Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 5 - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2007
Obama: New face, new hope for White House?
By Kelly Quimby
Guest Writer
kelly_quimby@yahoo.com
Sometimes it feels
that American politicians
serve no other purpose
than to disappoint. Our
country was founded on
great principles, and yet
with every passing year
it seems that we must,
in some way, fight to
keep these principles in
tact. It is much easier
to say that our country
is free than to actually
feel that freedom.
Politicians seem to be
concerned with nothing
more than their own
self- advancement,
and the people they
represent have resigned
themselves to apathy
rather than demand
that their faith in their
government be restored.
1 have spent many
a dark hour brooding
over the diminishing
public participation in
today's politics. I look
at my parents and at
the involvement they
displayed at my age
and 1 am saddened that
I have done nothing
more to influence the
political sphere than to
"Dr. Lundeana Thomas presents: African
American Theatre History"
By Olivia Chilako
Staff Writer
ocljf@yahoo.com
“Today I arn going to
tell you about Vhe history of
African American theatre
in a very interactive way; 1
grew up in church, so feel
free, say Amen when need
t(i" recalled Dr. Lundeana
Thomas, Director of
African American Theatre
at the University of
Louisville. Starting off
her lecture at the Martha
Munro Building room
105 on Friday March
3oth part of the African
American series through
history presented by The
West Georgia Theatre
Company.
African American
theatre has got a traceable
history since the 19th
century. African theatre
was started in 1821, a
young man by the name
William Brown settled in
New York got money; he
bought a teahouse started
in Mercer. Two women
then they started a theatre
known as “The African
Grow Theatre” owned by
Mr. Brown approached
him, and Brown wrote a
play called “The Drama
of King Shadow”. Two
important actors of
that particular play Ira
Aldridge; blacks didn’t
save themselves as slaves.
They saw themselves as
slaves but “I ain’t no slaves
no more”. Mr. Brown also
wrote the Escape or “A
Leap for Freedom” on
1858. The first African
American play published
from Lexington, KY.
On 1828 Thomas
D. Rice saw a man who
happened to be “Jim Crow”
character and made pre
minstrel company known
as Virginia Minstrels, as
vote. However, the dark
clouds lifted a little last
week. And God willing,
with the good will of
the people to confirm it,
there will be something
worth respecting with
the next presidential
election.
Although the 2008
presidential election
may be 19 months
away, you couldn’t tell
that on Saturday at the
Barack Obama rally in
Yellow Jacket Park in
Atlanta. This was my
first political rally and
I was unsure of what
to expect. However, 1
certainly didn’t expect
the diversity of the
crowd of over 20,000, the
genuine enthusiasm, and
optimism 1 felt about the
future of America while
there. Not only from
the candidate when he
spoke, but also from the
people in attendance. In
this age of politics based
on fear and cynicism
about government,
it was refreshing to
hear someone speak
extraneously, with such
hope and integrity about
the future of America.
Obama brings
to mind the great
white quartet. They had
a character of an African
American, here is a man
who is emulating a person,
a lot of people exaggerated
in what they saw and
lead to having fictional
portrayal of African
Americans. Bob Cole and
Billy Johnson team up to
produce a play that was
the first show to have a
plot with a beginning,
middle, and an end. Also
one that was completely
organized, written, and
produced by blacks, some
history books will tell you
that “Show Boat” was
the first musical that had
a beginning, middle, and
an end but in fact it was
the Bob Cole and Billy
Johnson play.
In the 1900s Bert
Williams and George
Walker produced their first
musical showon Broadway,
“The Sons of Ham” in
1903 their production of
“In Dahomey” is taken to
London where it plays am
command performance for
royalty; their successful
partnership ends with
Walker’s premature
death in 1911. In 1902
four musical William
and Walker teamed to
present “Sons of Ham”,
“In Dahomey”, “In
Abyssinia”, “In Bandana
Land”.
1906 The Pekin Stock
Company of Chicago
formed by Robert T. Motts,
Charles Gilpin in company
headed by J. Edward
Green. Bert Williams made
$ 6000 a week, but he was
still not allowed to get into
the club until someone lets
him in and says he’ll take
responsibility for him”.
William was afraid people
would walk into the club
and mistake him for the
door man.
politicians of the
past. He possesses the
spirit of old American
politicians, the ones that
wrote theirown speeches
and truly had America’s
future at heart. He did
not waste my time trying
to sway my vote away
from others by using
dirty politics. He did
not try to scare me with
an ominous future that
could only be brightened
by campaign donations.
Rather, he gave me hope
in American politics. He
spoke about issues that
I regard as important.
And from what 1 heard,
it did not seem that any
of these issues would
bring about personal
gain for his family and
friends. What I heard
made me feel that he
truly cared about the
American people, not
the money he could gain
from us. And from that,
I felt the weight bearing
down on me lift a little.
When I first arrived
at the rally, I was a little
annoyed. 1 had to stand
in an enormous crowd of
people and wait for an
hour and a half to hear
him speak. While we
all waited impatiently
1915 was a year to
remember. The Lafayette
Theatre in Harlem
established by Anita
Bush presented new play
weekly also helped to
start theatres in Baltimore.
Chicago, and Los Angeles.
