Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 21 NUMBER 1046
L 6§
R ;
BEE e R Sl I i
rere (WL Yy FRYETL (YT L I
L 3§ m
' ‘ |
W RS R SN A AT e TRt E na
STANNARD-AMERICAN HOLOCAUST o ‘
[ ]
AL BRI TR B 0b iR Ki%!
i
AMERICE 1 BLACK o WHITY vows rmrrie [
» LA YT ‘
ATLANTA s |
. R
G el =T
" “a Ty . 15
AMIB] BARAAA el =y :
i egPeb '8 B |
T TN G e e
RO &, 20 145 | o 0
M vty nERT ) SreTa
i 1 A
5. X B B B 0 PRSI {
LouWLB GT L L i
Y "y R i WYy
T e ) e
B LA 5% R ket iy S PR 41 | 3
-
Plural but Egual &=\
e WHLCTUAL
R AL LA :
e P
N~
Black studies “top guns” on the move?
- s A
t e e ] 41 i ’b’ ‘ .:‘f'wr‘.;,v:
f i | = &‘*
b e U Ny gl . o
' o - )\ . e
Sl N
Chairman of the Afro-American Studies Department at Harvard Univer
sity, Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr., left, stands with fellow member of the
Africana.com web site editorial board, Prof. K. Anthony Appiah, on the
steps of Widener Library on the Harvard campus in Cambridge, Mass., in
this January 2000 file photo. Gates, in an interview Sunday, Feb. 3, 2002,
says he will decide this summer if he will leave Harvard and follow Appiah
to Princeton University. APPhoto/ChristopherPfuhl . -
Harvard seeks to maintain
its black studies “dream team”
NEWARK, NJ.
(AP) The head of
Harvard’s black studies
program, Henry Louis
Gates Jr., said he will de
cide thissummer whether
he will follow a colleague
to Princeton University.
Gatesthreatened in De
cember to leave for
Princeton, saying Harvard
President Lawrence Sum
mers had not adequately
backed affirmativeaction.
Last month, Princeton
appointed his former
Harvard colleague An
thony Appiah asa full pro
fessor in the university’s
philosophy department.
Paine conference focuses on historical realities
B*r "_,
JL: e .
. gge . NS !
o ®
i e AR
Fan i CORSE
e fi“fir‘ B
il G BT i
A 5 i
Ly b
¥ S R R e "wt g?,,” i & L
Author, scholar and performer Velma Maia
Thomas was the first speaker in this week’s
Annual Conference on the Black Experience
at Paine College. Photo by William Lucas
Serving Metropolitan @Augusm, South Carolina and the Central Savannah River Area
Novelist Toni Morrison, a
Nobel Prizelaureatein lit
erature, is also at
Princeton.
“AnthonyAppiahhasleft
four institutions so that
we could be together,”
Gates told The Star-Led
ger for Sunday’s editions.
“Maybeit’smy timeto pay
that friendship back.”
Gates, the author of
Loose Canons: Notes on
the Culture Wars and a
winner of a 1998 National
Humanities Medal, said he
would welcome the chance
tobuildastrongblack stud
ies program at Princeton.
He said he hadn’t decided
AT R R 1 7
yet.
Princeton spokes
woman Marilyn Marks
said the university was
considering expanding
itsblack studies program
intoafull, degree-grant
ingdepartment.
At Harvard, several
members of the black
studiesdepartment have
been at odds with Sum
mers, whobecame presi
dent last year.
Summers reportedly
rebuked Cornel West for
recording a rap CD, for
leading a political com-
See GATES, page 2A
21st Annual Conference
on the Black Experience
By Shun Norris
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Paine College kicked off
its2l** Annual Conference
on the Black Experience
Wednesday, February 6%
with author, scholar, and
performer Velma Maia
Thomas asthefirstspeaker
for the two day event.
Ms. Thomas gave an ac
curate lecture on “The
Passage from AfricatoSla
very and Emancipation.”
Theauthor ofthreebooks,
Lest We Forget, Freedom’s
Children,and NoMan Can
Hinder Me, Thomas went
into details such as that of
the middle passage, life on
plantations as house and
field slaves, and the his
tory of the Emancipation
Proclamation.
According to Thomas’
lecture, many slaves hated
Should the mayor
have more power?
By Rhonda Jones
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
State Representative Sue
Burmeister (Richmond
County-R) said that the
Augusta Commission’s
failureto hireafirechiefis
part of thereason that she
has drafted a bill that, if
implemented, would com
pletely change the organi
zation of the county gov
ernment.
“That was almost the
straw that broke the
camel’s back,” she said
during a press conference
heldin thecountycommis
sion chamber on Jan. 25.
