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Thursday. June 1, 1989 - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Page SA "Girl" Beats Hollywood's Top Hits And Proves It Can Be Done "It gives me great pleasure to say. I told you so." That was my brief one-sentence paragraph letter to a Hollywood studio big shot who told me several months ago that my yet-to-be released movie. "The White: Girl." would never make It commer cially In movie theaters. But instead of accepting his opinion of my movie or my abili ty to market It. I stuck with my own vision and the reactions of the people who had seen it at the various fund-raisers around the country. I told him then that I knew that people liked It. that I had studied the positive reac tions of more that 100 audienc es and I was satisfied that It was awlrmer. Moreover. I told him that If I did not have enough Intelligence to take advantage of this golden opportunity, that I deserved to lose my $2-mllllon Investment. Between May 5 and May 11 at the Liberty Theatre In Hamilton. Bermuda, "The White Girl" beat the house attendance and box office record of Hollywood's best and proved me correct. The only movie to draw more people and make more money at the Liberty Is Eddie Murphy's blockbuster "Coming To America," which earned $128 million In the U. S. and $200 million worldwide. ■Why? Because our small- scale quality movie-hit hit home with a people who are starved for themselves, hungry for a rea listic look at themselves and tired of the updated "noble black mammies," prostitutes, gratui tous sex and unnecessary vio lence. In addition to peddling racial stereot5rpes, Hollywood has largely lost Its ability to tell a good story. How else can you explain our $2-mllllon movie beating "Crocodile Dundee H" (which cost $16 million to make): "Raw" (production cost; $8 million) at the Liberty Theatre? "Crocodile" Tony Brown’s Coiiiiiieiitaric^s' went on to earn $130 million and "Raw" did $50 million worlh of business. "Girl" also beat some of Holly wood's other mega-hlts: "Beverly Hills Cop II," which earned $170 million: "Color Purple" ($100 million): "Rambo II" ($70 mil lion): and "Fatal Attraction" ($153 million). While black people cannot compete with Hollywood's Light-Skinned Vs. Dark-Skinned One of the dangers that the victims of centuries of racism in the United States need to be cautioned about Is the pseudo struggle between llght-sklnned and dark-skinned African Amer- Icems. One of the basic strate gies of the powerful and oppres sive forces of this society Is to divide and sub-divide racial and ethnic communities against themselves. The history of the United States Is a history of ra cism. Unfortunatefy, the victims of racism sometimes get caught up In their own victimization by fostering the continuation of ra cist stereotypes and myths along the color line. The established media takes great delight when a chance Is given to expose Internal contra dictions within the African American community. In a re cent front-page article In the New York Times entitled, "Lawsuit Raises Issues of Color Bias Between Blacks," the Issue of conflict between llght- sktnned and dark-skinned Afit- can Americans was highlighted. The fact that there persists In some communities a contrived notion of bitterness and envy between llght-sklnned and dark-skinned African Amerl- Civil Rights Journal By Benjamin Chavis cans is a sad commentaiy. One of the achievements of the civil rights and African American cultural revolution of the 1960s was the re-evaluatlng of the re lationships between all mem bers of the African American community without prejudice due to sklntolor. Interestingly, it Is out of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, a place where African Americans In particular have made great progress, that a recent lawsuit Is advancing In the federal courts. The two plaintiffs are both Afri can American women. One Is dark-skinned amd one Is llght- sklnned. Ms. Tracy Lynn Mar row, an employee of the Atlanta A Veto That Will Hurt Our Families Guest Editorial By MARIAN EDELMAN President Bush's decision to veto the minimum wage in crease recently passed by Con gress hits black families where we live. Millions of black Ameri cans are now struggling along at or near the current bottom wage of $3.35 per hour. Black women are twice as likely to make the minimum wage Ilian are white men. To veto the minimum wage Increase Is to veto their hopes. Our families need IVlilte House help—not White House opposi tion— In their struggle to earn enough to survive. The poverty rate among young, black fami lies and black families headed by a woman alone are particu larly high. Nearfy half of all the black children In America today are poor. A minimum wage veto can only push more and more of our families Into poverty. The President's excuses for ve toing the minimum wage do not make sense. • The President claims the wage increase is too high. He's wrong. If anything, the Increase does not go far enough. The $4.55 rate proposed by Con gress would still leave the mini mum wage nearly 70 cents be low Its 1981 level, once you figure In inflation. Even after the Increase that the President says goes too far, the minimum wage would still leave a three-person family well below the poverty level. We cannot In good con science do less. • The President complains that his "training wage" Idea was Ig nored. Not true. The bill voted by Congress does allow lower two-month "training wages" to be paid to Inexperienced work ers. But President Bush-wanted to go much further, forcing even our most experienced workers to get a low "training" pay for six months every time they start a new job. This means that work ers In Jobs with a high turnover could be stuck forever on a low- wage treadmill. • The President sajre that Con gress had refused to compro mise. Recent history says other wise. Congress has greatly scaled back Its original propo sal to raise the minimum wage. Last year, the House of Repre sentatives proposed to boost It to $5.05 per hour. President Bush cannot explain away this decision. It reflects an Insensitivity to those at the bottom of the economic ladder, at the same time the President Is making tax cuts for capital gains taxes a priority to benefit Uiose at the top. We must urge our representa- yVO MATTS.R ROW you sues. IT. WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? Let us hear your comments, ideas and opinions. Write to: Letters To The Post P.O. Box 30144 Charlotte, N.C. 28230 Please include name, address and phone number. We edit letters for clarity and grammar. mega-bucks to establish an al ternative movie industry, we do have something they don't have. For example, "Girl" delivers a unique emotional experience. And that personal experience with fellow human beings who understand their suffering -- and most importantly — their dreams. Is a rare movie experi ence. I've watched black and white teenagers walk out the the thea ter crying and vowing to never touch drugs — ever, and In some cases never again. I have talked to parents, who after seeing It, are going to make sure their children see it when it opens for the general public later this year. "Its powerful anti-drug theme Is directed, with chilling force, at our young people. It should be made compulsory viewing in schools throughout Bermuda. . Go and see It - and take your child along." the Royal Gazette's film critic wrote. Many Holly wood movies are so full of sex and violence that many — espe cially In the religious communi ty -- no longer bother to go to the movies. Manager Nelda Simons of the Liberty Theatre was so moved by the church community's at tendance that she remarked: "I am excited about the response to this film because It enables us to tap into what appears to be a non-moviegolng audience. Many people said that they had never been to the movies before and, to my knowledge, non- moviegoers are usually within the religious and church com munities." Liberty's audiences were also multi-racial, attracted by the film's blend of entertain ment with an anti-drug theme. The Bermuda box office suc cess has greatly enhanced our expectations for the film when It is released. It shows that "Girl" can, and black people can, com pete with Hollywood when It opens with local people and groups as our distributors (we call them Buy Freedom Part ners) In local theaters. Informa tion: (212) 575-0876. Yes, I'm excited, but my feel ings extend to what we together, as a people, can do In this cru cial movie Industry. We can't compete with General Motors and AT&T, but we're uniquely positioned to eventually domi nate the movie industry. Our people's annual $2.2 billion for mo\de tickets (50 percent of all sold) can be redirected back to our community and our own producers and our Images en hanced at the same time. 'The White Girl" alone won't get us there, but so far It Is proving that It can be done. TONY BROWN'S JOURNAL TV series be on public televi sion Sunday on Channel 42 at 5 p.m. It can also be seen on Channel 58 Saturday, 1:30 p.m. office of the Internal Revenue Service, has sued the IRS and Ms. Ruby Lewis who is the dark- skinned supervisor of Ms. Mar row who Is llght-sklnned. Ms. Marrow contends that she has been discriminated against In her emplo3mient at the IRS by Ms. Lewis because of Ms. Lewis' "prejudice against Ms. Marrow because of her llght-sklnned color." The fact that I have to use these descriptions to describe the bone of contention speaks to the depth of the problem. Who would believe that In 1989 two sisters would be squaring off In a federal court because of the perception or the reality that skin color Is the problem? AU African Americans as well as all peoples In this world have been created equally by God. If African Americans continue to cany forth the racist myths and stereotypes of this society, then the resulting division and Inter nal conflicts will only serve to further perpetuate the exploita tion and oppression of the com- munlfy. It matters not what col or you are. What matters is how you use your life to ensure that justice and freedom Is for every one. ‘mm, . ok.... immaAP WHAT^s' HBARmABOOr HgA(?W6AB0(T CON&ReSS THAT meRBBSpo? ou46NOKmm poesp’ \ THEM-CONTKAABOVTOUPe^ \ /S/ rs bork V f ^ ^ Shid. ^ \ 1 vr llib ur Hom JpAWMe. New Hope In The Bush Administration fives In Congress to stand up to the President and Insist on a de cent minimum wage Increase. To let your members know you back raising the minimum wage to $4.55 an hour, write them (Hon. Terry Sanford, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20515 and Rep. Alex McMillan, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515) or call them at 202- 224-3121 and ask for them by name. Do It now! Marian Wright Edelman is President of the Children's De fense Fund, a national voice for children. Guest Editorial By Charles E. Belle "If we want to help George Bush lead America to a new era of greatness, then we must be the party of all the people" - Lee Atwater, Chairman Republic Nat'l. Comm. It Is not to say that the chosen few African Americans at the top of the Bush Administration are romancing the stone, but they might be better off kissing the blarney stone. At least there Is hope being given In return. Representative Julian C. Dixon, president. Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, believes "A platform should be a promise." President Bush has to be more generous In granting good posi tions to African Americans If he plans on living up to his "kinder and gentler" platform promise to African Americans. While Congressman Dtxon was demanding more from the African American community in his comments, care can be tak en by Bush for all Americans. "The problem Is that our coun try, and particularly our minori ty communities, face serious dif ficulties that won't yield to fence-sitting." Therefore, the se lections of stewards to show so lutions to the President of the United States, must be smart and numerous. No one person has the answer for crime, crack and unemplo5nment In the na tion's minority communities. The African American and "other races" are growing faster than the white population in this nation. In the next century, such a shift In population, ac cording to the Census Bureau, U. S. Department of Commerce, that a re-ordering of U.S. priori ties for people Is In order. The drop In white births, Immigra tion and African American pop ulation progress pushes the fig ures m favor of finding solutions to non-European American problems to the top. As always In the words of a late NAACP leader, "blacks are the cutting edge," of change In this country." Cabinet-level positions or should we say "position" since President John F. Kennedy has not changed for people of color. Louis Sullivan, former president, Morehouse School of Medicine, Is the sole role model at the top at the moment. Mr. Frederick D. McClure, currently assistant to the President for Legislative af fairs, Is joined by too few other African Americans. As assistant treasurer of Pepsi-Cola Co., Wendell W. Gunn, Is chief of steiff. Housing and Urban Devel opment (HUD). Joe Watkins, an ordained minister and former assistant to the Vice President, who is he? Is associate director of the White House Office of Public Liaison. First Lady's Press Secretary Anna Perez Is currently the lone African American woman who has won confirmation. A Commu nications commentator who Is partially responsible for the rash of right wing anti-African American aid publicity by the Wall Street Journal for the past four-and-a-half years, Joseph Perkins Is deputy assistant for domestic policy, office of the Vice President. A paltry few with their own basic background problems for communicating as "kinder and gentler^' policy of the President for over 30 million Af rican Americans. A handful of other African Americans are asking for ap pointed positions. William Lu cas, assistant attorney general for civil rights, a non-color- cholce, Constance "Connie" Newman, director of the office of personnel management. Jewel LaFontant, assistant secretary of state for Refugee Affairs and Steve Glaude, deputy secretary of HUD, are all waiting in the wings with confirmation by Congress pending. President Bush has got time to actually get more than a few supreiior Afri can Americans In his adminis tration. After all, an Individual Is always known by the company he/she keeps. Education Is Critical To Black Citizens Guest Editorial By Don Brown Reading scores among black students are deplorable. Each year all third, sixth and eighth graders take the California Achievement Test and one area where performance Is measured Is reading. For the past three years blacks have scored con siderably lower than whites. Scores are reported as median percentiles, which describes the average student. The median percentile score for the group or the average student was 50. See chart for results of the past three years. Moreover, the Westslde Schools Task Force stated that students who drop out of school have actually given up on school at an early age. One of the defi cits that the potential dropout carrier to the secondary level is a severe reading problem. Read ing failure causes children an Immense loss of self-esteem during the school years. In as much as reading Is criti cal to the academic develop ment of all students, steps need to be taiken to Improve reading achievement among black stu dents within our school district. The first step that needs to be taken Is that specific goals for student performance must be articulated and documented by the Board of Education; but most of all, these goals must be 1986 1987 1988 Blacks/Whites Blacks/Whites Blacks/Whites 3rd grade 32 67 32 68 32 67 6th grade 31 68 30 67 31 68 8th grade 28 66 30 68 35 69 translated Into measurable per formance objectives. The board should adopt a policy statement or resolution proclaiming that reading scores for black stu dents will be at the 50th percen tile by 1991 and the 75th per centile by 1993 system wide. The school board must accept the responsibility for being ac countable for reading achieve ment In the school system, and they must establish goals and effect plans to reach those goals. The second step Is parental Involvement. Black parents must get Involved In the educa tion of their children. We can no longer just sit back and assume that the educational needs of our children eire sufficiently be ing met. Historically, black par ents have trusted the teachers and school administrators to make the right decisions for their children. We can no longer afford to continue to function under this premise. We must form partnerships with our teachers—who In many Instanc es are trying to be social work ers, surrogate parents, police men, drug counselors, and psychologists as well as teach ers. They desperately need our help. African Americans have a huge stake In education, and we had better get Involved In protecting that Interest. Education for black Americans Is a matter of i survival. For whites It deter- | mines the quality of life--for blacks it Is Itfe! Tlie mission of the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System as proclaimed by Dr. Peter Relic Is "Every child a reader," a vision that all of us share. If this vision Is to be come reality, black parents and the black community must get Involved.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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June 1, 1989, edition 1
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