In 1916 “Rachel” a play
by Angelina Grimke
was the Ist play by an
African American woman
to be published. It was
commissioned by the
NAACP and was the Ist
play written on racial
propaganda. The play was
about women who loved
children but did not want
her child to be called the
N-word ever. It was a very
sad play, Angelina wanted
to touch white women’s
heart and she accomplished
her goal.
W.E.B Dußois in
1923 wrote principles for
first performance theory
of a black play.
He declared it should be:
1) by us- Black drama
must be about Blacks,
with plots revealing life
as it is; 2) By Us- The
drama is written by black
authors who understand
from birth and continual
association what it means
to be black; 3) For Us- the
drama caters to the black
audience; and 4) Near Us
the drama is performed in
theatres located in black
neighborhoods.
“Appearances”
by Garland Anderson
became the first dramatic
play in 1925 written by a
black man to have a full
Broadway run. Ran for
23 performances. It was
revived on October 1929 for
another 24 performances.
It was the first integrated
play. Hoover- FDR
had a vision of putting
blacks to work. Langston
Hughes’ MULATTO
just for a glimpse of the
man, I looked around
me and felt that I had
seen this scene before
in documentaries about
the sixties. In fact, as I
turned on the news later
Saturday night, I heard
a man say that he had
not seen as much hope
in people since John F.
Kennedy was running
for President.
When Senator
Obama finally emerged
to speak to us, the crowd
rose above the drone that
hung in the air for the
past hour and cheered
madly. We cheered even
louder when he spoke
of universal healthcare,
ditching the No Child
Left Behind Act, an end
to the War in Iraq, and
saving the environment.
These should be the
issues. We deserve to
read the newspaper and
learn how' our President
has bettered our lives,
not scandal after
scandal. We deserve
serious politicians, not
culturally ignorant oil
patrons looking to make
a buck at the expense of
the American people.
We deserve truth,
not question-dodging
opens on Broadway and
established a record for
a straight play by a black
writer. The federal Theatre
Project of the Works
Progress Administration,
through its Negro
Unites in several cities,
provided employment
for black theatre artists
and technicians during
the Great Depression; the
project was discontinued
in 1939.
The American Negro
Theatre (ANT) founded
by Abram Hill in 1940 and
Fred O’Neal who become
president of the ANT.
Their greatest success was
“Anna Lucasta”: produced
in 1944. “The ANT had
no star system all actors
were treated equally. They
started teaching, had acting
classes performed the
play “Anna Lucasta and
it was the Bomb, so they
went to Broadway and the
concept stayed with them”
Recalled Dr. Lundeana
Thomas. ANT worked at
the Schombug Library
and had acting lessons for
members. Featured Canada
Lee, Ossie Davis, Ruby
Dee, Frank Silvera, John
Proctor, Alice Childress,
and Sidney Poitier.
African Americans
Theatre history continued
to flourish from the
1950s through the new
millennium. In 2003 The
African American Theatre
program pf the university
of Louisville celebrated its
10th Anniversary. In 2004
“GEM of the Ocean” by
August Wilson opens on
Broadway with Phylicia
Rashad. “Top Dog/Under
Dog” won Pulitzer Prize;
Suzan Lori- Parks From
fort Knox, Kentucky was
the first African American
Female to win a Pulitzer
Award.
dribble. When people
whine that he is not
experienced enough
with American politics
to make an effective
president, he retorts,
clearly, if the experience
gained from Capitol Hill
is evident in Washington
today, than perhaps it
is not something to be
admired.
Obama’s sincerity
is not the only thing
that impressed me about
him. He understands
the American political
process (at least he
should, he taught
Constitutional Law).
He speaks articulately
and says nothing that
allows the bloodthirsty
news media to tear
him to shreds. He is
respectable and portrays
it merely by the sound
of his voice. He actually
has a plan for the future,
which is more than could
be said for the current
administration. They
can only plan as far as
their next cover-up or
get-rich-quick scheme.
That is not democracy,
it is capitalism and
only a fool could not
distinguish between
the two. I am sure
Want to meet the Goo Goo Dolls?
The West Georgian can be
your ticket to a backstage meet
and greet with the band before the
performance on April 26th. How
you ask? Well, we were thinking
you guys could work for it. How
about this:
Why do you want to meet the Goo Goo
Dolls?
We think this could be interesting,
so send in your reasons to
UWGPaper@westga.edu with “Goo
Goo Dolls” as the tide. We’ll print our
favorite submissions in future issues
and choose a winner before the big
show. So, let’s hear it!
Passes donated courtesy of the Athletic Department
ATTENTION:
The lyus Tea Party will be
held on Saturday,
April 21,2007. It will be from
4:30 - 8:00pm outside by the
Tyus Lobby.
We will have food, fun and
games.
THE WEST GEORGIAN
Obama knows this, but
he does not give us
reason to believe that
he is spiteful toward the
Bush administration.
He merely told us that
changes need to be made
and he cannot bring
about these changes on
his own. He needs the
trust of the American
people, and now, he has
mine.
I have, for too long,
feared that America was
going the way of Greece
and Rome. As with
every great nation, it
is only too long before
they are consumed with
their own greatness
and greed and collapse.
Americans must stand
for their liberties, or
else, who is stopping
anyone from taking
them away (Patriot
Act)? What I feel Barack
Obama is capable of
achieving is something
that we possessed long
ago in our nation’s past:
honorable leadership
capable of reversing
our mistakes. The world
is bleak as of now, but
Senator Obama knows
better than anyone how
to raise our hopes.