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Academy honors Black Arts
By SIMON ANEKWE

Black members of "Middle America", with a sprinkling of "Uppers", turned out in force Sunday at the Waldorf Astoria to support "their own thing" - - the Black Academy of Arts and Letters which honored past and present achievers who have brought honor to the race.

The occasion was the Academy's second annual awards banquet held in the grand ballroom of the Waldorf. The capacity audience paid $50 a plate for the honor of witnessing the enrollment of three eminent 19th century Blacks in the Academy's Hall of Fame.

These distinguished men of yesteryears — actor Ira Aldridge, statesman Frederick Douglass and historian George Washington Williams — were well matched by three contemporary luminaries who, together, have spent nearly 100 years in outstanding achievement in the arts.

There were two black women in this group: dancer Katherine Dunham and Gwendolyn Brooks, poet. Honored with them was Edward (Duke) Ellington, for "lifelong, sustained contribution to the arts and explication of the black experience."

As he was being honored in New York, the Duke was providing evidence of his eminence, in Russia, where youthful fans were mobbing him, through a string of cities on his concert schedule.

And then there were four others awarded checks of $500 each, for top places in the first annual letters competition instituted by the Academy last year. Mari Evans of Indianapolis, Ind. got the poetry award for her volume "I Am A Black Woman".

Franklin W. Knight of Stony Brook, New York, earned his award for a distinguished scholarly work in the humanities, his book "Slave Society in Cuba". To William Melvin Kenney of New York City went the award for distinguished fiction published in the U.S. by a black author. His novel was "Dunfords Travels Everywhere".

Not present to receive his award in person was George Lester Jackson. He was killed about a month ago inside San Quentin Prison, San Francisco. His mother, Mrs. Georgia Jackson accepted the award for his best-selling non-fiction work, "Soledad Brother".

Begins at 6 p.m.
The events which ran from about 6 to 12 p.m. began with cocktails in the foyer and then, guests moved into the ornate ballroom. After invocation by Rev. Lawrence Lucas and a minute of silence for recently deceased artists and scholars, the banquet co-chairmen took their bows.

They were wives of Academy members, Harry Belafonte and Ossie Davis. After Julie Belafonte greeted the guests, Ruby Dee introduced her husband as "my friend Ossie Davis".

Mr. Davis took over as master of ceremonies. He said "the time has come when we artists should dedicate ourselves to the reconstruction of our community, for that is the highest objective of art".

And he noted that Attica inmates had converted themselves "from niggers to men", a change brought about by the fact that in their confinement they had developed "the highest artistic integrity."

Academy president Dr. C. Eric Lincoln took the stage to welcome the guests. He also named these members newly enrolled in the Academy: Gwendolyn Brooks, Wilfred Cartey, Sammy Davis, Ruby Dee, Katherine Dunham, Lena Horne, Carlton Moss, Elliott Skinner, Hale Woodruff and poet-President of Senegal, Leopold Sedar Senghor.

President Senghor is the first native African inducted into the Academy, Dr. Lincoln noted. In other words, Black America's tie to Africa was also highlighted. 

During his brief speech, Dr. Lincoln introduced Alhaji Tatari Ali, deputy minister of the Nigerian Ministry of Information and Labor, now in the U.S. in connection with the Sept. 1974 Second World Festival of Black Arts and Culture, to be held in Lagos.

Guest artist
The link to Africa was also spotlighted by the participation of South African singer Letta Mbulu as guest artist. She has been a member of Harry Belafonte's troupe. Mbulu performed with the Howard Roberts Chorale which featured gospel-rock singer Ella Mitchell.

And there was too, actor Bill Cosby who gave a brief entertainment. In the comic manner he employs to point to basic truths, Cosby suggested that the Academy would make a greater impact on the black masses, if the Academy went up to Harlem, blocked off a street and had the banquet and presentations where more people who need the inspiration, would witness the events.

But the Waldorf site also had its merits. At Sunday's events, Dorothy Porter presented George Washington Williams' enrollment scroll to Jean Hutson, curator of Schomburg Library. Robert Hooks presented the Ira Aldridge scholl ot Major Ira Aldridge, grandson of the honoree.

From actor Robert Hooks, Frederick S. Weaver accepted the honor for his great-grandfather Frederick Douglass. Edward Ellington 3rd, filled in for his grandfather, the Duke while Arna Bontemps gave the award to Gwendolyn Brooks.

Awards to the competition winners were presented by John Clarke, Adelaide Hill, John Williams and Chuck Stone.

"Time is changing," said the president of the 58-member Academy of distinguished black artists and scholars; and "we must change with it." And in so doing we "change the prisms" which have hitherto distorted the contributions of black men and women. That is what the Academy of Black Arts and Letters is doing.

Reprinted from the New York Amsterdam News