July 2013
n a i l l i v e z n o r B e th
nt Suppleme A newsletter from the
An electronic newsletter from the Department of African African American American and and African African Studies Studies Community Community Extension Extension Center Center
A Lesson in Leadership
Features Pages 1, 4-5:Tony Soprano: A lesson in Leadership– by Judson L. Jeffries, Ph.D. Page 3: Another Kanye Disaster– by Simone Drake, Ph.D.
By: Judson L. Jeffries, Ph.D.
Page 6: The Supreme Court, The Voting Rights Act and Black Leadership: Offering Some Clarity to this whole thing– by C. Earl Campbell DA III, M.A. Pages 7-8 : Sharing a Common Desire: Youth Learning about Self and Community Through Summer Enrichment– by Tamara Butler, M.A. Page 9: Jim Kelly
Funeral services were held last week for actor James Gandolfini who died of a heart attack while in Italy with his wife and children. Only 51, Gandolfini had long established himself as an accomplished veteran of both the big screen and stage, having amassed a host of plaudits, but it was his role as Tony Soprano that propelled him to stardom. In the history of modern television, few actors have been more closely identified with a single character than Gandolfini is to Tony Soprano. More than fifty years ago Newton N. Minnow, Federal Communications Commission Chairman, referred to American Television as a “vast wasteland.” Said Minnow: “I invite each of you to sit down in front of your TV and watch . . .you’ll see a few things you will enjoy, but very, very few. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.” Minnow’s lament is no continued on page 4 Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center 905 Mount Vernon Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43203-1413
Phone: (614) 292-3922 Fax: (614) 292-3892 http://aaascec.osu.edu aaascec@osu.edu
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About Bronzeville
of the CEC 12Core Programs 6 T he Ohio State University’s AAAS Community Extension Center is the outreach component of the Department of African American and African Studies. The CEC is one of the few off-campus facilities of its kind in the nation. Originally housed at two different locations on Ohio Avenue, the CEC moved to its current location in 1986. The CEC plays an integral role in enhancing the life chances of those who live in and around the Mount Vernon Avenue Area. Toward that end, the CEC offers an array of programs at no or nominal cost to the public. Programs include, but are not limited to, the following: conferences, symposia, computer classes, credit and noncredit courses, summer programs, lecture series, and film series. People from all walks of life have participated in these programs. Based on evaluations of our programs and personal testimonies, the CEC is having an impact on residents living in and around the Bronzeville Neighborhood.
1 Black Veterans Day Salute During the salute, Black men and women from Ohio who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces are publicly recognized. Since the salute’s inception in 2006, the CEC has honored the Tuskegee Airmen (2006), Vietnam War veterans (2007), Korean War veterans (2008), African-American servicewomen (2009), World War II veterans (2010), Gulf War Era veterans (2011) and Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans (2012).
2 Ray Miller Institute for Change & Leadership This 10-week long leadership course trains young Black professionals from the Columbus community in various areas of leadership. The Institute was founded in 2006 by former State Senator and Minority Whip Ray Miller. Miller has built a reputation as a strong advocate for those who have historically not had access to power. Admission to the Institute is highly competitive. The Institute is offered during OSU’s autumn and spring semesters with the support of OSU’s Office of Continuing Education. Participants who complete the course receive three CEU credits.
3 Senior Citizens Movie Matinee The movie matinee is a chance for senior citizens to watch a film that otherwise might be cost prohibitive in an accommodating environment. A discussion, usually led by an OSU professor or administrator, is held at the end of the film.
4 Computer Literacy Program Throughout the academic year, the CEC offers free and reduced-cost computer technology courses. The program is geared toward seniors but open to everyone. Courses include the following: Senior Computer Orientation, Internet, Email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher.
5 Lecture Series Presentations given by OSU faculty, students and/or community members about topics pertinent to the Black community.
Math and Science Program
The Math and Science Program was established in partnership with the OSU Medical Center in 2003. The Math and Science Program exposes students in grades 4 through 12 to the wonders of math and science using hands-on activities. The purpose of the program is three-fold: 1) To increase competency in math and science among students of color; 2) To expose students of color to math and science related careers; and 3) To encourage students of color to major in math or science. The program meets on the fourth Monday of each month from October to May.
