Newsletter of the Lambda Iota Chapter of Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, Incorporated
Volume 8, Issue 7, October 2001
How often have you thought about what it means to be Black? Is it just the color of your skin? Than in that case, are light-skinned Black people any less Black than their darker-skinned counterparts? Is blackness a culture? Than how do you account for those Black people who do not accept traditionally “black” culture? Does that make them less black than people who do?
These questions do not have simple answers because blackness means different things to different people. And through exploring the perspectives of Black people across the board, we will come a little bit closer to uderstanding our race.
Join the Ladies of the Lambda Iota Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in tackling these issues in our forum “The Color of Blackness.” Student panelists will share their experiences and offer their perspectives on how they define and view blackness. We will also be joined by Anani Dzidzienyo, Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University, who will place these questions in a historical context and give a background to the origin of the question of “blackness?”
Suggested Reading
Hair Story:
Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America by Ayana Byrd
and Lori A. Tharps
This book is more than just the kitchen table talk about “good” and
“bad” hair. It is about the psychological conditioning of a people through
their relationship to their hair. It traces Black-Americans’ hair from its West
African roots to its enslavement and transport to the shores of the Americas
Multiracial Heritage Week
October 25th –
November 1st
Join the Brown Organization of Multiracial and Biracial Students in celebrating Multiracial Heritage Week. The opening convocation is Thursday, October 25th, at the Salomon Center for Teaching on the campus of Brown University at 7:30pm.
DSQ Upcoming Events
FRIDAY,
OCTOBER 19, 2001
Scandalous
Party
Alumnae Hall – Brown University
10:13pm – 2:00am
$3 if Scandalous, $4 if not
Scandalous,
$2 Greeks with para
For directions, please contact
Celeste Malone at (401) 274-9051 or Celeste_Malone@brown.edu.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2001
Delta Academy
If you are interested in becoming a
mentor for young ladies between the ages of 10 and 14, please contact Claudine
Compas at (401) 274-8487 or Claudine_Compas@hotmail.com.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2001
Study Skills Workshop
Multicultural Center – Johnson
& Wales University
6:00pm – 9:00pm
Learn how to study more
effectively so you can save time and remember more information.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2001
Forum: “The Color of Blackness”
Smith-Buonanno 106 – Brown
University
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Join us as we discuss our
perceptions of race within our community. The forum includes student panelists
from Brown University and Johnson & Wales University and will be
facilitated by Anani Dzidzienyo, Associate Professor of Africana Studies at
Brown University.
Lena Horne was born Lena
Calhoun Horne on June 30, 1917 in Brooklyn, NY to Edwin “Teddy” Horne and Edna
Calhoun. Soror Horne was inspired to get into show business by her mother who
was an actress with a Black theatre troupe. In 1924, at the young age of 14,
Soror Horne got her first break when a talent artist her remarkable talent and
decided that she was light enough to pass in an “all Whites” club. Then at age
16, she was discovered by MGM, which quickly signed her to a seven-year
contract. Soror Horne, a foe of discrimination in the entertainment industry,
had stipulated in her contract that she not be given stereotypical Black roles.
Most of her roles during the 1940s and 1950s were cameo appearances because of
the harsh limitations imposed on Blacks at that time. It was not until MGM
loaned her to Twentieth Century Fox for the film Stormy Weather, an
all-star Black musical, that she had her first real acting role. The title
song, sang by Soror Horne, became one of her trademark numbers. Soror Horne,
tired of her throwaway guest roles in movies and angered by the overt prejudice
she encountered during her years at MGM, refused to take any roles that were
demeaning to her as a woman of color. She then left the movie industry not to
return for 13 years. During this time, she began to focus solely on her singing
career, which led her straight to the top. Soror Horne is indeed an
extraordinary actress and singer. She is also a civil rights activist and a
woman of great beauty and majesty. Her pride in her heritage, her refusal to
compromise herself and her innate elegance, grace, and dignity has made her a
legendary figure whose role as a catalyst in the elevation of the status of
Black Americans in the performing arts provides an enduring legacy.
By Najah Rahmaan, Spring 2001
Innocence replaced,
By discrimination of a human race
The biggest “Black on Black” crime
Intoxication of our own minds
The little girl I used to be
Hated my father for the Black in me
Never used to like the dark skin I wear
And quick to slap a perm or a weave
In this kinky “black” hair
Pretty, as far as I could see
In movies, on TV, definitely was not me
So mirror, mirror on the wall
Maybe you can help me make sense of it all
Why do my people still call each other names?
Light skin or dark skin, aren’t we all the same?
Well, maybe you’re mixed, so what if I’m not
If there’s even a trace of my ancestors’ blood in you
Then you are BLACK…
And there ain’t nothing wrong with that!
Brainchild - Josephine Ventura, Fall 1993
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http://www.brown.edu/Students/Delta_Sigma_Theta/lipage.html