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BLACK HISTORY
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ET Shines In February With Movies And Original Specials
Black Entertainment Television
brings you Black History Month in
February 1996 like no other network
can with movies, docum entaries,
music specials and stand-up comedy
at its best. Following is a list o f
specials airing in February 1996, all
times Eastern Standard.
BET Movie Theater Join BET
every Saturday night in February, for
two black-themed movies, back-to-
back, as BET presents for the first
time ever full- length, black classic
movies from the 50’s, 60’s, 70's and
80’s. Stay tuned for more details.
Comic View Grandstand Com pe­
tition and Comic View Awards BET
will present its 4th Annual Comic
View Grandstand Competition air­
ing Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30
p.m., beginning Tues , Feb. 6 and
ending Thurs., Feb. 22 as stand-up
comedians from around the nation
vie to become one o f six finalists in
B ET’s “Comic View Awards Jam."
The “Comic View Awards Jam" airs
Fri., Feb. 2 3 ,8 p.m. where each ofthe
six Grandstand finalists will perform
live to win the tittle o f “The Richard
Pryor/Comic-Of-The-Year” award,
the honor ofhosting“Comic View’s”
1996-97 season, and a trip to Mexi­
co. Comedian Michael Colyar hosts
with celebrity presenters Bill Duke,
“ Fam ily M atters” Reginald Vel
Johnson and black film legend, Rich­
ard Roundtree jo in in g in for a great
evening o f comedy only on BET.
“The Making o f Once Upon A
Time When We Were Colored”. Go
behind the scenes o f BET Pictures’
and United I m a o p F n t e r t a i n m e n t ’ s
new film production o f “Once Upon
A Time When We Were Colored,”
on Feb. 8, 6:30-7 p.m., as BET’s
prem ier entertainm ent m agazine
show, “Screen Scene,” takes a look
at BET Pictures’ first film. “Once
Upon A Time ...,” which begins a
limited theatrical release in January
o f 1996, is a bittersweet story- about
love, community and family. The
special features interviews with the
cast and crew o f the film, which
includes director Tim Reid, and stars
Al Freeman, Jr., Phylicia Rashad,
Leon, Salli Richardson and Isaac
Hayes.
“The A mazing Grace of
Gospel”. Join BET on Sun., Feb. 11
a, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. as we celebrate
the glory that is gospel music in an
encore presentation o f “The Amaz-
Network Scores Highest Prime-Time
Rating Ever,- Ed Qordon
Black Entertainm ent T elevi­
sion’s news division last light aired
O.J. Sim pson’s first televised inter­
view since his arrest and acquittal in
the murder o f his ex-wife Nicole
B ro w n S im p so n and R o n ald
Goldman The company issues the
following statement:
“ We are obviously pleased with
the interview. Ed Gordon asked the
questions that needed to be asked,
and BET News delivered a very
compelling two-and-a-half hours o f
television.
“ We are very pleased with the
higher visibility this interview gen­
PSU Black
History Events
Feb. 15 - Lecture: “African
Americans as a Changing Agent
in the Criminal Justice System.”
11:30 a.m.- 2 p.m.. Smith Cen­
ter, free. OkianerChristian Dark,
assistant U.S. Attorney for the
Oregon district.
Feb. 16 - Soulfood Luncheon
with Performance by Ron Steen,
II a.m.-l p.m., Smith Center
Ballroom, $5 admission. Eat a
great soulfood luncheon while
listening to the smooth jazz of
Ron Steen and friends.
Feb. 16 - R&B, Jazz and Af­
rican Jazz concert - 9 p.m.-mid­
night, Smith Center Ballroom,
$5.
Feb. 19 - Lecture and film:
Speaker: T uskeegee airm an
Edgar Bolden; call 725-5660 for
details.
Feb. 21 - Brown Bag Concert
- noon, Smith Center Parkway
Commons North, free. Listen to
the smooth sounds o f R&B, gos­
pel and hip-hop (rap) during the
lunch hour.
Feb. 22 - Panel Discussion:
African-American Portlanders &
the Million Man March, 6-9 p.m.
room 298, Smith Center, free.
Discussion facilitator: Angela
Wilson, editor, the Skanner news­
paper.
