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THURSDAY. AUGUST 22, 1996
9A
LIFESTYLES
Black
roles
related
By Stephen J. Lee
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GRAND FORKS, N.D.
African-Americans played a
surprisingly significant role in
the settling and development
of North Dakota, according to
a new book by three
researchers, including the
Rev. William Sherman of
Grand Forks.
It's surprising, Sherman
says, because blacks mostly
have been ignored in the writ
ing of North Dakota history.
Sherman has been priest of
St. Michael's Catholic Church
in Grand Forks for 20 years.
He's also a sociologist, teach
ing at North Dakota State
University and writing sever
al books on ethnic history in
the state.
Sherman's book was
researched and written with
two longtime associates,
Thomas Newgard, a former
student of Sherman's and a
truck driver in Moorhead,
Minn., and John Guerrero of
Fargo, who has worked with
Sherman on other history pro
jects.
The book is being published
by the University of Mary
Press in Bismarck. The price
for the hardcover will be about
$30 and some of the first
1,000 printed soon should be
available in college book
stores, Sherman said.
Longtime University of
North Dakota history profes
sor and author of several his
tories, Jerome Tweton, saw
manuscripts of Sherman's
book.
“There is no question this is
going to be the definitive look
at blacks in North Dakota," he
said. “They scoured all the
newspapers and all the county
histories. I don't think they
missed very many African-
Americans."
The book focuses on North
Dakota's history up to 1955. It
begins with the early fur trade
and points put the first baby
bom in the first European set
tlement in the future North
Dakota was an African-
American. The baby was bom
in 1802 to Pierre Bonga and
his unnamed wife, who was
either Chippewa or black.
Bonga had come to Pembina
as part of Alexander Henry's
fur-trading brigade to the Red
River Valley.
African-Americans, while a
minority, had a role in every
facet of the state's history,
Sherman said.
“They came on the steam
boats, in the military, in the
fur trade, building the rail
road, small business, home
steading farms, and in
sports," he said. “'The quanti
ties were small, but by golly,
they were there."
The book is written and
arranged as a source book, not
a narrative history. Sherman
expects it to be used by any
one who wants to take the his
tory of African-Americans in
the state further.
Much of the original
research was done by
Newgard. He was assigned a
project by Sherman in 1973 in
a sociology class at NDSU on
blacks in the state, Newgard
said. He came back to
Sherman two weeks later and
said there were no blacks in
the state's early years.
“He took me by the shoul
ders, turned me around and
faced me out the door and
kind of nudged me and said,
‘go find them,’ ” Newgard said.
During the 1970s and early
1980s, while he worked con
struction jobs around the
state, Newgard asked people
in cafes and bars and homes if
See DAKOTA on page 11A
Hairstyles come naturally again
60s looks return, but tighter
By Jeri Yoving
THE CHARLOTTE POST
When clothing returned to
the 60s, so did hair.
African American men and
women are turning in droves
away from chemical process
ing to the age old standard,
the natural.
But it is not your father's
natural.
Today's natural is softer and
updated for the professional
roles that African Americans
must fill.
And natural is not just the
'afro'. Twists, knots, braids
and dreads have invaded the
scene and provided styling
options unheard of by 60s 'fro
wearers.
“People are wearing their
hair natural for a lot of rea
sons,” said Yvette Thomas. “It
is healthier for our hair, but
people also have spiritual, cul
tural and health reasons for
wearing their hair natural.”
Thomas, owner of Yvettes'
Hair Masters Salon has quite
a few customer's who have
chosen natural styles over
chemical styles.
Thomas specializes in natur
al hair styles and often works
with clients who want to
“switch over.”
According to Thomas, men
and women who want to go
natural have numerous
options.
“They are textured looks,
afros, and locks,” said
Thomas. “It depends on what
look the client is after.”
According to Thomas, quite
a few of her clients request
Nubian locks.
“Nubian locks are dread
locks,” said Thomas. “I prefer
to call them Nubian because it
is more positive and describes
the style better.”
Locks are formed by manip
ulating the hair into a style
that takes advantage of the
kink. Locks can be formed at
least three different ways.
The first, is completely nat
ural. After shampooing, the
hair is dried without combing
or brushing.
“I call this the God given
lock,” said Thomas. “It
requires nothing and is easy
to do.”
Lock styles can also be creat
ed by hair styl
ists, either by
twisting or
braiding or
palm-rolling the
hair.
For salon locks,
hair can not be
shampooed for
one month after
initial twisting
or braiding in
order to give hair
a chance to lock.
According to
Thomas, during
this crucial peri
od, scalp should
be cleaned with antiseptic and
a natural oil applied.
