Reddy: "People Need Poets"
By Eileen Hanson
Special To Hie Poet
"People need poets. They
can't do with us, but they
can't do without us. The
poet is created by the peo
ple because we need him,
and people may often dis
like him, the poet they have
created. They may even
put him in jail. They may
even stone him to death.
But they created him be
cause they needed him."·
James Baldwin.
T.J. RecUy, one of Char
lotte's best-kn^rn black
poets, has recently pub
lished a book of poetry
written during the turbu
lent days of the 1960's, and
from behind bars in the
1970s.
"Poems in One-Part
Harmony" (Carolina Wren
Press, 1980, $4.00) captures
the pain and aspiration of
Charlotte's black com
munity as it struggled to
free itself from segrega
tion, poverty and the Viet
nam War. Reddy writes,
"Smallest brother,
hands forced into fists
pocketed, stuffed in rag
ged pants, his eyes fro
zen, sad, weary. He
tries to wedge his ears
between his shoulders,
cold cold."
Reddy will appear on TV
and in local bookstores
next week to talk about his
book and how he views his
role as an artist today.
On Wednesday, May 14,
R»rl«iu u/ill Λ. <</-. 1
Morning Carolina" show
(Channel 9, 9 a.m.) and at
B. Dalton's Bookstore
< Charlottetown Mall, 12-2
p.m.). On Thursday," May
15 he will appear on "Fo
rum!' (Channel 18, 10:30
a m.) and at the Charlotte
Newsstand (314 S. Tryon,
12-1:30 p.m.).
The 35-year old Savan
nah, Ga. native came to
Charlotte in 1964 to study at
Johnson C. Smith. It was a
turbulant time, as blacks in
the South wrestled to free
themselves from a century
of segregation and to take
hold of the promises of
white America.
. Reddy quickly involved
himself and his art in the
struggle, working with
youth and welfare reci
pients, and eventually
counseling black youth
about the Vietnam War
draft, w
He confronted "the sys
tem" with a bitter pen:
.."Welfare; a useless
ticket to a broken-down
merry-go-round."
After the assassination of
Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. he wrote:
.."And with your In
sights, likewise, I will go
on and on, with my
creative, reflective
sense of liberation. And
no matter whatever,
whenever, this sense
will continue in my
poems of freedom."
Poems of freedom con
tinued from behind prison
bars, when Reddy, along
with James Grant and
Charles Parker, were con
victed of the 1969 burning of
the Lazy-B Stable. The
case of the "Charlotte 3"
became a celebrated poli
tical prisoner case around
the world.
..From prison Reddy
wrote:
■ nui m pvcui ui vue;
part harmony above all
attempts to Imprison
me...When I am allowed
ao way to write, I com
pose lyrics, songs of
life...Lock me away
with no way to move
Body into yoga, my soul
la soothed...
Judge Frank Snepp
branded Reddy a "danger
ous man" when he gave
him a sentence of 20 years.
But Reddy's friends
know him as a gentle,
sensitive person, who
paints images with words
as well as with paint and
brush.
As an artist Reddy has
never stopped producing,
groping, forcing out new
frontiers of expression. His
paintings have been fea
tured in several N.C. exhi
bits, his most recent series
entitled "Ventures!"
For the last two years he
has poured his creative
energy into the Performing
Arts Guild Ensemble
(PAGE), a group of black
poets and artists dedicated
to performing poetry to
develop an appreciation for
black heritage and social
consciousness in their
'audiences.
PAGE will perform
Saturday, May 10, at Spirit
Square at 8 p.m., along
with blues musicians Sonny
Tarry and Brownie McGee,
as part of the grand open
I
T. J. Reddy
...well-known poet
inE Of Perfnrmani-o PI on.
Unxnn * ΛI fl_
Looking back on his three
years in and out of prison
from 1972-1979, Reddy said,
"Most of my creative work
was produced in prison,
under oppressive condi
tions. Through the experi
ence I developed a spirit of
freedom inside my soul.
Now I feel a great deal of
freedom in production, not
controlled or contained."
Reddy feels a poet must
be involved with people, in
their lives and struggles.
"In the 1960's poets talked
AT people. Today poets
talk WITH the people," he
said.
"If poetry is to survive
today it must touch the ear
of the people, so people can
touch it, respond to it,
seeing the images the poet
paints," And that is why
Reddy created PAGE.
The new element in Red
dy's poetry today is humor.
"I like to grab people with
images like 'the garbage at
the back door of the White
I
• ■V<wv. τι iiVtl 1VIIVO Id U£I 1,
they see the possibility for
change," he said.
Released from prison on
parole last June, but still
not "free" from the 1972
burning conviction. Reddy
has resumed his life as an
artist, husband and father.
He is delighted to be again
with his wife, Vickey, and
their 2Vj year old daughter
Niambi.
He pours endless hours
into rehearsals for PAGE
performances, as the
young 4-person troupe
struggles to tailor its per
formances for each unique
audience.
But Reddy also finds
space for himself, a strug
gle he fought while in pri
son. He finds time to do
yoga, ride his bike, paint
and write. He is also study
ing at CPCC; having
gained an M.A. from UNCC
during his prison years.
