Teresa Moore
Michael John-Myers
Milton Butler
r _ ' \
Handel's Messiah to be presented
I The First Baptist Church
phoirs presents the Forty-eighth
(48th) Annual Presentation of
peorge F. Handel's Messiah Sun
flay, December 8, at 6 p.m. in the
main sanctuary of the church locat
ed at 700 Highland Avenue.
The choir will have partici
pants from other church choirs as
Iwell as all of First Baptist choirs.
; The soloists this year are Ms.
Teresa Moore, soprano; Mrs.,
Dorothy Childs, contralto; Mr.
Michael John-Meyers, tenor; and
Mr. Milton Butler, bass. The choir
Svill be directed by Ms. D'Walla
Simmons, Minister .of Music, First
Baptist Church and Director, Win
ston-Salem State University Choir.
Ms. Moore of Winston-Salem
is enrolled as a graduate student at
UNC-G. She holds a B.A. in Music
from Pheifer College. Ms. Moore
began her career at the age of ten.
She is accomplished in classical.
Mrs. Childs of Orangeburg,
S.C. is a graduate of Winston
Salem State University with a B.S.
and received a M.S. in Intermediate
Education from N. C. A&T State
University. Mrs. Childs has been a
featured soloist throughout the
United States.
Mr. John-Meyers of Norfolk,
Va., attended Norfolk State Univer
sity, Norfolk, Va, and is the Director
of Special Music at the Living
World P. H. Church, Norfolk, VA.
Mr. Butler is currently assistant
Professor of Music Education at
Ohio University, Athens, Oh. Mr.
Butler has appeared with the Cor
pus Christi Symphony, the Southern
Arizona Symphony and Master
work Chorale.
The choir will feature 100
voices with orchestra accompani
ment.
William Diggs tells slavery's story at museum
POMONKEY, Md. (AP) ?
William Diggs tells the story of slav
ery not from a history book, but using
the ball and chain that was shackled
to his great-grandfather and the whip
that "tickled my grandfather's back."
Diggs, 80, the grandson of
slaves, has run the Afro-American
?Heritage Museum on an old Army
base since retiring as a teacher in
;?9X0. Visitors learn about slavery the
?Diggs' forbearers to!4 him. ?
Di>;gs said he has told thousands
pf youngsters about "things your
teacher didn't tell you."
Diggs said if children hear the
stories of his grandparents they won't
be as susceptible to "all this hate and
prejudice" that others teach them.
"People start the lie at home, bui tftey
can't keep it alive," he told The (Bal
timore) Sun. "They can't carry it but
so far until it runs into a brick wall ?
and it stops right there. I'm the brick
wail."
Diggs started a recent lesson
with flags. The flag of Maryland has
the same colors as the Baltimore Ori
ole, he noted.
The .red and black of the
African-American national flag rep
resent the "blood that is in us" and
the "color of our skin." And the green
is there to show that "we all live on
God's green earth," he says, Smiling.
He moves on to the heavy, 19th
century irons. "Imagine these old
black women using this all day to
iron the massa's clothes," he says. He
shows them the chamber pots that the
slaves had to clean and the feather
beds and dolls, most of them made
from black socks stuffed with rags.
He picks up one doll by its hair
and begins shaking it. "Now, ol'
Mista^ White Man says I can't be a cit
izen of this country less'n I have skin
like him and long straight hair that
Wows in the wind," he says. "Phooey
<&i ol' Mista White Man. I can't do
that. I'll just let my hair grow the way
it does."
Diggs breaks up laughing. "My
grandmother and them would sit on
the porch and crack their sides laugh
this doll," he recalled He has lists of
slaves that were filed with the
Charles County register of wills when
a plantation owner died. They are
listed by first names, age, trades and
appraised value.
"You can l\eiar these things, but if
*you see the actual4 thing in a book,
then you're seeing something," Diggs
said.
The iron ball, he explained, was
shackled to his great-grandfather's leg
for the last 20 years of his life. And
the whip often "tickled my grandfa
iler's back," he said.
II Norma Hurley, a spokeswoman
for Charles County schools, calls
Diggs a "treasure" whom people are
"lucky to have."
"He does all the things he docs
with his whole heart," she said. "We
can all benefit from that."Robert
Sondheimer, whose fifth-graders
from Mount Hope/Nanjemoy Ele
mentary School toured the museum a
. few weeks ago, said Diggs is "a won
derful storyteller." He just hopes "the
kids respond in a positive way,"
Sondheimer added.
The students are enthusiastic
about the dolls with nappy hair and
the collection of old-fashioned irons.
NAACP Learning Centers Workshop
How to Successfully Succeed In Educating Your Child
Sat., Dec. 7, 1991
10:00 a.m. - 4 p.m.
WSSU Communications Bldg
Lecture Room
Dr. Myma Brake Williams
Private Psychologist
Winston-Salem, NC
Keynote Speaker
For more information contact Doris Moore at 767-4052.
f
Need insurance for your
home, car, life, boat or RV?,|
767-1583
Call me!
#
[ have the light coverage
for all your needs.
Mose'Belton Brown
Account Agent
/instate*
VUttat* 1 nturtiKv Comptny
Ltf? from. AUiuu Li(? [nturanc* Company
Northchasc Shopping Center, 5105 University Parkway
But they fall silent when asked about
their reaction to the whip and the ball
and chain.
