Black Horizons; 3130; Kuntu 25

You Welcome to Black Horizons. I'm your host, Chris Moore. On tonight's show, we'll visit with the matriarch of African American Theatre in Pittsburgh and find out how Kentucky Repertory Company's been spending its 25th anniversary year. And you'll see a preview of upcoming PBS programming that you will not want to miss. And speaking of things you won't want to miss, grab a pen and paper because we've also got our community

calendar on the horizon. But before we get to any of that, statistics have proven time and again that the average American family, particularly the African American family, is in trouble. In an effort to beat those statistics, Mount Arid Baptist Church and Macedonia Baptist Church, are joining efforts for a special two -day family life conference. Here to tell us more is from Mount Arid, Reverend Marianne Lightfoot and from Macedonia Baptist Church, Pastor Jason Bard Jr. Welcome to our program. I'm glad to have you here. Reverend Lightfoot, I know this is two churches joining together, but you're really making an effort to get outside of the four walls of the church and to bring in all members of the community to this family life conference, correct? Correct. And why are you doing that? Well, I think the indicators are that all kinds of families are in trouble. I think that churches within the walls of families within the walls of the church, I think families outside of the church,

I've been doing family work long enough to examine the issues and I think the indicators of teen pregnancy, the high divorce rate, the number of hopeless young men. These things speak to the issue that basically family is struggling and I believe the church has a responsibility to be a part of that support system and to bring help and application to this problem. So Pastor Bard, these are not just unchurched families, or unchurched youth you're concerned about. No, this includes the entire family gamut across all spectrum both within and outside of the church and we feel that there is a theological claim on our lives to address family issues, particularly in the African -American community and particularly in this day and age when family is taking on a different character than it has had an experience in previous generations. So this goes beyond the great commission, is that correct? Well, I think it is in part a part of the great commission which Christ tells us to go into all the world

and to make disciples and part of being a disciple is the function within society and the basic unit of every society is family. And where is our family now in both of your estimations? Reverend Lifewood, you had said we're having problems everywhere even within the church. In terms of I'm not sure I'm understanding your question. Just where are we? Where are our families, particularly African -American families? There must be some need otherwise you wouldn't have the conflict. No, I think that we're struggling too maintain the structure of the family. I think that we're struggling to have wholesome relationships that produce individuals who are healthy and who feel good about themselves and who are able to go on and reach their potential as God has given it to them. And I think that unless we do something positive to help the families learn to give them insight into the issues and by the way there are no perfect families. There are no perfect individuals. And so we're more or

less all in the same arena trying to strengthen our families. And I believe that that's about where I would say we are now. There is always work to be done on the family. And I want to say that it's not just some economically disadvantaged family that we're talking about. I think family making is a lifetime proposition. And we need to help families understand that. That it's a generational thing and that it's a work that has to go on all of our lives. Pastor Bar, I've been producing programs like Black Horizons for more than 20 years now. And we look at all the bad statistics that affect particularly our young people. And we can say a lot of that stems from the family. And it doesn't matter if it's a health concern with prostate cancer rates among men or juvenile justice concerns as we look at our young Black men in this country. It seems to me that the church is the natural place to reach out and

try to do something to the larger community. Yes, I think you're absolutely correct and I think it is incumbent upon the church. And particularly in light of the church is being a representative of God and specifically being a representative of Jesus Christ to be able to ameliorate and to help families to become all that they should be and all that God would have them be. You sort of borrowed a model there from the army but I guess it has more impact when you add God into it, huh? Oh, yeah. And I think that one of the things we don't want people to miss out on is that while we are reaching to the broader community we do offer a theological paradigm that we operate from and we are looking to to help people to be empowered to help families to be empowered. But the the empowerment comes from a holy other. It comes from a source beyond this realm of reality. And yet we offer practical help within this realm of reality. Now I looked at your brochure and you're covering a wide range of subjects

in the various workshops that are going on. You're dealing with single people and whether they want to remain single. You're looking at blended families. You're even looking at economic resources and planning. There are a lot of things that you're looking at. How did you come up with all the agenda items? I think within the context of my own ministry as a pastor. I've noticed over the years that it's not enough to just say the family that prays together stays together. And I mean that's a basic fundamental principle but there needs to be more practical tools. There should be tools and and and helpful families. And I've learned that if you pray together you can stay together but you got to do some other things in that prayer must be not only an act it must be an attitude and it must be an action. And then and people need help with that action and that attitude and that action in developing healthy families. What sort of attitude? What sort of action should families adopt? And does it start with with the with the marriage or do we look at traditional church valued head of household male kinds of things?

