Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Dec. 4, 1997, edition 1 / Page 14
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, 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
2B STYLE/The Charlotte Post Thursday, December 4, 1997 Cover to Cover Adult ‘pop-up’ strikes chord By Lyle V. Harris THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION ATLANTA - Velma Maia Thomas didn’t want people to read another book about the hor rors of slavery. They had to feel it. That’s why she wrote “Lest We Forget,” a slim, gift-size hardcov er that gives newfound intimacy to the slave experience by using pop-up illustrations usually reserved for children's bedtime fairy tales. The cover - a sepia-toned daguerreotype of two weary-eyed figures reminiscent of “Gothic” - hints at the three-dimensional story that follows. Unfold a pic ture of a slave ship on page 6, and see how 450 human beings were stacked like cordwood for the tor turous voyage to America. TVim to page 11 and open a copy of the receipt for Frances, “the Negro woman” sold for $4,000. Flip the lid on a mock tobacco tin on page 20 and read the faded manumis sion papers Robert Green carried with him after being freed by his Missouri slave master. More than just a book, it’s history you can touch. “I was nervous at first because I thought a book of just documents and pictures probably wouldn’t do much,” said the first-time author, leaning over a counter at the Shrine of the Black Madonna bookstore that she manages in southwest Atlanta. “We came up with the idea of having docu ments you can open up and pull out. We went through it page by page, and when I saw the book, I was floored.” So were the 30,000 buyers who snapped up the first printing in a matter of weeks. The publisher has ordered another 15,000 copies, expected to be in book stores in time for Kwanzaa and Christmas gift giving. The book was also chosen by the New York Public Library as the theme of next year’s Black History Month essay contest. “This book shows us how much we still don't know about slavery,” said Regan Ford, 28, after picking up an autographed copy at the store last week. “When you see and touch these documents, it dri ves home what happened. It's not abstract anymore.” “Lest We Forget” is based on the 1992 “Black Holocaust” exhibit, a traveling display of memorabilia from the slavery era that Thomas organized and curated. 'Hie text of the book is just as animated as its pictures. The words and emotions of slaves spring from the pages in a way that speaks both to adults old enough to have marched in the civil rights movement and to chil dren for whom Martin Luther King Jr. is little more than a stat ue. “I think people are embracing the book because it’s so readable,” Thomas says. “They don’t think they have to have a Ph.D. to get through it. They can sit down and share it with a family member.” Thomas says her book is espe cially timely because of President Clinton’s call for a national dia logue on race, recent attempts to dismantle affirmative action pro grams, and the imminent release of “Amistad,” director Steven Spielberg’s movie about a slave uprising. “We know this nation has never been on our side, so we should not be surprised if affirmative action is steamroUed,” said Thomas, set ting her large, almond-shaped eyes in a steady gaze. “AH the things we’ve fought for, we haven’t been given; but we have to survive because our ancestors survived. There are tests for every generation, and this is ours.” Small and soft-spoken, with neat cornrows tied in a bun, Thomas doesn't seem the type to wear her agendas on her conserv atively dressed sleeves. A mother, minister and graduate of Howard and Emory universities, she car ries herself with the scholarly passion of a historian devoted to her research. “Writing a book like this was never my plan in life; it just sort of came when I was working on the Black Holocaust exhibit,” she says. “I became so intrigued by the lives that were half-told. Because you really only see the story from the slaveholders’ point of view. It was like (the slaves) were saying to me, T have a story. WUl somebody teU this for me? ” Those voices still call out to her, she says, including those of her own family who have been inspir ing her to bring their untold sto- - ries to life. While tracing her* genealogy, 'Thomas found out- about her great-great-grandmoth er, a discovery that gave the bookadded meaning. While researching, Thomas found that her grandmother had ’ been ‘appraised’ at $1,800. “That stops you cold,” she said.' “Your life is never the same once you see a price tag on someone you know, or who your mother knew: You feel obligated to make* a difference in the world.” We’ll Put Your Feet Back On The Street ERWIN BAIL BONDING CO. ONLY “5” MINUTES FROM THE JAIL CALL TODAY! 