Page 8 • Portland Observer • February 9, 1989
B lac k H is t o r y M onth
Black History Comes Alive For Children Through
New Product On Underground Railroad
The Role Of African-Americans In Shaping
U.S. Constitution To Air
More Than 200 Radio
Stations To Present Series
Of Eight, Half Hour
Broadcasts
NEW Y O R K -ln com m em oration
of Black History Month, more than
200 radio stations nationwide will
broadcast eight half-hour programs
entitled, “ Afro-Am ericans And The
Evolution Of A Living C onstitution,”
during the month of February.
These broadcasts will feature some
of the nation’s foremost Constitutional
analysts and policy experts. They will
also exam ine the role of Afro-Am eri
cans in shaping the Constitution
through their struggle for racial equal
ity and full citizenship.
Dr. John Hope Franklin, Professor
of Legal History, Duke University
School of Law, makes the point in one
broadcast that the rights proclaim ed
by the Constitution were not originally
m eant for Blacks. He said the framers
of the Constitution brought “ a century
and a half experience with slavery
and a sim ilar period of discrim ination
against Blacks who were not slaves."
In another broadcast, Judge A.
Leon Higginbotham, Jr., of the U.S.
Court of Appeals, Philadelphia, Pa.,
“ reported" on a fictional conversation
in heaven in which Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr gives Thomas Jefferson a
Black perspective on the Constitution.
Eddie N. Williams, President, Joint
Center for Political Studies, is the
m oderator of the special broadcasts.
Other analysts include: Dr. Mary
Frances Berry, Member of the U.S.
Com m ission on Civil Rights; U.S.
Representative George Crockett (D-
M l); A. E. Dick Howard, Professor of
Law, University of Virginia Law School;
Frank R. Parker, President, Law yers’
Committee on Civil Rights Under Law;
the late W iley Branton, form er Dean
of the Howard University Law School
and David J. Garrow, Professor,
Political Science Department, City
College of New York and w inner of a
Pulitzer prize for the book, “ Bearing
the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Too often Black history and the
period of slavery is thought of in the
most stereotypical terms at the exclu
sion of accounts of immense human
courage and resourcefulness, accord
ing to publisher Janus Adams of
BackPax International. This problem
is the motivation behind The Under
ground Railroad: Escape to Freedom,
an innovative book/cassette product
that brings the experience of the
runaway slaves to a tangible level for
young people aged nine and above.
“ The Underground Railroad is an
exciting and instructional topic on many
levels,” stated Ms. Adams, who has
seen the impact of the subject on
children of all backgrounds at schools
across the country. “ It is an opportu
nity to celebrate the depth of human
resourcefulness and accomplishment
against tremendous odds. At the same
time, it also gives insight into a type of
injustice and inhumanity that unfortu
nately still exists to this present day.’’
Through its non-traditional use of
the book/cassette format, BackPax
titles have been lauded by educators
and parents across the country for its
ability to translate history, learning
skills and multi-cultural understand
ing into an entertaining and challeng
ing medium. For "the Underground
Railroad," BackPax traveled the ac
tual route taken in the years leading
up to the Civil War, BackPax record
ing its audio portion on locations such
as Harper’s Ferry, Colonial W il
liamsburg, Jam estown (site of the
first docum ented landing of Blacks),
and Canada, among many others.
The voices, music, personal accounts
and environmental sounds help trans
port the child through their im agina
tion to that place in history. Teamed
with a colorful and richly detailed non-
read-a-long book, BackPax tells a
story of courage, daring, hope and
d e term inatio n-a powerful portrait of
people in a precarious time.
and the Southern Christian Leader
ship Conference (1987)."
“ We at Philip Morris were pleased
to support the symposium as a seri
ous and important assessment of the
Constitution and also to underwrite
the radio broadcasts,” said George L.
Knox, III, Staff Vice President, Public
Affairs, Philip Morris Companies Inc.
Knox said: “ The radio series will
make the essential points of this
important symposium available to
many more people. W e feel that for
this to be a living constitution requires
the understanding and interest of all
Am ericans if it is to provide for the
com m on good.”
The radio broadcasts were pro
duced by Radio America in coopera
tion with the Joint Center and the
Smithsonian Institution and were
underwritten by Philip Morris C om pa
nies Inc. This radio series was edited
from last year’s historic two-day
seminar sponsored by the Joint Center
and the Smithsonian on "Afro-Am eri
cans And The Evolution Of A Living
Constitution.”
Johnson Products Co., Inc. Launches An Annual
Program Entitled "Give To The Dream"
CHICAGO-Johnson Products Co.,
Inc., one of Am erica’s largest Black-
owned manufacturing companies,
made an unprecedented commitment
to the Black com m unity by recently
launching an annual program, entitled
Give to the Dream. This unique
philanthropic program will help Black
c o n s u m e rs
s u p p o rt
B la c k
organizations and take an active role
in controlling the destiny of these
institutions.
The Give to the Dream program
was announced at the annual assem
bly “ State of the Dream ” address on
Sunday, January 15, at Ebenezer
Baptist Church, 407 Auburn Ave.,
Atlanta. The Chicago-based m anu
facturer of personal hair care prod
ucts created the program to honor the
contributions black organizations have
made to society. The program also
provides them with a vehicle for finan
cial support that will allow them to
continue their service to the com m u
nity.
