Newspaper Page Text
SPELMA N
THE VOICE
OF BLACK WOMANHOOD
SPO TLIGHT
vol. vn
ATLANTA, GA.
OCTOBER 1976
Wall of Respect
VERNA PARKS
By Robyn Mahone
On the side of Henry’s Grill
and Lounge on the comers of
Auburn and Piedmont
Avenues is a vividly colored
mural representing the past,
present and future of black
people. It is called “The Wall of
Respect.”
“It’s a tribute to black people
all over the world because it
represents black life all over
the world,” explained Verna
Parks. “Through history,
musicians and our leaders, it
represents hope for the future.
It’s purpose is to have
Black Men and Women
By Amanda Seward
What is the problem between
black men and black women?
The SPOTLIGHT conducted a
survey to see if there was any
consensus of opinion within
the AU community. The wide
range of answers were illus
trated by the following replies.
Spelman’s Dr. Jane
Browning, sociology instruc
tor and director of freshman
studies saw the problem in two
aspects. We are facing the
crisis of relationship ad
justment. While we are having
women’s liberation, black men
are having career liberation.
They have more career
choices. Two liberations at the
same time has caused conflict.
Integration is the other aspect
and that’s heavy. Now blacks
are being found in integrated
situations. Black women are
being attracted to white men,
whether they want to face it or
not, and obviously black men
are attracted to white women,”
she explained.
Dr. Browning sees no
solution to the problem. She
said, “We will just have to bat
tle it out. It is a painful
experience but we can’t get
away from it. Time will tell.”
Neyswah Abiku, free lance
jazz critic, said, “Richard
Wright once said that he did
not like messing with black
women because all they want
is things. I think men add to
this because they are not
honest with their things. Also
men often say they can give
more than they are actually
willing or able to give. For
example, when a man sees a
woman, wow, and vice versa.
The man knowing that he does
not want her on a long term
basis, makes her believe the
opposite. He decides he doesn’t
want to give that much, but
you know (laugh). I think a
person has to look at
themselves and ask, what am I
capable of giving?”
Sophomore, Sharon
McGahee did not see it as a
black man/black woman
problem but as an individual
problem. She went further to
say that these problems
stemmed from a lack of com
munication.
Warren St. James,
psychology major at
Morehouse College, also saw
the problem as one developing
from a lack of communication.
He said, “For example, when a
Continued on page 8
profound meaning to black
people and the public at large.”
Ms. Parks, a senior at
Spelman College with a double
major of art and French,
painted the magnificent mural
along with two other artists,
Nathan Hoskins and Amos
Johnson.
“I want the mural to give
them (black people) a sense of
pride in their past and hope for
their future,” Ms. Parks
abetted. We realized that it’s
already gotten that type of res
ponse, it gave us an op
portunity to educate people.”
Ms. Parks described how
children and adults alike
would come by and name those
pictured in the mural whom
they recognized, and how she
and the other artists would
explain to the admirers the
names and significance of the
others pictured.
The three artists were com
missioned by the
Neighborhood Arts Center to
paint he mural as a part of the
“Sweet Auburn Avenue” fes
tival. The festival, held here in
August, was sponsored by the
Inner City Development Corp.
and the Bureau of Cultural Af
fairs of the City of Atlanta.
The purpose of the festival
was to call attention to Auburn
Avenue’s history and its
future. The artists taught
classes at the center as interns
through the Atlanta Urban
Corp. They were told that the
center planned a mural as a
part of the festival and conse
quently the three were asked to
do the job.
“They didn’t really tell us
how to plan the wall, they felt
that we had the integrity, they
didn’t tell us what to put on the
wall or not to include.” Ms.
Parks related.
The" artists selected a wall
that would get the most
exposure from the public eye. A
lot of the buildings in the area
are very old and stand the
chance of being tom down in a
few years, although there is a
building rehabilitation
program going on in the area.
Ms. Parks believes that the
mural is in the best possible
location.
The artists collected
photographs, pictures from
newspapers, magazines and
album covers. They then com
bined the materials they
collected and separated them
into different areas using
people who were important to
black communities all over the
world. Because there was so
much to choose from, Ms.
Parks said, “We could just as
well paint the mural over and
Continued on page 8
NBSA Holds
Conference
By Lei Charlton
Some 110 members of the
National Black Students As
sociation convened at the
Southeastern Regional
Conference held in Atlanta
September 24-25. The
participants represented 25
schools in the nine-state
region.
Brother Kojo Owusu, the
Southeastern Regional Co
ordinator, said the conference
was progressive.
“People came with concrete
suggestions, ideas and plans
for immediate action,” he said.
On Friday night, the
People’s Survival Theater
performed at Dean Sage Hall
on the Atlanta University
campus. The program also in
cluded poetry-reading and
conga-playing.
On Saturday the real work
began. The conference
participants organized
workshops dealing with
NBSA programs: the Prisoner
Support Program which
provides care packages for
prisoners as well as political
and moral support; the Adult
Educational and Tutorial
Program aimed at striking
down high illiteracy in Black
communities; and the Voters
Registration Project.
Most of the work of the
NBSA has been successful. It
has unified Black students to
act as a power force to in
fluence politicans to support
some of its programs. There is
still a communication
problem. Brother Owusu
expressed his concern.
“We have not been as
successful as we desire in
reaching the community; high
school students in particular.
There is a poor relation
between college students and
Continued on page 8