25
VOL. VIII
•
By a y
NNPA 'ational Correspondent
ASHINGTO - Chant of
Take it bac �, drifted down
the block. The effect was like
a ripple. The word pread and
the crowd outside the ashin­
ton Po grew at an en our -
i pee. A th numbers
multiplied their enthusiasm fol­
lowed uit, a did stac of the
premi re is of the Washing­
ton Post Magazine th t were
trewn on the ep of the
n spaper' he dquarter .
S' n ith photograph of a
t r and ccu d
ho profiled in
the fir dition of the m a-
zine ere held hi ith capt-
ion that re d, 0 ore'
ccompanied by chant of "The
p ople, unit d, ill never be
defe ted."
Its ene remini ent
of th civil rights movement.
It a non-parti ,non­
denominational protest every­
one repre nted, from
prie s to politi ian Jaber lead­
er to the handle pped, Those
mbl d . they ere united
by their mutual disdain for the
a
negative portrayal of Bl s in
journalism, more specifically in 0
the Washington Post.
D.C. Del. alter E. Faun-
troy, a member of the W sh-
o ington Po Recalled Committee
h d the crowd on their feet
a he shouted, "Fir it up
D.C." and the prote tor
echoed back "Fire it up."
When ed why he pport-
ed the protest Father illiam
Curlin of the ativity Church
d adamantly, "Becau my
parishoners are here."
HI oppo the , nwarranted
represent tion of aU yo ng
Black males as potential roo •
er ," he said. "The Washi -
ton Post has m de an except­
ion to the norm."
On September 7 the first
i ue of the Wa hington Post
Magazine, a Sunday supplement,
hit the and. Depicted on the
cover w s a young Blac man
who called himself Ju lee.
ccording to prote ors and
other concerned, citizen, the
article pre nted Blac men in
ereotypical fashion, as
thieves and drug ddict. The
article implied that young Black
egro
oda y.. protect and car for one
NNP A. NtllioNll CorrelPOndent another."
.. ASHINGTO J D.C. - On The famille that came to
the ational all in the do - share in their p and find hope
of the �on Monument, for their futures cheered Faun-
a reunion began. Alex Haley troy. And the momentum of
11>0 e of root and herit e.' his speeCh, characteri ic of a
D.C. Del. alter E. Fauntroy minister' cadence did not falter.
of hope, pride and the "BIa fathers, be f thers,"
impo'M dream approxi- he preached. "Black mothers,
mately 25,000 listener 100 ed be mother, Blac familie, be
on. The Rev. J L. J ckson famille - e the children."
and Coretta Scott Kina talked Pavilion were scattered all
of the strength of their famille . over the Mall grounds, ho ting
It a day for celebration, such topics as, the work ethic,
day honoring the tr dition of Bl c family conver tions,
the Bl family. - family value health care,
"Slavery as ba d on the omen in Black hi ory, Black
d struction of the B men do care and numerous
family," said F untroy. "But other orkshop. The O'Jays
. a time hen our nation is sang their hit song Family
. the disintegration 0 the Reunion and Lou Ra 1 con-
fanilly we are the hope. We eluded the three-day cel�bration
a people mu enter into a on Sunday.
covenant relationship. e mu t The Family Reunion, held
ra
A el To Remember. Rev. Je Jackson dance with
his hosts during a elcoming ceremony outside a factory in
ozambique. He visited the Afriean nation and seven othe in
17 days to try to end apartheid in South Africa.
omen host Blac
Family 'Reuni�n
September 12-14, was sponsored
by and a part of the ationa!
Council of egro Women's
(NCNW) 50 year anniversary.
Dorothy I. ReiSht, president of
the organization said that e
was dismayed with rna media's
portrayal of Blacks u drug
addict un ed mothers and high
school dropouts. She pre­
ferred to examine the positive
aspect of Black life, high­
lighting achievements, demon­
strating cultural value and the
Blac hi oric-pa . .
Though the ctivity part of
the reunion began on Saturday,
the celebration actually arted
at 9: 00 Friday momin& on
Capitol Hill.
Several members of the Bl
Congressional Caucus ere
heduled to spe to the
members of C , but the
South African sanction bill was
on the floor of. the Hou of
Representative and the Con­
gressmen had to vote. Height
called the day historic the
women sat in the Hou cham­
ber watching the bill being
passed.
Lerone- Bennett, author, hi
torian and senior editor of
Ebony said that the imp
of the Reunion, "depends on
what you do when you leave
this pl ce."
"The crisi . of the 81 k
family is in this tent bee u
we do not no who e are,"
he ld. 'e mu commit
our 1 es to the unendin stru­
gle to arch out f cts about
the Black family e survived
in this country becau of the
greatne and grandeur of the
B family."
Bennett id the solution to
the probl m f cing the 81
family i to, Go back to the
future of the Bl c family by
embr in once ain con­
cept of the ex tended family
th t made u great. "
And F untroy . d th ele­
brat ion repre nted a trumphet
und that ould never retreat ..
men threaten the safety of law
abiding citizen, said Cathy
Hughes, WOL r dio tat ion
owner and the organizer for
the rally and the. Washington
Post Recall Committee.
Richard Cohen, a columni t
for the magazine, in his 'Critic
At Large" editorial, noted
that D.C. area merchants and
jewelry ore owners had in­
stalled electronic buzzers allow­
in them to u 'di retion"
in ho , could patronize their
store . Cohen stated that
BI men s 8 to 25 wearing
oe ere culprit of
cri and concluded tha dis­
crimination as acceptable when
race interfered with busine .
"The Washington Po t cannot
be repaired or fixed" an enthu-
'a ti Hughes cried out to
approximately 600 protestors.
"The magazine must be recalled
and returned every week that
the WtUhington Post continue
to publish it."
Official at the Wtnhington
Post have ated that they would
meet with the Recall Committee
if approached.