After the hair is locked,
which takes from 4-6 months
for course hair and as long as
a year for wavy or straight
hair, Thomas recommends
using a natural shampoo, not
a detangling or moisturizing
Natural shapes popular today.
one
which can break the lock, fol
lowed by an antiseptic, then a
moisturizing Sil
Thomas said: “After sham
pooing, you must also make
sure hair is popped. Separated
to keep them from meshing
and becoming thick and mat
ted.”
Afroed and texturized styles
are the easiest to care for.
Afros simply need shampooing
with a moisturizing, detan
gling shampoo and a condi
tioning oil.
For people who want to try a
“new natural,” Thomas recom
mends a consultation with an
experienced hair stylist to
determine what style and
process to use to expunge
permed hair.
“Many women opt to just cut
down to new growth,” said
Thomas. “But there, are other
options.”
Hair can be grown out sever
al months, trimmed at least 2
inches monthly to allow for
style flexiblity. This process
allows women to have longer
hfdr while waiting for permed
hair to “grow out.”
“It is important to remember
to moisturize,” said Thomas.
“A lot of hair breakage can
occur where the permed hair
meets the natural hair.”
Thomas offers the following
tips for keeping natural styles
healthy.
•Shampoo weekly using a
shampoo appropriate for your
style.
•To maintain sheen, use a
natural mosturizing oil.
•Sleep in a satin cap, to
keep in moisture and to keep
locks and braids from getting
linty.
•For texturized hair, spray
on oil sheen to keep hair
shiny.
Thomas also recommends
using natural hair care prod
ucts like shea butter, a natur
al African product that can be
used on both hair and skin, as
well as natural shampoos and
conditioners.
By following these tips, as
well as consulting your hair
stylist, hair can be healthy
and beautiful no matter what
the style.
Film screened
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Flattering is how WBTV news reporter Steve Crump described
the screening of his documentary on African American photogra
phers by the Smithsonian Institution.
Crump’s work, shown in February on WTVI public television,
was aired as part of the Smithsonian’s 150th anniversary cele
bration two weeks ago. His documentary was included an exhibit
on African American photographers.
In the documentary, “Exposures of a Movement,” Crump spot
lighted four regional photographers, including
James Peeler of Charlotte, who stiU medntains a
studio on LaSalle Street.
“They started shooting back in the 30s, “
Crump said. “We talked about everything they
went through. How they were treated like pro
testors.
“They opened doors of newsrooms across the
country and covered stories that would have
been otherwise ignored.
Crump “It’s flattering...absolutely flattering to be a
part of the celebration of such a prestigous insti
tution,” Crump said of the Smithsonian screening.
“It is nice when people from different parts of the country, who
didn’t know about a lot of these people and their talents and
crafts, become enlightened. A lot of people realized that there
were a lot of wonderful pictures that came out of the civil rights
movement, but didn’t know what some photographers endured to
tell those stories.”
Exposures of a Movement” was Crump’s fourth documentary
since he returned to the Charlotte market seven years ago. He’d
worked here three years in another stint.
The other three shows were done in Africa, including South
Africa and Charlotte’s Sister City in Ghana.
Crump, 38, graduated from Eastern Kentucky Universitv in
1980.
Top Cats purrrrrrrfect
PHOTOS/CALVIN FERGUSON
Joetta Talford and members of the Top Cats, cheerleaders for the Carolina Panthers kept the
crowd entertained in spite of the team's 24-0 loss to the Bills. Talford, second from right, Is the
former production manager for The Charlotte Post.
Tuskeegee airmen depicted in paintings
niE ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBUS, Ohio _ A
World War II veteran
wants to share the courage
of his fellow Tuskegee
Airmen with a local high
school.
Leon Page, 70, of
Columbus, has painted
scenes of the first black
airplane unit in battle and
displayed the artworks in
galleries across the state.
He said his watercolors
convey a history lesson and
offer a morale booster to
black students.
So he's asking that they
be displayed in suburban
Gahanna High School,
where black students faced
racial tension last year.
Racial graffiti was spray-
painted on the school
building.
“I wanted them to know
they shouldn't feel down,"
Page told The Columbus
Dispatch for a story pub
lished Saturday. “They
shouldn't be intimidated.
We weren't."
Eleven paintings and two
photographs showing the
airmen's most famed unit,
the 332 Red Tails, and por
traits of members are on
display at Gahanna City
Hall. Page was one of two
black Army Air Corps air
craft electricians who flew
with Red Tails on maneu
vers.
Despite the attention
they received in the 1995
television movie “The
Tuskegee Airmen," Page
believes the airmen still
are relatively unknown.
“When they saw the HBO
movie, they just saw
actors. But there are real
people who played a big
role," he said. “Most of the
war movies don't show
black pilots. Many years
ago, it was unheard of"
Several Tuskegee Airmen
live in Ohio and get togeth
er every other month. Page
said.