion's inability to offer real relevance to the changing climate of the times. "The relevance of the movie Cover to the congregation is unquestionably significant," Bishop Jones remarked. "The urban Christian in general, and the African American female in particular cannot avoid the truths that are depicted cinematographically in this project. A learning experience. A must see for all of us. Bill shocks us into reality!"  "Our obliviousness to reality -  if we do not begin to change our attitude it is going to kill us. The virus is not going to stop growing because we don't recognize it. And guess what? Nobody is coming to save us." Cover (which was originally titled Invisible) is a feature film he's producing that tackles the sensational topic of the DL, men on the down low. It's a murder mystery with an all-star cast (Vivica A. Fox, Loretta Divine, Louis Gossett, and Clifton Powell).  Bill Dukes comments, "Unfortunately I had a number of friends who have died from AIDS that I've loved, but it was more personal. When I started doing research on my feature and found out the statistics, that's when I was just blown away because I had no idea. And I'm saying 'Why isn't everybody screaming and talking and hollering about this?' If 1 out of 7 black men in D.C. is HIV infected, then why isn't there a big media outrage or outcry? When I saw that there was not and was not going to be, then I said maybe I can do something to add a voice or a face to it. You said that you were focused on AIDS domestically and not abroad, why did you decide to focus on AIDS in America? There are a lot of people, from Bono to other people, that are doing the global thing and they're doing a very wonderful job, but I don't see enough people focusing on the epidemic, its growth, its proliferation here in the United States of America, and particularly how it's devastating black women and black children. My devotion is just to begin to talk about how devastating it is to our community. There has to be a voice. I don't want to be a spokesperson because that's not my forte. I'm a filmmaker. I want to create something that speaks about the dilemma so that we're not just quiet. Our obliviousness to reality; if we do not begin to change our attitude it is going to kill us. The virus is not going to stop growing because we don't recognize it. And guess what? Nobody is coming to save us."    Bill Duke was inspired to produce this film due to an personal incident that happened to his goddaughter. Hia goddaughter had been with in a relationship with this guy who was on the down low for 12 years and all of sudden she's HIV positive. "She's been in a heterosexual relationship, she's never been unfaithful. Shocking!" In addition, a woman in his documentary Faces said 68 to 80 percent of all the women infected by the disease heterosexually were infected by men who knew they had the disease. Don't you find that a little scary?  Here are some comments from some of the stars of Cover: AUNJANUE ELLIS (Valerie Maas) "The core themes of Cover-religion and family values- are universal, because in every corner of this planet these issues are what prove to be the most binding and divisive."   "Our obliviousness to reality -  if we do not begin to change our attitude it is going to kill us. The virus is not going to stop growing because we don't recognize it. And guess what? Nobody is coming to save us." Cover (which was originally titled Invisible) is a feature film he's producing that tackles the sensational topic of the DL, men on the down low. It's a murder mystery with an all-star cast (Vivica A. Fox, Loretta Divine, Louis Gossett, and Clifton Powell).  Bill Dukes comments, "Unfortunately I had a number of friends who have died from AIDS that I've loved, but it was more personal. When I started doing research on my feature and found out the statistics, that's when I was just blown away because I had no idea. And I'm saying 'Why isn't everybody screaming and talking and hollering about this?' If 1 out of 7 black men in D.C. is HIV infected, then why isn't there a big media outrage or outcry? When I saw that there was not and was not going to be, then I said maybe I can do something to add a voice or a face to it. You said that you were focused on AIDS domestically and not abroad, why did you decide to focus on AIDS in America? There are a lot of people, from Bono to other people, that are doing the global thing and they're doing a very wonderful job, but I don't see enough people focusing on the epidemic, its growth, its proliferation here in the United States of America, and particularly how it's devastating black women and black children. My devotion is just to begin to talk about how devastating it is to our community. There has to be a voice. I don't want to be a spokesperson because that's not my forte. I'm a filmmaker. I want to create something that speaks about the dilemma so that we're not just quiet. Our obliviousness to reality; if we do not begin to change our attitude it is going to kill us. The virus is not going to stop growing because we don't recognize it. And guess what? Nobody is coming to save us."    Bill Duke was inspired to produce this film due to an personal incident that happened to his goddaughter. Hia goddaughter had been with in a relationship with this guy who was on the down low for 12 years and all of sudden she's HIV positive. "She's been in a heterosexual relationship, she's never been unfaithful. Shocking!" In addition, a woman in his documentary Faces said 68 to 80 percent of all the women infected by the disease heterosexually were infected by men who knew they had the disease. Don't you find that a little scary?  Here are some comments from some of the stars of Cover: AUNJANUE ELLIS (Valerie Maas) "The core themes of Cover-religion and family values- are universal, because in every corner of this planet these issues are what prove to be the most binding and divisive."   "Our obliviousness to reality -  if we do not begin to change our attitude it is going to kill us. The virus is not going to stop growing because we don't recognize it. And guess what? Nobody is coming to save us." Cover (which was originally titled Invisible) is a feature film he's producing that tackles the sensational topic of the DL, men on the down low. It's a murder mystery with an all-star cast (Vivica A. Fox, Loretta Divine, Louis Gossett, and Clifton Powell).  