C dr born in
Benton Harb ebruary
27 1960, trended nton
H rbor re hoo d
radu ted from Benton
H rb High Sch 01 in
1 79.
In 1979 n, ..
ed
recep
ip,
100
Bell and White.
by
t
ph ore
State Univer-
•
I
•
ity, here e is majonng
in Sp cial Educati n Teach­
er.
In 19 0 e p ticip ted
in Bl Hi tory Wee at
the Univer ity here she
sang 'The Gre te t Love
of All' and received
andin ovation.
On Febru ry 13-15 of
this year e ppe red in
th
Col-
ert of ashington D. .,
classm te, g from th
bum F t Hr
On yOn' by Iren
Carr. She al 'Chil-
dren 0 the ith
group.
She enjoy co
bo ..
80 11
In the day of v ry me caUed m a nigger!
o 11
In the civil ar er they called me colored,
And I ill felted f my identity.
te 50's I s Afro-Amer' an nd/or egro
. ., and other ran African dr dominated
our culture.
Then' the 1960' rtin L. . g, Jr. inspired the
minority American th right to freedom of choi .
a th th t I heard a voice.
It' lied from di tance, compellin me to
y fe - m ar
y rrow - for bright tomorro
y indifTence - for confidence
y inferiority - for periori y.
rrender; .
thing?
r
ichlg
Rhonda
two . ters and f ur
brother.
he send big thank
y u to the I mperial Choir
of e Bethel Baptist
Church f<?r thinking of her
ith a lovely cor . Being
the e of Valentine it
wa red and white.
It ith the Imperial
Choir that Ca' e
given the ini ti tive to . g
rs. L n
Queen nte t nt for T in-
iti s Quartette ni n L
cal � .
rs. John n will
pete ith men
Ponti
'on
th
ith
of rs.
w pervi r at th tim .
Beside being a member
of the Imperial Choir
as a member of th
Beginner Choir nd also
act' e in Sunday School.
Tho in attendance
fr m Benton Harbor were
"her parents, her isters Iris
and Sherri, her grand­
mother, r. Pearline Har­
ris her two God-mother,
Geneva Sander and
o pporters from
Imperial Choir, Laura
Ann Harden d Al-
fred Randolph.
This year's performance
climaxed th en th sho
for tb B Caucus.
THE CITIZE
c
n
al
ni � r r r ur
year h s rved a
. tan tRee rdin Se re-
tary nd as r en tly
By
J mes Brown opened the door slightly ith his hit
recording "I'm Bla d I'm Proud '. A bursting
prid emed to explod throughout my very being.
Th rd held hope. fi rce desir to obtain, to
fulfill, to find peace and a certain unders ding gre
within me.
It then that my identity submer d and be arne
moti ted. I was no , not nigger, not col ed not
frican, but BI ck. I s not Bla per but Blac
in spirit, in mind, and in my truggle for human
rights and humanity.
have al ay had a cial.cla ithin cial
cl I'm sure mo culture do. But during a
period when bein BI as inferi r and un cept-
ble to any r ce, y u needed fair compl ion often
can d "yello " r mulatto to be really counted.
On other f: ctor long h ir r ardl s of the in
pigment.
Durin tho
I
allty, the Bl pride er emerged.
It felt good to b my If! To be poor bl girl
r d n elf: re all of dden a teppi on
to brighter future.
began to edu ional end
ide me to are ardi d more
on hich ould
ti fying life.
nt to retain the p children
one d y que ti th ir herit y in
I've been there. I had to climb m high
m t ar of jo and 0
many d you do it t .
'If the d 0 of op
st p and give up h n t
tum to dope. T e different directi
to m ri ho' b n pr 1 im d
th br e and the I d of th fr
am an meri an itizen.'
or
of
h lp me for I