LIVING HISTORY FROM HARRIET TUBMAN TO HIP-HOP, BLACK LEGACY STRONG.

Byline: Rick Coca and Mark Kellam Valley News Writers

Although they have been on the North American continent since colonial times, African-American achievements were almost completely absent from history books until the 1920s.

Today, Black History Month annually honors historic African-Americans and encourages young people to learn from their legacies to make a better tomorrow.

Several events have been held throughout the Valley in February and a few more are slated before the end of the month.

Last weekend, audiences got to see the life of famous Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman brought to life on stage at the Madrid Theatre in Canoga Park.

Karen Jones Meadows wrote and stars in the one-woman show ``Harriet's Return,'' in which she portrays 30 characters including Tubman's two husbands and famed abolitionist John Brown, who changed Tubman's life when the two met.

Brown was a white abolitionist who used guerrilla practices to fight slavery. He was hanged for treason Dec. 2, 1859 - just weeks after he and a group of followers stormed a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in a failed bid to arm slaves.

Jones Meadows said she stresses the difference between being a slave and being enslaved during her performances. ``Being a slave is where your mind and soul are captured, but when you're enslaved, only the physical part of you is held. They don't have all of you.''

``Harriet's Return'' was originally produced in the late 1980s at the Crossroads Theatre in New Jersey, starring Tony Award-winning actress Trazana Beverley. Several actresses have starred in the play over the years including Debbie Allen at the Geffen Playhouse and Denise Burse Fernandez at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City.

However, Jones Meadows, who now lives in Albuquerque, N.M., originated the role and continues to perform it at venues across the country.

When she was developing the play, she alternated portraying three other famous black women in separate performances. One of the women she portrayed was Phyllis Wheatley, who was the polar opposite of Tubman.

Wheatley was a slave in the North and took a completely different view of slavery. She was well-educated and wrote poetry. Her owners would hold parties at which Wheatley would read her poetry.

When she was free, however, her life changed, and not for the better. She died in her early 30s - destitute. She froze to death with her children, living on the streets.

Tubman's life was quite different. She was beaten many times as a slave. While married to her first husband, she escaped on the Underground Railroad. Once free, she became an abolitionist and returned to the South 19 times, bringing more than 300 enslaved people to freedom along the Underground Railroad.

Jones Meadows said Tubman initially had a negative view of white people. As she grew older - she's believed to have been 92 when she died - her views changed. ``She found out that not all white people are the enemy and not all black people are our friends.''

``Harriet's Return'' underwent many changes along the way as people made suggestions that improved the final product. Michael McClain, with the Geffen Playhouse, told Jones Meadows she should add outdoor scene with a ``paddy roller,'' someone who caught escaped slaves.

She added that scene and said it actually provided some nice comic moments to the play. Jones Meadows said Jake Walker, who directs the current production of ``Harriet's Return,'' has added his own touches to help her given an even more passionate portrayal of Tubman.

At the Valley Plaza Library in North Hollywood, Nailah Malik, along with percussionist Jamaiel Shabaka, performed her show ``Two Ways to Count to Ten,'' a musical journey about the Liberian language and culture told through folk tales.

Malik, a librarian for 30 years, also works as a storyteller throughout Southern California. She said she chooses stories that relate to books that are in the libraries so children can explore further the places and people she introduces them to during her shows. Malik said she is a ``multicultural'' storyteller, who rates Vietnamese folk tales as some of her favorites. She enjoys how through the tales audiences discover the many similarities people throughout the world share.

Malik grew up in a multicultural environment near Huntington Park and is a graduate of the University of Southern California. In her Valley Plaza show, she introduced the audience to the ``calabash,'' a gourd used in Liberia for many things. She knew her predominately Latino audience would be familiar with it. In Spanish it's called calabaza. ``We have these universal things,'' Malik said. ``They bring us together, instead of wedges between us.''

The dress that she wears during her shows is made of South African fabric that includes a quilted pattern to honor her black American roots.

``Quilting is very popular in black America in the South,'' Malik said. She is training a group of teenagers in the Valley to become the next storytellers and keep the tradition alive for many years to come.

At the Pacoima Library, the Camacho family came out to see Makinto, a Liberian-born performer who speaks five languages and plays 20 instruments. Veronica Camacho explained why she thought it was important to bring her children, Cessy, 10, Veronica, 9, and Bruce, 7, to see, ``We Shall Overcome,'' Makinto's musical exploration of black history in America through music.

``We live in a very diverse city and a multicultural city and they have to learn from everyone that's around them,'' Camacho said.

To give the audience a historical musical perspective, Makinto's piece begins in Africa. He then takes the audience through different periods in black American history and the music that those particular times inspired in that community. From slavery and the old spirituals, the emancipation from slavery and the birth of the blues, through jazz and hip-hop, Makinto covers it all. At the Pacoima show, the young people in attendance enjoyed it when Makinto donned his rap gear and began a call and response with the audience.

``(I teach them) why hip-hop is what it is,'' Makinto said. ``We teach them that it has very strong ties to Africa.''

For the scores of San Fernando Valley residents who came to see the many shows and presentations devoted to black culture and history, they undoubtedly have a deeper understanding and appreciation of that culture.

Following Makinto's show in Pacoima, 10-year-old Cessy Camacho put it succinctly. ``It's history,'' she said.

California State University, Northridge, is celebrating Black History Month with several events throughout February.

An opening ceremony was held Feb. 1, at which Tom Spencer-Walters, chairman of the university's Pan-African Studies Department, gave a speech about icons who have passed away during the past year. Influential people honored included Coretta Scott King, Ossie Davis and Richard Pryor.

Spencer-Walters said he hoped that honoring the memory of those who have died will inspire young people to look at the legacies of those who have changed history and be inspired to make their own mark in the world.

The main event at CSUN was a talk by New York Times best-selling author Omar Tyree, who is an NAACP Image Award winner. His speech focused on encouraging young people to create history.

``History isn't something students get from textbooks; they should be participants in the creation of history,'' Spencer-Walters said.

Last week, a series of lectures and events looked at the contributions of black women in the past with the theme ``Black Herstory.''

On Friday, the department will host several high school students who will visit the campus to learn the benefits of earning a college degree and what CSUN has to offer. The visit was preceded by a conference Saturday, when some 800 high school students attended workshops led by university faculty members, again encouraging the importance of a college education and sharing information about CSUN.

Closing out the month will be a ceremony Tuesday that will feature motivational speaker Runoko Rashidi.

Area elementary schools are celebrating Black History Month with a variety of activities. At Kester Elementary School in Van Nuys, third- through fifth-graders will take an educational stroll along the Walk of Fame. On Friday and Saturday, the quad at the school will be covered with posters created by various classes at Kester highlighting the lives and accomplishments of historical and modern African-Americans.

Erwin Elementary School in Van Nuys will present a black history program at 1:15 p.m. Monday.

The show will feature five student hip-hop groups as well as the professional group Miz Undar Stood. Between the dance groups, poetry will be read celebrating the life of Coretta Scott King. A rapper is also scheduled to perform.

Teacher Warren Jackson, who is putting together the show, said he wants to show the positive aspects of hip-hop and rap. ``These kids think 50 Cent and Eminem are the only rappers,'' he said. Jackson wants to show there are rappers who deal with more family-oriented, wholesome topics.

Students at Stagg Elementary School in Van Nuys will present a program dramatizing historical events such as the Underground Railroad and the bus boycott of the 1950s.

Students will sing and dance to original songs written by Stagg teacher Andrew Casey that pay tribute to great Americans such as Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

The school's program will be presented at 10 a.m. March 3.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) (Top) Performer Makinto helps Valley audiences learn about African music and its reflections in American culture.

Photo by Richard Condre

(2 -- color) (Center) Nailah Malik, dancing at the Valley Plaza Library in North Hollywood, and Jamaiel Shabaka, drumming, both entertain while they teach children about African culture.

(3 -- color) (Right) Veronica Camacho, who enjoys learning about other cultures, and her children hear about black history and music at the Pacoima public library. From left: Bruce, 7; namesake daughter Veronica, 9; the mother; and Cessy, 10.

(4 -- color) Cousins Jose Navia, 7, and Raul Bravo, 10, obviously enjoy a Black History Month program at the Pacoima Branch Library.

Rick Coca/Valley News