Source: Bettmann / Getty
You’ve seen the late famed jazz musician and lifetime Grammy award winner Cab Calloway sing Minnie the Moocher in numerous films but few have heard of his daughter Camay Calloway Murphy who still lives in their hometown of Baltimore. She has forgone the bright lights of the stage for being a light herself to Baltimore children. For more than five decades, she has worked to improve the education of children in Baltimore and beyond.
The long-time educator is working to update the art curriculum at Henderson-Hopkins School.
“I always emphasized the arts. I realized how important the arts were,” she said. “Work toward being more confident. Work toward exploiting your own gift, whatever your gift may be.”
She says young people of color still face barriers. She’s encouraged to see more inclusion, and is eager to see Black Panther…. it’s extremely important that images, visual things. and because this Black Panther picture is so visual is part of the strength of it, it’s part of the enthusiasm about it.”
Cab Calloway grew up in Baltimore. He overcame segregation and beat the odds. She says his legacy of dedication to hard work should inspire others.
“He was a great believer in rehearsal and practice,” Murphy said. “When he got on stage, everything looked spontaneous but it wasn’t spontaneous. He was a showman.”
Murphy is also raising funds for a negro-league statue to be on display in Harford County,where she currently resides.
Big shout out to Camay Calloway Murphy for choosing a life of giving back to others.
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