Newspapers / Elizabeth City State University … / May 5, 1989, edition 1 / Page 5
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Lyc6uin drama combines stories ^nd Horror to recreate slave era By Nicholas AUen The Elizabeth City Slate Uni\-er- siiy Lyceiirt Series presented the Atlantic-based Jotnandi Productions in a moving dramatic production of “DoLoid Remember Me” on Wednes day, March 8,1989 in Moore Hall •Audiuxium. The play “Do Lord Remember ■Me,” which takes place in 1936,in the Old Folks Home for the Colored in Virginia, portrays the cruelty of slav ery and is based on actual reports given by freed black slaves in the 1930’s. This play showed the true aspect of slavery that you nwrnally don’t see in programs of this kind,” said Tonya De Vaughn, a fteshman. In one scene, a white lady put a little black girl’s head under the back of her rocking chair and rocked on her face as she whipped her. The girl’s face was Photo by Ricfiafd khhtiPB ' By Dawn J. Catt Somerset Homecoming: Recover- >ing A Lost Heritage. By Dorothy .Si»uill Redford. New Yoric, Dou- ;bkday. 263 pages. 518.95. » » j “Who were my great-grandpar- •ents? Where did they come from?” •These simplequestions from thirteen- Iyear-old daughter, Deborah, led JDorothy Spruill Redford to what ulti- Jmately turned into a len-year search •for her roots. • Her years of research culminated Jin the fu^t slave descendant reunion Jwhich took place in August 1986 at jSomerset Place, a plantation in Wash- jington County North Carolina. Wwld- wide publicity of the event inspired JMs. Redford to share the information Jwhich she had painstakingly uncov- Jered. With the assistance of Michael 'D’Orso, Somerset Homecoming: tRecovering A Lost Heritage was bom. rrhe book is not only a story about the {Somerset Place slaves but about their descendants. Itis Ms. Redford’s’ per- isonal account of how after years of {denial she found her roots. From the Jlime she was SOTt to New York to live Jwith her aunt, she began setting her- pelf apart. ' “Tlie wcrst thing you could be in ^Jew York, while or black, was a I^themer,” she writes. “Southem- iprs were slow, ignorant, shuffling ^ntry folk. And if you were a black ^uthemer, you were the lowest of *he low.” Because of this, Dorothy Bedford’s’ aunt and uncle were not from North Carolina; they were fDwothy and Fred Littlejohn from Jamaica” * Ms. Redford narrates how she l>ecamepregnanlby aNew York man fifteen years her senior, and lived with |he child’s father until after her daugh- Jer, Deborah, was bom. Later, Debo- ^ spent the summer with relatives in Portsmouth and Redford was unable lo remove the child from the “cushion {>f warmth” provided by uncles, aunts, Jnd cousins. She relumed to the South •hat she had “spent her childhood •gnoring” and “teenage years deny ing,” and her “adulthood forgetting.” I Before the questions from her Jjaughter, Ms. R^ford was”too busy with the here and now lo think about *he there and then.” Her search was disfigured for life. The cast portrayed their characters to the fullest of their abilities. “It was obvious the actcKS had grown into the characters they de picted,” said Ursula McMillion, a freshman. ‘They felt the need to con vey forgotten issues to the public." James DeJongh wrote this lyrical drama., which combines facts, fcdk- lore, horror, and superstiticms to illus trate this period of interesting hist£My. 'The turn out was great to the ex tent of people having to stand up to watch the play,” said DeVaughn. “The actors were willing to answer any questions from the audience,” said Addk King, a freshman. “I feel that the play was perfcwmed to give the audience a strong insight into what slavery was really like and to let them know the good and bad times blacks had during slavoy,” said Cheryl While, a sophomore. The cast, in order of appearance, included Mary Hollaway, Andrea Frye, director of the play, Felix Knox, Edward W. Billups HI, Michelle Benjamin, and Thomas Bryd,IIL The ECSU Lyceum commitlee presented Jomandi's production of “Do Lord Remember Me" March 8th in the Moore Hall auditorium. Jomandi, an Atlanta t»ased performance company, thrilled the audience with 3s dramatic performance. ^ Mississippi Burning a hard-hitting film In one of the lighter scenes from “Do Lord,* a character reminisces about how “he danced a jig” when he received the news that slaves had 'been set free.’Do Lord” is based on a collection of interviews from former slaves and thier offspring. iBook traces author's I ft i search for her roots By Tom Williams Mississippi Burning is a film based on the 19M murders of three civil rights workers in Neshoba County, MississiRji and the FBI investigation that followed. Although the film is not an entirely realistic account, it is a good film with a good message. Mississippi Burning does contain a lot of the exact details of the Ne shoba killings and the FBI inves tigation. Still, Hollywood has to add a bit of flavoring lo make an entertain ing movie. In one scene, special agent Anderson, played by Gene Hackman, roughs up one of the murderers, (Clin ton Pell), in a barbershop. Pell, or his real life counterpart, would have been arrogant enough to press brutality charges, especially after being in dicted. Anderson also becomes romanti cally involved with Pell’s wife, (Frances McDorrmand.) It is a great plot twist, but realistically, unlikely. In another scene the FBI frames one of the murders as an informer by driving him through tovm. They pose as Klansmen threatening to kill him, and have their other men come lo his “rescue.” Thus they make him think he is in danger and offer protection in exchange. Again, this is barely pos sible, and barely probable. Mississippi Burning offers strong performances by Gene Hackman William Defoe, and Frances McDorrmand. Hackman does an excellent job in his role of special agent Anderson, an experienced law man who grew up in Mississippi, with an excellent understanding of its insti tutions. He plays Anderson with tough ness and sensitivity. The primar>' drawback of Hackman’sperformance is