J'Otis Powell!

1. What is your definition of the Civil Rights Movement? THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT INCLUDES THE BLACK NATIONALIST MOVEMENT, THE BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT, THE WOMEN´S MOVEMENT AND THE HUMAN RIGHT MOVEMENT. THERE IS NO DEFINITIVE BEGINNING OR END TO THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE(S) TO BE FREE. 2. When did your involvement in the Civil Rights Movement for African- Americans begin? ON THE DAY THAT I WAS BORN. MORE PRECISELY, At the age of four or five years I was instructed, by my mother, how to peacefully protest segregation era policy. Momma had made a doctor´s appointment for me with Dr. Grody, a young white MD practicing medicine in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1959. Waiting rooms at doctor´s offices, as were most public facilities in my home town, were still labeled "white" and "colored." I was told before we arrived at the office that we were not going to sit in the colored waiting room and wait to see a doctor that we were paying to see just like other folks paid. My mother, young, beautiful and bold as love, walked us in to the "white" waiting room, told the receptionist we were there for our appointment, sat us down and starting reading a magazine. 3. Is there an experience that changed the direction of your life towards the civil rights movement? In high school, my first encounter with integration, I was involved in three years of protesting the school fight song; Dixie, and the school logo; a Rebel soldier carrying a confederate flag. I learned valuable lessons in those formative years, mainly, "da man can't ride your back if your back ain't bent." I HAVE SPENT MY ADULT LIFE TRYING TO UNBEND MY BACK, AND LEARNING TO LOVE MYSELF. 4. Are you a believer of pacifism or violence in solving problems? THE WORDS OF MALCOLM X COME TO MIND, "BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY" BUT I´M NOT A VIOLENT PERSON. I HAVE NEVER BELIEVED IN WAR BUT I DON´T KNOW WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO EFFECT CHANGE. I DON´T KNOW IF A BLOODLESS REVOLUTION IS POSSIBLE ANY MORE. POWER CONCEDES NOTHING WITHOUT PRESSURE. 5. How did you participate in activism during the movement? MARCHES, RIOTS, BOYCOTTS & THE WAYS I HAVE CHOSEN TO LIVE MY LIFE. Just as enlightened peoples don´t let religious leaders have their relationships with God for them, politically active peoples don´t let politicians practice their democracy for them. I´ve invested my life and work in cultivating democracy. One principle that permeates my work is: the voices that live in my head and heart are voices that don´t occupy enough space in the world. I have spent a career being an apostle for muted and amputated voices scattered in the winds of time. Democracy by proxy has never been effective for poor and middle class Americans. During my life of protest I put my feet to the pavement, added my voice to the songs. After college I served in VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) as a community organizer, working to "empower" disenfranchised communities. I have spent my entire professional career working on issues of "true democracy. " My art, my work as a media producer, an arts educator, as consultant and arts administrator all address issues of access to power and resources. 6. Did you become a member of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) or any other organization? AFTER COLLEGE I WENT INTO VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) WHERE I SERVED UNTIL RONALD REAGAN WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT. OTHERWISE THE ORGANIZATIONS I HAVE JOINED HAVE ALL BEEN ARTS RELATED RATHER THAN POLITICAL BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN THE ARTISTIC PROCESS MORE THAN THE POLITICAL ONE. 7. Are you a member of any organization at this time? AGAIN ONLY ARTS RELATED. 8. What is your greatest achievement for civil rights and the advancement of African-Americans? THE REALITY OF MY WRITING CAREER. THE FACT THAT MY LIFE IS SELF DETERMINED RATHER THAN ASSOCIATED WITH THE SLAVE PARADIGM. 8b. How did your family influence or support you at this time? IRONICALLY MY FAMILY, WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS, LIVES IN THE OLD PARADIGM AND HAVE LITTLE APPRECIATION FOR THE WORK THAT I DO. 9. How did you expect to get believers or praise from the majority? I DON´T. 10. Did you ever feel that your job or life were threatened? EVERYDAY, STILL. 11. When and how did you become aware of the apartide system in South Africa? AS A SOPHOMORE IN HIGH SCHOOL THE WORD WAS ON A LIST OF VOCABULARY WORDS IN MY CURRENT AFFAIRS CLASS. 12. Do you think the struggle for rights of Africans in South Africa relate to the Civil Rights Movement for African-Americans in America? IT´S THE SAME STRUGGLE. 13. What do you think of the Civil Rights Movement today? AS IMPORTANT AS IT EVER WAS. 14. In your opinion would the public protesting and boycotts of the past be an effective way to make a change today? YES! 15. What do you think is the most important issue African-Americans have to address today? SELF DETERMINATION.

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