7 Summer Residential Program The Summer Residential Program (SRP) was established in 1999 and is designed to provide students with both an appreciation for and an understanding of African-American and African culture and history. The SRP also helps students strengthen their computer literacy skills. Past themes include: “The Underground Railroad” (2012), “All Eyez On Me: Deconstructing Images of African-American Women in Hip Hop” (2011), “letz b down: Social Justice Advocacy for Blacks During the American Revolutionary War Era” (2010), “The Low Country: Black Culture, Literacy and History in Charleston, South Carolina” (2009), and “Hip Hop Literacies” (2008). The program is held every June and is for rising 11th and 12th graders. Students live on OSU’s campus.
8 African Affairs Symposium This one-day symposium brings members of the African American and African communities together to discuss issues of particular interest to Africa. The inaugural symposium in 2007 examined the life of South African civil rights activist Steve Biko. “Africa in the Age of Globalization” was the theme of the 2008 symposium. The 2009 symposium examined the life of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, West Africa. In 2010, the focus was on Pan-Africanism and the Diaspora. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was the theme of the 2011 symposium.
9 Summer Enrichment Program This week-long, non-residential day program is designed to help rising 9th and 10th graders improve their reading and writing skills. The program, which was founded in 2009, is hosted annually in June and accepts approximately 15 students.
10 History of Black Columbus Conference This one-day conference celebrates the rich history of African Americans in Columbus and increases awareness of the significant contributions African Americans have made in all areas of city life. This annual conference is held in the spring.
11 Black History Month Forum The forum is in its fourth year and is focused on celebrating African descended peoples from all over the world. This year, documentaries about the following influential Black historical figures were shown: John Henrik Clarke, Kwame Nkrumah, Fannie Lou Hamer, James Baldwin, Minister Elijah Muhummad.
12 Enemies of the State The annual event features activists from America’s most notorious radical organizations, people who pressured America to live up to its highest ideals. In past years, activists from The Us Organization (2012), The Black Panther Party (2011) and the Young Lords Organization (2010) were invited to speak.
During the 1930s, African-American leaders in Columbus named the predominately African-American neighborhood between the boundaries of Woodland Avenue (East), Cleveland Avenue (West), Broad Street (South) and the railroad tracks (North) “Bronzeville.” The population was approximately 40,000 residents. In 1937, the same African-American leaders elected a mayor of Bronzeville and created an eight member Cabinet to address social, political and economic issues in the neighborhood. Now, as a result of the establishment of several Neighborhood Civic Associations such as the Woodland Civic Association (East) and the Discovery District (West), Bronzeville was reduced to its current boundaries: Taylor Avenue (East), Jefferson Avenue (West), Broad Street (South), and I-670 (North). The Bronzevillian is inspired by this rich history.
CEC Advisory Board Paul Cook Wanda Dillard Francisca Figueroa-Jackson Mark S. Froehlich Ray Miller, former State Senator Lupenga Mphande, Ph.D. William E. Nelson, Jr., Ph.D. *Ike Newsum, Ph.D. and Chair Rick Pfeiffer, City Attorney Thomas Simpson, Ph.D. Reita Smith Charleta Tavares, State Senator Nana Watson
CEC Director *Judson L. Jeffries, Ph.D.
CEC Staff Sarah Twitty Senior Program Coordinator & Fiscal Officer Kevin L. Brooks, Ph.D. Program Coordinator Alecia Shipe Technology Program Coordinator
Address Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center 905 Mount Vernon Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43203-1413 *Ex officio members.
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Another Kanye Disaster By: Simone Drake, Ph.D.
