Pg… 3 Editor’s Note. Pg… 8 Out Of Despair… The Dream Begins: The civil rights movement Pg… 26 King: A sampling of his words Pg… 32 What Became of the Prophets of Rage? By Gordon Parks. Pg… 34 Poll Power: The new black politicians Pg… 42 Barriers: Sounding off on the status quo Pg… 46 Keeping Faith in America: The growing middle class Pg… 53 Tiny Cuts: The subtle racism of the ’80s Pg… 54 Righting Wrongs: Sexual equality counts too Pg… 65 The Myth of the Matriarch: by Gloria Naylor. Pg… 67 Maligning the Male: by Ishmael Reed. Pg… 69 What We Believe: A national survey tracks attitudes Pg… 72 Salute: Musings by eight great artists Pg… 78 No Relief: Grappling with welfare Pg… 86 Innovative Education: Top marks for special efforts Pg… 88 Death Row Judgment: The harshest penalty of all Pg… 94 Healing Touch: A black doctor serving a white town Pg… 100 Spike Lee, ” the Instigator”: A young filmmakers challenge Pg… 102 On the Playground: Athletes with too much success Pg… 110 Life in Black America: Scenes from Carolina to Harlem Pg… 116 The Divisible Man: by John Egger Wideman. : Cover: Large photograph by Bob Adelman