S6a BLACK POWER I S 100 YEARS OLD 56 . 95 400pages I l l ust r at ed I ndexed The l essons of t he Reconst r uc- t i on per i od; t he gr eat achi evement s and br i l l i ant car eer s of bl ack men i n t he year s aft er Emanci pat i on and t he bi t t er effect s of t he fi r st "whi t e back- l ash" ar edet ai l ed i n Ler one Bennet t ' s newbook, a compani onvol umet o hi s best -sel l i ng Negr o hi st or y, Befor e t he Mayfl ower . CONTENTS The Bl acl i Uni ver si t y The Nat ur e and Needs of t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y . . . . , , . , , , . Ger al d McI Gor t er 4 The Bl ack Uni ver si t y: APr act i cal Appr oach Dar wi n T. Tur ner 14 The Bl ack Uni ver si t y : Towar d I t s Real i zat i on . . . . . . St ephen E. Hender son 2l The Bl ack Uni ver si t y and I t s Communi t y J . Her man. Bl ake 27 Some I nt er nat i onal I mpl i cat i ons of t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y . . . . . . Vi ncent Har di ng 32 Fi nal Refl ect i ons on A`Negr o' Col l ege: ACase St udy . . . . . . . , , , , . Nat han Har e 40 Edi t or ' s Not es . . . . . . . . . , . . . . 97 Fi ct i on The Game . , . , . . . , , . . , , , Chr i st i ne Reanr s 54 Phot o Feat ur e J on Lockar d, Bl ack Ar t i st . , , , , . , , , , , , , , 93 Regul ar Feat ur es Per spect i ves (Not es on books, wr i t er s, ar t i st s and t he ar t s) , 49-52 ;-humor i n I l ue, 39;-Poet r y" , 47, 48 . NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 MARCH 1968 VOL. XVI I NO. 5 Edi t or and Publ i sher : J OHNH. J OHNSON Managi ngEdi t or : Hoyt W. Ful l er Ar t Di r ect or : Her ber t Templ e Pr oduct i on Assi st ant : Ar i el P. St r ong Ci r cul at i on Manager : Rober t H, Fent r ess Necao Dmesr i s pub- l i shed mont hl y at 1820 S. Mi chi gan Avenue, Chi cago, I l l i noi s 60616. (" Copyr i ght , 1968 by t he J ohnson Publ i shi ng Company, I nc. New Yor k offi ces : Rockefel - l er Cent er , 1270 Ave- nue of t he Amer i cas, New Yor k 10020. I os Angel es offi ces : 3600 W' i l shi r c Bl vd. , Los Angel es, Cal i f . 900115, Washi ngt on, D. C. of- fi ces : 1750 Pennsyl - vani a Ave. , N. W. , Washi ngt on, D. C. , : 0006. Par i s offi ce, 38, Avenue Geor ge ~' Par i s R" , Fr ance. Sec- ond cl ass post age pai d at Chi cago, I l l i noi s . Repr oduct i on i n w9t ol e or i n par t for bi dden wi t hout per mi ssi on. Unsol i ci t ed mat er i al wi l l be r et ur ned onl y i f accompani ed by a st amped, sel f-addr essed envel ope . Subscr i p- t i ons $4. 00 per year . For for ei gn subscr i p- t i ons add $1. 00. NI =- cao l l t cesr ar t i cl es ar e sel ect ed on t he basi s of gener al i nt er est and do not necessar i l y ex- pr ess t he opi ni ons of t he edi t or s . 3 AChoi ce of Forms BYOEI ~ALDMcWORTER ' . . . WNi l e we can l oot; to Lho future, at best, fori t. s ful l real i zati on, ti t i s qui te possi - l rl e nowto suggest a struc- tural outl i ne that refl ects the fundamental assump- ti orrs about the Bl ack Lni - w~rsi tv' s . soci al and i ntel l rrc- J tual rol e . . . ' (See Edi tor' s Notes, page 97) EVOLUTI ONARY change for the l i bera- ti on of a peopl e from oppressi ve soci al structures i s not the speci al functi on of one course of acti on, but, more l i kel y, the resul t of several . And whi l e educati oni s general l y hopedto be a l i berati ng force onmen' s mi nds andbodi es, oftti mes i t has beenused as a de- bi l i tati ngtool i n the i nterests of an oppressi ve soci ety . Accordi ngl y, March 1968 NEGRODI GEST KwameNkrumahcompares t heco- l oni al st udent educat ed f or "t he art of f ormi ng not aconcret e envi r- onment al vi ewof soci al pol i t i cal probl ems, but an abst ract ` l i beral ' out l ook, " wi t h t he revol ut i onary st udent "ani mat ed by al i vel y na- t i onal consci ousness, (who) sought knowl edge as an i nst rument of na- t i onal emanci pat i on and i nt egri t y . " So i t i s becomi ng rat her cl ear t hat educat i onal i nst i t ut i ons arevi t al t o al i berat i on movement , af act of NEGRODI GEST March 1968 modern t i mes i n ant i - col oni al movement s i n t heThi rd Worl d. I n t heUni t ed St at es t herei s no quest i on about t he persi st ence of segregat i on, raci sm, and moresub- t l e f orms of neo- raci sm . , As t he perni ci ous oppressi on of raci smi s an organi c part of t he i nst i t ut i ons, symbol s, and val ues of West ern i ndust ri al soci et y, so i t i s f i rml y en- t renched i n t he U. S. A. ("as Amer- i can
as
appl e
pi e" ) .
An
Af ro- Ameri can l i berat i on movement must subver t and/ or suppl ant such a wel l - entr enched soci al systemi f i t i s to be a r eal sour ce of r adi cal chance and not a f al se one. My pr i mar y task i n thi s di scus- si on i s an i deol ogi cal consi der ati on of the r ol e of a uni ver si ty i n the l i ber ati on of the Af r o- Amer i can communi ty . I t must be cl ear that thi s r ol e has to deal wi th today' s wor l d, as wel l as wi th what ought to be. And cer tai nl y, i t must i n- cl ude the management of whatever soci al change i s r equi r ed to move ef f ecti vel y f r om the " i s" to the " ought . " The uni ver si ty i s al i ve f or peopl e i n the wor l d ( i ncl udi ng al l of the soci oeconomi c and pol i ti cal hangs- up i nvol ved) , and so must meet the chal l enge of r espondi ng cr eati vel y to whatever needs exi st now f or those peopl e . But, at the same ti me, i t must pr oj ect i tsel f as a pr opheti c i nsti tuti on cal l i ng i nto questi on al l that whi ch i s i ncon- si stent wi th i ts hi ghest i deal s, and or gani zi ng i ts acti vi ti es to br i ng about the r eal i zati on of i ts i deal s . The f ocus of thi s di scussi on i s on what ought to be, the pr opheti c . so- ci al r ol e of the Bl ack Uni ver si ty, f or ther ei n l i es the f ountai nhead of r evol uti onar y l i ber ati on . We must be r emi nded of thi s same theme as stated by Dr . W. E. B. Du Boi s over 50 year s ago i n the 1910 Ni agr o Movement r eso- l uti ons : And when we cal l f or educati on, we mean r eal educati on . . . Ed- ucati on i s the devel opment of power and i deal . We want our chi l dr en tr ai ned as i ntel l i gent hu- man bei ngs shoul d be, and we wi l l f i ght f or al l ti me agai nst any pr oposal to educate bl ack boys and gi r l s si mpl y as ser vants and under l i ngs, or si mpl y f or the use of other peopl e. They have a r i ght to know, to thi nk, to aspi r e . We do not bel i eve i n vi ol ence . . . but we do bel i eve i n . . . that wi l l i ngness to sacr i f i ce money, r eputati on, and l i f e i tsel f on the al tar of r i ght . The Booker T. Washi ngton- Du Boi s di al ecti cal opposi ti on i s r el e- vant her e, as i t i s the i mpor tant exampl e of the " i s" ver sus the " ought" co- ncer ni ng educati onal i deol ogy f or Af r o- Amer i cans . Tr ai ni ng peopl e to f i t i n wher e they can ( thi nk of MDTA, J ob Cor ps, ete. ) mi ght be acceptabl e f or shor t ter m sol uti ons, though not as Washi ngton thought i t to be . But the educati onal i deol ogy of Du Boi s i s our pr ophecy, a r ati onal e to bui l t a Bl ack uni ver si ty- the cr uci - bl e of def i ni ti ve soci al change. I n or der that the i dea of the new uni ver si ty and the noti ons of how we ar e to achi eve i t as agoal wi l l be mor e cl ear l y under stood, i t i s i m- por tant to di scuss br i ef l y the cur - r ent soci al si tuati on. The cur r ent si tuati on i s one char ged wi th a gr eat deal of expectancy on the par t of many Af r o- Amer i cans, an expectancy f r equentl y expr essed by the emoti onal connotati ons of a ter mor phr ase but usual l y not de- l i neated i n str uctur al or pr ogr am- mati c ter ms. But thi s pr ogr ammati c Mar ch 1958 NEGRODI GEST def i ci ency i s not s a much a s hor t - comi ng, f or t he exci t i ng s ear ch f or i nnovat i on and r el evance i s t he f i r s t s i gn of pr ogr es s . Amaj or ques t i on, t hen, i s what condi t i ons gi ve r i s e t o t hi s expect ancy, t hi s char ged at - mos pher e cr ys t al l i zed ar ound t he t er mBl ack Uni ver s i t y? Amaj or t r end i n t oday' s wor l d i s t hat , as oppr es s ed peopl e know t hat t he wor l d of f er s mor e t han t hey have, and as t hey ar e abl e t o get a l i t t l e mor e of i t , t hey al s o ex- pect t o get ver y muchmor e . Thi s has been cal l ed "t he r evol ut i on of r i s i ng expect at i ons . " Af i gur at i ve exampl e: An Af r o- Amer i can f ami - l y get s a t el evi s i on s et and ent er s as a s pect at or t he wor l d of af f l uent Eur o- Amer i can s oci et y. I t i s not compl i cat ed t o s ee t hat t hi s woul d l ead t o t he f ami l y want i ng mor e t han i t has , much mor e. J us t i mams i ne howcr uel i t mus t be f or poor oppr es s ed Bl ack peopl e t o wat ch t he gi ve- away qui z pr ogr ams on whi ch whi t e peopl e wi n appl i ances , f ur ni t ur e, and car s i n 20mi nut es or s o. Then t hi nk of a s cene of ghet t o des t r uct i on dur i ng whi ch peopl e br ave ar med pol i ce t o s t eal appl i - ances , f ur ni t ur e, and car s i n 20 mi nut es or s o. Oppr es s ed peopl e s ee what i s goi ng on, and want ` i n' i n t he bes t way t hey can get ` i n' ( yes , by any means neces s ar y t o do i t r i ght now! ! ) . Al ong wi t h t hi s devel opi ng de- NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 s i r e t o get mor e out of s oci et y t her e al s o i s t he i ncr eas i ng s al i ency of a nat i onal i s t i c al t er nat i ve t o t he s ys - t em. The gener al component s ar e mi l i t ancy, s el f - det er mi nat i on, and a des i r e t o i dent i f y wi t h s i mi l ar op- pr es s ed peopl e t hr oughout t he wor l d ( who ar e not by acci dent mos t l y col or ed peopl e) . Thi s al t er - nat i ve i s gr ounded i n communal i s m and f i nds i t s l egi t i macy f r omwi t hi n Af r o- Amer i ca and not out s i de of i t . Nat i onal i s m i n t hi s c~nr Pxr means t ot al concer n f o ~ m- mumt y o common exper i ence, s o _Af _~~A- mer l Can Nat i nna i cmi e gxoi ui ded i n t he Bl ack Ex; Pr i Pn~~ Communal i s m. meani ng s el f - hel p cooper at i ve ef f or t s , i s t he et hi c s up- por t i n~t he newal t er nat i ve Thes e t wo maj or t r ends cannot be vi ewed out s i de of t he t ot al con- t ext of wor l d event s , es peci al l y t hos e event s of par t i cul ar r el evance t o t he Af r o- Amer i can communi t y . The mi l i t ar y- i ndus t r i al machi ne of t he Wes t er n power s i s equal l y of f ens i ve and out r agi ng i n Vi et nam and Sout h Af r i ca, i n Sant o Do- mi ngo and Ghana. But i t s eems appar ent t hat peopl es can onl y uni t e acr os s t he wor l d i n as pi r i ng f or t he s ame uni ver s al s - peace, f r eedom, and j us t i ce- whi l e f ocus - i ng t hei r wor ki ng act i vi t i es on t he s oci al i l l s as mani f es t ed at home . I f we ar e t o r eap a har ves t of wor l d br ot her hood, t hen each man mus t f i r s t t end t o hi s own gar den. But f or each gar den t o have i t s t r ue meani ng, t he gar dener mus t know hi s hi s t or i cal r ol e and hi s r el at i on- shi p wi t h a l l ot her s wor ki ngf or t he sa me ha r vest . The t wo t r ends a r e gener a l soci a l sour ces of t he cr y f or a Bl a ck Uni - ver si t y . Whi l e ever yone i s mor e or l ess f or such a t hi ng a s a uni ver si t y, f or some t he qua l i t y of Bl a ckness i mbues t he concept wi t h pol emi ca l emot i ona l i nt ensi t y a nd concept ua l a mbi gui t y ( or , i n ext r eme ca ses, of r a ci sm) . Thi s must be cl ea r ed up i f t he di a l ogue i s t o cont i nue. I n r ef er ence t o a uni ver si t y, Bl a ckness must mea na t l ea st t hr ee t hi ngs . Fi r st , Bl a ckness r ef er s t o t he Af r o- Amer i ca n communi t y a s t he ba si c f ocus f or t he Uni ver si t y. Thi s i n no wa y compr omi ses or l i mi t s i t s uni ver sa l i st i c or i ent a t i on or i t s a t - t empt s t o cont r i but e t o huma n pr ogr ess : r a t her , i t f r ees i t t o be r el eva nt i n t he f a ce of a n unmet need r ef l ect i ng t he woef ul l i mi t of huma n pr ogr ess . Asecond, a nd mor e cont r over - si a l poi nt , consi der s t he l i mi t s pl a ced on pa r t i ci pa t i on i n t he Uni - ver si t y . Bl a ckness does not ca t e- gor i ca l l y excl ude a l l whi t e peopl e f r omt he Uni ver si t y ; i t r edef i nes t he st a nda r ds f or t hei r pa r t i ci pa t i on a nd t he possi bi l i t y f or t hei r i n- vol vement . I n much t he sa me wa y t ha t i ndependent Af r i ca n count r i es ha ve a t t empt ed t o r edef i ne t he pos- si bl e r ol e of t he Eur opea n, so i n t he Bl a ck Uni ver si t y t he r ol e of t he whi t e ma n must be r edef i ned a nd ca r ef ul l y pl a ced f or t he ma xi mum good of a l l . Some whi t e peopl e wi l l be necessa r y f or t he i mmedi a t e f u- t ur e i f f or no ot her r ea son t ha n t he bl a ck communi t y' s ownshor t a ge of r esour ces . But uncondi t i ona l pa r - t i ci pa t i on wi l l ha ve t o be ended. The pa r t i ci pa t i on must be ba sed on a commi t ment t o t he goa l s a nd a spi r a t i ons of t he Af r o- Amer i ca n communi t y, a nd t he whi t e pa r t i ci - pa nt must possess t he sa cr i f i ci a l humi l i t y necessa r y f or one hi st or i - ca l l y a nd soci a l l y i dent i f i ed wi t h t he bea st of Af r o- Amer i ca n hi st or y a nd t he syst emof oppr essi on . La st , Bl a ckness i s a n a f f i r ma t i on of a n i dent i t y i ndependent of t he hi st or i ca l huma n evi l s of moder n na t i on st a t es, a nd i s cl osel y t i ed t o t he emer gi ng i nt er na t i ona l i dent i t y of ma n i n hi s st r uggl e f or a bet t er l i f e. Consi der t hi s r evel a t i on by Br ot her Ma l col m Xwhen on hi s pi l gr i ma ge t o Mecca : "Tha t mor ni ng wa s when I f i r st bega n t o r ea ppr a i se t he `whi t e ma n. ' I t wa s when 1 f i r st bega n t o per cei ve t ha t `whi t e ma n' a s commonl y used, mea ns com- pl exi on onl y seconda r i l y ; pr i - ma r i l y i t descr i bed a t t i t udes a nd a ct i ons . I n Amer i ca , `whi t e ma n' mea nt speci f i c a t t i t udes a nd a ct i ons t owa r d t he bl a ck ma n, a nd t owa r d a l l ot her non- whi t e men. But i n t he Musl i m wor l d, I ha d seenmenwi t h whi t e compl exi ons wer e mor e genu- i nel y br ot her l y t ha n a nyone el se ha d ever been. " The r el a t i ons bet weenpeopl e must be a l l owed t o gr ow a nd pr ogr ess wi t hout t he l i mi t i ng pr obl emof t he r a t i ona l st a t e . Who a r e we? Af r o- Amer i ca ns, menof t he wor l d. Why Ma r ch 1 968 NEGRODI GEST ar e we her e? We wer e sent her e t o l ove. Wher e ar e we goi ng? Towar d t he communi t y of l ove, and i f st opped we wi l l cont i nue "by any means necessar y, " because we must cont i nue . So much f or pr ol ogue. What i s t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y i dea al l about ? What ar e i t s goal s? And what mi ght i t l ook l i ke? The uni ver si t y f ocusi ng on t he par t i cul ar needs of t he Af r o- Amer i can communi t ywi l l be a cent er of l ear ni ng. But , r ecog- ni zi ng t he al t er nat i ves not ed above by Nkr umah, >~ mnct hP hacPAnn an educat i onal i deol ogy gr ounded ~ i n an uncompr omi si ng goo o psy- chol ogi cal i ndependence f r omt he sXs_ - _ . per . _ So, educat i on must be def i ned t o speci f y t hese pur poses as most i mpor t ant . The Amer i can (U. S. A. ) et hi c of i ndi vi dual i smi s i ncl usi ve of bot h basi c needs of men and t he essence of a soci al st yl e. Al l men ar e, t o some ext ent , sel f - cent er ed. But t o bui l d a soci al gr oup pr ocess on sel f - cent er edness i s t o hope f or a j ust or der t hr ough "ant agoni st i c cooper at i on. " The t hr ust of t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y must be t o over - come t hi s subt l e soci al war l i ke- st at e wi t h t he et hi c of communal - i sm. Thi s means t hat i nst ead of hopi ng f or soci al pr ogr ess t hr ough t he i ndi vi dual mer i t s of i t s st udent s or f acul t y qua i ndi vi dual s, pr ogr ess i s t o be vi ewed as a soci al pr ocess NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 t hr ough whi ch t he communi t y i s upl i f t ed wi t h t he ai dof i t s cont r i b- ut i ng peopl e . Thi s t hen means t hat whi l e st udent s and f acul t y pl ay a ver y vi t al r ol e, t hey ar e co- wor ker s al ongsi de t he equal l y i mpor t ant ot her s, e. g. , t he communi t y or gan- i zer , t he ar t i st , t he uni on or gani zer . Mor eover , t he
