March 17, 1983
Black Ink
Page 7
Morgan, Revis set examples; encourage black participation
Randall G. Kenan
Staff Writer
When intrumural and recreational sports first appeared on the University
of North Carolina campus many decades ago, they were student controlled.
Today the intramural program has grown from a few narrow athletic events
to one of the countries best non-varsity athletic programs which is funded
and managed by the University.
The Carolina IM-Rec Sports Program provides over 120 activities during
the academic year eight years ago they were providing only 40. Nearly 50
percent of the student body participates in the program. And though com
petition can become intense, there is still room for a large degree of
"socialization," according to Edgar Shield, assistant professor of physical
education and director of IM-Rec.
Shields said that IM-Rec attempts to provide something for everyone —
competition and fun.
Black participation in the program is roughly close to the representative
proportion of black presence at UNC. However, it is disproportionately
spread among the sports. Basketball claims an overwhelming majority of
the black non-varsity athletics.
Shields expressed concern that outside basketball, blacks seemed to have
little interest in participation. In other popular sports, such as tag-football,
softball, soccer and tennis, blacks don't take part in large numbers.
Rene' Revis, who is a black student and a member of the IM-Rec staff,
believes the problem lies in several places. One, she says, is communica
tion. The black students are not aware of all the activities available to them
through IM-Rec. Also, she says that lack of accessibility in their immediate
past has stunted interest in new sports because there is no place to become
initiated into the, especially "club" sports like soccer, tag-football, and golf,
"i think it's a reflection of culture as a whole," Revis said.
Rene Revis
Lisa Morgan
A junior from Lagrange, N.C., Revis is a physical education major and a
member of the women's championship tag-football team. She hopes to get
involved in volleyball as well. She was recently as an IM-Rec Athlete of the
Month.
The IM-Rec staff selects four students each month for being especially
outstanding and multifaceted, among the recent honoress are three other
black students, Anthony Moses, Jim Crawford, and Lisa Morgan.
Morgan, a senior Criminal Justice major from New Bern, has been playing
basketball in IM-Rec since her freshman year. Now a member of the newly
formed Delta Sigma Theta's Delta Delights, she raise the question of black
female participation in IM-Rec sports. The Delights are the only all-black
female team of any type in the program. She saide that was because of the
overall lack of communication and socializing among black women on the
UNC campus. She believes that more black females will probably best
come through the black sororities. "This would help form a sense of unity,"
she said.
According to Revis, among some of the other numerous activities of IM-
Rec, Leisure Living Activities, aerobic dance classes, "Use-it-Lose-it" exer
cise classes, black women are beginnirig to become present, but nowhere
near the size she would to see.
When asked about what the IM-Rec program's staff was doing to increase
black participation in other areas, Edgar Shields said that among other
things they are considering the formation of all-black teams in some of the
other activities.
They are also trying to step up communication to blacks in an attempt to
interest them in new athletic experiences. In the final analysis he said they
are willing to change structure if any group or individual has any sugges
tions for a better program, and such changes have been made in the past.
But the willingness to try something new will have to come from the black
students at UNC.
Tribute to Eubie Blake a phenomenal jazz artist
by Carole Howie
Staff Writer
On February 12, 1983, James
Hubert "Eubie" Blake dies of pneu
monia. A memorial service was held
at New York's St. Peter's Lutheran
Church.
A friend of Blake's, musician
Louis Jacobs, said "..he was pushing
himself to reach 100...For the last
year and a half, that's what we talk
ed about."
Was it hard for a negro to break
into show business?" "Is it hard to
get a camel through the eye of a
needle?"
So were the words of "Eubie"
Blake, jazz pianist, composer, and
conductor.
Hard, maybe, but not impossible
for Blake, who composed his first
ragtime piece, "Charleston Rag," at
age 16.
Born and raised in Baltimore, on
February 7, 1883, the son of freed
Negro slaves, Blake went on to
become a Vaudeville star, orchestra
leader and composer of popular
songs.
His career started between the
ages of 14 and 15 when he played
piano in various neighborhood
brothels, and later he went on to
play in James Reese Europe's band
in New York during World War 1.
In 1902, he went into Vaudeville
at the Academy of Music on New
York City's 14th Street. In those days
it was hard for black artists to find a
place to live.
"We couldn't even go to the door
of a good hotel, much less go in to
live there," Blake said.
Twenty years later, New York
began to recognize Blake as the
composer of Broadway musical
such as "Elsie" and "Chocolate Dan
dies." He was best known for his
ragtime operatta called "Shuffle
Along." It was a success. The
musical ran for 18 months and
brought about the discovery of jazz
dancing and Josephine Baker. It also
broke the color barrier and three
road companies had access to
previously all-white theaters.
In the 20's and 30's he compose
five more shows, one of which star
red the legendary Ethel Waters.
As time went on ragtime faded,
and Vaudeville died. Blake's worst
year was 1945 when his income was
only $700 from royalties. He retired
at age 66. Ragtime srang up again in
the early 60's and on June 13, 1970,
Blake won the first James P. Johnson
Memorial Award from the Institute
of Jazz Studies at Rutgers Universi
ty. This is an award given each year
to a person who has "carried for
ward the jazz heritage." The pre
sentation was made at the third an
nual Conference on Discographical
Research, a gathering of record col
lectors primarily accociated with
jazz.
Blake was the composer of such
songs as "I'm Just Wild About
Harry" and "Memories of You." He
went on to write arrangements of
"You're a Grand Old Flag" and
"Stars and Stripes Forever."
Though Blake is gone, his music
still lives in the hearts of many peo
ple. The memory of his vitality and
zest, not only in his personality, but
in his music will last forever.