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September 21,1995 AUGUSTA FOCUS
Har, har, Harvey!
Funnyman Steve Harvey offers food for thought
By Rhonda Y. Maree
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
Before taking on nine shows
during his three-day visit, some
of which kept him on stage until
nearly three in the morning, co
median Steve Harvey took a
break between television and
radio spots for lunch at BL’s Res
taurant last week.
Dressed casually fine in all
black, Mr. Harvey disappeared
behind the closed doors of the
private dining room, but he
opened them to this Augusta
Focus reporter.
After jokingly scolding her for
doing the forbidden — disturb
ing him while he’s eating or shop
ping — and accusing her of act
ing with the boldness of a Hard
Copy reporter, Mr. Harvey took
her on twists and turns of an
interview that was a healthy
sample of the hilarious shows he
later did at the Comedy House
Theatre.
He has played the Washington
Road comedy club six times, but
the Cleveland native still packed
the 250-seat house each night,
selling out tickets at sls per per
son.
Asked what attracts him so
frequently to a city he relentless
ly attacks for being “country,”
Mr. Harvey blurted, “women.”
“No, I'm just joking, baby,” he
quickly corrected himself. Seri
ously, it’s local friends that he
has made and the audiences he
March
From page one
“they didn’t want their friends
knowing they’ve got a social con
science.”
Organizers stress that the
march “is not some Islamic
thing,” as Mr. Farrakhan recent
ly said. Proof of this is the local
coalition that has formed.
“These are segments of the
black community coming togeth
erthat needed to come together a
long time ago,” Mr. Dicks said.
“Malcolm X didn’t die because
he was a Muslim. Martin Luther
King Jr. didn’t die because he
was a Christian. They died be
cause they were black men stand
ing up,” he said.
According to local march orga
nizers, the event has had good
acceptance overall, but not ev
eryone supports it.
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Steve Harvey (1) and Senator Charles W. Walker pause for a
photo at BL’s during Harvey’s lunchtime visit last Friday. Harvey
packed the 250-seat Comedy House Theatre Friday, Saturday
and Sunday, selling out all nine shows. Photo: Derick Wells
pulls.
“My tickets are high, so they
have high expectations, butlrise
to that,” he said. “I ain’t never
less than you thought I was go
ing to be, and this is one of the
nicest places to play.”
Although he may have won
some newcomers after starring
in the hit television series Me
“There are those — including
blacks —who are skeptical about
black men getting together, and
that goes back to the plantation.
We were conditioned that way,”
Mr. Dicks said.
Those who can’t march are
encouraged to take the Monday
off from work or school and com
memorate the spiritual aspects
of the day — based on the Day of
Atonement — by praying and
fasting.
Asked why women are exclud
ed from the march, Mr. Dicks
said, “Black women have always
taken theirresponsibility. We’re
asking black men to take theirs.
This is their apology.”
To reserve a S4O seat on one of
three buses leaving Augusta for
Washington, call the NAACP of
fice at 724-0390 or Ambasa Gift
Shop at 724-4620.
and the Boys, Mr. Harvey knows
many people in his audience are
regulars. But originality is no
challenge for him.
“Everything out of my mouth
is going to be new,” he said. “I'm
the James Brown of comedy —
the hardest working man in the
comedy business.”
And in the over-crowded arena
Candidate
From page one
per assailed her character and
credibility, she began to be con
cerned that the selection process
was tainted.
“Icouldn’t understand why Mr.
Fletcher (school board attorney
in charge of the search effort)
didn’t say something. How could
they say I didn’t have any teach
ing experience? Why didn’t he
tell them that I was a teacher of
teachers? That’s how I started
teaching at the university. I've
always had one foot in the uni
versity and one in the school sys
tem. I just want a fair and objec
tive assessment.
“Don’tthey realize that the chil
dren are watching? We say to
them, if you study, go to school,
get an education, that’s the key
to success. Now, they see, here’s
of comedy, it takes a lot of hard
work — coupled with raw talent
— to put one ahead of the pack.
What separates Mr. Harvey
from the rest?
“Realism, edge, my non-abra
sive style, my respect for women
when I'm on stage, and my abil
ity to take a very minute topic
and blow it into something big
ger than what it really is,” the
masterful storyteller said.
Mr. Harvey doesn’t disrespect
his colleagues, however, as he
touts comedians such as Sinbad
and Bernie Mac as some of the
funniest today.
But they don’t come close to
Richard Pryor, he said.
“My all-time favorite comedi
an is Richard Pryor,” said Mr.
Harvey, who could pass for Mr.
Pryor’s brother. “He is the king.
I'd say he’s my idol, but I don’t
have one.”
Mr. Harvey debuted profes
sionally 11 years ago, but come
dy has been in his heart for 30
years, said the 38-year-old.
Despite the popularity of Me
and the Boys, the half-hour com
edy was canceled. This isn’t the
last of Mr. Harvey in prime-time
television, though. He has plans
to return with a new show next
fall. But getting even a clue to
what the show will be abouttakes
more than asking nicely.
