Full text of "Drum"
The Drum
Volume 15, Number I & II
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Mass. 01003
1-413-545-0768
New Africa House
Room 115
FRONT COVER: Water Spirits — James E. Tatum
24" X 30"
BACK COVER: Queen Candace — Murry DePillars
EDITOR: Emily Guzman
It is time to call the children
Into the evening quiet of the living-room
And teach them the lessons of their blood.
Robert Hayden
-^
One of the art forms they
took from us when we
came to this strange land
was the drum. Here in
Amherst we got our DRUM
bacii after great struggle ^
1 7 years ago. We are
learning how to remember
the correct rhythms and ^
we've got it right now.
Check us out and let us
know if you hear us for
we are constantly in
danger of again losing
our drum.
Nelson Stevens .Jn
i
tirum
11
13
14
17
18
19
20
21
29
32
53
54
55
59
60
66
67
72
75
Minority Conference
by Laura Yee
James Baldwin
by Oneida C. Fox
Apartheid
by Stephanie Sargeant
Another Black Hero
by Stephen Rutherford
Believe It Or Not
by Chris Allen
Cuba
by Oneida C. Fox
Frank Silvera Writer's Workshop
by Donna Henry
John Thompson
by John E. Phillips
Profile on KC Jones
by Dino Maye
The Revelation (The Great Oak)
by Will Nayle
Pictorial Essay: Adger Cowans
Rush Productions Run — D.M.C.
by Jacquelyn Shephard
Rush Productions
Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde
by Jacquelyn Shephard
Olu Dara
by Kurt Fedora
The Images Television
Portrays of Blacks
Stephanie Sargeant
Vibrations
by Brad Kaplan
So Stuck Up
by Yolanda Stafford
Avery Sharpe
by Richard Little
View from the Top
by Sharon Mills
Jim Boyd
by Oneida C. Fox
Dennis Johnson
by Dino Maye
Antonio Fargas
by Donna Henry
>
4
lAb^^^L.
lAA
MINORITY CONFERENCE
By Laura Yee
The lame excuse of newspaper
editors for low numbers of minorities
employed in the newsroom is that they're
not experienced, they're not quaHfied,
they can't be objective and what's more is
that they can't speU.
But the American Society of News-
paper Editors (ASNE), on the brink of
bringing more minorities in the news-
room, has embarked on the road to
change the exceptionally low minority
representation in the newsroom. ASNE
has commited itself to hire more minor-
ities in the newsroom to equal their
percentage in the U.S. population by the
year 2000.
The first of ASNE's eight confer-
ences at colleges across the country
commenced with a three-day northeast
regional seminar at the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst (Oct. 28-30).
The conference titled, "Minorities in the
Newsroom: Finding Minority Journalists
for the 1900." gathered publishers,
editors, administrators and reporters from
several nationally known newspapers to
define the goals in encouraging minority
participation in journalism from the
high school level to the professional
level.
Les Payne, nation editor of Newsday
a national and international reporter
for that paper made the keynote speech
at the opening night dinner sponsored
by the Springfield Newspapers.
"Journalism is lagging far behind in
other fields, in minority hiring and
promotion," Payne said. "It is vital that
these numbers be increased in order to
save journalism."
"Blacks and other minorities are the
greatest influence on American Music.
Many of the nation's greatest athletes
are Black and many minorities are being
elected into political leadership roles at
an increasing rate. Yet there are no
black reporters or editors on two-thirds
of American Newspapers," Payne said.
"As a result, journalism fulfills by
large, the white American right to know,
and neglects the rest of the population,"
Payne said.
Payne, who won a puhtzer prize
for his series "The Heroine Trial" in
the eariy 1970's and who was nominated
for his 1978 reports from the Black
Soweto slums in South Africa, said
"American journalism is "in very dire
straits in terms of domestic reporting,"
and suffers from a "woeful act of ac-
curate reporting from abroad."
Of the more than 1 70 foreign corres-
pondents fielded from the New York
Times, The Los Angeles Times and The
Wall Street Journal, none are black.
"In the cityrooms across the coun-
try, I have not seen much hipe for Min-
orities in the newsroom . . .the sad
point in fact is that not much is being
done."
Payne is critical of a target date set
at the year 2000 for achieving minority
representation in the newsroom. Payne
believes that editors will not rush to
begin integrating their cityrooms with so
many years between now and the target
date.
Payne compared his experience as a
Black reporter in the late 1960's. Some
of the reporters in the cityroom were
outraged at the thought of bringing
black reporters into the newsroom who
could not obviously do Journalism,
who obviously could not spell, who
obviously could not be taught to write.
"These editors," he explained, "did
not train us the way they trained white
reporters. They did not give us assign-
ments the way they gave them to white
reporters and they did not promote us
the way they promoted white reporters,
and they do not to this very hour. And
that is the reality of American journal-
ism."
Perspectives on goals in employment,
recruiting and improving minority hiring
in the newsroom were discussed in the
second day of the conference.
In response to "Goals for Minority
Employment on Newspapers," James L.
Medoff from Harvard University told a
group of about 50 participants that the
Boston Globe is keeping their commit-
tment made to a group of Black minis-
ters last year in hiring more minorities
to the newspaper's staff.
Although figures of Blacks compared
to whites in the newsroom is "still
way below the national level, things
are getting better," Medoff said. In
1979, only 59 out of 2,595 employees
at the Globe were minorities compared
to the 1983 figures of 127 out of 2,589,
Medoff disclosed.
On "Recruiting Minorities for Pro-
fessional Education," Chester Davis,
Professor of Afro-American Studies at
UMass, said "ihe entering number of
minorities in college are beginning to
shrink because of fees and cost to edu-
cate these young people are skyrocket-
ing."
"Money is drying up in various
places, this hurts the poorest minorities
that are the hardest hit," Davis said.
"A lot has to happen on the university
level. Pressure needs to be put on univer-
sity admissions."
The speakers on "How to Improve
Minority Hiring in the Newsroom"
all agreed networkingmust be established
through the high schools and college
graduates to open the doors for pot-
entially quahfied minorities.
Margy McCay, assistant personnel
director at the Associated Press, said
the "AP is beginning to increase the
numbers of Blacks in the newsroom by
offering internships to blacks and minor-
ities."
"Most people don't work for the
AP right out of school. There is a two
year minimum experience required,"
McCay explained. "We attend confer-
ences, recruiting fairs and we work with
the minority banks. It's not easy to do
this and it takes rime, money and com-
mitment."
David Squires, a Newsday copy
editor, commented that white staffers
coniimied on page 78
Based on JAMES BALDWIN'S
Going to meet the man...
Out of the Wilderness
By Oneida C. Fox
The rain mingled with her tears. Ruth walked in the
storm of her mind. Her footsteps carried her--unknowingly--
to the place she had to face. Paul is gone--it has ended, she
thought.
The apartment was dark and the silence calmed the
storm, as she entered. The apartment she shared with Paul.
Something was missing-she knew-something was gone.
Ruth undressed and lay on the bed. The storm reappeared
mingled with the reality of her and Paul. She was conscious of
herself, of her being. Her past encircled her: the boy in the
barn, her brother, Arthur, Paul, Mr. Davis and then the storm.
Ruth was free, because she did not know what to do.
She did not have to do anything. She lay in the storm of
reality awake, waiting; trying to understand-the change.
Paul did not come home that morning.
She woke up alone to face herself and her past. "You
dirty", she heard. I'm black, she realized-I want to break
free. The morning rose in darkness with the storm.
Ruth woke up aware of the change. She knew, Paul
was her crutch. She was glad he had not come home, she
thought. He was with Cosmo--she told herself. He would
be home soon. He never stayed out all night. Paul always told
her the truth, he would explain. The guilt, the guilt! Why
didn't he stay away? Why didn't he marry the gallery owner's
daughter and set her free, she thought. The §uilt-would also
be hers--if Paul came. Her eyes were closed and she went
into another world.
Paul entered the room and without saying a word. She
knew he was about to tell his truth. Free, free, she told herself.
Her father, my brother "You dirty." Paul asked her what was
wrong. I don't love you-I need you. I want you to set me
free. I don't want the guilt anymore.
While Ruth lay dreaming, she told Paul of her guilt. She
was doing what in reality she lacked the courage to do. She
did not ask Paul where he had been, for she knew it no longer
mattered. She was suddenly afraid of their guilt.
Paul took her in his arms and told her that nothing
mattered. He loved her and explained that last night he got
very drunk. "I stayed at Cosmo's, I am sorry" -- she knew.
"Ring, ring, ring." The phone woke her up, dreams, she
thought. "Where are you ?" she said. Cosmo's he said. Paul
wanted to tell Ruth--to prepare her-that the gallery owner's
daughter was pretty. Not as pretty as Ruth, but . . .Cosmo told
him, he had to break away. Cosmo said, he needed to be
free-but what to do, he was thinking. Was this it, was he
leaving, would she be free-after the storm, she thought.
"I never lied to you," she heard. She knew. His truth was
to prepare her, for his leaving. No promises, no lies, no regrets,
she thought. "Funny face" Paul said, "I am going to stay with
Cosmo, for a while-to work. The gallery owner's daughter
was pretty. She said nothing. Paul asked "if it was o.k."-to
prepare her. Paul was always preparing the road for himself.
Ruth realized that this was Paul's way of saying good-by.
Cosmo was to blame, but she was glad-she thouglit. "Yes,"
she heard herself say. The stomi she remembered.
"Come out of the wilderness
Come out of the wilderness
How did you fell when . . ."
Was last night a dream, she thought. Paul had hung up.
She got out of bed and went to take a shower. She wanted to
wash the dirt-her skin. "You dirty," she remembered. As the
water splashed on her body, she remembered the storm. Was
the storm in her mind, she was not sure. Mr. Davis-"it was
nice for a man to be courtly with me," she thought. She turn-
ed off the water and forgot the storm.
What would she do-Mr. Davis; he never forgot he was
black, he couldn't she thought.
Ruth was aware, that she was free of Paul, but now she
had to free herself. Last night and this morning were like
dreams. Was she really awake-what would she do. She did not
need Paul. She would soon be working for Mr. Davis. She
knew she would survive without Paul. "Of course I like
music," she thought.
The storm in Ruth's mind would pass. She knew as all
the other storms had passed. Then she would know she was
out of the wilderness. She dressed and cried. She cried for
herself and for Paul. They were each others salvation. Who
would save them now. "Jesus saves," she remembered her
days back home-before the barn.
Paul would not be back, he had prepared her. Ruth was
not sure she was glad. She loved Paul? Paul was her guOt; all
the men she knew were a part of her guilt. She was her only
salvation. Mr. Davis was-is a country boy, maybe she could
settle-he is black, she remembered. Paul, did he like music?
They would never settle down-Paul is white, her reality.
Ruth knew she did not love Paul. She was still running.
She ran away from home. Why? To be free, she realized.
Paul was her guilt. She had changed, because of the city, she
knew. Mr. Davis was right, she thought. "You dirty," she
fought with her past. She knew, she did not do anything.
Her brother was wrong-she wanted to be free.
Ruth was beginning to see she was not dirty. Paul was
gone. She no longer had guilt. She was free. The bond that
tied her past and her present guUt was gone-Paul. Ruth was
now for the first time in her life responsible to no one, but
herself-she was alone.
"I'm a country girl," she knew. "Aren't you a country
boy?" "I am he said, but I didn't change my drinking habits
when I came North." Ruth was aware or her skin. Her brother,
she thought would never forgive her. But she left her family
behind when she left home. She was now a country girl by
birth only. Her family did not understand, she only wanted to
be free. Freedom-she thought-is sad and lonely, but all hers.
Ruth knew this, and she was no longer in the storm.
"Come out of the wilderness
Come out of the wilderness."
The wilderness was in Ruth's mind. She carried it with her
North, like a badge. Ruth walked out of the apartment and
the storm of last night had ended-it wasn't just in my mind,
she thought. The sun was fighting to come out from behind
the clouds. The clouds made the morning gray. The people
did not accompany her. She walked alone with the breeze at
her back.
"How did you feel when you came out
of the wilderness."
"Alone and free."
Editorial i
By Oneida C. Fox
Dedicated to
D. Anderson Hooker;
Understanding
She walks in the storm of her mind-
never alone. Society placed chains on her,
and she felt no need for humanity.
She has come to see her stigma in unified
terms. She reUes on existing, for to
rely on a soul would mean to rely on
too little. She believes there is no pur-
pose, and has lost faith in the human
race. She wears a label like a shadow.
"Why can't they look at me, and just
see flesh; why must the flesh be descrip-
tive." She believes life is relative. She
was told to give no reasons, because they
are excuses people use to hide behind.
But she wonders, "is that person hiding."
History has taught her that the truth is
what people agree on; facts are relative to
the times and interpreter. She was told
that her history shaped her character.
But she is confused, because if her
history, or her character is a lie then
both. She is able to answer for the
conundrum of life. But she is unable to
answer when she wonders-"who am i?"
The little i is trapped in a world made
up of confusion. This world society,
concentrating too hard on anything,
thinks of nothing. While she concen-
trates on nothing in order to think of
something.
The world situation is such that she
can not avoid feehng overwhelmed.
The i, faced with economic and mOitary
instability in the Middle East, is unsure.
She was aware of the three year drought
in Ethiopia, but confused because sud-
denly famine in Ethiopia is news. The i
relived slavery, which was legal more than
a hundred years ago in America. In
South Africa, the term apartheid is
explained as practical discrimination and
segregation by those who enforce it.
"Just a 20th century way to justify,
injustice and oppression." She is told of
the communist threat, which justifies
the civil wars in South America. The i is
leery of North America, the conscious
society that watches the world. She is
told that we are all Americans. The i.
knows that the term American is applied
by the region with power about the
powerful.
She can not avoid being educated in
this society. It is precisely this education,
which produces one dimensional futures.
The i has learned that democracy means
to fight for independence, and independ-
ence leads to U.S. dependence. She is
aware that the United States is a con-
tradiction in terms. The i knows demo-
cracy breeds disunity. She knows that
history will produce the future, but
what future can one with no .accurate
history have. The i knows that history has
shown that the educators are the winners.
She was born on an island 90 miles
off the coast of Florida and feels
estranged. The i knows this can not be
the only reason. She has been in the U.S.
since 1971, and the answers lie outside
of Cuba. The i believes it is fear. She is
aware of her fear, but does not under-
stand. The i knows that being aware
alone will not produce changes.
She is told to be happy, and can not
conceive it. The i knows her concerns
are too deep. She has seen people commit
suicide. The i knows she feels helpless.
So often, she feels alone in the world.
The i believes she is too sensitive. She
can not help encompassing aD problems.
The i wishes she would not internalize
life. She can not help being subjective
about humans. The i understands the
impossibility of objectivity, but beUeves
she should not encompass everything.
She knows her limitations, but can not
help being concerned. The i sees no
problem with concern.
She knows not who she is because
once she knows, her shadow can not
be her excuse. The i is aware that she
would deny her history in order to
have a future. She is confused, because
she wants to be an individual in a com-
munity; not a community individual.
She is fighting alone for the independence
of society. The i knows she can not
exist without them. Sometimes, she
would like to disappear in her own
world. The i hears her dream, but sees
her fear. She is not afraid of fear, she is
afraid of apathy.
She runs from the thoughts of disap-
pointment-always alone. She is bound
to the chains of humanity. She must
unify herself-she knows. She relys on
life, for to rely on anything else would
mean to rely on death. She knows that
with death in mind she will have the
choice of life. She knows her label
speaks of pride. "It does not matter
what they see, if I know who I am."
She believes life should be an individual
choice. She gives reasons, because she
does not confuse them with excuses.
History has taught her that the strong
survive, and nothing is permanent.
Her history has shaped her character
and if a he, she will hold onto the
thought of permanence.
The i knows she has regained faith in
the human race. She accepts her role as
a member of the race, but would like to
work with the element of time to eradi-
cate injustice. The i knows the limita-
tions of time. She would like to speed
the process of time. The i knows she will
not remain a faceless member of the
conundrum. Life has taught her that she
is foitunate. She understands, and will
not continue to wonder but will ask-
"who am I?" The httle I believes one
he will answer.
She would like to see changes. The i
wants to know why celebrities with
money are making the public contribute
their meager earnings to starving people
in Ethiopia, when there are starving
people next door. She would like to
understand why a president like Ronald
Reagan, would give money to the African
relief fund. The i is aware that it was the
tax payers money.
In 1983, the U.S. invaded Grenada.
In 1984, the C.I.A. minied Nicaragua's
harbors. While in the U.S. inflation
soared, the unemployment rate reached
a record high and aid to the elderly was
slashed. In 1985, President Reagan
decided to cut financial aid for students.
She knows that U.S. imperiahsm has
barged into every region of the world.
The i knows it is justified as democracy.
In this democracy, she would like to
understand the threat of communism.
The i knows that America in no way
justifies communism.
Although she left Cuba at the age of
seven, she would not go back under
communism. The i knows she is disap-
pointed with democracy. She has lost
faith in the judicial system. The i has
witnessed injustice. She does not believe
the constitution produces justice. The i
knows justice is produced by people;
the constitution is a means of protection.
She is concerned about nuclear war,
when the "melting pot" spends more
than half of its budget on arms, which
will melt the world. The i understands,
and shares her concern. She can not
accept the role of American companies
in South Africa. The i knows it is cap-
italism. She wants to know why people
still have to fight for equal rights. The i
sees it as democratic progress. She wishes
it were progress. The i knows change
takes time. She knows she must learn
patience as well as endurance.
She followed her shadow for protec-
tion, because a label is a permanent
excuse. The i is knowledgeable. She
knows knowledge is useless if one must
watch injustice, justified in relation to the
times. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves
in 1864, including his own, does that
make him a hero, emancipator or hyp-
ocrite. "What good does it do to know
the right answers."
The i is aware that men have given
their lives in the name of justice. She
knows that they died for freedom and the
choice, the choice to be individuals.
The i is confused when the issue be-
comes unity, and not individualism.
She knows that people should be aUowed
the right to pursue what it is they want
to. The i knows that if one starts qualify-
ing liberty then one takes on the role of
overseer.
^'It does
not matter
what they
see,
if I know
who I
am.
?>
She is told by overseers to stay within
her diameters. The i knows too much
liberty produces fear, which turns into
guilt. She wants to be with her friend,
but is told that he is with her out of his
guilt. The guilt of the sons of the over-
seers. The i sees a problem when society
believes that the way to end racism is by
discriminating.
She has heard of men killed as a
human right. The i knows these men
gave their lives for justice. She does not
see the justice in dying. The i beheves
their Hves were not given in vain. Martin
Luther King, gave his life to the bet-
terment of the human race. By peaceful
means he tried to change the wrongs in
this society. But he was rewarded in
1968, with his death. She would like to
understand the justice. The i is sure he
understands her point.
She observes the actions of people.
The i knows she is critical of her race-
the human race. She knows her fore-
fathers suffered, but is not sure they
would be proud today. The i beheves she
justifies the pain by ignoring the reality.
She knows no one is color blind. The i
knows she would like humanity to be
colorless. She suffers because she is
misunderstood. The i knows she needs to
speak up. She believes people should be
treated as a result of their actions. The i
refuses to justify racism. She beheves
issues are conveniently racial. The i
would like her to stop being a humani-
tarian. She would like people to stop
using color as an excuse, which justi-
fies. The i knows that people use ex-
cuses as reasons to hide behind.
She looks back on four years of
higher education in ignorance. The i
knows she is learning. She questions the
vahdity of her college education. She
remembers, "what do you have-what do
you take away?" She believes her answer
is minimal. The i knows her situation is
the apprehension of her age. She is 21-
years-old, and believes she has lived
147 years. The i knows that human
beings are by nature animals. From the
institution of education she would like to
walk away learning. The i sees the pos-
sibility.
8
APARTHEID
by Stephanie Sargeant
A rigid system of Apartheid developed around the eariy
nineteenth century in South Africa. The notion of apartheid
is based on the attitudes of the white supremacy against the
minority living in South Africa, which are Black natives.
Other forms of Apartheid include the separation of the differ-
ent racial groups, and the policy of separate development
between Blacks and Whites in every sphere of life.
Apartheid was used in an earlier system known as Baaskap.
Baaskap was the simple exercise of white domination practiced
by the Dutch from the earliest days. This practice was carried
on by many white settlers, and was written into the constitu-
tion of the South African Republic that stated "there shall be
no equality in state or church between whites and blacks."
For the first two centuries, feelings of white supremacy
were not introduced into the legal system, nevertheless,
segregation was still praticed on an informal basis. The im-
plementation of this policy is that Blacks were forced to live
in certain areas allocated to them known as "Bantus." These
were usually non-productive or barren lands. On the other
hand whites received the best lands for farming, and also the
best jobs. Although whites are the minority in South Africa,
they hold all of the political power making it possible for them
to pass legislation protecting their interest. The affects of these
laws passed in the support of apartheid have demeaned and
controlled the lives of the blacks living there.
Economically, whites also dominate South Africa. About
seventy percent of the national income goes to the white
population and eight-seven percent of the land has been
designated for the whites. The aim of these economic policies
is to turn the Black population into a source of ready cheap
labor for the white areas; as domestic servants, industrial
workers in the mines and factories, or farm workers on white
man's farms.
To enforce these political, economical and social
conditions, the South African white minority regime made
very coercive laws and developed South Africa into perhaps
the most ruthless Police state in the world.
In recent years pressure from within and from outside has
brought to begin about major changes in South Africa's
racially segregated society and stratified economy, despite the
determination of the ruling white minority to maintain a
strict separation between themselves and the Blacks. The
General Assembly has declared that the United Nations and
the international community take special responsibility con-
cerning the oppression of South African people. They hope to
see South Africans receive help in their National Liberation
Movement and their struggle against apartheid.
A major contribution in the struggle against apartheid has
come from Nelson Mandela and his wife Winnie Mandela.
Nelson Mandela, leader of the African National Congress has
been fighting against the present system in South Africa
for two decades before his imprisonment in 1964 on charges
of sabotage and preparing guerilla for warfare against South
Africa. During this time he and his wife have been imprisoned,
suffered injury and banishment for their struggle. The strug-
gle for the liberation of South Africa and against the ruling
class. Currently Nelson Mandela is serving a life sentence in
prison for his struggle for peace.
Another force in the struggle for peace is Bishop Desmond
Tutu, General Secretary of the South African council of
Churches. He was the 1984 recipient of the Nobel Peace
Prize. He is known as the spiritual voice for blacks in South
Africa, with a following of twelve million people. He is
hoping to do away with apartheid in a non-violent manner if
it can be acheived by peaceful means. Bishop Tutu believes
the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize was a sign recognizing
the struggle for peace in South Africa. He also believes this is
the last chance for a peaceful change in South Africa and
blood will be shed if nothing is done about it. He stated that
blacks do not think they are introducing voilence in their
struggle for peace, but they feel the violence is already there
in the system itself.
During the Carter administration when Andrew Young
was the United Nations Ambassador; freedom seemed nearby.
Also under Carter the United States supported measures
favoring majority rule by Black Africans; including baning
imports of Rhodesian chrome, the Clark Amendment; which
forbade U.S. intervention in Angola and trade restrictions
against South Africa. Under Reagan a reversal of what Andrew
Young and Carter tried to accomplish was implemented the
U.S. ease a Commerce Department ban on the sale of medical
tools and supplies to the South African military. The changes
under Reagan have encouraged officials in South Africa to
resist granting Blacks equality. In violation of the international
law, the South African government has refused to hold free
elections and grant independence to Nambia, which was both
ordered by the United Nations. As a result of not gaining
their independence, groups organized and began fighting for
independence. South Africa invaded Angola killing many
women and children. The United Nations condemned South
Africa's action and the United States was the only country
that vetoed the United Nations security council condemnation
of the invasion. Chester A. Crodker, Assistant Security of
African affairs, stated that the western economic, strategic,
moral and political interests were at stake and that these are
the U.S. first priorities. In other words diamonds and gold
are more important than South African lives.
The apartheid system, with no discouragement by the
U.S. has jailed many South Africans and made many crack-
downs on Black unionist. In 1981 more than 400 South
African labor union members were arrested.
The only way to bring about justice and to put an end to
the cruel treatment of Blacks in S.A. is for Black Americans
to become more aware of what is happenning in S.A. and to
speak out on these issues to bring about change. In the past
year many Blacks and other Americans have demonstrated to
bring about changes. The largest demonstration was in New
York City with a tremendous turnout. This is great sign
people in the U.S. have joined South Africans to help in their
cause.
12 ways to lobby against apartheid*
1) Organize citizens to support legislation to stop deposit or
or investment of public money or corporations
that invest in South Africa.
2) Urge churches and Universities to stop investing in corpora-
tions and banks that invest or lend money to South
Africa.
3) Organize churches, unions, and community groups to
withdraw deposits from banks that lend to South
Africa.
4) Protest the sale of Krugerands (South Africa gold coins)
at banks and coin dealers.
5) Send letters and telegrams or call your congressional
Representative to influence voting in congress. Impor-
tant South African issues now before congress include:
The Gray Bill (HR 3597), legislation introduced
by William Gray (D-PA) to bar all new U.S.
corporate investment in South Africa.
Urge your congressional representative to oppose
Department of Commerde efforts to revise on
loosen restrictions on military related exports to
South Africa.
6) Collect food and clothing for shipment to refugee camps
in South Africa, Namibia, and neighboring countries.
7) Join the Free Nelson Mandela campaign to gather 100,000
signatures demanding release of the black South
African leader who is serving a life sentence on Robben
Island, the Alcatraz of South Africa.
8) Write letters or call newspaper, television and radio editors
protesting unaccurate or biased reports on South
Africa. Praise the good ones.
9) Protest South Africa government attempts to build cultural,
sporting, entertainment and political view with U.S.
Organize demonstration and pickets to protest such
visits.
10) Participate in teach~uns on South Africa in your com-
munity, on campus in schools and churches.
11) Work with unions & organize work boycotts of ships car-
rying South African exports or imports.
12) Organize events around commeorative dates of the South
African resistance struggle, such events are currently
being planned by antiapartheid groups take place
from March 21 to April 4.
^Sources: Washington Office on Africa.
10
ANOTHER BLACK HERO
by Stephen Rutherford
In a decade when we have seen a
black man run for the presidential Demo-
cratic ticket, we have also seen Guion
S. Bluford Jr. accomplish his dream of
being the first 'Black astronaut in space.
As a child growing up in West
Philadelphia, Guion Bluford Jr. was
fascinated with airplanes and had dreams
of flying one day. His dreams were more
than the wUd fantasies of a bright kid
who loved math and science. He went to
Penn State University, where he earned
a Bachelors's degree in aeronautical
engineering and graduated from the
Air Force ROTC Program in 1964,
He went on to fly 144 combat
missions in Vietnam between 1966 and
1967 and earned a Masters and a Doctor-
ate degree in aerospace engineering in
1974 and 1978 from the Air Force
Institute of Technology. Bluford was
selected as an astronaut candidate in
1978.
Bluford said, he felt no pressure
being the first Black American in space.
"I don't feel any pressure on me," he
said in a news conference at the NASA
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in
Houston. "I'll go up and do my job as
professionally as possible," he said.
Bluford told Jet on March 5, 1984,
"I look upon my position really as a
historic position being the first Black to
fly in space." He also notes that he was
pleased to be a role model and a symbol
of hope and inspiration to Black people.
"I think that it is a very important role
for me to play. I hope that other Blacks
can look at me and say, he, had the
opportunity and he was able to succeed
in his particular profession, maybe I
can do it in my particular profession."
As a mission specialist on the shuttle
Bluford wOl help deploy communication
satellite and conduct experiments in
which live human and animal cells wUl
be separated in an attempt to make
drugs that are not possible to produce
on earth due to gravity. Bluford will
also assist in the take off and landing
of the shuttle.
Lt. Col. Guion was recently
promoted to Colonel, White House
Officals announced in Washington D.C.
This action came after Presidnet Reagan
decided to revive a long-dormant policy
to five astronauts who are military
officers a one grade promotion, after
their first space flight.
Bluford will serve in an upcoming
space flight. A NASA official said Bluford
will be part of an eight person crew for
Space Lab Dl mission set to launch in
September 1985.
Guion Bluford Jr. a role model and
Black hero.
Tomorrow
by Yolanda Stafford
Shadows
by Yolanda Stafford
Today I met the dream of my heart,
described in detail from finish to start.
I learned of my mourning
took heed of my sorrow
if God give me strenght
my day is tomorrow
I will succeed.
Today we have seen the seed of our soul,
the secret inside that maps out our goals.
This give us our pride
that we 'II not swallow
if God gives us strength
our day is tomorrow
we will succeed.
I lie awake eyes straining the darkness
ears straing the silence
A shadow? Footsteps? More silence?
My imagination plays tricks? No!
Footsteps I hear. Not in my mind.
The shadow moves closer, closer, closer
still
My eyes strain. My ears are turned.
My heart pounds, my pulse quickens.
Shadows within arms reach, I SCREAM!
No noise. My throat 's been slit.
Blood I lose. Not my imagination.
Those damn shadows.
11
You Are
By Yolanda Stafford
You are what J am not
maybe not what you wish to be
but I am what lam
and you are not me
Scars
By Donna Henry
/ still wear the scars
of what once was beautiful
But the smiles are gone
and now the face wears
the look of a weary traveller .
Cuts slash across the
once attractive visage
And tears fill the once
sparkling eyes . . .
He has been transformed
I still wear the scars.
Goodbye My Family,
Goodbye My Friends
By Yolanda Stafford
/ fly with the wind, where it might send
me
I do not know
Goodbye my branch, goodbye my tree
Down to the soil that did nourish me
I must go
Goodbye to the sun, goodbye to the sky
that caressed my green softness so that I
might brightly glow.
Hello to the sea, hello to the land
I peacefully, gracefully float to your hand
so next year's leaves will grow.
Confusing,
these thoughts
From Donna Henry
Confusing, these thoughts
Frustrating, our love
Frightening, our devotion
Misunderstood, our words
Darkness, complete darkness
Nothing is clear
Deadly, a love so intense
Stormy, our personality
Confusion, utter confusion
The world is spinning
And if we loosen our grip
We will be flung into a darkness worse
than this.
Dedicated to the class ofl 985
Believe It
Personal Jokes
Or Not . . .
by Chris Allen
by Chris Allen
The following are actual statements found on the insurance
forms of drivers attempting to summarize the details of their
accidents in the fewest possible words.
1.
2.
4.
5.
6.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided
with a tree I don't have.
The other car collided with mine without giving warning
of its intentions.
A truck backed through my windshield into my wife's
face.
1 thought my window was down, but found it was up
when I put my head through it.
A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.
The guy was all over the road; I had to swerve a number
of times before I hit him.
In my attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.
I'd been shopping for plants all day and was on my way
home. As I reached the intersection, a hedge sprang up,
obscuring my vision and I did not see the other car.
I had been driving for 40 years when I fell asleep at the
wheel and had an accident.
To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front, I struck
a pedestrian.
My car was legally parked as it backed into the other
vehicle.
An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car
and vanished.
I told the police that 1 was not injured, but on removing
my hat, I found that I had a fractured skull.
1 was sure the old fellow would never make it to the
other side of the road when I struck him.
The pedestrian had no idea which direction to run,
so 1 ran over him.
I saw a slow moving sad faced old gentleman as he
bounced off the roof of my car.
The telephone pole was approaching. I was attempting
to swerve out of its way when it struck my front end.
The following are sentences from actual letters recieved by the
Welfare Department.
1. I am forwarding my marriage certificate and 6 children.
I have 7, but one died which was baptized on a half
sheet of paper.
2. I am writing the Welfare Department to say that my
baby was born 2 years old. When do I get my money?
3. Mrs. Jones has not had any clothes for a year and has
been visited regularly by the clergy.
4. I can't get sick pay. 1 have 6 children. Can you tell me
why?
5. I am glad to report that my husband who is missing is
dead.
6. This is my eighth child. What are you going to do
about it?
7. Please find out for certain if my husband is dead. The
man I am now living with can't eat or do anything
until he knows.
8. 1 am very much annoyed to find you have branded my
son illigitimate. That is a dirty lie as I was married a
week before he was born.
9. In answer to your letter. I have given birth to a boy
weighing 10 pounds. Is this satisfactory?
10. I am forwarding my marriage certificate and 3 children,
one of which is a mistake as you can see.
1 1 My husband got his project cut off 2 weeks ago and I
haven't had any relief since.
12. Unless I get my husband's money pretty soon, 1 will
be forced to live an immortal life.
13. You have changed my little boy to a little girl. Will
this make any difference?
14. 1 have no children yet as my husband is a truck driver
and works day and night.
15. In accordance with your instructions, I have given birth
to twins in the enclosed envelope.
16. 1 want my money back as quick as I can get it. I have
been in bed with the doctor for 2 weeks and he doesn't
do me any good. If things don't improve, 1 will have to
send for another doctor.
Black Capitalism
by Richie Harrigan
TJie thrill is gone
and all the ass-shaking
dirty blondes
liave been removed from the
magazine covers
and replaced with silhouettes of
beautiful black sisters
Making Blackness a purchasable
commodity.
Yet we get none of the profit
We remain the commodity.
Black material on
a white market and modem day
Slavery with a smile.
Shackles are now contracts
and the master is called "mister"
in an executive tone
Brothers and Sisters "honest abe"
was dishonest, and slavery; if for
real and up to date - Only the names
have been changed to protect the
GUILTY!!!!
Black Woman
By Richie Harrigan
There is a depth
That's in your eyes
One looks and sees
You 're one who tries
There is a softness
Touch and sigh
Comes from within you
Though at times
You seem to be so tough
You have a beauty
That's your own
Warm, vulnerable
Human, prone
To your emotions
You are our mother
Sometimes you 're hurt
But, like a tree
Roots, deep in earth
You still stand forth
CUBA
By Oneida C. Fox
"I never saw anything so beautiful; full of trees, the
river all fringed with them; beautiful and green, with
flowers and fruit; many large birds and httle ones who
sing sweetly ..." Christopher Columbus' diary for
October 27, 1492.
In 1492 Christopher Columbus refered to Cuba as a para-
dise. His belief has been shared by many, who have visited
the island after him. An island that struggled for 60 years
from the oppression within their own goverrmient, and to be
independent of the United States - - cannot be a paradise.
People who visit Cuba return to America with a misconcep-
tion of Cuban life. Fidel Castro aUows foreigners to see the
view of Cuba he wants them to carry to their countries. In
a Communist country, the people do not have the liberty to
travel where the government does not allow. By the same
token, Fidel Castro would not allow foreigners to see that
aspect of Cuba either.
Quite a few Black Americans believe that in Cuba racism is
not as blatant as in the United States. The issue is not whether
racism is blatant or latent. The issue should be whether or not
racism exists. A system run by an elite few cannot abolish 500
years of bondage. Communism purports to produce a class-
free society. In theory the idea is plausible, but in reality it is
an impossibility. In order to have a classless society, one would
have to exterminate the existing society to begin new, and
that is also not plausible. Fidel Castro says that all are eco-
nomically equal in Cuba. In order for all to be economically
equal, everyone must have equal access to the economy. In
Cuba because of slavery and covert racial prejuices, white
Cubans have a head start on Black Cubans. Fidel Castro took
from the rich; but also from the poor, to give to the state.
Consider if you will, who the state is, if not the ehte few
running the country. People argue that Cubans have free
health services and free access to education; the state has to in
some way appease the people.
The Cuban Revolution can be interpreted through econo-
mics. War was waged in the name of Economics. Political
aOies became political rivals due to economics; freedom of
speech, freedom of the press, and the right to protest were
abandoned for the economy. The history of Cuba can be
summed up by economics.
The following four paragraphs are an editorial introduction
to an analysis of Cuba, its revolution and its politics;
The American war of independence opened the United
14
States as the market for Cuban sugar and coffee. After the
Haitian Revolt of 1791, Cuba was the best source of sugar
and coffee. By 1886, the United States replaced Great Britian
as Cuba's primary supplier and largest market until 1960.
Sugar brought oppression, social imbalance and slavery.
But made Cuba in the turn of the seventeenth century, per
capita, the richest of countries in the world, which was main-
tained for two centuries. Although Cuba and tiie United
States depended on each other for agricultural products. The
greatest relation between the two countries is proximity.
Cuba being 90 miles off the Southern coast of Florida.
During 1940-1944, Cuba was ruled by Batista Fulgencio,
ex-Cuban dictator. Batista Fulgencio was a military leader who
was placed in power by the military to serve them. Fulgencio
was useful to the interest of Cuban Oligarchy ; to the American
government, and to American investors. Fulgencio's dictator-
ship fell apart, because he was not able to control the military.
The people of Cuba turned against him because of the tactics
used by the military, usually acting on their own accord.
Fulgencio was bought; he was ruled by greed, and he used
people, but was also used.
When Fulgencio Batista was dictator, the people of Cuba
became disatisfied with the governmental corruption. They
wanted a change in leadership. In 1944, he lost the presidential
election to Ramon Grau San Martin, dean of The Faculty of
Medicine at Havana University. The Communist party which
was gathering much support, did not want Martin as president.
In 1948, Martin lost the presidency to Carlos Prio Socarras.
Socarras tried to abolish "Hoy," a communist newspaper, and
closed 1010, the communist radio station. The communist
party was sure they now had the worse of two evils in power.
During 1944-1952, the Cuban people were in agreement with
the communist party. Grau and Socarras with their Laissez-
Faire regime of Violence deceived the people of Cuba.
By 1952, Batista Fulgencio was back in power. To please
Washington (The U.S.), he broke diplomatic relation with the
Kremlin (U.S.S.R) and banned the Cuban Communist party,
although he aDowed the party to continue as an underground
movement. By 1955, the Communist party, backed by the
Soviet Union, as a political machine flourished. They were
trusted and could be counted on to help the revolution.
Althougli Castro's Revolution (as it is now refered to) was not
connected with Communism per-se. Fidel Castro publicly
said that the revolution was in no way connected with Com-
munism.
On January 1, 1959, Fidel Castro had ingeniously done
away with the electoral process. He was now the undisputed
commander-in- chief of Cuba.
The revolution that overthrew Fulgencio Batista can be
attributed to Cuba's hidden racial prejudices. During
Fulgencio's dictatorship, he was denied entrance to an ex-
clusive Social Club, because he is "mulatto", half black and
half white. The revolution pretended that Black Cubans did
not exist, by burying their contributions under the achieve-
ments of white Cubans. Castro's police say, "There are no
white or Black Cubans in Cuba." In Cuba the behef that
racism does not exist is emphasized by using the United
States as an example of blatant racial injustice.
Racial prejudice is not a blatant in Cuba or in Latin
America, as in the United States, because all are economically
equal. Those economically able were freely admitted to
schools and universities. But most Black Cubans are econom-
ically disadvantaged and segregated; therefore, they cannot
qualify for equality. There are few Black Cubans working in
government offices, most work in "el camp" (fields.) There
are few Black Cubans educated in per portion to the majority.
Slavery left a distinct mark on Black Cubans (Black people
in general) that would inevitabley always separate them from
white (people) Cubans.
Communism doesn't hold any freedom for latin or Amer-
ican Black people. Communism states that they will abolish
racism by producing a classless society. But in reality, com-
munism expoits both rich and poor, (regardless of color)
for the benefit of the state.
On January 1, 1959, Cuba, under Fidel Castro's leader-
ship became independent of the United States. Castro nation-
alized all Cuban land, and property from United States inves-
tors. He refused to accept any financial backing from the
United States; Ergo, changed the 60-year tradition. He told
the United States that Cuba wanted its independence. Later
Cuba alligned with Russia, for economic stability. As a result
to gain their independence from the United States, the people
of Cuba had to give up theirs.
By 1960, Castro was reforming Cuba. He eliminated govern-
mental corruption, outlawed idleness, and prostitution. He
made education and health services free for all citizens. By
this time he had completely bought all American owned
companies in Cuba. America retaliated with a complete
trade embargo. Cuba was now officially a Communist domain-
territory.
To live in Cuba, one has to earn 200 "pesos" a month for
neccesities. The figure is relevant if food can be found in
markets and stores. Castro made it clear that in a classless
society there is no need for much money, but everyone must
work. Castro's regime dictates how much one can earn; how
much a family can eat, and what a person can own. In other
words, the state owns you and you own nothing. Cuban's
who wanted a change in governmental abuse were now faced
with the restrictions of communism. But it was now too late
for them to do anything in protest - protesting was outlawed.
Communist Cuba is considered the example of a Latin
American Country that has succeeded in spite of aid from the
United States. True, Cuba has prospered in areas that once
were deteriorated; health, agriculture, and education. But by
the same token, Cuba has lost it's independence and receives
aid from the U.S.S.R. In order to gain anything politically,
one must relinquish claim to others, which is what Cuba has
done. Cubans broke their dependence with one nation, to
become dependent on another. And the preceding is often
ignored by Americans who are intent on seeing the United
States as the oppressor. Americans are under the impression
that, freedom of speech, liberty, the right to protest, and the
right to be idle are trivial fallacies. I disagree, I would rather
have the choice, even if the choice is limited than not have a
choice at all. Democratic hberties are not ideological, if one
compares the liberties of Cuban people to those of Americans.
If one disagrees with anything, one can protest and be
protected. Consider slavery and where Black Americans would
be today if they did not have the right to protest/ challange the
system.
Cuba is economically and militarily independent of the
United States, but economically and militarily dependent
on Russia. Regardless of what political ideology one believes,
one cannot say that Cuba ~ still dependent - is better
economically or politically. Cuba now only responds to the
other super power with a different political ideology.
15
ICE
By Oneida Fox
As we walked hand in hand
I felt the breeze divide us
We were separated by the world
We were together
but could never be united
His experiences placed him
beyond my reach
Too much happened to him
For me to understand
The damamge
We talked
And I felt his language
His history produced
a one dimensional future
- His own
I played a small role in his existence
I was there but he never noticed to the
degree
I wanted to share his world
But he would not give me the key
I stole his thoughts
From his expressions
I looked in his eyes
and say myself
the fear of discovery
made me withdraw
What could his history be?
