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A Closer Look
Black history is African hiStory pa:
i As we pause this month to
/focus on our history, let us not
;start at 1619 inJamestown. If
iweare totruly celebrate Black
'History, let us go back to Af
rica. Many resist us moving
‘our beginnings to Africa, but
mo matter how long we have
'been in America we are still
‘African. I am reminded of the
‘famous scene in the mini-se
ries Roots when Fiddler, played
iby Louis Gossett Jr., whis
;pered to Kunta Kinte, played
by LeVar Burton, “That no
matter what that white man
isay, you will always be Kunta
Kinte.” In essence Fiddler
iwas saying to Kunta Kinte
thatyou are African. You may
thave been captured and
brought to the shores of
{Americaagainst your will, but
ithat does not change your heri
‘tage. You are African and your
Deputy administrator starts work
From page 3A
lars,” he said, “but a bigger
part of the job is to make
sure thecitizensgetadollar’s
worth of service for every
dollar they spend.”
Asked how the duties in
theadministrator’s office are
divided now that he’s on
board, Russell said that they
are split into three portfo
lios: administration, public
works and public safety.
He, obviously, handles the
public safety portion. Right
Ronald Middleton featured at Lucy
Craft Laney Museum of Black History
On February 3, 2002, the Lucy Craft
Laney Museum of Black History will present
an exhibition of the works of Mr. Ronald
Middleton. Heiscurrently chair of the Fine
Arts Department and art instructor at Rich
mond Academy in Augusta, Ga.
Mr. Middleton earned a Bachelor of Art
and a Master of Art from the University of
South Carolina in Columbia and is cur
rently working toward a specialist in Ad
ministration.
Since 1980, Mr. Middleton has taught at
Cross High School in Cross, S.C., Putnam
County High School in Eaton, Ga., and
Richmond Academy in Augusta. Duringall
of these experiences, he has worked dili
gently toinspire young people to appreciate
and pursue their artistic endeavors. Many
have gone on to seek careers in the arts.
Take
Charg e @ A Health Fair
Especially for
of your heart: Women
Featuring: DR, PauL Cunoey, Jr., MD, FACP, FACC
"Women anD HEART Drsease:
THE Unarrreczatep Eproemic” 10:00am
Saturday, February 9, 2002
10am - Z2pm
ASU Sports Complex
3109 Wrightshoro Rd., Augusta
Registration beginning at9:lsam
The health fair will feature free cholesterol screenings, blood pres
sure screenings, exercise demonstrations, heart healthy cooking,
giveaways and much more.
For More information, contact:
MCG Health Care Referral Center at
706/721-CARE or 1-800-736-CARE (2273)
This event is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Community Health - Office of
Women's Health in partnership with The Georgia Commission on Women, Doctors
Hospital, MCG Health Care, St. Joseph Hospital, University Health Care System, and
Saturn of Augusta.
black €& l
in the ¢
By The Rev. Dr. R
Ralph C. Watkins "3
off spring will be Africans.
Youarean African American.
African Americans must
never forget from whence we
have come. Some say that
Africans who live on the con
tinent reject our claim to our
heritage, in thesamevain that
many Americans want us to
drop our right to our birth
right as they say, “Why can’t
you guys just be Americans?”
My response to both indig
enous Africans and our fellow
Americansis that, those of us
whose ancestors were stolen
now,amongother things, he’s
looking at the salaries in the
sheriff’sand fire departments
to see how competitive they
are with salaries of other ar
eas He is also meeting with
and getting to know his de
partments.
This is not always easy for
an outsider, he said.
“Coming from the outside
has some distinct disadvan
tagesin the fact that you...get
lost,” he said with a chuckle.
“Comingfrom the outsidealso
has somedistinct advantages.
Sometimes when you takethat
Mr. Middleton is proficient in working
with design sculpture, pottery, painting
and pencil. This exhibition will represent
all of these techniques.
The exhibition will open on Sunday, Feb
ruary 3, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the conference
room of the Laney Museum and is open to
the public. Entry fee is $2 per person. For
further information, please call (706) 724-
3576.
Mr. Middleton will also headline the Se
nior Luncheon on Wednesday, February
13,from 11:30a.m. to 1 p.m. He will discuss
his artistic works of painting, sculpture,
pottery and drawing. In addition, he will
share the joys of inspiring young adults to
pursue their artistic endeavors. Luncheon
is $5 per person. Please RSVP for it by
February 11 by calling 724-3576.
and sold still have a birth right
to Africa. We can and must
claim African history as Black
History. We have been to Af
rica because we came from Af
rica. Africa is our blood and
soul.