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riting for the Root.com, Tracy Clayton observes incredulously that fans of Kanye West’s track “Blood on the Leaves,” on his recently released album, Yeezus, are clearly unfamiliar with Billie Holiday’s 1939 classic, “Strange Fruit.” West samples Nina Simone’s 1965 cover of the classic in his track, “Blood on the Leaves.” Clayton cites seventeen Twitter posts as proof that fans have neither heard Holiday’s song nor understand what the line references, as every post bungles the sampled line. Popular, purple, poppy, poppa, popple, popping, proper, and pop-up were used in place of poplar tree. To be fair, West’s frequent use of Auto-Tune over Simone’s digitized vocal can create some challenges with interpretation, but I do not believe that Auto-Tune is the culprit here. As I read the varying misinterpretations of the sampled lyrics, I initially went into I’m-getting-older-and-grumpy mode, shaking my head with disappointment that so many West fans are seemingly oblivious to the Holiday/Simone reference. Upon further consideration, however, I reflected on how I first encountered Holiday’s classic. I was in graduate school, and in my excitement about the prospect of teaching African American literature, rather than the Freshman composition courses to which I had been subjected, I began devouring the Norton Anthology of African American Literature, studying the poetry, fiction, and vernacular tradition that theretofore had been conspicuously absent in my African American or American literature courses. It was during my self-imposed study that I discovered Arna Bontemps poem, “Southern Mansion.” It’s eerie simile of poplar trees “standing there still as death/And ghosts of dead men” would take on even greater meaning when a year or so later, I learned of antique collector, James Allen’s traveling lynching photography exhibit, Without Sanctuary, and simultaneously first heard the haunting vocals of Holiday singing, “Strange Fruit.” Recalling my introduction to “Strange Fruit” and understanding of the symbolism of poplar trees, I realized that perhaps I am expecting too much from Yeezus fans. A voice inside me, however, says that social consciousness is just as important now as when Holiday recorded Abel Meeropol’s song about southern lynching, and “Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze/Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.” While I will grant West props for some of the sound production of Yeezus, I cannot help, but to succumb to grumpy mode and express deep disappointment in an artist who attempts, through both his lyrics and public declarations, to frame himself as socially conscious, yet he weaves lyrics of a sacred Civil Rights Movement song together with a disturbing, yet all-too familiar rant about golddiggers and baby-mama-drama. I cannot therefore concur with black music scholar, Craig Werner, and those like him who unconvincingly
argue that West is critiquing materialism and keeping history alive. In a song that relies heavily on the b-word to reference women, and promulgates an unoriginal critique of a woman as a gold-digger out to entrap a celebrity through pregnancy, one is hard-pressed to locate the song’s redeeming qualities. West’s feigned attempt to appear balanced by chiding the male celebrity for allowing himself to get imprisoned in “unholy matrimony,” comes across as both patronizing and disingenuous. What meaningful history is being kept alive? Using a Movement classic as background and coupling it with a bridge that samples the hook from C Murder's 2000 hit “Down 4 My N---az,” produces what amounts to a “hot mess,” hardly a lesson on the eradication of racial oppression. For me, perhaps the most damning aspect of West’s attempts to be provocative is the relationship between “Blood on the Leaves” and last week’s Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), relieving nine states and some specific districts in additional states of their obligation to secure federal approval before changing their election laws. This means that many voter identification and early voting laws that disenfranchise racially and socially marginalized citizens, as well as redistricting maps will now have to be challenged through costly and time-consuming law suits. Simone covered “Strange Fruit” the same year Congress passed the VRA; stakes were high for black people then. When that history is overwritten with scenarios that undercut both past and present realities of racial equality, a disservice has been done. Granted, in my opinion, artists are under no obligation to produce socially conscious art, but when they either declare the art to be progressive or insinuate it is, they open the door for critique. Whatever elements of social consciousness that manifested in West’s College Dropout (2004) and Late Registration (2005), for example, are not there now, and neither West nor scholars like Werner should suggest otherwise.
Simone Drake is an assistant professor of African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University. She earned her doctorate at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests are broad and interdisciplinary, focusing on: critical race, gender, and legal studies; transnational black feminism; black masculinities; visual and popular culture; and the literature of the African Diaspora in the Americas.
