Black Picture Shows
Are In Question Again
BY WILLIAM REED
When was the last time that you, or
somebody you know, said that
"Movies they make about us don’t
represent black life?” For the past
decade the movies made by
Hollywood for public consumption
had little or no black involvement
whatsoever. Then along came Spike
Lee, Mario Van Peebles and John
singleton, boyz from our own cultural
neighborhood who were able to
unlock white producers’ pocketbooks
long enough to get their cameras
rolling. Now we say that these boyz
only depict our communities as drug
havens and our people as “wanna
be’s.” So, if nobody has given us a
good imitation of our lives, what is it
we want, or better yet, wanna be?
Even though we complain about the
way we are mocked in movies, we
did, and continue, to buy 25 percent of
all theater tickets sold in the nation.
If we really don’t like the way we
were portrayed in the flicks of the
’80s, or today, why do we continue to
pack the picture shows for things we
still don’t like, or agree with? While
we keep putting mo’ money and
responsibility for us in white hands,
isn’t it time we decide to do what it is
we say we want?
Isn’t it true that blacks who don’t
like the way we’re shown in movies,
nor the weather, sing the same ole
song time after time? Don’t we
always say, “Why aren’t things
better for us? Why can’t we see
ourselves shown in a better light?
Why can’t we find a good job, and
make more money?” Isn’t the
answer still very plain and simple, we
can’t have what we want because we
won’t do the “right thing” to get it?
The entertainment industry has
proven to be a lucrative and
productive sector where we could
prove our capitalistic sophistication.
If we wanted wealth from collective
investments in ourselves, we only
have to look at the bottom line on the
screen scene. ‘ Boys N the nooo
grossed $9.5 million in its first
weekend in only 850 theaters across
the country. "New Jack City," which
Peebles got financed by white people,
has passed the $60 million mark in
revenues. “Jungle Fever," which
could get into only about 900 movie
houses with its backing from
Universal and MCA, is still getting
about $50 million for its sponsors. And
even "A Rage in Harlem,” which was
in the smallest number of theaters,
grossed more than $15 million.
In the early part of this century
black people financed, produced and
distributed their own films. Oscar
Micheaux made films for. and about,
blacks from 1910 to about 1920. The
Johnson soul brothers formed the
Lincoln Theatre Company and used
white folks’ studios and their own
ingenuity to make dozens of films
which were shown in segregated
picture shows. But today if Warner
Brothers or Twentieth Century don’t
do it for us, it evidently can’t be done.
Unlike Micheaux, and the Johnsons,
we don’t do things for ourselves
today. We won't make our own
picture shows, but we will bemoan
what the white man does, or does not
do, for us in this industry.
Tony Brown had a movie called
“The White Girl” that suffered
miserably at its targeted box offices.
And Dandy Glover's “To Sleep with
Anger" suffered from similar lack of
promotional capital to have
everybody talkin’ about the film. But
in the long run, we may find that
Glover and Brown were on to
something. If the black fraternities,
sororities, local black newspapers
and radio stations joined with branch
chapters of the Urban League, SCLC
and NAACP in the financing, renting
of movie houses and internal
promotion of our own films we could
tell our story, see ourselves in a
better light, take care of our own
needs, and make mo’ money at the
same time.
Rx FOR HEALTHY LIVING
Water: Health Insurance for
TVavelers
By James M. Rippe, M,D.
(NU) - Traveling can be exciting
and exhilarating, but it can also take
its toll on you. both physically and
mentally. Smart travelers know that
exercising, plus watching what they
eat, can help them feel fresh and
sharp while on the road. But there’s
one more easy thing you can do to
combat the fatigue and other side
effects of travel. Drink water, and
plenty of it.
Traveling can be dehydrating, so
drinking water can help you avoid
migraines, sinus congestion, nausea
and other travel-related illnesses fre
quently caused by dehydration. The
body has a substantial and constant
need for water, so staying hydrated
— or meeting this need for water — i
is critical to feeling and performing at 1
your best. Some of the most common
causes of dehydration for travelers are:
— Sitting in an air-conditioned
or pressurized environment for long
periods, which can have a drying
effect on skin, eyes and hair.
— Drinking alcoholic or
caffeinated beverages, both of which
are diuretics and can accelerate the
dehydration process.
— Experiencing rapid climate
changes, which can play games with
your body temperature and increase
your chances of becoming dehydrated.