335-1180 - 529-0261 or PAGE one of our... Professional Bail Bonds Staff Rosetta Erwin - 558-9083 • Pertanza "TAM” AUni - 672-7522 • Kenneth “TENH” Perinchief 346-6898 212 N. McDowell, Suite 110 Treatment may be dangerous interest free til 1999 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - The new dia betes drug Rezulin is no longer for sale in the United Kingdom, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that patients using it should be moni tored carefully for signs of liver damage. Both actions followed reports that three people died after being treated with the drug, known generically as troglitazone, and more than 100 other patients suf fered liver failure. Glaxo-Wellcome, which markets Rezulin in the United Kingdom, pulled the drug off the market there Monday because of its potential health risks. Here, FDA officials said they plan to continue evaluating reports of liver problems associat ed with Rezulin, but assured patients that the benefits of tak ing the drug outweigh the risks of using it to treat type-II, or adult- onset, diabetes. “FDA has concluded that liver enzyme levels should be mea sured in patients taking Rezulin at the start of therapy, eveiy month for the first six months of treatment, every other month for the next six months and periodi cally thereafter,” the FDA said in a statement Monday. The agency said about 600,000 patients in the United States and 200,000 in Japan take Rezulin, which is prescribed with insulin or another drug known as sul fonylurea in patients whose blood sugar levels are not controlled by other treatments. Japan’s Health and Welfare Ministry this week also has warned patients taking Rezulin to have their livers checked. The FDA and Warner-Lambert, the drug's manufacturer, first announced the link between Rezulin and liver damage last month Eifter getting 35 reports of liver damage, including liver fail ure that killed one person and led another to get a liver transplant. The FDA then asked for addi tional reports on adverse reac tions to the drug. “The agency has now received a total of approximately 150 adverse event reports, including three deaths from liver failure linked to the use of Rezulin in Japan,” it said in the statement. REG S8.99 SQ. YD. REG Sn.99 SQ. YD. REG S14.99 SQ. YD. S099 COLORFUL LEVEL LOOP C99 STUNNING saxony CARPET «a«gg DURABLE BERBER CARPET ARPET 4517 E. Independence Blvd. (At the corner of Sharon Amity) *OAC, SiOO minimum finance Abbey Carpet America's Choice al your heighborhood store i MON., WED. & FRI. 9-6 TUE. & THUR. 9-8 • SAT. 10-6 535-7111 •An All KIDZ Cast Holiday Production* Hroiiglit to yon by KID 1117. Prodnctions [An African Celebration] Come ancI experience tNe blRih of Jesus On ifs NATIVE IancI of IsreaI Brsidt Our Rkli moiIher IancI of AfRicA ANd lIlE MAjESliC JORdAN Also Celebrating KWANZAA, Our African Holidayl For ticket iiiformatioii 442-189^ THE TRUTH WILL .SET YOU FREE! Tell everyone you know, that it's going to he... "A Royal Celebration" Written by Ms. Sibyl Lee But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 DANA AUDITORIUM (Queens Coilese Campus) Two BIG Shows Only! December 6th (Saturday) 5:00pm and 8:00pm Awesome Backdrops, Costumes and Stage Props! All Tickets Only $10.00 Featuring a surprise visit from our African American ^*Satita Claus^^ amity Affair"...please don't let your children miss this spectacular production! jaual. Formal and by all means this is the event of the year to wear your African Attire! Tour Sclietliile •Hickory, NC Dec 7th - 3:00pm (The Arts & Science Bldg. - 324-490E) •Statesville, NC Dec 13th - 0:00 pm (Statesville High School - 818-9155) •Salisbury, NC Dec 14ih - 3:00 pm (Livingston College Auditorium - 638-5512) This is a "Fan Dress Code; Casual,. Call 442-1893 for GROUP RATES at the 5:00PM Show! -Hut. For Carry Out or Delivery Neuu Real Deal Rizzo Call us tonight CAll for Delivery or Carryout Pizza Hut 1909 Milton Road • 535-0694 CALL US FOR • Monday Night Football • Church Events School Parties Lover’s Line PEPPERONI LOVER’S MEAT LOVER’S GGIE LOVER’S CHEESE LOVER’S C COHlIIllttCl to being your $■7.99 / 0 Medium Any Way You Want It! Choose up to 5 Toppings. Any Lover’s Lin^ or Supreme Pizza over. One eoaoen pm psoy pa Large Any Way You Want R! Choose Up to 5 Toppings, Any Lover’s Lin^ or Supreme Pi^ rS*. 5e« » G41 in nil mill III! nil nil dig -Hut. 2 Mediums Any Way You Want it! Choose Up to 5 Toppings, Any Lover's Line* or Supreme Pizza 16-1" 2 Larges Anyway You Want It! Choose Up to 5 Toppings, Any Lover’s Lin^ or Supreme Pizza itiMT.CkwCMon parpaffr ea, Ml Pizssi GsiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiDiQ Come visit your MILTON RD. Pizza Hut. We are community oriented providing the best service in pizza delivery DEUVERYDRIVEItS WANlHMiitEATPAY Demetrius Harris Manager
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 4, 1997, edition 1
14
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75