Gary
from page AI
131), is just over one year old.
Since its inception it has been
well-received by urban mar
kets and is gaining in popular
ity. Travis Mitchell, vice pres
ident of network operations,
said the network tries to offer
its viewers more than just
entertainment.
"We want to improve and
raise the values of our view
ers," Mitchell said. "We want
to bring quality programming
back to the urban market.
We're the only network com
mitted to live coverage of the
CIAA. We have everything
from cartoons to news. We
have the only urban gospel
hip-hop show and a daily
gospel video countdown,
a
"We have a smorgasbord
of entertainment," Mitchell
added. "We start our morning
with a sunrise ministry which
airs from 3 a.m. until 8 a.m."
Gary, along with Holyfield
and Felder, who are major
partners in the cable televi
sion venture, talked with
youths and college students in
the Triangle area as part of
their 15-city tour to promote
the MBC network and self
help to African Americans.
"The message we're giv
ing them is you can be what
ever you want to be." Gary
said. "I speak to young stu
dents every week. Part of my
message also is no one's
going to give it to you, but
you can make it."
"You've got to work
hard." said Gary, a North Car
olina native, whose practifcfe is
one of the nation's top legal
firms. "Just know you can do
it. If you feel low and you
don't have the energy to go
on, dig deep, reach down and
keep moving forward."
Gary, who recently donat
ed $2 million to his alma
mater, part of which will be
used to re-start the school's
football program, said it is
important for successful
African Americans to support
their own institutions.
"It's so important," Gary
said. "You've got to reach
back, give back and try to
(help) somebody else along
with you. No matter how
much money you have, one
day it's not going to matter.
When all is said and done the
only thing that is going to sep
arate you is what you've done
in life to help others."
Baraka
fwm page AI
favorite poet of all times. 1
asked the students on campus
if they would be interested in
hearing him perform, and they
were really excitedothat we
were able to get him. The
Black Arts Movement was
such a seminal point in
African-American literature."
In addition, the Nocturnal
Collective of North Carolina
presented a hip-hop perform
ance as an evolving element of
the black aesthetic. Monte
Smith presented poetry as well
in the familiar coffeehouse,
cafe, jazz style cadences remi
niscent of the 1960s. Baraka
listened intently as the young
poets expressed themselves
and thanked them for their
words before he blessed them
with his own.
Baraka explained to the
students they have a responsi
bility as educated people to
lead in their communities.
"That's your job as educat
ed people. When you come out
of here, you ought to be ready
to lead. But many of the mid
dle class come here, get smart,
and it is hard for them to relate
to their own people. We don't
even want to have anything to
do with the people who sent us
here.r Baraka said. "Go back
to them. Educated people must
provide leadership. Learn
from the people. Take what
they give you. organize it and
give it back. If you don't pro
vide leadership, you are in the
way. Don't stand in the way of
your own people."
One of B^raka's poems
addressed the tragedy of Sept.
11. It is called "Somebody
Blew up America." The poem
evoked claps, sighs and moans
from the audience.
"All thinking people/
oppose terrorism/ both domes
tic/ & international..../ But one
should not/ be used/ To cover
the other," Baraka read. "They
say it's some terrorist, some/
barbaric/ Arab, in/
Afghanistan./ It wasn't our
American terrorists/ It wasn't
the Klan or the Skin heads/ Or
them that blows up nigger/
churches, or reincarnates us
on death row."
Baraka encouraged the
youths to "transform Ameri
ca."
"We have a counterfeit
president for a fake democra
cy. Many of the gains we
made during the 1960s we
have lost. We now have lead
ers like Colin Powell, Arm
strong Williams and Clarence
Thomas. Use what you learn
to transform-society. The rev
olution does not stop until we
transform society," Baraka
said.
Baraka distinguished rap
music from hip-hop.
"Rap, I know about. That
is an ancient term, but hip-hop
is a whole culture of things. It
seems to be an attempt to
combine R&B with rock 'n'
roll," Baraka said. "Rap, I
understand, but hip-hop is
more vague. What we did in
the 1960s with the Black Arts
Repertory Theatre, we wanted
art that was not only African
American in form but also in
content. We wanted it to be
mass-oriented and revolution
ary. Today there is a big con
tradiction between form and
content. People are develop
ing a form that gives popular
access, but the content is weak
or negative. The industry
pushes the weakest content,
and the artists are calling
women bitches and hoes. They
reward people for doing that."
Baraka explained why we
still need the blues today.
"The blues are our national
memory. Without the blues,
you would not know who you
are. The blues is your whole
biography," he said. "The
blues are diverse, but they
make up a basic cultural
motif....If you had education
like some white children, you
would learn the history of
your own culture. Some of the
white children value the Gre
gorian chants because they
studied Bach and other 18th
century grooves. Our children
need to learn about Blind
Willie Johnson. Lightning
Hopkins and Leadbelly. They
should be taught. That's the
problem with being educated.
The blues are spiritual. Spiri
tuality has nothing to do with
church. It has everything to do
with life, the quality of life,
and the mind, ideas."
Dr. Gladys Hope Franklin stands in front of the Hampton dorm named in her honor.
Hampton names dorm
for retired A&T professor
MM CI ALTO TUB CHRONICLE
GREENSBORO - Dr.
Gladys Hope Franklin
White, a retired associate
professor at N.C. Agricultur
al and Technical State Uni
versity, has a new women's
dormitory named in her
honor at Hampton Universi
ty
Dr. William R. Harvey,
president of Hampton Uni
versity, dedicated the new
40,059-square-foot complex
at the university's 109th
annual Founders Day pro
gram.
"This building couldn't
have been named after a bet
ter person who has taken
ownership in our vision and
been a more loyal daughter
of Hampton University,"
Harvey said. "She has let
her life do the singing."
White, a staunch support
er of Hampton, has been the
recipient of the Hampton
University National Alum
nus-at-Large Award, the
National Hampton. Alumni
Association Inc. Trailblazer
Award, the North Carolina
Hamptonian of the Year, the
United Negro College Fund
Inc. Distinguished Leader
ship Award and the Bridge
Builders Award.
Although an illustrious
Hamptonian. White rendered
distinct employment and
expertise to N.C. A&T as a
reading specialist and as the
first director of the A&T
Reading Laboratory. In fact,
she organized the universi
ty's reading program as an
enhancement to improve stu
dents' reading abilities in the
major disciplines. Likewise,
she developed, organized
and implemented the univer
sity's graduate reading spe
cialist major. At a time when
funding was tops in science
and mathematics. White was
awarded a U.S.A. grant for
$45,000 to teach and train
teachers how to teach read
ing. She served as the direc
tor of that reading teacher
program. White also served
as reading technical assistant I
for the National Right to |
Read Program and wa
assigned to improve sehoo.
reading programs in the -
.states of Iowa. Illinois. ,
Georgia and North Carolina.
Also, she chaired commit
tees in the International
Reading Association and
was a charter member of its !
Greensboro Chapter. J
White, a generous sup- j
porter of A&T. is still active
ly involved at the university, ? i
where she serves as a mem- ; *
ber of the Golden Ambas- '
sadors and tutors students *
seeking graduate and profes- *
sional admissions into uni- -
versities.
White is married to the
former dean of A&T's Col
lege of Arts and Sciences. ;
Dr. Frank H. White. They
have two daughters, attor
ney-at-law Johnese White
Howard of Dallas. Texas,
and Dr. Sharon White ,
Williams, full professor at
Hampton University.
I
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