ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602090110
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES
SOURCE: LYNN ELBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nine hopeful young voices, sharing tales of Harlem life both joyful and bleak. Nine unguarded young faces, eyes fixed on a future of boundless possibility.
``Harlem Diary: Nine Voices of Resilience'' is an intimate, stereotype-shattering look at youngsters - and a community - refusing to accept limits or failure despite the toughest obstacles.
The Discovery Channel film is part of a rich exploration of black American experience offered this month on television, which usually has a knee-jerk tendency to relegate blacks to flimsy sitcoms.
The occasion is Black History Month, and cable channels in particular are doing themselves proud in marking it. While the pain and glory of the past come alive, there's a focus on the here-and-now as well.
Let's start with the vivid ``Harlem Diary,'' which debuts at 9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25. The documentary from sociologist Terry Williams and filmmaker Jonathan Stack allows each youngster to tell his or her own story.
``I feel lucky that I realized the right way before ending up somewhere I couldn't return from,'' says 16-year-old Rasheem Swindell, an aspiring boxer who has watched violence and crime defeat so many of his friends.
``People ask me why I'm so serious,'' says Barr Elliot, 17, a budding hip-hopper musician. ``Life is serious. Got people out here hating each other because of their skin... I really try to love myself and always love another like myself.''
``Don't see the community as a monolithic entity, just as drug dealers or crime or single parents,'' Williams said in a telephone interview from New York. ``See this as a diverse community, as a community that's constantly growing and changing and reaching for something positive, what everybody wants: a home, a job, to raise a family in a positive way.''
Other programs to watch for during Black History Month:
``In the Life,'' PBS (check local listings). This newsmagazine attuned to gay and lesbian issues reports on the growing gay presence in Atlanta's annual march honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
``This Century,'' Learning Channel. The 8 p.m. Thursday program in this anthology series is ``Nightfighters,'' a look at black aviators; the civil rights' anthem ``We Shall Overcome'' is the topic on Feb. 22.
``South Bank Show: Voices of Rap,'' 7 p.m. Sunday, Bravo. Explores the world of rap and hip-hop in America and abroad.
``The Journey of the African-American Athlete,'' two parts, 10 p.m. Monday and Feb. 19, HBO. Rare film footage and interviews with Hank Aaron, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Cheryl Miller and others are featured.
``The Q Factor,'' 11 p.m. Wednesday, Black Entertainment Television. An inside look at composer-producer Quincy Jones.
``America's Dream, '' 10:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, HBO. An original trilogy adapting short stories by Maya Angelou, John Henrik Clarke and Richard Wright. Cast includes Danny Glover, Wesley Snipes and Jasmine Guy.
``The Parent 'Hood,'' 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, The WB. In a special episode of the sitcom, the Petersons are in turmoil because 8-year-old Nicholas wants to portray Buckwheat of ``Little Rascals'' fame for a Black History Month school presentation.
``The Black Caricature,'' 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, BET. An examination of the black image in movies, film, literature and music featuring, among others, Gordon Parks and Melvin van Peebles.
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Rasheem Swindell is among those featured on Theby CNBDiscovery Channel's "Harlem Diary: Nine Voices of Resilience," which
debuts Feb. 25.|