œ,îe |J o rtla n b (©bseruer
Page A 8
February 8, 2006
BLACK HISTORY MONTH and the American Experience
Remembering “Black Moses”
Riveting book celebrates Harriet Tubman
As Am ericans celebrate
Black History Month through
out the month of February, much
attention is focused on the Af
rican-American fight for free
dom and equality. At the fore
front of any discussion of Afri
can-American freedom is Harriet
Tubman, the most famous con
ductor of the Underground
Railroad. Known as “Black
Moses,” “Grandma Moses,”
and "Moses of Her People,"
Tubman stands tall as one of
American history ’s greatest and
most important figures.
Her contributions to recti
fying so cial in ju stic e in
America are significant. Dur
ing the Civil War, Tubman
served as both a cook and a nurse,
and even ended up spying for the
North. She helped lead hundreds
of slaves to freedom during the
Civil War and even led a military
raid at C om bahee Ferry in
Colleton County, South Carolina.
This event signified the first time
photo by I saiah
B oi
ik /T he P ortland
in U.S. history that a military op
eration was planned and led by a
woman. In her later years, she
acted as an activist for both Afri
can-Americans and women of all
races. She also founded a home
for the indigent aged in New York
and toured as a speaker.
O bserver
Honoring Coretta Scott King
P o b ix a n d .O«
Jaquayala Seamster (from left), Traeshell Williams and Shardea Booth o f the King Elementary School Choir perform in honor
of the late Coretta Scott King during a prayer service at the Vancouver Avenue Baptist Church. The wife of slain civil rights
leader Martin Luther King Jr. died last week at the age o f 78.
alerwnEiA)
Febiirarv 14th 20116
PBS Series on the Making of America
A scene from the
current PBS series
“Slavery and the Making
of America ” examines
one of the darkest
periods in the nation's
history, the forced
enslavement of millions
of men, women and
children that lasted
more than 200 years.
Dinner for 2 with
Champagne & Chocolates
enjoy our special Valentine s
Menu all for $30.00 per couple
By Reservations Only.
F o r Reservations C
Morgan Freeman
narrates view of
the enslaved
Coming to PBS, Channel 10
on Oregon Public Broadcast on
Thursday, Feb. 9th and Thurs
day, Feb. 16 from 9 p.m. to 1 I
p.m. is the four part series Sla
very And The M aking O f
America, produced by Dante
James and narrated by Morgan
Freeman.
Dante is an incredible film
maker who has produced many
award wining films among them
biographies on Marian Ander
son and A. Philip Randolph. He
worked with the late great film
m aker H enry H am pton at
B lack sid e and was the
e x e cu tiv e p ro d u ce r
of
Hampton's last series This Far
By
F aith:
A frican
American Spiritual Journeys.
Slavery And The Making Of
America tells the story of sla
very from the point of view of
the
e n sla v e d .
The
series recognizes the strength,
humanity and dignity of the en
slaved and redefines them as
pro-active freedom fighters not
passive victims.
The four-part series docu
ments the history of American
slavery from its beginnings in
the British colonies to its end in
the Southern states and the years
of post-Civil War Reconstruc
tion.
Drawing on a wealth of re
cent scholarship, it looks at sla
very as an integral part of a
developing nation, challenging
the long held notion that slavery
was exclusively a Southern en
terprise. At the same time, by
focusing on the remarkable sto
ries of individual slaves, it offers
new perspectives on the slave
experience and testifies to the
active role that Africans and
African Americans took in sur
viving their bondage and shap
ing their own lives.
Episode one opens in the
1620s with the introduction of
11 men of African descent and
mixed ethnicity into slavery in
New Amsterdam. Working side
by side with white indentured
servants, these men labored to
lay the foundations of the Dutch
colony that would later become
New York.
Episode two profiles life from
the 1740s to the 1830s when the
institution of slavery continued
to support economic develop
ment. As the slave population
reproduced. American planters
became less dependent on the
African slave trade.
Episode three, which starts
at the beginning of the 1800s,
exam ines slavery’s increas
ing di visiveness in America as
the nation develops westward
and cotton replaces tobacco
as the country's most valu
able crop.
Episode four looks at Civil
W ar and R eco n stru ctio n
through the experiences of South
Carolina slave Robert Smalls. It
chronicles Smalls’ daring es
cape to freedom, his military
service, and his tenure as a con
gressman after the war.
To Place Your Classified Advertisement
Contact: Kathy Linder
Phone: 503 288 0033
Fax: 503 288 0015
email: classifieds@portlandobserver.com
It’s Not Too Late to Get a
Flu Shot and Not the Flu
r ■
'G b f
Flu Shots are Covered
for People with Medicare Part B
For Information, call 1-800-M EDICARE
or visit www.inedicare.gov
dedicare Paya por las Vacunas de Gripe.
Para Información, Llame al
1-800-MEDICARE
o visítanos al www.medicare.yov
i
I