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less true in 2013 than it was in 1961 when he made that speech before a convention of the National Association of Broadcasters. If television remains a wasteland then The Sopranos was a tropical rainforest: richly colored, teeming with life, while at the same time dark with intrigue and fertile with mystery. Although its debut on HBO occurred fourteen years ago, it wasn’t until 2012 that I saw my first episode. I happened upon it one weekday morning while looking for ESPN. Although I was fully cognizant of the show during its run, I wasn’t as taken with the idea of a made for TV Hollywood mob series as some fans of that genre apparently were. Perhaps, because over the years most mafia television and cinema have left me disappointed: from the over-the-top Vito Corleone of the Godfather to Oliver Stone and Brian DePalma’s ridiculous 1983 rendition of Scarface starring Al Pacino, an Italian American, playing a Cuban immigrant. For hardcore fans of this genre see Casino (1995) Goodfellas (1990) and Once Upon a Time in America (1984); in my opinion, the only films of this particular ilk of the past forty years that merit praise. As far as TV is concerned, only Sonny Steelgrave of the 1980s TV show Wise Guy deserves mention, until now of course. Within a short time, The Sopranos became hugely popular and began racking up Emmy after Emmy after Emmy. After the second episode, I found myself drawn to the show, but for reasons different than one might think. The Sopranos, namely Tony Soprano, was a case study in leadership from which valuable lessons could be drawn. Unlike the TV or big screen mob bosses before him, Tony was not one dimensional, he was complex and human. He displayed a range of emotions. Like many ordinary citizens he tried to juggle immediate and extended family matters, marriage, finances and friendships while staying on top of his full-time job as boss of the Soprano crime family. What’s more, he sees a psychologist on the regular to help him cope with the pressures associated with the lifestyle he has chosen for himself. Tony isn’t perfect, obviously. For starters, he’s quick tempered, impatient and unforgiving. Despite these shortcomings, Tony is a superb leader. Below are seven traits that make him so. The list is not intended to be exhaustive; nonetheless aspiring leaders and fans of the show might find this list instructive. Vision Great leaders have vision. What’s Vision? It’s a destination---where you want to go---and a plan---how to get there. Having a cogent vision means focusing on the right things---the things you’d like to improve; in Tony’s case changes he thinks will generate revenue, improve service or increase employee satisfaction. Tony keeps the business focused on business, not personal vendettas like
Uncle Junior who’s always looking to settle a score. Tony moves the business away from the traditional mob niches, such as the protection racket and loan-sharking, into new areas with better opportunities for profit and competitive advantage. Delegating Tony is adept at delegating, something that continues to be a challenge for the writer of this essay. In Tony’s case, he tells one of his captains: “Its’ your job to make my job easier.” Tony delegates tasks that are not time-effective for him, but that allow others to grow and succeed. He rarely gets involved with the day-to-day operations of the family’s ventures. Instead, he oversees captains and partners who, in turn, run the various subsidiaries he owns or controls. A great example, Silvio, Tony’s Consigliore, is in charge of the Bada Bing club; Tony doesn’t interfere or offer unsolicited advice. What’s going on here is clear: Empower and train your team, while charting a clear trajectory for career advancement. Hierarchy For Tony, order, structure and rules are paramount. He manages from the top-down. He does not feign that every member of the family has an equal say, nor does he pretend that the family is a Democracy, it isn’t. There is a chain of command and no one is to circumvent it. Tony is willing to listen to others, but as the Boss he has the final say. Rules are not to be broken. Break a rule, there’s a consequence; simple as that. Give a guy a pass and the next thing you know, CHAOS. Execution Tony doesn’t spend inordinate amounts of time mulling things over. In other words, he doesn’t sit around thinking about doing this or that; he does it. He has a reputation for producing. People like doing business with him, because they know he’ll deliver when he says he’ll deliver. He doesn’t procrastinate; he does what needs to be done when it needs to be done. Desire Tony leads well because he wants to lead. He relishes the idea of leading, despite his protestations to the contrary when in the presence of Dr. Melfi. He wants the family to succeed and its members to excel. He inspires confidence, builds energy and enthusiasm and sets the standard that every employee must uphold. Everyone knows what’s expected of him and they follow Tony’s lead. Decisiveness Tony doesn’t waffle; he makes a decision and stands by it. When Christopher Moltisanti questioned a decision, Tony snaps “I’m the m____ f____ who makes the f___ decisions around here . . . where do you get the f____ balls to question my leadership?” Within seconds Christopher realizes his mistake and acquiesces. “A wrong decision is better than indecision,” Tony says. Whether he’s deciding
