Controversy Swirls over Whites
"Selling Black Culture" to Blacks
? Black vendors upset over whites
selling Afrocentric fabric , art
i
By DAVID L. DILLARD
CJrmkU Suff Writer
The National Black Theatre
Festival was not only a showcase
for actors but for vendors as well ?
many of whom came from across
the country to display and sell Afjp
centric clothes, jewelry, perfumes,
artwork and literature.
Many of the performances drew
large, racially-mixed crowds. The
vendor's market was no exception.
Within the crowded area heav
ily populated by African s was one
woman wearing Queen Nefertiti
earrings, her hair wrapped, and
splendidly adorning a colorful
dashiki. The woman normally
would not have gotten a second
glance at last week's seven-day fes
tival that showcased African-Ameri
can culture and concluded Saturday
night
But this woman was white. ?
Nancy Thompson, a secretary
from Virginia, said she frequents
Afrocentric markets because she is
trying to become more diverse.
"Africans have contributed a lot
to society, and I like to read about
them," she said.
Thompson said she did get
some strange looks from a few peo
ple because she was dressed in
African attire, but it didn't bother
her.
"I like wearing these clothes/
she said. "I don't think there's any
thing wrong with it."
Some^ African- Americans
attending the festival did not agree.
"I don't think she should be
wearing it Why is she even here?"
said Bernard "Rahiem" Johnson,
referring to Thompson. "She appre
ciates the culture? There is a big dif
ference between appreciating a cul
ture and diluting it"
^f^Thompson wanted to pur
chase more Afrocentric garb, there
were plenty enough vendors ?
black and white. Whites selling
African wares raised the ire of some
of the black vendors.
S. Lamar Williams, a vendor
selling Afrocentric fabrics, voiced
open contempt for white vendors,
because he thought the festival was
a gathering for blacks.
"No I don't like it," said
Williams, referring to the white ven
dor set up next to him. "This is a
black theater festival for black ven
dors to network. I don't like it at
all."
Williams, president of A&S
Insurance Marketing Group of
Bonaire, Ga., said he was not
opposed to white vendors but
objected to white vendors selling
African fabrics.
This is for black vendors going
back to their roots and selling the
stuff they make," he said. "We've
- worked hard on our products, and
here he is selling black culture try
ing to capitalize on our market"
The white vendor, who was
selling Afrocentric fabrics and oils,
refused to comment.
Wesley Nixon of Huntsville,
Ala., one of four vendors selling
original artwork, agreed with
Williams.
"I have heard some of the black
vendors complaining about it, and
they have a legitimate argument,"
Nixon said. "Some of us have come
a long way, and black people should
be the ones to preserve black cul
ture."
Doug Terry, a former high
school track and field coach from
New York, was indifferent towards
white vendors and said his booth
has received steady business.
"I've been doing pretty good,"
Tenry said. "They (white vendors)
haven't bothered me."
"Mother Gospel" Stirs the Soul
By SABR1NA JONES
Ckronicl* Suff Writer
"God will take care of you,"
belted husky-voiced Delia Reese
during her well-received perfor
mance in the musical "Mother
Gospel** performed at Brendle
Recital Hall, Aug. 3-7.
Before the play, director
Shirley Jo Finney informed the
anticipating audience that the per
formance would be a staged read
ing, a work still being developed.
This seemingly anxious warning
proved unneeded as the performers
brought life to the screenplay's
"rough draft."
Without props, costumes or set
and with scripts in hand, the actors
competently portrayed the moving
story of gospel singer Mother
Gospel (Reese), who must choose
between compromising her beliefs
to soothe her financial woes or con
tinuing her gospel singing tradition.
John Lafayette produced many
laughs as the unctuous Box-Office
Brown, Mother Gospel's manager,
who seeks to make a profit by con
vincing the singer to record a blues
jalbum. His self-absorbed and mis
guided girlfriend Jo (Roxanne
Reese), a background singer, also
seeks to undermine the famous
singer to fulfill her own greed,' an
obvious contrast to Mother Gospel-' s
sometimes naive generosity.
