thumbnail of Black Journal; 23
Transcript
Hide -
This transcript was received from a third party and/or generated by a computer. Its accuracy has not been verified. If this transcript has significant errors that should be corrected, let us know, so we can add it to FIX IT+.
ah [test tone] [test tone] you ooh ooh [percussion] [more percussion] [percussion and horns] [bacground music] [background music] [Lou House]: ?inaudible? As-salamu alaykumk brothers and sisters. I'm Lou House with ?William Green? i have no lock on the black journal the nation as long as the visited tonight and the philosophy and workings of the Muslims are explored. Drummer Max Roach
plays. His beautiful wife Abbey Lincoln sings and together they share with us the real soul feelings about their lives in music. Let's dig it. [Another voice]: In Newark, New Jersey where over half the population is black, local citizens formed the committee for unified Newark and chose a slate of black and Puerto Rican candidates for citywide elections in May the committee's chairman is Imamu Amiri Baraka formally Leroi Jones. [Mr. Baraka]: Self-determination, political power, inch by inch block by block, you get yourself together then get the one next to you together then go down the street, go down the hallway, get their house together, get that block together then try to get the city together. We tryin' to get the city together 'cause we got our house together, we got our block together. Now we gonna start ?inaudible? on the city together. [cheering] [Mr. Baraka] You see. Because we gonna get this get this city together and once we get this city together then we gonna look around and look at all these other cities. [Another voice]: Go ahead, go ahead. [Mr. Baraka]: We gonna get all these cities together, all these black people together, they gonna be holding hands, just like this. [Another voice]: That's right. [Mr. Baraka]: They ain't gonna be against nobody except those ?inaudible? gonna be against them. just convincing ?inaudible? to mobilize black people in this city
When you leave here it should be with the idea of mobilizing around these elections. You should talk up these elections in the barber shops and the beauty parlors and the churches You should say who came out of this convention. You should talk about political power you shouldn't be afraid to say, "I want to live. I want my children to live. I want them to live the way my husband and me, my brother and me, my mother and me [Announcer]: The city of Newark, New Jersey is changing. The once overwhelmingly powerful, white establishment is losing its strength through numbers. At the same time brothers and sisters want the power to control the institutions that govern their lives. This year is an election year for Newark with the office of mayor and other city posts up for grabs. Last year a group called the United Brothers attempted to run a candidate for mayor and lost due to a lack of total community support. This year the black and Puerto Rican groups worked out a plan based on operational
unity, that is unity without total conformity. Over ?weekend? last October at Clinton Place Junior High School in Newark, representatives from the two communities got together and selected candidates outside of the Democratic or Republican parties to be supported in the upcoming May elections. As often happens when brothers get together the discussions were long, but complete. [Another voice]: Now let me see if I have the gist of what you've said. And I'll have to ask you t- The curriculum that the- You're moving that the curriculum department of the Newark Board of Education hire more blacks and Puerto Ricans and that the president ?are? committed to study the north school curriculum, uh, report in a reasonable time to the community the result of this study Is that the gist of it? [Voice]: If there was any- if there was any clarification on that, uh, ammendment, I'll be very glad to, uh, take it up You've heard the motion. I there a second to it? [several voices]: I second it.
hundred and fifty delegates here at the convention that donald a member of the convention organizing committee there are two types of people were here this evening we have delegates who are devoting representatives and who will vote for the candidacy of the candidates and also the platform and we have also sunni observers who comment and will can dissipate or workshops and who can contribute whatever they've got whatever they actually are believe law that will benefit the convention but have no actual voting rights aren't the registration list in nineteen sixty seven said that the voter registration population was forty five percent black forty five percent white and ten percent spanish speaking in the city of newark new jersey right now that's approximately three two and a half years ago and naturally the largest in migration farm and migration in europe has been the puerto rican community is automatically we see that there has been a rise in the puerto rican community in actually arise within the black community so based on the fact that we're both are quote up into a city where we believe in a sense and know that
we have an insensitive government were talking about a coalition based on the facts and we won a straight not near an all areas and this would be are primarily political coalition elected i'll go a puerto rican member of the convention organizing committee talks about the coalition and the place of whites in it a family's on banks we will make more leash and so we weren't made on it with anyone paul and i don't want to leave in the things but you know he has been say okay well i don't know why at the poor why is the setting though says that diploma why needs many of the things that black company claims that they need why haven't asked what kinds of the company can still pass and as a matter of fact unfortunately using many poor whites and maintaining that they ask they are so that is very dutiful about we go
to the newly re educate an established that you see a lot of the community and black unity does not necessarily mean and why does it mean that we try that as a people we have to get to and only have won me you are america oh yeah and i you know we now oh really the piece yeah