I think we have to deal with what the reality is right now. And right now the reality is as family is defining a much broader term and a much broader sense than families have been defined historically. And I don't I think this conference starts with the premise that families are not necessarily nuclear families, mother, father, you know, son and daughter. But oftentimes they come from different backgrounds and I think the church has to start where people are not where we want them to be or not where historically we have understood what is normal. We start where people are helping people to deal with issues like blended families in my own ministry. That has been a very very visible part of what I have dealt with in helping families who bring children from different marriages a different relationship together in one house, you know, and telling them to pray is just not you know the only thing. And it's not all Brady Bunch kind of thing when you bring that family together with different children. There's some resentment on the part of the children probably a divorce in

there somewhere longing to be with the absent parent a lot of things that are going on. And the attitude that needs to be present there in that context is a sense of sensitivity on the part of one of the parents who has a child that you know being sensitive to the parent who does not have that same share that same biological union. Reverend Lifefoot a lot of my single friends, female friends always ask me don't I know where some single males are where they can get together and I guess everybody wants that same thing and I guess it's not just mom and them telling them child you 27 now it's about time you was married or something of that nature and I find so many young men could look and handsome well sculpted young men are incarcerated I go to the jails often to talk with these guys and visit with them and and it seems as though there are so few options for our single women out there will you be dealing with those subjects too? Of course we have in the afternoon class we have a class for singles

entitled celebrating singleness unleashing the power within you and before I address that I want to say that so often those are the statistics that we hear Billingsley writes about that in Jacob's climbing Jacob's ladder but what we do what we what we need to understand is that if there's about one quarter of African -American males that young males in prison there's still a 75 percent group that is not now addressing the singleness what we want to do is to help people to understand that you are not just complete because there is a man beside you although that is a very desirable thing for some people I've met singles who do not desire to be married they just want to be single so what we want to do is help people examine what do I really want for my life and have I developed all the other gifts the God has given me have I reached my potential in all the other areas and done with

my life what I could do with it if I was not just focused on the the fact that I'm single it sounds like it's going to be an interesting day what would you say to people who are in our audience past the bar about why they should attend I think they should attend regardless of whatever condition they find themselves in single single parent head of house of faith or lack of faith or lack of faith because I think that they will find empowerment from the multiple workshops that are being available that are available I I think that they will find themselves empowered and informed they will come away not only better families but better individuals well I'm glad to see that these two churches have gotten together and are reaching out to the broader community because if not within our churches where will these efforts start to correct all the problems that are there and they certainly start with the the family so thank you for being here and informing our viewers about it thank you all right for more information on the family life conference which runs July

21st and 22nd you can call Macedonia Baptist at 412 -535 -537628 the number again is 412 -535 -37628 or call Mount Erad at 412 -441 -7751 the number again 412 -441 -7751 hope you've got that pencil in paper handy because it's time for the community calendar with the news you can use on the horizon you can

use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon you can use it on you can use it on the horizon you can use it on the horizon If you have an event you'd like to see publicize if you have an event you'd like to see publicize send it to us at on the horizon and on the horizon cares of WQED for 8 airflow For 8 2 -5 -Drive laughs about twi - jed SO on the horizon The American health care industry cost us trillions of dollars each year and yet manages to fall short. Find out why on health care crisis. America's health care system is in crisis. We're in this incredibly

turbulent time. When we're upending, let us adjust up ending. You don't know whether you're going to be covered. There's nobody to go to to say this is unfair. We're in serious trouble here in the United States right now. But everyone agrees there are solutions if we have the will. Watch Health Care Crisis Sunday, July 2nd at 2 p .m. here on WQED, Channel 13. For years, the music of some of the world's finest Afro Cuban musicians was hidden from this country. We discover these living treasures on the Boinevista Social Club. My son Joaquin and I came back down here at the band in March 1998. We'd been here before about two years ago, recording the point at least the Social Club. I'm making records about 35 years and I can tell you you never know what the public's going to go for. It's turned out to be the one

they like the best. I like it the best. He's scumble on somebody like this maybe once in your life. We always want to try to find those people. You know, they might be down the street, they might be here, I don't know, it might be around the corner, you never know. And this is an example of the kind of luck and good fortune that you have to have. To find out that so many of these people were still alive and well, I will forgot. Happy to play. Very generous and open -hearted with their talent and their knowledge and it was a fantastic experience. It was the kind of thing I feel that might be fair to say, a train for my whole life. And something very rare, like I tell Joaquin's might just happen to you once in your life. PBS proudly presents the award winning Winavista Social Club. Can't wait to see that when PBS will present the Buena Vista Social Club Wednesday, July 19th at 9 p

