2A
NEWS/ The Charlotte Post
March 28, 1996
Womack steps out front on ship
Continued from page 1A
historical content. Discovery
Place turned it down when
vice president of exhibits
Rudy Cooper deemed the
exhibit would only create
“negative images” of African
Americans, "We need to forget
about slavery," Cooper told
The Post earlier this year.
That argument doesn’t hold
up, says Womack, 36, who
worked for the University of
Texas system before moving to
Charlotte six years ago as
director of community pro
grams for Opera Carolina.
“There are people in
Charlotte who argue that the
Henerietta Marie should not
be on exibit because it only
opens up old wounds for
blacks,” Womack said. “We
need to bring this exhibit
because we need to remember.
It is very painful I know, but
more importantly, this exhibit
is about remembering slavery
and healing because our com
munity needs to heal,
"The Jewish American com
munity have built several
Holocoust museums and they
have healed as a community
because they remember the
sad parts and they are not
going to repeat their past."
Discovery Place officials
deny that Cooper's opinion
alone influenced them to pass
on displaying the exhibit.
Officials say the exhibit did
not meet their "hands-on sci
ence" criteria.
Museum of The New South
also declined to display the
Henrietta Marie. Executive
director Emily Zimmern said
' mhwmmHh
m iiMi
the museum is a young insti
tution that needs to establish
an image. “Unfortunately the
Henrietta Marie does not fit
into the image,” she said.
Mint Museum officials
turned the exhibit down
because the facility did not
have enough space.
Womack, a native of the
Bronx, N.Y., says that she
can't imagine her 6-year-old
not realizing that she has a
past. The Henrietta Marie is
as much for future genera
tions as the present,
"As adults, it is our responsi
bility to pass along the torch
to younger generations to help
give them a strong foimdation
about their past," she said.
The exhibition is designed to
recreate the trade route taken
by the Henrietta Marie start
ing from the slave traders
office to the full-sized walk
through replica of Henrietta
Marie's human cargo. Hands-
on interactive modules allow
visitors to access information
about the display.
"After people leave Spirit
m Ai
Hi
Square, they will have been
enlightened about the transat
lantic slave trade," Womack
said.
Bringing the project to
Charlotte will cost $80,000,
and organizers are looking to
raise money from the commu
nity as well as traditional
sources. "Our funding efforts
will kick off April 1," Womack
said. "If people can make a
contribution of $1 that would
be great because every dollar
counts," said Womack.
The Henrietta Marie is the
only slave shipwreck identi
fied, recorded, and archeologi-
cally examined and preserved
in the Western Hemisphere.
Other aspects of the exhibit
include lecturers by Cornel
West, a noted scholar, and
Jose Jones, President of the
National Association of Black
Scuba Divers. There will also
be workshops, African danc
ing, panel discussions with
topics such as "Women and
the Slave Experience."
The O'Sambe-
African/Brazilian Dance
Troupe, along with the Afro-
American Children's Dance
Troupe will be present.
Paintings by artist who's work
address the period of slavery,
as well as contemporary art
addressing slavery, wiU be on
display at Spirit Square. The
Afro-American Cultural
Center, Discovery Place, the
Public Library, and the Black
Writers Network are collabo
rating with Spirit Square. But
it took Womack’s stepping for
ward to get this far,
"This exhibit is very broad-
based and Dawn Womack has
worked hard to make this
exhibit successful for the com
munity and Spirit Square,"
said Don Baker, district direc
tor for U.S. Rep, Mel Watt. "I
commend Spirit Square for
stepping out to do this contro
versial exhibit."
WPEG station manager
Wayne Brown, who is also
helping raise money for the
exhibit, said the Henrietta
Marie crosses cultural and
racial boimdaries. "One of the
main attractions for us is that
this exhibit will be one of the
most powerful and education
al exhibits to come to
Charlotte," he said. "This will
be a great opportunity to delve
into our history."
If you want to make a finan
cial contribution, send you
check or money order to:
Spirit Square for Henrietta
Marie Project, 345 N. College
St., Charlotte, N.C. 28202,
Attention: Development Dept.
For more information call
Spirit Square at 372-9664. All
donations are tax deductible.
