St. Louis American photojournalist Wiley Price took a picture of Barack Obama that went around the world on email chains, and now it has come back home as an original painting by Cbabi Bayoc that will be auctioned this Thursday ( Aug. 28) at Afro World (7276 Natural Bridge), to benefit the Obama campaign.
Wiley’s photograph captured a sacred moment. Obama was in St. Louis to speak at an African Methodist Episcopal conference. As our young reporter Jessica Bassett said in the news piece that accompanied the now-famous photo, “Before addressing the convention, the Illinois senator met privately with church bishops who prayed for his safety, health and good guidance during his historical race to the White House.”
Wiley’s exclusive photograph of the bishops laying their hands on Obama appeared in the July 10 edition of the American and on www.stlamerican.com. Thousands (perhaps, by now, millions) of people would later forward it to their friends and family, with the subject line “RE: PHOTO U WON’T SEE ON FOX!!!!”
Now the great St. Louis artist and caricaturist Cbabi Bayoc has made a painting from Wiley’s world-famous photograph. One of the bishops in his painting is wearing a cufflink inscribed “WP” – that’s a shout out to Wiley Price.
Cbabi’s original painting (and an original friendship quilt by Angela Green) will be auctioned off Thursday, August 28 at Afro World, 7276 Natural Bridge, with proceeds to benefit the Obama campaign.
This is part of an in-store DNC convention viewing and celebration party, with a VIP reception featuring live entertainment by vocalists Ron Wilkerson, Jackie Morris, and Marlissa Hudson. The VIP reception is $100 and starts at 5:30 p.m. The general reception is $50 and runs from 6:30-10 p.m.
The free, outdoor, large-screen viewing of Obama’s historic acceptance speech starts at 7:30 p.m., on the parking lot of Afro World.
This inspired community event is part of a larger effort undertaken by Sheila Little-Forrest, owner of Afro World.
It began with a call from Patrick Green, a council member in Normandy, where Afro World is located. They met at an Obama fundraiser. They talked about his visit and the excitement around the campaign here in St. Louis. Sheila vowed to join in the local efforts to elect Obama and promised to do all she could.
Sheila had a vision that included Friends of Afro World. She invited them to have lunch and to discuss her ideas and vision for helping the campaign. Her brother, Victor Little, David A.N. Jackson, NiaNah Tumpe’, Redina Medley, Mike Dean and others met weekly to develop an agenda and to plan a calendar of events.
Patrick and his wife Angela, local Democrats, helped guide them through their new political experience. They watched how the amazing duo built a campaign team in the Normandy area by organizing door-to-door voter registration canvasses, co-hosting house parties, and encouraging religious, political and educational leaders to participate.
Other events planned include:
On Saturday, August 30, in Forest Park, on the Upper Muny parking lot, the 5K Walk for Change will begin, chaired by Comptroller Darlene Green. Cost is $15, registration begins at 8 a.m. and the walk begins at 9 a.m. All proceeds go to Obama for America. Participants can register early at Afro World, 7276 Natural Bridge.
On Saturday, September 20 from 3-5 p.m., Afro World will host a Meet and Greet for the Cbabi Bayoc and Angela Green, the creators of these one-of-a-kind Obama art pieces.
Call 314-389-5194 for additional information.
