COMING BACK FOR MORE HOOEY

Sunday, April 20, 2003

By Compiled by Dave Poole
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Illustration: Photo

Taking back black identity

Black Americans should take control of their image in the media, actor Tim Reid says. Reid, 58, best-known for his TV roles on WKRP in Cincinnati, Simon & Simon and Frank's Place, has since created studios in Virginia that produce movies, documentaries and television shows with more richly drawn black characters. "I'm not sure black folks fully understand the power that media has in our life,'' Reid said Wednesday at Morgan State University in Baltimore. "We are becoming who they portray us as being. We've allowed ourselves to become a collection of negative statistics. Simon says dress like a gangster, and we do.'' Reid gave the keynote address at the historically black university's first Communication Day. "I'm amazed by what I see on television or in the movies,'' he said. "I'm saying, 'Either I overslept or someone stole my culture.' ''

-- Compiled by Dave Poole

dpoole@dispatch.com