GBH Openvault
Say Brother; Elma Lewis - Black Poetry for Children; Elma Lewis reads the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Lawrence Dunbar
Part of Say Brother.
01/30/1975
In this clip Elma Lewis, Director of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, reads the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Lawrence Dunbar to a group of children and then asks them what they think the poem means. Overall the program is divided into two halves: the first featuring a 30-minute in-studio poetry reading by Elma Lewis, the second of magazine-style segments. Elma Lewis, Director of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, seated with children around her, talks about what poetry is, what a poem can make you feel, and why people used to write in rhymes. Lewis focuses on two African American poets, Langston Hughes (who is "of this time") and Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and reads selections from each. The second half contains the following segments: a mime performance by Halim Adbur Rashid (Fred Johnson) titled "The Writer," "Access" (with A.D. Saunders, who describes the Boston Jazz Society), "The Word" (with professor and historian A.B. Spellman, who comments on Black History Week), the "Community Calendar," "Information" (on Minority Recruitment Month for the Peace Corps), and "Commentary" by Producer Marita Rivero. Original air date estimated. Directed by Conrad White.
License Clip
- Series
- Say Brother
- Program
- Elma Lewis - Black Poetry for Children
- Program Number
417
- Title
Elma Lewis reads the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Lawrence Dunbar
- Series Description
Say Brother is WGBH's longest running public affairs television program by, for and about African Americans, and is now known as Basic Black. Since its inception in 1968, Say Brother has featured the voices of both locally and nationally known African American artists, athletes, performers, politicians, professionals, and writers including: Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Thomas Atkins, Amiri Baraka, Doris Bunte, Julian Bond, Stokely Carmichael, Louis Farrakhan, Nikki Giovanni, Odetta Gordon, Henry Hampton, Benjamin Hooks, Jesse Jackson, Hubie Jones, Mel King, Eartha Kitt, Elma Lewis, Haki Madhubuti, Wallace D. Muhammad, Charles Ogletree, Babatunde Olatunji, Byron Rushing, Owusu Sadaukai, and Sonia Sanchez. Series release date: 7/15/1968
- Asset Type
Clip
- Media Type
Video
- Subjects
- Spellman, A. B., 1935-
- African American poets
- African American women
- Lewis, Elma
- Johnson, Fred (Halim Adbur Rashid)
- Peace Corps (U.S.)
- African American children
- Oral interpretation of poetry
- Poetry and children
- Poetry
- Boston Jazz Society (Boston, Mass.)
- Genres
- Magazine
- Topics
- Race and Ethnicity
- Creators
- Rivero, Marita (Producer)
- White, Conrad (Director)
- Barrow-Murray, Barbara (Associate Producer)
- Contributors
- Nicholas , Huntley, Jr. (Film Sound)
- Spooner, Dighton (Researcher)
- Cross, June (Community Coordinator)
- Johnson, Henry (Filmmaker)
- Farrier, Stephen (Community Coordinator)
- Cogell, Lloyd (Still Photography)
- Boston Art Ensemble (Theme Music)
- Jones, Vickie (Production Assistant)
- Publication Information
- WGBH Educational Foundation
- Citation
- Chicago: “Say Brother; Elma Lewis - Black Poetry for Children; Elma Lewis reads the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Lawrence Dunbar,” 01/30/1975, GBH Archives, accessed April 18, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_5D1EC5B0C3A14505AF6F0C04AACD80CD.
- MLA: “Say Brother; Elma Lewis - Black Poetry for Children; Elma Lewis reads the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Lawrence Dunbar.” 01/30/1975. GBH Archives. Web. April 18, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_5D1EC5B0C3A14505AF6F0C04AACD80CD>.
- APA: Say Brother; Elma Lewis - Black Poetry for Children; Elma Lewis reads the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Lawrence Dunbar. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_5D1EC5B0C3A14505AF6F0C04AACD80CD