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Attending The Ninth National Black
Writers Conference
A Report by Larry
Ukali Johnson-Redd
The great
conference moment occurred when Ms. Sonia Sanchez, the
Honoree Poet, passed my table. She caused a big
commotion. Sonia Sanchez is one of the most important
and productive poets throughout African-America. Sonia
Sanchez wrote
Homecoming in 1969 and since that
time she has written sixteen more published books,
winning many national awards. I stood up to greet our
sister Sonia Sanchez because I had seen and met her many
times in the San Francisco Bay Area
I asked Sonia
Sanchez if she remembered seeing me in Marcus Books in
Oakland. Our sister is so nice and pleasant that she
said yes and I asked if I could have a photo with her!
Sonia Sanchez is one of our most beautiful African
American Queens as well as a poet whose first book came
out when I was a high school senior at San Francisco’s
Balboa High School in 1969.
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Leeolive Tucker, the Harlem Diva (a singer),
and her brother Will I Am Tucker—a
jazzstorian, writer and tour guide—sat at
the table next to me selling
African-American children’s books. They too
rose up to greet Sonia and both embraced
Sonia Sanchez. They had attended a seminar
she presented. I snapped a picture with
Sonia Sanchez and my new friends. I also
snapped this picture of The Harlem Diva!
In
addition to meeting the Harlem Diva and
Sonia Sanchez, I met many beautiful
brothers, sisters and I even met Africans
from all over the world including a 6’3”
brother who looked like he was from
Mississippi, yet he was Dr. Abdul-Aziz Diop
from a university in Delaware but from
Mauritania, West Africa by birth! This
Brother Diop is English and Foreign Language
Dept. Chair at Delaware State University! |
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I had most of my meals from Puerto
Rican Restaurant and there were more West Indian or
Jamaican or even Caribbean restaurants all over
Brooklyn!
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New
York City is the Metropolitan Community and
Brooklyn too is definitely all that. I had
most of my meals outside the conference at a
Puerto Rican Restaurant in Brooklyn a few
blocks from my “Metro” Inn!
However, every time I entered the Medgar
Evers College of the City University of New
York, I was awe struck by the Medgar
Evers College bust of its namesake! In case you do not know Medgar Evers was a civil rights leader
pushing for our African-American rights in
Mississippi; KKK types assassinated Medgar
Evers in the early 1960s.
The
"A
Man with a Vision" bust of Medgar Evers (1925-1963), slain
African-American revolutionary and Southern
civil rights leader,
is
the first thing one can see while entering
Medgar Evers College of the City University
Of New York! |
However, as I walked down the halls
that led to the historic founders auditorium on Thursday
when I was going to perform Spoken Word at a
pre-conference Film and Culture Series Event presented
by Miles McAfee, I was awe struck by the tasteful
displays of every Historic Arts/Black political/Cultural
Musical contribution one could think of from Langston
and every brother and sister in between!
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Upon entering the
Founders Auditorium one is struck by the
huge pictures of Medgar Evers.
I made my 11-to-12
minute presentation after several MEC Dance
students put on a spirited dance. As an
artist, I recited several of my favorite
spoken words pieces from Loving Black
Women including “Black Women Dear,”
“Soul Truth,” “The Beauty of a Sister” and
“Tribute to All African Women.”
A typical Brooklyn
Brownstone Building! |
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I was about to do “The Blacker the
Berry” and “Bring Back One Love” from one of the two of
my new books, namely, The New Black Power: Why
We African-Americans Should Love Each Other—Africa and
African People Around the World. But my time ran
out. I thank all of those in the audience who gave me
so much love.
The Culture and Film series moved
into the documentary film phase of the program!
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The
documentary film, The Great Race (DVD
format), was shown. It was about the story
of the Berkeley High School Black Studies
Department. In the documentary, the late
Richard Navies I (died in 1991) was one of
two central figures; the other was white
constitutional law teacher Richard Eichorn.
A panel
was assembled after the documentary. The son
and daughter of the late Richard Davies I,
Richard Davies II and his intelligent and
beautiful sister Kelly Davies, were on the
panel too. The other panel members were
Elander Barnes; Patricia Canson
(California); Carl Dix, RCP Brooklyn;
Richard Greene, MEC Professor; and Michael
Hooper, NY educator. Many audience members
contributed significantly to the interesting
discussion! |
The discussion encouraged links
between high school and university educators around the
needs of African-American students in general and all
students for meaningful African-American Studies in
contemporary USA. The panelists also discussed
interesting ways of developing and re-establishing
African-American Studies, K-12, beyond the annual
African- American Month programs.
Many thanks to Miles McAfee and
the organizers of the Ninth Annual Black Writer’s
Conference.
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One final note:
I sat next to Mr.
Louis Reyes Rivera—author
of
Scattered
Scripture, and a well
connected NYC Poet—and other members of the
National Writers Union! I got to know Mr.
Rivera, his beautiful wife—daughter of
the late John Oliver Killens, the founder of
the Conference and the Union members. Thank
you for allowing me to share your table!
I am joining this Union
for sure. I thank conference attendees of
The Ninth Annual Black Writers Conference
for buying so many copies my books Loving
Black Women and Journey to the
Motherland from San Francisco to Benin City
– as well as showing a West Coast
brother love in New York City. If you missed
out visit
www.lovingblackwomen and order your
copies! |
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posted 3 April 2008 |
