| Black artists discuss political activism By Sam
Seaver, Chronicle staff Moderated by Afro-American Studies professor John Bracey, the panel, "The Responsibility of the Black Artist in the 21st Century," was held in observance of Black History Month. The two artists, who arrived at UMass shortly after being denied a permit to hold an anti-war protest in New York City, also spoke about their friendship and activism during the civil rights era. Glover and Sanchez met while attending San Francisco State College in the 1960's during intense political struggle. Sanchez, an influential figure in the African-American literary movement recalled how she was harassed by the FBI for teaching W.E.B. Du Bois and other black authors who had been banned from curriculums. "What we did was we rescued these men and women from obscurity, from the banning...we brought them back full circle," said Sanchez. "You cannot have a proper education unless you read those black folk," she added. When asked how he expresses political values through his art, Glover responded, "I ask myself 'What do I want to say?,' 'What types of films do I want to act in?,' 'How do I impose my values on my work against limitations?' ... You understand who people are through their stories," he added. Glover cited the films "Beloved" and "Buffalo Soldiers" as his proudest works. Sanchez responded by quoting one her influences, rapper Mos Def. "'Speech is my hammer, bang my world to shape, let it fall' ... this is a hard world to bang into shape." The artists spoke about their major influences and traced their careers over the past three decades. Bracey ended the panel discussion by asking what they felt were the most pressing issues for this generation. Acknowledging that it's been overplayed, Sanchez still identified reparations for slavery in the form of free education and no income taxes for blacks for the next 100 years as a major issue today. She also urged wealthy blacks to reroute their money into rebuilding neighborhoods in areas such as Harlem, the Bronx and South Africa as major issues. She also encouraged young people to get involved in the political system by contacting their representatives in Congress about key issues as a way to impact the future. Glover added "We need to consider the possibility of sustaining a more just world. ... we are seduced by the powerful commercial and military machine and we need to subvert it in some way. . . through our fear is how we gain our courage." In response to an audience question concerning the responsibility of mainstream rap artists, Sanchez responded "You need to ask yourself 'Is this a dance of death or a dance of life?,' 'Is this art respectful or disrespectful?'" Glover chose a confronting question concerning a recent commercial he did for MCI corporation, accused by some critics for being anti-union. Glover defended his work for the company, saying that he spoke with reliable sources who told him MCI had changed its ways and because he hadn't gotten work in a while, it was basically a "pay day." After the discussion Sanchez held a book signing in the FAC lobby and Glover announced his upcoming projects concerning the Haitian Revolution and the political struggle in Rwanda. The forum was
sponsored by the Office of ALANA Affairs, the Department of Afro-American
Studies and the Black Student Union. |
he intersection of politics and art was discussed Feb. 10 by actor-activist
Danny Glover and poet-writer Sonia Sanchez during a panel discussion
at the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall.