Date: Sun, 19 Mar 1995 23:04:18 -0600 (CST) From: Kevyn Jacobs To: "Kansas Queer News [KQN]" Subject: PHELPS FOLLOWS ANGELOU TO ST.LOUIS TO PICKET ANGELOU MOVES UMSL CROWD, PHELPS PICKETS OUTSIDE by Woody Bebout ST LOUIS- "Look where we've all come from!" With these words, Maya Angelou opened her lecture February 28 at University of Missouri-St. Louis. Angelou is the renowned poet, novelist and historian who, delivering "On The Pulse Of Morning" at Clinton's inauguration, forecast a new direction for the presidency that has not yet been realized. At the UMSL event, Angelou addressed the audience with song and spoken word. Her theme throughout the presentation was of the trials African Americans have endured and survived in America. In her opening poem, "Look Where We've All Come From," Angelou gave the chilling and bitter account of a slave sale. Angelou observed that the first African slaves were brought to America in 1619 and "we are still here, 50 million of us at least. In fact, I know some people who say there are at least that many in the Baptist Church!" She then asked the audience, "How have you survived?" Angelou also asked the audience to help young people rediscover romance. "All people need is romance. If there is no romance, we risk being crass, superficial and brutish. We have to remind young men and women of the sweetness of romance. Romance is the gentleness of approach." In her closing remarks, Angelou said, "Everybody in this room has already been paid for, regardless of where their ancestors came from. They were all trying to find a place that would hold all the people They paid for each of us al ready. It is important to know that and to honor them. People live in relationship to their heroes and 'sheroes."' The poet then closed with her now famous poem, The Mask, which tells of an African American woman who always appears to be laughing, but who in fact is masking contempt, anger and bitterness for the racism and sexism she faces daily. Angelou has said the poem was inspired by her paternal grandmother. Outside the Mark Twain Gym, where Angelou spoke, the infamous Fred Phelps stood with his family. Phelps has achieved notoriety for picketing the funerals of people who have died from AIDS-related complications and has vowed to "hound" Angelou. As people walked inside the gym, Phelps, his wife and sons held signs reading: "Maya Dyke," "Louganis Fag," "Fear God" and "Fags Go To Hell." The clan was ignored by most of the people arriving for Angelou's presentation. Nearby the Phelps spectacle, the Lesbian Avengers, who set up a counter-demonstration nearby. PHOTO: LESBIAN AVENGERS HOLDING A LARGE SIGN WHICH READS. "BEWARE HOMOPHOBES / FIERCE WARRIOR DYKES ON PATROL FOR MAYA / LESBIAN AVENGERS" CAPTION: The St. Louis chapter of the Lesbian Avengers demonstrates against the Phelps clan. (photo: Philip Deitch) REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE NEWS-TELEGRAPH MARCH 10-23, 1995 ================================= ========================================================== Permission granted by the News-Telegraph for distribution to the KQN email list (KQN@casti.com), and archiving in the Queer Resources Directory (QRD) on the Internet (http://www.qrd.org/QRD). For News-Telegraph subscription information (published twice a month), please call 1.816.561.6266, or email: newstele@aol.com ==========================================================