Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 20 June 2003 — Page 26

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C SECTION FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2003

BOOKMARK

Book provides in-depth look at horror of lynching

By KAM WILLIAMS For Tho Recorder

(At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America by Philip Dray, Random House, 544 pp„ illustrated.) ***** “Lynching is the last great skeleton in our nation’s closet: It terrorized all of Black America, claimed thousands upon thousands of victims in the decades between the 1880s and the Second World War, and leaves invisible, but deep scars to this day. Lynching, as everyone knows, has always had a special power to make us want to look the other way. It is easy to shrink from our country’s brutal history of lynching because it possesses none of the ennobling features or redeeming sentiment that have popularized other aspects of America’s violent past, such as the Civil War, Custer’s Last Stand, or even organized crime. There is much killing in American history, a great deal of it no doubt senseless and unnecessary, but lynchingcelebrates killing and makes of it a ritual, turning grisly and inhumane acts of cruelty into theater with the explicit intent that they be viewed and remembered. It is this ritualization, and the knowledge that victims were chosen for their race, that makes the story of lynching so burdensome an American legacy to confront. The cost of pushing lynching into the shadows, however, is insupportably high. Until we understand how pervasive and socially accepted the practice was, and why, it will haunt all efforts at racial reconciliation.” - Excerpted from the preface

Over the years, James Allen, an Atlanta native, culled lynching photographs he found from Southern estates he handled in his capacity as an antiques dealer. In 2000, he published l.'JOofthese disturbing pictures in acollection entitled Without Sanctuary. Invariably the snapshots featured hanged, roasted, or otherwise mutilated Blackcorpsesdisplaycd like trophies by gleeful, gloating, lily-white crowds. A show of the photos featured in the book subsequently made its way to museums all across the country, reportedly causing <piite a sti r i n every city where they were exhibited. For the first time, many Americans had found themselves face-to-face with this ugly aspect of our history. Without Sanctuary helped us take that important first step in the healing process by simply illustrating the undeniable truth that these atrocities had occurred. For just as Jews adopted the slogan of “Never again! ” and erected museums around the world to counter those who would argue that the Holocaust was a hoax, African Americans need equivalent educational tools to teach the world about the form of slaughter they endured. The book by Allen was essentially a photo essay which spoke for itself. Now, courtesy of Philip Dray, comes At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynch ing of Black America, a comprehensive study of the subject ► See BOOKMARK , Page C11

Club Ice offers safe parly environment 1 to youths

By ERICKA P. THOMPSON Staff Writer Patrick Monte Garrett didn’t like the notion that AfricanAmerican youths in Indianapolis had “nothing to do”, but could possibly run the streets and get into trouble. He wanted to offer them a safe place to party and showcase their talents. Garrett, a Manual High School graduate, had been throwing parties around the city for the last four years- decided to put all of his experience, expertise and money into his company, PMG Entertainment. PMG, an acronym of his name, is a company that was initiated by Garrett with the help of a few friends, and is dedicated to showing doubters that young, Black males are doing positive things to help the community. Garrett introduced the city to Club Ice, an 18 and over club that offers poetry’ readings and MC battles on Wednesday nights and a club-type atmosphere on Saturdays. “Club Ice began because I knew that there was no where in Indianapolis for the 18 to 20 age crowd to party. They are too old to go the rink and too young to attend nightclubs,” said Garrett. “The poetry and MC battle gives people a chance to showcase their talents and get a few things off their chests. I

wanted to create a safe environment for kids to party and enjoy themselves.” Club Ice is located inside Glendale Mall at 62 IK| Street and Keystone Avenue at The House Cafe. Garrett is proud to say that violence has never erupted inside Club Ice. He attributes that to the “mature" crowd that sets the tone and the Indianapolis Police Department, which does rotations around the club every half-hour and also works inside the club. There is also no smoking or drinking allowed. On Wednesday nights, the doors open at 8 o’clock and the first poet is set to take the stage at 9. Garrett says on an average there are 12 poetry readings and 16 to 20 MC battles for 30 seconds with a chance to win $100 after the readings. “The first night the club opened we had about 80 people in attendance,” said Garrett. “When we began offering $100 to the winner of the MC battle, the attendance jumped to 200.” Although there is not a dress code at Club Ice, Garrett charges an extra $2 to partygoers who wear hats and sneakers. A $2 fee is also charged if someone forgets their I.D. “We want to make sure if something happens to you, we know who you are and where you 1 ive to contact your parents,” said Garrett. On Saturday nights, the doors are open from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m.