oal of t he uni - ver si t y must e one of ser vi ce t o t he communi t y. The st udent s, f ac- ul t y, and admi ni st r at i on of t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y must consi der t hemsel ves as ser vant s t o t he br oader Af r o- Amer i can commu- ni t y. Bei ng a member of t he Uni - ver si t y must be consi der ed an honor , but mor e i mpor t ant t hi s honor must be one i nvol vi ng r e- sponsi bi l i t y t o t he t ot al communi t y andnot si mpl y f ocusi ng on t he "I - made- i t - because- I ' m- smar t er - t han" ki nd of t hi nki ng. Bei ng ser vant s, st at us i s not basedon t he academi c cr edent i al s uni ver si t y peopl e cr eat e f or t hemsel ves ; r at her i t i s on t he ext ent t o whi ch t he t ot al commu- ni t y i s abl e t o r eap benef i t s f r om t he ser vi ce pr ovi ded. The ser vi ce of t he Bl ack Uni ver - si t y must not be one t r ansmi t t ed t hr ough mass communi cat i on or r i t ual i st i c cer emony but t hr ough a concr et e pr ogr ammat i c movement t owar d l i ber at i on . The t i me when t he Af r o- Amer i can communi t y must be ar ms- l engt h f r omi t s i nst i - t ut i ons of hi gher educat i on i s over . The pi mps, pr ost i t ut es, pr eacher s, and Ph. D . ' s must f i nd a common bond t o change t hemsel ves and weave an or gani c uni t y as t he basi s f or l i ber at i on and a bet t er l i f e f or al l . These goal s must r edef i ne t wo danger ousl y- per vasi ve pat t er ns f ound among Af r o- Amer i can f ac- ul t y and st udent s t oday. One of t he pat t er ns i s f or educat i on t o be si m- pl y a pr ocess of accl i mat i on and adj ust ment t o t he whi t ewor l d . One goes t o a whi t eschool t o r ub shoul - der s wi t h t hem, "because, son, you got t o make a l i vi n' out i n t hei r wor l d. " Anot her pat t er n i s t he pl ay- cul t ur e of f r i endshi p cl i ques and f r at er ni t y l i f e. Whet her i t i s mi mi cr y of whi t es ( t hi nk of For t Lauder dal e i n t he spr i ng) , or de- f ect i on based on hopel essness, we must f i nd t he r eci pe f or a r evol u- t i onar y di sci pl i ne consi st ent wi t h our desi r e f or i mmedi at e r adi cal change. A f r ee man i s al so ( and must be) a r esponsi bl e man, and so must Af r o- Amer i can st udent s andf acul t y be r esponsi bl e t o t hem- sel ves by bei ng r esponsi bl e t o t he Bl ack communi t y . The val ues of t he Bl ack Uni ver - si t y must suppor t t he l i ber at i on movement of Af r o- Amer i cans, op- pr essed peopl e ar ound t he wor l d, and al l t hat pr event s man f r om l eadi ng t he goodl i f e. We must f i nd a synt hesi s of ef f i ci ent r eason and pur posi ve compassi on. The val ue pl aced on sci ent i f i c met hods must be j oi ned by an equal l y i mpor t ant val ue pl aced an empat hy, i . e. , sci - 1 0 ent i f i c det achment must be l i mi t ed t o met hod and t echni que, compl e- ment edwi t h i nvol vement and com- mi t ment . The st udent s and f acul t y must be evangel i cal i n t hei r soci al r ol es and gi ve newmeani ng t o be- i ng a mi ssi onar y f or f r eedom. And f i nal l y, t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y must i mpar t t o al l who ar e associ at ed wi t hi t t he st r engt h t o be al one. The st r uggl e agai nst i gnor ance, j ust as wi t h t he st r uggl e of power , i s one wi t hi n whi ch t he f or ces of good ar e of t en smal l i n number and spar sel y pl aced . An Af r o- Amer i can of t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y must have i nner st r engt h, posi t i ve hi st or i cal i den- t i t y, and a vi si on of t he good, f or onl y i n havi ng t hese t r ai t s wi l l he beabl e t o st and up i n a wor l ddom- i nat ed by evi l and be secur e even i n bei ng al one. Among i t s many f unct i ons, t he uni ver si t y i s most concer ned wi t h knowl edge, bot h t he accumul at ed i nf or mat i on and i nsi ght s of human hi st or y and t he vi si on and pr ocess of new di scover y . And i t i s knowl - edge about Af r o- Amer i cans t hat i s most l acki ng, or bi ased and wr ong, i n al l t hese r espect s . The Bl ack Uni ver si t y i s based on t he f unda- ment al assumpt i on t hat t he Af r o- Amer i can communi t y i s, i n E. Fr ankl i n Fr azi er ' s wor ds, "a l i t - t l e soci al wor l d, " a humanuni ver se her et of or e mi sused or i gnor ed by hi gher educat i on . Consi der t hese aut obi ogr aphi cal comment s by Dr . Du Boi s : "When I went Sout h t o Fi sk, I became a member of a cl osed Mar ch 1 968 NEGRO DI GEST r aci al gr oup wi t h r i t es and l oyal - t i es , wi t h a hi s t or y and a cor po- r at e f ut ur e, wi t h an ar t and phi l os ophy . I nt o t hi s wor l d I l eapt wi t h pr o- vi nci al ent hus i as m. Anew l oy- al t y and al l egi ance r epl aced my Amer i cani s m: hencef or t h I was a Negr o. " The Bl ack Uni ver s i t y mus t r es pond cr eat i vel y t o j us t t hes e r eal i t i es whi ch wer e t r ue f or Du Boi s i n 1880, and equal l y t r ue f or t hi s aut hor i n t he 1960' s . The knowl edge of Af r o- Amer i - cans , j us t as wi t h Af r i ca, i s yet t o he f ul l y r ecl ai med . Wi t h t he f ul l s cope of Uni ver s i t y act i vi t i es ( r e- s ear ch, t eachi ng, et c . ) , r evi s i on i s needed t o s ecur e f or col or ed peo- pi es of t he wor l d t hei r pr oper pl ace i n human hi s t or y . Thi s r evi s i on of educat i onal mat er i al s i s a pr oces s as much pol i t i cal as i t i s s chol ar l y . Wi t h s chol ar l y wor k a t ext of U. S . A. hi s t or y can be wr i t t en, but onl y wi t h pol i t i cal i nf l uence wi l l i t be made avai l abl e by get t i ng i t publ i s hed, pl aced i n a l i br ar y, or adopt ed as r ecommended r eadi ng. However , i n t he pr es ent i t woul d be f ool i s h t o t hi nk of t hr owi ng ever yt hi ng as i de . Revi s i on of what i s mus t be a t hor ough j ob of s ys t e- mat i c and r i gor ous s chol ar s hi p backed by t he concer t ed pol i t i cal NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 19E8 ef f or t s of Af r o- Amer i can s t udent s , f acul t y, and t he ent i r e communi t y . But mor e i mpor t ant ( and mor e di f f i cul t ) , t her e i s a need t o f i nd new s t yl es of s chol ar s hi p, new f or ms of knowl edge, new ways of knowi ng. Thes e newdevel opment s mus t be cons i s t ent wi t h what i s t o be known, and have ut i l i t y f or t he l i ber at i on movement . Ther e mus t be r es ear ch on al l as pect s of t he Bl ack Exper i ence, r es ear ch neces - s ar i l y not l i mi t ed t o t r adi t i onal s chol ar l y di s ci pl i nes , but open t o t he demands of t he s ubj ect . For exampl e, t he " Bl ues " component of Af r o- Amer i can cul t ur e demands a hi s t or i an, mus i col ogi s t , l i t er ar y hi s - t or i an, s oci ol ogi s t , et c . The s oul of a peopl e mus t be r ef l ect ed i n t he r es ul t s of t he r es ear ch as wel l as t he l i f e s t yl e of t he Bl ack Uni ver s i t y . We mus t be i n s ear ch of t he " f unky" s oci ol ogi s t , t he " s oul f ul " pol i t i cal s ci ent i s t , and t he Uni ver - s i t y pr es i dent who can " get down. " Thes e ar e s ome of t he neces s ar y i ngr edi ent s of a Bl ack Uni ver s i t y . And whi l e we can, at bes t , l ook t o t he f ut ur e f or i t s f ul l r eal i zat i on, i t i s qui t e pos s i bl e now t o s ugges t a s t r uct ur al out l i ne t hat r ef l ect s t hes e f undament al as s umpt i ons about i t s s oci al and i nt el l ect ual r ol e . The di agr am ( on page 12) s ugges t s t hr ee r el at ed col l eges concer ned wi t h di s t i nct ar eas , t hough bound t oget her i n t he i dea of t he Uni ver - s i t y . Each woul d be or gani zed ar ound r es ear ch, t eachi ng, and pr act i ce . For ever y par t of t he Uni - ver s i t y communi t y t her e woul d be 12 THEBLACKUNIVERSITY: An Unf i ni shed Desi gn an advi sor y boar d of communi ty r epr esentati ves f r om al l wal ks of l i f e, wi th the task of pr ovi di ng pol - i cy suggesti ons and gui del i nes . Thi s woul d i nsur e the communi ty of ti es to the speci f i c par ts of the Uni ver si ty. As one enter s the Uni ver si ty he wi l l be f aced wi th a var i ety of degr ee pr ogr ams and al ter nati ve Col l ege of Li ber al Ar ts Uni ver si ty Li br ar y Uni ver si ty Pr ess Col l ege of
Col l ege of Af r o- Amer i can ~- ~Communi ty Li f e Studi es 1 . Center s f or Inter nati onal Study ( Asi a, Af r i ca, Lati n Amer i ca) 2. Inter nati onal Conf er ence Center cour ses of study. It i s qui te cl ear that the standar d f our - year col l ege degr ee meets onl y a par ti al need f or the Af r o- Amer i cancommuni ty. But even the student enter i ng the Col l ege of Li ber al Ar ts woul d have to wor k at l east a year i n one or mor e of the other two col l eges i n or der to meet the r equi r ements f or gr aduati on. The gener al pr i nci pl e Mar ch 1968 NEGRO DIGEST mi ght wel l be that, to meet the needs of today, the new programs wi l l have to take l ess ti me ; but those set up to meet the needs of tomorrow wi l l have to take more ti me. As a nati onal i nsti tuti on engaged i n acti vi ti es f ound nowhere el se, the component col l eges of the Bl ack Uni versi ty woul d be of great servi ce to a wi de vari ety of groups. Servi ce prof essi onal s worki ng wi th Af ro- Ameri cans f ace a chal l enge supported by sparse research and l i ttl e experi ence. The Col l ege of Af ro- Ameri can Studi es, bei ng a center of i nnovati on and di scovery concerni ng these probl ems, wi l l conduct speci al courses and trai n- i ng programs so that students can suppl ement thei r trai ni ng and ex- peri ence wi th a concentrated pro- gram. There i s a desperate need f or soci al workers, teachers, l awyers, doctors, psychi atri sts, etc . Andthe same ki nd of f uncti on i s pl anned f or the enti re Uni versi ty. There al so must be connected wi th such a Uni versi ty a set of cen- ters of I nternati onal Study. They wi l l be smal l centers speci al i zi ng i n speci f i c areas i n order that, to- gether, they mi ght consti tute an i n- ternati onal programwi thout super- f i ci al l y mi ssi ng the pecul i ar charac- ter of each part of the worl d. I n addi ti on, no such Uni versi ty coul d hope to f uncti on wi thout an i nter- nati onal conf erence center avai l - abl e to the Uni versi ty communi ty, and accommodati ng other acti vi ti es consi stent wi th the ai ms and pur- NEGRODI GEST March 1968 pose of the Uni versi ty communi ty and l i berati on movement . Af ro- Ameri cans are movi ngonto the i n- ternati onal scene and so must have at thei r di sposal a center where such meeti ngs can be hel d. As stated at the begi nni ng of thi s di scussi on, there i s no panacea f or the Af ro- Ameri can l i berati on movement, j ust as there can and wi l l be no monol i thi c organi za- ti onal structure. But there can be operati onal uni ty around suchcon- cepts as the Bl ack Uni versi ty. The f i rst step i n movi ng toward thi s operati onal uni ty, movi ng toward the Bl ack Uni versi ty, i s to begi n a creati ve and honest di al ogue among Af ro- Ameri cans . But more than that, we need smal l bands of peopl e i n posi ti ons to act, to make steps, to be dari ng enough to ri sk f ai l ure ( or worse, i rrel evance ) . I t wi l l onl y be when these i deas can be ref erred to i n concrete terms that def i ni ti ve statements can be made, and the concrete real i ty of the Bl ack Uni - versi ty must begi n today. One l ast thought . The Af ro- Ameri can communi ty does not possess unl i mi ted resources wi th whi ch to carry on experi ment af ter experi ment . Each of us who can contri bute to the Bl ack Uni versi ty must ask hi msel f what he i s doi ng f or i t, what he i s doi ngf or thi s ki nd of operati onal uni ty. I amcal l i ng f or al l of the brothers and si sters i n "other" col l eges and uni versi ty set- ti ngs to come on home . And to those at home, l et us get thi s thi ng together! ! 1 3 Pr obl ems, Pr ospect s, and Pr oposal s The Bl ack Uni ver si t y: APr act i cal Appr oach 1 4
Mar ch 1 968 NEGRO DI GEST Adi sti ngui shed young educator f romal eadi ng bl ack col l ege of f ers apossi bl e pattern f or aBl ack Uni versi ty whi ch"shoul d be the ki nd of i nsti tuti on best desi gned to provi de adequate opportuni tyf or bl ack teachers and students to devel op thei r capabi l i ti es f ul l y, to serve the bl ack communi tyef f ecti vel y, to gai n pri de i n and knowl edge of thei r heri tage and them- sel ves . . . " ~t~~c'~ OST RFFCIRII~Pnrl c ~` ~~~i nrr . vei n. Perhaps that wi l l be the i nevi - ~~~~ tabl e resul t i n any ef - f ort to ref ormhi gher educati on f or Negroes i n the Uni ted States. Neverthel ess, be- f ore proposi ng the revol uti onary step of establ i shi ng a newi nsti tu- ti on-a bl ack uni versi ty-I wi sh to suggest ways of achi evi ng the de- si red i mprovement wi thi n the pres- ent structure of hi gher educati on. For f ear that the very di scussi on of thi s i ssue may seem to provi de substance f or those hosti l e cri ti cs who argue that Negroes are pe- cul i ar creatures al ways demandi ng or needi ngspeci al attenti on, I must poi nt out that the need f or ref orm i s not l i mi ted to the educati on of Negroes. Hi gher educati on i n the Uni ted States needs attenti on. It i s a mongrel concei ved f romthe f orced weddi ng of the European i deal of educati ng the el i te to the Uni ted States i deal of educati ng the masses. Students compl ai n about thei r l oss of i denti ty, thei r i sol ati on f romprof essors, thei r i nabi l i ty to recei ve respect as young adul ts, and thei r subj ecti on to anti quated or absurd academi c regul ati ons, NEGRODIGESTMarch 1968 courses, and materi al s. Teachers compl ai n about the di si nterest of students and about the overem- phasi s on athl eti cs, grants, and re- search. Admi ni strators compl ai n about the conti nuous compl ai ni ng bystudents and teachers. Al though Negroes share i n these characteri sti c and perenni al prob- l ems of hi gher educati on, Negroes experi ence addi ti onal probl ems both i n the "i ntegrated" col l eges and i n the "predomi nantl y Negro" col l eges. The Negro teacher i n an i nte- grated i nsti tuti on knows that he exi sts as a vi si bl e symbol of l i beral atti tudes and practi ces of brother- hood. i f he i s one i n a mi l l i on, he may become the chai rman of hi s department . (Or who i s there be- si des J ohn Hope Frankl i n?) If he i s especi al l y astute i n hi s studi es of Negroes, he may aspi re to be a Kenneth B. Cl ark. Most of ten, however, he ri ses to the l owl y post of assi stant or associ ate prof essor, and squi rms there; the channel s to promi nence are dammed f or hi m even though hi s i ntel l i gence and trai ni ng maysurpass those of men who ri se beyond hi s rank. If he works i n a predomi nantl y 15 Negro col l ege, he, general l y, must l i ve i n the South. Prof essi onal l y, hi s growth i s restri cted by the cul - tural i sol ati on, the poverty, and the apathy f requentl y characteri sti c of such i nsti tuti ons . Because he may become a prof essor, a dean, or even a presi dent, hemay earn more money than he woul d i n an i nte- grated i nsti tuti on. Psychol ogi cal l y, however, he struggl es to mai ntai n sel f - respect when prof essi onal f ri ends accuse hi mof martyrdom or worse. Even though the qual i ty of i nstructi on i n i ndi vi dual cl asses may equal that observed i n any col - l ege i n the country, wi del y pub- l i ci zed reports by whi te men have procl ai med the i nnate i nf eri ori ty of such i nsti tuti ons . Thus, as l ong as he remai ns attached to a predomi - nantl y Negro col l ege, hetoo i s ad- j udged i nf eri or or, at best, an ex- cepti on, a smal l - si zed f rog i n a muddy cesspool . I t i s no wonder that, vaci l l ati ng between such harsh al ternati ves, Negro educators f requentl y dream of a bl ack uni versi ty i n whi ch they mi ght ri se to a l evel ordai ned by thei r tal ents and ambi ti on whi l e commandi ng the prof essi onal re- spect accorded to teachers at pres- ti ge i nsti tuti ons . V Si mi l arl y,
