Portland Observer Thq/sday, September 20.1979 Page 3
Cawthorne presents new 'Du Bois
W illiam Edward Burghardt Du
P>s was a writer, scholar, educator,
and political activist. During his long
life, spanning from 1868 to 1963, Du
Bois marshalled all his tremendous
talents to fight against the pervasive
and s tiflin g effects o f racism ,
prejudice and second-class citizen­
ship.
His life, ideas, and unusual con­
tribution are the subject o f an oral
history program which w ill show at
Portland State University’s Lincoln
Hall Auditorium on September 28th,
29th and 30th.
Oral History Programs, Inc., will
present “ Du B ois,” a one-man
show, featuring Herb Cawthorne as
W.E.B. Du Bois.
In addition to Cawthorne’ s perfor­
mance, the production will feature
the combined talents o f Jeana
W oolley, co-script w rite r and
production manager; Richard Mof-
fatt, writer o f the musical score and
musical director o f the production;
Chris Herrick, stage designer and
stage manager; and Dave Morgan,
production sound technician.
The Love Congregation, a local
choral ensemble directed by Jackie
McHenry, w ill also provide choral
support fo r the production under
M o ffa tt’ s general direction.
The idea o f oral history programs
originated with Cawthorne, who first
sought to recreate great Black in­
dividuals in his classrooms so that
Black students could better ap­
preciate their heritage. Cawthorne’ s
deep dedication to the value o f oral
history comes from his experience as
a teacher, both at the University o f
Oregon and Portland State Univer­
sity, where he has proven that young
people can be especially inspired to
read and absorb someone's ideas if
they first hear them presented orally.
In its current form, the idea o f the
oral history program is an attempt to
make the ideas o f outstanding Black
leaders accessible to both young
people and adults who might not
otherwise be motivated to discover
them in books.
"1 do this as an educator, not as
an actor,” says Cawthorne. “ I ’ m
An Open Letter of Invitation
Dear Friends:
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4
41
On September 28, 29 and 30, you are invited to enjoy an evening of dramatic
history illuminating the life and struggles of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois, the great
Black thinker and political leader. “ Du Bois," an oral history program, will be an
unforgetable experience.
Last March, I first attempted to bring to Portlanders the greatness of Dr. Du
Bois. Since that production, I have travelled to the Du Bois Archives at the
University of Massachusetts, researching more thoroughly his life, reading his
letters, and refining my understanding of his character. The program I hope you
will come to see at PSU Lincoln Hall Auditorium is completely rewritten and
rescored.
The oral history program, which I have devoted the last seven years attem pt­
ing to perfect, is an outgrowth of age-old African customs. For centuries,
African societies have transmitted the timeless wisdom of history through oral
communication. The oral tradition has always been sacred. The idea of oral
history programs is an extension of this ancient recognition of the power of the
spoken word. For this reason, I hope you will mark your calendar and make it a
point to be with us on September 28, 29 or 30.
"D u Bois" will be an evening of entertainment, historical enlightenment,
music and drama. You will k n o w Dr. Du Bois in a personal and truely unfor­
getable way when you leave Lincoln Hall Auditorium. Don't miss this oppor­
tunity to acknowledge the struggle of one of Afro-America’s finest sons. Be
There. Learn. Carry On His Great Legacy.
Peace,
Herb Cawthorne
"D u Bois"
September 28, 29, and 30
PSU Lincoln Hall Auditorium, 8 PM Promptly
Tickets Available Through Delta Sigma Theta
Meier & Frank, Stevens & Sons, and PSU Box Office
Delta Champaign Reception Opening Night, Free of Charge
Paid Advertising
Herb C aw thorne
very concerned about the quality of
the script, the organization o f the
ideas, and the correctness o f the
history we’ re presenting in these
productions; that’ s why I decided to
redo “ Du Bois.”
in an earlier production this year,
C aw thorne firs t attem pted to
illuminate the greatness o f Du Bois
fo r P ortland audiences. A fte r
making a special trip last March to
the Du Bois Archives at University o f
Massachusetts to produce an
educational film on Du Bois, he
decided to completely rewrite and
rescore the "D u Bois” production,
using what he had learned there to
im prove the program . He has
redesigned the production using the
writing talents o f Jeana Woolley and
the musical talents o f Richard M of-
fatt.
The Morns Marks House
1501 SW Hornson Street
Portland 97201
Telephone 2 2 7 -2 6 8 6
The newest effort w ill be unveiled
at the end the month when “ Du
Bois” plays at L in c o ln H all
Auditorium.
