FEATURES 11
Blind Ambition
Now that Valentine’s day
and Spring Break are over, we
can mo ve on to business as usual.
So far, it’s been a rotten
semester and believe me, cynic
that 1 am, rotten could imply, for
regular people, catastrophic. But
I won’t linger on the bad, so let’s
proceed with the business of
living.
Recently, I was in the Print
Shop here on campus, and
standing near me was a young
lady with her guide dog. Quietly
observing this young woman, it
struck me—out of the blue—at
how different her life must be
from mine. Later that evening,
the young woman’s image
appeared to me once again.
While I could have
concluded several things from
my encounter that afternoon in
the Print Shop, what stood out
the most in my mind was this: “it
is truly amazing how we go from
day-to-day, taking for granted
the fact that those of us with
vision “can see.”
Moments after this
conclusion, I realized something
else. “Even mcffe amazing, than
my first conclusion, is the fact
that there are many of us with vision
who still can’t see.”
Since my encounter with this
young woman, 1 have formed the
opinion that no words “she” (the
young woinan) hears, or things,
which she smells, or touches, go by j
without great significance. While i
necessary survival tools of this
young woman —touching,
hearing, smelling— that 1 envy
her.
And because time speeds
by and precious moments get
lost due to a “lack of vision,” I
would like to share an exercise
wjint you to see if your senses can
detecta dual dyn:imic, which exists
in the absence of visual assistance.
Put on your favorile CDs, tiilk to
friends iindwjuideraroundyoursuite
or room if you like. Remember,
however, “friends don’t let friends
drive blindfolded” okay? 1 think
By Faye Peterkin
Ink Staff Writer
Everyone is probably
familiar with Ebony Readers’
comical renditions of “In Living
Color” and their poignant
performance of African-
American poetry. But on the
weekend of Feb. 26, the group
brought it home as members
performed a play about the 200
years of African-American
contribuuons to the University.
As part of the Black Student
Movement’s contribution to the
Bicentennial Celebration, the
Ebony Readers sponsored a
production entitled, “Aluta
Continua,” a play written by
senior Angela Ray.
The play’s title is Swahili
for “the struggle continues” and
highlighted selected African
No She Didn’t
with Tonya Crew
“we,” on the other hand, banter
playfully back and forth, most of the
messages behind what we hear, smell
and touch, get lost in the fury of
living.
For example, when popcorn
bums, we know that it smells bad.
But how many of us stop to think
about why it really burned in the first
place? Furthermore, we don’t even
look beyond the basic things in life
such as a look or touch, which can
mean so much more than “hello.”
In fact, either one or both can be
interpreted as “I care about you; I
want you.” And it is because of the
fact that these very things we have
come to take for granted, are the
with you.
The next time you have a
moment to spare, sit down with
your friends, or alone, and
“lightiy” blindfold yourself I
what you will experience, will be
something different; something
special.
In case you find that you don’t
have time to do this exercise, then
just take a few moments to at least
“look beyond” theconversations and
interactions you have with others.
What do the eyes say? When
someone shares a smile with me, I
want to know, “why?” I want to
know am I ignoring or being ignored
( that’s ignore, not annoy). Think
about it.
Now on a totally different
subject, I would like to say a fond
and grateful farewell to former
Associate Dean Rosiland Fuse-Hall,
ALUTA CONTINUA
Americans and the contributions
they have made to the history of
UNC.
Ray said that the original plan of
Ebony Readers, which is asub-grojp
of the BSM, was to find a playwright.
the committee last March, by
April Turner, liaison for the
group.
“We needed someone who
would write it (the play) and
not ask for money or royalties,”
‘Aluta Continua highlighted
selected African Americans
and the contributions they
have made to the history of
UNC.’
and to wish her the very best in
her bright future.
As for iny usu:il lip, 1 want
to.share with thoseolyou, who
would like to know it, my !■.-
Mail gibbs. And for tho.se of
you who don’t have E-Mail,
wi.se up.
I am at crewdesu @n
Superhighway is here. 1 liis is
a wonderful resource offered
by tlie Office of Infonnation
Technology (free of ch:irge)
and there are mini-courses
offered on how to use the
system. Plus, if you catch
anyone in the computer lab
having a go at the li-Mail
function, it has been my
experience that they are more
than happy to share their
working knowledge to get you
started. It’s an easy way of
communicating with your
friends. And if you really put
some effort into it, you can
travel the world.
Until next time, read
between the lines. Sayonara
and peace.
but the Bicentennial Committee
could not give them a definite
budget. The idea was p-esented to
said Ray, a Communication
Studies and Speech
Communication major. “I was
the logical choice.”
Ray also decided to write the
play because she was writing her
honor thesis and wanted it to center
around Afro-Americans.
Aside from its entertaining
merits, the play also served as an
educational tool for Unversity
students, black and white.
“Aluta Continua is important
and enlightening, entire University
community to see, as well as
recognize, Afro-American
contributions where otherwise the
opportunity would not exist,” Ray
.said.
The play by no means attempted
to cover every significant aspect of
Afro-American history, but it was
an attempt to make more people
aware of the contributions of black
people.
From the slaves who laid the first
bricks of the University to the one
who wrote Valentine’s Day
poems for UNC undergraduate
men to the present day
hou.sekeepers who clean up
after students, the sweat and
sacrifice of black people was
evident in Aluta Continua.