We made no promise
because we saw no future
We shared no lies
because he believed that hiding
the truth was not a lie
He asked no questions
because the answers
we could not bare
Could my history have produced the
dimensions
Yes it mattered
I needed a freind
I wanted a lover
But his dimensions would not span
He offered no reasons
because we know they were
a haven of excuses
I knew of his pain
He lived on an island-his own
But no human stands alone
I was a thread to his existence
my questions locked him further
beyond my reach
He unbalanced my thoughts
and brought me frustration
But I could not let go
I was bound to confusion
His attitude shifted
He never acted
He fust reacted
He never gave fear
He just accepted
We believed we shared another time
and space
Were we united in time
or
did we just share space
When we no longer walked
or
talked together
I reached for him
but I felt ice
I would never reach him in
this time and space
we were together a short while
But the memory of his presence
would eternally be mine
How could I forget the man
who touched my soul
And gave me no reasons
Dedicated to David Hooker
16
Frank Silvera
Writer's
Workshop
By Donna Henry
Garland Lee Thompson, Founding Director of Frank Silvera Writer's
Workshop.
Have you ever wondered what stage Black theatre is now or
does Black theatre really exists anymore? Well, you should
become familiar with the Black Stage - the acting experience -
and the places from where it eminates.
One of these places is the Frank Silvera Writer's Work-
shop, located on 317 West 125 St. between 8 Ave. and St.
Nicolas Ave. This workshop has been in existance since 1973
and although it is located in the midst of Black Harlem, it
has earned its status as being one of the three Black leading
Theatre organizations in New York.
Named after the late Black actor, Frank Silvera, the work-
shop has been affiliated with many famous playwrights such as
the late Larry Neal, writer, poet and cutie who is know for
co-authoring the book entitled "Black Fire" with Leroy
Jones and Mary Baroka and Charles Fuller, author of the
1982 Pulitzer Prize winner, "A Soldier's Play".
Garland Thompson, founder of the workshop, is currently
a playwright and has been in the theatre business for over
twenty-five years. He started his career in Los Angles where he
wrote and worked with Children's Productions. He then
moved to New York with Charles Gardene and his production
of "No Place To Be Somebody", at the Moresco Theatre.
In a recent interview with Jacqui Singleton, a local play-
wright and artistic director for the Calhoun Theatre,
Thompson expressed his overall views on Black theatre. "The
Black theatre started as a ghetto arts program in the mid-60's
but still has not recieved the kind of recognition it deserves
in the United States. Although Black theatre is fully recog-
nized and accepted in Europe and Africa it does not fit into
the mainstream theatre in this country."
The workshops offer a series in different areas of play-
writing. The Frank SOvera Writer's/Reading and Critique
series offers a helping hand to playwrights in developing their
skills. The Frank Silvera Writer's/Directors series of stage pro-
ductions stresses the importance of the theatrical relationship
between writers and directors. The Frank Silvera Writers'
Workshop Artistic Technical Assistance Collective - ATAC -
places emphasis on areas of designing, construction and
service.
"The strength of the workshop is the tremendous display of
talent like: Charles Godone, Charles Fuller, Larry the loute
Neal, Antonio Fargas and many others connected with the
workshop. We focus not so much on producers, directors
or actors, we focus on writers. We make sure they work.
With the right combination of the best writers and the best
directors one can't help but having positive results."
The Frank Silvers's Workshop is a road for Black writers
to travel in order to explore the real meaning of the Black
experience. When asked if he felt that the Workshop had the
grassroots support to be around another 13 years or more,
"we have actors all over on the west coast, on the east coast,
so if anything happens I know that they will all come back
and help," he answered.
As a closing remark, Thompson who will be leaving for
Jamaica for the production of "Toussanint Angel - Warrior
of Haite" by the time this article is read will be back in the
United States complimented the man for whom the work-
shop is named. "Frank Silvera is and was a wonderful and
beautiful person and we are taking him back home to Jamaica,
that's where he was born, you know, in 1940. He'll never
die. I am his discipline and I intend to keep this workshop
alive."
17
JOHN THOMPSON
by John E. Phillips
The 1984 NCAA Championship final
featured the Hoyas of Georgetown vs
the Houston Cougars. Georgetown
cruised to an expected victory, and
winning the title for the first time in
the school's history. Where should the
thanks begin? Start with the premier
players of the game: Patrick Ewing,
Michael Graham, Reggie Williams, and
the rest of the Hoyas' team deserve a
pat on the back for a job well done.
Now, who is deserving of the real credit
for bringing this powerhouse recognition
to the school which has been previously
known more for its academic richness
than anything else? The person in mind
is coach John Thompson.
Standing 6' 10" and weighing 2501bs,
Thompson appears as a rather intimidat-
ing figure to most opposing coaches.
Going into his 13th year of coaching at
Georgetown, Thompson is finally beginn-
ing to receive the type of credit that has
escaped him in past years. With the win
over Houston, Thompson's Hoyas solid-
ified their right to being named the
most dominant team in coUege basket-
ball today. The Hoyas are on top, and
rightfully so, as Thompson emphasizing
speed, aggressiveness and determination,
has put together an almost unbeatable
combination. Despite the effectiveness,
Thompson's coaching techniques are
still occassionally challenged by others.
Thompson is very protective of his
players, rarely ever letting freshmen
speak to the press. For he is more than
willing to speak on behalf of the team.
So what is it that attracts so many
caliber ballplayers to Georgetown? Is it
the winning tradition? (Since Thompson's
arrival, Georgetown is 262 wins and 104
losses 7 1.6%). Is it the fact that 44 of the
46 players that have played four years
for Thompson have left with degrees.
Is it the frequent appearances in post-
season tournaments? (10 times) Maybe
it is what the athletes see in Thompson.
His true concern for them as people
rather that just ball players. Rather
than chewing the dejected kid out for
the mistake, Thompson embraced him
telling him to keep his head up.
Married with three children ages
18, 15 and 9 (the oldest J. Thompson
III a freshman playing at Princeton),
Thompson, aged 43, prefers to keep
his family life separate and as private as
possible. Thompson was born and raised
in the ghettos of Washington, D.C. He
attended a Jesuit school and was an
Ail-American leading his team to 56
consecutive wins. From there, Thompson
went on to star at Providence College
where they won an NIT Championship
and competed in the NCAA Tournament.
Pro basketball was the next step as he
entered the league under the Boston
Celtics. He played behind the great
Bill Russell, winning the championships
before he retired and then returned to
Washington, D.C. There, Thompson be-
came a youth counselor and part-time
coach at St. Anthony High School.
In 1972, only six years after the first
black basketball player had been ac-
cepted there John Thompson became
head coach at Georgetown. With patience
and an effective style of teaching the
game, Thompson worked his program
piece by piece to what it is currently,
a dominance.
Basketball indeed paved a road of
success for John Thompson and he has
steadily risen to the top where he and
the Hoyas plan to stay. Thompson is a
credit to the game itself and any player
fortunate to play for him is being re-
warded with a huge advantage. Thompson
started from scratch and with his own
recipe has built a proud tradition for
basketball at Georgetown University.
18
PROFILE ON KC JONES
By Dino Maye
K.C. Jones was born and raised in
San Franciso, California. In his college
days at the University of San Franciso,
he was teamed with Bill Russell and
produced one of the greatest college
basketball teams in college history.
During his four-year stay, his school
won two NCAA championships, and he
was also part of the school's second
longest winning streak in NCAA basket-
ball history with 56 straight. (U.C.L.A.
holds the longest winning streak in
college with 69 straight). He also made
the 1956 U.S. Olympic team with Russell
in which they won the gold medal.
After his brillant college career, he
joined the Boston Celtics in the N.B.A.
and he also teamed up with Russell
again, K.C. spent nine years in the
N.B.A. as a play-making/defensive guard
from (1958-1967). He was a major part
in the Celtics great dynasty that won
eight straight N.B.A. championships from
1958-66. After his playing days, he
became an assistant coach with the
Los Angeles Lakers from (1964-72). In
his last season with the Lakers the team
acquired the longest winning streak in
N.B.A. history 33 straight and they also
won the N.B.A. championship. (It was
K.C.'s ninth N.B.A. championship and
ring). In 1972-1973, he spent one year
as a head coach in the A.B.A. (American
Basketball Association which is now
defucnt) for the San Diego Conquis-
tadors. (It was his first losing season in
any basketball league. The next year he
was the head coach of the Washington
Bullets in the N.B.A. and he coached
them for three years (1973-1976). In
those three years he led the Bullets to an
impressive record of 155 wins and 91
losses. (At the time it was the fourth
best record in NBA history). After a one
year stint as being the head coach for
Brandeis University, he was hired as
the Celtics assistant coach. He was the
assistant coach with the Celtics for five
years (1978-82). In 1981 as the assistant
coach the Celtics won the NBA champi-
ionship for their franchises 14th NBA
title, (K.C. won 8 of them as a player).
After the 82-83 season the Celtics head
coach Bill Fitch quit and joined the
Houston Rockets, as their head coach.
The new head coach who suceeded Bill
Fitch was his assistant, K.C. Jones. In
K.C.'s first years as the head coach, he
built the Celtics into a solid contender
for the NBA Championship. As a matter
of fact the Celtics had one of the best
records in NBA history (63-19) and they
went to the NBA championship against
the Los Angeles Lakers. The series
went seven games and the Celtics event-
ually won the seventh game 1 1 1-102 and
it also marked the 15th NBA champion-
ship for the Celtics franchise. It seemed
that K.C. was in that background after
that Celtics victory but he was quoted
as saying "All the credit goes to the
players"
Some people feel that K.C. Jones is
quietly unselfish, and also "a man with-
out headlines." But what kind of coach is
K.C. Jones?
19
The Revelation
(The Great Oak)
By Will Nayle
First what can be said is in fact a
revelation. We will use this definition;
a revelation is something revealed; by the
vehicle of sensation of the senses, in
which upon the cinaramic scheme of our
consciousness something of significance
is witnessed. A message is a revelation
in that it tells one of what should be
known of something about to occur.
Thus, a revelation was shown to me
one night a few years ago.
I was younger then although I am
still young in age at present. Only re-
cently did I realize the message of the
revelation.
"I saw a town, it was my town,
Springfield, Mass. I was walking at night
towards Winchester Square. I expected
to see the usual landmarks."
"The Western Auto Supply store,
Windsor Court, a bar and lounge, Sha-
bazz; a restuarant, the record shop, fire
station and Royal Market etc" . . .
"Lo and behold, I saw none of these
landmarks as they were. What I did see
astonished me."
"I saw a desert covered with rough
brown sand. The few buildings that
were left standing, looked like tombs
whose once lively eyes now stared vac-
antly over the deserted landscape of
the Square."
"From afar, I saw a simmering as
though there were a great sea about.
However, upon closer inspection, I
found it to be tons of broken glass
like a ritual had been held and the con-
tents of the bottles were a part of the
worship."
"As I gazed further, I could make
out forms. They seemed to be of old
men and women."
"I walked towards one of these forms
and upon the face of it, I saw the grey
mask of despair and sadness. I did not
detect a trace of hope, only of aban-
donment."
I asked, "How have you become like
this?"
Through parched lips, I heard a voice
feeble yet dignified as though it took
great effort to speak, and said:
"I stood not on the path which
walked those who travelled upon the
road of progress."
"The form then turned away from rue.
And from it I heard a cry of pain and
misery which pierced my ears. I moved
towards it so, to touch the shoulder of
this sorrowful sole, yet my hand went
through it."
"I was amazed then to him I said:
"A phantom you are truly, a being of
some other dimension of time and
space."
After sometime elapsed, I travelled
across the barren soU, (that once was
alive with a bar, restaurant, department
store and a record shop).
"I observed many men and women
who stood upon what appeared to be
a great black rock; like a sheet of lava
from some great volcano which had
cooled and formed a great expansion of
land."
"They stood in front of a store that
sold spirits of a liquid sort."
"I looked upon them and saw in their
hands that they held what appeared to
be a wrigghng green snake. The snake
had eyes that were crimson red, a red so
fierce in hue and dark in tone, it escaped
adequate description."
"The snake had wings and could fly.
It appeared to be as the fabled * thunder
bird when it took to the grey skies above
the people."
"Madness" I though, I cried like a
great beast to the heavens. I did cry for
my heart was in pain at the sight I did
see around me."
"Suddenly, I heard a great sound as
though God, himself, walked upon the
clouds above."
"Then a bolt of lightning issued from
the heavens, striking the center of the
vast desert about me."
"And behold a plant began to grow
and grow, until alas, it became a tall
and great oak tree."
"It was a grand sight, firm were its
roots and far reaching its branches.
A majestic tree it was, as it stood in its
regal posture in the midst of the Win-
chester Square."
I looked and upon its branches were
small children who had the wings of
angels. This made my heart glad.
"I then turned around at some point
and saw that green snakes were now a
pile of green leaves."
"Like papyrus, they had become and
upon their surface were written great
and beautiful things."
"The people who were once dying
began to stand erect and were made
strong by the verses that were upon the
green papyrus."
"They walked hand and hand to the
great oak and sung joyous songs with
the angelic children."
When I awoke from this vision, I was
excited. I ran upon the Square, but
saw no change.
Yet, as I looked upon the Earth, I
saw a small budding plant that suffered
to grow . . .Lo and behold, it would be
no other than a great oak upon its
maturity!
* T-BirdWine
20
^F'
1
■
^^^1
^h
1^^
1
^^H
1
^
1
^^«^^
I
I^R'
Pli
^g>^p >^, ' lllllll
"MORNING OF THE BLUE QUEEN"
/®sdli©ir ©©waoDS
21
22
23
m
"1^
CO
r-
m
z
o
m
O
-n
0)
c
m
30
to
to
u
o
V
<r ' ^■=?:'»i;^..
•jfeM
'^i
315)
s
®
^j^^ -"^mti
■^Jm^
X
If)
m
>
_l
U-l
^
^V*""
^Pi.
<
o
>-
On Beginnings
by Adger Cowans
What drew me to photography?
What drew me to images?! My
mother was the first person taking
pictures that I can remember.
That's when I was real Httle. She
used to take us out and photograph
the family. My mother was a real
picture nut. We had volumes of
picturesl When I was lonely,
depressed, I'd look through those
albums. They became my own
private world. My Uncle Wilbur
had one of the first color
photographs I ever saw. It was pink
and blue. I was very small. And my
Aunt Elizabeth had one of the first
Polaroids. "Hey, hey, look at this!"
I remember I said, "Wow! A pic-
ture right away!" I grew up on
Polaroids.
From my family I learned how to
get along with other people.
Respect and love from my most im-
mediate brothers and sister and
from my mother and father made
me unafraid in the world. I never
perceived the world as frightful. I
remember I was always bumping
into things because I was always
looking.
Courage. Heroics.
My father was a hero because he
walked to school in the snow with
no shoes. Wrapped his feet. Then
when his mother died, he quit
school and raised the family, then
had his own six kids. My mother
was heroic because she stayed with
my father! And raised us with love
and tenderness in a special kind of
way.
They didn't know. / didn't
know. I was becoming something I
didn't know about. Art was a
sphere outside of my life when I
was growing up. I never thought
about art or artists or being
creative or anything like that.
I learned the technology in col-
lege. I wasn't looking to be
something. I always had trouble
with people asking me what I
wanted to be. My mother wanted
me to be an opera singer.
Safe? What is safe?
26
:>\> ■
iX:f"i
Iff
„MM'- •:■,■-
«%
;':5-'
^^':'iV;^.
ECLIPSE
28
Rush Productions
RUN-D.M.C.
By Jacquelyn Shephard
Boasting is so central to rap music that even its most
passionate fans can't sometimes help smiling as they listen to
the latest claims by the newest groups. But there is one crew
on the scene of whom it might be said that all their brag is
fact: RUN-D.M.C.
Which other crew has generated popular and critical
aclaim in such equal measure? Their debut album, "Run-
D.M.C.," was not only the first rap album ever to earn a
gold record award from the R.I.A.A., it has since ended up
on the 1984 Ten Best lists of both the New York Times'
Robert Palmer and the Los Angeles Times' Robert Hilburn.
It was also the only rap album represented in Rolling Stone's
1984 Top 100.
Likewise, which other crew can claim nearly as many
rock fans as rap fans? They've appeared on "Essence," the
television show produced by the black fashion magazine of
the same name, and have starred in the only rap video ("Rock
Box") ever to make it into regular rotation on MTV. They've
been written up by Black Beat, Rock & Soul, Right On, and
the Chicago Defender, and by Rolling Stone, Creem, the
East Village Eye, and Star Hits. They headlined over eight
other acts (including Kurtis Blow, Whodini, the Fat Boys,
and Newcleus) during the nationally touring, 30-city Swatch
Watch New York City Fresh Fest, and performed as the guests
of legendary rocker Lou Reed at a concert that was videotaped
and later boradcast as an MTV special.
Apparently, it is just as they claim on the title song of
their newly-released second album, "King of Rock": 'Now
we crash through walls/Cut through floors/Bust through
ceilings/And knock down doors. " And Heaven help the
puny mortal-sucker emcee or average citizen-who attempts
to keep them in a box.
By 1977 12-year old Run was deejaying for Kurtis Blow,
the King of Rap, who was (and still is) managed by Run's
brother Russell. It wasn 't long before Run also began grabbing
the mike on occasion. One of his earliest raps went like this:
"DJ Run. son of a gun/ Always plays music and has big funj
Not that old, but that's all right/Makes all other emcees
bithe all night. "
The crew graduated high school in 1982, and Russell
Simmons agreed for the first time to seriously consider pro-
ducing a record on them. "It's Like That/Sucker M.C.'s"
was released by Profile Records in March of 1983. It was an
immediate sensation, and was followed in December of that
year with "Hard Times/Jam Master Jay," which was followed
by the release of the album in May 1983, which was followed
by "Rock Boxl30 Days" and, finally by "Hollis Crew."
All in all, we think you'll agree that Run-D.M.C, with
"King of Rock," have topped themselves-the hard way.
Or, as the guys themselves explain in the title track;
"It's not a trick or treat
And it 's not an April Fool
It 's all brand new
Never ever old school "
Enjoy.
29
RUN D.M.C.
And
Jam Master-Jay
By Jacquelyn Shephard
Drum:
Drum:
RUN:
D.M.C.
J.M.J:
Who makes up the group RUN-D.M.C?
Joseph Simmons who is better known as RUN.
Darryl McDaniels who is D.M.C.
and Jason Mizeue is The All Mighty Jam Master Jay.
Where did this name originate and what does it mean?
My name is RUN because I run my mouth for the
group.
My name is D.M.C. and those are the initials of my
name "D" is for doing it all the time, "M" is for
the Rhymes that are all mine, "C" is for cool, cool
as can be, and I wear glasses so I can "C".
I am known as the Mighty Master of Jams, so that's
where I got the name JAM MASTER JAY.
Drum: What is the relationship between RUN and D.M.C?
RUN/D.M.C: We're home boys.
Drum:
J.M.J.
RUN:
D.M.C.
Can each of you give a little back ground on
yourselves?
1 attended Andrew Jackson High School, I'm twenty
years old, and I'm an aquarius. I went to Queens Col-
lege for one year.
I'm Joseph Simmons, I've been rapping since about
1977. I used to rap with Kurtis Blow when I was
about 12 years old. I rapped with him on weekends
and during the summer because during school I
couldn't go with him when he was touring. I have
toured with the Commodores. After I finished high
school, I got my own career together as RUN-
D.M.C. I came up with the idea of "It's Like That"
and I got stuck on what everything was like. I went
to my smart friend D.M.C, who was attending St.
John's University, and I asked him what was going
on. He told me that war was going on across the sea
and he came up with the idea "and That's the way
it is". And our first single was "It's like that and
that's the way it is" and this was how we became
RUN-D.M.C. and the rest is history.
I'm 20 years old. I've been in school all my life and
2 years ago my partner RUN came to me and said
that he wanted to make a record with me and I said
"bet", and we're gonna rap to the world.
Drum:
RUN:
Drum:
RUN:
Drum:
All:
Drum:
RUN:
Drum:
RUN:
Drum:
RUN:
Drum:
RUN:
Drum:
RUN:
Drum:
RUN:
What can you tell me about the history of rapping?
It's been around for a long time. Way before people
started doing it with microphones and turntables.
What are the characteristics of a good rap?
Creativity. I try to get a different sound everytime
or something different to say. Creativity keeps us on
top.
Do you have any favorite recording artists,
whom?
RUN-D.M.C.
if so
Who inspired you and what events in your life
prompted you to become rappers?
My brother, he was managing Kurtis Blow at the
time. Sometimes I used to wake up in the morning
and there was Kurtis Blow lying on my couch. When
he woke up, I'd ask him to rap. So he did and I was
learning to rap and that's how I got into it.
To whom do you credit your success?
Myself, Kurtis Blow, my brother Russell Simmons
and D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay.
What effects has success had on your lives?
None, I just drive more now. When walking down
the street people recognize us, but they don't bother
us. I'm like "Don't touch me and it's cool."
What do you do in your spare time?
Cool it and live our life, eating, and sleeping.
Was there ever a point in time when you just said
"the hell with it, I give up?"