Tickets are being sold as a com­
munity service by the Delta Sigma
Theater Sorority, Beta Psi Chapter,
which has planned a champagne gala
reception fo llo w in g the opening
night performance. Tickets are also
available for $5.CM) each at Meier and
Frank, Stevens and Sons, and PSU
Box Office.
DES
CONNALL
Professional Corporation
State of the Race set for Oakland
The third Annual State o f the Race
Conference will be held in Oakland
on October 12th, 13th and 14th.
The State o f the Race Conference
is one o f the many programs spon­
sored by the Pan A frik a n Secre­
tariat.
Among the speakers are: Ambas­
sador Paul Bomani o f Tanzania;
Queen Mother Moore, elder, former
member o f Marcus Garvey's Univer­
sal Negro Im provem ent Associa­
tio n , founder o f the E thiopian
Womens A ssociation; Brother
Chancelor Williams, elder, historian,
author o f Destruction o f Black Civi­
lization-, B rother Ben Jochanan,
historian, and noted w rite r; Dr.
Frqncis W elsing, a respected,
creative and ingenius psychologist;
Brother Yemi Toure, revolutionary
organizer o f the Pan A frikan Secre-
tarist; Minister Louis Farrakahn o f
the N ation o f Islam, and many,
many others. In the Second Annual
State o f the Race Conference, there
were 36 in-depth workshops which
included: discussions o f the current
trend to ignore the input o f elders,
the Pan A frik a n is t movement in
Britain, health and n utrition , and
more. A ll workshops revolved
around the conference theme
“ Moving Toward Self Reliance; O r­
ganizing in Our Communities.” The
main p o litic a l c o n trib u tio n came
from the people in mass, through
workshops feed back, by nearly a
thousand enthusiastic Black people,
interested in organizing fo r the
ultimate purpose o f liberation!
This year, the Third Annual State
o f the Race Conference will follow
the tradition of being an inspira­
tional, educational forum o f Black
thought and action, which involves
Afrikan people from different parts
o f the world. To date we have con­
firm ed John H endrik C larke, a
noted historian and w riter; Haki
M ad hu bti (D on L. Lee), poet,
political activist, founder o f Third
W orld Press and the Institute o f
Positive Education; Reverend
Daughtry, Chairman o f The Black
United Front in Brooklyn; represen­
tatives from both the Patriotic Front
o f Zim babwe (Rhodesia) and
S .W .A .P .O . (Southwest A fric a n
People’s Organization) o f Namibia,
[Personalized & Custom Made Jewelry
Jewelry/Watches/Diamonds
Diamond Setting
which opposes the last racist strong­
holds in A frika. From Britain there
will be a representative from the Pan
A frik a n Congress M ovem ent, to
discuss the Pan A frikan movement
in Europe. From the West Indies, a
representative from the recently
formed revolutionary government of
Grenada will discuss the Pan Afrikan
movement in the West Indies and
how the C .I.A . is trying to surpress
the re v o lu tio n a ry m ovement. Le
Grand Cleage, a noted historian, will
discuss the use o f ancient A frikan
H is to ry in the Black Movement
today. C .L.R . James has been in­
vited to speak on the task o f the in­
ternational Pan A frikan movement.
Finally, a representative from the
Pan Afrikan Secretariat w ill discuss
strategies for Black liberation. The
main speaker is only a minor part of
the program.
Between the main addresses,
several workshops will be held to bet­
ter pool ideas and share in the
analysis o f the lessons gained from
our historical experiences. There will
be workshops on the role o f the
Black church, elders, youth, and the
Black family. There will be a discus­
sion and p o litic a l evaluation the
struggles in the 1970’ s, to enable
scientific projections into the 1980’s.
There w ill be discussions o f the
social, political and economic impact
o f the current recession that's rapidly
becoming a depression, on Black
people, the Black Liberation Move­
ment. The land base question, o f
whether to wage a struggle for the
liberation and possession o f Afrika,
a state in America, or both? Most
importantly and throughout the con­
ference, there w ill be workshops on
O rganizing O ur C om m unities:
Methods o f Theory and Practice.
LEGAL CLINIC
CONCENTRATING IN THE FIELDS OF:
CRIMINAL LAW
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS
DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
OF INTOXICANTS
DOMESTIC RELATIONS
WORKERS' COMPENSATION
BANKRUPTCY
PERSONAL INJURY
WILLS - PROBATE
AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS
CONSUMER PROTECTION
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