sensi ti ve Negro stu- dents f eel repressed . I n i ntegrated i nsti tuti ons, prospects are bri ghter f or themthan f or Negro teachers. They may be el ected to such ex- al ted posi ti ons as homecomi ng queen or presi dent of a cl ub or even a cl ass. Theonl y requi rement 1 6 i s that they be excepti onal i n i ntel - l i gence, athl eti c abi l i ty, charm, or beauty, or that the school be cam- pai gni ng to prove i ts l i beral i ty . I f they are average or enrol l duri ng the wrongyear, they drop i nto ob- scuri ty, where they remai n f ar more hi dden than are whi te cl assmates of equal tal ent . Regardl ess of thei r promi nence, they experi ence re- stri cti ons i n soci al l i f e. Academi - cal l y, some suf f er f romthe prej u- di ce of i nstructors whobel i eve Ne- groes i ncapabl e of swi mmi ngabove "C" l evel . Sti l l others, i ntel l i gent students, may suspect that they are bei ng cri ppl ed by condescendi ng tol erance. Thei r answers are ac- cepted too easi l y ; thei r mi stakes are f orgi ven too qui ckl y . They f ear that they are bei ng hurri ed al ong, wi th good grades, by teachers wi l l - i ng to eval uate Negroes on l owered standards because, af ter gradua- ti on, the Negroes wi l l di sappear i nto thei r own worl d where thei r i gnorance wi l l nei ther i nj ure nor threaten the whi te worl d. Further- more, whether tal ented or average, these students wi l l be taught very l i ttl e about the worthy achi eve- ments of other Negroes. As students i n a predomi nantl y Negro col l ege, they may achi eve more l ocal promi nence as i ndi vi d- ual s, but they have read the studi es whi ch advi se themand the worl d that thei r educati on i s i nf eri or . Thi s knowl edge creates doubl e dangers. Fi rst, al though they resent the si t- uati on whi ch l abel s themi nf eri or by associ ati on, they subconsci ousl y March 1 968 NEGRODI GEST comet o accept t he j udgment . Con- sequent l y, t hey f ai l t o dr i ve t hem- sel ves as i ndust r i ousl y as t hey woul d i n i nt egr at ed i nst i t ut i ons ; and, t oo f r equent l y, t hey pr ot est agai nst t he t eacher s who demand col l ege- l evel wor k f r omt hem. Sec- ond, because t hey l ack f i r st - hand knowl edge of i nt egr at ed col l eges, t hey assume t hat each weakness whi ch t hey obser vemust beuni que t o pr edomi nant l y Negr o col l eges and must be f ur t her evi dence of t he i nf er i or i t y of such i nst i t ut i ons . Li ke Negr o t eacher s, t hey want t o be par t of an i nst i t ut i on whi ch wi l l af f or d t he oppor t uni t y t o de- vel op t hei r t al ent s and t he pr est i ge mer i t ed by t hei r achi evement s . Let us, t her ef or e, dr eamof t he i deal i nst i t ut i on- one whi ch wi l l gi ve gr owt h t o Negr o t eacher s and st udent s al i ke. I t i s, I r epeat , one whi ch can be devel oped wi t hi n t he cur r ent f r amewor k of hi gher edu- cat i on- i f i t i s t o be devel oped at al l . . : ~~> _ - _ ENDOWMENT Auni ver si t y must have money. Good t eacher s and good admi ni s- t r at or s- whet her whi t e or bl ack- go wher e sal ar i es wi l l buy al l t he necessi t i es and, hopef ul l y, some of t he l uxur i es . Money i s needed f or cl assr oom bui l di ngs, dor mi t or i es, st af f , equi pment , and suppl i es . Pr edomi nant l y Negr o col l eges NEGROUI GESTMar ch 1968 have l acked money. They havede- pended upon st at e l egi sl at or s, chur ches, gener ous pat r ons, al um- ni , and st udent s . Except i n Cal i - f or ni a, l egi sl at or s spend money f or educat i on as gr udgi ngl y as a t em- per ance wor ker gi ves al cohol i cs money f or l i quor . Gener al l y, one st at e- suppor t ed uni ver si t y i s f av- or ed. Ther est beg. Thel east suc- cessf ul beggar s have been t he pr edomi nant l y Negr o col l eges, whi ch have l acked al umni who, seat ed i n Sout her n l egi sl at ur es, mi ght t r adevot es f or dol l ar s . Mor e l i mi t ed i n f unds, chur ches f r e- quent l y have dol ed t hei r al l ot ment s wi t h t he pr ayer t hat sacr i f i ce and dedi cat i on mi ght subst i t ut e f or cash. Donor s- bot h i ndi vi dual s and f oundat i ons- have been gen- er ous at t i mes . But , pl anni ng a bl ack uni ver si t y, one cannot af f or d t o f or get t hat t he maj or i t y of phi l - ant hr opi c suppor t er s of Negr oes' hi gher educat i on ar e whi t e . Negr o al umni have cont r i but ed; but , de- f i ci ent i n bot h number and weal t h, t hey gener al l y have been unabl e t o pr ovi de mor e t han a f ew schol ar - shi ps and some spendi ng change. Tui t i on has been an i mpor t ant sour ce of r evenue, but i t i s a t r ou- bl esome sour ce. Rai se t ui t i on t oo hi gh ; f ewer st udent s at t end. I n- cr ease t he number of st udent s ; ad- di t i onal money i s needed f or t eacher s, equi pment , suppl i es, and f aci l i t i es . Fur t her mor e, t he qual i t y of t he st udent t oo f r equent l y i s l ower ed when addi t i onal quant i t y i s sought . 1 7 Anobvi ous method to use to secur e the necessar y money woul d be anappeal to the Negr o popul ace to suppor t a wor thy cause. Anav- er age contr i buti on of one dol l ar f or ever y Negr o i n the Uni ted States woul d f ur ni sh wor ki ngcapi - tal - si xteen or seventeen mi l l i on dol l ar s . But wi l l enough Negr oes contr i bute suf f i ci entl y gener ousl y to a si ngl e uni ver si ty? I f ear , pessi mi sti cal l y, that thi s i deal i n- sti tuti on must conti nue to depend par ti al l y upon contr i buti ons f r om whi te patr ons- f eder al or pr i vate - who tr adi ti onal l y weakeni ngen- er osi ty as a Negr o i nsti tuti ongai ns i n af f l uence. Of cour se, i na bl ack state or a bl ack nati on, i t woul d be possi bl e to secur e suf f i ci ent money by a mi ni mal tax . But I must make cl ear that I amnot consi der i ng a bl ack state or nati ononthe conti nent of Nor th Amer i ca. Al though I woul d be happy to be par t of a nati on wher e a bl ack manmi ght be el ected pr esi dent i n 1968, I do not j udge such a nati onto be pr acti cabl e i n Nor thAmer i ca, wher e i t woul d be- gi n 300 year s behi nd the other countr i es, wher e i ts cr eati onwoul d r equi r e upr ooti ng settl ed peopl e, and wher e i ts exi stence mi ght de- pend upon "consci ence- contr i bu- ti ons" f r om peopl e notor i ousl y untr oubl ed by consci ence when comf or t and cash ar e at stake. No. I must di scuss the possi - bi l i ti es of an i deal i nsti tuti on f or Negr oes wi thi n the Uni ted States. To secur e suf f i ci ent money, such an 1 8 i nsti tuti onmust di scover a way to tap the pocketbooks of moneyed Negr oes as no other Negr o cause has succeeded i n doi ng. Al l meth- ods must be used- col l ecti ons i n chur ches, dances by f r ater nal or - gani zati ons, door to door sol i ci ti ng, tel ephone and mai l canvassi ng, r af f l es . And the sol i ci tor s must have substanti al ar guments to of f - set the pr ej udi ce agai nst hi gher educati on, the di si nter est i n na- ti onal causes, and the suspi ci on of sol i ci tor s. CURRI CULA I nconsi der i ng second the ques- ti on of what the Negr o student shoul d l ear n, I ammer el y gi vi ng hi gh pr i or i ty to the compl ai nt of Negr o students that they l ear ntoo l i ttl e about themsel ves and about ways to i mpr ove thei r communi ty. Al though I admi t the j usti ce of the char ge, I cannot bl ame anyone ex- cept Negr o f acul ty member s- my- sel f i ncl uded Uni magi nati vel y, we, l i ke thousands of whi te educator s, have r epr oduced f or our students the same educati on whi ch we r ecei ved. We have wanted our students to possess the ki nd of knowl edge r espected by the semi - i ntegr ated soci ety whi ch wi l l sur - r ound themaf ter gr aduati on. But wehavef ai l ed to r eal i ze suf f i ci entl y the need to pr ovi de themwi th ad- Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST di t i onal knowl edge r equi r ed f or t he segr egat ed soci et y, t he bl ack so- ci et y, t he l i t t l e ci r cl e i nsi de of - and i gnor ed by- t he l ar ge ci r cl e. We can bl ame our sel ves . Not h- i ng- t o my knowl edge- pr event s pr edomi nant l y Negr o col l eges f r om of f er i ng any cour se t hat i s desi r ed . I am f ul l y awar e t hat some Sout h- er n l egi sl at or s or gover nor s have appl i ed pr essur e t o some Negr o col l ege pr esi dent s i n an ef f or t t o cur b demonst r at i ons . I knowal so t hat some Negr o col l ege pr esi dent s have succumbed t o such pr essur e or , t i mi dl y, have r est r i ct ed st udent ct i vi t y i n ant i ci pat i on of such pr essur e. Cer t ai nl y, havi ng t aught i n Nor t h Car ol i na f or ni ne year s, I knowhowl egi sl at or s may t r y t o r est r i ct f r eedomof speech . Fear f ul of Communi sm, t he l egi sl at ur e of Nor t h Car ol i na banned f r omap- pear ance on campuses any ac- knowl edged communi st or anyone who had pl eaded t he f i f t h amend- ment . Educat or s i n Nor t h Car o- l i na under st ood, however , t hat t hi s l aw was not ai med at t he pr e- domi nant l y Negr o col l eges . The whi t e l egi sl at or s scar cel y knewnor car ed who spoke t o t he Negr o st u- dent s . The l egi sl at or s and t hei r const i t uent s concer ned t hemsel ves wi t h t he speaker s who came t o t he campuses of t he l ar ge st at e- sup- por t ed uni ver si t i es . I do not knowany i nst ance i n whi ch a st at e of f i ci al has opposed an at t empt t o i nt r oduce any r aci al - l y- or i ent ed cour se at a pr edomi - nant l y Negr o col l ege. Of cour se, I NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 have no pr i mar y knowl edge of what happens i n educat i on i n Mi s- si ssi ppi or Al abama, t hose bast i ons of Conf eder at e r aci sm. I do know t eacher s i n t hose st at es, however , and have no r eason t o bel i eve t hat cour ses havebeen deni ed. The f act i s t hat Negr o educat or s - and I must i ncl ude mysel f - have not concei ved cour ses or i ent - ed t o t he Negr o. Asi de f r omt he hi st or y of t he Negr o i n Amer i ca, a cour se i n l i t er at ur e by Negr o Amer i can wr i t er s, and possi bl y a cour se or t wo i n soci ol ogy i ncl ud- i ng a di scussi on of t he pr obl ems of mi nor i t y gr oups, f ew educat or s have pr oposed cour ses st udyi ng t he achi evement s of bl ack men. I know no cour se i n t he hi st or y of ar t or musi c of Negr oes, no hi st or y of educat i on whi ch i ncl udes a st udy of pr edomi nant l y Negr o segr egat ed publ i c school s and col - l eges, no l i ngui st i cs cour se whi ch anal yzes t he so- cal l ed Negr o di a- l ect . Ther e shoul d be soci ol ogy cour ses anal yzi ng t he st r uct ur e of t he Negr o communi t y, busi ness cour ses descr i bi ng met hods of or - gani zi ng co- oper at i ve communi t y busi nesses, mor e cour ses concen- t r at ed on pr act i ces i n smal l busi - nesses . These cour ses ar e desi r abl e, can be est abl i shed, and must be est ab- l i shed, even at t he pr edomi nant l y Negr o col l eges as cur r ent l y st r uc- t ur ed. The i r ony i s t hat t hey may be est abl i shed f i r st and, conde- scendi ngl y, at pr edomi nant l y whi t e i nst i t ut i ons . 1 9 Thi s newi nf or mat i on, however , cannot be subst i t ut ed f or ot her mor e t r adi t i onal knowl edge . I t must be addi t i onal . I hesi t at e t o use t he t er m "suppl ement ar y" onl y because somer eader s may assume t hat I r egar d i t as l ess i mpor t ant . To t he cont r ar y, i t i s si gni f i cant . However , i f t he Negr o st udent i s pr ovi ded onl y wi t h knowl edge about Negr oes, t hen hi s educat i on wi l l beas r est r i ct ed as i t has been i n t he past . Hi s vi si on, t r ue, wi l l be bl ack i nst ead of whi t e. But t he r evi ser s of t he cur r i cul umwi l l be gui l t y of t he same col or - bl i ndness and nar r owvi si on f or whi ch t hey condemn t he pl anner s of t he pr es- ent cur r i cul um. R ESEARCH Despi t e t he ext r avagances com- mi t t ed i n i t s name, r esear ch i s t he consor t of good t eachi ng. A t each- er must have i nf or mat i on about hi s subj ect . Bef or e si gni f i cant changes can be made i n cur r i cul a f or Ne- gr o st udent s, consi der abl er esear ch wi l l be needed. For , shamef ul l y, f act s about Negr oes ar enot known or have been gat her ed by whi t e r esear cher s, t oo f r equent l y i n qui ckl y publ i shed st udi es wher e a l i mi t ed sampl i ng was used t o sub- st ant i at e a pr e- concei ved gener al - i zat i on about an ent i r e popul at i on. 20 (Cont i nued on page 64) J ust as pr edomi nant l y Negr o col - l eges have been compar ed, un- f avor abl y, wi t h t he i deal of a col - l ege or wi t h t he pr est i ge i nst i t ut i ons r at her t han wi t h pr edomi nant l y whi t e col l eges of compar abl e si ze and endowment , so Negr oes as i ndi vi dual s and gr oups have been eval uat ed agai nst t he i deal r at her t han j udged i n compar i son wi t h whi t e peer s of si mi l ar economi c, educat i onal , and soci al back- gr ound. Newr esear ch i s needed; ext en- si ve r esear ch i s needed. Ther ear e Negr oes qual i f i ed t o per f or msuch r esear ch. But ways must be de- vi sed t o pr ovi de r esear cher s wi t h t he t i me needed and t o per suade f oundat i ons t o t r ust Negr o r e- sear cher s t o conduct schol ar l y st udi es of Negr oes. Wi t hout such r esear ch, t he newcour ses cannot be of f er ed, f or i t i s bet t er t o t each not hi ng t han t o t each somet hi ng whi ch i s known t o be mer el y a guess. PUBLI SHI NG The Bl ack Uni ver si t y needs t o publ i sh t he r esear ch of i t s schol ar s . Today, whi t epubl i sher s r espect r e- sear ch i nt o pr obl ems of Negr oes pr i mar i l y wheni t i s conduct ed by whi t e men . ANegr o schol ar - Mar ch 1968 NEGRO DI GEST Facul t y, Cur r i cul um, Resear ch . . . BYSTEPHENE. HENDERSON " . . . That t he change wi l l come i s obvi ous t o al l but t he bl i nd and t he deaf , who r eal l y have no busi - ness at al l i n t he cr uci al t ask of educat i ng t hi s new bl ack gener at i on whou el l may be our l ast hope f or sani t y and decency i n t hi s cour zt r y . . . " S I SEEI T, t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y may exi st i n t he f ol l owi ng f or ms: ( I ) as a new i nst i t u- t i on; ( 2) as an i nst i t ut i on al r eady exi st i ng i n t ot o; and ( 3 ) as an i nst i t ut i on al r eady exi st - i ng i n par t , bot h physi cal l y and i n- t el l ect ual l y . Now, i t st r i kes me t hat t he f i r st choi ce, f or pr act i cal men, i s unr eal i st i c and wast ef ul si nce t he need i s i mmedi at e and t he f ound- i ng and suppor t i ng of a st r ong i nst i t ut i on so cost l y and t i me- con- sumi ngt hat i t woul d undul y di f f use t he al r eady t oo meager f i nanci al and pr of essi onal r esour ces of t he bl ack communi t y. Can we t ur n, NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 t hen, t o a Bl ack Uni ver si t y whi ch al r eady exi st s i n t ot o? The ques- t i on, of cour se i s r het or i cal , f or i f one such i nst i t ut i on exi st ed, t her e woul d be noneed f or a di scussi on of t he desi r abi l i t y of such an i nst i - t ut i on. Thi s, consequent l y, l eaves us wi t h t he t hi r d possi bi l i t y : an i n- st i t ut i on al r eady exi st i ng i n par t , physi cal l y and i nt el l ect ual l y . I t appear s t o me t hat , al t hough t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y does not at pr esent exi st anywher e i n t ot o, i t does exi st i n par t i n t hat r esi due of bl ackness- soci al , cul t ur al , and phi l osophi cal - whi ch i s f ound i n t he so- cal l ed pr edomi nant l y Ne- gr o col l eges ; or t o use anot her ci r - cuml ocut i on, i n t he hi st or i cal l y Negr o col l eges . The pr obl embe- comes, t hen, a mat t er of modi f y- i ng some one or mor e of t hese i n- st i t ut i ons . Per sonal l y, I have no doubt t hat such modi f i cat i oni s nec- essar y ; i ndeed, i t seems t o me i n- evi t abl e . Some, per haps many, of t hese school s wi l l sur vi ve wi t h r el - at i vel y l i t t l e change; ot her s wi l l per i sh, ei t her absor bed i nt o t hei r var i ous st at e budget s, or t hr ough 21 consol i dat i on, or t hr ough absor p- t i on i nt o t he cl oudy Amer i can "mai nst r eam. " St r angel y enough, t hi s l ast - named f at e seems t o be eager l y ant i ci pat ed by many i nst i - t ut i ons whi ch, wi t h f ew except i ons, have si zeabl e whi t e number s i n t hei r f acul t i es but vi r t ual l y no whi t e st udent s i n t hei r enr ol l ment . Ri es- man and J encks have al r eady an- al yzed t hi s phenomenon, so I am cont ent t o obser ve t hat school s ar e f or t he educat i on of st udent s, not f or t he empl oyment of t eacher s . Once we accept t hat si mpl e f act , t he pat het i c absur di t y of cal l i ng our school s "pr edomi nant l y Ne- gr o" becomes al t oget her t oo cl ear . I t i ndi cat es a cur i ous ambi val ence whi ch i s char act er i st i c of al l of our r el at i onshi ps wi t h t he r est of t he count r y. We say "pr edomi nant l y Negr o, " meani ng, per haps, t hat t hi s i s a t empor ar y si t uat i on, t hat what we r eal l y want i s t o be "i nt egr at - ed, " i . e. , t o be a mi nor i t y- i n our own school s . Why? I s i t t hat we doubt our own capaci t y t o gi ve our chi l dr en a qual i t y educat i on, or even t o r ai se our chi l dr en at al l ? That same ambi val ence l ur ks be- hi nd t he whol e t hr ust of t he r ecent Ci vi l Ri ght s movement . Anot her aspect of t hi s ambi val ence i s per - haps t he secr et wi sh t o r et ai n t he school s as "pr edomi nant l y Ne- gr o, " i . e, t o r et ai n power and con- t r ol and deci si