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t ^ T. Kevin Walker . Managing Editor
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Young Blacks Optimistic About Race
Ben
Chavis
Guest
Columnist ?
Over the past 11 years, I
have had the opportunity to
work closely with the
Godfather of Hip-Hop, Russell
Simmons. We co-founded the
Hip-Hop Summit Action
Network (HSAN) in 2001. We
have convened more than 75
Hip-Hop Summits across the
United States, Canada, and in
South Africa, all dealing with
such empowerment issues as
education, financial literacy,
civic engagement, housing and
cultural transformation.
One of the essential find
ings that we experienced in
those youth summits was that
young African Americans
today who consider themselves
to be in the hip-hop generation
see the question of race from a
more transcendent and opti
mistic perspective than from
the views of their parents or
from generations the past.
Consequently, it was not
surprising that a recent study by
CNN found that African
American children were more
optimistic on the issue of race
than White children of the same
age categories. Although the
study that was commissioned
by CNN's Anderson Cooper
360 was widely distributed
through the news media, it was
strange to hear that somehow
the "groundbreaking" results
provided some neyy./evelations
. about racial progress in
America. The timing of the
release of this study was ironic
given the latest national divide
on the issue of race in the wake
of the killing of Trayvon Martin
in Sanford, Fla.
How a 6-year-old child
feels about race or how a
teenager or a young adult
understands the significance of
race in society is often deter
mined at a very early age by
what the child experiences or
observes from parents and oth
ers who interact with them.
According to the study, "A
white child and a black child
look at the exact same picture
of two students on the play
ground but what they see is
often very different and what
they say speaks volumes about
the racial divide in America.
The pictures, designed to be
ambiguous, are at the heart of a
groundbreaking new study on
children and race commis
sioned by CNN. White and
black kids were asked: 'What's
happening in this picture?' 'Are
these two children friends?' and
'Would their parents like it if
they were friends?"'
The study concluded that
there was a significant "chasm"
and difference between the
racial perspectives of the youth
involved in the study who were
as young as age 6.
CNN reported, "Overall,
black first-graders had far more
positive interpretations of the
images than white first
graders. In fact, only 38% of
black children had a negative
interpretation of the pictures,
whereas almost double - a full
70% of white kids - felt some
thing negative was happening."
The study also revealed that
by the time Black children
reach the age of 13, their views
about race become much more
pessimistic, similar to the views
of White children their age. An
explanation was offered by the
study's author, Melanie Killen
of the University of Maryland:
"Experiences of rejection and
the harsh realities of race rela
tions most likely explain the
trend."
The burden of eliminating
racism and the ideology of
White supremacy from the
institutions of this society and
from the mindset of people is
not consigned to one racial
group versus another racial
group. In a multiracial society,"
there has to be a full commit
ment and serious responsibility
for all people to work together
to bridge the nation's complex
racial divide.
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have made racial progress dur
ing the past 100 years in the
United States. There is also no
question that we have not over
come yet. Our youth are intel
ligent and conscious of the
ways that race still is a discrim
inating factor that can deter
mine ones quality of life. All
youth, not African American
youth alone, have to rise to the
historical and contemporary
challenges that must be faced
and transformed. We all must
remain vigilant and active.
There is much more progress to
be accomplished.
Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is
president of the Hip-Hop
Summit Action Network and
Education Online Services
Corporation and serves as the
national director for Occupy
the Dream. He can be reached
at drben
jamin.chavis@gmail.com.
Suicide as a Political Act
Julianne
Malveaux
Guest
| Columnist
Dimitris Christoulas was a
retired pharmacist whose
neighbors said he had enor
mous dignity. At 77 years old,
he looked forward to life. He
had saved during his 35-year
career and did not expect gov
ernment to be involved in his
pension. But the austerity
budget that Greece has
imposed on its citizens
reduced Christoulas' pension.
So he killed himself after writ
ing in a suicide note that he
would rather have "a decent
end" than forage thorough
garbage to find enough "rub
bage to feed myself."
