would ever be able to please her! Mahalia moved out to a small place on Lake Shore and the divorce was finalized in 1967. Mahalia got whatever she wanted. In the year that followed the divorce, Mahalia?s excitement came when she received an invitation to perform in New York?s Lincoln Center in a concert called ?Salute to Black Women.? (1) Mahalia first became acquainted with Benjamin L. Hooks, as he was her preacher. Benjamin recalls that Mahalia was battered and mistreated and she was so used to it that she had come to expect it. Many times she had been deceived, tricked and duped out of money that she worked hard to earn. She began to mistrust people and got to the point where she would demand payments before the second half of the programs. He demanded only cash, due in her hand. (2) Back to Mahalia?s plans with Jean Childer, they started the Mahalia Jackson Chicken System in 1967. During this time, there were no franchise companies in the south that supported the idea of doing business with a black person. When Mahalia accepted their plan, the Hooker brothers agreed to work with Ben Hooks and Watts on this project. At this point, Mahalia was among the best known names in the black society. Six months later, the firm opened its first store in Memphis and Mahalia made a triumph appearance. Hooks and Watts added another company to their subsidiary, calling it the ?Mahalia Jackson Food System?. This company produced over tw...