Beginning January, 1989, all
Johnson Products hair care kits will
include the give to the Dream seal
and contribution form. Johnson Prod
ucts will donate $1 to a designated
Black organization in the name of
every consum er who returns a contri
bution form and Give to the Dream
seai. As a pioneer in the Black hair
care industry, Johnson Products
realizes that financial support from
corporations and the Black com m u
nity is essential for Black organiza
tions to thrive.
For the first year, Johnson Prod
ucts will honorthe Martin Luther King,
Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social
Change, Inc. The King Center is
com m itted to improving the quality of
life for all people and nationalities.
Under the direction of Mrs. Coretta
Scott King, the King Center develops
training program s that w ork in all
aspects of Black life. The programs
teach youngsters, teenagers and
adults to develop a positive self-im
age, improve their status in life and
resolve conflicts nonviolently. For
to resolve prison conflicts peacefully.
“ The King Center, founded on the
beliefs and principles of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., is an appropriate
honoree for the first year of the Give
to the Dream program. Saluting or
ganizations, like the King Center,
helps future generations to appreci
ate the strengths and character of the
Black com m unity,” said Eric G.
Johnson, Johnson Products’ presi
dent and chief operating officer.
Headquartered in Atlanta, the King
C enter has become a monument to
Dr. King’s w ork and serves as a place
of reflection and stimulation for people
all over the world. The King Center is
the centerpiece of the 44-acre Martin
Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site
and Preservation District. The site
includes the home where Dr. King
was born and Ebenezer Baptist
Church, where three generations of
his family preached.
The King Center and the historic
site each year attract more than a
million people-including international
diplomats, scholars, parents and their
children-who come to study Dr. King's
message of love and nonviolence.
“ Recognizing the contributions of
Black Am ericans instills confidence
and dignity in our youth. Unless cor
porations support organizations, like
the King Center, the dream s of past
leaders, ou r own dreams and those of
our children will not be realized," Mrs.
King said.
Johnson Products Co., Inc. m anu
factures and markets more than 100
different personal care products. The
Give to the Dream program will have
brand participation of all the Johnson
Products hair care kits which include
Gentle-Treatment conditioning no-lye
kits, Ultra Sheen relaxer kits, Precise
conditioning no-lye relaxer kits, Ultra
Star texturizer kits and Classy Curl
permanent curl kits.
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! Through education we seek to change
I
attitudes
! Through legislation we seek to regulate
!
behavior
Through education we seek to
change
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internal feelings o f hate
!
and prejudice
j Through legislation we seek to control the
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effects o f those feelings
! Through education we seek to break down
!
the spiritual barriers
! Through legislation we seek to break down
!
the physical barriers
!
— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
!
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[
Powell's Books
10th and West Burnside Street
j
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open 9am to 11 pm, Monday through Saturday — 9am to 9pm Sunday
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* • > * * - '.*
Through its non-traditional use of
the book/cassette format, BackPax
titles have been lauded by educators
and parents across the country for its
ability to translate history, learning
skills and multi-cultural understand
ing into an entertaining and challeng
ing medium. For “ the Underground
Railroad” , BackPax traveled the ac
tual route taken in the years leading
up to the Civil War, BackPax record
ing its audio portion on locations such
as Harper’s Ferry, Colonial W il
liamsburg, Jam estown (site of (fytirst
documented landing of Blacks), and
Canada, among many others. The
voices, music, personal accounts and
environmental sounds help transport
the child through their imagination to
that place in history. Teamed with a
colortul and richly detailed non-read-
a-long book, BackPax tells a story of
courage, daring, hope and determ i
n a tio n -a powerful portrait of people
in a precarious time.
BackPax was created by Adams
as a response to an outcry by educa
tors for increased multi-cultural mate
rials. In addition to its use in schools
across the country, “ Underground"
and five other BackPax titles includ
ing “ Traveling Mark Twain's Am er
ica” , "Journey To the Moon and
Beyond” and “ Trailblazing Yellow
stone” can be found in bookstores
and museum gift shops nationally.
For more information, contact Back
Pax International, Box 603, Wilton,
CT 06897.
"It is important to us that we depart
from the stereotype of the Afro-
American slave as the downtrodden
object of pity and em barrassm ent,"
Adams concludes. “ It took immense
courage to achieve freedom over
seemingly insurmountable odds.”
PORTLAND OBSERVER
"The Eyes and Ears of the Community”
288-0033
Public Invited To
Free Black Music
Performance
February 23rd
Sponsored By
Oregon Historical Society
Portland State University
The public is invited to a free performance
focusing on the history o f Black music 8 to 10
p.m. Thursday. February 23. in Lincoln Hall on
the Portland State University campus.
The event, in recognition of February—Black
History Month, is presented by the Oregon His
torical Society in collaboration with the Black
Studies Departm ent of Portland State University.
Karen Patterson, a Black musician, will be the
featured perform er with selections o f spirituals,
ragtime, and jazz music.