— Planning, packing and rush
ing for a trip, which can cause stress,
making your body work harder and
perspire more than usual.
How can you make sure you stay
wcu nyuraieu on yuui iicAimy. i um,
a few days before your trip, “pre
hydrate.” Shore up your body's wa
ter supply by drinking at least eight
8-ounce glasses of water a day —
even more if you exercise or live in a
warm, humid climate. Then, begin
your travel day by drinking at least
one 8-ounce glass of water, and con
tinue to do so throughout the day.
If you’re not sure you’ll have ac
cess to water while traveling, buy
some — Evian natural spring water,
for example — to carry along. You
won’t be alone: most airline person
nel. bus drivers and others who travel
for a living carry their favorite bottled
water with them.
r
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Stay In School Says The NFL
Most people would not want to
go face to face with 49er safety
Ronnie Lott. Even tougher than
that, however, he points out in a
new poster, is facing life without an
education.
It’s all part of the National Foot
ball League’s education programs.
They were expanded in 1990 as the
NFL strengthened its commitment
to honor and encourage excellence
in students and teachers. Commis
sioner Paul Tagliabue has been a
leading force behind the expansion
of the education programs using the
popularity of the league to promote
positive community values.
“Education is the backbone of
American society,” Tagliabue says,
“I believe our players, coaches and
teams can be real leaders in this
area."
The NFL Education Programs
include:
•NFL Teacher of the Month. It
offers thousands of dollars in grants
T
and scholarships to teachers and
schools that have affected players’
lives.
•The NFL Pro Set Super Bowl
XXV Tele-clinic. It focuses on edu
cation and drug awareness and is
broadcast on a non-profit educa
tional cable station.
• Posters and brochures available
to schools promote the value of a
college degree.
• An NFL Education Video avail
able to community groups and
schools. Called “Think About It/Stay
In School,” it discusses the impor
tance of recognizing priorities and
getting a good education.
• A 30-second public service an
nouncement on the importance! of
staying in school shown during
Monday Night Football games.
For a free copy of the Ronnie Lott
poster, send a dollar for postage and
handling to NFL Poster, P.O. Box
91, Trenton, NJ 08660.
HAD AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT
with PERSONAL INJURY?
Know Your Rights—Call A Lawyer!
Nathaniel Currie
ATTORNEY AT LAW
805 New Bern Ave. Phone (919)
Raleigh, N.C. 27601 856-0414
IF WE FIND THE MONEY, THEY'LL FIND A CURL
„ . ... ——i
vuicd may Buiiicuajr ue luuuu lur.
•young adults disabled by mul
tiple sclerosis;
•people with cystic fibrosis, a
fatal genetic disorder;
• thousands of kids with muscu
lar dystrophy;
•elderly Americans with
Alzheimer’s disease;
•children crippled by cerebral
palsy;
•millions of Americans with
mental illnesses.
Great advances are possible if
we support our scientists by provid
ing the equipment they need, and
give them enough ftinding to con
tinue their work in promising areas
of research.
That’s the message from Re
search! America, an alliance for dis
coveries in health that feels we don’t
back our belief in the promise of
medical research with the money it
takes to do it.
We should. Thanks to medical
research, people are alive today who
would not have survived only a few
years ago. Sadly, many others died
just before cures were discovered,
pharmaceutical treatments found,
or surgical procedures developed
that could have saved them.
We have at our service, the orga
nization says, the world’s foremost
medical research apparatus, the
National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Unfortunately, we are neglecting this
superb national resource and letting
it run down just when important
biomedical breakthroughs are in
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Thanks to madlcal rsasareh,
people are allv* today who surety
would not have survived only a law
years ago
sight and discoveries imminent that
could lead to cures and treatments
for cancer, heart disease, juvenile
diabetes, arthritis and other of
humankind’s major maladies.
We are turning down and turn
ing away worthy scientific research
projects at the highest rate in his
tory. The result is only one out of
four meritorious grant applications
to NIH and the Alcohol, Drug and
Mental Health Administration are
currently being funded.
If you believe we should invest
more to make America a healthier
place, you can write the President
and your legislators at the U.S. Sen
ate, Washington, D.C. 20610 and
the House of Representatives,
Washington, D.C. 20616. You can
also call Research! America at 1
800-FON-CURE to find out what
else you can do to help make a dif
ference.
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