Page 6
L.A. WATTS TIMES
February 25, 2010
ARTS & CULTURE BLACK HISTORY MONTH FEATURE
Reflections in Black and White A LEGEND — Born in Shreveport, La., on Oct. 2, 1937, late attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. (center) became a household name upon successfully defending O.J. Simpson, who was charged with killing wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994. Other celebrity clients include Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and Michael Jackson. But prior to his rise to Photo by HARRY ADAMS international fame, Cochran broke barriers as an African American lawyer in Los Angeles with a penchant for representing disadvantaged blacks. His path to prominence began after graduating from Los Angeles High School in 1955, a time when black students were few and far between. Cochran went on in 1959 to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Juris Doctor from Loyola Marymount University School of Law in 1962. Upon passing the California bar in 1963, Cochran began working as a Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney in the criminal division. Before long, he launched the firm, Cochran, Atkins & Evans. Although Cochran lost his first high-profile case, involving a widow who sued police officers who had fatally shot her husband, he realized that the case had galvanized the black community to seek justice. In the 1970s, Cochran became known as the go-to lawyer in the black community to fight police brutality and other social justice issues. In 1978, Cochran achieved a major milestone when he became the first black assistant district attorney in Los Angeles County. Well-known among celebrity clientele and the general public alike, Cochran died of a brain tumor March 29, 2005, in Los Angeles. In memoriam, Los Angeles Unified School District officials unanimously approved the renaming of Mount Vernon Middle School, which Cochran attended, to Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Middle School on Jan. 24, 2006. The following year, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center opened the new Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Brain Tumor Center, a research center headed by Dr. Keith Black, the neurosurgeon who’d treated Cochran. This picture is part of an ongoing photo series, titled “Reflections in Black and White,” that will be published regularly in the L.A. Watts Times, courtesy of the Institute for Arts and Media at California State University, Northridge.
‘Blood Done Sign My Name’ a True Civil Rights Account BY DARLENE DONLOE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Nate Parker is quickly becoming the next “it” guy in Hollywood. A sturdy actor with plenty of charm, brains and good looks, his body of work proves he’s going in the right direction. In his current work, Parker, whose credits include “The Great Debaters,” “The Secret Life of Bees” and “Pride,” plays civil rights activist Dr. Ben Chavis in the civil rights drama, “Blood Done Sign My Name,” released in theaters Feb. 19. The movie recently made its world premiere as the opening night film for the 18th Annual Pan African Film Festival, which closed last week. This true story, which takes place in the 1970s, chronicles the racial unrest in Oxford, N.C., after a white businessman and his two sons are acquitted of viciously murdering a 23-year-old black Vietnam War veteran. The movie, written and directed by Jeb Stuart, is an adaptation of Timothy Tyson’s best-selling book by the same name. I recently caught up with Parker to talk about the impact and importance of the movie and his
America’s Jazz and Blues Station www.jazzandblues.org
CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST — Nate Parker, center, stars as Dr. Ben Chavis in the new civil rights-oriented movie “Blood Done Sign My Name.”
portrayal of Chavis. LAWT: Why did you want to do this movie? NP: The main reason is because this film creates a model of leadership that I can apply right now in 2010 to some of the issues we need to deal with in our community. So, I saw the leadership qualities of Dr. Chavis. I saw what he did. I saw he stepped into the need of his community. And, I thought, ‘How can I apply that same quality? What are the needs of my community? What are we dealing with’ — whether it be incarceration or diseases, lack of education, illiteracy — those are the things we need to tackle? LAWT: Were you familiar with this story? NP: No, I knew who Dr. Chavis was, but I didn’t know this story. At 12, he was a member of the NAACP. At 13, he integrated the local library. I had no idea. LAWT: How did you go about developing the character of Dr. Chavis? NP: I looked to his legacy. I looked in history and did research. I realized his father was a pastor who served in WWII and had a great sense of pride in who he was. His great, great grandfather was John Chavis. He was an educator in the 1800s. He taught slave children and was beat to death for teaching
✁
children to read. I also looked to Frederick Douglass. They used the words of Douglass in the film. These people passed down wisdom. LAWT: How do you decide what roles you’re going to take? NP: It’s integrity. It’s as simple as that. Will every film I do be something on civil rights? No! But, I’m not going to allow myself to be emasculated. I’m not going to allow myself to blaspheme. Not going to do something that’s going to separate me from my people or push down my people. I can’t be part of the oppression. I have to be part of the solution. LAWT: Some are calling you the next Denzel Washington. NP: Wow! Thank you everyone. It’s a blessing just to be mentioned in the same sentence as someone who has done so much for the community and the film business. That’s an incredible compliment. I can only hope God positions me to accept that kind of responsibility. “Blood Done Sign My Name,” an independent film being distributed by Paladin, stars Parker, Lela Rochon, Omar Benson Miller, Golden Globe winner Ricky Schroder, Nick Searcy, Michael Rooker, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Gattlin Griffith and Afemo Omilami.
Celebrate Black History Month
FREE ADMISSION FOR 2 The Best Shopping Bargains in L.A.
7 Days a Week 7AM-4PM EXPIRES 3-14-10
2500 Redondo Beach Blvd. (Between Crenshaw and Van Ness) LAWT 2-25-10
(323) 321-3709
Saturday & Sunday please park at El Camino College Lot
Visit us on the web at: www.roadium.com