on- maki ng i n our own hands . I f t hat i s what we mean, t hen why do we apol ogi ze f or i t ? God knows i t ' s nat ur al enough, and i t ' s a sal ut ar y devel op- 2 2 ment t o see, as a pr act i cal expr es- si on of Bl ack Consci ousness, t hat par ent s and t eacher s and pupi l s i n Nor t her n ur ban hi gh school s ar e demandi ng j ust t hat ki nd of con- t r ol . I f such a desi r e i s nat ur al , t hen why do t he Negr o col l eges equi vo- cat e? I submi t t hat t hev do so out of conf usi on or out of f ear - conf u- si on as t o t hei r r ol e i n a soci et y mar ked by const ant cr i si s, conf u- si on as t o t he nat ur e of t he changes t aki ng pl ace i n t hat soci et y ; f ear of of f endi ng t hei r whi t e suppor t er s and f acul t y, and f ear of r e- eval u- at i ng t he pr emi ses on whi ch t he i nst i t ut i ons t hemsel ves ar e pr edi - cat ed . By nat ur e of t he pr obl em t o whi ch I addr ess mysel f , t he school s whi ch best i l l ust r at e t hi s anxi et y ar e our so- cal l ed l i ber al ar t s col - l eges . They r epr esent t he hear t of t he pr obl emsi nce t hei r ul t i mat e f unct i on i s t o shape t he st udent ' s mi nd and soul i n such a way t hat he can per f or mmost ef f i ci ent l y and happi l y i n hi s wor l d. Gl anci ng at r andomt hr ough st at ement s of i n- st i t ut i onal pur pose of many of t he school s, one di scover s qui t e soon t hat t he pur pose act ual l y, i f st at ed i n f ashi onabl e l anguage, i s t o hel p t he st udent di scover hi s i dent i t y t hr ough acquai nt i ng hi mwi t h t he hi st or y, t he cul t ur e, and t he f or ms of bel i ef of West er n ci vi l i zat i on. Even t hi s l i mi t ed ai mhas never been car r i ed out on any l ar ge scal e. And i t hasn' t been done chi ef l y be- cause, as educat or s, we t ook t he Mor ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST passi ve r ol e and assumed t hat t he exper i ence of bl ackness i s i r r el e- vant t o West er n hi st or y and ci vi l i - zat i on and hence t o our st udent s' ( and our own) sear ch f or i dent i t y. The si ngl e r evol ut i onar y concept t hat har emer ged i n r ecent year s i s t hat t he bl ack exper i ence i s not onl y r el evant i n such a sear ch, i t i s f undar nent al and cr uci al . One mi ght al most cal l i t ar chet ypal , f or f r omi t can be der i ved not onl y Amer i ca' s quest f or sel f hood but , i ndeed, - si nce t he bl ack exper i - ence i s al so t he t ype of t he col oni al exper i ence and r eact i on t o i t - t he whol e moder n exper i ence of Eu- r ope as wel l . Howabsur d i t i s, t hen, t o assume, as some cr i t i cs do, t hat a Bl ack Uni ver si t y woul d exi st i n a vacuum, when t he ques- t i on of i dent i t y- t he quest i on of bl ackness- i s mor e t han a mat t er of pi gment at i on, when i t i s ul t i - mat el y a mor al and phi l osophi cal posi t i on. I n ot her wor ds, one f i nal l y wi l l s t o be bl ack. Thi s i s what t he f uss i s al l about - Al ber t Cl eage, Adam Powel l , Wal t er Whi t e, Fr ank Si l - ver a, wi l l ed i n var yi ng degr ees t o be bl ack. My f i r m bel i ef i s t hat , by wi l l i ng t o be bl ack i n t hat phi l - osophi cal sense, our school s can make a gr eat er cont r i but i on t o our per sonal wel l - bei ng and t o t he NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 wor l d at l ar ge t han by any ot her means t hat I can pr esent l y see . What does t hi s wi l l - t o- bl ackness ent ai l ? I t ent ai l s a cer t ai n doubl e vi si on - not t he doubl e vi si on of Du Boi s, * but a shi f t i n per spect i ve, i n whi ch one l ooks i nwar d ( i nt o hi msel f and t he gr oup) and sees out war d wi t h shar per i nsi ght ; i n whi ch one l ooks backwar d ( i nt o hi s hi st or y and hi s cul t ur al r oot s) anddi scover s t hat he i s l ooki ng f or - war d. I t i s l i ke l ooki ng backwar d i n t i me t hough one i s l ooki ng f or - war d i n space t hr ough a t el escope. I f t hr ough t hi s pr ocess one di scov- er ed God i n t he act ual act of cr e- at i on ( and wi t h a newphysi cs we mi ght ), one' s knowl edge woul d be compl et e . Vaughan, t he poet sai d, "Ther e i s i n God, t hey say, a deep and dazzl i ng dar kness . " And i t i s f or t he r eason of t hi s l i b- er at i ng Godwi t hi n us t hat we must conf r ont our bl ackness . I mmedi - at el y we must conf r ont i t , because we have t o no i nconsi der abl e ex- t ent Af r i cani zed t hi s count r y. That t i me i t was unconsci ous and pas- si ve. Thi s t i me i t must be ot her - wi se, f or unl ess t he val ues i nher - ent i n "Soul " and "Negr i t ude" ar e made t o pr evai l i n t hi s count r y, we may yet f i nd our sel ves at Ar m- ageddon, acr oss t he seas, i n our ski es, and i n our own ci t y st r eet s . Assumi ng t hen my est i mat e of t he i mpor t ance of t he Bl ack Uni - ver si t y t o be val i d, I shal l br i ef l y di scuss what seems t o me t he f eas- i bi l i t y of such an i nst i t ut i on. Soul s of Bl ack Fol k 23 Fi r s t , i f bl ack col l ege pr es i dent s wi l l ed t o be bl ack t he pr obl em woul d be ver y much s i mpl er ( t hough by no means s i mpl e ) , f or t o s ome ext ent phi l os ophi cal bl ack- nes s , or Soul , exi s t s i n al l of our i ns t i t ut i ons - i f not i n i ndi vi dual cour s es , t hen i n f acul t y or s t udent s . Our i mmedi at e pr obl em, t hus , i s t o br i ng t hi s bl acknes s , as i t wer e, t o a s at ur at i on poi nt . Thi s means cons ci ous r eor gani zat i on and con- cent r at i on of human and ot her r e- s our ces , pr ef er abl y, as I s ee i t , i n s ever al r egi onal cent er s whi ch al - r eady exi s t : i n t he Bal t i mor e- D. C. ar ea ; i n t he Nor f ol k ar ea ; i n t he Dur ham- Gr eens bor o ar ea; i n t he Nas hvi l l e ar ea, i n t he At l ant a ar ea; i n t he Tal l ahas s ee ar ea; i n t he New Or l eans ar ea, and i n t he Hous t on ar ea. Dependi ng on t he degr ee of cooper at i on, t hey woul d become cent er s of Bl ack Cons ci ous nes s or uni t s of a s i ngl e de f act o s upr a- i ns t i t ut i onal Bl ack Uni ver s i t y. The s i mpl es t t hi ng t o do, of cour s e, woul d be f or col l ege pr es i dent s t o r ecogni ze t he s chi zo- phr eni a i mpl i ci t i n bei ng "pr edomi - nant l y Negr o" and s i mpl y decl ar e t hems el ves t o be bl ack peopl e, wor ki ng es peci al l y f or t he good of bl ack peopl e, t hough excl udi ng no one becaus e of col or or et hni c or i gi n, t hei r mi s s i on bei ng t o capi - t al i ze on t he uni que i mpor t ance of t he bl ack exper i ence t o t hi s coun- t r y and t o t he wor l d. I f we wer e hones t wi t h our s el ves , and i f na- t i onal s pokes men f or cul t ur al pl u- r al i s m wer e s er i ous , t hen pr es i - 24 dent s woul d have no f ear of l os i ng f i nanci al and mor al s uppor t . I n- deed, t he Feder al Gover nment and pr i vat e i ndus t r y i n s uch a cas e s houl d have no qual ms at al l about payi ng s ome i nt er es t on t hat gr eat i nvi s i bl e nat i onal debt , t he vas t backl og of s al ar y whi ch t hey owe us f or al mos t 400year s of econom- i c expl oi t at i on. But t hi s i s t oo much t o hope f or , and t oo nai ve, s i nce r ecent pr o- nouncement s by s ome of our pr es i - dent s i ndi cat e t hei r det er mi nat i on t o di e t he whi t e deat h, whi l e ot h- er s i ndi cat e an unf or t unat e conf u- s i on of a per s onal r evul s i on f or ex- t r emes of pi gment at i on wi t h t he l egi t i mat e concer n whi ch bl ack s t u- dent s have wi t h t he ul t i mat e pur - pos e of l i ber al educat i on- f r eedom t hr ough s el f - knowl edge. The r e- cour s e, t hen, mus t l i e i n t he wi l l - t o- bl acknes s of t he f acul t y and t he s t udent s . When t hi s wi l l becomes s t r ong enough, when i t becomes i nf or med, i n al l s ens es of t he wor d, wi t h SOUL, when i t r eaches t he s at ur at i on poi nt ( or bet t er s t i l l , when i t r eaches cr i t i cal mas s ) , i t wi l l demand i ns t i t ut i onal r es t r uc- t ur i ng- i n f acul t y, i n gener al r e- s our ces , and i n acknowl edged ai ms . Some of t hes e changes may t ake pl ace compar at i vel y r api dl y and t hor oughl y i n a f ews t r at egi c i ns t i - t ut i ons ; i n ot her s t hey may not oc- cur at al l . I n s ome, t o pur s ue a f i gur e, t he ener gy wi l l be har nes s ed f or t he good of al l ; i n ot her s , t he r es ul t may wel l be des t r uct i ve s o- ci al expl os i on. That t he r es i s t - Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST ant e i s f or mi dabl e i s obvi ous t o anyone who r eads t he news paper s . That t he change wi l l come i s equal - l y obvi ous t o al l but t he bl i nd and t he deaf , who r eal l y have no bus i - nes s at al l i n t he cr uci al t as k of edu- cat i ng t hi s newbl ack gener at i on who wel l may be our l as t hope f or s ani t y and decency i n t hi s count r y. Some of t he changes I s peak of may occur t hr ough t he f ol l owi ng s t r uct ur es : 1 . Regi onal or gani za- t i on; 2 . Shar ed r es our ces ; 3 . Sys t e- mat i c and cont i nual f acul t y and s t udent exchange, and 4. Bl ack humani s t s and " Speci al i s t s i n Bl acknes s . By r egi onal or gani zat i on, I mean s ever al t hi ngs . The f i r s t i s t he es - t abl i s hment of hones t and cr eat i ve r el at i ons hi ps wi t h non- academi c bl ack i nt el l ect ual communi t i es . I mean t he es t abl i s hment of newand r es pect abl e r el at i ons hi ps wi t h t he bl ack non- i nt el l ect ual communi - t i es . I mean t he es t abl i s hment of genui ne l i nes of communi cat i on be- t ween academi c i ns t i t ut i ons i n t he s ame r egi on, t hat i s , exchange be- l owt he admi ni s t r at i ve l evel . Thi s t ype of or gani zat i on i s admi t t edl y di f f i cul t , but model s do exi s t . The At l ant a Uni ver s i t y cent er i s mov- i ng i n t hi s di r ect i on. Fr om t hi s t ype of r egi onal r e- or gani zat i on coul d come mor e con- cr et e obj ect i ves , s har ed r es our ces , bot h gener al and human. Let us NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1 968 t ake an exampl e of each . Fi r s t , t he gener al . By t hi s I mean non- human r es our ces s uch as l i br ar y hol di ngs , ar t col l ect i ons , and t he l i ke. I s ub- mi t t hat t he aver age bl ack s t udent has no r eal not i on of t he r i chnes s of t he Fi s k Negr oana col l ect i on, or t he Howar d l i br ar y, or t he At l ant a Uni ver s i t y Negr o col l ect i ons of books , manus cr i pt s , and pai nt i ngs . Fewer s t udent s s t i l l knowanyt hi ng of t he Schomber g Col l ect i on, and hones t y compel s me t o s ay t hat al - t oget her t oo f ewpr of es s or s know ver y muchabout t hes e col l ect i ons . Whos e f aul t i s i t ? Our own. But f or t unat el y, s t r uct ur es al r eady ex- i s t whi chcoul d make i t pos s i bl e f or even t he s mal l es t , t he poor es t , Negr o col l ege t o wi l l i t s el f t o a s av- i ng s t at e of bl acknes s , as I have s ugges t ed i t s cont our s above . I f a panel of ar t i s t s and cr i t i cs compar abl e t o t he one whi ch s et up t he r ecent exhi bi t of Af r o- Amer i can pai nt i ng at Ci t y Col l ege (NewYor k) coul d cul l t he bes t and t he mos t r epr es ent at i ve exam- pl es of Af r i can and Af r o- Amer i can ar t whi ch our col l eges pos s es s , i t s houl d be a r el at i vel y s i mpl e mat - t er t o make s l i des and r epr oduc- t i ons avai l abl e at a nomi nal f ee even t o t hes e col l eges . Bot h, i t s eems t o me, l i e wi t hi n t he pos s i bi l - i t y of a Ti t l e I I I gr ant . Manus cr i pt mat er i al and ot her compar at i vel y r ar e i t ems coul d be made avai l abl e on mi cr of i l m, wi t h pr ovi s i ons made f or pr i nt - out s . Thi s i s j us t an obvi - ous exampl e. A mor e t hor ough goi ng pr opos i t i on woul d be t he es - 25 t abl i shment of an i nf or mat i on r e- t r i eval syst emconnect ed wi t h t he r egi onal r esour ces of our best school s, and even wi t h t he speci al r esour ces of t he nat i on' s l ar gest gr aduat e school s . ( I see t he i r ony i n t hi s l at t er st at ement , but what do you do at a Bl ack Uni ver si t y, i f someone el se has your ancest r al ar t i f act s- r ai d t he Br i t i sh Muse- um?) Ul t i mat el y, t he pur pose of such a syst emwoul d be t o st i mu- l at e st udent s and f acul t y al i ke t o vi si t t he i nst i t ut i ons wher et he or i g- i nal s exi st . Thi s br i ngs us t o t he next poi nt , human r esour ces . These r esour ces ar e, nat ur al l y, f acul t y and st udent s . The pr obl em, of cour se, i s t o get t hem t oget her on a meani ngf ul basi s acr oss i nst i t ut i onal l i nes . Now, some f ew st udent s and f ac- ul t y mi ght be st i mul at ed enough, or may havet he f i nanci al r esour ces, t o vi si t school s wi t h speci al l i br ar y or ar t hol di ngs, but t hi s i s not enough. What i s needed, i t seems t o me, i s some pl an wher eby a con- t i nual i nt er change of i deas and opi ni ons may be i nsur ed on a per - sonal , f ace- t o- f ace basi s . Thi s can be done by a syst emof st udent ex- change bet ween cent er s of Bl ack- ness and Negr o col l eges . Oddl y enough, a good deal of t hi s was done a f ew year s ago, onl y t he ex- change was, i n ef f ect , bet ween cen- t er s of Whi t eness and Negr o col - l eges . ( I r emember a boy f r omt he Mi d- west who l ef t af t er a f ew days on my campus, suf f er i ng, I was 26 ( Cont i nued onpage 80) t ol d, f r om "cul t ur e shock. ") Ob- vi ousl y, such a syst em can wor k onl y i f t he admi ni st r at i on of t he Negr o school i s sympat het i c, or apat het i c. I t r emai ns f or st udent s and f acul t y t o wi l l t he change, t o cr eat e t he st r uct ur e. At any r at e, t he vi si t s coul d l ast anywher e f r om a week- end t o a semest er , depend- i ng on t he academi c st andar ds of t he i nst i t ut i on and ot her such st i cky busi ness . Avi si t at i on per i od of a semest er woul d pr esuppose t hat t he st udent woul d f i nd somet hi ng wor t h hi s t i me i n one of t he r egi onal Bl ack Cent er s . What he shoul d f i nd i s a gr oup of gi f t ed Bl ack humani st s who have assembl ed, or have been assembl ed, at a cent er f or t he expr ess pur poses of t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y as st at ed above. Pr e- sumabl y, at f i r st , t her e woul dn' t be enough of t hese peopl e t o st af f al l of t he school s whi ch may r equi r e t hem. Pr esumabl y, some of t he school s may not be abl e t o af f or d t o pay t hem. ( Andone coul dn' t ex- pect t hem t o st ar ve ; bl ack st ar va- t i on i s st i l l st ar vat i on, no mat t er howsoul f ul . ) St i l l i t woul d be pos- si bl e ( especi al l y f or t he pol i t i cal l y aggr essi ve and t he academi cal l y and ar t i st i cal l y t al ent ed) f or a si zeabl e number of st udent s, no mat t er how poor , t o be br ought i nt o di al ogue wi t h t hi s gr oup of dedi cat ed and gi f t ed t eacher s . The st udent mi ght even spend t i me i n t wo or mor e such si t uat i ons, ob- t ai ni ng t he ki nd of exper i ence Mar ch 1968 NEGRO DI GEST Soci al Changei n theSi xti es THE BLACK UNI VERSI TY - and I TS COMMUNI TY BY J . HERMAN BLAKE ~5~~: ~' ORDER to become a vi abl e i nsti tuti on and to makea meani ngf ul contri buti on to the bl ack communi ty, the Bl ack Uni versi ty must becogni zant of thevari ed and compl ex devel op- ments amongbl ack peopl e. These devel opments shoul d become an expl i ci t part of course of f eri ngs i n an ef f ort to devel op a phi l osophy and i deol ogy whi ch wi l l permi t us Contradi cti ons : Whi l epoverty breeds al i enati on and af reshanger . . . NEGRO DI GEST March 1968 to anal yze and eval uate soci al change i n the bl ack communi ty f roma perspecti ve of bl ackness . The decade of the 1960' s wi l l certai nl y go downi n hi story as one i n whi ch maj or contradi ctory trends devel oped i n bl ack commu- ni ti es across thenati on. Thi s i s the decadethat has seen bl ack peopl e achi evehi gher pol i ti cal of f i ces than ever bef ore. Two of the nati on' s maj or ci ti es haveel ected bl ackmen 27 as mayors, anot her bl ack man was el ect ed as Senat or f rom a New Engl and st at e, a bl ack man si t s on t he cabi net of t he Presi dent , and anot her bl ack man si t s on t he Su- preme Court . Al l of t hese are dra- mat i c and si gni f i cant " f i rst s" f or bl ack peopl e i n t he Si xt i es and t hey port end f urt her changes . Wi t h t hese devel opment s have come ot her phenomena whi ch i n- di cat e t he perpl exi ng and t roubl ed si t uat i on wi t hi n bl ack communi t i es, f or t hi s i s al so t he f i rst decade t o see maj or urban i nsurrect i on f or f our consecut i ve summers, wi t h t he most recent out burst s f ar more severe t han any previ ous ones . Thi s i s t he decade t hat has seen more and more bl ack mi l i t ant s t ake up t he phi l osophy of sel f - def ense when at t acked, vi ewi ng vi ol ent act i on as an ef f ect i ve approach t o bl ack di g- ni t y and manhood. Thi s i s t he dec- ade t hat has seen more and more bl ack yout h ref usi ng t o serve i n t he Armed Forces of t he Uni t ed St at es on t he grounds t hat t he nat i on i s engaged i n a program of genoci de agai nst bl ack peopl e i n ot her l ands, and wi t hi n i t s own conf i nes t he na- t i on i s al so pract i ci ng genoci de agai nst bl acks . These cont radi ct ory t rends amongst bl ack peopl e i n Ameri ca- on t he one hand some bl ack men get t i ng more rewards f or part i ci pat i ng i n t he syst em, and on t he ot her hand bl ack men ref usi ng t o part i ci pat e regardl ess of t he re- wards- must be t aken i nt o con- si derat i on by a Bl ack Uni versi t y, f or t he cont radi ct i on requi res some resol ut i on. I n t hi s paper we shal l revi ewsev- eral recent and maj or demographi c . . . a mi nori t y wi t hi n t he mi nori t y moves deeper i nt o t he mi ddl e cl ass . 