Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Oct. 14, 1993, edition 1 / Page 12
Part of Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Opinion Winston-Salem Chronicle Ernest H. Pitt, Publisher/Co-founder NdIBISI EGEMONYE, Co-Founder Richard L. Williams, Executive Editor ELAINE Pitt, Director of Community Relations Michael A. Pitt, Advertising Manager MEL WHITE, Circulation Manager VlPAPORN RaTANATANINCHERI, Office Manager ' Editorials No Slapstick Comedy Actor Ted Danson's racist antics at last week's roast in New York City for his girlfriend Whoopi Goldberg was no slapstick comedy routine. Mr. Danson's appearance in blackface andTiis insensnive remarks were reprehensible, denigrating and strikes a severe , blow to every effort this country is attempting to make in terms of race relations. And for Ms. Goldberg to condone his actions ? she even claims to have written some of the supposedly comedic material ? is even more laughable. Ms. Goldberg, who is black but has taken on a Jewish name and white boyfriends, apparently to bolster her career, finds nothing disturbing about racist jokes being made, the casual usage of the pejorative "nigger," or a white man appearing in blackface at a function in her honor. Ms. Gold berg should not allow her seemingly assimilation into white culture to give her amnesia as to how blackface, a longtime - staple at minstrel show was a gross caricature of Negro peo ? pie. - ? ? - _ Talk show host Montel Williams and New York City Mayor David Dinkins, both of whom were present at the Friar's Club roast for Ms. Goldberg, Were incensed that they could witness such open insensitivity in the 90s. Ms. Gold berg attacked them both. She didn't mind that Mr. Danson made jokes about the sexual acts she performs or how he joked' about his family's remarks when he first brought her home. Whoopi Goldberg, in more of a sense of stupidity than loyalty, is standing by her man. Her handling of the sit uation involving the racist antics of her boyfriend could be seen as even more archaic than the antics themselves. Ted Danson Black American Nobel African American novelist and essayist Toni Morrison, last week's recipient of the Nobel Prize in literature, is a ; most worthy winner of the distinguished honor. The 62 year-old professor of humanities at Princeton, who becomes the first black American to win the : honor, writes with a style that evokes : both a sense of humanity and humor. : .As readers of Ms. Morrison's six I- novels may or may not be aware, the world in which her characters live can often be a brutal one where hatred, privation and prejudice abound. Her brilliant writing, how : ever, serves to keep the anger under _ . w . . _ ... , ?, . Tom Momson - ? control. One of Ms. Morrison s works, : "Beloved," won a 1988 Pulitzer. In "Beloved" an enslaved ; mother slices the throat of her 2-year-old daughter rather than return her to servitude. Another of Ms. Morrison's more notable novels is "The Bluest Eye." There, she tells of a young black girl who prays nightly that she awakens with blue eyes. Ms. Morrison's $825,000 that accompanies the Nobel Prize distinction, she says, is the climax and that she is try . ing to think of creative ways to spend it. But please, spend a few dollars on a box of yellow legal pads, place them by your bedside and through your prose, continue to give a voice to that group's which have been lost in time. How To Reach Us 722-8624 Production Kathy Lee, Supervisor Scarlett Simmons Karen Hannon Doug Ritz Stephanie Watts Reporters Mark R. Moss David L. Dillard Circulation Walter Mickle Varnell Robinson Todd Fulton Patrick Edmunds Business Office Lexie Johnson LaCheryl Mitchell Crystal McNair Advertising Judie Holcomb-Pack Audit Bureau * JL of Circulations ?***??. m. Hospice: A History of Caring For Our Community To the Editor: It could be one of the best kept secrets in health care today, but if volunteers from Hospice of Win ston-Salem/Forsyth County, Inc. have their way, everyone in Forsyth county will hear about Hospice, a special kind of care for people with a limited life expectancy, when November is observed nationwide as National Hospice Month. Death is not a pleasant subject to discuss and a lot of people don't know that something call hospice even exists or what it can offer. Yet hospice has been caring for the peo ple of Forsyth County since 1979, and we are committed to reaching anyone who may need our services The goal of hospice is to enable the dying to enjoy the best possible quality of life until their last moments, pain-free, surrounded by friends and family, a homerin a nursing home or in a hospital. This November, Hospice of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, Inc., volunteers and staff hope to involve partners from the media, business and other organizations to raise awareness of hospice and its important role in the community. Using the theme "Hospice: Caring For Our Community," more than 1,800 hospice programs all across the nation will conduct special events during National Hospice Month. ' In Forysth County, special events have been planned. These include Hopice Sabbath and "Light Up A Life." Hospice is one of the fastest growing fields in health care today. In Forsyth County, Hospice serves approximately 250 patients and their families every day. For additional National Hospice month details, or for more informa tion about the hospice concept of care, contact Community Relations at 768-3972. Ann Phelphs Hospice of VV-S Clean Campaign To the Editor: I want to thank Robert Norlan der for the clean campaign he ran in defeating me in the September 21 it primary for the Southeast Ward Seat. He exemplifies the type of per son we need in leadership: aggres sive, intelligent, honest and above all, a person who practices Chris tianity. ? If you want good government, you must get involved. November 2 will be your chance to vote for Robert Nordlander and for a better future. I expect the election to be close, and your vote is very impor tant. Criticizing and despising the incumbent is useless, unless you vote. By not voting, you are letting his opponent, Larry Womble, con ? tinue to abuse the police department, A II -Arnica citv award, city per