Neighbors say he wanted to
send a political message. They
say the law-abiding man was a
committed leftist who was so
meticulous that he paid his
condo fees ahead before taking
his life.
I ne cnristouias suicide
has mobilized many in Greece,
some of whom describe his act
as one of fortitude, not simply
despair. Some describe it as a
"political act" because it took
place in a public square during
the morning rush hour.
Generally, Greece has a lower
level of suicide than the rest of
the countries in the European
Union, but last year suicides
rose by 45 percent, giving it
one of Europe's highest rates.
Many attribute the increase in
suicides to the economic crisis.
Anecdotal cases are reported:
of the anchorman who killed
himself when his contract was
not renewed, and of a man who
set himself on fire when a bank
foreclosed on his home.
The United States is threat
ening an austerity budget. We
tu-e threatening, like Greece, to
balance the budget on the
backs of the least and the left
out, of the poor and the needy.
We have maintained the Bush
tax cuts for the wealthy even
though we do not need to,
largely because Republicans
want to respond to their
donors, not to working peo
ple. And as I read that the
Newt Gingrich health think
tank has gone bankrupt, I won
der why this man would dare
run for President of the United
States when he has set up a fis
cal flim flam house (one of his
creditors is his wife).
President Obama had it
exactly right when he railed
against Republican values.
The most recent statistics show
that poverty is on the rise. And
even those living above the
poverty line are struggling.
Too many Americans live in
hardship. The unemployment
rate in Greece is 21 percent.
The actual unemployment rate
in Black America exceeds 25
percent.
Yet, we Americans are
docile recipients of our pover
ty and unemployment. Except
for the Occupy movement,
there has been'extreme silence
about our current conditions.
Still, the Christoulas suicide
makes me wonder what silent
acts of desperation Americans
are experiencing because of
economic austerity. How
many robberies or suicides are
economically motivated? How
many are unreported because
they don't take place in the
public square? How many
seniors are actually foraging
for food, or lining up at soup
kitchens because they don't
have enough to eat? How
many young brothers feel that
they improve their lives by
going to jail where they at least
get "three hots and a squat?"
How many folks care enough
to explore these questions and
find answers?
Dimitris Christoulas has a
bevy of friends who say he
didn't really commit suicide,
that killing himself was a mes
sage and an act of protest
against the ways that Greece's
financial crisis has an unequal
impact on the wealthy and the
poor. While killing oneself is
an extreme way to protest eco
nomic inequities, it has also
been a way to rivet Greece's
attention on the hardships that
too many in that country are
facing. What does it take to
mobilize people in the United
States, with unemployment
still unacceptably high, with
foreclosures still out of con
trol, with too many people
managing ^underwater" mort
gages? What would happen if
the economically aggrieved
showed up in a public square?
Would Mitt Romney or Rick
Santorum even pay attention?
The Christoulas suicide
shines light on the human
effects of austerity budgets,
not just in Greece but also in
the rest of the world. We
should take heed on his public
action, as it is repeated, though
silently, behind closed doors.
Julianne Malveaux is pres
ident of Bennett College for
Women in Greensboro.
A
Film
from page A1
and returned to performing
after a long absence, is one
of more than 100 films that
will be screened around the
city during the film festival
from April 13-22. In addition
to screenings, RiverRun will
offer panel discussions and
lots of parties.
Gale began his musical
career in 1988, playing open
mic events in Austin, Texas.
His folksy, flamenco guitar
style quickly made him a
favorite. But Gale said his
confidence often failed him,
so much so that he would
often cancel appearances. A
1995 a trip to California to
try to make it big in the
music industry ended badly.
Gale said his musical cre
ativity had simply left him.
"Writing songs isn't just
a matter of finding a rhyming
scheme ... it's coming from a
spiritual place or something,
and it was gone, no matter
how much I wanted to ...It
just wasn't there, I was try
ing to, but I had nothing but
the old songs and even those
didn't feel the same," said
Gale.