23 March 1968 NEGRODI GEST t r ends i n t he bl ack communi t y t o shed some l i ght upon some of t he under l yi ng var i abl es i n t hi s per - pl exi ng si t uat i on. Ther e ar e a va- r i et y of ways i n whi ch t hese changes can be anal yzed, but we choose t o f ocus upon t wo gener al ap- pr oaches : ( 1) wher e we wer e at t he begi nni ng of t he decade, or an ear l i er poi nt , as compar ed t o wher e we ar e now; and ( 2 ) t he r el at i ve changes i n t he bl ack and whi t e communi t i es, and wher e t hese changes l eave us i n r el at i on t o t hose who so ut t er l y f ai l t o under st and our condi t i on. The var i et i es of var i abl es t hat one mi ght sel ect , t he di f f er ent st at i st i cal measur es t hat mi ght be appl i ed, and t he di f f er ent base popul at i ons, or st ar t i ng poi nt s, make i t easy t o pr ove any poi nt one wi shes t o pr ove about t he bl ack communi t y. We hope t o avoi d t hi s pr obl emi n some i nst ances ( not a- bl y i ncome) by pr esent i ng sever al measur es t o showt he t r ends i n t he bl ack communi t y. One of t he most si gni f i cant Twent i et h- cent ur y t r ends among bl ack peopl e ha. s been t he r edi st r i - but i on cf t he popul at i on, f r omt he count r y t o t he ci t y, and out of t he Sout h t o t he Nor t h and West . Thi s t r end has cont i nued i nt o t he Si xt i es . Bet ween 1960 and 1966 t he pr o- por t i on of bl ack peopl e i n t he Sout h decl i ned f r om60t o 55 per cent . We shoul d not i gnor e t he f act , how- ever , t hat despi t e a vast mi gr at or y t r end, t he maj or i t y of t he bl ack peopl e st i l l l i ve i n t he Sout h, and bl acks make up one- f i f t h of t he NEGRO DI GEST Mar ch 1968 t ot al popul at i on i n t he sout her n st at es . I n addi t i on t o t he movement out of t he Sout h, bl ack peopl e have been movi ng i nt o ci t i es, and t he l ar ge ones at t hat , i n bot h Nor t h and Sout h. The r ecent appoi nt ment of a bl ack "mayor " i n Washi ngt on, D . C. , and t he el ect i on of bl ack men t o mayor al t i es i n Gar y and Cl evel and i s a di r ect mani f est at i on of t he pr esence of l ar ge bl ack popu- l at i ons i n t hese ci t i es . Over hal f ( 56 per cent ) of al l bl ack peopl e nowl i ve i n t he cent r al ci t i es of met r opol i t an ar eas, and t he popu- l at i on i ncr ease has been f ast est i n t he l ar gest ci t i es . I n met r opol i t an ar eas wi t h one mi l l i on or mor e per - sons, bl ack peopl e compr i se one- f our t h of t he cent r al ci t y popul a- t i on, and t he exper t s est i mat e t hat i n 1965 bl ack peopl e wer e at l east 25 per cent or mor e of t he popul a- t i on of 11 of t he 30l ar gest ci t i es i n t he count r y. These ci t i es and t he pr opor t i ons of t hei r popul at i on whi ch ar e bl ack ar e as f ol l ows : The evi dence i ndi cat es t hat mor e bl ack peopl e t han ever bef or e ar e bot h i nt er est ed i n educat i on and ar e 29 Washi ngt on 66 Newar k 47 At l ant a 44 NewOr l eans 41 Memphi s 40 Bal t i mor e 38 St . Loui s 36 Cl evel and 34 Det r oi t 34 Phi l adel phi a 31 Chi cago 28 t aki ng advant age of ever y oppor - t uni t y t o i ncr ease t hei r knowl edge . The st at i st i cs on t he pr opor t i ons of bl acks compl et i ng hi gh school and col l ege showsome i nt er est i ng and si gni f i cant t r ends . I n 1960, 36 per - cent of al l bl ack mal es and 41 per - cent of al l bl ack f emal es bet ween t he ages of 25- 29 had compl et ed hi gh school . However , by 1966, 53 per cent of al l bl ack mal es and 49 per cent of al l bl ack f emal es i n t he same age cat egor y had compl et ed hi gh school . Not onl y was t her e a dr amat i c i ncr ease i n t he pr opor t i on of young adul t s wi t h hi gh school di pl omas, t he number of young mal es compl et i ng ni gh school now exceeds t he number of young f e- mal es . Al t hough t he pr opor t i ons ar e much l ower , t he same t r end hol ds f or t hose compl et i ng col l ege. I n 1960, 4 per cent of al l bl ack mal es bet ween t he ages of 25 and 34, and 5 per cent of al l bl ack f e- mal es had compl et ed f our or mor e year s of col l ege. By 1965 t hese pr opor t i ons had i ncr eased t o 7 per - cent f or mal es and 6 per cent f or f emal es . I f t he dr amat i c i ncr ease i n hi gh school compl et i ons i s any i n- di cat or , we can expect subst ant i al i mpr ovement s i n t he number of bl ack yout h wi t h col l ege degr ees i n t he next f ewyear s . I t i s not at al l i nsi gni f i cant i n consi der i ng a Bl ack Uni ver si t y t o r ecogni ze t hat t he educat i onal ex- per i ence of bl ack yout h st i l l t akes pl ace i n pr edomi nant l y bl ack school s wher e t he cul t ur e of bl ack peopl e i s mai nt ai ned i n t he i nt er - 30 act i on of t he yout h i f not i n t he educat i onal cur r i cul um. Si xt y- si x per cent of al l bl ack yout hs i n t he t wel f t h gr ade i n 1965 wer e i n school s whi ch wer e pr edomi nant l y bl ack, so t hese yout h woul d pr oba- bl y be mor e comf or t abl e and at ease i n bl ack i nst i t ut i ons of hi gher educat i on . Despi t e t he movement i nt o ci t i es wher e occupat i onal oppor t uni t y i s sai d t o be hi gher , despi t e hi gher l evel s of educat i on, t he empl oyment si t uat i on of bl ack peopl e has changed l i t t l e f r omt he " l ast hi r ed. f i r st f i r ed" st at us . Si nce t he ear l y Fi f t i es t he unempl oyment r at e f or bl ack peopl e has been about t wi ce as hi gh as t hat f or whi t es, and i t has r emai ned t hi s way unt i l t he pr esent day, al t hough unempl oy- ment r at es have f l uct uat ed consi d- er abl y . I n 1961, t he unempl oyment r at e f or bl ack peopl e went up t o 12. 4 per cent , t he hi ghest si nce 1958 ( 12. 6) , but i t has dr opped st eadi l y i n subsequent year s . I t went down t o 8. 1 per cent i n 1965. and t he decl i ne cont i nued t o 7 . 3 per cent f or t he f i r st ni ne mont hs of 1967. Bl ack peopl e ar e over - r epr esent ed i n ever y cat egor y of un- empl oyment . Dur i ng t he f i r st ni ne mont hs of 1967, bl acks compr i sed 11 per cent of t he ci vi l i an l abor f or ce, but wer e 21 per cent of al l unempl oyed wor ker s and 23 per - cent of t hose per sons unempl oyed f or at l east t hr ee and a hal f consec- ut i ve mont hs . Teen- ager s st i l l suf f er t he most of t hose wi t hout j obs f or i n t he f i r st par t of 1967 t he unem- Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST pl oyment r at e f or bl ack yout h be- t ween 16 and 19 was 26 per cent , mor e t han t wi ce t he r at e f or whi t e yout h. Bet ween 1960 and 1966, t her e wer e subst ant i al i ncr eases i n t he number of bl ack peopl e hol di ng whi t e col l ar posi t i ons, andl ess dr a- mat i c but st i l l i ncr eases f or bl acks hol di ng bl ue col l ar posi t i ons. The i ncr ease i n whi t e col l ar empl oy- ment shows t hel ar gest gai n i n cl er i - cal and sal es posi t i ons. Bl acks ar e st i l l under - r epr esent ed i n t he ski l l ed whi t e col l ar posi t i ons, as of 1966, wi t h t he si t uat i on f or bl ack mal es and bl ack f emal es showi ng some si gni f i cant di f f er ences . I n pr of es- si onal and t echni cal posi t i ons bl ack mal es r epr esent 42 per cent as many as t her e woul d be i f t her e wer e f ul l occupat i onal equal i t y, whi l e f emal es i n t he same cat egor y r epr esent 58 per cent as many as woul dbe f oundi n a si t uat i on of f ul l equal i t y. On t he ot her hand, i n t he cl er i cal posi t i ons bl ack mal es r ep- r esent 89 per cent as many as woul d be f ound i n a si t uat i on of f ul l equal i t y whi l e bl ack f emal es compr i se onl y 39 per cent . These andot her dat a whi ch we have ana- l yzed i ndi cat e t hat t he bl ack f emal e has a bet t er chance of obt ai ni ng a j ob consi st ent wi t h her educat i on andt r ai ni ng t han t he bl ack mal e i n t he pr of essi onal , t echni cal and manager i al cat egor i es, whi l e bl ack mal es ar e mor el i kel y t han f emal es t o be adequat el y r epr esent ed i n cl er i cal posi t i ons. NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 (Cont i nued on page 84) Thechr oni c pr obl ems bl ack peo- pl e f ace wi t h educat i on, empl oy- ment , and occupat i onal l evel s ar e r ef l ect ed i n t he i ncome l evel s of t he popul at i on, al t hough t he Si xt i es have seen changes i n i ncome f or bl acks. Ther e ar e var yi ng i nt er pr e- t at i ons of i ncome changes i n t he bl ack communi t y and t hey pr oduce di f f er ent concl usi ons. Some ana- l yst s t al k about t he i ncome of f am- i l i es, whi l e ot her s t al k about t he i ncome of per sons, andt hen di f f er - ent i at e bet ween mal es and f emal es . Fur t her mor e, i ncome changes can be anal yzed i n t er ms of t heper cent - age change i n medi an i ncome, t he r at i o of bl ack t o whi t e medi an i n- come, or t he absol ut e bl ack- whi t e di f f er ences i n i ncome. Let us see howt he bl ack si t uat i on i n t he Si x- t i es st ands up i n t er ms of al l t hese measur ement s. I n 1960, 68 per cent of al l bl ack f ami l i es hadi ncomes under $5, 000 per year (36 per cent of al l whi t e f ami l i es wer e at t hi s l evel ), but by 1966 t hi s had decl i ned t o 56 per - cent of al l f ami l i es ( 27 per cent f or whi t es) . The pr opor t i on of bl ack f ami l i es wi t h i ncomes be- t ween $5, 004 and $10, 000went up f r om27 t o 33 per cent (whi t e f am- i l i es decl i ned f r om46 t o 44 per - cent ), bet ween 1960 and 1966. Bl ack f ami l i es wi t h i ncomes over $10, 000went upf r om6 t o 12 per - cent i n t he same per i od of t i me (wi t h a cor r espondi ng i ncr ease f r om 18 t o 30 per cent f or whi t e f ami l i es) . These f i gur es ar e ad- 31 Thi s pr ovocat i ve phot o of a l i t t l e boy cr ouchedona cl ay f l oor , szceat - i ng i n t he mi dday heat , t el l s much about t he agony of soczzr i ng an educat i on i n r aci st Sout h Af r i ca. I t i s f r om House of Bondage (Random Hozzse, X10) , by Er nest Col e. 3 2
Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST For Our Peopl e- Everywhere "Byf ar t he great est andmost si gni f i cant t hi ng t hat i s happeni ng i n t he Worl d t oday i s a movement on f oot f or gi vi ng t he benef i t s of ci vi l i zat i on t o t hat huge maj ori t y of t he human race t hat has pai d f or ci vi l i zat i on, wi t hout shari ng i n i t s benef i t s . . . " ( Arnol dToyt abee) ". . . most Ameri can Negroes, even t hose of i nt el l i gence and cour- age, donot f ul l y real i ze t hat t hey are bei ng bri bed t o t rade equal st at us i n t he Uni t ed St at es f or t he sl avery of t he maj ori t y of men. When t hi s i s cl ear, especi al l y t o t he bl ack yout h, t he race must be aroused t o t hought and act i on and wi l l see t hat t he pri ce asked f or t hei r cooperat i on i s f ar hi gher t han need bepai d . . . " ( W. E. B. DuBoi , s) NE OFTHEmost i n- si st ent t hemes i n t he l i t erat ure of bl ack Ameri ca i s t heat t empt t o art i cul at e our awareness of t he presenceof a cer- t ai n di vi dedness i n our deepest bei ngs, an i nner t ensi on whi ch W. E. B. DuBoi s ref erred t o as a t woness of spi ri t and soul . Whi l eal l Ameri cans ( event hose who were here when t he ot hers camehal f a mi l l enni a ago) arepeo- pl eof a brokenpast , nowherei s t he t ensi on so of t en obvi ous as wi t hi n t heAf ro-Ameri cancommuni t y. We 0 NEGRODI GEST March 1968 BYVI NCENT HARDI NG are t hel argest si ngl esegment of t he nat i on whi ch hol ds wi t hi n i t sel f bot h East and West , bot h Af ri ca and Ameri ca, bot h devel oped and devel opi ng soci et i es . For many of us t he t ensi on has been so unbear- abl ypai nf ul t hat wehavecol l apsed i t on one or t he ot her si de. Unt i l recent l y, i t was more of t en t he West ern, devel oped si de whi cht ri - umphed . Now, of course, t here moves among us a renewed con- sci ousness of our non-West ernness, and i n t he ghet t os of t he l and one easi l y senses t hat manybl ack men are seeki ng t o bui l d and cel ebrat e 33 a new- ol d nat i on i nt he mi dst of t he wor l d' s most "devel oped" soci et y . Any uni ver si t y whi ch gr ew wi t h i nt egr i t y out of t he gr ound of our bl ack exper i ence i n Amer i ca woul d have t o r ef l ect and bear t he cr ea- t i ve agony of t hat t ensi on- no mat - t er how gr eat t he t empt at i on t o escape i t . The l i f e of such an i nst i - t ut i on woul d, i n many ways, t est i f y t o t he West er ni zat i on of our l i ves, but i f i t i s t o make a maj or cont r i - but i on t o i t s st udent s and t hei r wor l d, t he West er n exper i ence can- not be i t s most i mpor t ant empha- si s . Mor e t han 2, 000 col l eges and uni ver si t i es i n t hi s count r y ( and hundr eds mor e i n Eur ope) al r eady per f or m t hat t ask . Though "pr e- domi nant l y Negr o" i nst i t ut i ons have l ong i mi t at ed such a di r ect i on, t hose of us who seek t o bui l d f ai t h- f ul l y out of t he mat er i al s of t he Af r o- Amer i can exper i ence ar e cal l ed t o ot her pat hs. One maj or st r engt h of a bl ack uni ver si t y woul d be i t s i nt er na- nat i onal i sm, but i t s f ocus woul d not f ol l ow t he st yl e of t he scor es of "I nt er nat i onal St udi es" pr ogr ams whi ch have bur geoned i n Amer i can i nst i t ut i ons si nce t he Kor ean War . I nst ead, t he uni queness of our ap- pr oach t o t he wor l d woul d be f ound i n our vi si on t hr ough an un- ashamedl y bl ack- or i ent ed pr i sm. I n t he academi c pr ogr am and i n a hundr ed ot her l ess st r uct ur ed ways, t he bl ack uni ver si t y woul d seek t o expl or e, cel ebr at e and r ecor d t he exper i ences of t he non- West er n wor l d. Because of much t hat we 3 4 have l i ved t hr ough, our f ocus woul d be upon t hat segment of t he non- West whi ch has exi st ed under West er n domi nat i on f or t he r el a- t i vel y br i ef span of 400 year s or l ess, and whi ch now shakes t he wor l d wi t h i t s ef f or t s t o wr ench f r ee. Even wi t hi n t hat gr oup our spe- ci al t y woul d r i ght f ul l y be f ound among t he peopl es of Af r i ca, bot h t hose who r emai ned on t he cont i - nent and t hose who wer e f or ced i nt o t he New Wor l d t hr ough t he di aspor a of sl aver y . Thi s, i n a pe- cul i ar way, i s our t hi ng, and we woul d have no l ess r eason t o bui l d on i t i n a uni ver si t y set t i ng t han Br andei s has f or bui l di ng on J ew- i sh St udi es, or Mi nnesot a on I m- mi gr ant St udi es, or Okl ahoma on st udi es of t he Amer i can I ndi an. I n an ar t i cl e of t hi s l engt h i t i s possi bl e onl y t o suggest some of t he di r ect i ons such a bl ack- or i ent ed i n- t er nat i onal i smmi ght t ake i n a uni - ver si t y cont ext , but cer t ai n l i nes ar e suggest i ve of t he whol e. I n t he academi c pr ogr am, one of t he most at t r act i ve aspect s of t hi s f ocus woul d be compar at i ve, i nt er cul - t ur al st udi es of many ki nds, espe- ci al l y i n t he humani t i es and t he soci al sci ences . For i nst ance, i n musi c we woul d t r y t o devel op an under st andi ng of t he cont i nui t i es and di scont i nui t i es among t he mu- si cal st yl es of Af r i ca and t hose of i t s scat t er ed chi l dr en i n t he nor t h- er n and sout her n por t i ons of t he bl ack, NewWor l d. ( The dance and t he dr ama woul d pr esent obvi ous Mar ch 1968 NEGRO DI GEST anal ogues f or possi bl e st