Newspaper Page Text
Spelman Spotlight
Page'2
Underground Atlanta
Photo: Kelly Wilson
by Delitha L. Morrow
Unless you’ve been living under a rock,
you have undoubtedly heard, read about, or
even visited Atlanta’s newest tourist attrac
tion. Underground Atlanta.
The seven-year, $ 142-million-dollar proj
ect represents the success of affirmative ac
tion at a time when it seems most threatened.
Of the 97 retail shops, restaurants, and
night clubs and the 31 street vendors. 36 are
Black-owned. In addition, the major devel
oper, The Rouse Company, formed a joint
venture with two Black-owned businesses,
H.J. Russell and Company and Kinley Enter
prises. to handle construction and manage
ment.
Fireworks, band salutes, and speeches
marked the June 15th opening of the facility
with Mayor AndrewYoung and other local
politicians addressing the massive lunchtime
crowd.
Mayor Young’s speech was almost over
shadowed by hecklers who alleged that the at
tention surrounding construction of Under
ground was another way of ignoring the
homeless in efforts to attract money-spending
suburbanites back to downtown Atlanta -
The concept of Underground is not new
to the city. Nightclubs were first opened in
the same area in 1969 and thrived in the
1970’s. Crime eventually decreased the
number of visitors, causing the facility to
close in 1982.
Underground Atlanta is back. With a
variety of entertainment, eateries, and spe
cialty shops. Underground is sure to offer
something for everyone.
Alumnae Recognition:
DR. BERNICE JOHNSON REAGON
Bernice Johnson Reagon
by Shennette Garrett
I’m a stranger, a stranger here
I'm a stranger everywhere
Lord, I would go home
But I'm a stranger there
“Stranger Blues" Sweet Honey in the Rock
Given the phenomenal international suc
cess of Sweet Honey in the Rock, it's a won
der that so few young African-Americans
have heard of the group. The a capella quin
tet, decked in colorful, traditional African
garb, is the brainchild of Spelman alumna Dr,
Bernice Johnson Reagon. C’70.
Wed the wicked carried us away to captivity
They required of us a song
How can we sing our holy song
In a strange land?
"Waters of Babylon"
Sweet Honey in the Rock gets its name
from an old spiritual which described "land so
rich and fertile that honey poured from the
stones.” Five women make up the group:
Evelyn Harris, Ysaye M. Barnwell, Alsha
Kahlil, Nitanju Bolade, and Reagon: since
1979, Shirley Childress Johnson has provided
sign language interpretation for the quintet.
Armed with only their powerful vocals.
Sweet Honey in the Rock wrap their voices
around some moving rhythms, pound out the
beat on rhythmic sticks and African shakeres
(beaded hollow gourds), and deliver the word
on apartheid, racism, the danger of nuclear
annhihilation. the plight of undocumented
workers and refugees, and economic oppres
sion. They reach into their souls and belt out
a heritage of African funeral chants, classic
Baptist hymns, spirituals, West African mu
sic, blues, and reggae.
Reagon conceived the group in Wash
ington. D.C. in 1973 through her involvement
in vocal workshops with the Washington D.C.
Black Repetory Theater Company. She re
ceived her Ph.D. from Howard University in
1975 and is presently a curator at the Museum
of American History at the Smithsonian Insti
tute.
She was recently awarded a MacArthur
Fellowship in the amount of $275,000 for her
efforts in preserving African-American folk
music.
With six albums to date and concert tours
that have carried her and the group as far away
as Ecuador. Germany, Japan, England. Kenya,
and Russia; and as close as Mexico, Carnegie
Hall, and countless cities across the United
States, she says she has felt a lot of strength in
raising consciousness through the power and
message of her music. ‘‘There’s a taste that I
got from singing what I felt. 1 got the taste of
fighting oppression; at the same time it was
like 1 was affirming myself."
For your information
Best way to get there: Take MARTA. From the West End station, take the northbound
train to the Five Points station. Exit on Peachtree Street and cross the street to the
Peachtree Fountains Plaza entrance. If you drive, Underground is located at Peachtree and
Alabama Streets. Parking is across the street.
Hours: Retail stores are open from 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays, noon-6
p.m. Sundays. Some restaurants, night clubs, and bars are open as late as 4 a.m. You must
be 21 to enter after 10:00 p.m..