Feb. 23-25 - Oregon Black
Student Unions Basketball Tour­
nament - 7-10 p.m., PSU gym.
erated for our network. The inter­
view exposed new viewers to the
quality and importance o f the pro­
gramming our news and public af­
fairs division delivers. BET News
celebrates its I Oth anniversary this
year and is finally getting some o f the
recognition it deserves.”
According to Nielsen Media Re­
search, “O.J Simpson: Beyond the
Verdict,” which aired 10-11 p.m.
EST, achieved an overnight rating o f
6.9 within BET’s coverage area (more
than 3 million cable households) and
is the highest rated telecast in the
history o f the network.
BET is the nation’s first and only
national television network provid­
ing a platform for quality program­
ming targeted toward an African
American audience.
BET represents the best in enter­
tainment, music videos, news and
public affairs, jazz, specials, off-
network sitcoms, gospel and sports.
BF.T is owned by BET Holdings,
Inc. a publicly traded company on
the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE: BTV), and is currently
available in 44.2 million house­
holds as reported by Nielsen Media
Research.
Focus On
Black History
African Films
A t PCC
z
Portland Community College in
north Portland is hosting the sixth
annual festival o f African Films as
part o f Black History Month.
Film showings, all with English
subtitles, will take place Fridays at
7:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at 2 p.m.
through February in room 122 o f
Terrell Hall on the PCC Cascade
campus, 705 N. Killingsworth St.
All events are free and open to the
public. Parking will also be free for
festival audiences.
“This is the only festival o f its kind
and scope in the Northwest, with the
focus on A frica,,” said M ichael
Dembrow, a faculty member at the
campus and one o f the event organiz­
ers.
“The series has become a bridge
between the African-American com­
munity and the African expatriate
community. It is also a noteworthy
event for people who are interested
in international affairs,”
He said this year's festival was
“perhaps our strongest program ever.
The six films are from six different
countries, including two we have no,
featured in the past, Guinea-Bissau
and Burundi.
“ W e’ll have speakers from these
countries as well as handouts and
information about the country where
the films are shown,” Dembrow not­
ed.
For more information, call the
Cascade campus office o f the Asso­
ciated Students of PCC at 978-5781.
Portland Community College
celebrates Black History Month
on its campuses with a wide range
o f act i vit ies scheduled throughout
the month o f February.
Film, dance, gospel music and
historical reading are some o f the
e v e n ts p lan n ed at C a sc a d e ,
Sylvania and RockCreek campus­
es. All events are free o f charge
and open to the public.
ing Grace o f Gospel ” Bobby Jones,
BET host and gospel music pioneer,
takes a look at the many R&B artists
who started in Gospel music. This
show features performances by Aaron
Hall, Rachelle Ferrell, Nancy Wil­
son, El DeBarge, Stephanie Mills
and Howard Hewitt.
“The Q ' Factor". BET will airthe
original entertainment special, "The
Q ’ Factor,” airing Feb. M at 11 p.m.
“The Q ’ Factor” takes an intimate
look at music giant Quincy Jones, his
life, his loves and his music.
"A Story o f Passage: The Making
o f Race to Freedom”. This encore
presentation airing Thurs., Feb. 15 at
6:30 p.m. features exclusive behind-
the-scene footage and interviews with
cast members o f the film, “Race to
Freedom: The Underground Rail­
road.”
“Race to Freedom: TheUn-
derground Railroad”. This encore run
o f this feature-length television dra-
m aairsFeb. 19 from 11 a m. to I p.m.
A three-time CableACE nominee,
co-produced by BET, United Image
Entertainment and the Family Chan­
nel, “Race to Freedom” recounts the
story o f two young slaves, Sarah and
Thomas, and their perilous journey
to Canada via the Underground Rail­
road in the 1850’s and stars Janet
Bailey, Courtney Vance, Dawnn
Lewis and Glynn Turman.
“The Black C aricature”. “The
Black Caricature” airs Feb. 2 1,9 :0 0
p.m. to 10:00 p.m., a one- hour doc­
u m e n ta ry , n a rra te d by B la ir
«Underwood and Cree Summer, ex­
amining the black image in movies,
film, literature and music. The show
also features Dr. Camille Cosby,
Gordon Parks, Dr. Alvin Poiussant,
Donald Bogle, Bill Duke and Melvin
Van Peebles.
BET is the nation’s first and only
television network providing a plat­
form for quality programming tar­
geted toward an African-American
audience.
