Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Feb. 22, 2001, edition 1 / Page 47
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New CBC chair will give state of black America renorts on website A " - Eddie Bernice Johnson's first column dealt with CBC's meeting with Bush - frlNPA Nfwswibf WASHINGTON - The newly elected chairperson of the .Congressional Black Caucus, Dallas Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, has begun appearing as a weekly columnist at The Black World Today (http://www.tbwt.com), the Web's -leading destination site for African Americans. Her first column recounts the recent meeting between the cau cus and President Bush. "We are delighted to present Congresswoman's Johnson's views to the growing black online community," said Don Rojas, the Internet site's publisher and CEO. "Her weekly column will contribute significantly to the public discourse on critical issues that affect black communities in the USA and throughout the global Black Diaspora." "At a time when many Internet companies are folding or retrenching staff, we are pleased to announce that our staff, as well as our reader base, continues to expand." Now in its fifth year of unin terrupted online publishing, the Baltimore-based Black World Today is among the most promi nent black Web sites owned and operated by blacks. It is listed regularly among Black Johnson Enterprise magazine's annual list of "Top 50 Websites African-American Read-In Chain at Winston-Salem State University stereotypes associated with the are many black poets people are I Black history is only a few keystrokes away. On Sunday, Feb. 4, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), along with more than a million others from 49 states and three continents, gathered to promote literacy and African-American literature. The Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association sponsored the 12th National African-American Read-In chain. The Read-Ins were sponsored by churches, schools, libraries, bookstores, community and professional organizations in a joint effort to make the celebration of African American literacy a traditional part of Black History Month activities. The event was held in the Hall-Patterson auditorium, which offered an opportunity for the audience to spread out and relax. Many participants read original poetry and short stories, and others read works by writers past and present. The tone was very quiet as the audi ence gave their full attention to the readers. Participants were engaged in various emotions, ranging from intense and raw to charming and soothing. When readers such as Aleta Bradford and Deborah Taylor read their works, all eyes were on them. The room became very silent as works by Maya Angelou and Gwendolyn Brooks were read aloud. Among the talent displayed that afternoon was an original piece, "Slavery." by Lishele Monroe. A senior English major with a minor in political science. Monroe's depiction of the uagiw pasi siavc nauc CApuunu ed on the current aftermath as well. Although this year's Read In was not her first, Monroe said that each year's experience was very meaningful. She said the experience gave her an insight into the great wealth of talented students on campus. Another distinguished woman and WSSU student, Crystal Barnes, shared her thoughts through an expressive poem titled "Brown - What My Mama Had Said." She wrote the poem for her mother as a cele bration of her childhood. Barnes is a native of Charlotte and is currently a junior English major. She aspires to be a high school English teacher. Barnes has read her poetry in bookstores and coffee shops and has participated in open mike readings on campus. Barnes said, "This event was a good way to promote African American literature and I was pleased that I was asked to be a part of this memorable experi ence. It was an experience that I will draw from for a long time." Other participants shared similar enthusiasm. Sherri Harvin enjoyed her first experi ence at this event. Harvin, a tal ented young author of her very own book, "The Side of Me," endured the strenuous process of trying to publish as a new author during the summer of 1999. This was her first partici pation in the Read-In chain, but at only 19 she has participated in many similar poetry readings. Harvin felt that many people benefited from the Read-In chain. She said, "It gives students and faculty a chance to explore unknown artists." She said there noi laminar wun ana 11 is goou to see their works presented in this forum. Harvin read a poem titled "323 Hall Patterson" about an influential English teacher who had encouraged her to publish her first book. The annual African American Read-In Chain enlightened the participants by challenging them to respect African American literary artists from past to present. Thi Associated Piiess DURHAM - The N.C. Arts Council has helped establish an Internet site featuring the her itage and culture of black North Carolinians. The N.C. African-American Culture Tour Web site, launched last month, offers historical infor mation, links, and previews of cultural offerings in cities across the state. Organizations on the virtual tour include the African-American Atelier in Greensboro, the Afro-American Children's Theater in Charlotte, the Afro-American Cultural Center in Charlotte and other museums, galleries, dance troupes, musical ensembles and cultural centers. The African-American Cultural Complex in Raleigh, also included, sponsors exhibits and events including "The Amistad Saga: Reflections." an outdoor summer drama. "The Internet is one of the most powerful ways to get information to the masses." said Dianne Pledger, president and CEO of Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, which houses St. Joseph's Historic Foundation. The foundation played a key role in establishing the Web site. Bible from page D9 Dr. Diana Hayes, who also contributed an article, is an asso ciate professor of theology at Georgetown University. She said, "Despite the harshly nega tive ways in which African slaves and their descendants were intro duced to Christianity in the Americas, many accepted the faith and their descendants maintained it to the present day. They saw themselves, in many ways, as a leaven within the Church, a witness to its failures and a challenge to its complacen cy." She concluded, "In this belief they were eventually joined by the Vatican, which condemned their enslavement and sought to convert the hearts and minds of their fellow Catholics on their behalf, but too often with little success until well into the 20th century." Another Jubilee Edition con tributor is the Rev. Bryan N. Massingale, a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and associate professor of moral the ology at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee. He wrote, "The Jubilee Year was to be a time when the social divisions between the rich and the poor were healed through a process of Communal remembering. The pursuit of jubilee justice in the United States - especially the task of racial reconciliation - must be grounded in an honest engagement with our past, so that we can heal the present and create a new future." The Good News Bible African American Jubilee Edition is available in hardcover. For information, call 1-800-32 BIBLE. Founded in 1816 and head quartered in New York City, the American Bible Society is a non profit, non-denominational organization with a rich Judeo Christian heritage committed to the translation, publication and distribution of the Holy Scriptures. The society distrib utes more than 77 million Bibles. New Testaments and Scripture portions or selections in the United States each year. Black History Online Group launches Web site featuring North Carolina black history His dream still lives in us all Savings & Loan Association 770-1000 Winston-Salem ? Kernersville ? Clemmons ? N. Wilkesboro ? Boone Member FDIC
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