I am writing to encourage the mayor's office and the City Council to do everything in their powers to help make the New Bessie Smith Strut sponsored by the Bessie Smith Cultural Center a reality.
It is regrettable that one of the very institutions that has for decades help bring the diverse citizens of our great city together has recently become a point of contention. The mayor's recommended improvements of fencing and tighter admission controls have been needed for some time, and thankfully the thought of moving the Strut from MLK Boulevard adjacent to the Bessie Smith Cultural Center to the riverfront has galvanized the community into action.
Hopefully, insurance and other requirements for a safe and well managed event are within reach, and the great tradition of bringing people together that the Strut has always represented will live on. Let's make Bessie proud again.
Garnet Chapin