“Can’t tell you,” he said. “Just
can’t tell you. You’d pretty much
have to sleep with me to get that
information.”
alady who has enough education
for three PhDs. When I studied
for my masters degree, the pro
fessor spoke nothing but Greek,
no English. I come back to Amer
ica and sense racism. Don’t they
know the kids are watching?
What do we say to them when
they hear this dirt? I'm not
asking for any extra consider
ation.”
Although she should be fed up
and want no part of Augusta, Dr.
Washington wants to return to
Augusta and engage in any kind
of forum with her rival, Dr. Wil
liam Smith. She feels that, in a
fair and objective forum that can
be witnessed by the public, she
will prove that she is the right
person for the job.
“Thebest candidate should win,
regardless of race or gender,” she
said.
From page one
Oscar Baker.
District 6: J.B. Powell.
District 7: Jerry Brigham.
District 8: Larry Sconyers.
Super District 9: Anyone
qualified for Districts 1,2,4 or 5.
Super District 10: Anyone
qualified for Districts 3,6,7 or 8.
If many Richmond County vot
ers have it their way, this field of
contenders will be even larger
with the addition of non-office
holders who are hoped to change
the face of government — one of
the selling points of the bill.
Qualification for seats will be
Oct. 9-11, costing candidates
$360, which is 3 percent of the
annual salary. Those running
for the mayor-chairman post,
which pays $65,000 a year, must
pay $1,950 to qualify.
Commission-council members
from even-numbered districts
will serveinitial four-year terms.
Farrakhan: time ripe
for Black renaissance
By Gene Kramer
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON
Black Americans have them
selves to blame for high poverty,
joblessness and crime rates but
the time is ripe for them to undo
their mistakes, Nation of Islam
leader Louis Farrakhan says.
“Our degeneracy is part of a
master plan. ... What you don’t
realize is you have been set up,
you in your foolishness have
played into the hands of your
enemy,” Farrakhan said in a
speech Sunday night to promote
the Million Man March sched
uled next month in Washington.
“Tt is not an accident that jobs
are leaving the inner cities,” he
told the all-black audience of
more than 1,000 that overflowed
from Union Temple Baptist
Church in Anacostia, the capi
tal’s poorest section.
The leader of the Chicago
based Nation of Islam said the
government has aided the situa
tion by allowing corporate Amer
ica to move jobs abroad “into
cheaper markets, so the inner
cities are filled with joblessness,
poverty and despair.”
Now, Farrakhan said, “the
black community is ripe again”
AUGUSTA FOCUS is a
Walker Group Publication
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A.ll those little tiny cracks around your windows and
doors can account for as much as 20 percent of your
heating loss, even if your home is well insulated. And a
one-eighth of an inch crack around your door lets in the
same amount of air as a six-inch hole in the wall.
With a little do-it-yourself caulking around windows
and weatherstripping on garage, attic and house doors,
you can seal up savings on your energy bill.
For more information on how
to save energy and money,
call 1-800-888-SCEG.
A BCRNA Compary
Those in odd-numbered districts
will serveinitial two-year terms.
The commission-chairman will
initially serve a three-year term.
Thereafter, all terms will be four
years. .
Councilmen Woods, Hamilton,
and Baker are on record saying
they will not seek office. }
Most incumbents haven’t an
nounced plans to run, but sever
al, including Councilwoman
Armstrong, have. :
“Everybody else is talking
about running, but I'm moving,”
she said.
Otihers who have announcéd
they will seek office include A K.
Hasan, Super District 9; and Bill
Law, District 2. ;
Voters have until Oct. 10 to
register to vote in the special
election, which is likely to have a
far greater turnout than the pen
ny tax election’s 15 percent b'g
cause personalities will be in
volved, according to Board 6f
Elections Director Lynn Bailey.
for genuine gains, “but not ripe
for foolishness.”
He described the planned Oct.
16 march, for which he hopes to
attract thousands, as a demonh
stration of black unity, male re
dedication to the church, com
munity and family, and the purg
ing of “foolishness” and sins.
Farrakhan, often criticized as;
being anti-Semitic, compared:
the march to the “Day of Atone-’
ment” holiday on which Jewsl!
fast and cleanse their sins.
District of Columbia Mayodr
Marion Barry sat silently onstage
as Farrakhan belittled as “a nori
descript white man” House
Speaker Newt Gingrich, wit}l
whom Barry has opened a dig
logue about the financially trofi’-
bled city. ;
“Who is (Gingrich)?” Farrakhan
continued, urging that people not
“build him up to make him mo
than what he really is, and do:
you doubt that. We aren’t here i
Washington to deal with Ne
Gingrich, we are here in Was
ington to be at the capital of our
oppression, where all the horre
dous domestic policies are mad}
and horrendous foreign policie#®
... We are here to serve notice we_
are able and ready” to take rem
sponsibility. ‘l: