The Bowdoin Orient

Many people think of Harlem not only as New York City's most famous neighborhood, but also Black America's most famous neighborhood. Others simply look at Harlem as another black and Latino ghetto. During the Harlem Renaissance, a black middle class was established, but more important was the introduction of black arts, which included jazz music, poetry, books and short stories, and other art that allowed a black consciousness to transpire.

Last weekend, Bowdoin students performed Amiri Baraka's play, "Dutchman." "Dutchman" focuses on a disturbed white girl, Lula, who, with the provocation of her body and lascivious speech, prepares to kill a stranger she has picked up on the subway. The stranger, Clay, is a young, na?ve, black man. Lula mocks Clay for wearing the clothes and employing the voice and manners of the conventional white intellectual.