Before his creative
drought. Gale caught the ear
of film student Jay Duplass
while performing at Chicago
House in Austin. Gale daz
zled Duplass with his cre
ativity and became a person
al hero to the director, who
scoured the Internet for years
looking for Gale's next per
formance. Of course,
Duplass' search came up
with nothing because Gale
had stopped performing.
Eventually, the filmmaker
tracked Gale down and began
chronicling his story.
The two become good
friends and travelled to
Spain, the birthplace of the
flamenco guitar, together to
shoot footage for the docu
mentary. During the trip.
Gale says he rediscovered
his creativity and began writ
ing songs again in his hotel
room.
1 hese days, Duplass is
well known for well
financed mainstream films
like "Cyrus," staring Jonah
Hill, which he co-directed
with his brother, Mark
Duplass, and the recently
released "Jeff, Who Lives at
Home" with Ed Helms and
Jason Segal. But for "Kevin,"
his first documentary, he
used the fundraising web site
Kickstarter to finish the
deeply personal film.
For me what hap
pened is first a life experi
ence that Kevin and I shared,
and a movie second," said
Duplass, in an interview with
the magazine "Filmmaker."
A rough cut of "Kevin"
premiered at South by
Southwest Film Festival in
March 2011, and Gale
played his first concert in 15
years after that screening.
Gale has played at dozens of
showings of the film at festi
, vals across the country since
^h^mAjJifverRun, Gale will
perform three times - after
each screening of the film. It
is a first for him. At past fes
tivals, he performed just a
single show^ale said he is
learning more about himself
and his music as his come
back continues.
"It's a fascinating process
for me, and I don't want to
James Armstrong, "The Barber of Birmingham."
Press Photo
Twin Poets Nnamdi Chukwuocha and Albert Mills.
Press Photo
Award-winning director
Ava Duvernay
stop," he said. Gale credits
Duplass and the documen
tary for rekindling his musi
cal fire. He plans to continue
to play at film festivals and
will soon start recording a
new album.
"Kevin" will be shown at
3:30 p.m. on April 14 at
a/perture Cinema, at 4:30
p.m. on April 15 at
University of North Carolina
School of the Arts' Babcock
Theatre and at 11:30 a.m. on
April 16 at a/perture. The
cost of admission, including
the live musical perform
ance, is $10.
RiverRun is featuring a
number of other films with
African American themes
and subjects. They include:
? "ABC," a short docu
mentary about a teenage
mom and Liberian war
refugee and her struggle to
learn to read and write. It'll
be among the short docu
mentaries shown at 1 p.m. on
April 20 and at 4 p.m. on
April 21 at a/perture.
? "The Barber of
Birmingham: Foot Soldier of
the Civil Rights Movement,"
an Academy Award nominat
ed short documentary captur
ing the reflections of barber
and civil rights activist
James Armstrong. It'll be
among the short documen
taries shown at 4 p.m. on
April 20 and at 12:30 p.m on
April 21 at a/perture.
? "Under African Skies,"
a documentary about Paul
Simon's return to South
Africa to reconnect and play
with the collaborators of the
hit CD "Graceland." It'll be
shown at 6j).m. on April 20
at UNlTA sMain Theater and
at 4 p.m. on April 22 at
UNCSA's Gold Theater.
? wny i write: i ne twin
Poets," a documentary about
artists and social workers
Nnamdi Chukwuocha and
Albert Mills and how they
are introducing children in
their Delaware neighborhood
to the art of spoken word
poetry. The screening, at 7
p.m. on April 20 at the Hanes
Brand Theatre, is free and
sponsored by the N.C. Arts
Council.
? Also, Ava Duvernay,
who became the first African
American woman to win the
Best Director Prize at
Sundance Film Festival for
her sophomore effort
"Middle Of Nowhere," will
take part in the Women in
Cinema panel at 2 p.m. on
April 21.
For a full schedule of
events and/or to buy tickets,
visit 20l2.riverrunftlm.com.
V'
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