DOWNEY - When Fred Barzyk was just 23 years old working at WGBH television station - an old NET (National Educational Television) station now PBS - he was given the job of directing a one-hour television program called NET Perspectives: The American Negro" and a special episode titled "The Negro and the American Promise."The show featured three top black speakers, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin. The show's host was Dr. Kenneth Clark, professor of psychology at City College of New York. Young Barzyk was a white Polish kid from Wisconsin and little did he know this would be the start of a long career in public broadcasting. The Downey Historical Society reached out to Barzyk and he agreed to a videotaped interview, which will be shown May 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Barbara J. Riley Community and Senior Center. The historical society will also screen "The Negro and the American Promise." The program is free and will last about 80 minutes.

********** Published: May 17, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 05