Never, because we never got to that point.
Generally speaking, what kind of reaction do you get
from the public?
They love us. People look up to us. We try to pro-
ject a good message to the young kids. We try to keep
the older people laughing.
Drum: To what age group is your music most influential?
30
RUN: To all ages.
Drum: To what extent does your music relate to other races,
is there any crossover?
D.M.C.: We're universal.
Drum: In which direction would you like to move next?
RUN: We're just looking for a wider audience than what
we have.
Drum: Are you experimenting with any new concepts?
RUN: Yes, we've made a new reggae record. We've made
records with just drum and bass, records with drum,
bass and guitar.
Drum : What , if any criticism has your records been subjected
to?
RUN: I don't think any at all.
Drum: In what ways to you consider yourselves unique from
other rap groups such as Fresh 3MCs, Fat Boys,
UTFO, Kurtis Blow?
J.M.J. : We make our own music.
RUN: A lot of rap groups in general use other music that
was already made and then make it over.
Drum: After doing "8 Million Stories" with Kurtis Blow,
does the future hold anymore combining forces with
other rappers?
RUN: There's a chance of us teaming up with the Fat Boys.
Drum: Groups such as Sugarhill and Sequence faded out
rather quickly, what is your secret to staying on the
top of the music charts?
RUN: Definitely creativity.
D.M.C.: Originality.
Drum: What relationship is there between poetry and
rapping?
D.M.C.: Rap is poetry put to music.
Drum: How do you apply the rap to the music and vice
versa?
RUN: A lot of the message records are made on an up tem-
po track, like "Hardtimes" and "It's like that".
D.M.C.: The general raps go over a funky beat.
RUN: On the message records, we're rapping slower. It
might be an up tempo record, but the faster the
record, the slower we rap on it, because of the way
we rap on a fast tempo record.
Drum: Do you enjoy traveling and where do you intend to
perform next?
RUN: Yes we do enjoy traveling. We intend to go to
England next, and then Africa.
Drum: In your travels what are some of the countries or
states that impressed you most?
J.M.J. : Hawaii, Hollywood, San Francisco, Massachusetts
RUN: Hawaii, Boston
Drum: There has been campaigning against the dirty lyrics
in the songs of many popular recording artists. Do
you have any views about such groups and their
music?
RUN: We don't view any of those groups, we're not into it.
Drum:
RUN:
J.M.J.
RUN:
Why did you switch d.j.s from Davey DMX to Jam
Master Jay?
I was just talking about Davey D. because of the
group Orange Crush. Davey D. was the guitar for
Kurtis Blow and also used to scratch for him.
Davey D. was never part of RUN-D.M.C.
I only spoke of him in "Sucker MCs" because Kur-
tis Blow, Davey D. and myself were always down
together.
Drum: What is the most memorable moment of your career?
RUN: When I first heard my record on WBCS.
J.M.J. : When we went to Germany, I hated everything.
D.M.C.: When making a video.
Drum: Tell me about your first performance outside of New
York?
J.M.J.: Our first performance outside of New York as RUN-
D.M.C. was in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was
great.
Drum: Were you nervous and scared?
RUN & J.M.J. : We were just happy to go.
D.M.C.: I was scared to ride on the airplane.
RUN: I said the samething twice.
D.M.C.: We didn't move that much.
Drum: Can you tell me about your latest album "King of
Rock"?
RUN: It has been released and has already sold 400,000.
Drum: What are your prospects for the future?
J.M.J. : We're about to make a major motion picture with Dr.
Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Kurtis Blow, Whodini, Fat
Boys, Grandmaster Melle Mel. The story line is sup-
posed to be centered around us.
RUN: The producer of the movie is Michael Shultz who
made other movies such as "Car Wash," "Cooley
High" and "Which Way is Up."
D.M.C.: Commercials are also in our future.
Drum: How do you think that rapping will fit in society 5
years from now?
RUN: Just like it fits now. It's getting bigger though.
J.M.J. : 5 years from now there should be a best rapper of
the year categories on the Grammys.
Drum: Do you forsee a time when rapping will become
obsolete?
RUN: No, I doubt that.
Drum: Are there anymore videos in your future?
RUN: Yes, we've made a new "King of Rock" video. It
has been released and should be on MTV soon.
Drum: Your first video ' 'Rock Box' ' come out the way you
planned?
RUN: Exactly.
Drum: Thank you very much for letting us interview you.
31
Rush Productions
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
By Jacquelyn Shephard
Forget John Barrymore, Frederic March, and Spencer
Tracy. Sure, they're all great actors and, sure, each took a
noble whack at portraying the lust-twisted scientist immortal-
ized in Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde. "
But Andre Harell and Alonzo Brown have been splitting that
role between them ever since they were school-mates at New
York's Charles Evans Huges High School in 1977 - and now,
with the release of "Transfonnation" on Profile Records,
they intend to cap their already highly successful career
with a beat-heavy, modem-day retelling of the story of a good
doctor gone bad. Or, as Harrell puts it, the Davy
DMX-produced epic describes "the transformation from the
uptown, professional, conservative Dr. Jeckyll to thee street
deviant Mr. Hyde. "
Actually, their new record is only a slightly exaggerated
account of the loony transfonnation the two go through
all the time in so-called real life. By day, they're suit and
tie-wearing professionals. The 24-year old Harrell is an account
executive at radio station WINS in New York, and the 23-
year old Brown was formerly a stock analyst for the American
Stock Exchange. By night, however, they became Dr. Jeckyll
& Mr. Hyde, the funniest and hardest-working young
men in rap.
When Harrell and Brown first teamed up, of course,
there was no rap on record. As Harrell tells it, though, "/
after going to parties to hear other rappers, and then compar-
ing rhymes with each other, we felt we could do it ourselves. "
They began by building up a strong local following at
the influential Harlem World disco. Brown eventually came to
the attention of Profile Records President Cory Robbins,
who signed him up as sols vocalist Lonnie Love, the artist
behind "Young Ladies. " It came out in the spring of 1981,
Profile's second release, co-authored by Brown and Harrell.
The two made their recorded debut as Dr. Jeckyll and Mr.
Hyde in November of that same year with the release of
"Genius Rap, " a very popular rap remake of the Tom Tom
Club's "Genius of Love," of which some 150,000 copies
were sold. This was followed by another 12-inch, "The Chal-
lenge. " in October of 1 982.
AN INTERVIEW WITH
DR. JECKYLL AND MR. HYDJi
By Jacquelyn Shephard
(Please note that the interview was done in two parts. First
Dr. Jeckyll and then Mr. Hyde and Scratch on Galaxy.)
J * Dr. Jeckyll
Drum: How did you come together as a group?
DJ: In high school. When rap was first big in the streets,
my partner and I thought that we could do it just as
good as anyone else. So, we used to get in the hall-
way at the end of each class and compare rhymes.
After a while, we got so good that people used to
gather around. People use to say you guys should
really go out and set up an organization and do it,
so we did!
Drum: Are you interested in any other type of music be-
- ^_ sides rap?
DJ; Oh, sure 1 like everything, except opera. Sometimes
when I'm trying to wind it down with sophisticated
women, I play jazz.
Drum: Do you have any favorite recording artists?
DJ: I'm a fan of Luther Vandross, Patti Labelle, I like
Marvin Gaye (God bless the dead) and I like How-
ard Hawett.
Drum: How did you and Mr. Hyde get that lucky break?
DJ: Well when Alonzo and I were first rapping, we went
to a club called Harlem World, which was a big disco
for the matere (suit and tie). They weren't getting
much money because of the location. They were on
116th and Linx Avenue and that's like the battle-
field of New York. So they decided to go for a
32
younger audience, an audience who wouldn't be
afraid to come up there and they (the club) went hip
hop. So my group being the best in the area, went
there one summer night when they were having a
contest, so we stayed there and were the hosts every
night, and when the disco opened a record company,
we went on records from there. That was back in
1978.
Drum: Is there any philosophy that you use when making
a record?
DJ: Yes, I like to have something with a beginning and
an end. I don't like to go and see a Broadway play
that's all musical and has no beginning nor end.
I feel like I've missed something. If my record doesn't
have a beginning or end, I like it to have short be-
ginnings and ends. Short stories that might not follow
suit throughout the story.
Drum: How do your raps originate?
DJ: We sit down and think up a theme and then we write
the lyrics.
Drum: Do you rely solely on your income from recording?
DJ: No, I was formerly an accountant executive at
WWRO, which is a Gospel radio station in New York.
Then I became an accountant executive at the biggest
station in the country WINS. Now I am the vice
president of operations at Rush Productions, which is
the management company that manages all of us.
I'm in charge of merchandising the groups. I set up
major commercial deals for the artists to endorse
different products.
Drum: Generally speaking, what kind of reaction do you
get from the public?
DJ: The pubUc seems to like us. They think that we're
good for rapping because we appear very educated,
we dress in suits and ties, which a lot of people think
is a successful look. We're known as the Champagne
of rap. The crowd seems to get into us, especially
when we have a good appeal with the ladies.
Drum: How successful has your music been in motivation
the young people of today?
DJ: If I could measure on a level of 1-10 I guess we'd
be a 7. I think I will start to bring about a bigger
impact because we're into movies, which we start
filming in March, along with other rap groups. We'll
be one of the principles. As we become more visual
to our market we'U start to make an even better im-
pact. It's all about being visual to the public, the
more they see you and understand what you mean
the bigger the impact will be. I think that impact
will be positive.
Drum: In which direction would you like to move next?
DJ: Right now I'd like to establish myself as a major
recording artist. I'm working on a new album, hope-
fully it will be released in April (1985). I'm working
basically on being a big R & B act. This will be
our first album.
Drum: Are you experimenting with any new concepts?
DJ:
Drum:
DJ:
Drum:
DJ:
Drum:
DJ:
Drum:
DJ:
Drum:
DJ:
Drum:
DJ:
Drum:
DJ:
Drum:
DJ:
Drum:
DJ:
Yes, I can't reveal them right now. I want to shock
the world.
In what ways are you unique from other rap groups?
I think that we take a very business like attitude to
the whole thing. We're strong black capitalists.
We're grown men, and our attitudes come across
that way.
What relationship is there between poetry and rap-
ping?
Poetry and rap go hand in hand. Rap is street poetry,
on a level of Langston Hughes. Rap came from the
South Bronx basically. When people rap and create
their rhymes it's a reflection of how they view
society.
How do you apply a rap to the music and vice-
versa.
Well basically I think of a theme and I want the
music to fit the theme. Like my last record "fast
Ufe" had a mischievous attitude like something is
about to happen. The Guy was fast, but he was too
fast and that wasn't good. The base line of the
music sounded like somebody trying to be cool
and slick. And I just try to match the sound with
the concept.
Do you enjoy taveUing and where do you intend
to perform next?
Yes, I enjoy traveling and we intend to go to Con-
necticut next.
Do you choose where you want to perform or does
your manager?
No, we get calls from all over the country. Accord-
ing to our availability we accept what comes first,
if the price is right.
In your travels what are some of the states or coun-
tries that impressed you most?
Definitely Winnepeg, Canada. It was the cleanest
most inter-racial place I've ever been.
To what extent does your music relate to other
races, is there any cross over?
Yes, because rap is becoming the hip thing to whites
and they're starting to get into it. I think that RUN-
D.M.C. did a lot for that. Currently, I thing "Rox-
anne" by the group UTFO did a lot also. It was
put on a chart that goes out to the general market.
There's been campaigning against dirty lyrics in the
songs of many popular recording artists. Do you have
any views about such groups and their music?
I think basically that everybody has a high sexuality.
When they want to hear it and you say "no" they
want to hear it even more. You cannot command a
pubHc to moralize. The radio waves are for the
pubUc, only the pubUc can decide what they want.
What is the most memorable experience of your
life?
I don't think that I have reached it yet. I thought it
33
was the first time I went to LA, I thought it was
going to be it. I thought I was in Mecca, but it wasn't
Mecca. It turned out to be my biggest disappoint-
ment. Winnepeg was so impressive.
Drum: Tell me about your first performance?
DJ: Our first performance was whacked! It was in New
York at a hotel and we were with another group
that the president of the record company put us with,
that was not as part of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde.
They were called the Harlem World Crew. We were
strong rappers and they were weak rappers. They
just wanted these groups to make it to the top,
because they worked so long with the company.
So they put them on our back and rode and it was
whacked!!
Drum: Can you teU me a Uttle about your latest release?
DJ: I think we're going to entitle it "How do you like
me Now", Run of Run-D.M.C. gave us the idea for
that. It's generally saying you knew us back then
when we were this, how do you like me now?
Drum: What are your prospects for the future?
DJ: I hope millions are my future. I hope my life will
be happy. I plan to make a lot of money not just
first for myself, but basically for everyone involved
with the company. I want to exploit the music
business and the advertising business to the fullest
and marry a real girl. She'll never have to work,
just spend my money, that's her job.
Drum: How do you think rapping will fit in society 5 years
from now?
DJ: Rapping is going to the general market. You'll start
to hear it on every station.
Drum: Have you made any type of videos or commercials?
DJ: Well, I was filming a video, and the company I was
with ran out of money. I've made about five dif-
ferent commercials, a Texas Chainsaw Massacre
commercial, and a Breaking 1 and 2 commercial.
Drum: Since rapping has been in for a while, do you think
that it's going to fizzle out in the future?
DJ: No, I don't think it will. For every group that fades
out, there is a new group that comes out.
Drum: What do you do in your spare time?
DJ: I go to Jack Lalane Health Spa. I'm on a physical
fit kick.
Mr. Hyde and Scratch On Galaxy
Drum: Where did the name "Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde"
and scratch on Galaxy originate?
Scratch on Galaxy: My real name is George Lado. The name
Scratch on Galaxy developed from Pumpkin and the
Allstars, a record 1 did during the summer. Pumpkin
wrote the record, so I just took the name from the
record .
Mr. Hyde: Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde came by when we were
in high school. When we started our group we wanted
a name that people would remember, so we were
thinking about a couple of names. We didn't want to
be like everybody else so we thought that Dr. Jeckyll
and Mr. Hyde would represent evilness and a nasty
kind of thing.
Drum: Why is Andre Dr. JeckyO and you're Mr. Hyde?
Hyde: It was nothing more than a flip of a coin.
S.O.G.: Alonzo is the loose one, and Andre is the conser-
vative one.
Drum: Are you interested in any other types of music other
than raps?
Hyde: I Usten to all types of music. I listen to Wynton
Marsalis, Luther Vandross, all types of Jazz. As a
matter of fact I don't have any rap records in my
house.
S.O.G.: I listen to ballads, Lilo, and Luther Vandross.
Drum: Who inspired you and what events in your lives
prompted you to be rappers?
Hyde: When we first started rapping there was a well known
rapper named Love Bug Starsky. We used to see him
at clubs in Harlem all the time and we said "Damm"
if we could do that. So we started writing our own
Unes, and Dr. Jeckyll and I just kept going. We met a
few people, we elevated to a certain level, met a few
more people and here we are. Superstars.
Drum: How did you get that lucky break?
Hyde: It wasn't a matter of a lucky break. It wasn't like
we made a tape and sent it to profile and they found
us. It was a lot of hard work, and a lot of talent.
S.O.G.: Which is the total opposite of me. I was just pract-
icing in my garage and a guy named Pumpkin came
by and he was a producer of this record company.
And he said "I've been hearing you everyday and you
sound very good, let's go to the studio next week,
and we'll do a record with Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde,
Fresh 3 MCs and others," I said "sure"! He gave
me a little money and said if the record came off
that I would be doing other things. So the record
came off and was a big success and I met Dr. Jeckyll
and Mr. Hyde and now we're together as a group.
Drum: What effects has success had on your lives?
Hyde: Well, I go to the movies a little more these days.
There's a lot of positive things like money, recogni-
tion which is nice and it just makes us want to do
more. We're at a certain level now when people come
up to us and say "hey I hear you, your records are
great, you're a star"! But we don't really consider
ourselves to be stars. We figure that we have a long
way to go to get to where we really want to be, and
that's what we're working on now. The more famous
we get, the more we have to work to achieve a new
act.
Drum: How did you get the idea to dress in a business Uke
manner?
Hyde: Andre and I are businessmen. When we're not with
Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde we have regular nine to
five jobs. I work as a record company executive.
At our jobs we have to wear suits anyway, so this is
34
the way we want to dress.
S.O.G.: I don't dress like this all the time. I go to school at
the New York Institute of Technology in downtown
Manhattan, Junior Computer Science.
Drum: Are there any past experiences reflected in your
songs?
Hyde: Yes, definitely. In the record "Fast Life" I was
speaking of a friend who had died because he was
living the fast hfe. He got caught up in a drug situa-
tion and it resulted in his death. Part of the lyrics
that we wrote were for him. And also, when we do
"A.M.-P.M." and "Genius Rap" they're party records
and it's the way that we feel sometimes. Life is
always turning on the radio and hearing bad things,
on t.v. you see bad things and also in newspapers.
We want to spread a httle sunshine, and that's why
we're saying "hey let's party everybody, let's have
some fun."
Drum:
Hyde:
S.O.G.
Drum:
Hyde:
Generally speaking, what kind of reactions do you
get from the pubUc?
They love us. We get a very positive reaction.
When you walk down the streets in Harlem, you
have to sign autographs so we take that to be a
positive reaction from the pubhc.
To what extent does your music relate to other
races, is there any crossover?
Yes, We think so. We would Uke to think that our
music reaches a whole lot of people. There is good
and bad in everyone, and I think that our music
has something to say for everyone. It's something
that everyone can relate to.
Have your records appeared on any European Music
Charts?
Yes, We've been posted in Holland, Denmark, Lon-
don, Paris, and Germany. Tliis year we're going to
Europe which should be very exciting.
In which direction would you like to move next?
Next we're going into motion pictures. The film is
going to be shot in New York. We also have a new
album coming out an a couple of videos. We're
going to really be moving beginning at the end
of February.
Drum: Have you won any awards for your records?
Hyde: Yes, Best Charismatic Duo in 1984, and an award
for the Allstars. f
Drum: In what ways are you different from other rap
groups such as The Fat Boys, Fresh 3 MCs, Kurtis
Blow and UTFO?
S.O.G. : Well, suits and ties.
Hyde: We're the classiest rap act in America. There's no-
body else who comes on with three hundred dollar
suits, fifty dollar ties and one hundred and seventy
dollar shoes. But that's the way we want to be
remembered.
Drum:
Hyde:
Drum:
Hyde:
Hyde: Because they were fake. I want everyone to know
right now that they were fake. Groups like Run-
D.M.C. are death because their stuff is hard and their
stuff is real. Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Kurtis Blow,
Fat Boys, and Whodini and some others will always
be around because we were in it from the beginning.
Whereas Sugarhill were picked right up off the
street and were told to make a record. And that's
exactly what they did. You 11 probably never hear
from them again because they're not real rappers,
they're fake.
Drum: In your travels what are some of the countries or
states that impressed you most?
S.O.G.: California is number one.
Hyde: We like New York the best, this is our home and we
love it.
Drum: What is the most memorable experience of your
career?
Hyde: It's going to happen on Monday, February 11th.
We're going to sign our new contract which will
last four years it includes plenty money! Also one of
the greatest memories was of Harlem Week. We did
a benefit there. We didn't get paid and there was no
money involved. But the whole theme of it was
Black Unity and that's what we're all about.
S.O.G.: The best thing that happened to me was when I met
Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde and also when I got a real
job.
Drum: How do you think rapping will fit into society five
years from now?
S.O.G.: I think that it's going to cross over eventually. It's
going to be more pop.
Drum :
S.O.G.
Hyde:
Drum: Groups such as the SugarhEl Gang and Sequence
a™H™|||have faded rather quickly. What is your secret to
Do you forsee a time when rapping will become
obsolete?
No, I really don't. Because there's always new things
coming out. You have hard beats with the rock,
then you have the Fat Boys with their beat box.
Everyone has something different and new.
Besides you have little kids now that know the
rhymes to songs, but can't say the National Anthem.
In a way its sad and in a way it's good because that
goes to show you that rap will always be here and
that means that I will always have a job.
Can you give us a little insight on your new album?
It's beautiful.
The album is going to be a mixture of reality and
fantasy. We have a record called "Transformation"
which is the story of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde.
Dr. Jeckyll drinks the potion, glasses crash, he chang-
es, then I come in rapping. We're also going to have a
couple of cuts on Scratch on Galaxy. The album is
going to be really nice, we have a slow tune on there,
a ballad. I'm looking forward to this album. It is our
first. There are also two cuts with Kurtis Blow, two
cuts with Davy DMX, and the ballad is going to be
produced with "James Mtume. 1^^
Drum: Thank you very much for letting us interview you.
Drum:
S.O.G.
Hyde:
35
36
GHETTO WALL #4
37
'■'^
•-^-t--
-i^if^tS
^-
y^-'
«»*5
"JAZZ REAL #1"
40
DRY BONES
MOTIF
FORT JESUS
41
=;^\'
---^'
't
'f'
,**f
-*•
' ;.'
44
RICH MEASURE"
45
w
i V
r^..
