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jUSt \A/rite by joan cJolopoy HARLEM Lasl week, along with 46 oilier women from the Mercy Medical Cenler League, I loured Harlem. And once again, as ollen happens when I go on a cultural trip, visit a new museum, or see a new neighborhood. I was reminded of Ihe many gaps thai exist in my formal education. Our firsl slop was (he Apollo Theater, now landmarked. hul always acknowledged as the place where new talent was fostered. Built in 1913, amateur nights started in 1934 and lasted until the 1970s, resuming in the early 1990s. On a wall of fame was a collage of Ihe greals of ja/./ and rock and roll. Into the theater we walked. While all of us were invited to perform, age and self-consciousness look their loll and we all passed on the opportunity. On a rainy. Tuesday morning, as we walked onto Ihe empty stage, lights dimmed and music silenced, il was hard to visuali/e Ihe vihranl performances that launched so many careers. Off to Sylvia's we wenl to eat our traditional Southern meal of fried chicken, ribs, col lard greens, rice and potato salad. Less spicy than Ihe Caribbean enhanced cuisine the B a l d w i n Chamber of Commerce enjoyed at the local restaurant, "Comnrcad and Caviar," this repast, nevertheless, caused everyone to forget calories and cho-
lesterol as we ale heartily and viewed framed and autographed pictures thai filled the restaurant's walls. Then up to the historical heart of Harlem with a stop at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Here an exhibition entitled "Africana Age: African and African Diasporan Transformations in the 20th Century" encorporales hundreds of pictures which "survey the social, political, and cultural struggles of the black world during the 2()lh century." There was silence as 46 white women viewed photographs of black Africans being used as beasts of burdens and of newspaper photos showing lynchings, civil rights marches, rallies and protests. We saw photographs of important black leaders in labor, politics, religion and entertainment. Slowly, room by room, the climate of black history moved from one of colonial domination to legal acceptance, from accomplishment to the recognition of those accomplishments. Our final hour in Harlem was spent louring the streets, seeing its residential and commercial rennaisance. On the wide main boulevards, some with landscaped medians, there were no burned out buildings and few empty shops. We saw children in school uniforms with backpacks filled with books. We saw the orderliness of row houses and
Summer food program Hi-Hello Child Care Center announces its participation in the federally funded Slimmer Food Service Program (SFSP). Under the Program nutritious meals are provided to all children 18 years and under who meet Ihe approved Income Eligibility Standards. All families registering their children in Camp Hi-Hello will be required to submit an income eligibility form. The following income eligibility standards will be used for determining eligibility for free meals: Household Income Income Size Yearly Monthly:
1 2 3 4 5 6
$15.448 $20.813 $26.178 $31.543 $36.908 $42.273
$1,288 $1,735 $2,182 $2.629 $3.076 $3.523
7
$47.6.38
$3.970
$4,417 $53,003 8 $4,865 $58,368 9 $5,313 $63,733 10 $5,761 $69,098 II $6,209 $74,463 12 For each additional family member add: Yearly $5,365/Monlhly $448 Children who are members of food stamp" households or (TANF) Temporary Assistance to Needy Families assistance units are automatically eligible to receive free meal benefits at eligible program sites. Meals will be provided at Camp HiHello at Giblyn School, 425 South Ocean Avenue. Freepprl, from June 25 through August 17. Anyone interested in receiving more information should contact: Hi-Hello Child Care Center, 212 South Ocean Avenue, Freeport, or call 379-1825.
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the elegance of Strivers1 Row with its million-dollar brownstones restored with huge oak doors and flower-filled window boxes. We saw the old Alexander Hamilton farmhouse, first built when Harlem was "country," and now squeezed onto a small lot with barely an inch between it and an adjacent church. We saw a block of old brick and wooden farmhouses with front porches and small yards that are in the midst of a restoration that is being funded through the philanthropy of Brooke Astor. We viewed the majesty of CCNY whose granite spires on the western h i l l s of Harlem recall generations of serious learning as well as philosophical arid political differences. And occasionally, on the sides of buildings, we saw murals calling for unity and ethnic pride. One mural, with pictures of indicted but not convicted policemen, was sobering. The writing pro-" claimed, "Innocent in youf community; guilty in ours." Majestic churches and an occasional mosque soared over the smaller buildings and we were told that many tourists, particularly Europeans, come to Harlem on Sundays to hear the magnificent gospel choirs. Heading back to the Triborough Bridge we crossed 125th street, past the towering
New York Slate building and its impressive 3C wide plaza. It was built through the advoca- ;-! cy of Governor Nelson Rockefeller in his q. attempts to revitalize Harlem. Almost three decades later, that revitalization is in full swing. The move of former President Clin- v: ton to offices along this same street is an added concern for many longtime residents who fear the growing genlrificalion. As we meandered our way back to Long Island, I thought of my education, one that focused mostly on Western European histo- m ry as seen from a while, male perspective. Not only did that narrow curriculum m deprive people of color of Ihe facts of their > D own heritage and deny them Ihe pride of m achievement, but so. loo, were the rest of us 73 short-changed. How many of us grew up unaware of the information we should have had to develop a more accurate picture of the past, one that would have given us a better understanding of its impact on the present. With my head resting back and my eyes closed. I thought about my day. I was silent, trying to process all that I had seen and heard. But gradually, as I sat quietly, 1 could hear the songs of my youth and I was filled with regret. I should have gotten up on that stage at the Apollo to sing. I could have performed....maybe next time.
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Marigold planting this Saturday The Beautiful Baldwin Foundation (BBF) will be holding its annual marigold plant-in on Saturday, June 2. Volunteers will plant marigolds under trees along the main thoroughfares and at certain central locations as well as in planters. Those interested in helping must call president Eleanor Foote at 223-9073 so that assignments can be prepared. On June 2,
volunteers are asked to come to Milburn School between 8:30 and 10 a.m. to pick up their marigold plants. Workers should dress in clothing appropriate for gardening and bring work gloves and gardening implements. Those interested in gardening with Baldwin's "Gardening Angels" on Tuesday mornings can contact BBF.
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