Presents an interview with Jamaican-born James Berry, award- winning poet, about his life experiences, influences, development as a poet, and recent poetry. (TB)

Presents a discussion with Ruth Simmons, the twelfth child of a Texas sharecropper and the first African American president of an Ivy League institution. Explores her life as an inspiring story of success against the odds. (EV)

An interview with Alex Haley six months before his death in February 1992 discusses his impressions of life in Appalachia; the media image of Appalachia; reminiscences of his hometown, Henning, Tennessee; race relations in Appalachia; and his plans for future books. Included are photographs and a eulogy from his funeral. (SV)

A Black illustrator discusses his work as an artist, describing the attitudes, techniques, and past experiences that have influenced him (EL)

Asserts that theories of caring in education have avoided issues of racial imbalance. Reinterprets these themes from a black feminist perspective: moral relevance, primacy of survival, significance of one's standpoint, and the moral power of narrative. (SK)

For a composition teacher--comparing a passage from his Caucasian grandmother's (May Blossom Gould's) diary with the autobiographical narrative dictated by an African-American student's great-great grandmother (Violet McNeil) to a literate member of her family--racial politics and the privileges afforded by literacy irrevocably separate the two…

Describes experiences in a Black English course in which teacher and students mounted the charge of making schooling relevant and useful when they decided to mobilize on behalf of a Black classmate whose unarmed brother was killed by white policemen in Brooklyn, New York. (JOW)

Literacy is inextricably linked to the social context in which literacy is taught, and in which the language is used. Cultural expectations require the use of specific literacies. Who a person is, in terms of a literacy user and a literacy worker are dictated by the culture in which a person chooses to operate. Literacy is not neutral, but an…

A community college professor and poet relates his impressions and experiences visiting Auburn Prison to read his poetry to inmates. Describes the cruel penological experiments conducted in the 1800's and their residual effects. Relates the prisoners' responses to the poetry of a Black poet/teacher and details individual interactions. (DMM)

While a great deal of discussion has been generated regarding increased levels of student diversity, recruitment of minority faculty, and the diversification of college curricula, there has been far less written about the impact of white institutions on the psyches of ethnic minority faculty. This paper discloses one African-American female…

Offers reflections and anecdotes from the seven-decade writing career of the well-known children's author of "Bows against Arrows" (1934) and the five-book series beginning with "Boats on Bannermore" (1949) about a group of teenagers in a grammar school. (TB)

Discusses the art of John Scott, who was shaped by spiritual ideals from Catholicism. Describes the addition of themes from his African-American heritage to his art in the period after he began teaching. Indicates that, despite his original intentions, he has remained a teacher at his home school until today. (AJL)

Provides a personal account of one African American's experiences during his childhood in a slum neighborhood and his college years. Maintains that schools must accelerate their efforts to teach children cultural diversity and positive race relationships and to thwart divisiveness in the form of bigotry and hatred. (BB)

Narratives exist within the African cultural ethos then and now in a variety of contexts. For African Americans, one function of the narrative has been the therapeutic effect of ameliorating oppression. Current literature on narrative therapy provides a foundation for discussing the healing power of narratives in the African American community.…

Compares the life styles of six professional women who share and examine their experiences in five major life styles: (1) single; (2) lesbian; (3) divorced with children; and (4) Black and White engaged in dual career marriages. Reflects on the rewards and frustrations of multiple roles. (Author/JAC)