BET represents the best in enter­
tainment, music videos, news, public
affairs, jazz, specials, off-network
sitcoms, gospel, and sports.
BET is ow ned by B ET H o ld ­
ings, Inc., a pu b licly tra d e d c o m ­
pany on the N ew Y ork S tock
E xchange (N Y SE : B T V ), and is
curren tly a v ailab le in 4 3 .4 m il­
lion ho u seh o ld s, as re p o rte d by
N ielsen M edia R esearch.
A Proclamation By The
President Of The United States
Today’s schoolchildren are for­
tunate to grow up in classrooms
where they are taught to appreciate
all ofthe many heroes o f American
history. W hilepreviousgenerations
read textbooks that told only part of
our Nation’s story, materials have
been developed in recent years that
give our students a fuller picture --
textured and deepened by new char­
acters and themes. African Ameri­
can History Month provides a spe­
cial opportunity for teachers and to
focus on the many African Ameri­
cans whose lives have shaped our
common experience.
This year, our observance em­
phasizes black women and the
strides made to bring their achieve­
ments to the fore. From Sojourner
Truth’s sermons, to Mary McLeod
Bethune’s speeches, to the contem­
porary novels o f Nobel laureate
Toni Morrison, the voices o f Afri­
can American women have called
attention to the twin burdens o f
racism and sexism and have invited
listeners to discover the richness oT
traditions kept alive in back kitchens
and workrooms. In churches and
communities, and more recently in
universities and statehouses across
America, these women have fought
extraordinary battles for social, eco­
nomic, and political empowerment.
Barbara Jordan once wrote, ‘We
the people’; it is a very eloquent
beginning. But when the Constitu­
tion o f the United States was com­
pleted on the seventeenth o f Septem­
ber, 1787,1 was not included in that
‘We the people.’
As we mourn the loss o f this great
American, let us honor her by seek-
ingtofurtherthe progress made since
those early days toward true equality
and inclusion. During African Amer­
ican History Month and throughout
the year, we must embrace the di­
verse stands o f our story so that all
children can see themselves in our
Nation’s past and know that they
have a role to play in seizing the
future’s countless opportunities.
Now, Therefore, I, William J.
Clinton, President ofthe United States
of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and
laws o f the United States, do hereby
proclaim February 1996, as National
African American History Month. I
call upon Government officials, edu­
cators in schools, colleges, universi­
ties, and libraries, and all the people
of the United States to observe this
month with appropriate ceremonies,
activities, and programs that raise
awareness o f African American his­
tory and invite further inquiry into
this area o f study.
In W itness W hereof, 1 have
hereunto set my hand this thirtieth
day o f January, in the year o f our
Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-
six, and o f the Independence o f the
United States o f America the two
hundred and twentieth.
William J. Clinton
The follow ing are some of the
activities at the PCC Cascade
campus, 705 N. Killingsworth:
Feb. 2 0 - Abdi Sherif, R&B and
soul music, noon-1 p.m. Cascade
cafeteria.
Feb. 21 - “Gito the Ungrate­
ful,” an African film from Burundi,
2 p.m., Terrell Hall.
Feb. 23 - Terrence Scott, ori­
gins and history o f rap music, along
with a musical presentation. Scott,
a local Portlander, made his way to
the top as rapper Cool Nutz. Now
a producer, Scott speaks about rap
and the music business. Terrell
Hall, room 122.
Feb. 23 - “ Hyenas,” African
film from Senegal, 7:30 p.m.,
Terrell Hall.
Feb. 24 - Family Day, Cascade
Festival o f African Films, 2 p.m.,
Terrell Hall, Room 122. Films in­
clude “The Good and the Evil,”
“ How Samba Became Viceroy,”
“ T he G re e d y C h ild ” and
“ Ramohamy’s Son.”
E D U C A T IO N IS TH E M OST
R E L IA B L E V E H IC L E
YOU C A N O W N
Portland Public Schools
S tu d en ts and S taff
Proudly Celebrate
Black
History
Month
I
Jackson Hunt
Buckman
Elementary
Grade 2
TOYOTA
P R O U D S U P P O R T E R OF BLACK H IS T O R Y M O N TH
AND H U N D R E D S OF IM P O R T A N T ED U C A TIO N A L PRO G RAM S
T H R O U G H O U T A M E R IC A