Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 October 2003 — Page 21

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C SECTION FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2003

BOOKMARK

Author explores how 'isms' affect young, Black men

By RENEE SIMMS Eltctronlc Urban Raport Over the last decade, author Kevin Powell has published several books of Black literature as well as books on hip-hop culture and politics. He’s accomplished all of this as an academic outsider (Powell is not a Ph.D.-brother; in fact he attended Rutgers University but did not fin ish). As a result, Powell’s books are always thoughtful, but reader-friendly. Powell never writes like he’s trying to impress an elite crew of scholarly friends. His latest book is no exception. It’s entitled Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?Manhood, Race, and Power in America. It’s a collection of essays about racism, sexism and classism, but it’s spiced up with occasional slang and plenty of pop references. Throughout the book, the author uses his life and the life of the late Tupac Shakur to illustrate how the “isms” affect young, Black men. “I, like most Black men I know have spent much of my life living in fear,” Powell writes, “fear of white racism, fear of the circumstances that gave birth to me, fear of walking out my door wondering what humiliation will be mine today, fear of Black women — of their mouths, of their bodies, of their attitudes, of their hurts, of their fear of us Black men.” Powell goes on to reveal his experiences with depression, suicide, violence against women and the criminal justice system. He relates much of his bad behavior to America’s patriarchal system of oppression and to growing up fatherless and poor. But in the end, Weight is not a story about victims. Powell believes in self-empowerment. He believes that we gain power through learning to love. “The most revolutionary thing any of us can do is search for truth - real, raw truth - and learn to love ourselves and to discover the possibilities of common, universal humanity lurking at our fingertips,” he writes. There were moments when 1 wished Powell had explained his thoughts a bit more. What, for example, does it mean to be fearful of Black women’s bodies? 1 wanted Powell to slow down, to extend the conversation, to talk more extensively about certain ideas he puts forth. But overall 1 appreciated the honesty of his discussion. With a poet’s eye, Powell examines all aspects of the Black male experience, from Black nationalist pimps to self-hating thugs. By book’s end, the reader gets a sense of how conflicted Black men fell in this new millennium. “The only thing I can say at this moment in my life journey - because, unlike Tupac, 1 did get to make it past '25,” Powell writes, “...is that 1 have to stay alive any way I can, and I have to he my own father now.” Renee Simms is a w riter and teaehcr of creative w riting. She lives in Phoenix, Art/..

Monlell Jordan says his new CD is an uplifting album that focuses on his life

By SHANNON WILLIAMS Recorder Editor It’s life after Del....lam that is for Montell Jordan, the (> foot, S inch multi-platinum singer, songwriter and producer who gave us hits like “This Is i low We Do It" and “(let It On...Tonight.” Following a breakup from his longtime label Del .lam KecordsDef Soul, Jordan is now enjoying his creative freedom, his aspiring acting career and the newest addition to his family. Let’s start with the split from DefJam. According to Jordan, he left the popular record label because he felt “boxed in for so long." “I had a great understanding ofwhat came first under that (Def Jam) umbrella. There’s no mistaking...that (the) logo is something that they strive to maintain. It was bigger than any artist on the label, even to this day, it’s about the logo and not so much about the artistry." After much consideration, Jordan and his wife/manager Kristin Hudson decided that leaving the label would he the best thing for the longevity of Jordan’s career. It was then that the duo established theirown label. The Knterprisc/tbe, Inc. “(Staying) was not conducive to what I needed to do in furthering my career,” explained .1 ordan.

“(loing into five and six albums, 1 could not continue with good conscience to keep making records for people to party to and dance to without any substance." Two weeks after splitting from Def Jam, Jordan and his family were put to the test again. “My wife who was pregnant “I’m in control of my destiny right now. That’s exciting and very new to me.’’ two months, lost the baby. The journey during that time was pretty intense leading up to where we are now." But as the old saying goes, “behind every dark cloud, there’s a silver lining.” Things began to look up for Jordan almost instantly. It was shortly after experiencing the loss of his unborn child that Jordan earned the opportunity to play Johnson, the soft-spoken inmate in this fall’s film, "The Fighting Temptations." Things didn't stop there. A month ago, Jordan, his wife and their 7-year-old daughter Sydney

welcomed their newest addition, baby boy Skyler F.lijah to the family. With things finally falling into place, Jordan is currently focusing his attention on his latest CD, "Life After Del," which was releasitl nationally earlier this week. With no pun intended about the album's title, Jordan explains what audiences can expect from his newest project. “You’re going to hear very personal lyrics that deal with the changing of labels, (and) some personal trials that I’ve gone through in my life over the last 2 1/2 years. Overall, 1 think it’s an uplifting album that basically focuses on my life." Jordan feels that “Life After Del” illustrates how he's evolved as an artist. “The majority of the songs on this album differ from my previous albums because I was in a different place," he explained. “Songs in the past had to deal with Montell singing about lots of different women. (Now) you hear me talking about one specific woman on this album." Knowledgeable of the fact that R&B is taking a backseat to the rap and hip-hop inspired songs of today, Jordan says that staying power is the key. ► See JORDAN, Page C4