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how to resolve a conflict between two capos or whom to promote within the family, Tony makes the decision based on the best available data and sticks to it. He doesn’t waver. And, he never postpones making a vital decision, but when he makes a bad decision he has the hutzpah to admit it, he doesn’t deflect responsibility. Managing Managing is not the same as leading (see the works of Peter Drucker and/or Dr. Warren Bennis or just simply have a conversation with Sam Gresham). Tony adopts whatever is the most effective method to achieve the desired results. He will cajole, persuade or manipulate in order to get the job done, but when people mess up, Tony lays down the law (e.g., Big Pussy and Richie Aprile). He doesn’t wait; he does it immediately. When Ralph Cifaretto is faced with what to do with his girlfriend’s son (Jackie Jr.) who raided a card game that resulted in Sunshine’s death, Tony doesn’t order Ralph to whack the kid; instead, he manipulates Ralph into arriving at a decision that Ralph would rather avoid. Rules are rules. Break one, there’s a consequence. Tony is demanding and expects the best. He pushes, prods, pokes and manipulates his employees until they are the best they can be or until the desired end has been met. Conclusion Contrary to what some may believe; leaders are not without flaws. Some of them may even be major (e.g. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), but those failings do not invalidate them as leaders. Tony Soprano possessed many flaws, but he was a superb blend of old-school/new school leadership that any aspiring leader would appreciate.
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The Supreme Court, the Voting Rights Act and Black Leadership: Offering some Clarity to This Whole Thing By: C. Earl Campbell DA III, M.A.
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he U.S. Supreme Court stripped the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 of the provision that required several states to obtain approval from the federal government prior to altering or modifying its voting and election laws, thus effectively removing the chains from around the necks of 9 confederate Pit Bulls. These mostly southern states (some of which are Tea Party strongholds) are now free to help the “South Rise Again.” While some African Americans are preoccupied with whether or not food entrepreneur Paula Deen used the N word, the real racists implemented a successful strategy to remove the teeth from perhaps the Civil Rights Movement’s most seminal piece of legislation. Certain powers-that-be are planning an offensive that is certain to undercut Black people’s voting strength for years to come. One could make the controversial and unpopular argument that the VRA of 1965 was a trap from the outset, because it created within African American communities a false sense of security. Those that controlled both political parties realized long ago, that they could identify, groom and usher into office the right kind of Black Politician; for whom working to uplift and empower his or her own people would not be a priority. The illusion of having “Black Faces In High Places” was enough to rock the masses of Black Folk back to asleep. Both Republicans and Democrats have carried out a “War On African Americans,” both literally as well as figuratively for time and immemorial. There are ample examples that one can point to; whether it be the War On Drugs, the attack on Affirmative Action, the stop and frisk policy in New York or the three strikes you’re out law. The so-called “War On Drugs”, was just a continuation of the Black Codes and the Chain Gangs that were prevalent in the same southern states that were unleashed by the recent Supreme Court decision. White elites have long prided themselves on grooming a class of Black Leadership that has little interest in continuing the struggle on behalf of their fellow African Americans, unless doing so somehow benefits them. What these leaders want is access to power for themselves and their children, good federal and state jobs, and to be the 1st Black to be selected for this or that in their chosen fields of