WGBH Journal; Sound Port; North End

The sounds of Boston's Northland fruit patrons yelling out prices animated discussions of Italian people in cars competing with one another for the limited space Sound Portraits of life in the northland. The first feature on today's show Good afternoon this is GBH Journal and I'm Bill cavernous. Today's journal will also contain reports on two events which are happening in Boston this weekend. One is a feature on a gay pride march scheduled to occur this Saturday. The other is a conference for the parents of children enrolled in Boston's public schools. And to close the show. We'll hear about students in Hamburg put together their own television programs. First. This visit to the old world style of the Northland with reporter David Friedberg. Oh yeah right. Oh. Yeah.

I'm. A typically frenetic Saturday. On the narrow streets of Boston's North End. Residence and sightseers promenade past quaint old shops. The merchants on a hot afternoon have set their chairs outside. Invoking a talian to comment passionately on whichever quirk of the village scene. Once a section inhabited mostly by the Irish and Jews. The north ends ethnic flavor has turned decidedly Italian. And for those who have lived there it is a community that imparts a sense of undying loyalty. A typically frenetic Saturday. On the narrow streets of Boston's North

End. Residents and sightseers promenade past quaint old shops. The merchants on a hot afternoon have set their chairs outside. Invoking a talian to comment passionately on whichever quirk of the village scene. Once a section inhabited mostly by the Irish and Jews. The north ends ethnic flavor has turned decidedly Italian. And for those who have lived there it is a community that imparts a sense of undying loyalty. Right now I live out of town but I was born and brought up in the north and but I'm moving back I love the area. What culture what caused me back my people I love them. You're Italian I'm Italian. Yes. People are very very friendly. The knot then is changing but all the rehabilitation. The only sad thing that's happened down here is that our old people are being forced out. What happens is an outsider comes in and buys a property

renovate said. Every apartment is converted into two apartments. The rents are incredibly high. People that have moved away they moved to the suburbs and they die of a broken heart. I'm still living here in the north and would move up what. We have what is known as a family. Way of Life. I lived at one time in a building with eight families. The doors were always open. I was coming home from work. And I remarked about what a delicious odor was permeating the building. The woman who was cooking there would come out. And ask me if I really did like that. If I said yes I guarantee it. Before I finish my own might have a dish of whatever she caught. I think the family back still the best thing. Family grandma grandpa sitting around a damaged a bowl and enjoying the closeness that

means a lot the upbringing of that means a lot of the love is always there. It's pretty rare today I guess people are fragmented they're living in the suburbs in different seconal go up into apartments they don't know what they're missing and when they divide themselves from their families because it's cold it's lonely. All right so you want to do private things you could still do private things. You know we're not all that old fashioned. We're coming along with the times too. And if you lose everything then what is there your top 3 is no good. So 0.0 lows like I tell you there's a few of us all time isn't going to stick by to see that they don't. Go out no matter what no no. My children can't get me out if they call bee in the bonnet. Mark Cuban spend the day this is my pleasure right. I love my children my grandchild but my pleasures right here. Beautiful. While there's been a singer can only myself.

What do you put into these chocolate chips. But now on. Sugar. And secret potion. Secret potion could you be more specific. Now we can't give our secrets away. Well it's very tasty. We canot their chicken wings chicken legs. Well I can look at that stuff. Oh yeah what are we on. Just sing this out all day long every day in a week. We sell everybody and everything. We really do know you've been working here. I'm only here about 40 odd years. My brother and he has been here 50 years here across the street with my father. Five projects here. Chicken egg chicken wings 69 cents a large doesn't it a little love a chicken in a right from the chickens. Ask me no question How did you know.

