Two days after Lee Morgan’s historical marker was unveiled, The Philadelphia Inquirer published this false and defamatory headline.

Writing for The Inquirer, Shaun Brady dug up fake news that Lee Morgan’s gravesite had “vanished” and a white fan “unearthed” it. Brady did not interview Lee’s family members. In an email, his editor, Bedatri Choudhury, wrote, “In retrospect, he should’ve spoken to Mr. Morgan’s family.”

A headline captures the main point of a story. With nine of the 17 paragraphs devoted to a white man who has no connection with the Morgan family, the “White Savior” was the main point of the story, not the celebration of Black Excellence.

The headline is both false and wrong. The “city” did not honor Lee with a historical marker. The program is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical Museum and Commission, a state agency.

Lee is interred alongside his father, Otto Morgan. There was a reckless disregard of whether the claim was false. After I complained that Brady’s “different angle” damaged the reputation of identifiable family members, the headline was changed.

The Inquirer also retracted the false claim: “This story has been updated to clarify that the grave of Lee Morgan was never lost, but simply covered over.”

The retraction begs the question: If Lee’s gravesite was never lost, what was the point of Brady’s story? Lee Morgan played second fiddle to a random white man.

The headline was changed but the damage to family members’ reputation has already been done. The body of the story will live forever on the Internet.

I want The Inquirer‘s journalistic negligence to become a case study about the importance of fact-checking and editing.

An African proverb says, “Until the lion tells the story, the hunter will always be the hero.” On International Jazz Day, we told the story of Lee Morgan, a story of Black Excellence.

Even when we tell our story, a white journalist lionizes a white man in his report on the dedication of Edward Lee Morgan’s historical marker.

Writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Shaun Brady dug up the sensationalistic claim that a white fan “discovered” Lee Morgan’s “lost gravesite.” The “discovery” was made after the fan wandered around White Chapel Memorial Park during the coronavirus pandemic. When he finally asked for help, the groundskeeper took him to the location. The grave marker was covered by overgrown grass and vegetation at a time when there was a worker shortage across the board.

The “discovery” was so sensational that nine of the 17 paragraphs in Brady’s story are about a mediocre white man. That is more than the combined number of paragraphs about the legendary Black trumpeter, the Black family who loves him, the Black musicians who knew him, the Black property owners who preserved the memory of the Aqua Lounge, and the Black woman who nominated Lee Morgan for a historical marker and listing of “The Sidewinder” on the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

It was lost on Brady that he should have fact-checked the claim. I brought his journalistic negligence to the attention of his editor, Bedatri Choudhury. Her response: “In retrospect, he should’ve spoken to Mr. Morgan’s family.”

In a recent profile of longtime jazz producer Leo Gadson, Michelle Lyu wrote:

Today, the narrative of jazz is shaped by an essentially white worldview; one which separates it from the people who made the major contribution to its creation and continuance.

This white worldview turned a joyous celebration of Black Excellence into a white savior story. In so doing, The Inquirer tarnished Lee Morgan’s legacy and damaged the reputation of his family members.

Malcolm X is memorialized on the mural that overlooks Lee Morgan’s historical marker. Our Black Shining Prince warned us about newspapers.

The false claim published in The Inquirer has readers “hating” a Black family for not knowing the location of Lee Morgan’s gravesite and “loving” a white man who discovered a gravesite that was not lost.

Lee Morgan’s family will correct the defamatory story by any means necessary.

UPDATE: The Inquirer changed the headline.

The Inquirer also published a retraction: “This story has been updated to clarify that the grave of Lee Morgan was never lost, but simply covered over.”

On February 23, 1974, the Philadelphia Tribune published an open letter, “From A Sister, With Love,” written by Ernestine Morgan Cox, Lee Morgan’s sister.

On April 30, 2024, this sister, along with Lee’s family and the community that loves him, unveiled Edward Lee Morgan’s historical marker.

Lee Morgan was celebrated for the life he lived and the legacy he left.