"I don't see myself as a
poet per se," he said. "I'm
an artist.
LJurmg Special Services
Rev. Frederick Price Is Faith CME Guest Speak*
m j pcupie are des
troyed for lack of know
edge..." Hosea 4:6. Theee
ire the words of the Bible
and one of the most impor
tant tasks of a preacher is
to minister the word in
understanding terms. The
guest speaker for Faith
CME Church May 14-16 will
be Pastor Frederick K. C.
Price. He will not only
minister the word, but sim
plify it and put it into
practical terms as well.
Services will be held at
the church on 457 Welling
ford St. nightly at 7:30
p.m., 10a.m. Thursday and
Friday mornings. Special
ministry to the sick will be
held Friday evening by
Pastor Price.
According to the pastor
of Faith CME Church,
Pastor Robyn Gool, the
guest speaker has a unique
gift when it comes to de
livering the word of God,
"The best way to put it,"
Pastor Gool began, "is that
God has really given him a
real talent to make the
word of God simple. In
delivering the word of God
his services are practical -
more in line of teaching
and pertaining to everyday
lives."
Rev. Frederick Κ. C. Price
...Dynamic speaker
Pastor Price is not only a
dynamic speaker, but is
also the founder and pastor
of Crenshaw Christian Cen
ter in Inglewood, Cali
fornia. The Christian Cen
ter now has a rapidly grow
ing membership of over
5,900. Sunday attendance
runs over 4,000.
His ministry includes
daily radio broadcasts in
the Los Angeles area He
also hosts a television pro
gram, "Ever Increasing
Faith," which may be
viewed Friday at 7 p.m.
and Sunday at U p.m. on
Channel 40. Channel 11 also
carries the program at 8:30
a.m. Sundays.
Six books have been writ
Council Seeks Comments
City Council is seeking
comments and suggestions
on people to fill vacancies.
Two seats will be avail
able on the Civil Service
Board. A. J. Thornhill and
Rudolph Hendricks, whose
terms expire May 15 are
both eligible for reappoint
ment.
For the Historic District
Commission, W. Cruther
Ross and Nancy Betty are
eligible for reappointment.
Both of their terms expire· 1
on June 30.
Planning Commission
members John Broadway ,
and Michael Tye whose
terms expire June 30 are
eligible for reappointment.
Spirit Square Board of
Directors Patricia Heard
and Eleanor Brawley
terms expire June 1; both
are eligible for reappoint
ment.
All terms are for three
years. If you have recom
mendations, contact a City
Council member during
May or June.
Be Wise - Advertise in the
Charlotte Post
Each Week!
ten by Pastor Price; "Six
Principals to Strong
Faith," "How Faith
Works; Is Healing For
All?," "Thank God For
Everything?," "Faith,
Foolishness or Presump
tion," and "The Holy Spirit
- The Missing Ingredient "
He travels extensively
throughout the world
teaching the Word of faith.
He has been a seminar
teacher at the Rhema Bible
Training Center in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. He has been a
speaker at Kenneth Ha
gin's Campmeeting held
annually at the coliseum in
Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Pastor Price is married
and has three daughters
and one son.
The public is cordially
invited to hear Pastor
Price minister the word of
faith at Faith CME Church.
uiy naines Uinic Scheduled
The annual rabies ino
culation and license clinics
will be held across the city
from May 12 through June
30 for those dogs owned by
City residents.
These clinics are being
coordinated by the Animal
Control Division of the City
of Charlotte.
City ordinance requires
that all dogs over four
months old receive a rames
vaccination and have a
current Citv license tag.
The 1980 City license tag
expires June 30, 1980, and
pet owners should have
current rabies inoculations
and 1981 pet licenses for
their pets after that date.
A schedule of inoculation
clinics is available from
Animal Control, 374-2919.
W H&UKît's s; si
GARDEN
_ CEMTER
8601 Old Mcnroe Road · Telephone 537-4041
Open Monday through Saturday 8:30 A.M. until 5:30 P.M.
OPEN SUNDAY 1 'TIL 5:30 P.M
SERVING YOU
WITH - VEGETABLE & FLOWER SEEDS,
GRASS SEED & SOD. TREES & SHRl BS.
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BEDDING PLANTS, BIRD SEED & FEEDERS.
FERTILIZER, GARDEN, HOME Λ PRUNING
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COMMERCIAL · INDUSTRIAL · RESIDENTIAL
LANDSCAPING SERVICES
Bwpee
VEGETABLE & FLOWER SEEDS
BRING YOUR LAWN,
GARDEN & PLANT PROBLEMS
TO MARKET'S'
f»r
537-4041
8601 OLD MONROE RD.
Announcing Pontiac's 1980 Bonneville.
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Test drive one soon. It will be one of the most exciting driving
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> ^ - ' *— ■ - - ·
EPA EST MPG
480
EST RANGE
600
HWY 1ST. RAMQC
I«> . W· I9w MVk/wi IV* 11 I» wi I ywMi 1.1 'M IÇI lyi'l Y*CÎ,U ' CJ Λ _ ^
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