the enthusiasm of the conventions they can get was elected as the conventions candidate for mayor gibson's candidacy reflect the change from most local spokesman leading the community to a situation where in the community selects the wrecks and leads the candidate this new kind of candidates use his campaign movements across the country major stumbling block now being overcome with a relatively low number of blacks and puerto ricans registered to vote in the election he's
listening yeah many as bleak ms bernice business is booming no matter what the outcome of the election is that set the stage for self determination the concept of operational unity of the key
among dozens of black entertainers involved in the new r campaign were drummer max roach and his wife abby lincoln few musicians use state they and you'll wonder why they're fine thank you very much of an astounding scene or using very soon if it's half empty we were invited to not typical of them
offered state college nineteen seventy eight concert series three days here raising a new gymnasium for leibowitz know a fine group of students all of whom a music majors and where no trouble he's busy it's been mixed oh i know races
it's been so says refusing to pay it's
be at others blame nice people and i mean it i mean i can add a positive energy so i really am interested in singing about those answers i live in south woman to man passing of the main prison at one of the ones they can tell people who are menacing dragons and i think that i am you know chris and i'm not so he couldn't be million one another and god each other
strange worth having now knickknacks us seemed to kind of ms bee it has been baby cry oh the pope has always been a man
who raped a way it is it's like knowing something about the geography of where you are the emotional and geography in the social of geography a place no roses is to me and it may this to me is analogous to snap up for african american instrumental music as just going to let go and was an enemy as a musician singing and this is given to the voters i tend to play for me it's been good five of the people it's been
linked to pay off big it's been times but it's been it's been the point as buzz the pay is
b has been since the party conventions so this
is really has been my greatest influence as far the opposite concern i think i would have to start first with where i came from and my family the approach for instance that my mother used towards life because she was an artist as far as being a wife and a mother a concern i didn't know i was going on the stage at this time but i became fascinated with billie holiday that day alice always greatly interest with the woman leila khalid and sarah vaughan ella fitzgerald i listened to all of the great singers very closely and then later on i became aware of people such as bessie smith and nate jackson and when i met max i learned something
about the music as a way to stay in the states it has been it says the agency's board now
chris these all of these singers our these women show our direction to go into the bessie smith and billie holiday for instance let me know that a singer can write these women were like the secretaries who recorded our lives about people you listen to the songs that bessie smith sang france's she has a song called black mountain blues that she wrote that say it's a long black mountain at cholla smack your face
babies cry and filmmaker and on the very same day as bad as being it's been played for creative means sorry and
people of african heritage had a certain way of doing it is an approach that better everybody's doing the same thing in another way i guess we have a personality that has always been one who has always been with us we asked you hear it in music we feel it in this world anymore we're used to doing things musically african american is going to be
and so i think one way of projecting this this talent is unique for the musicians to come into the theater and analysis at the us has an obligation to himself and he has an obligation to those times having the issue that people know what they are about at least have a point a way that made it all possible it's b max for one thing it's very therapeutic
the more you write about them on a stamp one in the uk and an important step to take is beginning to take this step is to engage ourselves on only issue of not only artistic properties of physical activity
now in the producers which we've done so many years in the us along with also have to supply shock to the record companies if you know that also assume responsibility of ownership is can be done maybe through corporate of that people right i'm steve inskeep go over the bar lines and that's in psalm one may sound like a sunset so what you do so you just have that it's still thought that they maybe eighty
one is was that i was going to use less he's doing it feeds eighties the visits
and women he's been it's
been nice but it's b fb the pain sales tool for genetic and he said he was a scale consequence of the dramatic pieces there has been it's been a peace
because been a piece because by his body is better to push back fb pics boobs it's
b that's better chris b the preparation approach to peace has been constant it's been thank you both the
pain the nation of islam is seeking to develop economic independence under the leadership of the honorable elijah muhammad the nation is further along than any other group of african americans in the attitude toward and pursuit of self sufficiency and i'm wondering if i'm going to find his breath my father
and i was thinking you know he knew more about that half
billion dollars by asbestos bill rose on the street selling their newspapers of the most obvious form of mosul economic activity certainly not the only one their interest on many levels and almost every black community there is a mosque in some form of mosul establishment has been the most prominent