Women in the movement
MELODYE MICERE STEWART
In the
spirit of
Ma’at
On the occasion of "Women's
History Month," In the Spirit
of Ma'at will highlight the
considerable contributions of
African and African American
women to world civilization.
In America, the royal and
fighting spirit of the Afidca
queen can be witnessed in
'King' Harriet Tubman,
'Pharaoh' Sojourner Truth and
'Priestess' Maria Stewart.
Warrior queen Ida B. Wells-
Bamett was a mighty joumed-
ist who investigated the grue
some crime of lynching and
spearheaded the Anti-
Lynching Movement in
America and England. In
1892, the year of her crusade, ,
255 lynchings had occurred,
more than any previous year.
Her fiery speeches were
swords which cut and moved a
many a person to action. Like
a true warrior, Wells-Bamett
carried a pistol and would
"sell her life dearly." She also
said, "A Winchester rifle
should have a place of honor
in every home... When the
white man knows he runs the
risk of biting the dust every
time his Afro-American victim
does, he will have greater
respect for Afro-American
life." Girlfriend didn't play.
"Queen" Mary McLeod
Bethune rose from Maysville,
SC in 1875, the first free child
of enslaved Afncan parents.
Her father taught her to be
proud of her pure African
blood and her mother told her
she was a descendant of
AfHcan royalty, Bethune
acknowledged her lineage and
her life's mission when she
said, "For I am my mother's
daughter, and the drums of
Africa still beat in my heart.
They will not let me rest while
there is a single Negro boy or
girl without a chance to prove
his worth." Called by his-tori-
an Paula Giddings, "the great
brain truster," Bethime was
an institution builder, holding
leading offices in professional,
civic and black organizations.
She was founder and presi
dent of both the National
Association of Colored
Women's Clubs and the
National Council of Negro
Women, an organization rep
resenting one million black
women. She advised
Presidents Roosevelt and
Truman and served as a con
sultant at the Conference to
Draft a United Nations
Charter. Amongst her numer
ous awards and honors, she
received eleven honorary
degrees. Estabhshing
Bethune-Cookman college
with $1.50, is just one exam
ple of an Afncan American
woman who exemplified
resourcefulness, courage,
imagination and vision.
Providing a model of extraor
dinary activism, Mary McLeod
Bethune left us her "Last WiU
and Testeunent" in 1955, the
year of her death. Known as
the "Bethune Legacy," it is
inscribed in its entirety on the
base of the Bethune Memorial
in Lincoln Park, Washington,
D.C. In that document,
Bethune advises Afncan
Americans from a position of
strength, service and accom
plishment. With the advent of
the Million.Man March,
Afncan Americans would be
especially wise to accept her
challenge to "develop confi
dence in one another" and to
accept "a responsibility to our
young people."
Churches say attacks not likely here
Continued from page 1A
lution of support for those
churches proposed at the con
vention’s mid-year meeting in
May.
Rev. Walter McKelvey, pas
tor of Simpson-Gillespie
United Methodist Church,
said he is not aware of any
specific actions being taken by
local churches because of the
arson attacks.
“We just had a meeting of
the National Black Methodist
for Church Renewal and there
was not much talk there about
these issues,” McKelvey said.
“But there is a general con
cern about the resurgence of
hate crimes between the
races.”
Bishop George Curry, who
pastors several churches,
including Present Day
Ministries in Charlotte and a
similar ministry in
Fayetteville, said he doesn’t
think Charlotte’s power bro
kers will allow such attacks in
the Queen City.
“Knowing Charlotte, I don't
believe the powers to be in
this city will allow that to
happen,” Curry said. “If it
does happen, it will not be
anyone from this city.
Charlotte’s history is not to
allow riots or demonstrations.
“They don't want that kind
of thing to happen. That is
Charlotte's role model and
image of not allowing that
kind of thing to happen.
“I don't have any problems,”
he said. “I’m still watchful. I’m
not doing anything particular
security wise.”
Some pastors contacted last
week just declined to talk
about the burned churches.
But most, like Friendship’s
Jones, were sympathetic to
their fellow Christians.
'“This is an attack on the
Christian faith,” Jones said.
“’The African American church
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“Apparently there is a seg
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whatever feelings for African
Americans, that they would
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Our guest evangelist will
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