Havoc in Virginia Beach
by Tavari A. Jones
On Friday, September 1, approximately
100,000 students from historically Black
colleges and universities took the annual trip
to Virginia Beach. Virginia for the Greekfest.
Little did anyone know that this weekend of
fun in the sun would turn into a catastrophe.
Between Friday and Sunday evenings, 160
people were arrested and 395 people were
given citations by the Virginia Beach Police
Department. Disturbances began around 2:00
a.m. on Saturday and spanned 30 blocks.
One-hundred stores were looted. Students in
town for the Greekfest and local people were
involved.
"I felt like I'd spent the
weekend in Beruit."
Were the police unnecessarily rough
when dispersing the crowds of Black college
students? Virginia Beach’s Mayor, Meyera
E. Obender, says no. Spelman students who
visited Virginia Beach that weekend say yes.
Melanie Babb, c’90, says she witnessed
the police using unnecessary force. “A bunch
of college students were dancing in the
street...No one was rowdy. About 100 State
Troopers and the National Guard came march
ing down the street. They ordered everyone to
leave...Then they started chasing people and
swinging their clubs." Babb blames the law
enforcement agents for the incident. "The
trouble did not start until they arrived.”
Nicole Childs, c’90, agrees. “The police
threw smoke bombs into crowds of people
and act surprise when they retaliate...I felt like
I was spending the weekend in Beruit.”
Nicole Venable, c'91. stood on Atlantic
Ave. known as "the strip," and within an hour
saw "at least 15 tickets given for jaywalking,
using profanity in public, and playing loud
music.”
Many people contend that the police were
over zealous because the students were Black.
The NAACP is investigating complaints that
many innocent bystanders were injured. Linda
Byrd-Harden, Executive Director of the Vir
ginia State NAACP, says “to some degree,
the confrontation was racially motivated.
However, we are still investigating and will
not be able to respond conclusively until the
investigation is over."
Byrd-Harden also asserts that much of
the blame for the weekend’s disturbance falls
upon the press. She says, “the press painted a
picture of as being hostile to Blacks. They
also exaggerated the problems of last year's
Greekfest. The newspapers set the format for
violence. This is only one example of a trend
of the press inciting racial confrontation...”
She also advises young people to learn form
this experience, saying students should be
painfully aware that racism is alive and well
in this country.
She suggests that in the future, students
should prepare themselves for such incidents
by “learning about and practicing civil dis
obedience.”
Sister to Sister
Photo: Jocelyn R. Coleman
Faith (center) takes time to catch up with her supporting friends Kimara Mason (left) and Rhonda
Smith (right)
by Faith Cargile
Since entering Spelman in 1986 I have
undergone massive changes as a Black
Woman. As a 19 year old freshman, my prob
lems ranged from doubting my own intellec
tual abilities to forming standards for personal
values, and last, but definitely not least, defin
ing my role as a Black woman in a racist and
sexist society. Some of these problems re
sulted in a lack of self-esteem which was
mirrored by the fact that I weighed 220 pounds
and had a long hair weave. Don’t get me
wrong - I’m not inferring that all women who
are overweight and have hair weaves lack
self-esteem, but in my case it was definitely
true. I wasn’t doing that well in school and I
don’t even want to comment on my personal
life. Fortunately, through starting the difficult
process of self-realization, I began to under-
Continued on page 4
ADOPT-A-GRANDPARENT PROGRAM
by Farai Ashton
This semester, through the Office of Commu
nity Service (OCS), Spelman students will
have the opportunity to volunteer their serv
ices and participate in the Adopt-a-Grand-
parent program.
The Adopt-a-Grandparent program involves
elderly persons living in retirement homes
who have no immediate family in the area.
According to Kimberly Woods, a junior and
co-ordinator."the C.A.R.E. (Concerned Af
rican Americans Reaching the Elderly) pro
gram is geared towards building a relation
ship between the elderly around Atlanta and
the students of Spelman." She went on to
explain that “ the Spelman students will be
fostering the growth of a Granddaughter/
Grandparent relationship through events such
as: on site health screening and other planned
social events.”
Students who are interested in participating in
the Adopt-a-Grandparent program can con
tact either Kimberly Woods or Mrs. Tamara
Nash Ammons at the Office of Community
Service (OCS) or call 681-3643 ext. 544.