Reese's moving performance
was helped by the talented energy of
her supporting actors, such as
Denise Dowse as her practical and
somewhat overprotective younger
sister, Tinkle, and Edward Cam
bridge as the smitten Rev. Beaure
gard.
During the play it was evident
that Reese had not been able to
practice diligently for the part as her
co-actors. At times her eyes fre
quently rested upon her script, and
she sometimes fumbled her lines. In
spite of these few glitches, Reese
quickly remedied the situation with
her inspirational singing, which
brought the audience to its feet
"Mother Gosper was written
by Franklin Lett especially for his
wife, Reese, who expertly rose to
the occasion in a soul -stirring per
formance.
Black Theatre Network Holds Annual
Conference during NBTF Festival
By SABRINA JONES
Chronicle -Stuff Writer
Last week when the third bien
nial National Black Theatre Festival
gobbled up publicity, another con
ference designed to bring much
needed attention to black theater
also converged on Winston-Salem.
The eighth Annual National
Conference for the Black Theatre
Network held its conference at the
Best Western Regency Hotel Aug.
3-7. The organization, founded in
1986, consists of black theater
artists, educators and scholars and
holds annual conventions in cities
around the country. Members partic
ipated in the 1989 and 1991 festi
vals to discuss as well as enjoy the
arts.
The Black Theatre Network is a
national non-profit organization that
provides networking opportunities
for theater companies, said Deana
Thomas, vice president and confer
ence chair. '
"Basically, we're a networking
organization," Thomas said "This is
the only time that the practitioners
and academicians of theater come
together."
The conference featured the
theme "Black Theatre Network:
Spirit on the Move." Approximately
200 BTN members attended this
year's event. During the day mem
bers participated in panels and
workshops led by noted theater pro
fessionals and scholars. At night the
conference participants attended the
plays provided by the festival.
"It makes no sense to have the
conference anywhere else than at
the festival," said Kathryn Ervin,
president "It's a little complicated
because there's so much going on.
This provides a way for people to
find other people."
Playwright and screenwriter
Judi Ann Mason and Broadway
designer Felix Cochern were two of
the conference's famed guests and
workshop instructors. Other celebri
ties, such as Woodie King Jr., Ella
Joyce and August Wilson, were also
present as members of the organiza
tion.
"It is an opportunity to mingle
and share with those who have the
same love for the theater," said
Mason, the only African American
who currently writes professionally
for TV, film and stage. She recently
completed writing for the forthcom
ing "Sister Act IT and is currently
working on a new film starring Den
zel Washington.
Although the 1995 conference
will be held in Las Vegas, BTN
members will be active participants
in the next festival, said Thomas.
"Winston -Salem is a beautiful
place," she said. 'The outpouring of
spirit has been exciting. It's like a
family reunion "
A vendor at the National Black Theatre Festival shows off his sculptures.
As Curtain Opens from page A1
festival founder. "You're always
going to have people who don't play
by the rules.
"We didn't have to have any
vending at all," he added. "We were
just trying to help black people get
some of this money."
Vendors will not have an
opportunity to sell from their hotel
rooms at the 1995 festival because
when they register they will have to
agree not to show or trade out of
their quarters, Hamlin said.
Some of "Black Gold's" ven
dors, however, didn't view the issue
as one based on money. Their sole
reason for selling out of the upscale
rooms, in which they also stayed
during the week long event, was
because they felt that their products
were more conducive to be sold in
such an atmosphere.
"We are not vendors; we are
artists," said Vernard Gray, the
leader of "Black Gold" and propri
etor of Miya Gallery in Washington,
D.C..
Gray said that working out of a
hotel room allowed the artist and
customer the opportunity to estab
lish a rapport that would be impossi
ble to do in a setting like Beneath
the Elms.
"Our primary product is ser
vice, service, service," Gray said.
While a reporter was in Gray's
room, a woman from Topeka, Kan.,
and her female relatives sat on the
bed and the carpeted floor and
schmoozed with Gray before pur
chasing over $100 worth of goods.