During that same confer
ernce, Burmeister invoked
Unveiling of Springfield Village Park
sculptures attracts local, state dignitaries
On February 10, 2002,
Springfield Village Park
Foundation, in conjunc
tion with Morehouse Col
lege Founders Day cel
ebrations, will unveil two
sculptures by America’s
foremost African-Ameri
can sculptor, Richard
Hunt, at historic Spring
field Village Park. Eight
hundred to a thousand
visitors are expected to
attend thededication cer
emony.
“This park will unite
the rich history of Old
Springfield Villageand the
historically important
the concept of slavery and
tried almost anything to
be free. Young children
knew and understood sla
very and despised it.
“A young girl, age 12
poisons the slave master
in Louisville, Kentucky. It
is said that the young girl
says she was tired of being
a slave,” Thomas shares.
“A child who said at this
age, ‘I know that I am not
meant to be a slave.””
Thomas explained that
along with a rich history
comes the bad.
“Whenwetalkabout our
history, we have to talk
about the good and the
bad. Sometimes, they want
us to forget. We can’t for
get our struggle, we can’t
forget our suffering, we
can’t forget our victory,”
she said. “We need to tell
all of our history because
out of the struggle came
AR LRI LS
black History Month
Uelebrations seeass-ss
=“
« 7
Mayor Bob Young
the old saying, “If it ain’t
broke, don’t fixit,” adding
that themen whonormally
occupy theroom havebeen
ineffective.
Springfield Baptist
Church with the living
present,” said Walter
Massey, president of
Morehouse College.
Springfield Baptist
Church, located at the
corner of 12* and
Reynolds Streets in Au
gusta, dates its origins to
1773 and is the oldest in
dependent African-Ameri
can church in the United
States. It is the birth
place of Morehouse Col
lege and the Georgia Re
publican Party.
“Themission of Spring
field Village Park Foun
AN A A b b, ? o B
;& M;w"‘ o By, - 3 4. “ } ~);3 g
»'%w S '.‘ ;@& gl _m#my ,“Sf .'
ek , SAL oy il AR 3
o ',4“ Eo 74 AT I‘%l :” 8 . ;
. st ;‘ ,fiffi. s L .
oo R L. ? B g
4 oL oy Lt ” :
' o ey R %
e e w + g
T ) R ‘ Mooty ,gw?"if“ A
- A £ L. R i i AR
i A :"u f” ik ;; g L
Paine College President Dr. Shirley A.R. Lewis (I) accompanied by
conference participant Frederick Douglass IV. Photoby Wiliam Lucas
our strength, even when
they tried to enslave us to
break our spirits, they were
unable to do so. We be
lieved that we were made
wholeby Godand any kind
“Sometimes it might not be the
structure of the government; it
simply might be the leadership
of the government.”
— Senator Charles W. Walker
“Well,” she said, “Au
gusta government is
broke. The citizens of Au
gusta know it and the
elected officials know it. I
am asking the other offi
cials to join me in fixing
"
Senate Majority Leader
Charles Walker disagrees.
“The idea that the county
commission is broken is a
bit toofar-fetched,” hesaid.
“However, it is good that
dationis todocument and
celebrate the national sig
nificance of historic
Springfield Village as a
center of religious, cul
tural and educational in
fluence on the evolution
of an African-American
culture,” explained Rob
ert P. Kirby, president of
Springfield Village Park
Foundation. “The park
was constructed torecog
nizethecontributions, as
pirations and achieve
ments of the people of
Springfield,” he added.
Springfield Village Park
is a wonderful contribu
of slaveryin any centuryis
unacceptable.”
Paine College senior
Toney Crosssays Thomas’
lecture was enlightening.
“Her speech was a won
N O
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE PAID
AUGUSTA GA
PERMIT NO 302
the legislative delegation
will review the issue of the
mayor having veto power
or creatingastrong-mayor
form of government.”
Besidesgivingthemayor
the power of the veto, and
establishinga commission
override of that veto by a
vote of seven, the bill pro
vides for a negative voteto
be recorded if a commis-
SeeCITYGOV., page 3A
tion to Augusta that will
be enjoyed by local resi
dents and tourists. Au
gusta mayor Bob Young
stated, “The park is a
major step in the master
plan to revitalize down
town Augusta.”
Dedication activities
willbeginat 12:30 p.m. at
the park, located across
thestreet from Springfield
Baptist Church. Immedi
ately following the dedi
cation, a press conference
will be held. Attendees
will include Mr. Kirby,
See SPRINGFIELD, 3A
derful depiction of what
we should remember as
anAfrican-Americancom
munity; so many ‘times
See PAINE, page 3A