^^
A photograph is supposed to be a
fairly accurate representation of
what the eye sees. Yet we do an in-
justice to our own perceptions if we
are only concerned with the usual
facts of life. In this exhibit, we see
not only what is apparent in the
splendid water studies by Adger
Cowans, but also the subtle rela-
tionships and nuances that give
them such uniqueness.
Artists have always been
fascinated with the effects of water.
I think of Turner and of those
Chinese classical masters who
found a source of artistic energy in
concord with the rhythms of great
waters. In seeking this same
unison. Cowans has focused his in-
spiration for some surprising crea-
tions. I see color, for example, in
his black and white images. I see.
what is for me, a torso of a swim-
mer. In another work, it appears
that honey bees have produced a
cone. Yet I'm completely aware
these studies are taken of an ever-
changing aquatic world. Also, I'm
just as sure that the artist was
primarily concerned with abstract
counter points of light and shade;
and, certainly, the photographs
can be appreciated in that respect.
When I first saw these water im-
ages of Adger's, it occurred to me
that an artist might be inspired by
certain phenomena that may be ar-
tistically meaningless to everyone
else. In haystacks, Monet found
something to illuminate his obser-
vations of the play of light and col-
or during varying hours of the day.
So too, in water, still water, run-
ning water, even frozen water,
46
Cowans invites us to see a universe
in microcosm. Undoubtedly there
are obvious reasons why Adger
chose to depict these singular con-
vergences of water; it is possible
also that other less conscious
necessities directed him to this most
important of the four great
elements. Is it not water that sup-
ports all life? Indeed, in many
cultures it is symbolically equated
with the renewal of life. It is really
difficult to ascertain with certainty
the meanings artists ascribe to their
works. So often the artist's inter-
pretation is not logically tied to his
or her work. Whatever affinities
directed our poet-photographer to
immerse himself in the waters of
life and art, as with all good artists,
he has dealt convincingly with
these mysteries of creation.
The success of these photographs
need not be explained, rather they
are a cause for celebration. After
all, the power of art is irresistible.
— Romare Bearden
47
DANCING ANGEL
48
AFRO-DIASPORA HOMAGE TO FESTAC '77
©rsiiiyKi""!!
52
OLU
DARA
By Kurt Fedora
Although he is known as a jazz
musician and unpretentiously refers to
himself as such, Olu Dara insists that his
music be accessible. When performing
with his group, The Natchezsippi Band,
Olu utilizes a universal vehicle of com-
munication . . .dance. "I feel no matter
what kind of music that you are going to
play, no matter what tempo or type it
is, it's got to have an element of dance.
I found that the greatest music I have
experienced up close with my own
eyes has had the dance element in it."
Olu Dara, his name given to him by
a Yoruba priest, grew up in Natchez,
Mississippi. This small town with its
easy going Southern ambiance was the
perfect environment, as far as Olu is
concerned, to grow up in. To this day,
Olu cites Natchez as the single most
prominent influence in his music. "I
listened to stuff on the radio and stuff
at church, some trumpet players, and my
family." Clearly emphasizing family, he
continues, "I made my own music
mth my sisters and brothers in the
house. We sang and played. Just living in
my hometown and being surrounded by
people like my grandmother and my
father who were musically happening
all the time."
It became apparent by the age of
eight that this child was born with a
great deal of natural talent. By his twelfth
birthday Olu had picked up the cornet
(a brass instrument closely related to the
trumpet) and was playing legitimate
gigs with adult musicians. "I didn't
have time to anticipate it, I was per-
forming already before I knew it. In
elementary school I used to always try
and find a way to make people laugh.
I was the one emceeing or doing the
'Ed Sullivan act'." Then he adds with
robust humor, "That was my job!"
Entering as a pre-med major and
later switching to music, Olu opted up to
leave Tennessee State University to
join the Navy. Traveling abroad in the
Navy was a fulfiUing enlightenment and
afforded him a knowing demeanor, as
only travel can. With nothing short of
inspired awe, he spoke of his trip to
Africa: "I went to a bhnd school and I
got my mind blown away. We played
some music for them, you know, and as
we were packing up to leave they said
'Look, before you leave, as a gift to you,
the kids are going to sing some of their
compositions . . .' Man your'e talking
about music from heaven." Olu makes
evident his love for children and, when in
need of musical inspiration, he looks to
them rather than his peers. "Kids aren't
afraid to innovate."
After completing a four year term
in the service, Olu found himself in
New York City. Here, among the malay
and immensity of a half crazed city,
music became Olu's livelihood. When
asked how his career started he modestly
replys: "Well, just by accident probably,
or just by playing. But I hadn't intended
on making it a profession after I got out
of the Navy. I was an avid listener. I
was always out at concerts and in the
clubs. Eventually I ran into guys I knew
way back in college or in the Navy, so
I started professionally in New York."
Laughing he adds. "As an older man I
would have to say."
Now in his mid-forties Olu Dara is
a sought after session man and performer.
Performing with the likes of Henry
Threadgill and The Art Ensemble of
Chicago and recording with people like
David Murray and Nona Hendiyx, among
others, he has established himself in
both the avant-garde and jazz scenes.
"I've played with many fine jazz musi-
cians. I play with many bands who are
termed avant-garde bands. I play with
bands who came from avante-garde circles
and different scenes and they just happen
to like me. They were sup"pose to be
avante-garde but I inficted blues into it.
I put a little rhythm here and a httle
rhythm there."
Olu, who hasn't recorded with either
of his two working groups. The Nat-
chezsippi Band or The Okra Orchestra,
explained "I'm playing regional music.
continued on page 78
53
The Images Television
Portrays of Blacks
By Stephanie Sargeant
Black images on television since the very beginning have
been portrayed in a negative fashion. Blacks in the past, and
in the present have been degraded and dehumanized in the
roles that they have been given by the white producers. The
1950's brought the beginning of "Buelah," the first 'Black
"oriented television show. "Buelah" always came to the rescue
of her white employers and became America's favorite black
maid. "Amos 'n' Andy" premiered in 1951, dealing with
two black hustlers in a sterotypical manner. Both "Amos
'n' Andy" and "Bealah" were withdrawn from television
1953, because of protest from the NAACP and pressure
groups, who believed that the shows were degrading parodies
of black life.
Decades later the degrading, and dehumanization can
still be seen on television today. Blacks are associated with
such roles as comedians, criminals, butlers and maids. Tele-
vision portrays the Black family as being poor, and always
struggling to make it. A typical example of this can be seen in
the seventies television show "Good Times". "Good Times"
is a sitcom portraying a poor Black family struggling to make it
and to survive in an urban ghetto. The famOy, through
laughter, tries to ease the pain of its economical situation.
Most television sitcoms depict Black women as obese, and
husbandless. The women usually have to take on the respon-
sibilities of raising a family on their own. This has been the
case on such shows as "What's Happening" and "That's
My Mama." These stereotypical images of Blacks are not only
accepted by the white auidence as being true, but have re-
inforced prejudiced attitudes toward the Black community,
white people usually believe these shows are exact replicas
of how Blacks live.
"The Jeffersons," first aired in 1975, did away with some
of these sterotypes. Unlike most Black television shows in
the past, this family has proved through hard work and
determination that a Black family can make it. Even though
George Jefferson received 'a piece of the pie,' he never forgot
where he came from. Although stereotypical in its own way
"The Jeffersons" has presented some positive images about
Blacks. Florence, the maid, does not typify the Black maid
that has been seen on television for many years. Black maids
usually were catering to their white employers, obese and
illiterate which Florence definitely is not.
Blacks have found it difficult to find television shows
which cast them in serious roles. Blacks have also been un-
successful in finding roles which place them in decision making
positions. Black actors, who portray well-to-do characters, find
it hard to stay on the air. For example, "Paris" and "Larazus
Syndrome," which presented Blacks in positive roles, were
cancelled before the end of their initial seasons.
What is the reason for these short lived shows? Could it be
that the American public is not ready to accept Blacks being
portrayed in a positive image? Probably, the question now is,
"When will the American public take the Black population
seriously instead of associating them with buffoonery. But
there still may be hope
"The Cosby Show," number one prime time show for
eight consecutive weeks, has proven to be a turning point for
Blacks on television. This show reflects positive images of a
black family making it in the business world. Cosby's character
is not only the father of five children but is a respected
obstetrician. This character shys away from the sterotype
that black men are unemployed and cannot provide for their
families. His wife is portrayed as a beautiful and caring
mother, and an intelligent lawyer. This shatters the image
that black women are obese with menial jobs and are husband-
less. This show may prove to be a step in the right direction
by giving Blacks the opportunity to challenge the negative
stereotypes that have been a part of the television industry
from its very beginning.
54
VIBRATIONS
By Brad Kaplan
Muffled, yet obviously loud. I can always feel the vibra-
tions on the auditorium's concrete floor; like an oncoming
train, yet forever in the distance. When alone; which was
rare, and at peace, the sounds and sensations would over-
come me, as mesmerising as a hypnotist's medallion. To sway
came naturally — a dance for the extremely relaxed. These
sounds and sensations join to create a soothing music all their
own. A blanket of familiarity which momentarily provides
shelter from the uncertainty.
"Yo Luther, my man." It is John. As strong and stable
a man as his name implies. "C'mon man, the beast is a
wailin'!"
"The beast?" What an odd term, I think to myself.
Stairs loom in front of me out of sheer darkness. They
remind me of a scene from years gone by. The musty smell
its't nearly as strong but the hands on my shoulder feel the
same. In the past, the hands had been those of my father.
His grip steady and powerful as he led me through the old
cherry grove to the new shack in the woods. These shacks
seemed to change on a regular basis, along with the seasons.
In a time when crosses were burned and ghosts were visible
in the fields, the families would gather there and leave
together in a hushed, murmur padded silence. Sometimes
it seemed a bit amusing, yet I was young — much too young
to understand.
"Hey, my man Luther. What you gon' done? You havin'
a lir trouble with yo' step?"
In the semi-darkness, John's figure at my side is reassur-
ing. Often the stairs were a difficult climb, though they rarely
numbered more than four or five.
"Oh, shit my man! You ain't on the nod again are you?"
"No, no." I shake my head so vigorously my black suede
hat abruptly lurches forward and, rebounding off my
shoulder, finds its resting place on the third step.
"Just the old legs again, John." I hear myself say, as much
to reassure myself as him — knowing well my cover is blown.
Yet, as anyone who has had the monkey on their back
understands, it is far easier to deny the problem at hand than
to confront it head on. Underneath the favorably mellow,
heady stupor that comes with opiate use is the gnawing
paranoia which can rear its head at any given moment.
To be on "the edge" seems to be where I find myself
recently, if the past four or five years can be called recent.
It is at times like this that the memories burst through my
subconscious and flood my whole being. They are forever
inside me, on the back burner — simmering, simmering
. . . burning. One day I feel they may boil over and I will
either be free from them or die.
"I'd say you was daydreamin' but its too late at night
Luther."
John — forever urging and plying — yet I've never been
mad at him all the years we've been together . . . many long
years on the road. From rags to riches, or from picking cot-
ton to wearing its finest, as we used to say in . . . Lord it's
a haze! So long, long ago. Back when we was just a-
daydreamin'.
"Brother, at this point I don't care if you daydreamin',
on the nod, or wondering whether yo socks match. Man,
we don't want to be hangin' here all night."
It seems funny how John is so nervous. He moves about
so much that he seems to be teetering on the stair. If I reached
out and touched his chest — oh so softly — I feel he would
lose his balance and crumble to the floor. I laugh to myself
at the thought of big strong John lying helpless in a heap
at my feet.
The nausea hits me like a heavyweight's punch in the pit
of my stomach and rolls upward through my chest, to my
throat, burning my nose like a white hot fire. My eyes ex-
plode in a blinding flash. My ears ring, not so much from
noise as from the unbearable pressure that seems to expand
my head to unearthly proportions. I feel the bile rise in my
throat — burning and tearing as it batfles gravity and myself,
seeking to expel its energy out my clamped mouth.
I choke it down as I had years ago upon finding my father
suspended in the air as if by magic. Soaring. Spinning slowly
to and fro just out of reach from my straining arms. The
ghosts sat perched on their horses nearby — silently
observing.
When they disappeared in a cloud of suffocating dust, I
had laid on the earth under my father as he slowly spun this
way and that in the light of the fires and a half moon. The
fire's glow alternately was cast on his face as he turned —
animating his features and blessing them with life. His
downcast head would in one instance smile reassuringly at
me on the earth, and in the next seem to grimace in the ever-
changing display of light and shadow. It was there that the
townfolk had found us in the thin pink light of dawn. As
they cut my father down from the old cherry tree I lay wretch-
ing into the dirt until I feared my stomach itself would mix
with the earth. "Baby, you don't learn the blues, you got
to live 'em first."
"C'mon Luther, one more step and you're there my man. "
The final step is a large one and I feel I would not make
it without John's support. My palm is wet with perspiration,
yet its grip is strong on the rail. Warm damp flesh on cold
metal makes for an interesting combination. For some reason
it seems to energize me as I mount the final step without
John's help. Shafts of light beckon me forward — blues, reds,
violets; some resting on the backdrop as others swirl der-
vishly to and fro. The strong scents of smoke and human
sweat intermingle in a dense, heady aroma that I find pleasant-
ly familiar.
Someone hands me a cold glass of water as I come up under
hot white lights. It feels as good as it tastes as it washes down
my throat, carrying with it any remains of bile that rest in
its path. A deep shade of red swathes over me as the band
hits a sensuous stride. The familiar bump and grind of the
finest blues. And yes, the beast is a-wailin'.
The wailing beast, as John so calls the screaming crowd,
is on its feet voicing its support for this old blues musician.
Around the last bend possibly, but not over the hill yet. The
vibrating sound and sensafion of thousands of hands com-
ing together and feet stomping the floor is reassuring in its
familiarity. Safe in my performer's role I feel fine, at ease,
and in thorough control of the moment. The memories are
back on the rear burner; simmering, yet secure in my
subconscious.
ANGELOU
By Oneida C. Fox
Once riding in old Baltimore,
Head-filled, heart-filled with glee,
I saw a Baltimorean
keep looking at me.
Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger.
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me "Nigger."
I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That's all that I remember.
The above poem "Incident," by Countee Cullen, 19th
century black poet, was used to illustrate that Black American
literature can be used as a mirror in society.
Maya Angelou, in her lecture at the University of Massachu-
setts, on February 25, 1985, said Black American literature's
importance is ignored because people are "erroneously mis-
informed" of its value to the human race. She said Black
American literature is a part of the world's foundation.
"I will use it (Black American literature) because it is so
rich, so beautiful and so seldom cherished and almost never
taught. I suggest that this literature can be credited with the
survival of an entire people or two," she said.
Cullen was writing about an 8-year-old boy who was in
Baltimore for seven months. The boy only remembered that
one incident, being "called outside of his name," she said.
"We look at the poem and see that Countee Cullen ex-
tracted from a very strange situation, the essence of that
situation. What happens when we choose to remember one
thing and one thing only-what happens?" Angelou said.
Angelou, poet, singer, song/play writer, dancer and choreo-
grapher defines literature as transcending all barriors.
Literature is the essence of mankind. It bares no color; it
relates an experience, the experience of life and living, she
said,
"A literature so real that it will not indulge a distance of
continents, oceans, centuries, race, slavery, hate; oppression-
it indulges no distance. It says I speak through the Black ex-
perience, that's what I know. I am talking about the human
condition, what it is like to be a human being, what makes us
weep, how we can fall and feel and rise and how our souls
can look back and wonder at how we (the Black race) got
over-that is the literature," Angelou said.
The poem was used by Angelou to illustrate how one
secluded incident can change a person's perspective. She said
that Cullen in documenting the experience mirrored the
actions and destructive consequences of a sad society.
Angelou, who was invited to speak as part of Black History
Month, said that the history of Black America is painful to
recount, but out of this pain came a literature that "heralds
survival."
"When the great and important pieces of legislation in this
country have been written and signed, for the most part my
people have been illiterate. When big pieces of what Thomas
Wolfe calls 'this everlasting earth' have been divided up and
handed up to the miglity and the few. For the most part, my
people couldn't intrude or claim to own the chains they
wore or the awkward names that had been so recently given.
But look what they gave me and the world, a literature, which
heralds survival-survival. And the thriving, which is for every-
one's use . . .Full of splendor and a generosity of spirit,"
she said.
Angelou, fluent in English, Spanish, Gemian and French,
asked the younger generation to always be present in their
lives, to strive for a level of knowledge outside of the required
academics. She stressed the need for students to receive more
56
than a degree from institutions of learning.
"There is a world of difference between being trained and
being educated. It would behoove you so that when you
leave this institution you will have a lot to go on. It would
behoove you to take advantage of the library," Angelou said.
Angelou asked the students in the audience to question
the validity of what a college education will give them.
"The big issue was not to enter this city of higher learning.
It may not really be a problem to remain here or to leave
this place with some success and possibly some glory. But
once you have been here what do you take away? What do
you have?" she said.
Angelou could not speak for six years due to a psycho-
logical problem, said to make up for her "condition," she
read and memorized all literature.
"You ought to read to know who you are-to understand,"
she said.
Angelou was raised in Stamps, Arkansas, by her grand-
mother. She said that when she got her voice back at the age
of 12, she was going to render the Shakespearean Porsia speech
in church, but her grandmother said no. Angelou said that her
grandmother would not allow her because there where plenty
of Black American writers she could use instead.
"But years later when I physically and psychologically
left the condition, which is Stamps, Arkansas . . .1 found
myself and still find myself Whenever I like stepping back and
getting a handfulof Shakespeare-whenever I like. 1 know it
was written to encourage a species to continue. I will use
Shakespeare any time I like," Angelou said.
She said literature is the inspiration given to man in order
to transcend.
"To encourage that next generation to survive and to do
better than that, to thrive and to do better than that to thrive
with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some
style. So I use a lot of things under my umbrella called
literature," Angelou said.
Angelou, to show the value of Black American literature;
quoted such 19th century poets as Georgia Douglas Johnson,
James Weldon Johnson, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Horton George
Moses, Anne Spencer and Francis Harper. She brought the
past to mind, not just by the poetry of these people but by
the history of America.
"Do you realize ... the first Africans were brought to this
country in 1614 . . . . but I just remind you that was one year
before the Mayflower docked. We (Black people) have gone
through experiences so bizzare . . . How do the people survive?
I suggest through the literature. And all of it is written, com-
posed, painted, danced for all of us all the time," she said.
Angelou said, the older generation can give the younger a
better understanding of life. She said, "Especially as you are
young, especially as you are being molded by life, by your
own experiences, by the things to which you are exposed-
as you are being formed. 1 encourage you to put it all inside.
AH knowledge is spendable currency depending upon the
market."
According to Angelou, love is another factor that can be
credited with the survival of man.
"By love I don't mean sentimentality. I mean that cond-
ition in the human spirit so profound that it encourages us
to develop courage and then to trust that courage to build
bridges and to trust those bridges in attempts to reach other
human beings-that's what I mean by love," she said.
The first step in loving another starts with loving oneself,
she said.
"I think it is dangerous for a person to believe he or she is
loved by a person or persons, who don't love themselves,"
Angelou said.
During a press conference after her lecture, Angelou
said the human race is going nowhere when it allows its
greed and ignorance to stand in the way of peace, growth and
love.
When asked about the future of the Civil Rights Movement,
Angelou, who in 1960 was one of the voices of the movement,
said, "The movement has reached a dangerous low" because
the leaders of today are not as an issue-motivated as those of
the past. The movement has turned into a political struggle
within group members, and not against the government,
she said.
"We have allowed ourselves to be fractured into groups
concerned with trivial rights. We live in fear that we are going
to be violated. We should be able to live without that fear,"
she said.
The only way to achieve change for a race is by first
achieving individual change, Angelou said. The younger
generation has to become aware of what is going on around
it. she said. The future of this world is in their hands, and
they should be prepared, Angelou said.
"Take some time out for yourself; therefore, you are
engaged and engaging and you are doing something not just
for yourself or your family or your race, but for the entire
species. For our chore is to make this country more than
what James Baldwin called 'the yet to be United States',"
she said.
Angelou, at no time allowed the audience to just listen.
She not only demanded your physical presence; but she made
you demand of yourself, your mental presence.
"I suggest every person in this room has asked . . .am I
worth it, am I, me, Maya . . .worth it. Am I worth asking of
myself, the best I can give myself . . .is my life of such im-
portance, that I should give up a little socializing to get to my
books. Am 1 worth it?" she said.
The following poem by Warren Cooney, 19th century
black poet, raises the question of self worth, in the face of
reality. The poem was read by Angelou, to inspire self-
reflection. She wanted to point out that one must look much
deeper for encouragement, because the answers are not always
in front of ones eyes.
She does not know her beauty
She thinks her brown body has no glory.
If she could dance naked on the palm trees.
And see her image in the river
She would know, but there are no palm trees
On the street, and dish water gives back
No images.
The poem is titled "No Images" and according to Angelou,
"Cooney used his exquisite energy to extract from a condi-
tion, the essence of that condition."
"Let us so live that we will not regret years of useless
virtues and inertia. And in dying we can all say my conscious
life and energy have been dedicated to the most noble causes
in the world. The liberation of the human spirit beginning
with my own," she said.
The poem is short, but tells the entire story, Angelou said.