sonnel, etc. You and your family don't deserve another four years of higher crime and embarassment Dale Catlett Lucy Lancaster and Staff , W-S, Forsyth County Schools/ Schools Social Work Program Community Home To the Editor: I am so glad to hear that more African-American organizations should apply for grants. Because I for one feel there should be a nurs ing home in my community and with that thought, being on Social Security could enable me to put in more time and dwell upon more events for the patients. Having to deal in a white-owned nursing home, I've found you have to go along with their program. But it a nursing home was placed in our community and black-owned, then there would and could be changes tb fit our culture. Wanda Ravinefl Carlyle as a paralegal. In 1986 I enrolled at UNC Chapel Hill-School of Medicine and graduated in June 1990. I pursued my residency in General Internal Medicine at Rhode Issland Hospital (affiliated with Brown University) in Providence, R.I., (90-93) and recently accepted a clinical faculty position at Pawtucket Memorial Hospital. During my three years in Rhocfe Island I have been actively involved in various projects including Big Brothers, Omega Psi Phi Frat Inc., the Explorers Program, as well as serving on the board of directors for the Shining Light Health Center which is a group dedicated to estab lishing a minority Aids hospice in the gity of Providence. I was ? recently elected by the board to serve as the acting medical director for our proposed facililty. For my efforts in this endeavor, I was recently awarded Citizens Citations CHRONICLE MAILBAG Our Readers Speak Out ? Support Appreciated To the Editor: School Social Workers tor the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools have been overwhelmed bythe generosity shown by the pub lic in response to the "School Bud dies Program." The community has demonstrated extradordinary sensi tivity for the needs of children in our schools. People in our community bought items for some children in each of our schools. The children received many new articles, includ ing book bags, jeans, sneakers, socks, shirts, pants, underwear, etc. Many children would not have received needed essentials were it not for your generous donations. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you who contributed and supported this cause so warmly. Deserved Honor To the Editor: : 1 Greetings, my name is Dr. Cedric M. Bright. I am the son of William (Bill) & Bessie Bright and grandson of the late Harry O. Bright, Esquire and Vivien K. Bright all of Winston-Salem. I am writing to inform you of the progress and awards that I have received since you fea tured me in one . you Should Know"CwWc M- Bright*? segment in the Summer/Fall of 1986. At that time I had completed my bachelor's of Arts degree from Brown University, in communica tions and was working #or Womble by both the Governor of Rhode Island and the Mayor of Providence. I have enclosed copies of these cita tions as well as a recent photographs for you to have. My parents are very proud of all my accomplishments and thought that I should let the rest of Winston Salem know about their son who has done good. ?' CedricM. Bright, MD ^ ' Providence, RX "What would you say about a company in Japan that ran an ad that said its jeans were big enough to fit a Black woman's butt?" I asked a group of Blacks at Marcy's Images, a fashionable hair salon in mid-town New York. "What!" followed looks of instant outrage followed by incensed comments about racism among the Japanese. However, their real amaze ment came when they found out that the refer ence to Black women's derrieres ran in a Spike Lee ad for Edwin International Jeans. Across the chest of a baggy-jean clad Lee ran the words in Japanese: "Through my movies, I want you to learn about the real life of Ameri- __ can Black people." And what did Spike Lee tell the Japanese "real American Black people " are like? To look like "real American Black People," the copy in the Spike Lee ad told the Japanese that they should get some of Edwin's jeans: "They're even baggy enough to fit the abundant hips of African- American women." All of the disgusting facts are in Spin maga zine's October issue (212/633-8200)-Spike, ad and all, including the details of Lee's $5 million Big Butt Jeans For Black Women Japanese retail sales and his plans to open eight more stores in Japan. Spin also gives a chilling profile of Japanese racism. Former fnime minister Yasuhiro Naka sone suggested in 1986 that America's economic and educational problems are due to its Black population. "In 1990," Spin continues, "Justice Minister Seiroku Kajiyama compared the deterio ration of Japanese districts afflicted by open pros titution to what happens when Arican-Americans move into a white neighborhood in the U.S." Beyond politics, "blatantly racist imagery" is a cottage industry in " Japan: Little Black jock eys in coffee shops, pick anniny dolls and grin ning Black Sambos and a popular logo on a popu lar toy line of a "smiling dark countenance, bug eyes and hugely swollen' lips of a friendly African savage named Bibimba," Spin reports. And now, thanks to Spike and friends, we can add to that litany of stereotypes and predju dice big-butt jeans for Black American women. In light of all of this, it's really not surprising that many Japanese believe that "Black people are really funny, comic, something to laugh at," a Japanese business manager observed. However, while Black "leaders" are justifi ably taking AT&T to task for its '^monkey" ads, don't expect to hear any critism from Black "leaders" of Spike Lee's Japanesee "big butt" ad Black stereotypes created by rappers (Black women as "hos") or Aunt Jemina bug-eyed Black women in Black-produced sit-coms or "big butts" TONY BROWN Syndicated Columnist are fine as long as Blacks create and make money from thclies. Many Blacks don't complain when murder m Black-on-Black either. By Barbara Brandon \ Musree 6en?s^at?. klviOSTPOJ?T 6?T rr/ i am \nwt vxctu 9611^ ^ t^UsKtt^rU IS NO ION602 v&m&z, AMP -violas wjN^ee^i^.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 14, 1993, edition 1
12
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75