Oh yeah without a peddler's boisterous appeal at one of dozens of food stands in Haymarket Square. Shoppers have come a stance of lead to pick from the lush array of produce and poultry offered at reasonable prices. But somehow in the crush of weekend crowds they hunger for more. Perhaps it's relief from the sterility of supermarket conglomerates. Were simply the fun of being jostled because the people around you know from all over the world. You see all kinds of people and how would you describe this to someone who's never been right. It's a festive place. And you like them. Yeah you browse the look look at people in the food and now you have a good time and buy food. Or the price is good sometimes. Sometimes you go home the point is not to come to a market and you have to learn to be a good shopper you have to browse and pick and. You get smart I mean you have to make sure you know you get

good fruits and get home in Miami to go where you're from Jamaica. Well why did you come down today. I'm with my mama. Do you like the market here. You're shaking your head no one up. Here. It's just real busy here. Lad. Well. Because. The. Band. Have a high price. You know my friends. Think they're pretty high. For. A. Pound. What are you cooking there from those sizzling sound. They're trying to charge. How long you've been selling these. And how do you like the open air market here. Pretty good. Beautiful people come down here to. The front to get very cheap. Shopping pleasure to go to.

People to have. A really good talk to you. Can we get it for you know we talk. I mean. As much will buy. Money we get appointed more and more. I get plenty like you got my letter. All right but I'm sure. That the rain. What kind of a shop is that. My neighbor to wish them a shop apprentice in the same a couple days. I don't understand Italian you know. But I'm. At the point that the hopelessly lost an Italian I smiled a bit and wandered off amidst the villagers and tourists of the North End for GBH Journal. I'm David Freud Berg. The last year has seen some serious setbacks for gay rights in a number of cities in the United

States. Beginning with They'd County Florida voters in cities and all parts of the country have repealed or rejected ordinances guaranteeing gay rights. Here in Massachusetts the legislature refused last summer to pass a gay rights bill introduced by Representative Willie Noble. But if gay pride marches are any measure of sentiment. Gay people are not discouraged. In response to the Dade County vote record numbers of lesbians gay men and sympathizers turned out last year for gay pride marches in New York San Francisco Los Angeles Chicago Providence and Boston. 1978 the eighth year in what has become an annual tradition. Organizers of Boston's gay pride march scheduled for Saturday at 11:30 in the company Square are expecting numbers comparable to the 3 to 5000 in March last year. Amy sands spoke with two march organizers organizers got to Travers and Eric Rogers the whole history of the gay pride movement probably began in 1969 and in the summer with the Stonewall

riots which occurred when the police raided a gay bar a male gay bar which was an everyday occurrence and for the first time the gay men in the bar rebelled and threw stones and fought back and locked the police in the bar when they invaded. And I was with people now consider the beginning of gay pride. And watches have begun every June since then across the country in major cities to commemorate that event. But what's the purpose of a gay pride march. There never seemed to be any really specific demand that always seems to be basically a big march just to march. Cappy. I think it's one way for people to be out on the street and show how many gay people there are that that people that you know in your everyday life are gay they look just like you do. And we're not. We don't feel like we have to hide anymore we don't feel like it has to be a secret that you're gay but you can come right out on the street and be in a parade with thousands of other people and

say I'm a lesbian or I'm a gay man and I'm I'm proud to let people know that it's a parade it's a celebration it's like St. Patrick's Day parade why should Irish people all come together and watch down the street together. They can do it in South Boston all the time but why have a special time to do it. It's nice it's kind of fun. And that's what we're looking for it's kind of fun. Are you scared. It seems to me especially with it you know since Anita Bryant in the Dade County vote that it's becoming more dangerous to be public about gay that they have been isolated instances of violence here in Boston as well as other places. And it doesn't seem particularly safe to be public about about being gay. I think in some ways it's never been safe to be gay. And that that the violence and the harassment the gay people experience has always been there and now it's getting picked up it's getting some publicity because gay people are known as a people but that there's always been.

Harassment of gay people and the fact that we have a movement and we're being out front about who we are is not actually what's brought all of that violence there. It was there in what we've done is say it's there we don't want it anymore and we're fighting back. One thing I've noticed as we've talked and I've noticed in the pub listening that I've seen for the march is that this you know you're saying Lesbian and Gay Pride you're not saying simply gay pride and I'm wondering why that is. A lot of lesbians don't use the word gay the word gay is often connected in people's heads with gay men you say gay people and they think man. So partly it's a way to remind people that lesbians are gay people too. To put the word in there to remind people it's also a way to encourage women who are lesbians to participate in the march and in the activities of the week to say that they are in fact welcome because there are some assumptions in the gay community too that when you say gay

