Washington Informer

NEW YORK —Butch Lewis, legendary boxing promoter and manager, film and music producer, dealmaker and humanitarian, will be celebrated at his home-going service on Monday, Aug. 1 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware. The Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy. Lewis,65, died of natural causes at his home in Bethany Beach, Delaware on July 23.

Born in Woodbury, New Jersey on June 26, 1946, Lewis began his career as a boxing manager and promoter. Over the course of more than three decades, he is credited with the success of numerous boxing legends, including Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Michael & Leon Spinks; his promotion of the Ali-Spinks title fight in 1978 scored one of the biggest upsets in boxing history when a relatively unknown fighter, Leon Spinks, dethroned Ali to become the new Heavyweight Champion of the World. Seven years later, Lewis guided Michael Spinks' successful career, making him Light Heavyweight Champion of the World and then the first Light Heavyweight Champion to win the World Heavyweight title. In 1988, he negotiated the then largest guaranteed payday in boxing history for the "Superfight" between Michael Spinks and Mike Tyson.

Although Lewis's name and success will be forever affiliated with boxing, he was also known as a Heavyweight in his own right in the "people business." He was a savvy businessman whose rolodex contained the A-list of America's most powerful and influential leaders, many of whom were close friends. In 1991, Butch Lewis Productions expanded into the entertainment field, producing the hit Pay-Per-View event James Brown: Living in America.

He also served as executive producer of the Tim Reid-directed film Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored and the Debbie Allen-directed film Out-of-Sync (LL Cool J's big screen debut), both in 1995, partnering with Reid and Black Entertainment Television (BET).

In 2005, Lewis extended his entertainment arm into the music business for his own independent record label VOICEZ MUSIC GROUP, a joint venture with Universal/Def Jam. Butch Lewis Productions and IMG Worldwide partnered in 2010 to represent minority entertainers, and now in 2011 Butch Lewis Productions will continue to carry out the legacy Lewis created over his lifetime.

Of all Lewis's accomplishments, his most important role was that of humanitarian.

In 2004, then South African President Nelson Mandela presented Lewis with the nation's highest humanitarian award; the honor was bestowed upon him for his work throughout the late 1970s and 1980s when he led the charge in the boxing world against apartheid, urging the boxing organizations to refuse to sanction South African fights and keep South African fighters out of the ratings until apartheid was abolished and Mr. Mandela was released from prison.

After Mandela's release in 1990, Lewis worked diligently to raise funds for his African National Congress (ANC) party. Over the years, he has provided college tuition and assistance to dozens of deserving students at esteemed institutions like Morehouse College, which presented Lewis with an honorary doctorate degree in 2007.

Lewis is survived by three sons, Ronald, Kevin and Brandon; one daughter, Sita; one brother, John Lewis; three sisters, Gail Brison, Sheree "Tina" Lewis and Anita Downs; six grandchildren, Marceau, Kendrick, Ronnie, Jordan, Brandon, Jr. and Island; and one great-granddaughter, Ka'Mya.

Eleasha Gamble is all smiles during her interview with the Washington Informer's Michael Saint-Andress. Gamble headlines the cast of Oklahoma, now playing at the Arena Stage in Southwest. / Photo by Khalid Naji-Allah.When I was given the opportunity to do a feature article on the current, rave-review winning production of Oklahoma at the newly renovated Arena Stage Theatre, I jumped at the chance. I saw the dress rehearsal and was surprised and intrigued by the show and impressed with a number of the performances and elements of the production.

I was surprised because I have always thought of Oklahoma as a quintessentially "White" musical. I was intrigued because I was interested in seeing how this exercise in "alternative casting" would work and I was impressed because some of the performances and production values were just that outstanding.

Several words come to mind in thinking of ways to describe Eleasha Gamble, the actress portraying Laurey in the show: scintillating, ebullient, effervescent, but I prefer, glittering. Onstage, in character, she is captivating, believable and lovely. Offstage, she is unbelievably, even more engaging.

Having a million-wattage smile is a distinct advantage as a leading lady, but matching it with grace, intelligence, a sense of humor and a bit of wisdom makes her a real standout. Gamble is a local talent, having grown up in Takoma Park with her parents and an older sister. She graduated from Catholic University in 2002 and has enjoyed a fully charged theatrical career for someone so young.

You've learned your lesson.

In the past four years, you've learned that you can't spend frivolously. You can't use credit unwisely, there's no "wiggle room" on bill-paying, and the only way to face your future is to put money back into your own pocket with savings and investments.

Easier said than done? Not really, according to author Ryan C. Mack. In his book "Living in the Village", he explains how money can work for you and for your community.

So you've come through the Great Recession and you're rebuilding your financial life, but you've come to realize that you want to do more with what you've got. Mack says that there's no time like the present to educate yourself about managing the money you earn.

To begin, track your spending and see where your money goes. Be truthful with yourself when looking at your spending habits, then learn how to make a budget you can stick with. It helps to set goals and to understand how millionaires shop. Learn the pitfalls of spending, why you shouldn't use an ATM, and why those rent-to-own places will put a serious hole in your wallet.

Become knowledgeable about insurance, and make sure you have enough of the right kind. This should lead you into planning an estate for those you leave behind someday – including family members, charities, and any pay-it-forward groups you want to bequeath.

Courtesy PhotoD.C. has the distinction of being among the top jurisdictions where residents enjoy happy hour the most.

At least that's the conclusion from a report which referenced recent survey data by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The data lists the District as the third-booziest "state" in the country, behind the two Dakotas.

According to the report, about 30 percent of Washingtonians have admitted to binge drinking — or what "experts" consider to be binge drinking — in the past 30 days.

The report further states that nationwide, one-quarter of the D.C. residents surveyed said they had binged within the past month, and 6.8 percent had smoked pot in the past month.

Meanwhile, a study from Chicago earlier this year revealed that large concentrations of liquor stores in black neighborhoods could pose major risks to blacks who drink.

That study – which queried 321 African American women and men ages 21 to 65, in New Orleans from April 2002 through May 2003 – also found that "the influence of liquor store concentration on at-risk drinking was much greater for African American women."