newspaper muhammad speaks serve to inform inspect and link up the members spread across the country and in addition provides a source of income for maintaining and beginning of their businesses at the recently acquired headquarters in chicago newspaper editor john woodford describes the focus of the first weekly national black paper we focus on all the news affecting black people when we consider to be every people in so called third world views shaped french asian snow but radio we ignore since the whites ignore this kind of differentiation and then from the official policy of these unknown situation about i'd say close to five hundred thousand we figure about six people would read every paper so as we get up towards three million and that's considerably and that their only they need to take out thirty million black people this is no frigate circulation until we ought to be about sixty seven million producing
there's been furious when people can't disprove the fact that we have the truth about such matters they tend to drive business what we say by saying it's a bunch of religious fanatics taking positions of dogma and so forth how they did that nigeria they dueled with population control and this is an effort and their part to avoid the real issues leading up to me i never told by anyone think any position in a matter of you know all we're told by mr muhammad is to go out and find out what's happening in print truth knows he's confident
that if we do this regardless of our own religious or lack of religious beliefs than i am i'm not a christian but and the family in in any religious group of the fact that he would let me be the editor show these mainly interested in the news it is an editorially five and by a basic staff of eight of correspondents around the world most of the composing room a clip of the latest computers for setting type another modern machinery entire cost came to over a quarter of a million dollars this letter also contains facilities for film processing method of preparation and other artwork most of take pride in the fact that they ordered and paid for the entire operation within three months for the kingdom on myspace newspaper in
nineteen sixty one new genealogy gems our director for the national news organizations explains the proposals artwork rather go back to an ancient saying you know it being worth a thousand words so as long as well where the value which is so therefore he uses that can get into gaza to really think is why successful because the i was a newspaper has become and the more black newspaper in the country and uses a result of islam his writings and illustrations in addition to international support once more manure training they've refined come out twice a week and ultimately dealing only nine years old ahmed speaks is now sold in the us canada and the caribbean and another
aspect of muslim self development is education university of islam school system like this one chicago under the direction of sister beverly acts you know something is there is not hand the realities that our own me just for the play the rest here is the sexiest victory here is only it's beneath you ms
binns it's been it's business he says it's a huge occasion was insistent intensity of the very few true i want to say think of the black teachers
so strongly about improper education of quality education in schools they are the ones that you did cheat i mean this is an issue of it national secretary john ali wouldn't lie to make us completely self sufficient when other people are going to be independently self sufficient as he says in a good light will prove they were paid our stomachs are the white man's kitchen and so this is one listener became a must among the flowers we support ourselves me in the black community very few or no on nothing that's what about my community but we have not been trained to support ourselves what every hero icon of ourselves but the fall of the moment we have one that i think you know we have our
own farm owns the plant have owned bakeries and other people wouldn't even the self esteem of the drive to be self sufficient for nation attempts to provide for basically their supermarkets carry to supply their products come from far like beef patties southeast dc the bakeries across the nation that range from the personal attention the largest cakes cookies in my heart the famous on the big gamble he's he's
the michigan public service processes in their fight in chicago and delivered to be sold in their various other farms like the salon restaurant in chicago the paintings the bases of the nation of islam's program centers around land land supply basic needs
three hours from chicago and tess southwest michigan is a typical most one farm operation managed by brother cornelius x williams his involvement with this project goes back to the very beginning it is this is beans beans
it is and they say it make it the white stick figure train soldiers something that we use for training soldiers out of the fight and sometimes they really didn't know what was going on i just listening to it a long cold winter to work on the farm there are cows to be no lions made to be collected daily from over twenty three thousand homes and storefronts to be sure but it our day is not unusual for well several things gemma we were tired
but it's good to know that what you're working for now his eyes on some economists some of these really is nothing is nothing at us about just something positive it's just like well we might leave a large following altogether out below one of japan's is an issue with the so called they have their own little thing that nomination they all at the same place but there was one man who did go another way it is well known to us malcolm x national secretary john only gives his views many people now are raising malcolm x as though as a red haired man with you and he was good to do without blood and i'm like all the rest of us in the new book awake because of the loss of power and be a phenomenal minister he broke off and then he took off with the same people even are talk about those leaving by kenneth weimann so you have
any given that was not an occasion was a white man even love them any more than he loved in the forties he went with it but it is only because of his fall from power and has had been the downfall by people throughout history will become a billion dollars of one another marcelo stood his mom and him because not soon became numb and he was covered in prison and even that will get rid of all his plane analogy is that everything they learn eleven was the elements of the last chapter that he wrote republicans monica remarkable by with his mom what was to be in the home of the division the songs of america series of courses alike that is concerning the nation of islam the most was averted an artist of asking i think to once again to reinforce the many things that we've heard about the motions that