Director LeVar Burton premieres first film in Indy

By JOSHUA COHEN Stall Writer The 2003 Heartland Film Festival, an annual exhibition of films and filmmakers held in Indianapolis, has come and gone, bringing with it a legacy of quality shorts, documentaries and full-length features whose messages last far beyond just the week of the festival’s events. This year, LeVar Burton was one of the many directors present. Burton is known for his 20 years of memorable character portrayal such as Kunta Kinte from Alex Haley’s“Roots," the host for the children’s show “Reading Rainbow,” and Lt. Geordi LaForge on “Star Trek:

The Next Generation.” He has now turned his attention to behind the cameras. "I love directing,” said the 46-year-old Burton. "I plan to spend the next 15 to 20years doing that.’’ His first opportunity to direct a movie came when the script for “Blizzard” was given to him. It is a Christmas tale about a little girl and her unlikely friendship with Blizzard, one of Santa’s newest reindeer. “It was a great script and a wonderful story," said Burton. “It was perfect for my first film. It was a family film, but the telling of the story needed experience with visual effects.” Burton has that experience from directing episodes of “Star Trek.” Burton does not feel that ei-

ther directing or acting is his true calling. He actually entered a Catholic seminary at the age of 13 to study for the priesthood. He feels his calling is to reach people

and remind them of the value of the human experience, but he believes he can accomplish that better in the venue of entertainment. “You can reach so many more people that way,” he said. Although he is a very spiritual person, Burton has still been susceptible to the trappings many people in I lollvwood are exposed to. "It all boils down to choice," explained Burton. “Babylon exists wherever you look, it's not relegated to one industry. We all deal with the same basic needs and desires. I’ve been a public figure longer than not and I've faced temptations. Look at Kobe, young people tend to make mistakes. The important thing is how those mistakes shape who you

become. Everybody makes mistakes, but everyone’s mistakes are not front page news.” * Burton spent time in Indianapolis premiering his film. He enjoyed his stay and had very positive impressions of the city. “I love Indianapolis,”said Burton, whose wife is from Fort Wayne. “It’s acity that recognized long before lots of big cities that it needed to plot its own course for destiny. It has become a Mecca for amateur sports and I am very' impressed by that." Burton’s film "Blizzard," which also starred Kevin Poliak, Christopher Plummer as Santa Claus and Whoopi G( ddberg as the voice of Blizzard the reindeer, won the Heartland Film Festival Award of Excellence.

Biography of Mi written for children by boxer's daughter

By SHANNON WILLIAMS Recorder Editor Early next month fansofboxing great Muhammad Ali will soon have the opportunity to learn more about the confident and slightly arrogant legendary boxer when / Shoitk Up the World, the Incredible Life of Muhammad Alihits bookstore shelves. But this book is unlike other biographies about famous people. This one is written and illustrated specifically for children. And the author is not just someone who has had very litt 1c or no contact with the subject. The person who wrote / Shook l Ip the Worldis none other than the eldest child of “the greatest.” Maryum“May May’Ali.who has always been a self-pro-claimed “daddy’s girl," explains why she felt the urge to document her father’s life in a childfriendly format. “I saw children’s books, hut they never impressed me. 1 thought there were messages that could be taught, or inspirational things that 1(could)give to kids through his life story." In I Shook Up the World Wav May not only tells All’s life story, but she also captures the funny aspects of him, such as his quirky one-liners. It's theseonc-

May May Ali will be signing copies of her books at XPresslon Bookstore, 970 Ft. Wayne Ave„ Nov. 6 from 6-8 p.m. liners that served as inspiration lor illustrator Patrick Johnson. So exactly when did May May realize that she had the gilt to communicate with children? "I realized I had a knack lor communicating with kids when I worked as a child caregiver at a day care,"she remembered. "Some ofthebooks I read tothcchildren didn’t hold their attention, so 1 would make up my own words to go with the pictures in the hook. They would he mesmerized. The children were soused to me doing this, they began to beg me to use ► See ALI, Page C4

IN THE ART SCENE

“Former Rain” trilogy at X-Pression

Author and playwright Vanessa Miller (far left) discussed her latest work “Former Rain" at XPression Bookstore last weekend. “Former Rain" is the first book in the Rain Trilogy Series. Miller, who is shown having a conversation with reader Margaret Beasley, said "Abundant Rain" and “Later Rain" are scheduled for release In 2004. The author added that the series will be an inspirational series of books that promote healing and forgiveness. (Photo/J. Hurst)

Signing for charity

The Indianapolis Marion County Public Library on East 38th Street held their annual “Indianapolis Authors for Charity" event recently. Several local authors participated In a book signing to benefit the Salvation Army Harbor Light substance abuse center. Vernon Williams, co-author of “That Black Men Might Live," was the event's guest speaker. (Left to right) Poet Debra Kendall; Kenneth Peter, emcee; Gloria Lewis Vaughn, event chairwoman; and author Catherine McGhee Livers. (Not pictured) are Margaret Donaldson Cobb, Fran Yates, Crystal Rhodes, K.C. Taylor and Phyllis Adair Ward. (Photo/J. Hurst)