udy. ) We woul d al so at t empt t o expl or e t he i mpl i cat i ons of t he st r ong si mi l ar i - t i es whi ch a not ed l i t er ar y aut hor - i t y cl ai ms he has f ound i n t he l i t er at ur e r ecent l y comi ng out of Har l emand out of bl ack J ohannes- bur g. What f asci nat i ng i nsi ght s mi ght cour ses i n "Compar at i ve Bl ack Li t er at ur e" pr oduce? When we r eal i ze t hat t her e ar e sect i ons of Cuba and ot her par t s of Lat i n Amer i ca wher e Af r i can r el i - gi ous pr act i ces ar e al i ve and pr os- per i ng, i t i s obvi ous t hat t he st udy of compar at i ve r el i gi ous devel op- ment i s al so f i l l ed wi t h new possi bi l i t i es i n such a cont ext . ( Especi al l y as t hose who know bl ack f ol k r el i gi on i n t he Uni t ed St at es r emi nd us of t he per si st ent pr esence of a bel i ef i n r el i gi ous magi c her e . ) Or i t may be t hat i n such a set t i ng, car ef ul el abor at i on woul d be done on a si gni f i cant i n- t er di sci pl i nar y as wel l as i nt er cul - t ur al academi c monogr aph, such as Lant er nar i ' s The Rel i gi ons of t he Oppr essed. For her e, i n a st udy of t he messi ani c movement s of t he non- West er n wor l d, i t i s cl ear t hat hi st or y, pol i t i cal sci ence, soci ol ogy, psychol ogy and r el i gi on encount er and enr i ch each ot her . Fewset t i ngs woul d be mor e congeni al t o such mut ual i nt el l ect ual f er t i l i zat i on t han t he ki nd of i nst i t ut i on we envi si on . I ndeed such a st udy as Lant er - nar i ' s st r ongl y suggest s t hat t he bl ack- or i ent ed uni ver si t y coul d pr e- sent a mar vel ous oppor t uni t y f or NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 t he soci al sci ences i n Amer i ca t o br eak out of t hei r nat i onal i st i c t r ap. Soci ol ogy mi ght i ncl ude such mat t er s as ur ban devel opment among bl ack peopl e i n Nai r obi , Chi cago and Ri o. Pol i t i cal Sci ence coul d wel l anal yse t he f or ms of r e- si st ance t o col oni al domi nat i on i n Har l em, Cuba, Mozambi que and Vi et nam. So, t oo, mi ght speci al i st ; i n Educat i on t r y t o under st and t he ways i n whi ch I ndi ans, Af r i cans, and Af r o- Amer i cans have at t empt - ed t o r escue t hei r educat i onal syst ems f r om t he domi nat i on of st r uct ur es and i deol ogi es shaped i n Engl and, Fr ance and whi t e Amer i ca . Semi nar s i n non- West er n cul t ur al nat i onal i sms of t he moder n wor l d mi ght be f i l l ed wi t h exci t e- ment and pr of i t f or t hose who ar e t r yi ng t o di scer n, devel op and sus- t ai n an Af r o- Amer i can st yl e of l i f e . The academi c cur r i cul umwoul d be, of cour se, onl y one of t he pl aces i n whi ch t he uni que i nt er na- t i onal i sm of t he bl ack uni ver si t y mi ght be expr essed. Speci al i nst i - t ut es on Af r o- Amer i can ( usi ng "Amer i can" i n t he hemi spher i c sense ) cul t ur e woul d abound. Col - l oqui es on a subj ect l i ke Sl aver y woul d engage schol ar s f r om al l over t he New Wor l d, especi al l y t hose who st i l l bear t he mar ks whi ch wer e f i r st pai nf ul l y known by t hei r ancest or s . Conf er ences on such t opi cs as "The Rol e of Women i n Re- Emer gi ng Soci et i es, " woul d si mpl y be par t of t he br eat hi ng of such a school . Symposi a on st r at egi es f or soci al 35 change i n t he f or mer col oni al soci - et i es woul dbe sponsor ed- but not by t he Amer i canSt at e Depar t ment . "Thi nk Tanks" f i l l ed wi t h t he var - i ed but const ant exper i ence of bl ackness mi ght be est abl i shed f or t he sol e pur pose of anal yzi ng spe- ci f i c conf l i ct si t uat i ons f r omDet r oi t t o Angol a ( and beyond) , and sug- gest i ng di r ect i ons of act i ons and i deol ogy f or t hose who ar e st r ug- gl i ng t o br eak away f r om t he hegemony of t he West . Fr omsuch a uni ver si t y t her e woul d go out t eams of speci al i st s i n devel opment whose pr i mar y concer ns woul dnot i ncl ude t he openi ng of wedges f or Amer i can i nf l uences . Rat her t hei r sear ch woul dbe f or ways i n whi ch moder ni zat i on mi ght be pur ged of i t s synonymous r el at i onshi p wi t h West er ni zat i on and Amer i cani za- t i on. Thr oughout t he Sl ack Uni ver - si t y andi n al l of i t s speci al pr oj ect s, t he emphasi s woul d be on t he sear ch f or new model s, f or new syst ems, f or newways of l i f e, f r ee f r omt he suf f ocat i ng gr asp of t he most cur r ent f or ms of i mper i al i sm. Not onl y woul d speci al i st s be sent out i n such a sear ch, but ot her ki nds of "speci al i st s" woul d be br ought i n. Repr esent at i ves of t he ant i - col oni al f or ces, member s of Li ber at i on Fr ont s, r el i gi ous and educat i onal l eader s f r om t he r e- 36 hor ni ng nat i ons woul d be i nvi t ed and wel comed i n or der t o gi ve deeper meani ng t o t he sear chi ng. I ndeed, such a uni ver si t y mi ght wel l become a sanct uar y of sor t s f or some of t he wor l d' s r evol ut i on- ar i es . What bet t er way t o r ai se t he har d quest i ons whi ch many r evol u- t i ons of t en f or ce honest i nt el l ec- t ual s t o ask? Such an i nst i t ut i on woul d sel f - consci ousl y be or i ent i ng i t s st u- dent s t owar d an under st andi ng of - and an appr eci at i on f or - t he myr i ad ways i n whi ch our exper i - ences her e as col oni al s who wer e br ought t o t he "mot her count r y" par al l el t hose of our br ot her s who had t o r ecei ve t he emi ssar i es of count l ess whi t e f at her l ands . ( l t woul d, of cour se, al so st r ess t he uni queness of t he Af r o- Amer i can col oni al exper i ence. ) As a par t of devel opi ng t hi s sense of common exper i ence- and common r oot s- summer st udy and J uni or Year s abr oad i n Eur ope woul d l i kel y be- come t he except i on, andbl ack st u- dent s woul d move t owar d Lat i n Amer i ca, Af r i ca, I ndi a and Asi a f or t hei r exper i ence of i nt er cul t ur al exchange and over seas st udy . ( Thi s di r ect i on woul d, of cour se, have si gni f i cant i mpl i cat i ons f or t he l an- guages t aught i n t he i nst i t ut i on. Ger man, f or i nst ance, mi ght have di f f i cul t i es . ) Bot h st udent and f ac- ul t y exchanges wi t h t he non- West - er n wor l d woul d become a r egul ar par t of t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y' s l i f e. The j our nal of such a cent er mi ght wel l seek t o al l y i t sel f wi t h t he New Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST Worl d publ i cat i on of t he Cari b- bean, wi t h Presence Af ri cai ne, and wi t h ot her l esser known publ i ca- t i ons of t he non- West ern i nt el l ec- t ual s. The uni versi t y woul dbe servi ce- ori ent ed i n t he l argest sense of t hat t erm. I t woul d set up ski l l s banks f or devel opi ng nat i ons andi t woul d urge t hose st udent s who do not re- t urn t o t he bl ack Ameri can com- muni t i es t o of f er t hei r ski l l s i n Af ri ca, Lat i n Ameri ca and wher- ever el se t hey are needed and desi red. Concei vabl y, a bl ack- ori ent ed Overseas Servi ce Corps mi ght devel op, and t hi s woul d not onl y provi de excel l ent nat i on- bui l di ng opport uni t i es, but i t coul d become an al t ernat i ve t o act i on wi t h t he Uni t ed St at es mi l i t ary f orces . For i t i s l i kel y t hat t he i n- t ernat i onal ori ent at i on of a Bl ack Uni versi t y wi l l creat e many di s- sent ers t o t he f orei gn pol i cy whi ch our armed f orces nowenf orce. Shoul d i t ref use t o ent er t he l i st s of Ameri can f orei gn pol i cy sup- port ers, shoul d i t become a si gni f i - cant source of di ssent and t he cent er of a search f or newways of i nt ernat i onal l i f e, i t i s not easy t o know how t he Bl ack Uni versi t y woul d be f unded. I ndeed, i f i t saw reason t o move beyond experi - ment s i n nat i on- bui l di ng t o t he search f or a newworl d soci et y i n whi ch nat i ons pl ayed a f ar l ess si g- ni f i cant rol e, i t s enemi es mi ght come f romt he nat i onal i st i c l ef t as wel l as t he ri ght . Cert ai n moni es woul d not be avai l abl e. Ot hers NEGRO Df GEST March 1968 ( l i ke some connect ed wi t h bl ack Chi cago sl ums or Af ri can di amond mi ni ng) mi ght not be accept ed. A Free Bl ack Uni versi t y mi ght be f orced i nt o exi st ence. For t he present t hat i s t he prob- l emof ot her wri t ers and ot her mo- ment s. At t hi s moment i t may suf f i ce t o say t hat t he Bl ack Uni - versi t y must seek t o be f ai t hf ul t o t he best dreams of our great est t went i et h cent ury bl ack dreamers, f romDu Boi s t o ( Frant z) Fanon. I t shoul d at l east at t empt t o pl ace t he ri se of t he West i n proper hi s- t ori cal perspect i ve, ref usi ng ei t her t o do homage t o- or t o be t erri f i ed by- what may wel l prove t o be no more t han a hyper- act i ve aberra- t i on i n t he cont ext of manki nd' s l ong, essent i al l y non- West ern pi l - gri mage . Such a servi ce t o t rut h woul d be nomean accompl i shment i n i t sel f . Nevert hel ess, t o speak of Fanon i s t o suggest even more. For i t may be t hat , i n i t s i nt ernat i onal aspect s, such an i nst i t ut i on mi ght wel l t ake as i t s f i ercel y dri vi ng t heme t he cal l of hi s l ast chapt er i n The Wret ched of t he F_ art h. There hi s words were a cal l out of t he darkness of hope- l ess, cyni cal react i on on t he one hand, and out of ersat z bri ght ness of i mi t at i ve European st yl es on t he ot her . I t was a cal l t o t he l i ght - f i l l ed ( somet i mes bl i ndi ng) , gruei - l i ng search f or new shapes and f orms, f or pat t erns whi ch deal wi sel y wi t h t he l onger l i nes of hi s- t ory and t he deepest needs of men. Ul t i mat el y, of course, he urged, 3 7 For Europe, f or oursel ves and f or humani t y, comrades, wemust t urn over a newl eaf , we must work out newcon- cept s, and t ry t o set af oot a newman. As such hi s cal l i s hei r t o al l t he pi t f al l s of messi ani sm, at most , and t o t he di si l l usi ons of abort ed hope 3 8 at l east . Nevert hel ess, i t may wel l be f ar bet t er t hat a uni versi t y shoul d search and reach and possi bl y f ai l at t he pract i ce of such hope t han t hat i t sel l out t o t he hi ghest bi dder and l i ve on i n t he st yl e t o whi ch Ameri ca has accus- t omedus . I f i t i s bet t er t o t ry t o do our t hi ng, t hen l et us press on- t owards t he Bl ackUni versi t y. Vi ncent Hardi ng, aut hor of "Some I nt ernat i onal I mpl i cat i ons of t he Bl ack Uni versi t y, " i s prof essor of Hi st ory at Spel man Col l ege i n At l ant a, Ga. Dr . Hardi ng al so i s coordi nat or of t he f ort hcomi ng con- f erence on "Bl ack Consci ousness and Hi gher Educat i on. " Hi s art i cl es and poems have appeared previ ousl y i n NEGRODI GEST. March 1968 NEGRODI GEST NEGRODI GEST March 1968 39 ACase Study 40 Ayoungsoci ol ogi st, di smi ssed f r or n the nati on' s l eadi ngpr edomi - nantl y- Negr o uni ver si ty f or hi s mi l i tant pr o- bl ack acti vi ti es, pr o- vi des a f i r st- per son account of the events u~l r . i ch l ed to hi s di smi - ssal BY NATHANHARE OWARDUNI VERSI - TY spr eads l i ke a compl ex of cancer ous sor es on a br east- l i ke hi l l i n the hear t of one of the wor st secti ons- by most cr i ter i a- of the Di str i ct of Col um- bi a. The uni ver si ty, whi ch i s dr abl y cached i n subdued maj esty mi dway the census tr acts heavi est i n " soci al di sor gani zati on, " was f ounded i n hypocr i ti cal contr adi c- ti on by an ambi val ent gener al , Ol i ver Oti s Howar d, appar entl y a " God- f ear i ng" r el i gi ous f anati c who f or ewent hi s ambi ti on to be- come a mi ni ster , l ater a l awyer , to gai n power thr ough mi l i tar y mi ght and posi ti on. t My of f i ce dur i ng my f i r st thr ee year s as a pr of essor at Howar d was i na thi r d f l oor cor ner of what once was Gener al Howar d' s mansi on on the campus. Fr omther e I coul d see the Washi ngtonMonument andthe Capi tol Bui l di ng j ust beyond the squal or of Washi ngton' s ghetto. On the way to the of f i ce each day I passed thr ough the conf usi on and angui sh of students wai ti ng i n the bui l di ng to gai n admi ssi on to the " counsel i ng center " wher e thei r educati onal f ates woul dbe di ctated to themby hosti l e cl er ks hopi ng, somehow, to pi ece together the debr i s f r omover l y zeal ous admi n- i str ati ve decr ees. Today, vi ewi ng Howar d f r oma di stance of mor e than a mi l e, yet f r omthe vantage poi nt of an i nti - mate exposur e to i ts i nner wor k- i ngs, I amabl e to watch i t wr i the Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST NEGRODI GEST March 1968
41 and qui ver , caught i n t he conf l i ct bet ween t he new sur ge f or bl ack equal i t y and t he deat h- bed cont or - t i ons of whi t e supr emacy and op- pr essi on. I t i s a condi t i on I have knownf i r st hand f or mor e t han si x year s and have st udi ed t hor oughl y wi t h t he combi ned t ool s of t he so- ci ol ogi st and t he j our nal i st . I l ear ned t hat Howar d Uni ver si - t y, whi ch acqui r ed i t s f i r st set of bui l di ngs i l l egal l y and became a "monument " t o Gener al O. How- ar d and hi s scheme, has never br oken ent i r el y f r ee f r omt he gr i ps of a mi l i t ar y- r el i gi ous- pol i t i cal cor - r upt i on. Wi t h t hi s i nf l uence [ cr i t i ci zed al so by t he gr eat Fr eder i ck Dougl as, a "col or ed" member of t he boar d of t r ust ees, who descr i bed t he "r i ng" as "hungr y shar ks, wi t h pr of essi ons of pi et y upon t hei r l i ps"] a t her e devel - oped [ i n t he wor ds of J ohn Mer - cer Langst on who event ual l y r e- si gned i n pr ot est f r om hi s posi - t i on as Dean of t he LawSchool - t he ent i r e LawSchool f acul t y wi t h hi m- bef or e goi ng on t o become t he f i r st Negr o ever el ect ed t o publ i c of f i ce i n t he Uni t ed St at es] appear ed and gr ew t he f eel i ng t hat t he Negr o, whet her as t r ust eee or member of t he f acul t y, i s of smal l ac- count , i ndeed r at her a pest onl y as he ser ves t o gi ve col or t o t he ent er pr i se . . . and wi t h t hi s f eel i ng has const ant l y gr own t he i dea t hat t he Col or ed yout h at - t endi ng t he Uni ver si t y ar e i n- 4 2 capabl e of hi gh i nt el l ect ual achi evement . } St i l l , by 1940 t he Uni ver si t y, whi ch opened i n 1867 wi t h an al l - whi t e f acul t y and st udent body, had a st udent body one- hal f of one per cent whi t e and a f acul t y l ess t han ni ne per cent whi t e. Today t he gr aduat e and pr of essi onal school s, not abl e i n t he medi cal pr o- f essi ons wher e whi t e r ej ect s f r om whi t e school s f r equent l y have hi gh enough scor es t o out di st ance poor - l y t r ai ned bl ack appl i cant s, ar e f ast devel opi ng a whi t e maj or i t y ; and t hi s i s al so t he t r end f or t he l i ber al ar t s f acul t y ( wher e t he aver age sal - ar y i s hi gher f or whi t e pr of essor s t han f or bl ack _pr of essor s at t he same r ank ) . J ust pr i or t o t he emer gence of t hi s t r end, as Howar d became ` ' t he Capst one of Negr o educat i on, " i t al so became an epi t ome of pol i t i cal doci l i t y and academi c not hi ngness, gr ovel i ng at t he f eet of out si de ( mai nl y Gover nment ) expect a- t i ons, r eal or i magi ned, and f awn- i ng upon whi t e Congr essi onal ap- pr opr i at or s . However , i n an er a of gr eat er access t o whi t e col l eges and "r i si ng Negr o expect at i ons, " t hi s f oot shuf f l i ng was pr ovi ng i nade- quat e, as t he Cent enni al year ap- pr oached, i n t he compet i t i on f or t op st udent s and pr of essor s . Faced wi t h t hi s pr edi cament , admi ni st r a- t ar s mer el y i nt ensi f i ed t hei r St epi n' Fet chi t t act i cs . Then, i n Sept ember 1966, Pr esi - dent J ames Nabr i t announced i n t he Washi ngt on Post a pl an t o Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST make Howard " si xt y per cent whi t e" by 1970, a pl an opposed by vi rt ual l y every st udent on campus . To accompl i sh t hi s goal t he Uni versi t y had devi sed an i n- geni ous programf or excl udi ng or/ andremovi ng bl ack st udent s whi l e at t ract i ng whi t e ones . Someprof es- sors were warned by t he dean' s of f i ce, t hrough depart ment al chai r- men i nst ruct ed t o " counsel " t hem, t hat t hei r gradedi st ri but i ons shoul d approxi mat e a normal di st ri but i on ( regardl ess of t he cal i ber of agi ven cl ass! ) and speci f i cal l y shoul d i n- cl ude a mi ni mum of f ai l i ng marks . At t he same t i me, i t was deci ded t o " rai se st andards" by rai si ng by 200 poi nt s t he requi red score on ent rance t est s st an~ardi zedon