•
, th media 100 t
m rica through the
. m nd whit cul-
/domi n .
are predictable:
n tions and distor-
h complexi i of th
rience; th perpetu­
ation of tereotypes; eli versions
from th eri in the Black com­
m unity; nd outright attempts
to contain BI ck aspirations nd
o
cal
old do
•
•
old
e
o
ti
ma zin
only a to
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[rican Proverb
orld
IOFFl
�
Le ter
"Gee ... sometimes it's really hard to distinguish between the two,"
J !.�"'A&J
wh n 1 w growin
ington, J) (' U �
By Bernice Powell Jackson
rly, w ne healthy Af-
American-owned bu i­
if Afric n Am rican
block-long area of shops, jazz
clubs and a heater -all African
American-owned. The names
a exotic - Africa By the yard,
the Venu ia n Salon; the Code of
Consciousne s. Bu the busi­
nesses translat into real com­
munity d velopm nt.
Culturally, Leimert Park i a
ha '3n for Afri n American art­
i , who can sing or tell jokes or
play jazz the clubs in the neigh­
borhood. Artists can exhibit in
th city-sponsored arts f tivals.
Th Mu urn in BI ck houses
nturi -old mas and origi-
nal m nu cripts by Richard
Wright nd Alex Haley and even
hack) u on laves.
Socially, L imert Park h
m th c nt r of h Afri n
Am ncan comm urn yin J os An-
I It' hke Harlem W' dur­
i ng th Harl m R n i n
like M mphis was to the hlu
New rl ns w toj zz.l gi
th Lo An I African Ameri­
can community a poin (If focus
nd s n of own rship lik It
on had in Watts, which is now
half Latino/Latina.
Economically, Leim rt Park
has brought about not only
renaissan of Black busin ,
but h enabled middle class Af-
\ONl
�
ricanAm 1;
to want to move
Th Chi go Tribune even
had th udacity to call for th
ignations of Dr. Chavis and
Dr. Gi onjust prior to the open­
ing of the National Convention
THE TRUTH OF th matter
is that the white po r tructure
and much of white America is
fearful that Black America is one
the verge of busti ng off the plan­
tation There is a new sense of
militancy surfacing again in
Black America and th power
elite is deathly afraid that if
Black people unite, we will lead
a movement that will shake this
racist and oppressive society to
its very foundation. Those who
rule America are well a ware that
hi torically when Black America
wake up from its slumber and
mov other oppre ed peoples
re al 0 ti rred to act.
The white e tablishment,
th refore, has a vital stake it
perpetuating racist images and
myths about Black people and
diverting attention a way for th
r al issues facing Black people
and other opp ed people in
t U.S.
Utilizin th media which it
cohtrol as a weapon, the strat­
gy is to confuse, confound, con-
t in and destroy if n ry.
Th whit media has d cl red
war on Black America. It has
become a prime time enemy
which we as Black people must
ultimately defeat to achieve our
liberation.
How can Black people win
this crucial battle? First and
for most we must develop,
strengthen and sustain that
which belongs to us - the Black
press.
THE BLACK PRESS devel­
oped because, "too longhaveoth­
ers spoken for us. � In our ru h to
integration and a place in the
back to that community to live.
1 t has helped to stop the flight to
the suburbs and enabled a viable
community onc again to flower.
o 0 L IMERT Park's
driving forces has been actress
Marla Gibbs, whose Vision
Theater is an anchor to the de­
v lopment going on th r. h
h . invested mor than two mil­
lion doll in her vision of Le­
imert Park as an African village.
Not only doe her arts comple
stage productions, but it also
hosts banque ,holds art clas
for childr n and church m t­
ings and counseling programs
for victims of dom tIC viol nc
and rap
im rt Park 1 an XCI mg
tory ofhow/wh nour otal com-
muni y work og ther nd
makes onomic d lopm n
priority,ou communi i will
r vi lized
Perhaps you know of oth r Af­
rican American economic devel­
opment u tori going on
in your community Writ to me
at 700 Prospect Ave., Cleveland,
H 44115 and I'll share them.
W 've got to c . te e nomic­
power with th people if our na­
tion is to flourish in the next
ntury.
America "mainstream," how­
ever, Black people have rele­
gated the Black press to a
secondary position in the Black
freedom struggle.
For example, according to
Walter Smith, publisher of the
New York Beacon, only 200,000
Black households out of a poten­
tial 500,000 subscribe to Black
ne papers in the greater New
Yor area.
Thomas Watkins, publisher
of the Daily Challenge, points
out that all forms of Black media
receive only $15 million of the
$500 million allocated by compa­
nies for dvertisements in media
in New York City. This occurs
despite the f ct that Black con­
sumer dollars account for the
margin of profit for many of
these companies.
In effect these companies
take Black dollars and invest
them with white media rather
than with Black media. The
irony is that Black dollars are
being used to pay for the poison
pen attacks of the, white media
on Black leaders a"nd the Black
community; a white 'media that I
can devote more time to covering
O.J. Simpson (because the vic­
tims were white) than it devotes
to the crises in Black America.
The· Black consumer dollar
must mobilized to force busi- .
nesses which thrive off of Black
patronage to resp Black peo­
ple by inves ing in t he- Black
press. Then the Black press
must aecura ely and effectively
proj and def nd Bla k inter­
ests and aspirations.
LA T BUT NOT
Rev. Jes Jack on ha ug­
gested Black people n ed 'to
march on. boyco t and otherwise
disrupt tho white m ia agen­
cies and organs which re un­
justly ignoring, di torting or
attacking Black inter tor­
ganizations and lead rs.
The white media h b me
an en my to Black p pI We
are in a war and we had b tter
gear up to win
U(m Darurl €TU (J; Esecutu:« Dt-
r tor of the Center {or Con tuutionul
ULght.� Ln Neio York 'tty lI(I may b
contacted at (7 J ) 9 ·3753
wo
continued from A1
h . inc fil
ing Chavis
ren ging on a promise in that
settl m nt to find h r nother
job.
eWORK, A8
