After Hours
Antoinette Ball (right) talks with Margaret Bryant, administrative assistant for the CLA Journal, who is also a participant in Ball's WEOP program.
By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
Antoinette Ball’s mother was
a self-taught painter and wrote a
novel. Her brother works with
an international humanitarian
agency. Another brother is a
filmmaker. So is Ball’s daughter.
So it seems natural that Ball,
the program director of NASA’s
Project S.P.A.C.E. (which enco
urages current and potential
Morehouse students to consider
careers in science, engineering,
mathematics and technology), is
a budding author, magazine pub
lisher and the founder of a
women’s empowerment agency.
She even makes her own jewelry.
“I come from a very creative
family,” she said.
But Ball’s motivations run
deeper than a creative legacy.
She was shaped by early lessons
from growing up as a young, sin
gle parent.
“I was one of those mothers
who didn’t have direction and
was living on welfare in Indiana
as a single parent,” she said. “But
I saw myself going down a differ
ent kind of route.”
Instead of a life of public
housing and public assistance,
Ball took advantage of a program
that helped her get into, and
thrive, in college.
“I went on and got my mas
ter’s degree and kind of got on
the right track,” she said. “I
believe that you can be a victim
of your environment, especially
if you’re in your environment
and you never really come into
contact with anyone else.”
Ball, who has been at More
house and with Project
S.P.A.C.E. since 1989, wanted to
impart that knowledge to other
women who needed extra moti
vation or the knowledge that
there was a better way of living.
Ball and twin sister,
Marionette, formed Women’s
Employment Opportunity Proj
ect, Inc. (WEOP). The non-profit
organization provides programs
and services for disadvantaged
women and girls, promotes social
change, improves family eco
nomic self-sufficiency and pro
vides opportunities in training,
employment and business.
“We do a host of things that
empower and educate women,”
Ball said. “For example, we
designed a computer training
class. We bring women in during
the day from homeless shelters
and from other centers and we
show them how to use Microsoft
Word and that helps them
acquire marketable job skills.
“I have a passion for women,
especially women who are disad
vantaged and just trying to make
ends meet,” she added. “I think
knowledge is power and so I try
to design initiatives and pro
grams that can empower, inspire,
educate and motivate women to
reach their full potential.”
Ball also has published her
first online magazine WEOP
Online, and is finishing a book
called Power of Her Biz, which
introduces women to technolog
ical resources.
“So my life right now is just the
way I like it to be,” she said. “I’m
doing everything I want to do.” ■
Melvin Jones Gives Tyler Perry Film and
Dreamgirl's Band House of Funk Flair
By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
Melvin Jones ’01 spends
most of his day preparing stu
dents to perform as part of the
More-house College House of
Funk Marching Band. But he is
also spending lots of time after
wards performing himself.
For the past two years, Jones
has been a musician in director
Tyler Perry’s band, the Ronnie
Garrett Orchestra, which per
forms on the soundtrack for
Perry’s latest film, “I Can Do Bad
All By Myself.”
“I’ve been asked in the past
to participate in a couple of
other movies and TV shows, but
normally I can’t do it because
I’m here at Morehouse with the
band or with class or something
along those lines. It just so hap
pens that filming took place
during the summer months, so
it was something I was actually
able to do this time around.”
The Ronnie Garrett Orch
estra plays all of the music in the
film. In fact, Perry liked the
music the band was playing so
much that he thought the band
should be on the screen per
forming the pieces, something
Jones said is rare for a musician.
But the big screen isn’t the
only place Jones can be seen. He
is also a regular musician in the
band of original Dreamgirl and
friend, Jennifer Holiday.
Jones said finding the time
for all of his activities can some
times be tough.
“There’s not much of a split
of time that I get between being
here and performing,” he said.
“This job runs me from maybe
10 a.m. until 10 p.m. every day.
And then from the night hours,
I’m usually [performing some
where],
“But it’s rewarding,” he said.
“The thing I like about working
with the band is you get to
see your work. You get to see it
come to fruition every weekend.
Whereas with performing,
music is instant gratification
Melvin Jones 01 is the band director of the House of Funk Marching Band.
because at that moment, you get
to do what you’ve been working
hard to do. The best thing about
it is if you enjoy playing and you
play as a professional, it’s as if
you’re not really working. It’s
rewarding on both ends, but it is
equally taxing.”