"Ask yourself are you worth it? I suggest you are," she said.
57
My Confidant
Past Deceptions
By Donna Henry
By Donna Henry
Oh the comfort.
/ would have liked to be his friend
The inexpressible comfort of feeling
Once, a long time ago.
safe with a person.
Things have changed now
Having neither to weigh thoughts, nor
Times are different
measure words - but
And the door is closed
pouring them all right out -
No correspondence been made
Just as they are --
between us two
Chaff and grain together -
Because all chances were broken
Certain that a faithful hand
when the guy
will take and shift them -
built a wall between us
Keep what is worth keeping
Denying and offending thefriendship
And with a breath of kindness -
which he had never sincerely offered.
Blow the rest away.
True Paradise
Flames of Passion
By Donna Henry
By Donna Henry
/ crawled in bed with you
It burns,
observing keenly your sharp grey eyes
That heat which drives the soul
peering at my dark brown body.
If you slip
I froze in fear.
You could die in the flames.
You felt the chill.
Slowly screaming
Will you love me tomorrow
As they lap at your body
as you will tonight? . . .
You float to the surface of
maybe . . .
the water.
I saw the animal in your eyes
charred and blackened
I couldn't move.
Tonight,
Withdrawing my body,
We had to prove it
You sensed my fear . . .
Tonight!
Held me in your arms
Reaching true paradise
As we made love
in our minds.
58
So Stuck Up
By Yolanda Stafford
"Here she comes, walkin' down the street like she's
the only person on earth."
"Can't nobody touch her with a ten foot pole."
Stacey was by far the prettiest and most sophisticated
female in the neighborhood. She pranced around in the
highest style. Always dressed like a queen. Always looked
the best she could.
Nobody liked her - or at least everybody thought they
didn't like her. Few people really knew her. Too many were
too jealous to want to know her. I was one of the few. She
came to be one of my best friends and I knew her well.
"Look at her with her nose all turned up. She's so
conceited."
Lisa was one of the many who swore they hated Stacey.
She lived on the other end of the street. She, with her high
yellow tone and brownish-blonde hair, would always cut
those slanted grey eyes at Stacey. She would run around
telling everybody how conceited Stacey was and lie about
things she saw Stacey doing.
"I saw her downtown today with this tall ugly dude.
She was hangin' all over him like a leach. Then I saw her
an hour later with another dude hangin' on her. That girl
probably got every disease known to the world."
Lisa was saying these things and people were beheving her.
Rumor had gotten all over the neighborhood and a quarter
of the city thought that Stacey was a whore.
Stacey has always been a shy and introverted person. She
constantly worried about what people thought about her so
this did no wonders for her self- esteem. She always felt some-
body was staring at her. Most of the time someone was staring,
but she thought the worst of everything.
On a breezy fall day a few years ago all her dread seemed
to be coming true and there was nothing I could do to help.
The girls in the neighborhood had conspired against her.
The guys were out to get her. She was afraid to leave the
house. Why were these people doing this to her? She never
bothered anyone. I had persuaded her to walk to the store
with me. I have yet to finish apologizing for this.
Lisa had brainwashed all the girls into believing that
Stacey was after each and every one of their boyfriends.
The girls who had no boyfriends operated out of pure hatred.
The air that day was so thin it made my head feel as"
though I had dropped it into a gas tank. The fumes of fall
filled my nostrils and my senses were running on 'E'. Through
all this thickness I felt in my light-head a choking tension
squeezzing until my brain screamed.
There was something wrong and I couldn't figure out
what it was. The sensation of fear is so strong. That's what
it was, fear. I had reahzed that we were being followed and so
had Stacey. We began to speed up, I wanted to run but I
didn't want to unnerve her. She would surely think the world
hated her now.
She slowed down. She had realized our position too.
What is she going to do? She slowed her pace. I felt obliged to
stay with her. Momentarily the group had caught up with
her. Stacey didn't seem to be afraid at all. What was she going
to do? She turned around and there she came face to face
with Lisa. Not that.
Lisa proceeded to wildly through out degrading remarks
and well planned lies, she threatened and thrashed. She gest-
ured and veered - then she slapped Stacey, Oh my God,
what is she going to do?
"You stuck up conceited bitch, what you gonna do?"
Stacey promptly grasped Lisa by her throat and whisp-
ered, "absolutely nothing," Then she smiled, let Lisa go,
and she and I quietly walked away.
I remembered this incident so well because I am one of
the few who knew that Stacey was never conceited. She was
just afraid.
59
THE YOUNG
LION
AVERY
SHARPE
By Richard Little
Drum:
Avery :
Drum:
Avery:
Drum:
■^?^1! Avery:
Photo: Chris HarJin ^
Drum:
60
Drum: Avery, I have known you for a couple of years, v/ell
a lot of years as matter of fact, probably knew you
when you first started playing music. As far as
junior high, which was in the late 60's to early
70's. When did you become interested in music as
a major part of your life?
Avery: Most of my musical background comes from my
mother. I started playing the piano when I was
eight years old. My mother was a piano player in the
Church of God in Christ. She had several choirs, she
used to play with. I can remember as a kid going to
a lot of funerals because I was a baby at the time.
She played for funerals, weddings, everything, re-
vials, you name it-I was there. So she started me off
on the piano since I was eight.
So like most musicians, you probably started out in
church.
Yes, many Black musicians have a very strong part of
their culture in the Church. I started playing bass
in the church then I moved on to other things such
as sacred materials.
How long have you been playing?
I have been playing since the eleventh grade. My
crucial days were in my sophomore/junior years
in college.
How long have you been playing professional?
Well, when you say professional, this is where I've
been making my living for the last 5 years now.
What are some of the groups that you have played
with? Professional groups that you may have made
your living in the last five years.
Avery: Well the first person who actually took me to Europe
was Archie Shepp and his drummer Art heard me
play. Then Archie took over a big band and Art
Boikie sat in with Archie's group and I guess he
was really knocked out by my plans. He said that he
was getting ready to change over his band he def-
inately wanted me to be his bass player and I didn't
think too much of it at the time and a few months
continued on page 62
91 X ,,99
went by and I got a call as a matter of fact I was
back over here with Archie again and I got a call from Drum:
Art saying he wanted me to join his band. I was in
Europe at the time but they were in the States but Avery:
they called me and then I went on to play with
Art for a couple of months then McCoy Turner was
interested in me so I played for McCoy for about
two years and I've played with a lot of different
freelancers. I've played with the Cab Colloway's
band; I've done some work with Jeffrey Huder and
the young lions in Jazz, which was Bob McFanen,
Wynton Marsalis, Chico Freeman, John Blake, there
were 17 of us.
Drum: When did that take place?
Avery: That was recorded in June of 82. And I've been
involved with several other projects, with my own
group as well as playing with other people. For the
last seven months I've been doing a trio with McCoy
Tiner, and Louis Hayes on the drums.
Drum: When you started playing did you have idols? Who Drum:
were the big influences on you as far as your music
career? Did you have anyone who you wanted to be Avery:
like or thought was good?
Avery: Yeah, well like I said, my first influence was my
mother of course because she was a piano player and
I dug that, but when I started getting into high
school, you know, you wanna be hip . . .as much as I
was born to be hip (laughing) I thought it was nice to
play bass. It seemed to come pretty easy. I know a
lot of people have trouble hearing bass and I didn't
seem to fall naturally for it, and then I started list-
ening to, you know just when we were coming up
whatever was happening, and the first bass line I
learned was Kool and the Gang. When I got to col-
lege I started listening to other types of music "Jazz"
a little bit more experimental type of music. It was Drum:
fun because I went from like listening to funk to
Kool and the Gang to John Coulton. So I just start Avery:
listening to more music and started really hearing
the different sounds and I started looking into cats
like Ron Cartler, Reggis Wortman, Paul Chambers,
Ray Brown, Richard Davis you know Jimmy Gear-
son. When I was at the University of Mass it was a
really unique period and I don't feel that it has been
duplicated since then. I was there ten/eleven years
ago, Archie Shepp was relatively new to the campus.
Max Roach, Reggie Wortman, Horace Byran and
Fred TUlis and so on. You had these type of people
right there on campus, and its very difficult to get
people of that caliber together in N.Y. City. I feel
that it was a very fortunate period for me, and there
a lot of musicians who also experienced the same
thing then. At the time I was playing electric bass
and I heard . . .playing upright bass and I was like
really knocked out by the way this cat had such Drum:
command of the instrument.
Drum: Were you a music major at UMass? Avery:
Avery: No, I wasn't. Everybody thinks I was a music major
as a matter of fact, I have an economics degree and
later on I went back and finished one year of music,
which I haven't completed.
Drum : Are you still working on that?
Avery: Not really, but I hope to get back into it. Right now,
Drum:
Avery:
I am concentrating on my career.
When you go on the road like when you went to
Europe does that interfere with your home life?
People ask me that all the time. Nothing is easy in
life. No matter what you do once you realize that
there is nothing easy then everything becomes
easier. I have a very strong sense of family which is
somewhat contradictory. When I'm gone, however, I
feel that things happen for a reason and I feel that I
am going in a positive direction. So therefore it is a
strain and it isn't a strain. I am able to hold my fam-
ily intact because I am very serious about whatever I
do. If I play bass I'm very serious about it, if I'm
going to raise a family I'm very serious about it.
So all my time and energy is spent there. When
I'm home with my family, even when I am gone I am
still there. They hear from me everyday sometimes
two/three times during the day. There's not a day
when they're not in contact with me.
Does your wife get a chance to travel with you
when you're on the road?
Yes, sometimes it depends on the schedule. I'm
very optimistic about things, I feel that you can't
have your cake and eat it. This is supposed to be the
land of the free, home of the brave, they taught us
since a kid that you can have anything that you want.
Most people think in terms of finance, I don't always
think in terms of finance. I mean, I have to think in
terms of finances, but because I have to keep myself
and my family; I feel that economics is a very im-
portant factor of it. But I feel that an individual
should do what he/she wants, to do in life, and feel
secure and satisfied. I feel that playing music serves
the purpose and it's one way that I communicate to
the world.
Is there a normal time that you always go on your
tours?
It's different, it's pot luck. There is no set way to
do it. You talk to twenty-five hundred people who
are in this business and you get twenty-five hundred
different roles. It is bad in one sense if you are an
individual that can stand that type of pressure it will
make you edge on more or you are suppressed into
the pressure.
When you say pressure you mean pressure as in the
air or on the road or what?
All over, pressure I mean your family time to play
music that that's all you deal with. I mean I have to
deal with the same things as everybody has to deal
with, people are people. In the music industry you
have good folk and you have bad folk. So it's de-
finitely different when you're dealing with artists.
You know basically people are people and everybody
has similar experiences in life.
Do you have any future goals in mind, albums or
tours coming up?
That's one of my main things in terms of what I
consider success. Success is always trying to go to
the next level, be it economic. That's what I measure
my success on. I am always working on differnt pro-
jects. I have this party that I did down by the East-
field Mall. I use to work with school kids. I am
always trying to work out record deals plus I'm
62
writing and rearranging.
Drum : Eastfield Mall in Springfield. Is that an ongoing thing?
Avery: Well, we just completed our second year. It started
off in 83, which was good and 84 was also good and
also we see funding for 85 so the program will be
happening again.
Avery: It's called Arts in the Marketplace ; Jazz in the Mar-
ketplace and the title I gave it was Jazz Unlimited.
This year it will be in the summer.
Drum: What type of inspirations would you give to young
people in general, who are considering music? Maybe
they are playing in a church choir right now.
Avery: First of all they should know their instrument and
feel secure about themselves as players and one
way to do that is to know your insturments. Also to
have a realistic view of what music is. I think one of
the problems with the kind of music I play sometimes
is that I am on the ground which is considered
jazz because there is not a lot of media play for
jazz, it's not as readily accessible to the media as say
popular music. I think sometimes people get a dis-
torted or not a very true picture of what is happening
in the music industry. They think of one side of
it: The Michael Jackson side that is hip, but they
have to remember that cat works hard too at what he
does and if you want to be an artist you have to be
very serious. It will take a lot of hard work and
energy, your own talent, knowing your own resources
and to just try to take things as fast as you can.
Drum: You made a point earlier that I want to go back on.
You said after the music you play you feel like on the
ground for Jazz. How do people in the States view
Jazz as opposed to people in Europe?
Avery: It's taken for granted. It's like if I have apple trees
in my backyard it's no big deal for me to go 20
miles down the street and see another apple tree so
I think that is the attitude Americans take. I think
people outside of America recognize that more
readily. Europeans don't want to hear classical music,
which is their background. When they hear live new
music they love it. The roots of Jazz go back to
Africa, which musicians pass on through the spirit.
I learned to play music, I mean, I got some of the
teaching from school but my actual playing comes
from people like McCry, Art Boikie, which cannot
be taught. You have to do that.
Drum: School kind of teaches you the basis, and then you
provide your own style from there?
Avery: You still have to get the Vibes. The Vibes was set up
here in America that's why when they want to hear
Jazz they got to hear Americans play because it was
born here. We have the vibes. You want to hear
Itlian music you don't have to carry it from Japan
to play it, if you want to hear Jazz you come to
America.
Drum: What would you consider to be the most difficult
transition for a young professional like yourself in
the music industry?
Avery: I guess that transition was one. More so there are
definitely other factors that I have taken into
consideration at the time when I made that 'brake
free' as they say. I had a wife two kids, mortgage
payments so I was "a middle class indivual."
Drum: Do you feel locked in? I know you had a nine to five
at one point during that time. How did you break out
of that syndrome into the music industry?
Avery: Well. I wasn't getting any sleep, I worked three and a
half to four years; I finally accomplished a lot. I had
a family, I was working for an insurance company
and I was taking classes between that plus, playing
and practicing on my own. So I was averaging three
to four hours sleep per niglat. But I don't know how
I survived that. I couldn't see myself doing that in
20/30 years. Sometimes an individual may have to
do things they may not want to do, but like I said,
I'm just optimistic and I just work it out.
Drum: When you left that 9 to 5 insurance company and
said well I'm an artist, I'm going to play music did
you feel a certain amount of risk was involved,
especially with the family?
Avery: It was definitely a tug-of-war because the industry
I'm in is not secure. I know cats that have been work-
ing 20/30 years at a job and then boom the pink
slips go up; get cast out of a job. There's nothing
secure in life but this industry is very insecure more
insecure than people think. How many times have
you seen cats on TV who you think 'have made it'
and there is a certain amount of insecurity that
they have. That's the nature of this business unless
you're somebody like Frank Sinatra who's been
in the business for something like 40 years. You are
not going nowhere.
Drum: Have you experienced any difficulties, I know you
are a young musician playing Jazz and most Jazz
musicians are older. Have you experienced any
difficulties from the older musicians or by the public?
Do they accept you?
Avery: I think the older musicians definitely have to accept
me, because we are only going to be here for a
certain amount of time you can't be young for-
ever so there is a certain amount of acceptance.
If it hadn't been for them I wouldn't be playing the
music that I am playing, and if it wasn't for me the
old cats wouldn't survive. I have a huge respect for
older cats, like I said you don't get to be old by
being no fool, and you don't last in this business a
long time without being a fool either. So my hat is
off to cats who have made it through this business
20/30 years. But at the same time they must allow
young blood, and I think they have and you know
myself I'm not super young there are cats coming up
under me. It makes me feel good when I see other
cats trying to play. So I am speaking to older men,
I spoke to McCry, I am the youngest cat in the group
those cats are old enough to be daddier so they
talk, and tell me they are proud of me because it
makes them feel good to see a young cat come up
trying to play the music. O.K. Rick I thank you
very much for the interview.
Drum: Thanks for taking the time out of your day. I know it
is kind of busy and taking the time to answer a few
questions for Drum Magazine. In fact I will be putting
you on the mailing list and send you a couple of
copies when they come out.
Avery: I used to read Drum Magazine when I was at UMASS.
Drum: Very good magazine.
63
64
View From The Top
By Sharon Mills
Entering Manhattan from Queens on
the 59th Street Bridge, otherwise known
as the Queens Borough Bridge, you are
able to view across the river many sky
scrapers that make up the beauty of
New York city. There is one building that
stands out to be the most unique and
intriguing. This building is the Equal
Opportunity Building which is located
at 500, East 62 Street. When first visit-
ing this buOding one is struck by the
symbols of equality that are displayed in
the buildings interior. The National
Urban League, which is housed in the
Equal Opportunity Building, strives to
achieve equality. On the sixteenth floor
of this building you will find the Presi-
dent and Chief Executive of the National
Urban League, John E. Jacob. Mr. Jacob
a native of Houston, Texas and graduate
of Howard University, has been President
of the National Urban League since
January 1, 1982. Although Jacob is
small in frame, he is very strong in mind.
When asked how he became affiliated
with the Urban League, he responded
by saying, "it was not a predesigned plan.
One of my former classmates knew of
a job at the Washington Urban League
and recommended that I look into it."
In 1965, Jacob was hired as the Director
of Education and Youth Incentives.
About his motivation through his twenty
year involvement with the Urban League,
Jacob has been said, "rarely does an
individual get the opportunity to get paid
for doing something they like doing."
Mr. Jacob is guided by the motto,
"everybody deserves a chance to make
it on their own." This motto encourages
the Urban League to continue to close
the gap between white and black societies
in the 1980's. The Urban League is an
organization, which daily confronts issues
concerning the Black community. The
league has set out to combat critical
issues among^ Black teenagers; poverty
confronting single female headed house
holds; education of Black children;
crime in Black communities; and voter
registration.
According to Jacob, the Urban
League is able to set high goals because of
this strength that Jacob feels is the
"great staff." Jacob said, "the Urban
League is the only organization of its
kind that has a full time staff, both
professional and non-professional, in
some 113 cities around the country."
It is beacuse of the weU trained and
committed staff plus the Urban League's
approximately forty thousand volunteers,
who are equally well trained and com-
mitted, that the Urban League is able to
carry out its goals.
When compared to other minority
service organizations (PUSH, NAACP,
SCLC), Jacob feels that the Urban
League is different in that "it is one of
the few organizations that has a direct
service component as well as an advocacy
component." The Urban League's direct
service provides jobs, training, and runs
community street academies (these acad-
emies serve the function of providing
education for the young people).
Although the National Headquarters
is located in New York City, it remains
in touch with its 113 local affiliates
throughout the country. The affilliates
attract many different types of members.
There are, for example, student members,
those of the working class, upper class,
corporations, businesses and community
groups. Jacob said that the affiliations
are designed to be inclusive of all of the
sectors of the community. Each affil-
iate builds its own basic program around
the needs of that particular community.
For example in Washington, D.C. there
is a program in the elementry schools
to try to raise the performance level on
National Standardized Tests. In Phoenix,
Arizona, the Urban League is involved in
providing housing for senior citizens."
Although the Urban League's af-
filates have their own unique concerns
in their community, the Urban League
nationally has one major concern, equal-
ity for all, which is reflected at the
National Urban League's Annual Con-
ference. This event is what Jacob expres-
sed as being "the largest meeting on
race relations in the nation. It is our
opportunity to say to the nation what the
conditions are regarding race relations at
that point in time. We select cities that
wiU allow us to make that statement
in a visible way and wiU serve as a place
where media wDl congregate to hear what
has to be heard and report out what has
to be said." When the Urban League
gives their conference business to a
particular hotel, "we expect that hotel to
be an equal opportunity employer and we
expect that hotel to have Blacks inte-
grated throughout the workforce, not just
at the lowest levels."
Attending and contributing to the
program at the annual conference are
many well known and prominent speak-
ers such as Jesse Jackson who spoke at
the conference in August of 1984. When
asked Jacob's opinion concerning Jesse
Jackson's campaign, he responded by
saying, "the campaign has a profound
impact on this nation and particularly
Black people . . .Jesse's whole impact on
this nation and particularly Black people
. . . Jesse's whole effort did indeed force
America generally to face some new
realities. One reality was that, Black
people were not just interested in Civil
Rights but Black people had a compre-
hensive interest in what was happening
in the world. Secondly, Jesse's campaign
did indeed communicate to white
America that no longer was the high
office of the President reserved solely
for white males." Jacob was optimistic in
his statement, "we are likely to see a
Black, elected President within the not
to distant future."
Jacob feels that the next four years
under the Reagan Administration are
going to be tough years for Black
Americans as well as White Americans.
Although Jacob has many concerns
about the difficulties our country will
face. He also is concerned about Black
people, who are starving in South Africa
and Ethiopia. The National Urban League
has been involved in raising money and
sending food to these countries, but he
hopes that our government will get more
involved. "Our government should not be
concerned with what type of govern-
ments rule these countries, but our
major concern should be hunger and try-
ing to save human lives."
The National Urban League has been
acitve for 75 years in order to promote
equal opportunity for all throughout
this country and with the great strength
of Jacob; and Urban League staff, our
communities look forward to a future
where all Americans can truly say they
are equal.
66
A VIEW OF
BOSTON
BROADCAST
NEWS:
JIM BOYD
By Oneida C. Fox
Jim Boyd, a member of the Channel 5 family since it
first went on the air in 1972, is WCVB-TV's "EyeOpener"
and "Midday" news anchor.
