If you live in Kansas City and you haven't heard that Curtis Got Slapped!, you got another thing coming -- that is, when Lisa Henry Bowen finds you. A teacher allegedly slapped Lisa Henry Bowen's son, Curtis, in class at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, according to Bowen's gigantic 40-page letter that Bowen CC'd to President Obama, Vice President Biden, three senators, and more than 20 other officials.
You can read more of this lady's crazy demands over at The Plog, thanks to Mandy Oaklander. Here are a few of them now:
Curtis shall receive, among many other things: $13,500 worth of Wal-Mart gift cards, a free college education, two trips to Disney World, nine years of private tennis lessons on the Plaza, season tickets to the opera, theater, and ballet, almost a decade's worth of psychological counseling by "the best black child psychologist in the country," a whole orchestra's worth of new musical instruments, a three-week trip to Africa at a five-star hotel, and a personal audience with President Obama.
But, right now, we're more interested in the fact that Bowen is also a local jazz musician. Who knew?
Here's what her website -- also known as her "home in cyberspace" -- says:
Her professional jazz career began in the nightclubs of Kansas City at age 17. She was mentored by the great Hammond B-3 player, Everette Devan, and cut her big band "teeth", performing with the Vince Bilardo Big Band and Steve Miller Orchestra.Lisa Henry is an artist of vast accomplishments, both in and outside the realm of performance. These accomplishments include the recently televised PBS Special: In Performance at the White House, First runner-up in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, International Jazz Ambassador to Africa, CD recordings, BET documentaries, and recognition as an international clinician and adjudicator.
Nothing to augment a musical career like a little controversy, ay?
Update: Friday, November 12, 1:51 PM:
This isn't the first time that Lisa Henry has been involved with racially charged allegations. Check out what David Martin wrote in February of this year about Henry's involvement in calling Betty Crow, one of the Mutual Musicians' Foundation's former secretaries and leaders, a racist.
In December, the foundation's 100-odd members installed a new board of directors. Many of those members were new to the cause. In the weeks leading up to the election, a local singer suggested that the old board had allowed the foundation's legacy to be "pimped." The singer, Lisa Henry, branded Betty Crow, the foundation's secretary and driving force, a racist.....Henry was among those leading the effort to redistribute power. As chair of the nominating committee, Henry approached the job like a prosecutor. On October 12, she sent the foundation board a request for information. The list was extensive. In addition to financial reports, Henry asked for grant information, vendor lists and five years' worth of band bookings.
Henry also questioned UMKC's stewardship of the photo collection and asked the board to answer the "rumor" that the Historic Jazz Foundation represented a takeover of the foundation. The letter, finally, painted Crow as a bigot, citing "several reports of musicians and lay people who ... have believed their treatment by Betty Crow to be less than hospitable, and downright racist."
Sounds like someone's an old pro at writing inflammatory letters. Read the whole story here.
Showing 1-23 of 23
Oooh look at me! Ise be a fat nigga bitch whose be axin fo handouts an sheet!!!!
Whitey devils gots me chilln down.
This entire thing is a publicity stunt so this "accomplished" (read: overrated) musician can drum up some attention. I live in a town famous for its place in black music history. I've never heard of this woman until now.
I feel sorry for Lisa's son, Curtis.
Even from the insane letter, it sounds a lot like he's a creep who thinks he can hurt other people and get away with it.
And it's easy to see why. His mom is a bigot and raises her son to play the race card. I don't believe her son was slapped, but I do believe he is going to have a very hard time adjusting to the real world.
On the other hand, Lisa's futile effort to rob people of their education by collecting tons of cash and 'notarized' apologies is hilarious on its own. It's shame I can't help but realize there's a real kid involved, and he's being brainwashed.
Why is she getting any publicity at all? She's a nut like the thousands of other nuts who write tirades to public officials about their slights, real or immagined.
She would have gotten further by documenting the slap, if it occurred, and filing a complaint or regular old lawsuit against the district. She would have received a settlement and the teacher might have even gotten fired if something really went down.
But now she has blown all credibility. So by letting her rant she is exposing herself as the one who is going to come out on the losing end of this. I do feel sorry for the kid who apparently is not being raised well (acting out in class to begin with) and is being influenced by this woman's nutty ideas and is being made a spectecal by his mother.
Can I kick her gigantic black ass, and take her kid? Because I will do it if asked.
The first comment is so hilarious, and I'm not even talking about his attempts at spelling & grammar...First, he calls this letter racist, yet goes on to lump all black people into this one group of freeloaders, murderers, rapists & thieves.
That, sir, is Racism.
Guess this picture does prove one thing she said in her letter - she DOES have big balls,at least 10 of them, and they're PURPLE!
Remember "The Rapper" by the 70s band The Jaggerz?
Well, here's "The Slapper"
Taxpayers I betcha
this bitch is out to get ya!
She's totally whack-o; insane. Crack has gone to her brain.
Just read her demands and you'll understand.
Slapped, slapped, slapped
It was Curtis' play day.
Slapped, slapped, slapped
Now it's mama's payday!
Oh I just love her implying discrimination was in play while she adds more and more discrimination towards white people in the letter.
You are a disgrace to the (black) society, fat worthless bitch.
Curtis is sure raking in the moolah. Hope that the IRS is there so he can pay federal income tax on his profits.
Why are her feet bare in her publicity shot? She had her hair did with some bodacious extensions and she's wearing a size 18 sequined outfit but no shoes? Where are her shoes? Is she making some kind of crazy artistic statement or did she run out of money after purchasing the extensions and the sequined outfit?
Now take a good look at her angry expression, stubby finders and fat wrists. Notice how she resembles George Forman in drag?
She's supposed to be a jazz musician. Jazz people are usually laid back and cerebral, not looking like they just gnawed through their restraints on the psyc ward.
This is one scary, crazy woman.
The real problem is that teacher didn't hit that kid hard enough.
No, the real problem is that the teacher hit the kid instead of the mom. I worry about the kid growing up with her as a mother!
The culture of entitlement and frivolous lawsuits knows no racial boundaries. After all, the whole "copyrighting your name" and "describing your children as your intellectual property" business comes right out of the white supremacist tax resisters' handbook.
This is just the most stupid outlandish thing I have ever read. I so agree with you Chuck
Read this disgusting puke mother's letter.
Its hard to get your arms around the dissociative whacked out sense of entitlement this nut job, coo coo for CoCo Puffs 'mother' is sporting.
Its not jsut her, its a disease. Metastasized into the African American pshcye to such an extent, it cripples ANY positive efforts from within. Too busy waiting for the freebies from without.
This letter (Swear to god, read it, its disgusting.), is the Racism crid de cour on steroids, is archtypical and the best example of the "Culture of Complaint" I have seen in a long time.
The distinct lack of acceleration in the balck community over the last 40 years, can be, imo, directly attributed to buffoons like Lisa Henry Bowen who circle the "White Guilt" garbage scow like staving seagulls waiting for handouts.
The American Black Metasystem in place, is fueled by "The Narrative". The "Narrative" excuses abhorant behaviour because of "the Man", or "Slavery", or "Predjudice" etc etc etc...
The "Narrative" makes excuses for murder, rape, theft, stupidity, and in this case "horseplay" in a hallway.
It works for ANYTHING black people don't want to take resposibility for.
An all encompassing "White Guilt" patina that covers salve on all Black peccadillos, large and small.
Bullshit.
The real problem is that teacher didn't hit that kid hard enough.
like
dislike