Bill Dukes comments, "Unfortunately I had a number of friends who have died from AIDS that I've loved, but it was more personal. When I started doing research on my feature and found out the statistics, that's when I was just blown away because I had no idea. And I'm saying 'Why isn't everybody screaming and talking and hollering about this?' If 1 out of 7 black men in D.C. is HIV infected, then why isn't there a big media outrage or outcry? When I saw that there was not and was not going to be, then I said maybe I can do something to add a voice or a face to it. You said that you were focused on AIDS domestically and not abroad, why did you decide to focus on AIDS in America? There are a lot of people, from Bono to other people, that are doing the global thing and they're doing a very wonderful job, but I don't see enough people focusing on the epidemic, its growth, its proliferation here in the United States of America, and particularly how it's devastating black women and black children. My devotion is just to begin to talk about how devastating it is to our community. There has to be a voice. I don't want to be a spokesperson because that's not my forte. I'm a filmmaker. I want to create something that speaks about the dilemma so that we're not just quiet. Our obliviousness to reality; if we do not begin to change our attitude it is going to kill us. The virus is not going to stop growing because we don't recognize it. And guess what? Nobody is coming to save us."    Bill Duke was inspired to produce this film due to an personal incident that happened to his goddaughter. Hia goddaughter had been with in a relationship with this guy who was on the down low for 12 years and all of sudden she's HIV positive. "She's been in a heterosexual relationship, she's never been unfaithful. Shocking!" In addition, a woman in his documentary Faces said 68 to 80 percent of all the women infected by the disease heterosexually were infected by men who knew they had the disease. Don't you find that a little scary?  Here are some comments from some of the stars of Cover: AUNJANUE ELLIS (Valerie Maas) "The core themes of Cover-religion and family values- are universal, because in every corner of this planet these issues are what prove to be the most binding and divisive."   Executive Producer/Director Bill Duke will expose startling issues of betrayal as he presents 'COVER'! COVER has been screened in venues ranging from the Magic Johnson Theatre in Los Angeles to Village East in New York, but this is the first time this alarming movie will step foot inside the church. "Our community is faced with numerous threatening challenges. The black church has always been the foundation of our community, and I simply want to use film as another tool that the church community can use to inform, educate, and begin to resolve some of the major crisis issues that we face as a community today," notes Bill Duke. And to begin that dialogue within the church community, he sought to partner with The City of Refuge's Bishop Noel Jones, who is already well known for his efforts to combat religion's inability to offer real relevance to the changing climate of the times. "The relevance of the movie Cover to the congregation is unquestionably significant," Bishop Jones remarked. "The urban Christian in general, and the African American female in particular cannot avoid the truths that are depicted cinematographically in this project. A learning experience. A must see for all of us. Bill shocks us into reality!"  "Our obliviousness to reality -  if we do not begin to change our attitude it is going to kill us. The virus is not going to stop growing because we don't recognize it. And guess what? Nobody is coming to save us." Cover (which was originally titled Invisible) is a feature film he's producing that tackles the sensational topic of the DL, men on the down low. It's a murder mystery with an all-star cast (Vivica A. Fox, Loretta Divine, Louis Gossett, and Clifton Powell).  Bill Dukes comments, "Unfortunately I had a number of friends who have died from AIDS that I've loved, but it was more personal. When I started doing research on my feature and found out the statistics, that's when I was just blown away because I had no idea. And I'm saying 'Why isn't everybody screaming and talking and hollering about this?' If 1 out of 7 black men in D.C. is HIV infected, then why isn't there a big media outrage or outcry? When I saw that there was not and was not going to be, then I said maybe I can do something to add a voice or a face to it. You said that you were focused on AIDS domestically and not abroad, why did you decide to focus on AIDS in America? There are a lot of people, from Bono to other people, that are doing the global thing and they're doing a very wonderful job, but I don't see enough people focusing on the epidemic, its growth, its proliferation here in the United States of America, and particularly how it's devastating black women and black children. My devotion is just to begin to talk about how devastating it is to our community. There has to be a voice. I don't want to be a spokesperson because that's not my forte. I'm a filmmaker. I want to create something that speaks about the dilemma so that we're not just quiet. Our obliviousness to reality; if we do not begin to change our attitude it is going to kill us. The virus is not going to stop growing because we don't recognize it. And guess what? Nobody is coming to save us."    Bill Duke was inspired to produce this film due to an personal incident that happened to his goddaughter. Hia goddaughter had been with in a relationship with this guy who was on the down low for 12 years and all of sudden she's HIV positive. "She's been in a heterosexual relationship, she's never been unfaithful. Shocking!" In addition, a woman in his documentary Faces said 68 to 80 percent of all the women infected by the disease heterosexually were infected by men who knew they had the disease. Don't you find that a little scary?  Here are some comments from some of the stars of Cover: AUNJANUE ELLIS (Valerie Maas) "The core themes of Cover-religion and family values- are universal, because in every corner of this planet these issues are what prove to be the most binding and divisive."   MYA HARRISON (CYNDA, RYAN CHAMBERS GIRLFRIEND) "This film is extremely important to see, not only in the Black community but globally, and for many reasons. Cover effectively addresses the severity of truth, awareness and personal responsiblity in an effort to save millions of lives. VIVICA A. FOX (ZAHARA MILTON, VALERIE'S GIRLFRIEND) What I hope that Cover does for African-American women is [inspire them to] educate themselves, practice safe sex, not to [turn a blind eye] because the bills are being paid and to always be inquisitive and follow your first [instinct]. View a videoclip of "Cover" by clicking the links below: http://www.essence.com/essence/themix/entertainment/0,16109,1715141,00.html   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DIe93AJ-ho Information and Excerpts in this article was taken from the following internet sources: 1.  www.officialbillduke.com/blog.php?id=71&ret=%2Fblog.php%3Fpage%3D1 2.  www.essence.com/essence/themix/entertainment/0,16109,1715141,00.html 3.  whozhe.blogspot.com/2008/02/bill-duke.html

