February 28, 2018
Page 7
in
And This Corner
C ontinueD From F ront
Not only did he use his new found
skills to defend himself against
bullies, but quickly rose through
the ranks of amateur boxing rings,
garnering numerous Golden Glove
awards and later, at age 18, an
Olympic Gold Medal.
As a young man in the Jim
Crow-era South, and a descen-
dant of slaves himself, Clay was
impacted by racial inequality and
the 1955 murder of Emmet Till,
a young boy around his age who
was brutally tortured and killed in
Mississippi, and whose murderers
were acquitted, which sparked na-
tional outrage.
The young Clay took his frus-
trations out in the ring, where only
his skill as a fighter and not the col-
or of his skin determined his merit,
right at the time when athletes of
color in America were breaking
through to the mainstream.
Alexander hopes the play will
shed light on the historic civil
rights era for the younger genera-
tion and spark conversations with
their parents long after the curtain
drops.
“The idea of segregation and
Jim Crow laws are kind of hazy
[for kids] and so they get to see
this on stage and kind of have it
explained to them. I would love if
that conversation was being had,”
he said.
Originally from Perry, Fla., Al-
exander had been inspired by Ali
from an early age and even had
dreams of becoming an all-star
athlete himself.
“I grew up with Muhammad Ali
on my wall, and Malcolm X on my
wall,” he said.
It was during his last month
of high school, in his senior year,
when Alexander got involved in
an independent film in Tarpon
Springs, Fla. and where he met
other show business professionals
who encouraged him to pursue a
career in acting and the arts.
Alexander said he continues to
draw inspiration from Ali’s sheer
confidence.
Web:
www.sunlanlighting.com
E-mail:
kay@lightlady.com
3901 N. Mississippi Ave.
Portland, OR 97227
503.281.0453
Fax 503.281.3408
“The thing that also resonates
with me is that he found his passion
early and committed to it,” he said.
“His hard work gets overshad-
owed by his personality, but the
man worked hard. He always had
that discipline. There’s a reverence
and a masterful craftsmanship that
comes with that. And I look up to
that just being an artist and work-
ing hard.”
Alexander went on to graduate
from one of the highest ranking
historically black colleges in the
nation, Florida A&M University,
as a theater major. He was later
became an acting apprentice with
Portland Playhouse and even start-
ed his own theater company, Con-
frontation Theater, which explores
the realities of the African Ameri-
can experience through the voices
of modern black theater talent in
local artists, storytellers and media
makers that engages the public of
the history of Vanport city, a di-
verse and African American pop-
ulated town north of Portland that
was destroyed by Columbia River
floodwaters in 1948.
Information about the nearly
forgotten city will be on display
in the theater lobby before each
showing. Foote said the special
exhibit is meant to emphasize that
the Jim Crow-era South wasn’t the
only place in America with issues
of race.
When Clay changed what he
called his “slave name” to Muham-
mad Ali and converted to Islam af-
ter his first heavyweight title wins
in the mid-60s, he set an example
of racial pride for African Ameri-
cans. He also conscientiously ob-
jected to the Vietnam War in 1966
by refusing to serve. In the process
he was jailed and barred from the
sport for several years, eschewing
Showdogs is a full service salon. We do
baths, all over hair cuts, tooth brushing,
nail trims, soft claws, flea treatments, mud
baths, and ear cleaning. We also have health
care and grooming products to keep your
pet clean in between visits.
Show Dogs Grooming Salon & Boutique
926 N. Lombard
Portland, OR 97217
503-283-1177
Tuesday-Saturday 9am-7pm
Monday 10am-4pm
photo by o wen C arey
Themes of racial injustice and childhood bullying come to life in a
new Oregon Children’s Theater play about a young Cassius Clay set
in segregated Louisville, Ky. “And in This Corner: Cassius Clay,” opens
Saturday, March 3 and stars Portland actor La’Tevin Alexander.
Portland.
Jerry Foster, a prominent Afri-
can American newspaper profes-
sional who has lived in Portland
for the past 35 years, co-directs the
Oregon Children’s Theater pro-
duction. He is also a board mem-
ber, producer, director and actor
for Passin Art, the oldest African
American theater company in Or-
egon. Foster even met Ali at one
time.
The play’s boxing choreogra-
pher, Damaris Webb, is herself an
accomplished athlete, having won
a Golden Glove herself. She also
plays Clay’s mom in the play.
Webb also is co-director of the
Vanport Mosaic Project, a com-
munity-driven showcase put on by
valuable peak performance time,
before the U.S. Supreme Court
overturned his conviction in 1971.
But even before then, as the play
will showcase, Clay was already
a champion for fairness as a child.
“Kids will get the message
of standing up and speaking for
what’s right,” Alexander said.
The Oregon Children’s The-
atre’s presentation of “And in
This Corner: Cassius Clay” will
play Saturdays and Sundays at the
Winningstad Theatre at 1111 S.W.
Broadway, from March 3 through
March 25 and is recommended for
children 8 and up. Tickets range
from $14-$28. More informa-
tion can be found at octc.org/cas-
sius-clay.
Yo dawg is gonna look like a show dawg
and your kitty will be pretty.
Geneva & Paul Knauls
Hiring Now
• Barber •
• Stylist •
• Braider •
More Walk-Ins
More Phone Calls
If you can fade
Please Apply
5601 NE MLK Jr. Blvd
503 309-6205