Sandy Wilson’s review of the West End revisal of The King and I, printed in Plays and Players, Vol. 21, No. 3, December 1973 issue. Featured in the photograph printed in the article, Peter Wyngarde and Sally Ann Howes performing “Shall We Dance.”
The King and I is a musical theatre play, with music by
Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II that originally premiered on
Broadway at St. James Theatre. Mongkut, King of Siam (now Thailand), hired a
British tutor, Mrs. Anna Leonowens to teach his children English. A widow, Anna
tutors while simultaneously attempting to humanize their cultural difference
and broaden their world-view beyond Siam. Anna endeavors to remove Siam’s
perceived barbaric image by assimilating the family into Western culture and
customs. Anna and Mongkut engage in a short lived romance, and after subsequent
family turmoil with one of the King’s many wives, Anna wants to leave Siam. On
his deathbed, Mongkut asks Anna to watch over his son, Chulalongkorn, as he
begins his rule.
(a newspaper clipping of William Harris’ weekly column “OFF AND ON” where he examines the plays both off and on broadway. The image and first review are from the play “Rum and Coca-cola” by Mustapha Matura”.)
This newspaper clipping of two men, one of which was holding a guitar quickly catches the eye due to the overtones of potential Blackface. However, after reading William Harris’ review, I discovered the work of Trinidadian playwright Mustapha Matura who used his experiences to craft powerful political commentaries. Matura first began writing and directing plays in London often tackling the ways Black people have been mistreated and abused throughout the Caribbean and the UK.
“Interurban Time Table, effective April 12, 1925”, Wait Station, Dekker Huis, Zeeland, Michigan. This is a prime example of the numerous opportunities West Michiganders had to travel outside of their communities.
From the turn of the 20th
Century until the mid-1920s, travel by rail was the best way for Midwesterners
to travel beyond their hometowns (Ellison 2019; Geberer 2019, 51; Jenison
Historical Association 2009, 2; van Reken 1998). The road conditions were so
poor during this time that the Dutch and German settlers of small towns such as
Jenison, Saugatuck, and Zeeland were essentially isolated from the larger
cities in the region (van Reken 1998, 77). The implementation of the electric
interurban not only provided the citizens of West Michigan access to the
diversity found in larger cities, but also gave them the opportunity to share
their values with others.
This folder contains a unique selection of clippings compiled by the late William Harris, a drama and dance critic who assembled a sizable collection of theater memorabilia. The contents of the folder consist of reviews and articles, as well as a half-page advertisement, of Art Buchwald’s debut play, Sheep on the Runway. The play was a comedy directed by Gene Saks at the Helen Hayes Theatre on West 46th Street in Manhattan.
As
“the most widely published American journalistic humorist of the second half of
the 20th century,” Art Buchwald was a writer unlike any other
(Biography Reference Bank 2007). Buchwald spent the majority of his career
writing a satirical column that, at one time, was syndicated in 550 newspapers
(Nilsen 1996, 80). His contributions to journalism earned him a Pulitzer Prize
in 1982 (Folkenflik 2007).
A rare 19th century 50 cent token issued by the Burrows family for the coal mine store in Midlothian. The token reads “W.R. Burrows Will Pay In Goods 50 Cts At Midlothian Store.” Courtesy of the Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia, Chesterfield County, VA.
As early as the 1700’s, coal was
discovered in the area of Chesterfield County, Virginia (McCartney 2019). The
coal from these pits supplied the fuel to the cannon factory at Westham during
the Revolutionary War until the pits were destroyed by the British in 1781
(McCartney 2019). The industry prospered in the area in the 1840’s-50’s, making
Midlothian one of the largest settlements in the area (McCartney 2019).
After the Civil War, production of coal
fell sharply, and the business in the area was never truly successful again
(McCartney 2019). The Burrows family from Albion, NY bought the bankrupt Mid-Lothian
mines from public auction in 1869 (McCartney 2019). After numerous accidents,
including an explosion that killed thirty-two miners, and an embezzlement
scandal, the Burrows family lost control of the mine in 1882 (McCartney 2019).
