Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 20 January 1997 — Page 4

The Muncie Times, January 20,1997, Page 4

A VS from page 1 shopping mall; real-time chat; and a full schedule of interactive programming. Designed to be user friendly, the system makes it easy to network and to make friends across the country. From their homes, users can perform a multitude of functions, including: staying up-to-date with cultural events in the black community throughout the country; joining celebrity conferences or having real-time chats with actors, artists, novelist and political figures; looking up information on prescription drugs; and getting the low-down on the latest cars and locating black dealerships.

“AYS Online will put the power of knowledge at the fingertips of African Americans,” said Dr. Gary Puckrein, president of the American Visions Society. “Our ability to integrate technology, information and interactivity will revolutionize communications as it relates to black America. AYS Online gives the user the ability to summon up a breathtaking amount of information. It will offer African Americans the opportunity to network and to interact with one another at an unprecedented level. It will launch us into the 21 st century.” “We are looking forward to bringing this ground-breaking service to the African American community,” said Charles Lillis,

president of Thomson Enterprises, a division of TTC. “AYS Online will allow corporations to reach the African American consumer while achieving new levels of market penetration.” African Americans who are more likely to have personal computers are: under 50; have an annual household income of more than $30,000; and have professional jobs. Nearly six in 10 African Americans say that they will go out of their way to learn about and make use of devices and products which are advanced technologies. African Americans have a purchasing power of about $350 billion annually. AVMI is the publisher of

American Visions magazine, the official publication of the African American Museums Association. The magazine began with the support of the Smithsonian Institution 11 years ago and has a current circulation of 125,000 national subscribers and a readership of 625,000. AVMI created the American Visions Society as an extension of its corporate mission to promote an understanding of African American culture. AVMI will continue to pursue its mission through American Visions magazine and now through AVS Online. AVS Online is being built by Thomson Electronic Information Resources (TEIR),

a division of TTC. “We are very pleased to be a part of this ground breaking project,” said Jim Rutt, president of TEIR. With more than 300 operating companies, Thomson’s principal interests are in specialized information and publishing, concentrated in education and reference, medicine and health care, engineering, science, and financial services. Thomson activities also include newspapers in North American and leisure travel in the United Kingdom.

EBONICS from page 2

TV program examines takeovers of black parks

And they should watch out against buying into the insulting argument that African American students cannot learn mainstream English. They can. But they need sensitive teachers, administrators and school board members who accept Black English as one way of communicating, but not as a replacement or substitute for mainstream English-which is a prerequisite for working and succeeding in this multiracial country.

St. Paul, Minn.,--The Independent Television Service (ITVS) presents “Claiming Open Spaces,” a social and historical documentary about changing urban parks in America. Produces and directed by Austin Allen, “Claiming Open Spaces” looks at how five city parks in predominantly African American neighborhoods undergo major alterations, often without input or support from the people who most frequent them. “Claiming Open

Spaces” was produced for ITVS with funds provided by the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. It is available to public television stations beginning this month, after having premiered on WOSU/WPBO in Columbus, Ohio last year. Located in the heart of Columbus, Ohio’s African American community, Franklin Park has been a popular gathering place for thousands of black families for decades. Director/producer Austin Allen and his family lived in a nearby neighborhood and spent much of their recreation and relaxation time at the park. Imagine the park dwellers’ surprise when city and business officials took over the park for the 1992 AmeriFlora celebrations, which commemorated Christopher Columbus’ “discovery of the new world,” and in the process closed down the park for 3 years. The irony of this event prompted Allen on a personal journey to discover how

African Americans have used and benefited from urban park spaces, and how changes to these spaces affects the life of the communities they support. “Franklin Park was my inspiration for this film,” Allen said. “I remember the park as a large gathering place for people from all over the city. On weekends, especially Sunday afternoons, we would go to the park. I always liked it because I was never told I was too young to go there.” When Franklin Park closed for 3 years to prepare and host the 1992 AmeriFlora exhibition, the original purpose of the space—to provide recreation and relaxation for urban dwellers—was lost. When the park eventually reopened it was a different place. Gone were the young families, senior citizens, and innocent impromptu basketball game. In their place came a different audience; attracted to the park for different purposes. “It was a very unfortunate situation for everyone who had used • and ‘loVe'd the jDhtk

before,” said Allen. “The fact is, before it was closed down and altered there should have been a dialogue between the city planners and the people who used and cared for the park.” Historical and communitybased, “Claiming Open Spaces” explores African American culture as it clashes with the design of the modem American city. The filmmakers’ personal study as a landscape architect led him to discover a strong connection between land, design, space, and how artificially-refashioned urban environments affect the lifeblood of a community. In looking at what happened to his own neighborhood park, Allen became determined to understand what has happening in other cities as well. The program also looks at the past and future of four other city parks in New Orleans, La., Detroit, Mich., Oakland, Calif., and Birmingham, Ala., where these once-thriving city parks • are all facing similar problems.