`Pulse of Mourning' strikes the heart of PS
By Pete Strella
Press & Journal Reporter
One thing was certain to the
people who watched a 40-minute
play at Penn State Harrisburg to
celebrate Martin Luther King Day
last Monday.
A lot of things have changed for
the better since 1936.
Over 80 people gathered in the
school's Capital Union Building
to witness a performance of "The
Pulse of Mourning," an original
script set in 1936 that was written
and directed by area playwright
Dr. Dorothy E. King.
Touching on themes such as
racism, education and the impor
tance of family, the play centered
around the Canes, a South
Carolina family mourning the
death of a brother who had been
lynched by a mob.
The 11-member cast hit an
emotional nerve behind lead
actors Cassandra Taylor, who
played the family's mother
Contessa Cane, and Leonard
Washington, who filled the role of
Uncle Royal Trusty.
King's script was filled with
poignant sayings that summed
up characters' feelings in one
line.
"I know that the final word
comes from God," said Contessa
when told that her son's killer
may be found not guilty.
"I want to start over," said sister
Cora Cane, played by Monika
Ross, in support of her mother's
quest to move up North.
"He is not responsible for their
actions," said Leland Stanford,
who defended the brother's
accused killer, Davis Jefferson,
arguing that Jefferson's words
may have provoked the mob to
lynch the brother, Shea, but that
Jefferson was "not responsible
for their actions."
King Jr. celebrated
By Cortez Bailey
Staff Reporter
cdbl4l@psu.edu
On January 17, Penn State
Harrisburg celebrated the legacy
and lifelong works of Nobel
Peace Prize laureate, the late
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
King was assassinated over
three decades ago and became
the personification of the civil
rights struggle/movement that
gained momentum during the
late fifties and culminated in the
sixties. Local residents came out
in full force to commemorate
King's teachings and ensure that
King's legacy continues to live
on. The program featured the
Middletown area high school
jazz ensemble, the Beulah
Baptist church dancers, and the
Capital Presbyterian Kids
Haven(CPKH) martial arts com
pany, among others.
From left, front row: Shawn Siegle, Cassandra Taylor; back row:
David Payne, Tiffany Tirado, Monika Ross, Joy Hymon and
Leonard Washington.
MIN
NMI
David Payne tips his hat. Payne was one of an 11-member cast in "The Pulse of
Mourning," an original script by Dr. Dorothy E. King.
Kevin Preston, CPKH's martial
arts instructor, was the winner of
the 2004 annual Koushu world
champion competition held in
Sao Paulo, Brazil. Preston said
that the school's success is a
testament to the students, as
well as their parents' hard work
and dedication. Preston also
expressed his appreciation for
community institutions' choice to
become active in sustaining Dr.
King's legacy. Preston also said
that the CPKH school serves in
the development of his students
as people of character as well as
martial artists.
The highlight of the program
was when PSH's own Barbara
Thompson reflected on her
active role in the civil rights
movement, and how it related to
students then as opposed to
now. Thompson, who is the
director of the department of
community affairs, was active in
Photo by Calobe Jackson
the 1963 civil rights protests in
Birmingham, Alabama. She also
marched with Dr. King as a tenth
grader and gave an insightful
account to the political/social cli
mate that fueled the movement.
"There was a sense of urgency;
jails were filled with students,"
she said. Thompson went on to
point out the importance of diver
sity in academia and urged the
parents in attendance to become
pro-active in the educational
development of their children.
Although pleased with the over
all success of the event,
Thompson expressed that she
would have been happier to see
a higher turnout of PSH stu
dents. Her reasoning for why the
presence of PSH students was
important was because she felt
that it was vital for the communi
ty to see the diverse make-up of
our student body.
Dr. King, through his teachings
and ideas, championed the prin
ciples that women/men (for my
feminist philosophy class) had
inalienable rights and as a result,
a functional integrated society
was not only possible but also
inevitable in the continued evolu
tion of our nation as a whole.
Whether we hold the same
philosophies, ideologies, or
beliefs as Dr. King is irrelevant.
As a matter of fact, those who
are in sharp contrast to what
King represented should appre
ciate him the most, for he, by
example, made them realize that
the observation of the principles
of the Constitution were not
merely a convenience, but an
obligation. He forced us to look
in the mirror and become capa
ble of eluding our worst enemy
ourselves.
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