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P ortland O bserver • F ebruary
P age B9
1, 1995
B L A C K H IS T O R Y
lack History On Public Radio
African American music is not
limited to the jazz and blues tradi­
tions.
To recognize the contributions
of African Americans to classical
music as well as jazz and other
sounds. National Public Radio in
February is paying tribute to a vari­
ety of artists, including William
Grant Still, the "Dean of African
American Composers."
NPR's radio documentary se­
ries Horizons presents "William
Grant Still: A Life in Music," a 30-
minu’e documentary of the life of
the author of the famous "Afro-
American Symphony.”
Performance Today, NPR's
daily classical music program, will
present a four-part series exploring
the contributions of African Amer­
icans to classical music, with one
story featuring Still. NPR will also
present, "To You America: A Trib­
ute To William Grant Still," a con­
cert of Still's music performed by
the U.S. Coast Guard Band
Black history month programs
will also examine the many African
Americans who have influenced clas­
sical music.
In “Two Divas Across The At­
lantic," NPR offers an hour-long pro­
file of African American opera expa­
triates Mattiwilda Dobbs and Anne
Brown Hindered by racial barriers
in the United States, Dobbs and
Brown went to Europe where they
became opera stars.
Other programming during the
month features jazz and blues music,
including N P R ’s JazzS et with
Branford Marsalis, a concert perfor­
mance by jazz singers Abby Lincoln
and Cassandra Wilson, live from the
National Black Arts Festival in At­
lanta.
Afropop Worldwide February
programs include: Old School, an
exploration of the early years of hip-
hop music; Ali Farka Toure, Live
From Niafounke, a performance by
the internationally acclaimed gui­
tarist at his home on the banks ofthe
Niger River in northern Mali;
Makossa Hit Parade, a trip down
memory lane form musical hits from
the glory day of Cameroonian
Makossa in the 1980s; and African
Latin, a celebration of African mu­
sicians’ longtime fascination with
Latin music.
Bluestage in February of­
fers: Chicago Blues and Soul,
live perform ances by Kenny
Neal from M anny’s Carwash in
New York City and by Otis Clay
from M onterey, C alif.: A Little
Taste o f the South, with har­
m onica man Eddie Burks per­
fo rm in g M is s is s ip p i b lu e s
sounds in the Pocono mountains
and Alabama native Clarence
C arter jam m ing in M onterey,
C alif.; former Bluesstage host
Ruth Brown offers a new soul­
ful set and Piedm ont guitarist
Etta Baker is captured live.
Autherine Lucy and attorney Arthur Shores fire a round in the legal battle to gain her admission to the
University of Alabama which did not admit black students at the time. Lucy won her three-year court
battle in 1956, but faced harassment by students and outsiders.
Celebraling
King Dream Remembered
Continued from B8
Simultaneously, replica bells in 50
states and from around the world-
Big in London and bells in Vatican
City. Rome, were rung.
Philadelphia mayor Edward G.
Rendell and former U.S. Sen. Hams
Wofford were also in attendance.
Ecumenical prayers were offered by
MLK Board Member. Rev. Repsie
Warren. Pastor of the Society For
Helping Church and Rabbi Martin
Rubenstein, of the Philadephia Board
of Rabbis, who also read a short
inspirational poem by famed civil
rights activist/singer Joan Baez. A
Black Park Ranger gave a historic-
background on the famous Liberty
Bell. U.S. Sen. Carol M oseley
Braun's plane was delayed so the
Illinois Democrat, the first Black
woman to be elected to the U.S.
Senate, missed the Bell ringing cer­
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emony. She later attended the lun­
cheon as one of three Drum Majors
(hers was for social Justice) awardees
of 1995. The others were: Judge
Harvey N. Schmidt, Court of Com­
mon Pleas (Ret.), and Dr. Niara
Sudarkasa, the first female president
of Lincoln University (PA), for Hu­
man Rights.
A glittering array of dignitaries
graced the “Living The Dream” lun­
cheon dais: including Thurgood
Marshall, Jr., former mayor Wilson
Goode, and Corporate Luncheon
Chair, G. Fred DiBona, Jr., chief
executive officer, Independence Blue
Cross, and other corporate sponsors
made this one ofthe most successful
affairs of its kind in the nation. The
Rev. Joseph Patterson, Hickman
Temple, AME, who is president of
Black Clergy of Philadelphia, gave
the benediction.
In Atlanta, Coretta Scott King,
prophesied: "This is going to be a
day like none other." And Atlanta
turned out the biggest march assem­
bly in the nation, kicking off obser­
vations of Martin Luther King Jr.’s
66th birthday anniversary all over
the nation and in many parts of the
world. (The District of Columbia
failed to have a march, for the first
time in the 10-year history). Many
friends and supporters are concerned
over the King family fight with the
government officials over how to or
who can best improve the King Cen­
ter memorial.
In Denver, where the second
largest King march was held, Presi­
dent Bill Clinton turned evangelist,
shouting that this country cannot go
onwithchildrenkillingchildren...we
can turn it around, but we will have to
do it together." He said he was asked
the greatest achievement in this ad­
ministration. He said, “I think it is the
creation of the National Service Pro­
gram.”
Hlsloru
16442626
Classroom s Todaq
Portland Public Schools I February 1995
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2
T hey G ave T he
B om Or E ducation
AL esson I n
T he C onstitution .
HEY weren't getting a good
education, but they were
smart enough to know what was
right. Right was getting up-to-
date textbooks. Right was get­
ting adequate supplies. Right
was not being excluded from
better schools because their
skin was black.
So a group of Kansas children
took their cause beyond the
school boards, beyond the gov­
ernors, beyond the legislatures
to the Supreme Court. And the
nation agreed that the rules
were wrong.
Burger King salutes those
kids. When they heard they
couldn't have the education
they deserved, they replied,
Oh, yes we can."
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