"We have clientele here (in
Winston-Salem), who came to
spend time and give us a chance to
present our art," said Gray, sprawled
out on the bed of his hotel room and
surrounded by a variety of African
cloth and jewelry, some of which
came from Africa. *
Gray explained that to work in
a setting such as Beneath the Elms
would mean putting works of art
beside mass-produced items. He
said he didn't mean to degrade what
artists did sell at the Elms, but he
didn't think it would help sales if
artists' works were placed beside
items that can be purchased any
where. He said that on several occa
sions, he had suggested to customers
looking for a particular item that
they go to the Elms.
Patois, a "Black Gold"
vendor/artist from Laguna Beach,
Calif., said that if the issue was
about money, the group would have
been glad to get with the organizers
and reach some kind of agreement
"We would have been willing
to work it out with them," Patois
said. "Everyone is looking for a res
olution."
Eure said that on Wednesday
she closed down the booth "Black
Gold" had purchased at the Elms.
Gray and Fatois said she did not
refund the group's money.
"We informed hotel manage
ment that we did not want selling or
vending in the hotel," said Eure,
who had a booth at the Elms.
She said that at the last festival
in 1991 vendors weren't organized,
and some of the ones who are part
of "Black Gold" at this year's festi
val set up in the lobby of a hotel,
while another group was in another
hotel. When they attempted to com
bine, they were shut down by the
fire marshal, she said. The plans for
this year's festival took into account
the last festival's shortcomings, and
it was hoped that all the vendors
could be housed together, Eure said.
She accused "Black Gold" of
"coming into the hotel under false
pretenses," because they told man
agement that they were "guests" of
the National Black Theatre Festival.
Eure said that there was nothing
the hotel could legally do to keep
"Black Gold" from selling out of
their rooms, because there was no
state law that forbade such activity.
"They are not guests of the
NBTF, and Tm quoting Larry," she
said.
Gray said the group learned
Wednesday from Eure and hotel
management that they needed a ven
dor's license from the city, county
and state in order to sell their prod
ucts. Gray said he told the "Black
Gold" members to stop selling until
the matter was taken care of.
Patois said she called a govern
ment official and learned that no one
would hassle them over licenses, but
the group decided to be on the safe
side and get them anyway. They
later learned that they only needed a
city and state license, so they wasted
money on the county one, she said.
"They have made life so diffi
cult for us," she said.
Gray said that he discussed the
issue with Hamlin at length
Wednesday night He said he told
Hamlin that "Black Gold" has cer
tain artistic standards that the ven
dors in the Elms don't meet He said
he attempted to convince Hamlin by
comparing "Black Gold" with the
NBTF.
"The Black Theatre Festival is
wonderful," Gray said "We wanted
the same qualities in our presenta
tion as they have in their presenta
tion."
Grier Returns from page A1
weight," she said referring to the big
dinners she has shared with her
family.
On Saturday, which was
deemed Phylicia Rashad and Pam
Grier Day, she was honored with a
plaque from the festival later that
evening.
Larry Leon Hamlin, artistic
director of the festival, said Grier
was chosen as an honoree because
of her accomplishments in the field.
"We were looking through the
years for people who had done
some great things, and everybody
thought she would be goo* to
have/ Hamlin said. "Plus a tot of
people called and made requests for
her."
Grier starred in five movies
including "Coffy," "Foxy Brown,"
and "Scream, Blackula, Scream/
with Shakespearean actor William
Marshall. Hollywood termed the
1970's movies black exploitation,
but Grier says that although her
movies appea d during that period,
they were far from being exploita
live.
"My characters were realistic.
They were not superheroes," she
said. "1 played an ordinary woman
who didn't even carry a gun."
Today, Grier heads her own
production company, Pam Grier
Entertainment Group, in Denver.
She recently made an appearance in
the movie "Posse" and is currently
working on a project with L.A.
street gangs ? the Bloods and the
Crips ? and Spike Lee's upcoming
movie "Crooklyn."