The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • 39

Section En The News and Observer Wednesday December 26 1990 Raleigh NC 0 (2 i Kwanzaa spirits see '90s revival By LENA WILLIAMS New York Times News Service )t 1 7 t- i 4' 1i-'' 4)'s ''141' :::1: i 1': :::::1::: I s- 0 :::::1: it ''8''''''- ''4 1 i 1 2 -tt ::::::1 I 1 4 ::1 (I '11 i ''Z)1'1 If i i o' a UNC grad Betsy Brantley left works with Robert Redford in 'Havana' At right is Use Cutter who also stars in the film Headed for parts unknown Actress finds happiness in remaining anonymous By CHARLES SALTER JR Staff writer i NEW YORK Two holidays are being celebrated at Cheryl Doyle's house next week: Christmas for her Christian roots and Kwanzaa a nonreligious cultural observance to pay tribute to her African-American heritage Dr Doyle a pediatrician said the Kwanzaa celebration was meant mostly for her and her husband William Hilton a psychologist Christmas she said is for their 5-year-old son Glenn who is not yet prepared to forsake traditions like Santa Claus bringing gifts to good little boys and girls For years black Americans have sought to reconcile what WEB Du Bois called "two thoughts two unrecognizable strivings two warring ideals in one dark body" But a growing number of black Americans have found ways to merge the holidays affirming their identities as Africans and Americans Kwanzaa began as an African-American alternative to Christmas observed primarily by black nationalists and it has gradually evolved into a holiday enjoyed in various degrees by about 13 million blacks The NC Museum of Art will hold a Kwanzaa celebration with music dance workshops and refreshments Friday from 10 am to 6:30 pm Kwanzaa Swahili for "first fruits" was initiated in 1966 by a civil-rights leader Maulana Karenga who is now a visiting lecturer at the University of California at Riverside He is also the author of "The African-American Holiday of Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family Community and Culture" (University of Sankore Press 1989) "The idea was for blacks to come together to celebrate their history and their culture and focus on values that would be beneficial in their development" said Subira Kifano a spokesman for Dr Karenga "There is no conflict in celebrating both Kwanzaa and Christmas" she added The holiday is a seven-day observance today through Jan 1 with feasts and the giving of simple gifts Each day the celebrants light a red black or green candle in a holder called the Kinara and interpret one of the Nguzo Saba Kwanzaa's seven principles They include such values as collective work and responsibility (Ujima) creativity (Kuumba) faith (Imani) and unity (Umoja) as well as principles such as self-determination (Kujichaguha purpose (Nia) and cooperative economics (Ujamma) including the support of black-owned businesses In Celeste Morris' home in Brooklyn Kwanzaa has shared a special place alongside Christmas for 12 years Guests find a Christmas tree next to the Kinara and mantles and doorways adorned with red black and green' incorporating the colors of African nationalism and Christmas "We definitely had to come to terms with Kwanzaa" said Ms Morris the mother of a 21-yearold son and 16-year-old daughter "It was easier when the kids were younger because they didn't really grasp the full meaning of the holidays As they got older they wanted Christmas Kwanzaa was good food Christmas was toys" For years many blacks felt that the only way they could be true to the spirit and principles of Kwanzaa was by abandoning all the trappings and traditions of Christmas Those with children often gave up on the idea of observing Kwanzaa convinced that it could not compete with Christmas and Santa Claus Still other blacks wanted to embrace a more Afrocentric way of life but were bothered by the holiday's militant beginnings and connotation "Kwanzaa had what I referred to as a 'culture club' connotation that if you were not carrying a spear or had a bone through your See KWANZAA page 3D I I if' ''''''s' '''''''''el' i 1 1 I itNi' i i ''1e0 1 ig 4 444 'si i iitz: 4 i tt? )- i --1 1 1 4: i istelr -1 i 'i isk 42:1 2 i A -'4 i i A 'n7- I -t4 4 1 '''''''''''t4 ---IIR 4--o i 7 ii '74' 1 "1e' '-'4' 1' koka 'e''n- 4 i Ttl milt r': 1: f-- -r1' tii 3 zzo se N4" character was so slight that it might have been left on the cutting room floor "Steven said 'Are you kidding? It's an important scene It shows the audience that Redford's masculinity is intact' she says Although she only appears in a handful of scenes she sees "Diane" as another choice role It allowed her to work on a huge film with "Bob" (the actor insisted on her calling him this) and director Sidney Pollack and still maintain her anonymity "Oh I love the position I'm in now" says the 35- year-old actress who makes occasional trips to North Carolina to see her parents "I play a lot of bits and do all sorts of things but no one stops me on the street or anything" But people still don't understand her desire to be a character actress "I've had so many people say 'You're really not like an actress' Or 'You're not really ambitious are she says "They're suspicious of you" At one time Ms Brantley did want the starring roles In the summer of 1977 finishing college she went to England and studied Shakespeare in Stratford-onAvon On a whim Ms Brantley an English major auditioned at the Central School of Speech and drama in London the school Sir Lawrence Olivier attended She got in and three years later graduated with a convincing British accent Her first movie role was a wacky television reporter in "Shock Treatment" the sequel to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" In a West End production of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" she