you mean gay men. Is there like a special contingent for lesbians or something like that. You know at this year's parade is going to be led by the women's contingent a lesbian contingent. Besides the lesbian contingent there's a gay youth contingent. Two special contingents this year. One is a contingent of non-gay supporters of gay pride which will include organizations that are not specifically lesbian or gay organizations and individuals. Friends of gay people who want to come out and march in support brothers and sisters or just people who believe in the rights of lesbians and gay men to lead their lives the way they see fit. There's also a contingent of gay people who cannot come out who will be wearing masks or paper bags or something over their heads with signs explaining the risks involved in them taking those things off. I know Boston area gay school workers which is a local group of lesbian gay teachers will be

marching with bags over their heads and with big signs explaining how they can get fired if they were seen marching in this kind of parade. How many people. Expecting altogether given the sense of that yet I think we might get 5000 people this year if we have good people with between 3000 and 5000 just depending on which media. Last year there was a large turnout due to the recall of the gay rights bill in Dade County and I think and hope that people this year will also come out in as large numbers or more to show that that we haven't forgotten things like that that we haven't been scared away by it and to recognize that we need to come out in larger numbers every year. In 1974 Boston public schools were desegregated by a court order from the

United States district judge. I think Gary. The ramifications of the segregation were well publicized and are well remembered in the city and schools of Boston today. An outgrowth of this court order was the establishment of three parent councils set up for the purpose of monitoring the desegregation process and providing a forum for the discussion of problems existing in Boston public schools. The group's racial ethnic Parents Council a community District Advisory Councils and the citywide Parents Advisory Council and some members chosen by the court and others elected by parents themselves. This weekend the three organizations are sponsoring a conference of the councils. The title of the conference is these are our schools educate our children. It is taking place at Boston University. Reporter David teller spoke with Jackie Brinkley a coordinator of one of the councils about the conference and about these parent groups. What is it.

Think that the theme of the conference you know these are our schools educate our children. So the goal is really to raise parents consciousness about quality education. The model for the workshops is talking about what presently exists in the Boston Public Schools looking at a model of something that could be and he developing strategies to get that for your kids in school. Could you describe the councils and their relationships to each other. OK. Start at the bottom. And it's not really the bottom because it's the foundation for everything and that's the racial ethnic parent council at each school and parents vary even acted out by race so that the council is balanced. Then you have the community District Advisory Council. Parents are elected to those councils in each district. From the racial ethnic parent council at the top of the structure

you have the citywide parent advisory council. Theoretically they deal with issues that are of citywide concern. The community District Advisory Councils deal with issues that are of concern to the particular district and support and help develop the racial ethnic parent council and the racial I think parent councils deal with local school problem from confirmed. What was the process by which these councils were formed and what was their original mandate. There was supposed to be doing. Think the councils are court ordered councils so they were formed and ordered by the court and they are their mandate came from the court. Originally the racial ethnic pairing councils were established to deal with racial tensions within the school each year. Racial ethnic parent councils have taken on more and more responsibility and the court has in

some sense given them an the seat x and the pack more and more responsibility. One of the racial tensions of someone you know subsided. What are they doing now. There are still racial tensions in the school. I think the one thing we've never done effectively is dealt with the perceptions that people of different races have about each other. The mis mis information that people have. The hostility that people have and because of the separation of races in Boston. And especially in Boston schools there's a lot of fear there are lots of questions about one race or another and people have never had an opportunity to deal with that. In some councils people do deal with that very effectively. But for the most part literally help the school be partner schools

develop an e-zine program. They work to see that the federal funds that are spent in the school are really delivering services to children. They produce a pain in the development of proposals they really produce a page in the shaping of their children's education. And I don't want that to sound you know more than it is that we have a long way to go. But people are beginning and in some school you have very aggressive parents and you have very receptive principals and teachers who are working hand-in-hand who were and who believe very strongly that parents should have the right to participate. How is the mood of parents different in this parent movement than in. Before the court order or another school system I don't think there's ever been anything like this I think this is unique to Boston. First of all I

