All these issues people are having with the humane practice of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Using the word as some curse word to banish joy
All these issues people are having with the humane practice of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Using the word as some curse word to banish joy, sharing, togetherness, connectedness, and innovation…..
Most Black Americans can’t relate. Especially when it benefits humanity, we welcome the unity. And no one has to force us to do it. We just have the good sense to know that diversity is strength.Â
Black Americans have a rich tradition of collaborating with people from various cultures, backgrounds, and faiths to make this planet a better place. The legendary hit-making team and record company owners, Gamble and Huff created “Sound of Philadelphia” and it was a masterclass in talent collaboration.
It takes people who live by the human heart to build something bigger than you with people that may not look, live, pray, or even think like you.Â
Linda Creed’s partnership with Thom Bell is the gold standard for this.
You had a classically trained Black composer and a Jewish lyricist from the suburbs coming together to create songs that resonated so deeply with the Black experience that they became permanent fixtures in the Black American songbook. Despite being a white Jewish woman from Mount Airy, her writing had such a deep, authentic “soul” that many fans and even artists she worked with assumed she was Black. In the early 1970s, Linda teamed up with producer and composer Thom Bell at the legendary Philadelphia International Records.
“The Greatest Love of All”
This song was deeply personal to Linda. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 26. In 1977, while she was in the thick of her health battle and just a month after undergoing a mastectomy, she was asked to write the lyrics for a Muhammad Ali biopic, The Greatest.
“I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone’s shadow / If I fail, if I succeed, at least I’ll live as I believe”
These lines weren’t just pop lyrics; they were her real-life philosophy as she navigated a terminal illness.
Linda Creed’s Legacy
Tragically, Linda passed away on April 10, 1986, at only 37 years old. She died just weeks before Whitney Houston’s version of the song hit #1 on the charts.
To honor her, her family established the Linda Creed Breast Cancer Organization, which continues to provide support and screenings for women today. She was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992, cementing her place as one of the most influential lyricists in the history of soul music.
This Song Prepares You for What Happens When You Choose Yourself – WE Survive Abuse Podcast.com