the snickering quality he has dis played before, as Lex Luther in the Superman films. William Defoe presents a com mendable perfomiance as Anderson’s supervisor.Ward, a young, naive vet eran of the Civil Rights struggle. Defoe plays the “do-it-by-the-book” boss. Frances McDorrmand plays the lonely Mrs. Pell, a woman trapp^ in a small town, and married to a man she does not k)ve. Her eyes and expression reveal her pain. She and Hackman relate well together. Mississippi Burning incorporates a lot of scenes from other films, and Director Alan Parker borrows some time-tested techniques. During the opening credits there is a scene erf a black church burning. The television mini-sereies “Holocaust” begins with the same scene, only of a Nazi stormtroopers burning down a small wooden s>Tiagoge. When I saw this scene and thought about it I ended up comparing the Klu Klux Klan to Nazi stormtroopers. Another scene in Mississippi Burn- j>ig, of klansmen hanging a black man from a tree, is reminiscent of a scene in the television movie version xSThe Diary of Miss Jane Pittman: In that scene, a man hanged from a" tree struggles for a long time because his neck does not break. InMississippiBurning, Alan Parker also uses the classic tecnique of sij- houete, for dramatic effect When Pell’s wife emotionally tells her hos= band’s doings to Anderson, the scene darkens lo a silhouette. Parker directs this film like ah-old television episode. In the end we see our heroes driving off toward anqjher adventure. Along the same lines the character of Word lends to be oVerly philosophical, like the Lv. heroes of the past. This device makes the fihn loo overbearing and jyeachy at lime?. StUl, Mississippi Burning, is a powerful, hard-hitting film that de serves lo be seen. RESERVE FFICER S' TRAINING C inspired by Alex Haley’s’ moving story. Roots. As she watched the drama, her feelings of “emptiness, anger, confusion, and denial” began to surface. These feelings led Ms. Redford through her len-year jour ney. The book contains many rare pho tographs, maps, and a genealogical chart that traces Ms. Redford’s’ fam ily back to the 1700’s. Dorothy Redford is currently work ing lo establish Somerset Place as the first national historic site to accurately portray the life of slaves. The reunion described in Somerset Homecoming led many individuals, both black and while, lo want recover their heritage. The great-grandson of one of the origi nal owners of Somerset Place, Josiah Collins VI, attended the event and was overwhelmed by what Ms. Redford had brought about This book examines her u^sfor- mation from a woman ashamed of ancestors and region, to a woman proud of herself, her race, and her history; but more than that she has enabled other slave descendents to be equally as proud. In a letter lo Ms. Redford, Senator Blount wrote, “I have lived long, been many places, have seen and done much- but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that this experi ence of ‘discovery’ and the unleash ing of my roots could nor would so profoundly and positively affect me. I feel good! I feel proud!” Dorothy Spruill Redford, now curator at Somerset Place, is a woman with great determination. What be gan as a quest for self-enlightenment ended as that and much more. Her desire for perfection and thirst for knowledge led her through years of unanswered correspondence and feel ings of indifference from friends and family members. The research and subsequent de scendant reunion and book, Somerset Homecoming, reflect the faith of Dorothy Redford. This faith is ex plained on the dedication page of her “Still yourself, hear your inner voice and vigorously pursue its dic tates. When your purpose is noble- When your goals benefit man kind- All thalyou need to achieve them will be available lo yoi." UEUTENANT JACK TOOO MLLS 285 lUpte Street Justin. Oktehoma 10075 PHILLIP WORSHAM 213 Orchard Street JueOn. OWahoma 10075 An entry ieve4 position in an EtectricaJ Enginoonng research or cies^ firm An entry levef position V) an Bectrical Engineering research Of design ftrm. 6act>ekx of Science in Electncal Engtneenng. May 1987 WiKiamstoivn Univer^: Justin. Oklahoma Bachetor of Science in Electncal Engineering. May 1967 WiHiamstown University; Justin, ddahoma U.S. Anny Sigr>aJ Corps Officer Basic Course. September 1967 IVakUng »r>d Operations Officer U.S. Army Reserve Officers’ Traintng Corps. WHIiamstown University Planned, organized, and executed tramtng for battahon of 110 cadets Summer Intemsmp Suf7>meri 966 Cer^rai Power and Light Justin OWahoma Interned in the Power Trar^smission Departmem Communicaborts Ptatoon Leader IHeadquarters Troop. 1-17 Cavaby 82nd Airtxxne Division. Fort Bragg. NO Responsfbte for the training, discip^ and wetfare of a forty-man ptatoon. Dean's List Vtvsity Soccer imramural Softt>aH >Waiiai3te Upon Request Deans List Distk^guished Mtfrtary Graduate Commandant's List Officer Basic Course Army ROTO basic ar>d advarKed camps U.S. Army Airt>ome School ^rsfty Wrestling. Intramural FooCbaM PROFESSOR OF MILITARY SCIENCE beutenant Coiooel Karl Dunn \ATtfliamstown University CoDege of Liberal Arts CMA1.702 Justin. Oklahoma WHICH ONE WOULD YOU RATHER WRITE? When you spend four years becoming a leader, it shows. And that’s what Army ROTC is all about. Fact is, when you graduate from college with a Lieutenant’s gold bar, you’ll bring more than a degree and a better resume to a job interview. You’ll bring confidence and the knowledge that you’ve done something that will make you a desirable candidate in the job market. A competitive edge few people your age have. Something you can be proud of. So take a good look at Army ROTC. It just might help potential employers take a good look at you. ARMTROTC THE SMARTEST COLLEGE CODRSETOD CAN TAKE. To find out more contact: Capt. Thomas, Army ROTC, Elizabeth City State University, (919) 335-3490 ^ dr
Elizabeth City State University Student Newspaper
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May 5, 1989, edition 1
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