Throughout his career at Channel 5, Boyd has served as
a general assignment reporter, and was the station's weekend
anchor from 1976 to March, 1984, when he moved to week-
days.
Boyd came to WCVB from public television. He was a
pubhc affairs producer for National Educational Television
(NET) in New York City for three years. From 1967 to 1968,
he produced and wrote "Say Brother," a weekly, live hour-
long minority affairs program produced at WGBH-TV, Boston.
Prior to then, he was NET's publicity writer and production
assistant from 1961 to 1967. In this capacity, he traveled
abroad extensively, helping to produce interview programs
with such international figures as former Egyptian President
Gamel Abdul Nassar, German Chancellor WDly Brandt, and
South Vietnam's President Nguyen Van Thieu.
The New York City native attended Long Island Univer-
sity in New York and Farleigh Dickinson University in New
Jersey. Boyd, who is active in numerous Boston-area charities,
chaired the 1984 fund raising committee for the YMCA in
Roxbury,MA.
Boyd resides in Cambridge, MA.
The field of journalism is changing, not only as a result of
legalities, but also due to changes in moral attitudes. In the
past minorities were considered both by the public and those
in the field as incapable of doing the job. Minorities were
considered a risk, but this has changed.
"At one point the attitude was . . .if you are a minority,
if you are a woman I'm not going to hire you. I'm not going
to watch you. I don't want to see you. I don't want you to
write anything for me. You are incapable of doing it . . .
Those attitudes have changed. They have changed within my
lifetime and within my career," said Jim Boyd, anchor person
for WNEV-TV Channel 5, Boston.
In a telephone interview conducted by DRUM Magazine
on March 29, 1985, Boyd discussed his views on the role of
journalists, the field of broadcast journalism and the public.
He said, that the role of the journalist involves more than
fairness. Although journalists do not have to know all the
details of a story, they do have to adhere to certain ethics.
"Presenring all sides of the story at least finding out all
sides of the story goes beyond just being fair. It's not only
a matter of saying, well if the story involves some accusations
about someone. You (the journalist) have to get that other
person's side of the story," he said.
Boyd said that discriminatory attitudes have changed
because he is accepted as a new anchor person. "The attitude
has obviously changed to a point where someone like myself
can be accepted as a reporter out covering a story, and can be
accepted as a visible employee of an organization like Channel
5," he said.
The role of the journalist it not only to be curious,
but to find out the truth, Boyd said. "Finding the truth,
that is what I think we are all about as journalists. You get to
the truth, you get to the facts and that gets you the informa-
67
^Sfk^
^>^M
tion of stories," he said.
The public places a great deal of reliability on journaUsts,
to be their source to privOeged information. Journalists should
report the truth, which he defined as "accuracy, as
information that is as honest as the reporter sees it; unbiased
and a result of the information that you come across."
Boyd, who for the 90 minute Eye-Opener news cast
writes five to ten minutes, and for the 30 minute mid-day
news cast writes about half a minute, said that in journalism
one could write in a more artistic form, but television news
has to deal with the constraints of time. Most viewers are also
restricted by the element of time, he said. Generally news
stories are one minute and 45 seconds and the viewer hears
it only once, Boyd said. Therefore, you have to present it
with clarity, brevity and force, he said.
According to Boyd, "you can do television essays, you
can write beautiful prose, you can do very complicated visuals.
The problem with it is that people are not necessarily sitting
glued to a television set at news time, and doing absolutely
nothing else."
When asked about the content of television news, he
said that it is necessary for it to be simple because of the
audience it reaches and the nature of the business. Boyd
said that television news is unlike newspapers or radio, because
the information cannot be digested at leisure.
You (people) read a newspaper story, you don't under-
stand it, you can read it a second time. If you get halfway
through it and something interrupts you, you can go back
and read it again. You can't do that with television. The
messages that you bring across have to be presented in a
simphstic and powerable form," he said.
On October 11, 1984 General Westmoreland fUed a legal
suit against the Central Broadcast System (CBS) for a docu-
drama that he claimed misrepresented him. The docudrama
implied that Westmoreland incorrectly regulated figures of the
extent of the North Vietnamese BuUd-up, during the Vietnam
War. As a result he sabotaged the Military Tet-offensive and
millions died. On February 18, 1985, the General Westmore-
land vs CBS legal suit was settled out of court when CBS
explained-not apologized-for the docudrama.
"I think that the Westmoreland trial simply says that us
(journaUsts) we are now being looked at as carefully as we
look at other people, and we should be Hey! you (the field
of journalism) don't have a blank check to say anything you
want to say about anybody without adhearing to certain
standards, and some ethics," Boyd said.
According to Boyd, the Westmoreland vs CBS legal suit
brought to light "grey areas" in the field of journalism. He
said, that journalists, as well as the pubUc, have to question the
information being reported, and how it is being reported.
Boyd added that journalists have to pay closer attention to
the research end of the field.
"Maybe what you (as a journalist) need to do is . . .to
find out all the little nuances of any story you are involved.
Get as much information as you can before drawing your
own conclusions, and putting the story together," he said.
Boyd, who as a young man played basketball and baseball
recreationally, said "1 also used to write just a means of
expression opinions that I did not spend a lot of time writing."
He explained that "at a given point" in his life, he was
seeking employment, not a career exactly. "The more 1
found out not only about that organizaton, but the television
industry. I know what I wanted to do in it," he said.
Boyd who began his broadcast career working in the
mailroom for National Education Television in New York
City, said he did not choose broadcast media over print, it
was a question of opportunity.
When asked by DRUM, how much control he has over
what he tells the public, he gave the "fuzzy" response of a
fair amount. In journahsm the ethical question he values
the most is honesty. If a journalist cannot be honest, he
should not report, he said.
According to Boyd, the city of Boston deserves the
racist reputation that it has. But he further, said that it is
morally and personally a problem, but not professionally.
"First of all there can be biasis that have to be recog-
nized . . .but I tend to think that you (journalist) have to be
able to do your job honestly, able to recognize those, and if
you can't over come them. I think you should not be reporting
on stories or on particular stories," Boyd said.
When Jesse Jackson was running for the office of the
President, 1984 election, Coleman reported a statement made
by Jackson about Jewish people. According to Boyd, the
reporting was treated fairly by the media, and deserved to be
reported. But he was puzzled, because there was a lapse of
time between when the statement was made, and when it was
reported.
"Anything that person says is fair game. I think once you
become that kind of public figure you've given up any claim
to privacy. And the only way you can have that privacy is you
have to be very, very guarded with it. You have to make sure
that what you want to be private is said in private, and only
in private," Boyd said.
Boyd, who keeps abreast of what is going on in the world
through other media sources, said the pubhc needs to know
what is going on aO over the world regardless of whether
they want to hear it or not.
"It is difficult to see, but I think that most of what goes
on in the world has some affect on everybody, that lives in
it. And I think that the purpose and value of finding things
out, that is in some cases learning what is going on in and
around the world is invaluable to you (the public). There
are lots of things that have to be reported that people would
prefer not to hear," he said.
The best way for an aspiring journalist to get started,
Boyd said. "WeO there is no such thing as a best way," he
said. Boyd said that one has to make the opportunities.
He added, college students should take the advantage of the
resources in the field of their interest.
In general, "I think it is a matter of sharpening all of the
skills you feel are going to be necessary at whatever level
you are . . .you have to prepare yourself, it is extremely com-
petitive," he said.
When asked what changes he would like to see in the
Field of Journalism, Boyd said that he wanted to see more
emphasis on local news. "More local news, more community
news and particularly as it pertains to minority com-
munities," he said.
Boyd who became a journalist out of a basic curiosity
and a love of writing, said he would advise future journalists
to be serious, dedicated and responsible. "It is a very serious
business, you have to be dedicated to it, not only your own
career, but also there is a great amount of responsibility that
goes along with the public trust. I think you have to be very,
very serious about that in your own pursuit, as well as in the
job you hold," he said.
69
In you I am the first fool
to point fingers for
men unfit to live
in hard lands
who stole
fire from the east
turned it
to death
against a thousand peoples.
In you I am the giver
of gold enough
to tear children
from wombs
nail them to the
hard wood
of history.
In you I have rubbed by skin raw
and exposed
a dead self.
I spoke the name Den Mark and damned
myself again,
a thousand peoples,
to untold years.
I gave a thief a combination to a
continent,
saw him through
life and death
mid shame,
would scrape my skin as raw
as his
story would have it
and forget
my own.
In you I am dead
inside,
before I ever
live.
In you I murdered a Prince,
one Harlem ballroom
moment years
ago, crossed
the color line,
ran one legged
from myself
and a thousand others
acting too late
to overcome
what we have
done to Nat,
Mark,
Martin,
Malcolm,
at your hand,
Malcolm.
By Mark Lawrence McPhail
On the twenty first day
of the second month
of the three hundred
and forty sixth year
at your hand,
a Prince,
the ship
of our return.
In you I have
no life,
no soul,
nor shame
Fori am dead
In you
Ashe
was.
Now through iron
you watch the sun
cast
black stripes back,
see on
the outside
the whiteness of light.
I through old eyes
strain to recognize
his story,
your story,
ourstory?
70
CAPITAL CRIME
By Mark Lawrence McPhail
lama terrorist
I have stolen
with
these
these little
visions
black
of Washington
lines.
because
waiting to strike
I fear
at the
they might
heart
be whitewashed
of this city.
by morning.
With words
I have loaded
on walls
these
streets
little black lines
journals
with
I am charged with
white-hot
revealing
truths.
stolen
images
visions
of white-hot
of a
lies.
stolen
city,
America Needs Patriots
country.
continent.
Not Traitors
I have been
I am gidlty of knowing
convicted
the difference
of carrying
between the two
a loaded
marker
and of having had
on the
the audacity
subway
to spell
on the
it out
street
on my
ForProut
world
without a trial.
71
Interview
with:
Dennis
JOHNSON
By Dino Maye
Drum: Recently in the news and all over the U.S. there has
been talk about your little brother Joey Alias "Rocket-
man", we would like to know if he has decided where
he plans to go to college? What is your evaluation
of him?
D.J.: He still has not decided where he wants to go to
college, but I feel that Joey is a very good player.
He is underrated and he has a lot of patience with his
game. I don't get to see him play that much, but when
I do go to his games, he seems to gain more confi-
dence. I help him with his game when I have time,
but his game is almost complete.
Drum: How was it growing up in a large family?
D.J.: In my family my parents gave me everything that
I wanted. We are very very tight, there was always
enough food on the table and of course love, which
we had support for one another.
Drum: What sports did you play in high school?
D.J.: In high school I played baseball, basketball and ran
track.
Drum: Were you on scholarship as a freshman at Pepperdine
or did you walk on?
D.J.: First, I went to junior college at Harbor Wilmington
College for two years before I enrolled at Pepperdine.
Where I received a scholarship in my junior year of
college.
Drum: In college were you ever on any U.S. Basketball teams,
for example Pan-Am games or World University games?
D.J.: I was never considered for any Pan— Am games because
the Big Ten and the ACC were the better known
conferences in the NCAA Division 1. Bobby Knight,
72
73
Drum
D.J.
Indiana Big Ten coach, had a lot of his players on
those teams. D-J-:
Drum: While growing up, did you admire anyone? Drum
D.J.: I admired my parents because they showed leader- D.J.:
ship. They provided food, clothes, money and they
survived with a lot of children growing up in a house
and they gave me a lot of inspiration. The athlete I Drum
admired was Walt Frazier, N.Y. Nicks. He had the D.J.:
closest all around game in the NBA.
Drum: What transitions did you make in your game from Drum
college ball to pro ball? D.J.:
D.J.: The transition was hard because I had to gain ten
more pounds, and get on the weights to increase my Drum
strenght, also adjusting to the schedules. In college D.J.:
there were twenty-eight or twenty-nine games. In the
pros there are eighty-two games. In my rookie year in
the pros after thirty-five games I was dead tired. In Drum
college you would go to five or six classes during the
day and then you would have practice. In the pros D.J.:
you usually have practice during the morning from
ten to noon and after practice then you have to meet
people and conduct clinics. Drum
Have there been any similarities between Lenny
Wilkens of the Seattle Supersonics, John MacLeod of
the Phoenix Suns, and your present coach K.C. Jones D-J.:
of the Boston Celtics, as in coaching method or
attitudes?
AO three coaches are different but they all have the Drum
same goal, they all want to win. Individually, Lenny is
a very aggressive coach and he gets across to his players D.J.:
what he wants done. John MacLeod is very demanding,
he wants excellence. K.C. is the very silent strong
type but when he opens his mouth he gets his point Drum
across.
Drum: How do you compare the atmosphere of the three D.J.:
teams you've played on?
D.J.: I was in three very good situations with all three
teams. In Phoenix I had an excellent time because
every year when I was there we reached the playoffs.
In Seattle we won a championship and we went to
the playoffs each year. In Boston last year in my
first year we won the championship, so I feel that I
have been very fortunate to end up on winning teams.
Did it bother you as a solid guard player being traded
so much?
No, it doesn't bother me anymore, at first it did.
The reason I got traded was because well maybe I
wasn't the player the coach wanted, maybe he was
looking for something else. The best trade was when I
left Phoenix for Boston.
You've been bad mouthed throughout the league at
times as having a bad attitude, was it justified because
we haven't seen it lately?
I can't say I have a bad attitude because the coaches
have a certain system it's called 'you go by what I
say' and if you don't obey then you are labeled as a Drum
hard player to the coach. A coach doesn't have to
holler or curse at me to get my attention. I get upset D.J.:
when I come out of a game because I like to produce.
There's a little old saying 'little sticks and stones may
break my bones but words don't ever hurt'. That's
the way I feel. Drum
Drum: Who has been the toughest opponent to score against
Drum
D.J.:
Drum
D.J.:
Drum
D.J.:
Drum
D.J.:
Drum
D.J.:
you and who is the toughest to stop?
As long as I work hard that's what counts.
What is your role on the Celtics?
Sometimes I'm a scorer, and sometimes I'm on defense
but it's always getting the ball to the big men. That's
how we win.
What does Celtic pride mean to you?
Celtic pride is no different than any other pride
winning the bottom line.
Do you feel you are being utilized best?
Sometimes I do so many things, most of the times I
feel that I am utilized well.
As a player, what are your strenghts and weaknesses?
I think my game is almost well rounded after nine
years. If it was three or four years ago I know I would
feel different. But now I feel that my game is solid.
Do you feel that players who are making high salaries
in the NBA are justifiable?
Sure, most people would say it's not but it's like a
free market, don't forget we're providing some kind of
entertainment.
When the season comes to a close there will be talks
about your new contract, how are you going to ne-
gotiate your contract?
The only thing I can say is that if they, Celtics, come
around with the right amount of money I will still
be with the team.
How did it feel to win your second NBA Champion-
ship?
It feels much better than the first and not too many
players make it there. But this is what I strive for and
I feel deep down that I can't be called a loser.
What does the future hold for Black coaches in the
NBA since you have played with four of them?
There are not many in the NBA, I can't say it's pol-
itical. I know for sure there are some qualified Black
coaches, but I'm not sure if the public can deal with it.
Nobody knew if K.C. Jones was going to get the job
because he was third choice. I feel that there are many
Black coaches out there who can coach in the NBA.
What has been your biggest moment of your career?
I got drafted because I left college a year early. I was
the twenty-ninth pick in the second round in 1976.
Nobody believed in me except Seattle Supersonics.
How would you like to finish your career?
I would like to finish my career healthy, being able to
walk without help, no operations. Just like I came in,
healthy. I'll be very satisfied.
What would you like to do after basketball?
I would like to do investments, but it takes time to
think about leisure. I'll be pursuing jobs from my
college degree in Retarded Recreation. Basketball
gives you a lot of exposure to meet a lot of people,
but I don't want to msh my retirement. Of course
I'm going to spend more time with my family.
Is there anything that you would like to add to this
interview?
Yes, I wish players would speak up louder for less
games and I wish that I could spend more time with
my family. I only have three months with my family
because I'm always on the run.
Thank you very much for taking time from your
busy schedule for this interview.
74
ANTONIO FARGAS:
The man and his work
by Donna Henry
You may remember him from Starsky and Hutch as
"Huggy Bear" but Antonio Fargas is temporarily off the
tubes and has returned, for a while at least, to where he
originally started - on stage. His is an ordinary guy who has a
lot of advice for young people. Luckily with the help of
Arthur Grossman, one of Fargas's closet friends. Drums'
Donna Henry was able to talk at length with him, at the
Frank Silvera's workshop where he offered a unique look at
his career - past, present and future.
The meeting place was at the Frank Silvera's Writers'
Workshop located on West 125th St. between 8th Ave. and
St. Nicholas Ave. It is not one of the sophisticated buildings,
but entering through the doors one can't help feel the ser-
iousness, the sweat and the overflow of talent that exists
there.
Climbing up the stairs to the third door, Mr. Fargas was
standing at a table conversing with a lady. He was wearing a
pair of weD-fitted blue jeans, a pull-over sweater with an
oxford shirt and tie, and a pair of black shoes. He is approx-
75
imately 5ft' 9 in.", dark complexion and clean shaven. His
hair is low cut, very neat and he wears a pair of dark shades
that hides his dark brown eyes. He has white teeth and that,
along with his straight nose, gives him a very attractive look.
I entered the building at 12:32 p.m. He immediately
knew who I was but better yet he knew the reason for my
visit. Nevertheless, I did the proper thing and introduced
myself to him. He shook my hand and asked me to wait in
the next room, which was a small auditorium.
Though the auditorium is small and unimpressive, it is
big enough to hold a stage and about twenty to forty chairs.
An old piano was located on the left side of the room. "This
stage is mighty small for such a big actor as Mr. Antonio
Fargas " I thought. Just then, my thoughts were interrupted
when Fargas came over to tell me that he was going to get
a bit to eat. I nodded my head and smiled as if I were giving
him my approval. After he left, I focused my attention on
the four individuals who were seated in the front row, next
to the small stage.
Minutes later, Fargas returned with a small box of deep-
fried fish sticks. He looked around as if to find a suitable
place to hold the interview. "You'll" need quietness for this
interview, I assume," he murmurred. Just then, a man made a
suggestion. Fargas seem to agree because we followed the
young man to the back of the auditorium. We entered a
room with two chairs, a desk, two separate racks with cos-
tumes hung on them and a small bed. .We sat in the chairs and
the interview began.
"At what point in your life," I asked, "Did you decide to
become an actor?" "Well," Fargas replied, "Almost before
I could decide about it, the story goes that when I was an
infant, my mother said, that when I cried it sounded like I
was singing. So she always thought that I should be in show
business." Fargas said that his career didn't take shape until
he was thirteen years old. "When I was thirteen," Fargas
recalled." "There was an ad in the Amsterdam News where
they were looking for people for the cast of a film called"The
Cool World," directed by Shirley Clark. This film was a
semi-documentary about gangs, so they wanted a natural
look."
His mother saw the ad and urged him to try out. Al-
though he did not really like the idea, Fargas went and
auditioned.
Fargas said, "when I talk to young people, I always
tell them that it was because I could read well that, I was
able to interpret the script without any prior training and let
my natural abilities flow." He said, that he got a small role in
the film and that "sort of wetted his appetite."
When he made his decision to become an actor, there
were very few Blacks in the motion picture industry. Fargas
said that he challenged the "status quo" of that period - the
early 1960's ~ because he was crazy and in love with what
he was doing. He said that if he had thought about the stat-
istics, it would have been discouraging to tell young people
of the opportunities in stage and screen. Fargas said that
one really has to love doing what he's doing and to do it -
not just for the glory or for awards but just because you
really love doing it. "Sometimes," fargas continued dream-
ingly, "I think that I would even pay to be able to act. That's
how much I care about it. Especially back then I was very
carefree about it and just in love with doing something that
I thought was very exciting and special to me, and a chance
to really express myself."
The opportunity to act, he said, was his chance to express
himself. The odds were against him, because he is black but
that was not of much importance to him. He added, "Looking
back to the 1960's it was a very exciting period because
Blacks were just starting to reappear in off-Broadway scenes
and it was the beginning of actors such as Robert Hooks,
Douglas Turner Ward, Adloph Ceasar and Lou Gosset Jr.
He said that although his first job was in film, he was thinking
more about plays since the status of Black theater began to
"get off the ground" in New York.
Being in the business for almost twenty-five years and
having appeared in numerous stage and screen dramas, I
asked him how he prepares himself for his character por-
trayals. Grinningly he answered, that he tries to get as far
from them as possible and tries to make himself a mirror of
life. "By knowing oneself," Fargas explained, "one creates
that mirror and brings in the picture vivid enough that if one
has the craft and the techniques he can fine tune his perfor-
mance to the character that he is trying to mirror." Fargas
added, "I think actors have to go out and see some of these
things that they are trying to portray and to be an observer
of life and without having to experience all the things that
one plays but one has to be open - read newspapers and
watch people. He emphasized that the best actors are usually
the most intelligent or the ones that are sensitive enough to
be open to not close out any possibility for creating. "I
just think awareness is the most iinportant aspect in prepar-
ing for a character portrayal."
