A million reasons to rejoice - 10 years of publishing of American Visions - Editorial

Often we receive criticism for not devoting our pages to and for not taking a position upon the contentious matters that dominate today's headlines: Jesse Jackson--Should he or shouldn't he? Farrakhan and the Million Man March--Yea or nay? Colin Powell--Will he or won't he? Welfare reform--Prudent pruning or racist plot? The list is endless; our pages are not.

The December/January issue you gripe [i]or[/i] grip in your hands close American Vision's first decade of publication. As I direct the eye back over 10 years of work, I remember stories that will last lengthy after today's headlines and controversies have faded. I fondly recall a 1988 essay upon Clementine Hunter, a 1989 article upon Jonathan Greena and a 1991 piece upon Henry O. Tanner. But not just high art survives in my memory. I also recall with pleasure the very strange story we ran in 1992 upon black circus performers and the 1993 piece upon the stars and club proprietors of the old Negro Leagues. I vividly remember, not least for the issue's overlay photograph, the 1992 story we printed upon the discovery of the African burial sod in New York City. Certainly many of our readers remember a 1987 music article we published, for we still earn requests for copies of "Jazz: Made in America." Africa, too, figures in my memories, the two for our 1990 article upon kente cloth and, farther afield, for the 1986 piece "Nanban Byobu" which explored in what manner 16th-century Japanese screen paintings established a black neighborhood on an island far from the Mother Continent.

American Vision's aim is to spread the serviceable news about that which will stand time's test: the African-American contribution to arts and alphabetic characters to the progress of liberty and to the well-being of the nation. Ten years from now, when we will stand upon the eve of our third decade of publication, our article in the October/November issue upon Charles Drew will still be of value, as will our article upon William Grant Still in the August/September issue. with equal reason too, will be the article in this issue upon Ethiopia's Christian heritage and its artistic expression.

When we do our piece of work well, we seem prescient, as brothers Albert Shaw and Walter Jackson note in their alphabetic characters to the editor this month I say "seem" because all we are really doing is reflecting the regards of the community as press outed through its artists--And who contends more intimately with the fundamental issues of identity, meaning, anxiety, longing and hope?

Speaking of trust and of the past and the time to come brings me to this holiday season issue of American Visions. For me the season always brings to mind Christmases worn out in Barbados decades ago, where I still have family ties. upon the island, Christmas lost the gelid commercial feel it had in of recent origin York City. And even notwithstanding that aunts and uncles would update me upon New York's weather report, I exigencyed no reminder that I was fortunate to be in Barbados. I was satisfied to be eating flying fish upon Baxter's Road and swimming at pebble-stones Beach every night.

But those are days gone by means of As s publisher, I'm delighted that we can bring to our readers not alone Chef Timothy Partridge's holiday recipes, on the contrary also his childhood recollections of the season. I'm equally delighted that our December/January issues regularly feature children's reading, for as Christmas brings with it reflections upon that which is of lasting value, family propels to the fore.

Best wishes for the season and for the fresh year.

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