endeavor. As a result of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, there are nearly 10,000 Black elected officials and yet Black conditions are worse than at any time in our history, post enslavement, of course. The policies that were the hallmark of the Reagan Revolution, continued by George H. W. Bush, and later William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton (the Republican in Democrat clothing), ramped up again by George W. Bush have adversely impacted unprecedented numbers of African American men and women. Despite having more educated African Americans in 2013; that has not translated into the kind of empowered Black community that Dr. W.E.B. DuBois had in mind when he spoke of the Talented Tenth. The education or should I say Mis-education has created a group of self-absorbed Blacks who lack the moral courage to stand up for their own people. They are too busy looking for that safe corporate or government job and have no sense of responsibility for those who sacrificed their lives and freedom so that they may occupy the positions they currently hold. In the Post-Racial Era (a silly term if ever there was one) of President Barack Obama, African Americans have been so mesmerized by the sight of a “Black Face in The White House,” that some of them recently found themselves standing in the center of the highway of life, while the Supreme Court ran roughshod over them in an eighteen wheeler. Instead of worrying about being called the N word by the irrelevant and disingenuous Paula Deen, African Americans should concern themselves with electing leaders who have genuine and practical plans to address the Prison and Poverty Industrial Complexes, both of which have disproportionately impacted African Americans. African Americans require a National Empowerment Plan that allows them to address and solve their own problems. The Supreme Court’s Decision should be a wakeup call for all, even those who think they are in an elite class, because of their celebrity status, income, position, education, influence or wealth such as Brian McKnight who years ago stated in an interview with Tavis Smiley that it didn’t matter who was elected president, because it wouldn’t negatively impact him, as he was always going to be in a very high income bracket. It would be nice if McKnight was an anomaly among Blacks, but I doubt that he is. African Americans must demand that their current and future leaders, at every level work diligently to solve their problems or get out of the way. As Eldridge Cleaver was fond of saying, “you’re either part of the problem or part of the solution.” One of the questions posed by former Senator Ray Miller in a recent issue of the Columbus African American News Journal was (and I’m paraphrasing here): when is it appropriate to criticize Black leaders? My answer: the minute that Black leaders start to behave antithetical to the interests of Black people or when they comport themselves in a manner that dishonors the legacy of those who blazed a trail for them. It is time for real Black Men and Women to show courage; take responsibility for learning the truth and solve their own problems. Where there is A Will, there is always A Way, where there is No Will, there are Excuses; and plenty of them. Demand Solutions, stop putting up with mediocrity!
C. Earl Campbell DA III attended college at Jackson State University and earned a masters degree in social work from The Ohio State University. He is a graduate of The Ray Miller Institute for Change and Leadership.
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Sharing a Common Desire: Youth Learning about Self and Community through Summer Enrichment By: Tamara Butler, M.A.
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could only describe this year’s group—Derrick Barbour, ChaRon Booker, Imani Burke, Mika Cox, Charles Gauthier, Ethan Gates, Pearson McDaniel, Ayanna Porter, Keiron Sanders, Jordanlinn Sanford, Angelia Scott, and Jayden Turner—as “transforming.” Amidst poetry and paint, we began to see ourselves as emerging agents of change. By designing a tennis shoe to commemorate the life of an activist, studying murals that honor personal activists, and writing a found poem, students worked in small groups to artistically engage with historical texts. In order to write a found poem, students selected a total of 30 words from: a poem in Carole Weatherford’s (2002) Remember the Bridge, a chapter from Belinda Robnett’s (1997) How Long? How Long?, and the introduction to Bernice Barnett’s (1993) “Invisible Southern Black Women Leaders in the Civil Rights Movement.” The headers featured throughout this article are excerpts from the students’ poems.
Derrick Barbour, Ayanna Porter and Imani Burke are assembling a jigsaw puzzle during our June 13th visit to the Columbus Museum of Art.
