GBH Openvault

Say Brother; Survival on Mother's Island; The death of Steve Biko

Part of Say Brother.

09/16/1977

In this clip Karen Holmes reports on the death of Steve Biko in South Africa while under police detention. The political activist and anti-apartheid campaigner is reported to have died in hospital after refusing food and water during his hunger strike in protest at apartheid in South Africa. Overall the program consists of a number of magazine-style segments, including an Eduard Diaz interview with Bettye Washington, resident of Columbia Point, Boston (known as Mothers Island) on the difficulties facing the community, "man on the street" interviews with commuters to Columbia Point and their feelings about the area, an "Open Platform" debate moderated by Melvin Moore on whether or not homosexuals should be guaranteed equal rights under the law (with debaters Reverend Margaret Ragona of the Metropolitan Community Church and William Dunham, staff member of The John Birch Society, and panel reporters Neil Miller, editor of Gay Community News, and Flora Haas, contributing writer to the Boston Phoenix, an excerpt from a performance by Al Jarreau that originally appeared in program 608, "Another Approach to Theatre," and the "Say Brother News" with Karen Holmes (on the death of Steve Biko), Eric Sampedro, Sonny Joe White, and Tanya Hart. Produced by Barbara Barrow. Directed by Bruce Shah.


License Clip
Series
Say Brother
Program
Survival on Mother's Island
Program Number

802

Title

The death of Steve Biko

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

Program Description

Program consists of a number of magazine-style segments, including an Eduard Diaz interview with Bettye Washington, resident of Columbia Point, Boston (known as Mothers Island) on the difficulties facing the community, "man on the street" interviews with commuters to Columbia Point and their feelings about the area, an "Open Platform" debate moderated by Melvin Moore on whether or not homosexuals should be guaranteed equal rights under the law (with debaters Reverend Margaret Ragona of the Metropolitan Community Church and William Dunham, staff member of The John Birch Society, and panel reporters Neil Miller, editor of Gay Community News, and Flora Haas, contributing writer to the Boston Phoenix, an excerpt from a performance by Al Jarreau that originally appeared in program 608, "Another Approach to Theatre," and the "Say Brother News" with Karen Holmes, Eric Sampedro, Sonny Joe White, and Tanya Hart.

Asset Type

Clip

Media Type

Video

Subjects
Bolling, Royal, Jr.
Washington, Bettye
Ayers, Roy
Civil rights
Apartheid
Biko, Stephen, 1946-1977
Political prisoners--South Africa
Dunham, William
Bond, Julian, 1940-
Haas, Flora
Miller, Neil
King, Coretta Scott, 1927-2006
Segregation
Jarreau, Al
Ragona, Rev. Margaret
Genres
Magazine
Topics
Race and Ethnicity
Creators
Barrow-Murray, Barbara (Producer)
Shah, Bruce (Director)
Moore, Melvin (Associate Producer)
Contributors
Wareham, Skip (Camera)
Hill, Rebecca (Make Up)
Holmes, Karen (Reporter)
Lane, Frank (Camera)
Shipley, Jack (Still Photography)
Waters, Mitch (Camera)
Smith, Kathy (Switcher)
Cross, June (Assistant Director)
Mackles, Gene (Graphic Designer)
Smith, Lee (Camera)
Moore, Melvin (Host)
Diaz, Eduardo (Host)
Yang, Eileen (Researcher)
Johnson, Nat (Audio)
Buccheri, Ron (Switcher)
Mahard, Fran (Scenic Design)
Tomaselli, Robert (Camera)
Bordett, Bruce (Stage Manager)
Rivera, George (Production Assistant)
Sullivan, John L. (Lighting Director)
Sampedro, Eric (Reporter)
Clark, Marvin (Intern)
Plausse, John (Lighting Assistant)
Joe White, Sunny (Reporter)
MacKnight, John (Videotape Recordist)
Handyside, Keith (Video)
Morton, Wil (Audio)
Pugliesi, Joe (Video)
Chigas, Basil (Assistant Cameraman)
Lewis, Webster (Theme Music)
Wilson, Bob (Stage Manager)
St. Onge, David (Videotape Recordist)
Publication Information
WGBH Educational Foundation
Citation
Chicago: “Say Brother; Survival on Mother's Island; The death of Steve Biko,” 09/16/1977, GBH Archives, accessed November 15, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_590BCAF73CAB4E11A7887E9A37026D4F.
MLA: “Say Brother; Survival on Mother's Island; The death of Steve Biko.” 09/16/1977. GBH Archives. Web. November 15, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_590BCAF73CAB4E11A7887E9A37026D4F>.
APA: Say Brother; Survival on Mother's Island; The death of Steve Biko. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_590BCAF73CAB4E11A7887E9A37026D4F
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