By By KATHIE HEMPEL / Niles Daily Star
NILES – The words we use can be poison. Labels and name-calling are hurts that last.
Timely and pertinent this week is the message to be delivered at the Spring Luncheon of the Niles chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Pass the Torch! We make the Difference is the theme of the 65th Anniversary Spring Luncheon.
Educator, counselor and social worker, Mamiella Chavis-Brown is the speaker for the annual event Saturday, April 21, at 1:30 p.m. at Brentwood Assisted Living Center, 1147 S. Third St., Niles.
She hopes her talk will get people to think about the language they use.
"What has gone on in the past and what is yet to be done, is my approach to the theme. We have become so diligent about how we speak about place and environment and how to use these things correctly and yet we still often forget that words can be poison," Chavis-Brown said.
She recalls a time when her oldest was in school in the beginning days of desegregation. Her child had walked out of class over something the teacher had said.
When Chavis-Brown discovered what had occurred, she ran to the school to confront the teacher and the principal.
"The teacher had made a comment about how all the blacks should be placed on a boat and returned to Africa. Children don't know what to do with those kinds of prejudicial remarks. They tried to apologize to me. I told them they needed to apologize to my daughter," she said.
Today, Chavis-Brown is concerned about the kind of self-degradation that abounds in lyrics of some Rap music. She knows this can lead to a whole new sense of separation.
"A lot of the Rap is another form of angry expression by African American youth. Many of our young people have no way of comparing and contrasting what is happening today with all those of us who are older have been through," she said.
She addresses her talk to a multi-age, multi-diverse audience.
As an example, she refers to the recent articles about the remarks made by Don Imus, host of "Imus in the Morning" on NBC radio.
"His remarks about the Rutgers' lady basketball team is simply the next in a line of recent remarks by comedians and politicians for which apologies have been demanded" she said.
Imus' disparaging remarks about the student athletes at Rutgers is exactly the kind of off-the-cuff remarks Chevis-Brown said does so much harm.
David Carr of the New York Times questioned the explanation originally given by Imus for his derogatory comments in an article in Monday's edition.
"On Thursday, before his employers knew they had a growing public-relations problem on their hands, Mr. Imus suggested that everyone needed to relax and should not be offended by some idiot comment meant to be amusing," Carr said.
"Words can both heal and hurt. My spirit is permeable and the hurt gets in a little at a time. Like exposure to a cold or virus. Then with enough build up of those little hurts, we can begin to believe it's okay to treat one another like that," said the Rev. Saundria Wilson, President of the Niles Branch National Association for the Advancement of Colored People No. 3148.
Chavis-Brown's talk is the highlight of the luncheon, which will also include some music, Wilson said. She is also hopeful that a few seniors of the class of 2007 from Niles High will attend sharing what they have gained from their high school experiences.
Donations for the luncheon are $20 for an adult and $10 for a child. For additional information, call Wilson at (269) 683-2894, ext. 486