i see precisely when the musso started in america who star the most movement in america and how long ago that their wage and i mean in that it was actually a week and not other large those authors from that was gotten seven a question of match before are more common tongue praises its due the vibrant taught me we're going to join that were you taught me who we were at that was not a question of joint letter step in myself and what i have lost of myself by it no fire here why people
involved oh which is saying is that islam is a basically the true religion for black people veron a few of them is not a religion we use it as a religion and that the core of what i do to you got to say is that religion i have complete month they were up on you and accuse for you this low as a year ago not that is the nature of it question is to let the relationship africa in an effort to live life in haiti and jamaica in america this would be one and the same girl at red light man and i don't know whether you live in america on the oath and asia africa caught in that part of the pacific now to go in another area it's been said that the most of the american armored
speaking for the black family did not participate in politics know it says so something that is true or do more songs participate in politics as a voter as a participant as an elected official how politics as their you know and the islamic world and that poem it and also amid have politics but with politics the white people in politics than a wave at base that politics own the law fell all they didn't want in america we are not yet an independent people in the outgoing mayor and all the weekend caught this is what we are as people
were asked info an old towel on the fields kelly did you feel that the us became primarily of when you mentioned in that the black man america should find some place where he gets up it's all nations i was thinking of all large area where all of us criminal law and you'll find that own the alleged nato moments newspaper where that we have that we can get along with the white men in these and a white man how frederick are separate us planes hit the more we want to be separated from him where he wants to gobble us out and there you are excused that would gobble what the more you want to store us up in his power you don't want that bright red thought of the site he's afraid of you going to yourself but this is the new all the way he could access
no no cause this debate over separation has come to mind to the black men and women to follow the teachings of the honorable elijah muhammad the nation of islam as a way of life to them it is the nation of common sense he's been in county half because biko one viewpoint the nation of islam has decided not to sell but to keep the alabama farm in operation of flying next month like joel goes back to africa whole though most east africa ends on beginnings next month later on what drew a new house and we embrace the next month one case again y'all it's
been a pretty freaks because burma is because beaks beth it's been the place but fb facebook fb
thank you it's blue the crime it's bad teenagers is at the public television network then going in one that
fb
Series
Black Journal
Episode Number
23
Contributing Organization
Thirteen WNET (New York, New York)
Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/62-x05x63bn23
NOLA Code
BLJL 000023
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/62-x05x63bn23).
Description
Episode Description
Black Journal cameras traveled to Chicago, Illinois, to film an exclusive interview with the leader of the Black Muslims, Elijah Muhammad at this home. Host Lou House talks to Muhammad about the origins of the Muslims in America. We started in 19 and 31. Actually we are not organizers of Islam, it was God himself in the person of Master Farat Mushammad who taught me Islam John Woodford, editor of Muhammad Speaks tells of the scope of the paper. We focus on all news affecting black people whom we consider to be average people in the so-called third world. The shade differentiations, you know, black, brow, red, yellow, we ignore, since whites ignore this kind of differentiation among them. As for employment on the paper, Woodford says Muslim Speaks supplies Muslim and non-muslim Brothers with jobs and on-the-job-trainng. Another aspect of Muslim self-development is education through the University of Islam school system like the one in Chicago under the director of Sister Beverly X. Our school population in the University of Islam and the children of Chicago is approximately 600 students. This goes from kindergarten which starts at the age of four through high school, she says. The program covers The Black Muslim efforts at self-sustenance. John Ali, National Secretary says Muhammad teaches in good language that we can all understand, that we have to take our stomachs out of the white mans kitchen. In order to do that you need the essential things in life food, clothing, and shelter. Their supermarket chain is one example. It encourages the Black community to buy their food supply here Even though all these things are important to the Muslims way of life, the basis of the Nation of Islams program centers around the land land to supply basic needs. Just three hours outside Chicago in Cassopolis, Michigan is a typical Muslim farm operation managed by Brother Cornelius X Williams. Williams says, The Nation owns it (the farm), its about a thousand acres here now. Although work continues on the farm during the wintertime and workers sometime put in an eighteen hour day, Williams says, the workers are inspired in following Muhammad. This is an effort to help try to do something in the way of building a nation of black people into a strong unified group thats progressive At one time before his death, Black Nationalist leader Malcolm X was spokesman for the Muslims, and Ali reviews their philosophical differences. Ali says, Mr. Muhammad was not jealous of Malcolm. Malcolm was a student of Mr. Muhammad. And because of Mr. Muhammad, Malcolm became Malcolm, and he was converted in prison In an interview in his home, Muhammad tells host