When asked his opinion of whether the changes in the
industry are increasing or decreasing for Blacks, Fargas said,
"there are more Black actors and actresses on stage and tele-
vision now than there ever were. Although the growth shows
a positive sign, he pointed out the negative aspects by saying
that the frustration is greater because many people are not
getting enough to satisfy their creative needs. However,
" I can't help but be encouraged by the advance of cable and
satellite and the many possibilities of channels on televisions
that are going to need products and are going to have spot
markets produce for different cable networks around the
country." "Upserge of employment for blacks in the theater
and on stage because of that factor, but it is still yet to come,
it is still in formulation!"
Mr. Fargas, an active member of the Negro Ensemble
Company once known to many as the Group Theatre
Workshop, expressed his views of his experience. He said
that before his involvement with the Negro Ensemble Com-
pany and prior to his first experience in "The Cool World",
he had never studied acting. He went on to say that it was
sort of a fantasy to be able to go to a theater and watch
himself perform in "The Cool World."
"When Robert Hooks started the Group Theater Work-
shop", Fargas said, "It was just another seed planted in that
exciting time. Also there was much raw talent in New York
and the people were excited about these things that were
happening in the the theater." On a whole, he emphasized
the positive influences that the theater had over him and how
his career was nurtured by professionals and role models
such as Robert Hooks and Barbara Anne Tiee who were readi-
ily involved with the program.
Fargas is grateful for the success that NEC helped him
achieve. Fargas comphmented the organization by saying it's
most significant contribution to World of Theater is lon-
gevity". He said in comparing the Negro Ensemble Company
76
and other theaters (both black and white) that came and went
the NEC is still in existence which is something that blacks
can look up to with pride. Also the fact that it is called the
Negro Ensemble Company makes it a special role admitted
that the company has now reached the professional level
where it might not be as grass-roots as it was before. However,
he said, "It is definitely one of the few theaters that gets
good endowments and is well organized amongst the cor-
porate sponsors of the theater and that important."
Encouraged by the vast improvement in the portrayal of
blacks, Fargas said that it has taken a long time but now
Blacks are definitely being portrayed better. Fargas said,
"We are getting more into the average guy situation when we
do appear. In the 60's and 70's, the 70's primarily, we had
"the black exploitation" film period where we were portrayed
as pimps and drug addicts primarily. Now through the "back-
lash" of watchdog groups like the NAACP and other groups
that are looking out for the black the industry seems to be
saying "Well, if you don't want to see that then you'U have
to produce it yourself or show us what you do want." The
industry positive images is likely to be what they feel is
commercial enough to make money with in terms of the
roles of blacks and minorities. "I beg to differ, I think good
acting will come through no matter what form it takes. We are
definately intergrated through this whole society," he said.
Proudly he said that he is encouraged by the fact that the
entertainment field today, the most popular artists are black.
"On fibn . . . comedy . . . Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor,
on television we have BiU Cosby's The Cosby Show. In music
we have Prince and Michael Jackson and so forth, so it is a
very good time for us in terms of our potential showing and
that has to have a spill over effect for the people who are
on the way up the ladder of success." he said.
Fargas who prefers the stage to the other mediums,
described his role as Huggy Bear in Starsky and Hutch as
being a commercial vehicle. He admits the character itself had
a negative overtones for Blacks but in reality there are real
Huggy Bears. "I would not want to portray something that
wasn't really out there in the world and thats the most im-
portant thing for me to know that there are real characters
who exist and bring them as vividly as I can to my portrayal."
He went on to describe his role in Brooke Shield's first success-
ful fihn. Pretty Baby, as being very special to him. This was
because he was representing Jelly RoU Martin, a famous
Jaxzz performer. It gave him the opportunity to work with
a famous french director named Luis Maune. He also regarded
it as one of his most rewarding projects.
For liis role in PBS' special Denmark Vesey, Fargas
said "Well thank goodness for PBS. One of the places where
we can have quality stories about black life in the past and
present. Denmark Vesey was special because he was a special
human being, who overcame odds and did something about
his condition in the time of slavery in terms of leading a
major rebellion, to leave this country and to go back to Africa.
Fargas stated that the character he played was an actual
character by the name of GuUa Jack, who was a "Sancho
Poncha," witch doctor figure for Denmark Vessey. I always
love characters that have a lot of spice and are "way out",
right up any alley for Denmark Vesey.
At age 19 Fargas appeared on Broadway with James
Earl Jones in "The Great White Hope," where he auditioned
and got the part of an 80 year old man. He played the role
of Cethio the JuJu man, another mystical character. When
asked about the pressure he received from critics and the
media, Fargas responded, "I wasn't into the ramifications of
what I did, so I didn't even think about critics. However I
did receive some wonderful notices for my work in "The
Great White Hope" both on broadway and in Washington at
the arena stage. Also just to be able to watch James Earl
Jones and Jane Alexander work in that play everynight was a
great teaching experience for me. Again, consistence again
power again a command of the craft that James Earl Jones
and his leading had when was very inspiring for me. He de-
scribed his experiences of working with them as being great
and touching. He complimented the works of such famous
performers as Sidney Portier, Harry Belfonte, Bill Cosby, and
Lou Gosset Jr. saying that "they have inspired his career by
allowing him not just to fantasize or dream but to know that
challenges can be overcome and that they're role models that
say that hard work and determination pays off."
After a year and a half playing the strict disciplinarian
farther, Les Baxter, on ABC's most watched day-time drama,
"All My Children." I asked him how it felt to portray a
black middle-class image as opposed to a stereo-typical lower-
class image. He proudly answered with a gleem in his eyes,
"Well it felt great, one because I never played that type of
character; two because it was the most popular daytime soap
and three, because it was an upward bound Black who cared
about his family, even to his own detriment. But he had a
passion for making it and for seeing the best for his daughter.
It made him a bit close-minded but at the same time it was
a positive/negative and I felt really good about it. Fargas
who is now residing in Rhode Island with his wife and
children spoke of how his family, his children in particular
cope with his career. Well, they are young and at the same
time they do get feed backs. They see people come up to me
and ask for autographs and tliey wonder why because they
see me as a fairly normal person-their dad. However, they do
ask me whether or not I know people like Michael Jackson,
because I'm in the business where I can meet some of these
people. And it does still have an impact on me because I am
a big fan of a lot of people and I stUl get goose-bumps when I
meet people that I've admired for years."
Fargas emphasized his need to widened his horizon by
teaching and directing. "Seeing that I'm in Rhode Island and
I'm not under the pressure of being in Hollywood anymore,
I am now getting more involved in the artistic community
and hopefully I will be teaching some classes. I would love to
share my strengths and experiences with young people who
want to know about the business."
When asked to give advice to young people who show
interested in the acting field, Fargas stressed that one should
get as much schooling as possible, then get a second profes-
sion to go along with their desire. He said, that the job is
somewhat unpredictable, in that, one can easily be out of a
job for an indefinite period of time, if one does not have
something else to fall back one.
Finally, I asked him if there was any tiling he wanted to
add. Fargas smiled indulgently and said, "I'm still amazed
that people want to ask my opinion. I think being a celebrity
is not to be taken lightly and it is like truth you have a re-
sponsibility once you know the truth. The truth is that I am
known because of what I do. I don't think it's anymore
special than the pizza maker or the brick layer. But when
you touch a lot of people, a lot of people touch you, and
I love people. And I just enjoy the experience."
77
OLU DARA continued
In my opinion, many of the record
companies that know about me are not
interested in that type of music. Most of
them, I feel, think that the music is to
ethnic. I'm quite sure of that. I've been
here long enough to know that if I was
playing avante-garde, bebop or any-
thing close to what I've been playing
with other groups, I would have recorded
many years ago."
Aside from being an accomplished
cornetist, Dara is a dancer, singer, com-
edian and actor. One may expect him
to incorporate any or all of these ele-
ments into a performance extravaganza
(with Natchez at heart, of course).
When asked if there had ever been a time
he performed and it was so fantastic
that it stood over and above the rest
of his endeavors as an entertainer, he
unsurprisingly answered, "yes, the last
time."
Many present day musicians are
obsessed with soaring over the audiences
head and impressing colleagues with
technical perfection, which Dara des-
cribes as "the intelligentsia". Olu ad-
dresses the topic of musical virtousity
as being something in the pursuit of
technical perfection . . .namely the whole
thing. "When I go out I want to find a
band that's going to do something!
Give me something I know about. Give
me what you know I went through as a
kid, you know. I had to be a child at one
time. Give me that, don't give me what
you learned at the conservatory."
What's his advice for the aspiring
musician? "Keep the child-like vitality in
your heart." Non-musicians are welcome
to adhere to this as well. "Just remember
do things that you would do as a kid
and you'll never lose." He also added
another exceedingly important point
the significance of which sometimes
isn't stressed enough, "Honesty! You
have to be honest when you're dealing
with music. Music is very important.
It's spiritual, so you can't be messing
with it."
MINORITY CONFERENCE continued
should understand the historical aspect of
hiring minorities.
"In 1968, the Kerner Commission,
which investigated the causes of the
68 riots, gave a mandate to the press
that they should not aOow these pro-
blems (of rioting Blacks) to go unno-
ticed," he said.
"It's the responsibility of all the
staff to know why a Black has been
hired when their qualified friends have
been turned down for the job," he
explains. "Ten years after that in 1978,
the percentage of minority staff on
newspapers, had only risen to two per-
cent."
Vicki Ogden, an assistant managing
editor for the Middlesex News agreed,
noting that new Black staff must also be
aware of the context in which they
were hired and the prejudice that might
be present.
"We too, think that one of the
ways to improve minority hiring in the
newsroom is to try to get them young
and train them." Irving Kravsow, assoc-
iate editor at the Hartford Courant said.
Addie Rimm, a Black recruiter for
the Wall Street Journal, questioned
whether newspapers were using their
own minority staff to help in the re-
cruitment process.
"I think we should utilize the re-
source that's already there," she said.
But Carl Moses, a Newsday reporter,
said the question is a "double edged
sword." In many cases. Blacks are
brought in (then left alone) holding the
bag in making judgements that may
be subjective."
Kravsow's ideas consisted of "we
think we should go into the high school
or junior high schools. We could set up
newsroom clerks to offer them to min-
orities perhaps at minimum wage, which
would give them experience and perhaps
have them come back to us."
In the last day of the conference,
the "Hiring, Keeping and Promotion of
Minorities" focused on the past exper-
ience of upward and mobile reporters.
Karen Thomas, a former UMass
student now employed at the Springfield
Daily News, and Tara Transom, a reporter
from the News, both said they encount-
ered racism in the newsroom.
"I had to deal with being a woman
and being Black," Transom said. After
six months, they realized that I wasn't
going to leave. I don't think kids should
be discouraged from starting at the top
although at a smaDer newspaper, you
get to do more," she said.
Thomas said, "I realized that I had
to speak up if I wanted to let my peers
know that I was competent. Self initia-
tion is probably the key to success,"
she said.
Ron Hutson, an assistant city editor
of The Globe said, "I think the editors
and top management need to treat
minorities as individuals. When minorities
come into the newsroom, they need to
see a minority in the leadership role so
they can relate and say, I can be a city
editor someday too. Tell minorities
what you expect and they will perform."
Thomas Winship, who was president
of ASNE three years ago and editor of
The Globe gave the closing remark at a
luncheon.
"The mass head of every news-
paper across the country is downright
racist and cavalier." Winship admitted as
he gave some staggering statistics of
minorities in the newsroom.
Sixty-one percent of newspapers
have no minorities on the newsroom
payroll (and) minorities into the news-
room are not coming in fast enough, he
said. "Out of the 93 dailies in New
England, there are only 88 that have
minorities in the newsroom. Thrity-
four of those 88 are employed by The
Globe."
Winship said the figures at his news-
paper are "embarrassingly low."
"We have a pretty dismal record.
We can do better and there is a way.
The publishers of newspapers must get
involved."
Winship said, "get publishers to
cough up the severe funds to get rid
of our color blindness. There can be no
great leap forward if it doesn't go through
the publisher's office," he said.
The conference which ended with a
job fair for minority students was spon-
sored by ASNE, the UMass journalism
department in coordination with the
W.E.B. Dubois Afro-American Studies
department.
78
speak the Truth to the People
MARI EVANS
Speak the truth to the people
Talk sense to the people
Free them with reason
Free them with honesty
Free the people with Love and Courage and Care for their Being
Spare them the fantasy
Fantasy enslaves
A slave is enslaved
Can be enslaved by unwisdom
Can be enslaved by black unwisdom
Can be re-enslaved while in flight from the enemy
Can be enslaved by his brother whom he loves
His brother whom he trusts
His brother with the loud voice
And the unwisdom
Speak the truth to the people
It is not necessary to green the heart
Only to identify the enemy
It is not necessary to blow the mind
Only to free the mind
To identify the enemy is to free the mind
A free mind has no need to scream
A free mind is ready for other things
To BUILD black schools
To BUILD black children
To BUILD black minds
To BUILD black love
To BUILD black impregnability
To BUILD a strong black nation
To BUILD.
Speak the truth to the people.
Spare them the opium of devil-hate.
TTiey need no trips on honky-chants.
Move them instead to a BLACK ONENESS.
A black strength which will defend its own
Needing no cacophony of screams for activation.
A black strength which attacks the laws
exposes the lies disassembles the structure
and ravages the very foundation of evil.
Speak the truth to the people
To identify the enemy is to free the mind
Free the mind of the people
Speak to the mind of the people
Speak Truth.
I Am A Black Woman
I am a black woman
the music of my song
some sweet arpeggio of tears
is written in a minor key
and I
can be heard humming in the night
Can be heard
humming
in the night
I saw my mate leap screaming to the sea
and I/with these hands/cupped the lifebreath
from my issue in the canebrake
I lost Nat's swinging body in a rain of tears
and heard my son scream all the way from Anzio
for Peace he never knew. ... I
learned Da Nang and Pork Chop Hill
in anguish
Now my nostrils know the gas
and these trigger tire/d fingers
seek the softness in my warrior's beard
am a black woman
tall as a cypress
strong
beyond all definition still
defying place
and time
and circumstance
assailed
impervious
indestructible
Where Have You Gone
Where have you gone
with your confident
walk with
your crooked smile
why did you leave
me
when you took your
laughter
and departed
are you aware that
with you
went the sun
all light
and what few stars
there were?
Look
on me and be
renewed
where have you gone
with your confident
walk your
erooked smile the
rent'money
in one pocket and
my heart
in another . . .
Mari Evans
Big Fine Woman From Ruleville
{For Fannie Lou Hamer)
How to weave your web of medicinal flesh into words
cut the sutures to your circumcised name
make your deformed leg a symbol of resistance
Big fine woman from Ruleville
great time keeper
and dangerous worker
I use this hour in my life
to eat from your spirit
dance from mouth to mouth with your holler
hold fingers together in remembrance of your sacrifices
And I have chosen to wear your riverstone eyes splashed
with Mississippi blood
and your sharecropper shoes braided with your powerful stomp
and now in your riot-stick neck smeared in charcoal burns
and in your sick and tired of being sick and tired look
and in your bones that exhausted the god of whiteness in Sun
Flower county
I will push forward your precious gift of revolutionary courage
Thanks to the southern knife with terracotta teeth
magnificent ancestor
warrior friend
most beautiful sister
I kiss the mud of this moment
JAYNE CORTEZ
I Wanna Make Freedom
i want the chains
i want the blood
i want the bones at the bottom of the sea
i want the tribal languages
i want the cut tongues
i want the chopped off limbs
i want the dead babies
i want the broken backs
i want the runaways
i want the lynched
i want the cotton pickers
i want the hog maws & chitterlins
i want the pork chop bones
i want the chicken feathers
i want the yams & the watermelon
i want the sermons
i want the field hollers & the shouts
i want the work songs
i want the blues
"^ i want the rebellions
i want the prisons
i want the drums
i want the banjos
I i want the dances
i want the songs
i want the knives & the razor blades
i want the corn whiskey & the gin
i want the craps & the numbers
; i want the big hats & the zoot suits
i want Bessie Smith's hair & Billie's flower
i want Pres's pork pie hat & Charlie Parker's sound
i want James P. Johnson & Thelonius Monk
i want Albert Ayler
i want The World Saxophone Quartet
i want the Painters
I want the Poets
i want all the liberation organizations
i want all the conferences & conventions called about freedom
i want to collect them
i want to put them in chronological order
i want to organize them
i want to assault the United States of American
& Super-power contention
so i can stand with the rest of the Third World
against Imperialism
AMINA BARAKA
Primer for Blacks
Blackness
is a title,
is a preoccupation,
is a commitment Blacks
are to comprehend —
and in which you are
to perceive your glory.
The conscious shout
of all that is white is
"It's Great to be white."
The conscious shout
of the slack in Black is
"It's Great to be white."
Thus all that is white
has white strength and yours.
The word Black
has geographic power,
pulls everybody in:
Blacks here —
Blacks there —
Blacks wherever they may be.
And remember, you Blacks, what they told you-
remember your Education:
"one Drop — one Drop
maketh a brand new Black."
Oh mighty Drop.
. And because they have given us kindly
so many more of our people
Blackness
stretches over the land.
Blaclcness —
the Black of it,
the rust-red of it,
the milk and cream of it,
the tan and yellow-tan of it,
the deep-brown middle-brown high-brown of it,
the "olive" and ochre of it —
Blackness
marches on.
The huge, the pungent object of our prime out-ride
is to Comprehend,
to salute and to Love the fact that we are Black,
which is our "ultimate Reality,"
which is the lone ground
from which our meaningful metamorphosis,
from which our prosperous staccato,
group or individual, can rise.
Self-shriveled Blacks.
Begin with gaunt and marvelous concession:
YOU are our costume and our fundamental bone.
All of you —
you COLORED ones,
you NEGRO ones,
those of you who proudly cry
"I'm half INDian"—
those of you who proudly screech
"I'VE got the blood of George WASHington in
MY veins—"
ALL of you —
you proper Blacks,
you half-Blacks,
you wish-I-weren't Blacks,
Niggeroes and Niggerenes.
You.
Gwendolyn Brooks
Amina Baraka
i come from the womb of Africa
to praise my black diamond
to shine my black gold
to fight my peoples enemies
to stand on my ancestors shoulders
to dance in the hurricane of revolution
Soweto, Soweto, Soweto,
i come with my hammer & sickle
i come with bullets for my gun
to fire on my enemies
to stab the savages that sucked my breast
to kill the beast that raped my belly
i come painted red in my peoples blood
to dance on the wind of the storm
to help sing freedom songs
Soweto, Soweto, Soweto,
i come to carve monuments
in the image of my people
i come to help hold the flag of freedom
i come to bring my tears to wash your wounds
i come to avenge slavery
i come to claim my blood ties
i come to help free my people
Soweto, Soweto, Soweto,
i come to hide in your clouds
so i can be in the thunder
i come to work black magic ,
i come to burn out the eyes of imperialism
i come to chop off its head
i come to carry out my duty
i come to stand with my people
Soweto, Soweto, Soweto
HaUi
black sugar-cane Lady
Papa Doc want your daddy
he bled your children
chased them from home
bathed in their blood
sucked their breath
made them eat dirt
drank their brain
plucked their hair to make mahogany gifts
Voodoo Woman
Papa Doc wa'nt your daddy
& Baby Doc ain't your son
he steals your spirit
to blind your idols
turns your roots into catholic gods
puts poison in your medicine '
sticks knives in your dances
to cut your throats
dark coffee, copper girl
Creole tongue >
Toussaint's child '
Africa's independent baby
unearth your seeds
spit in Duvalier's mouth !
dissect his body
scatter his bones \
plow-up your tears
fertilize your weapons
call on on your War Gods
& take your High Ground
to Freedom
Minority
I am the downtrodden
I am the poor and deprived
that got star bilhng for a decade
I am the snarl of Afro hair and mulatto mouth,
a frantic dancer of defiance in my
sun-raped wrappings reminiscent of some
racial home denied me by the
cataracts of time
I am the mind that is a
terrible thing to waste, the blacker berry
with the sweeter juice, the Matriarch of
impromptu families and the automatic suspect
for light-fingered crimes
mine is not a People of the Book/taxed
but acknowledged; our distinctiveness is
not yet a dignity; our Holocaust is lowercase
I am dream blown and anchored by anger,
a switchblade of frustration, a
time bomb of hunger and pain;
I am reason ravaged and bone cold
I feel life glide through me like a sinister lynx
angling for deep shadows and I know
I am endangered but I am not only prey;
I recall cat rhythms and the sleek expanding muscle slide
of limbs night-hunting their existence
hatred is my curved compassion
I am tender
I am proud
Judy Dothard Simmons
enough
i ask no more than
you're willing to give
or if the need isn't
in you, it doesn't matter.
i can't stop your moving
without cutting short
what's left of my life
(an hourglass grown fat
with sand at the bottom),
we are tugboats, hosting
a ghost whose pleasure
is our command (one pilot
to a vehicle, no passengers
in the rear), please,
please, understand clearly:
we are not keepers;
no need for zoos,
get off your knees and
don t apologize,
no wrong has been done,
you are outside of me.
that is, we are outside
each other, that is,
we are passing vessels
in a go slow, that is,
time stepped in, slowed
us down just long enough
to touch and that is
enough.
Esther Louise
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11