In the African American culture, our churches have long been the cornerstone of our communities, leading the way in fighting and advocating against social and civil injustices.  From the March from Selma to Montgomery led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the late 60s to the Jena 6 March in Louisiana led by noted clergy Rev. Al Sharpton, our churches have been the nuclei that unified us as a race through hard times.  In recent years, societal ills such as divorce, sexual misconduct, and a subject matter of great importance to me – domestic violence have infiltrated our churches.   "According to Detective Sgt. Don Stewart, a retired police officer who handled domestic violence cases for 25 years, one out of every four Christian couples experiences at least one episode of physical abuse within their marriage."[1]  That is one incident too many!  In an effort to bring a less-threatening approach to a highly-sensitive issue, I have written a powerful stage play entitled, A Change Is Gonna Come, about a prominent, poised, and popular Pastor, who physically, mentally, and sexually abuses his beautiful wife, First Lady Lisa Sills. Witness a pastor's wife struggle to hide the victimization of domestic abuse by projecting the image of a "perfect" pastor's wife while her dignity and self worth is dying inside.

Our play will make its national debut on Friday, June 13, at 8:00 pm, at the historic Lincoln theatre, at 1215 U. Street, in Washington DC. 

The purpose of this stage play is to raise awareness to the potential explosiveness of a silent pandemonium that if not dealt with – could become a powder keg that would cause irreparable damage to our families and our communities. It is time for the church to re-capture the fighting spirit of our ancestors and former clergy leaders and initiate a campaign against this dreaded problem that has the audacity to invade our churches.  When I was a child we used to sing a song "We are Soldiers" - the words are:  "We are Soldiers, in the army!  We have to fight; although we have to cry!  We have to hold up the blood-stained banner.  We have to hold it up until we die!"  It is high time that we take up the blood-stained banner and stop the spread of domestic violence.  Many of you may not understand the seriousness of this problem but I believe God gave me this play as a matter of waking up the church to a "sleeping dog" that is waiting to raise its hind legs to strike us, when we least expect it!  We have already had one highly-publicized incident this past August with the Bishop Weeks/Prophetess Bynum  incident (Incidentally, I wrote this play in March 2006, a year prior to the Weeks/Bynum incident so I am not capitalizing on their misfortune – instead I am praying for them). 

Our slogan for the play is "One Voice Can Change Many"!  I believe that as a unified body, we can make a difference and change our course from the destructive acts of violence to the peaceful power of prayer.  Won't you help us make a change?  We are in need of your prayers, your support, and your attendance to the play on June 13.  Tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets or www.ticketmaster.com. See our website, www.forgiven2.com  for more information about our play.  Monetary donations are also welcomed but are not our sole purpose for this project.  In fact, part of the proceeds will be donated to the House of Ruth Maryland, www.hruth.org, one of the nation's largest battered women centers.  Thanks in advance for your support.

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[1] http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2004/sepoct/11.68.html