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Aug. 1, 1975

Kush Bay
656 Iglehart Avenue
St. Paul, Minn. 55104

Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs
740 East 56th Place
Chicago, Illinois 60637

Dear Sister Dr. M.T. Burroughs:

We (Summit-University Community) enjoyed your visit to our great city and little community. Your presence is still felt here.

The writing of this letter comes at a time when the landscape of Minnesota is showing its grandest colors. In the midst of all this beauty, a few individuals are finalizing plans for a major Black Arts Production to be held at the Martin Luther King Center here in Saint Paul, on August 16th. The reception will be held between the hours 4 - 5:30 p.m. that same day. The showing of my paintings, drawing and watercolors will be on display for the entire week: August 16th to August 21st.

It would indeed be ideal for this (symbolic) Summit University Community, if great Black Artists of your Caliber would continue to be present and share the clear images of "what's happening now" on the Black side in this arena of art.

It seems to me in the few years that I've been in Saint Paul I find this place to be peculiar...peculiar in the sense that for it to be so small in Black population one would think that this community would be unified totally on a higher plane of Brother and Sisterhood...especially when one considers the population proportions: 10,500 Afro Americans and 300,000 others all subjected to the cultural arts standards advocated by the present arts community downtown which in turn does not have the interest of the community in mind.

In view of the forementioned, a few concerned, multi-talented community residents who desire to have the very best of sophisticated Black Art forms and productions - in a short time hence feel that a clear and untainted view of Black Artists relationship to the power structure should be analyzed, evaluated and put in its proper perspective in the collective consciousness of first the 10,500 then the others. To do this, calls for those people involved to be 100% loyal to one another. When such is accomplished and it will be, the August 16th show will be one of the catalysts that could spur a number of opportunities on a local and national level for the abundance of talent concentrated right here in the Summit University community.

For new comers (artists), a general social and political overview of Saint Paul Minnesota is necessary for any Black minded person and or people who may dare to come to this Viking territory to establish roots. It is a challenge to do that for many lay people; and for people who choose the art forms for their livelihood-special problems await them. Problems in the sense that we have no say so what ever as artists. There is no market up here for you if your subject matter is reflecting Black Value experiences.

This place, as you've had the opportunity to experience, is permeated by a "New York School of Art Philosophy." This school of thought in this "iceland of opportunities and emotions" is a monster which a concerned few are confident could be consciously side stepped to enable us to attain a sure direction toward positive goals. It can happen in an organized step by step process based upon what a few of us know is a well founded idea.