In February 1969, the Barnard Organization of Soul Sisters wrote “The Ten Demands” to Barnard College President Martha Peterson, pictured above. Based off of their experiences on campus, their demands were: curriculum that includes Black studies across the board, nationwide recruitment of Black students, flexible financial aid policies, library materials that are about Black studies and culture, an orientation program by and for Black students, revamping the “Special Students” program, a Black-only study space on campus, selective living for Black students, Soul Food in the cafeteria, and an end to the policing of Black bodies on campus.
Amid the
backdrop of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, Black college students
paved the way for campus protests across the United States in the 1960s. Due to
an increased presence of Black students at primarily white institutions (P.W.I.s),
a number of systemic issues and needs were cropping up. This included
recruitment and retention, financial aid, racially sensitive support services,
culturally competent curriculum, and social facilities (Gamson, Peterson, and
Blackburn 1980, 260). Colleges became hotbeds of activism as Black students
fought against institutional racism and stood in solidarity with local
community organizers (Biondi 2012). In the late 1960s, Morningside Heights was
no stranger to Black student organizing. In spring 1968, students at Columbia
University, Barnard College’s brother school, had organized protests against
the white supremacy of the institution (Bradley 2003). The events of that protest
directly led to the founding of the Barnard Organization of Soul Sisters
(B.O.S.S.), whose goals were to center Black women’s issues on campus
(Rosenberg 2004, 241).
This poem, which reads like a prayer, was penned by Marjorie Medary, a patron of the Oakland Public library in Oakland, New Jersey. It is part of a collection of poetry that was on display at the library during the 1980s, reflecting the effects of the Cold War on New Jersey and the United States.
The Cold War is defined as a period of hostility and political
tension between the Soviet Union and the United States of America from after
World War II in 1945 through 1990, when the Berlin Wall fell (Halperin and
Woods 1990). This era was certainly a trying time for world leaders, diplomats,
politicians, and the military. But how did ordinary people in Bergen County,
New Jersey handle the looming threat of Nuclear War?
This letter is written to Father Lydio Tomasi on January 19,1983 from Eugene F. Higgins thanking him for his contributions and insights regarding refugee situations that is happening around the world during the 1980s. It is part of the Directors’ Files of CMS Collection #084A, Box 4, Folder 41.
Immigration has had an enormous role in shaping the United States as a nation. There are many reasons for one to immigrate and such decisions are major and life-changing. Conflicts between nations, as well as economic turmoil, displace millions of people all over the world. What happens when the people are forced to flee their homelands to escape and seek refuge in another nation? Thus, immigration becomes an essential topic for understanding and discussion. With such need, people like Father Lydio F. Tomasi, along with a few of his community of Catholic priests, nuns, and laypeople founded the Center for Migration Studies. Continue reading →
The letter was written by Romano L. Mazzoli in Washington, D.C.,1983. He appreciated that Lydio F. Tomasi wrote an excellent editorial in Migration Today, reflecting the balance of two provisions in Immigration and Reform Act of 1983. Mazzoli was one of the cosponsors of the IRCA, and the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky. This correspondence letter is part of the CMS Directors’ documents, which can be found in the CMS collection #084A; Box 4; Folder 41.
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA, or the Simpson–Mazzoli Act) had been introduced to the Senate since 1981. However, it took five years of debates until it was passed by the U.S. Congress. It was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986. The IRCA has two major provisions that are of focus. Firstly, it established penalties for employers who hire undocumented immigrants. Second, it addressed legalized undocumented immigrants who had arrived in the country before January 1, 1982. By far, the IRCA has granted the largest scale of amnesty in U.S. history, since almost three million undocumented immigrants benefited from the legalization program.
While the confidentiality of College Guild Students is a priority, the way the program impacts them is important to share. Especially for those who have been sentenced to life and historically have been “given up on”. But College Guild is incredibly important to those who may have given up on themselves.
Criminal conviction affects the individual far past the surface level of physical incarceration. Qualitative interviews have shown that life in prison develops negative self-stigma. But higher education can counteract that and help develop a more positive sense of self (Evans, Douglas and Pelletier 2017, 260). The focus of most studies has been on using higher education to improve the mental health of prisoners, as well as make them less stigmatized once they re-enter society.