Finally, Amanda Gilroy, who is
white, and Wanda Hart, who is black,
chorus: "It was wrong."
DON'T MISS!!!!
CELEBRATIONS: AN AFRICAN ODYSSEY
December 6-7-12-13-14-19-20-21 8pm
8-15-22 3pm
Arts Council Theatre 610 Coliseum Drive, Winston-Salem
$15 Adults $10 Students/Senior Citizens Call 723-7907 for reservations & group rates
fThe following it a review from Ike
1990 production of "Celebrations: An
African Odyssey'*J
Friday evening's performance of
"Celebrations: An African Odyssey" was
in many ways like Frederick Douglas'
1845 Narrative in which the author
chronicled his dramatic triumph over that
"peculiar institution" known as slavery.
READ THIS!!!
Winston-Salem, N.C.
With book A lyrics by Ricardo Pitt
Wiley, music by Pitt-WUey, Kent Brisby
Sl Lawrence Czoka, "Celebrations" is the
story of a young and beautiful African
princess stolen and enslaved in America
while trying to solve the mystery of the
"Lost Baby King." The production
features African spiritual and Gospel
music combined with the traditional
ON THE
AVANT-GARDE
By TANG NIVRI
Just as Douglas' story illustrates the
power if the individual ? a nation to
transcend even* the d^git of
circumstances, so does "An African
Odyssey," which fuses music, dance,
singing, playing, acting, and storytelling
into a powerful drama, compelling its
audience to "celebrate" the triumph of the
human spirit!
Not to get too far ahead because
there is plenty to see, hear, and talk about
in this production, however, there is one
scene that I will never, ever forget as long
as I live ? but more about that later.
This sparkling production presented
by the North Carolina Black Repertory
Theatre Co., directed and choreographed
by Ms. Mabel Robinson, produced by
Larry Leon Hamlin, further confirms that
fact that there is a reservoir of
extraordinary talent in the City of
African dance and movement.
Under the very gifted eyes, ears,
hands, heart and soul of none other than
Ms. Mabel Robinson (a veritable "Who's
Who" on Broadway in the world of
musical-dance theater), the entire cast,
including the technical crew which
created a brilliant set & lighting design,
effectively transported its audience Jack
to the early 1990s to experience life first,
as it might have been in the small West
African M'Cuta Village, then later as
slaves on an American plantation.
The contrast between he two is very
important.
As an audience, we were introduced,
then immersed, surrounded and engulfed
in the African "Ceremonial Ring" where
we each became a part of the energy of
the "new time celebration."
While bathing myself in the emotions
of my ancestors, portrayed by "Big John"
Heath, Carlotta Samuels-Flemmings,
Kenny Malleoe, Sharon Frazier, LaTonya
Black, Sherone Price & Company, I also
heard their fortuitous words of wisdom ..
. declaring to all who would listed,
"appearance is buy a small part of
leadership; no gift should be given with
the expectation of receiving a gift; and all
things lost can be found."
Oh, if only we would listen more
often more often to the words of our
ancestors!
Now, about that scene! It occurs at
the conclusion of Act I when the young
princess is kidnaped by the "people
stealers," sold into slavery, and
transported on a ship thousands of miles
away ... as that old hymn goes,"... long
as I live and trouble rises" ... it was the
visual image of the young princess (my
daughter, your daughter, sister, niece,
cousin, friend, anybody), trapped like an
animal, yet fighting, struggling with all of
the intellect of one's might, captured, only
as Mabel Robinson could, through dance,
song, sets, and lighting. (Even as I write
to you of my experience, recalling this
scene fills me with emotion.)"
After having searched for the past
eleven years, the North Carolina Black
Repertory Theatre believes that
"Celebrations" is the right holiday
musical to reflect the culture and history
of the the African-American family and
community.
Go see it for yourself. I will tell you
this, after he stopped crying, my ten-year
old son fell that everybody ? black,
white, or otherwise ? should see
"Celebrations." And a little child shall
lead them!
The North Carolina School of the Arts
Broadway Preview Series brings you
? ? ?
BROADWAY
IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
, If ? .1?HI lit'
| DIVIDING THE ESTATE
? by HORTON FOOTE
4 time Academy Award winner Horton Foote wrote the screenplays for TO KILL A
MOCKINGBIRD, TENDER MERCIES^md THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL as well as
many other well known films and plays.
VARIETY calls DIVIDING THE ESTATE "a fascinating and remarkably simply
study of the changing South ... with a powerful narrative that has sufficient
depth, poignancy, and originality to move audiences ... the end result is a
delightful play with the potential stature of an American classic."
DECEMBER 27 - JANUARY 8
STEVENS CENTER, WINSTON-SALEM
FEATURING STARS OF STAGE, SCREEN & TELEVISION
Bita* Ktthx
Alf B*D Of
YOUTH. #w Aarrrq
gowmv r KST UTTlf
WttfHOUSf A TEXAS
W. Bwo* Ttwuj
ma Td tonto ** aib tk
BUCK UGliS. THE GREAT WWTC
HOR w* torn* hH Jorw
StSTR MARY OWHOU5
EASY MONEY, croud rat
of DwJy McDonald on
RYAN'S HOP!
CALL (919) 721-1945 or 721-1946
lUSAirl
USAir begins with you
Single Tickets on s<\le Now $20 Cieneml/$24 Student/Sr., Series package including Jake's women $51.