When asked why the doors opened so late, Garrett replied, “If I opened the doors at 9 p.m. people still wouldn’t show up until 11p.m. Four hours is still a long time to party.” Garrett charges teens $5 to party’. On Wednesday, the price jumps to $10 after 10 p.m. and on Saturday at midnight. Garrett, a 24-year-old loan officer at Bank One enjoys riding his motorcycle and being a role model to his younger cousins when he is not promoting Club Ice. He hopes that his young age will inspire other Black males to do more positive things in the community to keep the youth out of trouble and lead them in a positive direction. Garrett rarely toots his own horn because PMG Entertainment and Club Ice is a collective effort among his family and friends. “Club Ice wouldn’t be a success if it were not for my helping hands. I have many friends who assist me,” said Garrett. “My sister Andrea runs the door taking money and checking I.D.s and my best friend Lamar helps MC the party on Saturday.” Club Ice will add an extra party night during July 4, the Indiana State Fair, Labor Day and Indiana Black Expo. Garrett says the club will be open on Friday night during these days and will offer a 6 a.m. breakfast bar on the Saturday of the Expo.

IN THE ART SCENE

Members of Afrlkan-American Drum and Dance Ensemble performed a soulful blend of African rhythms and ethnic dancing while participating in the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis' Juneteenth Jamboree. See related photos page C8.

Hennessy spokesmodel LIsaRaye stopped in Indianapolis last weekend while on the 20-clty “Never Blend In" tour. This fall, the actress who has appeared in several movies and music videos, will have her own sitcom on UPN. (Photo/L. Shoemake)

Buolva Mary ^o« ha« music lovers on their feet with such tunes as “Route 66" and Ai Greene's “Let’s Stay Together." Moss was the featured artist at the Walker Theatre’s Jazz on the Avenue. (Photos/ J. Hurst)

7 Fast 2 Furious' for its own good

By KAM WILLIAMS Some movies get franchised only because there’s money to be made. Exhibit A: “2 Fast 2 Furious.” The problems with this sequel to “The FastandThe Furious” started when they didn’t bring back either Vin Diesel or Michelle Rodriguez. Then director Rob Cohen didn’t return either. Instead, he’s been working with Vin first on “XXX” and now on “XXX2.” But because it’s all about the Benjamins, the loss of the principalsdidn’tdiscourage Universal Studios from exploiting an opportunity at an easy payday. After all, the original was a surprise hit that had grossed over $150 million in domestic theaters alone. Thus, we have “2 Fast 2 Furious,” a flashy but otherwise unsatisfying disappointment. Though crooner Tyrese (“Baby Boy”) and model-turned-ac-tress Eva Mendes (“Training Day”) fill in quite capably for the missing leads, director John Singleton has chosen to make the gaudy autos the stars. And at first blush, the film appears to be just an excuse to parade a flotilla of those silly-looking, funny cars you only see around IA and in motor-head maga-

zines. The prevailing tone of “2 Fast 2 Furious” is set in an opening scene that features a gratuitous grab of a female’s fanny by a macho male. That’s about as deep as the character development gets, with the dialogue peppered with lines like. “Smack that ass,” and “You can’t play a player that long.” Besides loads of unwanted touching, were treated to a high-adrenaline stunt show of souped-up hot rods flying off bridges and careening around corners at breakneck speed with an utter indifference to the laws of physics. There isn’t much of a plot to speak of until about hallway in when these customized cars driven by overgrown kids are inexplicably recruited by the cops to crack a drug ring all the way in Florida. Judging by the brainless exercise in road rage that ensues, you’d never think that John Singleton was the same filmmaker who landed an Academy Award nomination for“BoyzN the Hood” in 1992. Makes Vin’s version look like King Lear. Review 2 Fast 2 Furious Fair ★(ouiof ★★★★) Rated PG-13 for frequent profanity, crude sensuality and gratuitious violence

Artist Rodney Walker displays one of his untitled paintings during the Independent Music & Art Festival held at the Harrison Center for the Arts. (Photo/J. Hurst)

Cast members in the Asante Children's Theatre (left to right) Ashley Turner, Page Moioto, Rachelle Bacon and Sunde Barbee show a little attitude as they get into character for the performance of "Decisions, Decisions, Decisions." See related photos on page C9.