played Angel "the 'whoriest' of them all" Her big break came with a movie called "Five Days One Summer" (released in 1983) Ms Brantley played a woman having an affair with her uncle played by Sean Connery There was little of the camaraderie that she'd known in the theater Tension was high on the set and the schedule was grueling She worked six weeks without a day off Most days she got up at 4 am for makeup then was flown by helicopter into a crevice in Switzerland where the crew filmed until the sun was high enough to cause an avalanche "I went into that movie with naive expectations" she says "I got totally disillusioned with the film world" How did a nice girl from Rutherfordton wind up in a menage a trois with Robert Redford in Betsy Brantley breaks out laughing when the subject comes up in a phone interview She's about to explain but first things first She wants to know why a strange truck is rambling up the driveway of the Virginia farmhouse into which she and husband Steven Soderbergh writer and director of "sex lies and videotape" only recently moved "This is the craziest thing I don't know who it is Hold on a second" she says and covers the phone Things get muffled It sounds like someone walking opening a door then shouting "Steven!" and "truck in the driveway!" are the few intelligible words that make it from Somerset Va all the way to Raleigh After a moment that irrepressible laugh is back on the line Her husband at work in an editing room that used to be a smokehouse out back came to the rescue It was an oil truck "We weren't expecting anyone" says Ms Brantley who is however expecting her first child in February That's the story of her life Betsy Brantley never anticipated that she would have a career in the movies that would allow her to play a variety of characters and work with big-name celebrities yet remain anonymous to the public She has done just that but not by taking the usual route A 1977 graduate of the Unversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill she studied acting in London and got her start in the West End She starred in a movie opposite Sean Connery While a move to Los Angeles would have boosted her budding career she went to Scotland to get away from the business When she returned she was determined to land supporting roles instead of leads Her big break came starring opposite Sean Connery in 'Five Days One Summer' She has appeared in several films including "The Fourth Protocol" "The Princess Bride" and now "Havana" Ms Brantley thought her latest part a wide-eyed American tourist who along with her friend spends a night on the town and later in bed with Mr Redford's See HEADED page 50 fever Relief from pink-sli Approach to success As rash of firings spreads to top ranks consultant offers help Chicago Tribune By LISA ANDERSON Chicago Tribune P1 EW YORK You're thirty-or fortysomething You're ambitious You're working your tail off You're getting great job reviews You're er 6 0 41" 4 1: i i 44 7 r'Z 1:1 I 1l'i i 's'' tri li li e6'ke 41 1 '11 pi )aisc 4 4 Ali 0 11 't: 1 rrs 10' ERS- '719 --31 7C 72 1-1 NC1VR lk 17' JoB 0 i z-' --LI- 7--- 241r Jili A V3 Li r7r'14 11 4 cdu ti :1 Jo ia IMAtoto rI 1 "It's a tough lesson but doing a good job is no guarantee you'll keep your job That's the new reality today" says Mr Cunningham a recent casualty of the so-called white-collar recession who prefers that his real name not be used A bright earnest 36-year-old MBA and father of two Mr Cunningham lost his job as a vice president at a major New York-based financial-services corporation when his entire department was eliminated in a "downsizing" move in November Mr Cunningham admits to a certain naivete about the workings of the modern workplace but he was far from alone in his conviction that doing a great job will put you on the fast track and keep you there That was in effect the credo of the yuppie generation Ironically having survived the buyouts and early-retirement programs that culled many of their older colleagues in the first wave of '80s cutbacks yuppies like Mr Cunningham represent a high percentage of the newly sacked So what is a white-collar worker to do when faced with the grimy prospect of unemployment? As the Boy Scouts say "be prepared" but don't stop there Without the right survival skills in the CHICAGO Here are Camille Lavington's 10 Golden Rules for corporate success: 1 Know your talents 2 Have a winner's attitude 3 Understand others' values and social status 4 Pinpoint where the power rests 5 Figure out how to inspire lead and set the pace Know when to give an opinion and when to keep your mouth shut 6 Value others and charm them An apple for the teacher is healthy the boss is also worried about whether he's done a good job 7 Stage a performance Don't worry about being "phony" worry about looking the part you want to play 8 Cover your bases Develop allies in high places find a mentor 9 Be an unabashed self-promoter 10 Negotiate so that everyone wins and no one loses face Inside fired It could happen to you It already has to more than 500000 Americans in the past 16 months What makes the current epidemic of layoffs which has claimed an average of 30000 victims a month in 1990 unusual according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics is that about 75 percent of the pink slips are going to white-collar workers many of them in blue-chip firms Blue-collar workers typically the hardest hit in past recessions are not immune this time either But so far they've felt the ax far less often than professionals and top and middle managers like the man we'll call Sam Imperfect CDs 6D While all CDs are created equal some are more equal than others Comics 8D Horoscope 90 Landers 20 Television 40 See PINK-SLIP page 50 i 4 I.