Friday, March 29, 2024 Mar 29, 2024
61° F Dallas, TX
Advertisement
Publications

SECOND ’PRIZE’ A ’Prize’ Conversation with Henry Hampton

By D Magazine |

Q: How long has Eyes on the Prize II ‧ been in the making?

A: Eyes II is actually part of a concept * which came to the surface in 1977 and 1978. It became clear when I was attempting to get the series funded that it would not be possible to do all 14 hours in the first season. So, I broke the series into two stages. Actually, I began formulating Eyes II and working with our scholars on it in April of 1986, long before the first series was completed and on the air in 1987.

Q: In Eyes I, we watch a critical mass – ‧ the civil rights movement – build and triumph. In Eyes II, it seems that critical mass has splintered. True?

A: Yes, it’s gone, because it had to be redefined. The consensus that formed around the shifting of legal restrictions on blacks was relatively easy. It did not cost the country anything. One of the lessons of Eyes II is that, at some point, a nation has to stop simply promising something for the future. It has to take what it has and share it equitably.

Q: It seems that, compared to the first series. Eyes II paints a more troubling portrait of American society. Do you agree?

A: I don’t think it’s so much that the ‧ stories are downbeat; it’s the sense of needing an ending. If people understand where they’re going, that they can get to the end and everything will be all right, they will go into the deepest trenches with you . . . but if people are forced to go through a series of battles and then see that the final victory has not been won, it is not going to be as comforting. Eyes on the Prize II, as it comes closer to the present, makes us look at where we are as a country in terms of race. That’s what’s troubling.

Q: Where do you see the civil rights movement alive today?

A: I really believe ‧ that the movement goes underground and surfaces, very much like a river. At any point you might look and think it’s gone away. But it’s an involvement waiting to happen again, particularly if we can find the correct leadership to trigger it. It’s the energy of people with vision beyond the immediate and a sense of their ability to change things. That’s what the movement was – a force that gave people a sense of the power they had. If Eyes II can somehow trigger that sense of power by revisiting the movement, I will have accomplished a large portion of what I started out to do.



Q: Will there be an Eyes III?



A: There may be, but I’m not going to do it (laughing). One of the frustrations is that there should be 10 Eyes programs, given the importance of this issue to society. It is disappointing that there aren’t more efforts.



Q: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the fight against racism and for social and political justice in the United States?



A: I really do believe this country has the capacity to come to grips with its racism. It is a marvelous test. If we succeed, in some ways, it’s as important as the creation of American democracy.



This month, Channel 13 airs the entire Eyes on the Prize I six-part series Wednesday-Friday, January 10-13, from 8-10 nightly and repeats the series on January 14 from 1-5 a.m. The new eight-part series Eyes on the Prize II will be broadcast on Channel 13 on Mondays at 9 p.m. beginning January 15 and repeated the following Friday at 1 p.m. on Channel 13.

Dallas Together Update

In January 1989, Dallas Together, the task force on race relations appointed by Mayor Annette Strauss, released its recommendations on the four key areas of education, business and economics, government, and housing for low-income citizens. As part of Project Crossroads, both Channel 13 and KERA 90.1 examined Dallas Together’s newly released reports.

This month, the two stations will assess the pro-gress-if any-that has resulted in the past 12 months from these recommendations.

Dallas Together: One Year Later, a Project Crossroads special airing as an expanded News Addition program Friday, January 12, from 6 to 7 p.m., will feature members of Dallas Together in a studio discussion moderated by Bob Ray Sanders. The special also will include a series of KERA-produced video reports on the state of the areas addressed by the task force.

KERA 90.1s Project Crossroads programming for the week will include a series of reports airing at 6:50 and 8:40 a.m. beginning Monday, January 8, during Morning Edition. Those reports will focus on Dallas’ racial situation a year after the Dallas Together report. Also on KERA 90.1 during the week preceding Channel 13’s special, Karen Denard’s Evening Talk Show will revisit members of five ethnic groups who participated in last year’s Project Crossroads race relations survey.

Project Crossroads will continue in the spring with a comprehensive look at how Dallas children view race relations.

Related Articles

Image
Arts & Entertainment

Here’s Who Is Coming to Dallas This Weekend: March 28-31

It's going to be a gorgeous weekend. Pencil in some live music in between those egg hunts and brunches.
Image
Arts & Entertainment

Arlington Museum of Art Debuts Two Must-See Nature-Inspired Additions

The chill of the Arctic Circle and a futuristic digital archive mark the grand opening of the Arlington Museum of Art’s new location.
By Brett Grega
Image
Arts & Entertainment

An Award-Winning SXSW Short Gave a Dallas Filmmaker an Outlet for Her Grief

Sara Nimeh balances humor and poignancy in a coming-of-age drama inspired by her childhood memories.
By Todd Jorgenson
Advertisement