1
WES TF.RN MICHIGAN
aneigb­
borhood c feteri t the ge of 11,
Ray learned the value of contributing
to bome and ociety.
During bigh chool he had two
our
ourselve for thin
Ray d. "That s
of the world I d
arreD Park being buDt by a bevy of volunteers at Frank and Roste Streets, nder dlrec:t1on of Nort Ide
�.; AIIoclatio .' for Community Development. Exec:utlv DI�r 0 NAC� Matt Jordan, " up drID� to
. tr.ty ere of workers. (photo .. , D. Cooks)
""
JO 0 College
in lotte, .C. nd M lcolm
College in Chicago were detours to
y' eventu I profe orship at
WMU. "I cam here to learn how to
wor at universi ty and lay," ay
aid.
Ou ideWMU,R v' community
involv ment include membership
on tbc130ard of the Science and Math
Center, a high bool for excep�onal
'"
.. '
� ,
� p'
� Jf� '-'.
r�� � .
,. • " A ..
June 19th MartJn
Lutber Kin P I nd w ter Ude
In MLK Park OD Fuller and
Franklin Stree h ve been giving
th youn te pi hln ood
tlme, ourte y of the Grand
R pld P rks nd Reereatlon
Dep rtment, the pool and water
IIde re open even day week,
ccording to John McAlister,
manager of the pool. Price of
adm Ion Is SO� per child; 1 per
adult. (photo by D. Coo )
Re I Clay, Y.O.U. C
Dr.
cience tudents, located told
Central High School. -He I 0
belong to the Kalamazoo
c lit
au h
ByD
NYR.COOKS
Michigan Citizen Writsr
. The n ed to e more literature by
and about BI ck people i the energy
behind Della Publications, book
pubU hing company destined to edu­
cate and expo Kalamazoo and the
world to the flavors and pleasures of
Black Ii te ry art.
Showcasing i recently-publish­
ed authors and its creative gem at
th recent Black Arts And" Craf
Fe tival, Della Publications, never­
theless, is more a labor of love than
profitable enterpri e. This, ccord­
ing to founder and President Buddy
Hannah.
Since 1 81 Hannahh published
two books of his own poetry and
co-edited three others. His Conver­
lions From El ' On th Park, h
been ed in Black tudies classe at'
We tern Michi an University.
A con ulting poet at WMU,
Nazareth Coil ge, Kalamazoo Val­
ley Community College, Kalamazoo
County Public Schools, and Van
Buren County Public Schools; Han­
nah is also publisher and editor of a
literary publication for poets and
writers, the Writers Connection,
THE 1990 RECIPIENT of the
Kalamazoo Arts Fund Grant and the
Upjohn Community Orant, Hannah
is presently a poet/writer in
residence at tho Kalamazoo Black
Arts and Cultural Center.
nt, orkin with Y.O.U. pal1ldpant. (p to" D. C
n 0
A Cia
MetropolitaJt Branch AACP,
re be is a 1991 Golden Hen ge
member.
"I'd like to think my tyle of
. poetry blends The Last Poets and
Langston Hughe ," Hannah said ina
recent interview. "1 think it' impor­
tant that there be a balance between
the bourgeoi ie and the pain nd auf­
fering types of Black writings," he
id.
In 1986 Hannah co-founded
Black Writers in Production, a
Kalamazoo group whose purpose is
to educate, encourage. and promote
new and unknown poets and writers.
"One of the things we do at Della
Publications is to give new and
prospective writers an inside view of
publishing, educating them to the
ways of publishing to enhance their
success in getting published," Han­
nah said.
er Loa
At Y.O.U.
tion of a twelve-member board. It
was created an action/demonstra­
tion program with emphasi on
As umm r wind down, 0 too isting unemplored high school
doe 'the Summer Youth Employ- dropouts, potentia chool dropou ,
ment and Training Prograrrroffered ��,�e!inquents. In 1967 it became
by YOU (Youth Opportunities Un- a divi jon of Kalamazco Valley In-
limited). :_'tennediate Sch601 Di trict.
Some of the opportunities
provided to Kalamazoo youngsters
aged 14-21 include developing good
work habit and attitud ,involv­
ment in pre-vocational activitie in
order to incre e employment p ten­
tial, and earning money.
Wh t, exactly, i YOU? It wa
establi h d I in Augu t 1961 a .a
result or a .. � , . mmr( e e -
amining t tlropout and unemploy­
ment pr ern among K mazoo
County yo , YOU w founded a
a non-prof charitable, and privat -
ly upported corpor tion.
It w financed by an anonymous
donor and operated under the direc-
By D NNY R. COOK
Michigan Citizen Writer
WHILE THE ummer program
yearly erve about 570 p rticip n ,
according to Dolly Smith, YOU
ecretary, between 1100 and 1200
young ters go through YOU nnual-
ly. .
"We try and place t economi-
cally' . 4 an c1 outh ( 0
make up our participant wh r
their intcre 15 lie," Mark Hill aid. A
Case Mana er As i rant, Hill aid a
large numb r 0 YOU's participants
are Black male . He noted that m r
-than 0 non-pr fit group and agen-
cie ,includin publi ety, courts,
nd even th IRS m ke us of YOU
Partici pants.
i Danzy, As i tant Recc;-
ti ni t at YOU's down,town
Kalamazoo office, said he
never WOF ed ln'an office before -
comtng a YOU" parttclp nt four"""
months go. "I learned how to
on the tete rk on com-
puters. and to make appointme ,
he beamed happily, apparently ell
on her way to being a corporate glint
. some�y.
Herman Hawkins: participa
wi th more than two years in the YOU
progr m t aid he ha obtained
know d on bo' to fiU out ap­
plic tions, write resumes, and com­
po e co er letters, along wi th other
techniqu f finding jobs.
Learning the importance of be­
coming a productive and oontribut ..
ing member of society. along i
building lt-e teem and conti nee.
are orne of the bcnefi partici
y they gain through YOU.