think before the court order. Maybe I can say parents were were apathetic or they believed any parents have always been told everywhere leave them the education of your children to the school. We're the experts. We're the ones who can do it. You don't know very much about that world. Vance mother Christine if you're a parent and you you raised a child until it's time for this child to go to school you know more about this child than any other human being. There's a growing number of Boston parents who believe that they have a right and an obligation to shape their children's education. What kind of awareness to people have when they come into this of the way the system works maybe one of the first things people learned was that neither black nor white kids in most schools in the city were getting a quality education. I think the major goal I have seen has

been the determination to get her children the best possible education. That seems to transcend anything else. As part of the regular curriculum kids at the Plymouth River School in Hingham Massachusetts are learning to put television programs together each Monday the school's morning exercises are presented on TV screens in each classroom. The material presented is put together by the students with the help of maybe a specialist teacher Glen Cook. Some of the other programs into the science demonstration weekly interview with the principal presenting the responsible

student award. Educational game shows and school news features such as a report on cafeteria food waste. One program it could be you is designed to praise good behavior. Suggestions come from teachers and from students. Reporters Vivian Dukat and John Morgan visited Plymouth River School and hang him and prepared this report. Television is the means of communication with the kids of today and I think they should know something about that means of communication. Kids should know how it operates or hear it should know what goes into making a programme. They should know that people make TV programmes that they can see why don't do that that they can be propagated and I think that we have to teach our kids to be able communicate with TV just like there should be able to communicate

with reading and writing. Each class made their morning magazine and they like even the writers room. We did a morning magazine the other kind of machines and stuff mister. You're going to get hurt and you're going to get them. OK. When he finishes you'll see a 400 get to the next one that way will be over cut between three and two. We don't get marks for anything. Thank you for this welcome Mark. It takes writing skills takes organization skills it takes creative skills to think of the idea in the first place and to make it into. Something that will come across as interesting on on television or even on a radio speaker. It takes visual skills it takes drawing

skills just about everything that we think of as as a good result of education. You can kind of see in a good tv show with like you know very very soon in our lives when it was right or perhaps you hear we need so many more people than just the star who's up front. We need the cameramen the switcher the props and so forth that came out very quickly you know locally there we see a trial usually by using the link you posted. You know I am with you. Did you catch it in front of you know the way they were like you missed the cookies blurry from the lights so why

not be nice and quiet until you see the red white and give a lot of his yes yes to three to go. A little bird told us about this it could be you it could be Michael Evans who helped him back to the house to get a better picture which I wanted to go back you watch unfold now through here is to be laid it could be you for the excellent your dumbass tunes in the bin. One of those musicians in the orchestra is Russ Palmer in 6B we're told that he is that he not only shares his music but he she says snacks at the members of the sixth grade class. I can remember there was another theme of the month a few months ago was I care about completing special could be words of thanks for having such good work habits to go to 60.

Jimmy and to John Patrick cross for the Michael Fredy and Matthew Gagne kindergarten to the three in the war one and all were full of the sorrow and getting closer and that's what you focus. There are 13 days until the annual promise of a school spelling bee. It could be you that wins one of those one of these trophies and we know that Emory Rountree in fact five and Sara half Linda McGee and Kim Mason 6B have been doing excellent spelling work. Maybe their efforts will be rewarded with the trophy bringing food the blackguard that they do want. This after one given word. OK I want the whole crew now out to get in front of the outside monitor up on top of that sign we're going to take a look at it and see what we can do to improve it. OK like a musician your strength rather he resists dreaming

all the time or want me to want you to do then picture had a few more things down here it would be nice if you were enclosed and started in the morning and means going from side to side like that. OK so get one side and slowly move down that way it kind of puts a little motion and makes a little more interesting to see. That this hand was very loose. What does that mean. Paying Attention. No wonder you know that. OK go. I don't think that with imagination that it costs a lot to teach about television in the classroom. If you have a couple of TV cameras. If you have a video tape recorder if you have a switcher you can have a studio crew around $2000 that works great rationalizations and you can have the monitor. Yeah why don't you do that.

I think also that I would like them to become a more discriminating viewer and a more knowledgeable viewer so they can look at a production on television on a commercial television and say I know how to do that. For Thursday the 15th of June 1978 that Stevie h Journal the regional news magazine heard Monday through Friday at 4:30. Producer editor for The Journal is Marjorie heard today's engineer big Gary Carter and I'm to look at my eyes ever from ING throbbing thrilling but not threatening varies day.