All That Philly Jazz Director Faye Anderson nominated Edward “Lee” Morgan for a Pennsylvania historical marker on February 19, 2022, the 50th anniversary of his death. She chose that date to ensure the conversation was not solely about how Lee Morgan died. Faye wanted to shift the conversation to how the legendary trumpeter lived.

In an open letter published in the Philadelphia Tribune on February 23, 1974, Lee’s beloved sister, Ernestine Morgan Cox, wrote:

[T]hough he only lived to be 33, he managed to accomplish more than some of us who have sixty or more years in which to do it… Lee Morgan really lived a full life… Lee did indeed live and he has left an indelible impression on the lives of many whose path he has crossed.

WRTI Editorial Director Nate Chinen wrote an accurate account of how we got here.

Lee Morgan’s historical marker will be dedicated on International Jazz Day. Faye was privileged to get a sneak peek when she dropped off the cover. The marker is blocked and blurred because the text should not be revealed before the unveiling.

The dedication ceremony will be held on April 30, 2024 at 12pm – rain or shine. The marker will be installed at 52nd and Chancellor Streets, in front of the former site of the Aqua Lounge.

Following the unveiling, we will walk over to the Painted Bride Art Center (5212 Market Street) for a community celebration hosted by the Voices of 52nd Street Oral History Project from 2pm to 3:30pm. It will be an afternoon of sharing memories of Lee Morgan, the Aqua Lounge and “the Strip.”

The celebration will continue at the Black Bottom Jazz Fest featuring the Daud El-Bakara Quartet and the Drexel University Jazztet, presented by the Black Bottom Tribe Association. The concert will be held from 3pm to 6pm at Drexel Square, 3001 Market Street (across from William H. Gray III 30th Street Amtrak Station).

Billie Holiday was born at Philadelphia General Hospital on April 7, 1915. Located in the Black Bottom, the public hospital was the “hospital of choice” for African American women during the Great Migration.

WKCR is hosting a special birthday broadcast in honor of Lady Day. You can listen to the 24-hour broadcast on 89.9 FM or stream it live here.

My appreciation for Billie Holiday is well-documented. I made some noise when I found out that Lady Day was not honored on Philadelphia’s Walk of Fame. I ruffled some feathers but Billie got her plaque.

It’s Lady Day’s heavenly birthday but April 2024 is Lee Morgan Appreciation Month. So I want to note that a little over a year after graduating from Jules E. Mastbaum Area Vocational Technical School, the trumpet virtuoso was performing with the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival. Lee was on the same stage as Billie Holiday.

On International Jazz Day 2022, I led a walking tour of Billie Holiday’s Philadelphia. On International Jazz Day 2024, I will lead the dedication of Lee Morgan’s historical marker.

The dedication ceremony is free and open to the public. Please go here to register for the unveiling.

Jazz Appreciation Month, also known as JAM, is an annual celebration held in April to honor and promote jazz and its cultural significance. JAM was conceived by the National Museum of American History in 2001.

This year, Jazz Appreciation Month celebrates the 125th birthday of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington.

However this year in Philadelphia, it’s Edward Lee Morgan Appreciation Month.

Join us on International Jazz Day for the dedication of Edward Lee Morgan’s historical marker.

The dedication ceremony is free and open to the public. Please click here to register.

Lee Morgan’s life was tragically cut short 52 years ago. Lee lingers in our hearts and memories. His game-changing album, “The Sidewinder,” captivated the public and rescued Blue Note Records from the brink of bankruptcy.

The title track was a rare crossover hit on the pop and R&B charts. “The Sidewinder” album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000.

As we celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month in April, let us honor Lee Morgan’s enduring legacy. Join us on International Jazz Day for the unveiling of his historical marker at the former site of the Aqua Lounge on West Philly’s famed 52nd Street commercial corridor.

Edward Lee Morgan will take his rightful place alongside John Coltrane and Billie Holiday with a historical marker in Philadelphia.

To RSVP, visit Lee Morgan Historical Marker Unveiling.