chi l - dren of urban mi ddl e- cl ass whi t e exposure. Many " cul t ural l y de- pri ved" bl ack st udent s woul d not , of course, be expect ed t o manage such a score . Whi t e st udent s who f l unked woul dnot need t o humi l i - at e t hemsel ves enrol l i ng i n a pre- col l ege sequence at Howard; hence, a proposedspeci al di vi si on f or st u- dent s who f ai l t he t est woul d i n- vari abl y bebl ack. These " subnor- mal s" woul d have t o spend a year prepari ng t o ent er t he newwhi t e Howard. Havi ng f ai l ed t he t est as i ndi vi dual s, t hei r sel f - est eemwoul d f urt her be deci mat ed, f or t hey woul d be set apart as f ai l ures and subj ect ed t o an ego- mort i f yi ng curri cul um. Fi rst , t hey were t o recei ve a speech course ( al ready i ncorpo- rat ed at Howard) f rankl y cal cu- NEGRODI GEST Morch 1968 f at ed t o f orce bl ack st udent s t o " l ose t hei r i n- group di al ect s, " de- spi t e t he f act t hat Presi dent Nabri t hi msel f has been successf ul i n Su- preme Court present at i ons i n a cl assi cal " Negro di al ect . " Such st u- dent s al soweret obegi ven a course i n readi ng ski l l s and, si mul t ane- ousl y, onei n mast erpi eces of worl d l i t erat ure. I t goes wi t hout sayi ng t hat " mast erpi ece" aut hors woul d be i nvari abl y, i f not excl usi vel y, Caucasi an. St i l l anot her course was hi st ory of West ern ci vi l i zat i on ( not worl d ci vi l i zat i on, as i n t he case o: t he mast erpi eces ) . Thi s curri cul um woul d say t o bl ack st udent s, who al ready were f ai l ures as i ndi vi du- al s, t hat t hey had no ennobl i ng ancest ral root s : t hei r ki ndhadpro- duced no ci vi l i zat i on wort hy of at t ent i on, nol i t erary achi evement s, and i ndeed are gui l t y nowof t he wrong mode of speech. I t i s t rue, even nowat Howard, wi t hi n t he normal curri cul um, t hat a l i beral art s st udent cannot t ake a course i n Negro hi st ory unl ess he i s a hi st ory maj or. Anyway, I wrot e a l et t er mock- i ng t he i dea of t he whi t ewash pro- gramand t he l et t er appeared i n TheHi l l t op, t he campus newspaper - t he f i rst i ssue i n Sept ember of t hecent enni al year . I mmedi at el y, I cameunder pressure, l osi ng f i rst a promot i on t ochai rman of t heDi vi - si on of Soci al Sci ences and ot her 43 pr i vi l eges whi ch publ i cl y had been pr omi sed me; and t hi s was an ear l y obj ect l esson of r el ent l ess pr essur e . i ncl udi ng subj ect i on t o a net wor k of st udent andf acul t y spi es . One day t owar d t he end of Sep- t ember , whi l e di scussi ng t he ef f ect s of ur bani zat i on on soci al nor ms, I cr i t i ci zed t he obsol escence of some pr of essed codes of sexual conduct ; t hen, as i f t o sal vage t he cl ass f r om i t s shock, gave assur ances of my abi di ng adher ence t o t hem . I t ol d of my ef f or t s t he pr evi ous year t o l aunch an associ at i on of vi r gi ns on t he campus, and t hat one member gr ewsi ck and dr oppedout and t he ot her f l unked out . I al so expl ai ned t hat t he r eason Howar d' s wal l cl ocks al ways di f f er ed as t o t i me of day was because ever y t i me a vi r gi n at Howar dpasses a cl ock t he cl ock st ands st i l l . Wi t hi n 30mi nut es af t er t hat cl ass was over , t he chai r man of my depar t ment was cal l i ng me i n exci t edl y t o say t hat t he dean had sai d t hat a st udent had sai d t hat I had sai d t hat I was t he onl y vi r gi n on Howar d' s campus . The super i or s t hen pr oposed t o "obser ve" my cl asses, and, when I r ef used t hi s uni que at t ent i on, t hr eat ened t o f i r e me, but backed down when I r emar ked, dur i ng t he hear i ng, t hat I had once been t he best cot t on- pi cker i n Cr eek Coun- t y, Okl ahoma and t hat , shoul d i t ever come t o t hat , I coul d al e ays bur n my doct or at e and go back t o pi cki ng cot t on . Af t er t he hear i ng, t hey sent a l et t er r eappoi nt i ng me, mai nl y because ( as t hey l at er sai d 44 i n cour t ) t hey f ear ed st udent di s- r upt i ons shoul d t hey f i r e me dur i ng t he school year , but t hey nonet he- l ess per si st ed i n t hr eat s andhar ass- ment , war ni ng t hat i f I di d not f al l i n l i ne t her e was "goi ng t o be a war . " Lat e one eveni ng, af t er a heat ed conf r ont at i on wi t h a super i or , i duckedi nt o a mi ddl e- cl ass bar near t he campus wher e I encount er ed a number of ol der pr of essor s . Thei r pl i ght s sur pr i sed and hor r i f i ed me. I deci ded f r omt hen on t hat , i f t hen; was "goi ng t o be a war , " t hen I was a sol di er and shoul d act l i ke one. Meanwhi l e, st udent s had been st agi ng pr ot est s f or gr i evances whi ch t ypi f y uni ver si t i es ever y- wher e- agai nst cur f ewr egul at i ons and ot her aspect s of t he r i ght not t o be t r eat ed as chi l dr en. The Law School st udent s wer e pr omi nent her e, l ed chi ef l y by J ay Gr eene, l at er expel l ed andnow on schol ar - shi p i n t he Yal e LawSchool , and Ar t Gol dber g, a J ewi sh st udent f r omBer kel ey nowi n Rut ger s Law School . Thei r act i vi t i es consi st ed mai nl y of r al l i es wher e J ay Gr eene and ot her st udent s woul d "r ap" t o a cr owd of sever al hundr ed, t hen r ead r esol ut i ons dr awn up i n l egal l anguage ; and t he cr owd, af t er be- i ng t ol d t hat t he r esol ut i ons wer e t o be del i ver ed t o Pr esi dent Nabr i t , woul dj oyf ul l y cl ap t hei r hands and di sper se. Nabr i t pr act i cal l y never act ed ont he r esol ut i ons, except f or a f ewf ai nt pr omi ses, even whenhe was on campus, but t he pr ocedur e was al ways r epeat ed anyway. Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST Si mul t aneousl y t her e ar ose a hy- br i d pol i t i cal par t y- pr ot est gr oup cal l ed t he St udent Ri ght s Or agni za- t i on, i nspi r ed i n par t by Ar t and J ay. I accept ed t he i nvi t at i on t o be i t s f acul t y advi sor . SRO' s member - shi p cover ed t he pol i t i cal wat er - f r ont . Thei r l eader s, mai nl y t he edi - t or s and f eat ur e wr i t er s on t he Hi l l - t op st af f - whi ch l at er was t o pr ove i nval uabl e - r egar ded t hemsel ves as bl ack mi l i t ant s, i n t he r esponsi - bl e sense of t he cat egor y, and had as t hei r her oes t he nat i onal l eader s of SNCCt hough t hei r own st yl e appr oxi mat ed mor e t he st yl e of nat i onal CORE. When UNAmbassador t o t he UN, Ar t hur Gol dber g ex- boss of Nabr i t , came t o Howar d, SRO st aged a wal kout i n whi ch I was abl e t o per suade f i ve ot her pr of es- sor s- al l whi t e ; of cour se- t o t ake an act i ve par t . Shor t l y af t er t hat , some SRO member s, di ssat i sf i ed wi t h t he moder at i on of i t s l eader s, came t o me ( l at e Febr uar y by now) wi t h a pl an t o f or ma "Bl ack Power Commi t t ee. " They wer e al l f r eshmen l ar gel y unknown on cam- pus, except i n t hei r dor mi t or i es and among t hei r cl assmat es, and ac- cor di ngl y asked my ai d i n com- posi ng and r eadi ng at a pr ess conf er ence a sor t of "bl ack uni ver - si t y mani f est o. " We cal l ed f or t he compl et e r evampi ng of Negr o col - l eges as t hey now exi st , spoke agai nst t he emer gi ng desi r e t o make Negr o col l eges pr edomi nant l y whi t e, and gener al l y set t i ng f or t h a pr ogr am f or t r ansf or mi ng Negr o NEGRODI GEST Mor ch 1968 col l eges i nt o bl ack uni ver si t i es wi t h r el evance t o t he bl ack com- muni t y and i t s st r uggl e agai nst whi t e r aci smand i mper i al i sm, cul - t ur al or ot her wi se . Thi s ki cked of f an onsl aught of st udent demonst r a- t i ons ( wi t h, now and agai n, some f acul t y par t i ci pat i on ) and t he f i r st r eal conf r ont at i on bet ween Howar d st udent s and an oppr essi ve admi n- i st r at i on . Ar umor gr ewpr eval ent on cam- pus t hat I was goi ng t o be "eased out " i n t he summer and, by mi d- Apr i l , i t had sl i pped i nt o t el evi si on and r adi o br oadcast s . One ni ght , on t he way t o my popul at i on cl ass, I encount er ed a number of st udent s ~~ho i nqui r ed anxi ousl y whet her t he r umor was t r ue. I assur ed t hem t hat no such wor d had come down t o me and t hat t he deadl i ne f or non- r enewal of t wo- year cont r act s . December 15, al r eady had passed. I nsi de t he cl assr oom, I sensed t he downcast spi r i t of t he st udent s, br ought up t he r umor and sug- gest ed t hat , i f t her e was a Howar d i n Sept ember , 1 woul d ver y wel l be t her e. Al l at once t hey bur st i nt o appl ause; but I knew even t hen t hat , pr obabl y, I was passi ng t hr ough my l ast days at Howar d, and per haps, as a col l ege pr of essor anywher e. St udent upr i si ngs r ocked on- i ncl udi ng a conf r ont at i on wi t h a pol i ce r i ot squad behi nd a gi r l ' s dor mi t or y ; t he sponsor shi p of a "Bl ack i s Best " l ect ur e by heavy- wei ght champ Muhammad Al i af t er t he admi ni st r at i on cl osed 45 downt he audi t ori um; LeRoi J ones i n a readi ng, t o f requent appl ause, of some of hi s cat hart i c poet ry on t he st eps of t he School of Rel i gi on; t he breaki ng up of a heari ng i n whi ch nat ural - l ook Homecomi ng Queen Robi n Gregory was bei ng t ri ed ost ensi bl y because she had hel ped me and st udent Huey La- Bri e read t he Bl ack Power Com- mi t t ee' s mani f est o; and t he i nt er- rupt i on of Sel ect i ve Servi ce boss General Hershey' s speech . Event u- al l y, st udent s hanged Hershey, Na- bri t and Dean Frank Snowden i n ef f i gy, andf ol l owed t hi s wi t h a suc- cessf ul boycot t of cl asses, curi ousl y pl anned f or one day onl y and~re- port edl y represent i ng ef f ort s ont he part of moderat e st udent l eaders t o grab t he prot est bal l f rom t he Bl ack Power Commi t t ee. By nowwe were neari ng f i nal exams andi t was deci ded t o wrap up prot est unt i l t he f ol l owi ng f al l , al t hough a seri es of si x myst eri ous f i res ( whi ch may or may not have been connect ed wi t h st udent act i v- i t i es ) broke out oncampus duri ng t he l ast week or so of school , one of t hem causi ng "a general empt y- i ng of t he Admi ni st rat i on bui l d- i ng. "~ School cl osed, andi n t he deadof earl y summer about 20 st udent s and si x prof essors recei ved regi s- t eredl et t ers of di smi ssal . The man- ner of sel ect i ng t he vi ct i ms was i ndi cat i ve of t he general conf usi on, hyst eri a and i nef f i ci ency of t he admi nst rat ors, who hel d several 46 ( Cont i nued onpage 70) pri vat e meet i ngs wi t h st udent spi es andf acul t y i nf ormant s . There were no heari ngs f or di smi ssed f acul t y members or st udent s, amount i ng t o a di rect deni al of due process and t he chance t o conf ront accus- ers, vi ol at i ng t he Fi rst and Fi f t h Amendment s of t he Const i t ut i on of t he Uni t ed St at es . P True, some mi ddl e- l evel admi n- i st rat ors, i ncl udi ng Cl yde Ferguson, deanof t he Law School , andFrank Snowden, dean of t he Col l ege of Li beral Art s, went on record as opposi ng t he di smi ssal s. Dean Snowden, who rel uct ant l y si gned t he l et t ers di smi ssi ng t he prof essors andwho, up t ot hat t i me, hadri sen f romone of t he f avori t e Howard prof essors of t he l at e Fort i es t ot he most hat ed admi ni st rat or, wrot e t wol et t ers, bot h pri or t o t he cl ose of school , opposi ng t he di smi ssal s. One of Dean Snowden' s l et t ers t o Act i ng Presi dent Worml ey pl eaded i npart : . . . seri ous anxi et y wi l l ari se among ot her f acul t y members as t o t he goodf ai t h of t he uni ver- si t y . . . I bel i eve t hat t he whol e mat t er shoul d be reconsi dered bef ore any announcement s are made . . . because t here seems t o me t o be a st rong possi bi l i t y t hat t he cont empl at edact i on may re- sul t not onl y i n seri ous harm t o t he Uni versi t y' s posi t i on i n t he academi c communi t y but al soi n creat i ng obst acl es f or our recrui t - ment of f acul t y i nt he f ut ure. ' More obnoxi ous by anybody' s March 1968 NEGRODI GEST NEGRODI GEST March 1968 I n t he days of my vi si t at i on, Bl ack hands t ended me and cared f or me . Bl ack mi nds, heart s and soul s l oved me . And I l ove t hembecause of t hi s . I n t he earl y days of my vi si t at i on, Bl ack hands t ended me and cared f or me; I can' t f orget t hese t hi ngs . For bl ack heart s, mi nds and soul s l ove me- And even t oday t he overt ones f romt he f i re of t hat l ove are st i l l burni ng I n t he earl y days of my vi si t at i on Whi t e rul es and l aws segregat ed me . They hel ped t o make me what I am t oday And what I am, I am. Yes, what I am, I ambecause of t hi s And because of t hi s My i mage of paradi se i s chromat i c bl ack. Those who segregat e di d not segregat e i n vai n For I am, And I amwhat I am. -SUNRA I n a hot dark room- cel esti al tomb al l hushed andsti l l as Death wai ti ng l i f e, wai ti ng warmth Love wai ts-al i ve wi th oozi ng sweat . Crystal dropl ets on earth brown thi ghs nowmel t i n desi re' s heat nowf l ow i n mergi ng ri vul ets al l coursi ng toward l i f e' s source streami ng f roma Bl ack Creator smoothi ng hi s way to l eap f rom nothi ngness wi th hot l ava' s potent f orce Bl ack seari ng f l esh penetrates a sof t-soi l ed crevi ce i nundati ng al l i n sei smi c surge cease rhythms . Scorched obsi di on l overs tossed hi gh by f ri cti on' s f orce Shri ek away the hush Quake the si l ent tomb ANDLI FEFORCECOMES Heavi ng, Panti ng, Groani ng i t si ghs Contentment I nto a hot dark room terrestri al womb al l hushed al l sti l l as l i f e . l . rrecc ti on -' -TENAL. LOCKETT 48
March 1968 NEGRODI GES7 ACal l ToConcerned Bl ack Educat ors Last Summer, Davi d W. Kent , Di rect or of Admi ssi ons at Li ncol n Uni versi t y (Pennsyl vani a) draf t ed a proposal f or a conf erence on t he bl ack Ameri can' s access t o hi gher educat i on. I nOct ober, a bl ack cot eri e of col l ege admi ssi ons personnel caucused at t he nat i onal convent i on of a prof essi onal associ at i on t oconsi der t hei r f eel i ngs of f rust rat i on andi ndi gnat i on- f eel i ngs whi ch were aroused by t he f act t hat t he bl ack represent at i on t o t hi s convent i on of 1800 was t ypi cal l y sparse and, f urt her, t hat t he convent i on di d not address i t sel f t o THEI Rpri mary concern- bl ack yout h. Shari ng an et hni c, soci al and prof essi onal mut ual i t y, 12 educat ors di scussed common concerns, exchanged phi l osophi cal vi ews, def i ned t hei r rol e as bl ack prof essi onal s i n hi gher educat i on and concl uded t hat , f i rst , t he i ssue proposed by Mr . Kent shoul d be deal t wi t h on a nat i onal l evel ; second, any resol ve t o expand t he opport uni t i es f or bl ack chi l dren i n hi gher educat i on i s meani ngl ess wi t hout a consol i dat ed at - t ack on t he f undament al educat i onal probl ems of bl ack chi l dren AT EVERY STEP OFTHE EDUCATI ONAL LADDER ; and, t hi rd, t he need f or di al ogue among- andact i on i ni t i at ed by- bl ack educat ors i s overwhel mi ng. A nat i onal conf erence wi t h semi nar- workshops was concei ved of as t he most appropri at e means by whi ch t o arouse t he bl ack prof essi onal t o demonst rat e hi s concern and si mul t aneousl y t o put t o use our vast resources of expert i se. Bl ack educat ors are uni quel y equi pped t o st at e what must be done i n order t o rai se t he educat i onal achi evement of bl ack chi l dren. Wemust si t down"f ami l y st yl e," real i gn our pri ori t i es, and mobi l i ze t o remedy t he educat i onal i l l s at Ni ct i ng our chi l dren. The wheel s were set i n mot i on l ast Oct ober . I n I l l i noi s . t he Associ - at i on of Af ro- Ameri can Educat ors was chart ered. Ast eeri ng commi t - t ee was f ormed t o l ay t he groundwork f or a nat i onal conf erence t o be hel d earl y t hi s summer . Chi cago wi l l be t he pl ace; J une 6- 9 t he dat es . We need your hel p. i f you wi sh t o become i nvol ved i n t hi s ef f ort , l et us hear f romyou TODAY. Cont act Mrs. Myrna C. Adams, coordi nat or, Nat i onal Con- f erence St eeri ng Commi t t ee, Associ at i on of Af ro- Ameri can Educat ors, 72 E. 75t h St reet , Chi cago, I l l . , 60619. Ot her members of t he St eeri ng Commi t t ee f or t he Nat i onal Conf er- ence of Af ro- Ameri can Educat ors i ncl ude: Cl ara B. Ant hony; Dr. Nancy L. Arnez; LeroneBenuet t J r . ; Ti muel D. Bl ack; Shel l y Fl et cher; Hoyt W. Ful l er; Mi l dred Gl adney; Dr. Charl es V. Hami l t on; Everet t Hoagl and; Arnol d P. J ones; Davi d W. Kent ; Hugh Vf . Lane; Harol d Pat es; Marvi ni a Randol ph; Dr. Donal d H. Smi t h; Anderson Thompson; Donal d Vanl i ew; Syl vest er Wi l l i ams; Radf ord Wi l son; andDr. Nat han Wri ght J r.
