Students remain soap fans
BUckInk
SEPTEMBER 16,1980
FRANCES SILVA
Special Projects Editor
Oni* vlfmrni ot iht* media that has
 a|)tur>(l th> (asonation ot millions is
soap ojwras ln( luded in those millions
art- Blaiks, who. despiie pcK)r rcpn-son-
lalion, (ontinur lo virw and support the
proKrams
I started watching them berause
there was rwthinn else on at that lime
Gisella WiRgins, a freshman from Spr
ing Lake, N (' agreed that th- shows do
delve into reality, I think that basically
you do find some Blacks like that, add
ed Wiggins, whose mother was a social
worker, as is Nanty, a Black character
on All My Chikht'n.
Although Mary lllerbe, S freshman
from Pinehurst, also telt that the Blacks
on the soaps were believeable, she ex
pressed a desire to see their roles ex-
/ \l.irlfd i» iiti hinfi ihi-m hi't at/'.c
thffr n.M nolhinf! rl''f on ,it Ih.it hmv
.ind liiol hoitkfd
skjt and I got hooked,' said Kenee
Branch, a sophomore from Ia\etteville,
N c:
Kraig Molts reasons for watching his
favorite show, .ind ABC's top ranked
soap 0i)era, CVner.i/ were
somewhat different I like to see the ac
tion and all those devilish people con
niving It let's me know what I II have lo
lcK)k out for later on in life, he said |ok
ingK
Holt, a lunior from Baltimore, Md .
does not watch the soaps in terms of
Black and white simpl\ because few
Blac ks appear m roles on the soaps.
Basicall> the soaps show middle to
upper class Blacks who often act like
middle lo upper class white, ' explained
Mike Wilchei, a sophomore from
Washington, D C
Wilcher also added that he thought
the shows were an escape from reality
but he admitted that some of the situa
tions created do happen
panded and made more realistic .
The soap operas don't go into the
families ot the Blacks. I d get a large
number of Blacks and create some pro
blems." she said
Wilcher advocated changing the types
of Black characters depicted in the
shows I d show Blacks from all dif
ferent economic levels, " he said.
Branc h's suggestions lor improvement
in the soaps also concentrated on the
writing ' Maybe if there were more
Black writers they could portray the
Black personality better. Black and
white problems arc totally different
They don't deal with Black problems on
the soaps, ' she remarked
However, Holt conveyed a thought
that perhaps many Blacks w ho are hook
ed on soaps have entertained at one time
or another
It d be nice to have an all Black soap
opera, he said.
VAtk /A/f'as
Choir making concert plans
DENISE JOYNER
Staff Writer
Seveial Black groups are established
here on the UNC campus Whether it be
music, theater, or dance, BSM has it
It IS still early in the semester so
students can still hear an\ public ity con-
c erning (HJssible partic ipation or |ust tor
your entertainment pleasure
Highlighted this week is the Black Stu
dent Movement Gospel Choir The choir
has aliead\ made plans tor this fall
Aside trom the usual gospel (onccrt on
campus once a semester, the choir will
sing in Upendo one Sunda\ pei month,
tn c oniunc tion vs ith the United  hristian
fellowship
Other plans lor the tall are tentative at
this fK)int Since auditions were recentl>
held tor the c hoii. those plans w ill begin
to lake shape soon
People who missed auditions last
week will probably have another chance
in the spring lo tr>out In the meantime
though, the choir vsants stucJenis to just
f ome out and en|o\ the music
,1
II
Lofi Williams singing in choir
Album has Hawkins' touch
Walter new album Do
)our Hesl. is what one might call a
sneak preview into the kind of music
that vmII be coming up on future
albums
Do your Beil is a mixture of Black
gospel combined with a hint of la//
and pop music Hawkins is breaking
away from the traditional pattern and
style that appeared on love Alive,
love Alive II. and lesus Christ /s The
Wa\
Do your flesf contains a new rendi
tion of MacArlhur Park (sung by his
sister Lynette), originally a Donna
Summer hit This is a classic example
of the type of music that appears
throughout the album Some of the
other songs are "Do Your Best (title
song). ' W'lll You Be There," and
What Then
People useci lo Hawkins traditional
style of presenting music may not be
able to adjust to this new musical tran
sition But despite his experimentation
with a new style, the album still has
that distinctive Walter Hawkins touch
and lhat s what makes it good.
Mitchelene King
An Arts Editorial
Soaps lack Blacks
Many college students watch soap
operas, and are a large part of the view
ing audience. Many Black students in
this audience are dedicated to the soaps,
but are given very few roles to identifv
with
I rank and Nancy Grant are the two
Black characters on "All My Children'.
Used as tokens when they debuted in
1473, trank and Nancy were given
soapier roles in 1976 when the couple
separated and remarried other
characters
Although t rank and Nancy were able
to get more than stereotype roles on
AMC, too few other seriaK develop
Black roles.
The reason lor this is the fact that the
soaps are atraid to lose their white au
dience. In the 1970's 'Uays ot OUr
Lives" and "Search For Tomorrow"
were prime examples.
"Days of Our Lives," the NBC soap
popular among housewives, cancelled a
mixed marriage that had been scheduled
in the script due to letters from its white
viewers.
"Search tor Tomorrow," which
debuted in September 1954, almost had
to call it quits after nearly 20 years when
it televised several episodes of a Black
-youth center during the mid-70’s.
for the upcoming '80 season, expect
few changes, afterall, all the children
will still be illegitimate, there will be
rapes, adultery and affairs in all the main
soaps, but few will commit themselves
W ith a large Black cast.
Carolina the TRIANHI f
DANCE GUILD
MURRAY LOUIS
DANCE COMPANY
Tuesday, October 28,1980
PHYLLIS
LAMHUT
DANCE
COMPANY
Saturday,
February 21, 1981
ARTHUR HALL
AFRO-AMERICAN
DANCE ENSEMBLE
Wednesday, March 18,
1981
OHIO BALLET
Saturday, March 28, 1981
All performances begin at
8:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall
All seats reserved. For more
Information call 933-1449 or
ask at the Carolina Union
Box Office.