THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602230158
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
One of the students declared a winner in the Currents black history contest was frankly amazed at the number of black people from Portsmouth who have achieved so much. Her comment once again proves the wisdom of Black History Month, a tradition that often is criticized by those who question the need for it.
We feel it's important for the young black people in Portsmouth to know about the black people from Portsmouth who have made it to important places.
One of the more interesting stories of success is Charles F. Harris, who with his wife, Sammie, owns Amistad Press in New York City.
When Harris was a Portsmouth notable, he had just left Doubleday and Co., where he was responsible for the publication of the first series of books on the history of American minorities.
About that time, he and his wife formed Amistad.
Harris, in a statement in the company's catalog, puts the family mission very succinctly:
``At Amistad our goal is to publish books that will in some way break chains - those subtle shackles of ignorance, distortion and defeat that begin to feel almost comfortable when unchallenged.''
The New York company publishes books by and about black people.
Harris said he refused to believe the old publishing myth that such books would not sell.
``Amistad books are inspired by our knowledge of our cultural heritage and our faith in our intellectual traditions,'' Harris wrote.
The Amistad list is impressive.
For instance, ``A Hard Road to Glory,'' a three-volume series by the late Arthur Ashe Jr. on the history of African-American Athletes. The project started when Harris was at Howard University Press. When Harris left Howard, the university dropped the project. In a joint venture with Warner Books, the Ashe books were published and an updated edition has been released by Amistad. In addition, Ashe invested in Amistad, enabling Harris to get the business off the ground.
As companion volumes to the Ashe series, two of Harris' sons - Charles F. Harris Jr. and Francis C. Harris - have compiled a two-volume ``Pictorial Sports History of the African-American Athlete.''
The Amistad Literary Series, edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and K.A. Appiah, is ongoing. The authors include Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker, Richard Wright, Chinua Achebe, Frederick Douglass, Ralph Ellison and Wole Soyinka. Now that is an impressive list.
In addition, Amistad has published an autobiography of Lionel Hampton, a book about African-American opera divas, a volume about blacks in Congress from 1870 to 1992, a biography of Dorothy Dandridge, the International Dictionary of Black Quotations edited by Vastiana Belfon, and a host of other titles.
When I called Amistad Thursday to learn a little more about the company, I happened to get Charles Harris Jr., often known as ``Chuck,'' on the telephone.
Chuck, now 32, told me that both his mother and father attended Norfolk State and Virginia State universities. He and his brother, 38-year-old Francis, went to Howard University and both are authors as well as part of the publishing company.
His mother's Portsmouth aunt is Margaret Cross and his father's Portsmouth sister is Inez Harris Clary.
The senior Harris grew up in Mount Hermon and is a 1951 graduate of I.C. Norcom High School.
Harris, like so many successful Portsmouth people, is quick to give credit to others for the help they gave him.
For instance, he once wrote for the old Portsmouth Star.
``I got started by reporting activities at I.C. Norcom to Mr. Lee Rogers,'' Harris said. ``The news in the paper was segregated at the time, and Mr. Rogers wrote a column titled `Colored Notes.' He edited my first work and provided me with unlimited support and guidance.''
Doing something like the black history quiz always turns up new information. Getting to know a little more about the Harris family was one of the plus factors this year.
After 10 years, Amistad appears to be financially healthy. The family should be proud of themselves - and we should be proud of them. by CNB