.m. and Sunday, July 23rd at 3 p .m. here on WQED 13. And due to popular demand, everybody get those VCRs ready. Don't call me and ask for a date. We will be rerunning the Black Horizon Special from the 70s. Let's get it on. Everybody saw their wife, their cousin, their selves, and this kind of soul -trained episode of Black Horizon's produced by Jimmy Tripp and other folks back in the 70s. We're going to rerun it. Listen to me closely. Friday, July 28th at 9 p .m. Friday, July 28th at 9 p .m. Now is your chance to see it again and record it. That's Friday, July 28th at 9 p .m. As founder and creative director of Cuntu Repertory Theatre, our next guest has been an integral part of the city's artistic legacy, writer, actor, director, and in her spare time chair of the University of Pittsburgh's African Studies Department. Here's Dr. Verniel Lilly. Welcome back to our show. It's always such an honor to have you here. What would

Pittsburgh be like? What would the art community in Pittsburgh be like? What would the overall community be like if it hadn't been for Cuntu Repertory? Because you have set the pattern, paved the way, opened the doors for so many young people and others. We just admire you. I thank you. But you know what? It would have been wonderful. There's never been a time in Pittsburgh that you did not have some African -American theater with Walter Worthington and Mr. McCain and the Curtinayas, the integrated group. It would still be wonderful. Don't you know that when there's a need for something, somebody else will come along? But you feel the need. I felt the need. I was feeling that need. But I have no doubts that if I had not been here, Rob Penny and August would have continued with their Black Horizon Theatre. Bob Johnson would have continued with his theatre. I feel honored that you say that. But as you know, Bob Johnson, unfortunately, passed away. I remember seeing Jitney, which he was involved with. Oh, it must have been 18

years ago or something like that. In the church that's torn down, the Carlo College built a building there. I remember seeing it in the basement of that church and I was just left awestruck looking at that. But there are gaps as we know Bob passed away. Others have found August Wilson, have found success nationwide and worldwide and moved away. But you have kind of stayed at home and built a rock solid foundation and it's been beautiful. And mentioning Rob Penny, I think one of the best cut two works that I really saw was one of his Good Black Don't Crackers. I love that show. I've seen a lot of country shows with Good Black Don't Crackers took me on. I still love it. Just took me on out of here. And I'm hoping that Woody King someday is going to get that to Broadway. It ought to be there. I think that what we've done is to try and stabilize in some ways. But we have also tried to be open so that other companies can come and exist. Now I set out to have a repertory, to have a collection and to build a cannon. And so I've built a cannon that

comes from a very particular process that looks and flows from the African experience, that respects black men and black women relationships, that we do not, the police has not involved in any of our works at all. And so I've tried to do that. I haven't finished that cannon. But even when I do retire, I will continue making sure. Ever retire. I don't know. I'm 69 now. I mean, yes, I'm 69. But ain't no way he's tired, I guess. No way he's tired. No way. So you will continue to build a cannon. I'm going to build that cannon. And I'm going to build a cannon from individuals who understand how beautiful and wonderful African -American people are. We do have conflicts with each other. But that's human and that's natural. And those conflicts are explored in your work? Oh, they are. And not only that, we resolve them as well. And I don't mind having a plate end in a happy way. Call it so proper if you want to. That's your problem. That's not mine. Because I do know of the beauty and the love. You and I both have our Southern Heritage.

You know what it was like coming out of your university as well. It was like coming out of Dylan. And how much teachers spent on us. And so I want other people to know that kind of literature. This has been a... You are keeping that kind of chain unbroken because I know so many young people that look up to you and say, well, without Dr. Liddy, what opportunity would I have had to do this or do that. And so really, you know, Dr. Floyd Sandel and all that stuff has just been passed right from him to you, to me and on to others. It's been wonderful. And it's been wonderful here in Pittsburgh. This community is so wonderful to come in. You know that. You walk in and you didn't have to prove yourself. You didn't have that idea. Yes, I did. Now you did. Now I mean, they just opened up. And whatever you needed to help grow, they helped you grow. Well, look, what have you been doing in this 25th anniversary again? Well, we started off this year with a collaboration with the City Theatre doing raisin. And we brought back a couple of our outstanding unto members from New York. And we did some local contour

