'Don't study wrong language,' noted actress and educator Tommie Stewart cautions students
ChaVale Conner
Issue date: 2/29/04 Section: News
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Dr. Stewart's many recognitions include an NAACP Image Award nomination for her role in the film adaptation of John Grisham's "A Time to Kill" and a Gold-Medal award for the narration of Public Radio International series, "Remembering Slavery."
She opened her performance on stage at the Doxey-Morehouse
auditorium with the rendition of "I'm glad troubles don't last always," an old Negro spiritual that was passed on to her from her grandmother.
She spoke of the past experiences of African- Americans and the future accomplishments that this generation should be eager to contribute. "I've come tonight to pass this message on. I've come to touch you," said Stewart.
She commented on what she considers as the hopeless behavior that some young people of today exhibit, particularly, through their dress and body language. "Young people are studying the wrong language," she said to the packed audience of students and staff.
A lead actress in the long-running television series, "In The Heat of The Night," Stewart was dynamic and frank in her presentation and kept the audience attention for almost two hours. She narrated a touching story of her great-grandfather, Papa Dallas, an ex-slave, who she said lived to be 107 years old.
According to Stewart, one day Papa Dallas decided he would learn the alphabets so he could read the Bible, but when the slave overseer discovered him reading, he beat Papa Dallas and burned his eyes out. This story along with other slave narratives can be found in the collection "Remembering Slavery," said Stewart.
In a one-on-one conversation with the artist, she urged the youths to become more involved and responsible. "Become the leaders of tomorrow by applying yourself today. Keep your own ideas and exhibit creativity and don't play yourself cheap."
When asked if she ever gets stage fright, she responded, "Yes, but I welcome the energy of nervousness. It allows me to become focused and actually care about my performance." Dr. Stewart, a native of Greenwood, Miss., who also had won the Smithsonian Institute Award for Best Narrator Internationally, is a tenured professor and director of Theatre Arts at Alabama State University
The mayor of Holly Springs, Andre DeBerry, presented to Stewart the key to the city of Holly Springs, after the performance on campus.
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