'The 19 7 'State of the
State" me e given by Gover­
nor Blanchard den t re­
flect the "State of BI c 5'
in ichigan. Although we an
cite i lated improvement for
the Blac community durin the
Blanchard year for the mo £
part high unempl yment and
Continu d on Page 16
STATE'S AFRiCAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY"
, Harry
Benjamin Brown turns love of harp into business
around for a partner. He found
Dougla ills, a former South
Haven shop teacher. ills
primarily a cabinetmaker knew
nothing about harps but wa
willing to t e on the challenge.
Working time Mills said
he can turn out a harp in five
day. Some parts are m chine
tooled, but for the most part
the harp are handmade. Like
a good quality piano, the harps
have sitka spruce nd oards
and are made of fine hardwoods
such as Maple, Cherry and Wal­
nut.
, y dream is not only to
put out an excellent instru­
ment, but to bring attenti n to
the untapped and undetermined "
potential of the folk harp
id Brown.
Folk harp are uitable for a
child just beginning hi mu i al
training, or for profe i nal
mu CWl performin on the
concert tage, he id. The folk
Continued Pat. 16
FEBRUARY 15 - 21,1987
'Free Sou h
Africa'group
o suppor
NPA
Approxim tely 1,000 parti i­
pant attended the flr t annual
Martin Luther in Jr. Syrn­
po iurn on Southern fri h re
. t focus on th non-vi 1 nt
revolution and e alatin tru-
e gain parth id ith the
aid of Afro-Am n n.
The three d y c nferen
January 29-February 1
held durin the ob rvance of
the 7�th anniversary of the
African ational Congre and
the week-long visit of C
pre "dent Oliver Tarnb to the
t
Continu don Pag 16
"The failure to develop an
urban strategy, when combined
with structural unemployment
and racism, spells disaster for
ichigan's Black communities.
USER VING THE
y in L. Hay
Benjamin Brown's love
affair with the folk harp has
turned into a longtime com­
mitment. Two years ago he
de . ned and began building a
ottish folk harp. In October
la year, he put the harp into
production with the h lp of
Douglas ill a South Haven
dworker. Th pair, who
re c sual fri nd in high
hool, are now pooling their
talent to get the fledgling
busine Haven Harp off the
ground.
folk harp 100 like a
all r . n of the doubl
tion pedal harp pl yed in
symphony orchestra but it
ha no pedals and is e . er
to play, Brown said.
Haven Harp wa born after
two year of ruggle and dis­
appointment. Brown's dream
of building the Scottish folk
harp he h d de" ned wa
almo t snuffed out when illne s
prevented him from completing
it. Bruce Herron, a Ganges
woodworker, helped him finish
it. He later received encourage­
ment from Veanna Bourdeaux,
a well-known Jacs on harpist.
She encouraged him to rn�e
more.
Unable to continue making
the harps on hi own
the harp on hi own becau
of his ill health, Brown looked