• Allison Miles •
• Originally published July 7, 2008 at 10:55 p.m., updated July 7, 2008 at 10:55 p.m.

A local high school jazz performance was a real eye-opener for musician Rick Perkins.

While the stage was full of students producing the music’s smooth, melancholy beat, only two of them were black.

“I was shocked,” he said. “Jazz originated in the black community, and I would like to inspire black students to have greater participation in this art form.”

That instance helped fuel Perkins’ latest project: “Voices United,” a quarterly publication that urges Victoria youth to pursue an education.

“We would put in this publication a roadmap of where students should start to get what they need to go to college,” he said.

But Perkins noted the project is a team effort, since local community leaders will contribute articles.

The Victoria school district will participate, communications specialist Diane Boyett said, and its first article centers on the importance of going to school.

About 600 children district-wide miss school daily, Boyett said, and average daily attendance hovers at 95 percent.

“That’s a lot of kids to be gone,” she said. “We’re talking between 600 and 700 kids and they’re not all sick.”

“Voices United” offers another chance to get the message out to the public, Boyett said, and can help urge children to make it in to class.

A couple of factors drove Perkins’ decision to start the project.

He maintains an affinity for young people, he said, and enjoys mentoring them.

He also noted that Victoria has between 6,000 and 7,000 black residents, but their positive achievements aren’t always publicized.

“For whatever reason, that’s a void I think I can fill to some degree,” he said. “I’m going to profile outstanding Victorians of all persuasions with an emphasis on African-Americans.”

“Voices United” has its official start Aug. 1 and hits newspaper stands Aug. 2. It is free of charge and will focus on general information to inform the public, he said, not current events.

“The information is what I’m pushing,” he said. “We want to illuminate the multiethnic landscape of beautiful Victoria and inspire our youth to strive for excellence.”

Allison Miles is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6511 or amiles@vicad.com, or comment on this story at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.

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