Lou House that Every black man under the sun is brothers. I dont care whether he live in America or live in Asia or Africa or in the Islands of the Pacific or the Gulf. And as may not be generally known, Muslims have politics, in the Islamic world, they have government and all governments have politics but the politics of the Muslim is different from the white peoples politics in the way they base their politics on Kawan, their law, they get it from Kawan to run their government. Muhammad Ali speaks of the objectives of the Muslim movement. Were asking for a land of our own because we are not yet an independent people here or in any land at all that we can call our own, he says. We have learned that we cannot get along with the white man in peace and the white man has privilege to separate us Muhammad says that despite this power to separate the white man will not do this because hes afraid of you going to yourself, but this is the only way he could exist. Even so, Muhammad says, the days of separation has come divinely. On another segment of the show jazz drummer-composer Max Roach and his actress-singer wife, Abbey Lincoln, perform some compositions and give their feelings about their music. The first thing that Roach says is Jazz is to me a nickname. To me its synonymous to niggerand things like that; thats not the proper name for African American instrumental musicit never was a name that we as musicians gave to itit was a name that just was given to it. Roach maintains rather that he is not a jazz musician. No, Im an African-Americanand thats the kind of music I play.Or I attempt to play. Roach feels that an important step for the black artist to take is to engage in ownership of not only artistic properties but physical properties because were all going to have to supplythe theatre, clubs, the record companies if you will. Were also going to have to assume the responsibility of ownership. An artist should be able through his music to relate as best as he can to what the people feel and let them know what they are about at least point a way for them, if that be at all possible. Roachs wife, Abbey Lincoln, is an exceptionally talented singer, a poet, an actress, and playwright. As a singer she tries to sing about life in such a way that it makes people feel good. When I moan good, I meana healthy kind of feeling, a positive kind of thing, says Miss Lincoln. When she writes a love song she talks about how beautiful the man is and how beautiful this makes her feel. It was her meeting with Roach that gave her a chance to find out what made me tick. The singers that influenced Miss Lincolns style were Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith, Mahalia Jackson, and Billie Holiday. Her songs are generally about the black female how it is to be in love how it is to be a female of an oppressed group and how to be a female of a proud people. Song: Triptic Composer: Max Roach (this duet between Miss Lincoln and Roach represents prayer, protest, and peace) Song: Were You There? Composer: (This arrangement by Max Roach) Song: Sweet Love Composer: Max Roach Song: Africa Composer: Abbey Lincoln Song: Drums Also Waltzes Composer: Max Roach Black Journal, #23 is an NET production Executive producer: William Greaves Director: Stan Lathan
Series Description
Black Journal began as a monthly series produced for, about, and - to a large extent - by black Americans, which used the magazine format to report on relevant issues to black Americans. Starting with the October 5, 1971 broadcast, the show switched to a half-hour weekly format that focused on one issue per week, with a brief segment on black news called "Grapevine." Beginning in 1973, the series changed back into a hour long show and experimented with various formats, including a call-in portion. From its initial broadcast on June 12, 1968 through November 7, 1972, Black Journal was produced under the National Educational Television name. Starting on November 14, 1972, the series was produced solely by WNET/13. Only the episodes produced under the NET name are included in the NET Collection. For the first part of Black Journal, episodes are numbered sequential spanning broadcast seasons. After the 1971-72 season, which ended with episode #68, the series started using season specific episode numbers, beginning with #301. The 1972-73 season spans #301 - 332, and then the 1973-74 season starts with #401. This new numbering pattern continues through the end of the series.
Broadcast Date
1970-04-27
Asset type
Episode
Topics
Race and Ethnicity
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
01:04:34
Embed Code
Copy and paste this HTML to include AAPB content on your blog or webpage.
Credits
AAPB Contributor Holdings
Thirteen - New York Public Media (WNET)
Identifier: ARC-DL-3943 (unknown)
Format: Digital Betacam
Generation: Master
Color: Color
Thirteen - New York Public Media (WNET)
Identifier: netnola_bljl_23_doc (WNET Archive)
Format: Video/quicktime
Duration: 00:58:43
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1833096-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 2 inch videotape
Generation: Master
Color: Color
Duration: 0:58:29
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1833096-2 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: Digital Betacam
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: Color
Duration: 0:58:43
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1833096-4 (MAVIS Item ID)
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: Color
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1833096-5 (MAVIS Item ID)
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: Color
Library of Congress
Identifier: 1833096-3 (MAVIS Item ID)
Generation: Master
Color: Color
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
Citations
Chicago: “Black Journal; 23,” 1970-04-27, Thirteen WNET, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed November 23, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-62-x05x63bn23.
MLA: “Black Journal; 23.” 1970-04-27. Thirteen WNET, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. November 23, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-62-x05x63bn23>.
APA: Black Journal; 23. Boston, MA: Thirteen WNET, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-62-x05x63bn23