members there. We did some excerpts from keeper of the dreams for our touring piece. We did a 22 -year -old month, a 22 -production season with a prison. We started off performing for the prison free. So we finally, now they pay us to do a season. So we did. How do they enjoy your work with you? I love it. I know they just eat you all alive. They love it. And we did. I'm a black woman. So that they could take a look to celebrate women of all kinds. We have done, we did our gala celebration with Billy Harper, the other place season, Ropini wrote a new piece for us, Nefertari Rising, and a piece that forces us to realize that we existed in ancient chemit before the Alexander the Great rolled in and changed chemits name from chemit to Egypt for the historians. I say that. And I really say it for the historians because they say Egypt is not an Africa. And I don't know where they think it is. And then we've done, I think, some

other things that I think are just important. We did love to all the rain. We brought in Liz Van Dijk from New York, who originally in 1984, directed Raisin and the Sun for us. And then we brought back Renee Berry Mack, who recreated for us Zora Neil Hurston. And so we've had a wonderful, wonderful time. And the gala was, you know, I brought together one of my former students from Houston, Texas, Billy Harper, who's one of my favorite, favorite musicians. And then one of my students that I taught when she was in the eighth grade in Houston, Texas, came from Syracuse to be with us. And then come to members from all over, came back. And we celebrated all of the wonderful things that they had done. I had to work. But Ms. Evelina, who attended with my wife in my state, told me she had a wonderful time. And she just enjoyed the gala so much. Now, when you look back over some of the things you've done, is there any one thing that stands out? You've been to

Edinburgh, Scotland with performances. You've been to New York, New Orleans. You just go old. You know what stands out of my mind more than anything else? Is that those who came from that court group, who accepted the teachings of Rob Penny, of August Wilson, of Jack Daniels, and of Curtis Porter, that almost 90 % of them are involved in meaningful ways in the community. See, that's what I meant by Dr. Floyd Sandle and a former instructor that we shared, although we didn't know each other at the time. And people like Dr. Sandle instilling that in you and I. And then we passed it on. And now they're keeping that chain under open time. They're keeping it alive. Monte Russell, who has a recurring role on ER, is now beginning to do some things, beginning to direct, and doing some digital stuff. And he came right back home, because we had him from the 10th grade. I got in, you're long enough to say, I looked at some of the upcoming work, and I saw a playwright, Judy Ann Mason.

That's the one that you know from your school? Oh, OK, I was wondering if there was a Judy Ann Mason that I knew. That's right. It is. We're going to do that for next season. We're going to tap the ass kid. A piece that Savion Glover was in when he was very small. We're going to do, I'm writing a new piece for Mahalia Jackson, because I want to look at Mahalia, the child in her, and the kinds of things, not what that suffering child was about, but where did the artist emerge? And how did she emerge? Thirty seconds left. What's the future hole for you and Conte? It's going to mean that I intend for Conte Repertory Theatre to outlive the time of the Caramie House, which is at about 80 years. And the future holds for me, and I'm challenging this city that we want a permanent structure for the Conte Repertory Theatre, and we want to be here where it's a training institution. We have to do some of the training. So it just doesn't exist based on one person in their reputation? That's right. That's beautiful.

And it's going to be here. All right. We know it will, and thank you for starting it and keeping it going all this time. Thank you very much, Doctor. It's a pleasure. We honor your presence. Well, that brings us to the end of yet another edition of Black Horizons. Thanks for joining us. And remember, you can catch me on KTK81020 on the AIM Dow. Saturday nights at 7 and Sunday afternoons and four if the buckles aren't playing. I'm Chris Moore. And for all of us, Minette Seat, my great producer, and everyone else here who makes Black Horizons possible, have a good night. Bye. Set Bees is donated by Macondo, South Craig Street, Oakland. Yeah. Yeah. I want to be a highlight. Wait, wait a minute. Groupy, groupy, jazzy, funky, bounce, bounce, dance, as we dip in the melodic scene. With them please throw in the drips that every see. Sweet sugar pops, sugar pop, rocks pop. You don't stop till the sweet beat drops. I show improve as I stick and move. Vivi Poins recite it for top of the groove. Smooth

mind, float like a butterfly instead of float. Sound like a lullaby, brace yourself. As to beat pitch, dip, chuck, dip, dip.