Mentoring Black Youth | Folks

This segment from the October 22, 1989, episode of the series “Folks” features Sonya Masingale’s report on the importance of African American men serving as mentors to African American youth. She profiles two Baton Rouge police officers who serve as flag football coaches through the Big Buddy Program, Sergeant Thomas Gillette and Officer Leonard Jackson. Masingale also conducts an in-studio interview with: Jenola Duke, the director of Volunteers in Public Schools in Baton Rouge; Jim Geiser, the director of the Big Buddy Program in Baton Rouge; and Gaylynne McFarland, the activities coordinator for Big Buddy. They discuss: the increase in the number of black men serving as mentors in the Big Buddy program; the importance of underprivileged youth interacting with role models; volunteering with Big Buddy; the tutoring programs coordinated by Volunteers in Public Schools; and the emotional benefits of volunteering for the mentors.
This segment from the October 22, 1989, episode of the series “Folks” features Sonya Masingale’s interview with Alvin Batiste following his return as the director of the Southern University Jazz Institute. He discusses: his decision to leave in 1986; the six albums he has produced since then; his wife’s role in helping his evolution as a musician; his definition of jazz; and the importance of teaching jazz in schools. Masingale also interviews Edith Batiste, a poet, who discusses her collaboration with her husband on the “Bayou Magic” album.

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