We must make this claim
becauseitiswhoweare. Africa
moves us beyond the history of
slavery. Africa gives us our
appropriateidentity. Whenyou
ask a people to deny their his
tory, you are asking them to
forget who they are. It is like
asking my kids to forget that I
am their father. If they lose
their connection with me, and
our ancestors, they lose a part
of their soul.
During the month of Febru
arywearenotcelebrating Black
History month, because in my
house every month is Black
History month. In February
fresh look and apply years of
experience with that, some
times you find solutions that
other people have been suc
cessful with over the years
that fit in well here.”
Heseems comfortable with
thenotion that some of those
solutions will be forthcom
ing.
“There’snot alot of rocket
science to municipal manage
ment,” he said. “Most of it’s
peopleworkinghard and try
ing to get a job done. My job
is to help provide them with
the tools.”
STAY
INFORMED
Subscribe to the
Augusta Focus,
Call (706)724-
7855
we are taking time out of our
busyschedulestocelebrateand
recognize Black History dur
ingth2month of February. As
we celebrate this time of his
tory, call on the spirits of the
ancestors and reach back to
Africa.
Why is that some want to
deny Africa as a part of our
heritage? What do we gain by
divorcing ourselves from the
rich history of Africa? What
do others gain by trying to
make usdeny ourinheritance?
Why has America worked so
hard to make us lose our con
nection to Africa? Do they
know something they don’t
want us to know?
Dr. Watkins is a professor of
sociology at Augusta State
University and can be reached
at (706) 737-1735 or email:
rwatkins@aug.edu
United We Stand
Americans stand together,
We won’t be pushed aside,
America’s where we live,
Americans we will die.
On abeautiful September day,
When everythingseemedright,
There came a horror,
Then came the fright.
People in the Twin Towers,
People on the ground,
Everyone was in shock,
No one made a sound.
When the smoke finally
cleared,
There was a worldwide cry,
America would fight,
For those alive and those who
died.
— By Barbara Ann Johnson
ROLL WITH BOBBY!
THE
OLD SCHOOL RIDE
WEEKDAY AFTERNOONS @ 5:25
ONLY ON
THE WIZ, 97.9,
THE
BIG stTaTiON!
774.9797, GET YOUR ROLL ON!
AUGUSTA FOCUS
State of hate
From page 8A
with fliers warning against in
terracial relationships, and fli
ers with a skull and crossbones
and “Race Mixers Beware” were
slipped under the doors of Afri
can-American faculty at the Uni
versity of Illinois at Urbana/
Champaign. A recent MTV poll
found that 44 percent of Mid
western college students said
that they or someone they knew
had been verbally or physically
attacked because of their race,
religion, sexual orientation or
disability.
Finally, the hate groups are
targeting youth through their
music. Many adults pay little
attention to the music their
children listen to, but white
power musicis the most signifi
cant recruiting tool for young
people. William Pierce of the
hate group National Alliance
runs Resistance Records, prob
ably the largest while power
State of hate
From page 8A
vidual schools, like those cited
in the Education Trust.
It’s happened across a range
of schools in one community,
such as what’s occurred the
past three years in the 10,000-
pupil Mount Vernon, New York
school system. That suburb of
New York City has seen the
reading performance of its el
ementary school pupils soar to
the top of the New York State
lists.
It’s not rocket science why
JANUARY 31, 2002
music label, out of the Cleve
land suburb of Parma. But
there are at least 21 white
power bands and 11 labels
and distributorsbased in the
Midwest, according to the
Center’s special report,
“Soundtracks to the White
Revolution.”
To make Dr. King’s dream
come alive in this new cen
tury, we must be vigilant in
coming together to see that
hate groups have no place in
this nation. We must expose
such groups, we must edu
cateour childrenand wemust
organize and keep hate out of
our communities and our
schools. That should be a
new year’s resolution for us
all.
(Note: for a copy of the
“State of Hate” report, you
can contact the Center for
New Community at
www.newcomm.orgoratP.O.
Box 346066, Chicago, 111.
60634.)
Mount Vernon’s done well,
nor why 4,577 publicschools
made the Education Trust
list.
That’swhat happenswhen
you combine the native in
telligence of children and
their natural desire to want
to do well with the commit
ment of a coalition of adults
around them tomakingsure
they know they’re fully ca
pableofthe highest achieve
ments, too.
Hugh B. Priceis president
of the National Urban
League.
9A