“…the bridge is men and women, famous and unknown, leaving paths of memories. I stand with valiant soldiers” (Pearson McDaniel)
From June 10th to 14th, these twelve rising high school freshmen and sophomores participated in the 2013 Summer Enrichment Program entitled, “‘I Am Everyday People’: Uncovering Invisible Activists for Change and Action.” This year’s title alludes to Lee Sartain’s Invisible Activists that explores Black female leadership in various NAACP chapters in Louisiana. The title also pays homage to the individuals involved in movements toward justice, freedom, and equity. Through the arts and intergenerational dialogues, it was my hope this year’s participants came to see themselves as a part of those local, national, and global movements. The week included a community tour led by Mr. Willis Brown, a visit to the Columbus Museum of Art, and dialogues with Ms. Reita Smith, Dr. Toni Shorter Smith, Mrs. Ann E. Walker, Ms. Julialynne Walker, Mr. John B. Williams, Mr. Andrew Neutzling and Dr. Valerie Kinloch. Under the guidance of several community members, I designed this year’s program to raise awareness about youth activism, gentrification, and preservation by teaching “untold” stories. Mr. and Mrs. Derrick Barbour Sr. shed light into what happens when we began to Distinguished Guests: students listen as Ms. Julialynne Walker equip youth with history and listen to their questions: “One evening after picking Derrick up, he speaks about the importance of oral histories. Also pictured: began to chatter about saving Black communities. He was angry that people didn’t want to Dr. Toni Shorter Smith, Ms. Reita Smith, Mrs. Ann E. Walker, preserve something so meaningful…Prior to this program, these issues weren’t on Derrick’s and Mr. John B. Williams. radar…He is now attending a five-week summer program for youth at Capital Law University. He says he may be able to learn enough…to help someone in the future.” “In the shadows of heroes without names and keep the faith of elders who lean on hickory canes…” (ChaRon Booker) Back in the classroom, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Jesus and other names were written on the dry erase board. I asked students to share the names of people they thought were activists, which led to an intense discussion about the beliefs and characteristics of an activist. After a 15-minute debate, we noticed that only 4 of the 20 or more names were women (Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, and Mother Theresa). Throughout the week, students engaged in online research, created artwork and developed multimedia presentations about “invisible women” such as June Jordan, Septima Poinsette Clark, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Fannie Lou Hamer, and others. In her presentation, Ayanna Porter made connections between the actions of Mamie Bradley, the mother of Emmitt Till, and Sybrina Pearson McDaniel, Jayden Turner, Imani Burke and Keiron Sanders are repurposing a picture frame to display their end-of- Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin. continued on page 8 program art pieces.
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“The bridge of men and women Timeless stepping stones Hear and dance to the beat…” (Angelia Scott) During the June 12th walking community tour, we spoke with the owners of Battiste La Fleur Galleria and the Book Store, located on East Long Street. The students ventured through the wrought iron doors of 891 E. Long Street for an impromptu tour of what was once the Alpha Hospital and home of Method Gallery. As to not to disturb the meeting-in-progress, we quickly descended the narrow stairwell and walked to the coffee shop located at 893 E. Long. As we filed into the building, the students soon recognized Mr. Gene Walker, a jazz legend, sitting at a corner table for an interview. Many of the students admitted that they had never seen or heard of Mr. Walker before our viewing of the WOSU documentary about Bronzeville the day before. As students admired the artwork, took pictures with Mr. Walker, or simply enjoyed the air conditioning, one student asked, “What’s the address of this place?” She quickly unfolded a piece of printer paper and shared that in 1929 the building used to be a floral shop. Before starting our walking tour, the students viewed the 1929 Columbus Negro Directory, a part of the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s African American Digital Collection. Students were to locate businesses with addresses along Mount Vernon Avenue and East Long Street. By using the historical document during the tour, students had an opportunity to reflect upon the historical and contemporary state of the community. “Freedom is a soulful word…” (Jordanlinn Sanford) On Friday, June 14th, friends, family, and community members gathered at the Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center for the closing ceremony. The program featured the students’ artwork and Prezi presentations, which included their research on a historical Bronzeville site or person, an “unknown” Black female activist, and their reflections on the week. In his presentation, Charles Gauthier shared, “I’ve discovered a new passion in myself for history because of this camp.” Not only did students walk away from the program with new knowledge, parents also revealed that they felt more informed. According to Mrs. Chandrika Boyd, the mother of ChaRon Booker, “The first thing my daughter discussed with me was public domain. I was quite impressed, as this was not something I thought she would even touch in the program…I personally learned about the names on the buildings are in honor of the men’s wives. There is more history than realize right in our very own city.”
Summer Enrichment Program participants with Dr. Valerie Kinloch, Associate Professor in the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University. Dr. Kinloch talked about her 2010 book, Harlem on Our Minds: Place, Race, and the Literacies of Urban Youth, which addresses youth, literacies, and gentrification.
Tamara Butler attended college at Xavier University and later earned a Master’s Degree in African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University. Currently she is pursuing a doctorate in the College of Education at OSU.
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Jim Kelly
May 5, 1946-June 29, 2013
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