- MYRNAC. ADAMS NEGRODI GEST March 1968
4q The Fi r st Gwend~t l vn Last Febr uar y, poet - publ i sher Dudl ey Randal l j our neyed fr omDe- t r oi t t o pr esent a $200 pr i ze t o t he wi nner of a novel l a compet i t i on sponsor ed by poet Gwendol yn Br ooks i n her Chi cago wr i t er s' wor k- shop. Mr . Randal l had r ead t he submi t t ed novel l as wi t hout knowi ng t he aut hor s, and i t was a coi nci dence t hat t he wi nner was Mi keCook, who al so was wi nner of anot her fi ct i on cont est sponsor ed by Mi ss Br ooks i n l at e summer 1967. (See t he No- vember 1967 NEaxo DI GEST. ) Ear l i er i n 1967, Mi ss Br ooks had pr oposed t he est at ~l i shment of an an- nual compet i t i on for l i t er at ur e t o be conduct ed t hr ough NEGRODI - GEST, wi t h t he wi nni ng manuscr i pt s (Cont i nued Br ooks Fi ct i on Awar cl publ i shed i n t he magazi ne. The wi nni ng aut hor s, of cour se, woul d r ecei ve cash awar ds as wel l , t he pr i zes awar ded by Mi ss Br ooks . NEGRODI GEST i s pl eased t o an- nounce t hat Mi ss Br ooks' pr oposal has been accept ed and t hat annual Gwendol yn Br ooks Li t er ar y Awar ds wi l l bemade, begi nni ng i n t he spr i ng of 1969. Det ai l s of t he compet i t i on wi l l be announced i n a l at er i ssue of NEGRODI GEST, i ncl udi ng t he t i me and manner of submi ssi on of mat e- r i al , el i gi bi l i t y, t he amount of t he awar ds, and t he names of t he j udges . Whi l eMr . Cook r ecei ved t he pr i ze for hi s novel l a, "Whoever Sai d Ther e' s A Pl ace Cal l ed Home?", al l on page 53) Pr i ze wi nner : A beami ng Mi keCook (cent er ) accept s congr at ul at i ons fr om j udge Dudl ey Randal l and awar d- gi ver Gwendol yn Br ooks fol l owi ng t he announcement t hat Mr . Cook had won t he fi r st annual Gwendol yn Br ooks Awar d for fi ct i on. The compet i t i on was confi ned t o member s of Mi ss Br ooks' Chi cago wor kshop. Fut ur e awar ds wi l l be open t o al l wr i t er s . 50
Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST BOOK "Gr eat Li t er at ur e i . s s i mpl y l anguage char ged wi t h meani ng t o t he ut mos t pos s i bl e degr ee. "
-Ezr a Pound "Not hi ng i s ever f i ni s hed, except t he medi ocr e or t he pr et ent i ous . The onl y peopl e who s houl d be cons i s t ent l y i nt er es t ed i n mas t er pi eces ar e mus eums and ot her - peopl e who have no us e f or t hem. " -LeRoi J ones S I HAVEof t en s ai d bef or e, t o t he poi nt of r epet i t i on cr amps , cr i t - i ci s m of wr i t i ng by Af r o-Amer i cans i s - and s houl d be-t he r es pons i bi l i t y of Af r o-Amer i can cr i t i cs . Not t hat bl ack cr i t i cs ar e mor e per s pect i ve or anal yt i cal or , f or t hat mat t er , bet t er wr i t er s of cr i t i ci s m; but , whi t e cr i t i cs have not i n t he pas t ( as i n t he pr es ent ) been abl e t o ex- pl ai n or t r ans l at e bl ack l i t er at ur e accur at el y. Thi s i s not her es y but f act , and t he f ewr evi ews t hat wer e wr i t t en, by whi t es , of J ohn A. Wi l - l i ams ' The Man Who Cr i ed 1 Am ( Li t t l e, Br own, $6. 95 ) s uppor t t hi s s t at ement expl i ci t l y. Mos t good f i ct i on bor der s on t r ut h, i . e. , i t i s a r ef l ect i on of t he t r ut h. I f Newar k and Det r oi t of 1 967 had not happened, one coul d have, i n al l l i kel i hood, r ead Mr . NEGRO DI GEST Mar ch 1 968 The Man Who Cr i ed I Am NOTED Wi l l i ams ' book wi t h l es s f ear and, i ndeed, coul d have s mi l ed at t he uncommon endi ng. One coul d have cont ent edl y put t he book as i de as an excel l ent wor k of f i ct i on and, of cour s e, r ecommended i t t o f r i ends and as s oci at es ; you know, l i ke we r ecommended The St r anger , Por - t r ai t of t he Ar t i s t as a Young Mar r , Bl ack Boy, et cet er a, et cet er a. One coul d have s ugges t ed t hi s book wi t h t he s ame eas e and del i ght as one s ugges t ed t he ear l y J ohn Col t r ane. However , t he s ummer of 1 967 was not f i ct i on ; t her ef or e i t added a new di mens i on t o t hi s novel : t he di men- s i on of pr ophes y. As wi t h bl ack mus i c, bl ack l i t - er at ur e cont i nues t o gr ow, ext end, and ceas es t o be i nvi s i bl e . Our l i t - er at ur e now cut s and you do bl eed. Mr . Wi l l i ams ' l at es t book i s t hi s t ypeof wor k ; a bl ood br i nger , caus - i ng you t o hur t and f or ci ng you t o 5i r edef i ne your r el at i onshi p wi t h your sur r oundi ngs . I t makes you open your eyes and enabl es you t o see much mor e t han what i s i n f r ont of you. Whi l e r eadi ng t hi s book, we see t hr ough mi r r or s, acr oss cont i - nent s, i nt o ot her cul t ur es, and un- consci ousl y we f eel - t hat i s, i f we ar e capabl e of f eel i ng . J ohn A. Wi l - l i ams has wr i t t en an ext ensi vel y handsome and danger ous novel . J ean- Paul Sar t r e sai d, " I t i s t r ue t hat al l ar t i s f al se . " He l i ed, or he was t al ki ng about whi t e West er n ar t . The book i n quest i on i s a wor k of Ar t . That i s, i f ar t , among ot her t hi ngs, i s a cr eat i ve ef f or t t hat ot her s can i dent i f y wi t h, an accent on a par t i cul ar l i f e- st yl e, commu- ni cat i on, a br i nger of knowl edge, a mi nd wakener , movabl e pr ose 52 J OHN_ A. ~~I LLI A~I S whi ch i s est het i cal l y pl easi ng and meani ngf ul and, i n essence, one ar t i st ' s comment on l i f e as he vi ews i t . The wor k of Ar t i s The Man Who Cr i ed I AMand t he ar t i st i s J ohn A. Wi l l i ams . Mr . Wi l l i ams' f our t h novel suc- cessf ul l y deal s wi t h t he many acut e pr obl ems t hat conf r ont t he bl ack wr i t er as wel l as t he bl ack man. Thi s novel shoul d be of t he ut most i nt er est t o t he bl ack wr i t er , f or i t cover s t he l i t er ar y wor l d of t he bl ack wr i t er over a span of about 30 year s, t hat whol e bl ack- whi t e er a of i nt er dependency. The pr o- t agoni st i s one Max Reddi ck, who coul d ver y wel l be Wi l l i ams hi m- sel f , a bl ack j our nal i st f or a `' Ti me- st yl e" magazi ne and a novel i st of some st at ur e. The mai n suppor t i ng char act er i s t he " f at her " of bl ack l i t er at ur e, Har r y Ames ( Ri char d Wr i ght ) . The act i on f l uct uat es be- t ween t hese t wo men. As t he novel unf ol ds, we ar e i n- t r oduced t o f acsi mi l es of t he maj or bl ack wr i t er s and whi t e cr i t i cs of t he l ast 20 year s . Ther e ar e char - act er s who r esembl e J ames Bal d- wi n, Chest er Hi mes, Ral ph E1l i son, Fr ank Yer by, Car l Van Vecht en, Gr anvi l l e Hi cks, \ \ ~i l l i amFaul kner , and ot her s . On t he ci vi l and human r i eht s scene, t her e i s Mar t i n L. Ki ng, Mal col mXand t he phi l osophi es of Mar cus Gar vey and W. E. B. Du Boi s . Max Reddi ck i s what one mi ght cal l an i nt er nat i onal i st . Aonce ( Cont i nued on page 77) Mar ch 1968 NEGRO DI GEST t he members of Mi ss Brooks' work- shop ended up as "wi nners. ' ' The f amed poet present ed t he young wri t ers wi t h copi es of t wo very pop- ul ar books by bl ack aut hors, J ohn A. Wi l l i ams' novel , Tl 7e Mun Who Cri ed I Am, and Haral d Cruses anal ysi s of t he bl ack i nt el l ect ual On St age: The year got of f t o an auspi ci ous st art wi t h t he openi ng i n NewYork of t he Negro Ensembl e Company' s product i on of Pet er Wei ss' Song of t he husi t ani an Bogey, whi ch i s ment i oned el sewhere i n t hese pages . . . Aone- act pl ay by Wi l mer Lucas, Pat ent Leat her Sun- day, was schedul ed f or product i on i n Seat t l e, Wash. , i n February and March . . . Aone- act pl ay byCharl es Sel f , of Kenner, La . , was produced by t he Free Sout hern Theat er dur- i ng t he February Fest i val of Af ro- Ameri can Art s at l l i l l ard Uni ver- si t y . . RobCurry perf ormed t he f eat ured rol e of Randal l , t he mes- meri zi ng murderer, i n t he Parkway Theat er' s product i on of Wi l l i am Hanl ey' s Sl owDance on t he ki l l i ng Ground i n Chi cago. The Parkway Theat er i s one of t he branches ( t he Sout h Si de on' e) of t he ci t y' s f amed Hul l House . . Duri ng "Soul Week, " t he Fest i val of Bl ack Art produced at Lake Forest Col l ege by t he col l ege' s bl ack st udent s i n J anuary, a st udent product i on of . l ean Genet ' s The Bl acks was f ea- t ured. There are onl y 60 bl ack st u- dent s among t he 1, 250 st udent s at t he col l ege on Chi cago' s ri ch Nort h Shore . . . Si dney Poi t i cr' s debut as NEGRODI GEST Mo"ch 1968 ( Cont i nued f rompi ne , i Q) scene. The Cri si s of t he Negro i n- t el l ect ual . Meanwhi l e, Mi ss Brooks was ap- poi nt ed poet l aureat e of I l l i noi s by Gov . Ot t o Kerner, as a hi ghl i ght of t he st at e' s sesqui - cent enni al cel ebra- t i on. The previ ous poet l aureat e of t he st at e was Carl Sandburg. di rect or of Carrv Me Back To Morrzi ngsi de Hei ght s came af t er N~cxo DI Gf i ST had gone t o press. Whet her or not t he showwas a suc- cess shoul d be general news by t he t i me t hi s i s publ i shed. Loui s Gos- set t and Ci cel y Tyson have f eat ured rol es i n t he pl ay . . As a member of t he Li ncol n Cent er Repert ory Theat er, Di ana Sands has a rol e i n t he Cent er' s product i on of Ti ger At The Gat es. Mi ss Sands' st i nt as St . Town brought her mi xed not i ces . . . The pl ay, The Great Whi t e Hope, wi l l undergo ext ensi ve cut s bef ore i t openson Broadway i n t he f al l . J ames Earl J ones, who port rayed t he J ack J ef f erson ( read J ack J ohnson) rol e i n t he Washi ngt on, D. C. , product i on ( at t he Arena Theat er) , wi l l st ar i n t he Broadway product i on . . J o- sephi ne ( Baker) t he Great l ai d t he groundwork f or a seri es of spri ng ap- pearances duri ng her February vi si t t o t he Uni t ed St at es . . . The Febru- ary f i re t hat gut t ed t he NewLaf ay- et t e Theat er i n Harl em ended- at l east t emporari l y- anot her dream. Because of f i nanci al di f f i cul t i es, t he di rect ors had post poned t he produc- t i on of Ed Bul l i ns' I n The Wi ne Ti me. Nowt he f ut ure of t he t heat er i s uncert ai n. 53 54 ~4 Short Story Marth f968 NEGROAfGEST BYCHRISTINEREAMS ' . . . If o . s at t hor t > . . . l di t Ln' t l nt zl t at , / ani r ~r b~~z at t w / di dn' t want 1 or s : azt l / t l r i zzk maybe" . s hz " di dn' t l umk at m~ bm~aus ~" . , ho di dn' t zuar zt t o wvr i t hr " r . . . TW. ASs ohot t hat s um- mer t hat t heai r s t ood s t i l l and I had t r oubl e br eat hi ng. Somet i mes 1woul d s i t on t he f r ont por ch and br eat hes l owl y. I f el t as i f I wer e br eat hi ng t he s ame ai r over and over agai n. I t ur ned mo s hades dar ker t hat s ununer . I al - mos t got as bl ack as Mi s s Mabel . Thegr ownups s ai d i t was n~t r eal l y t het emper at ur e ; i t was t he humi d- i t y-what ever t hat i s . Anyway. i t was a bl i s t er i n<~, hot s ummer . and I hat ed i t . Our hous ewas pr obabl yt hehot - t es t onei n t own. Vdedi dn' t own i t or anyt hi ng l i ke t hat . Weonl y r ent - ed t hr ee r ooms of i t . Mi s s Mabd and her t wo chi l dr en, Mi ke and , l i m, l i ved ups t ai r s over us . Mi ke was 12, and I t hi nk J i mwas a near younger . Mi ke was dar k l i ke hi s mot her , and J i m was al mos t whi t e l ooki ng . Someof t he f ol ks i n t he d NEGRODf GEST Mor c ; 196E nei ghbor hood s ai d t hat J i m' s f at her w as a whi t eman. I don' t knowany- t hi ng about t hat ; 1 never s aw ' yl i ke' s or J i m' s f at her . Mr . Fr ank and hi s wi f e, Mi s s Sal l y, l i ved up- s t ai r s on t he ot her s i de of t he hous e. " 1_ i na, t hei r daught er , w : cs about t he s ame a~~e as Mi ke and l i m. Thet hr eeof t hemwer eal w: ms hangi ng ar ound t oget her . Si nce [ mas onl y s even at t he t i me, t hey di dn~t want me ar ound. In t het i r ~t v, cck of . l one, Mi s s Rut h moved i nt o t he downs t ai r s apar t ment on Ti na' s
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was happy becaus e Mi s s Rut h hoc{ daught er , . l ani ce; and 1j us t knew s he was goi ng t o pl ay wi t h me. J ani ec was much cl os er t o myage t han t he ot her s . Bes i des , t heot her s s wor e i n bl ood t hat t hey woul dn' t pl aywi t h her . Nat ur al l y, I t hought s hedi dn' t haveanyonet o pl ay wi t h -except me. Wel l , i t di dn~t t ur n out t hat way. J ani ec di dn' t want t o pl ay wi t h anyone. Shewas a r eac! - er : and ever yt i me I t ur ned ar ound. s hew<t s r eadi ng. Her f at her was a s ol di er . Mi kes ai d hewas i n Sai , ~an . t don' t r emember t hel as t names ut . . ny of t hepeopl ewho l i ved i n t he c>! d hous e. Wewer e t ol d t o put cc Mr. or Mi ss bef ore t re f i rst names of grown- ups and address t hem' t hat way. We di dn' t knowi t was wrong unt i l we had grown ol der. By t hen, i t di dn' t mat t er. Everybody t hought Mi ss Rut h was pret t y. Men l i ked her. They were al ways comi ng around t o see her. There was one who used t o come around a l ot . He was very t al l - much t al l er t hanmydad, who was f i ve f eet t en. Hehad curl y hai r. Mama used t o say t hat men l i ke t hat are bl essed wi t h t he hai r t hei r si st ers shoul d have had. Af t er al l . what ' s good hai r t o a man? Curl y' s yel l ow ski n was smoot h and sof t l ooki ng . I al ways want ed t o t ouch i t t ~ see i f i t were real l y as sof t as i t l ooked. One of Curl y' s eyes was smal l er t han t he ot her. When he l ooked at you, i t seemed as i f one eye was l ooki ng at you whi l e t he ot her one was l ooki ng at somet hi ng on t he ot her si de of t he room. I used t o hang around wai t i ng f or Curl y. Somet i mes I pl ayed j acks on t he f ront porch and wat ched Mi ss Rut h and Curl y out of t he corner of my eye. She sai d he was her cousi n. But one day I overheard Mi ss Mabel t el l Mama t hat t hey were "t he f unni est cousi ns" she had ever seen. Then she l aughed. Mama shook her head sadl y and t al ked about t he Lord. Mama knew al l about t he Lord because she was saved. I t hi nk she was t he onl y per- son i n t he whol e house who was saved. Most of t he t i me, Curl ycame t o see Mi ss Rut h at ni ght . He usual l y 5 6 brought a cart on of beer wi t h hi m. We woul d st ay upl at e pl ayi ng hi de and seek and Curl y woul d st i l l be around when we went i nsi de. Once, I evensawhi ml eavi ng Mi ss Rut h' s house earl y i n t he morni ng. Then, f or no reasonat al l , Mi ke, J i m, and Ti na st art ed whi speri ng and gi g- gl i ng every t i me Curl y came t o t he house. Ont hat day, t he game st art - ed. I don' t remember who st art ed i t , probabl y Mi ke. He was al ways t hi nki ng of t hi ngs t o do. Anyway, I want ed t o pl ay t oo. One eveni ng, whi l e Mama and Dad were l ooki ng at T. V. , I went out t o pl ay on t he porch. J ani ce was al ready t here. She sat i n a ki t chen chai r, on her si de of t he porch. Her head was buri ed i n a book, and her f eet were propped up on t he banni st er. I l ooked at her wi t h envy. She had on a pai r of ol d bl ue j eans whi ch someone had cut of f at t he knees and a di rt y whi t e shi rt . My mot her woul dn' t l et me wear short s . I sat downon t he t op st ep and t ook a smal l rubber bal l out of my ski rt pocket . I t ossed t he j acks on t he f l oor. J ani ce di dn' t pay any at t ent i on t o me. I bounced t he bal l on t he porch several t i mes. But she di dn' t even l ook up. I wai t ed unt i l Ti na came out . "Hey, Ti na, " I sai d, "wi l l you pl ay j acks wi t h me?" Ti na shookher head "no. " "Why?" I asked. "cot t a t al k t o Mi ke, " she sai d. "Can' t youpl ay unt i l he comes?" "No. He' s comi ng now, " Ti na sai d. She rushed t o t he screendoor March 1968 NEGRODI GEST as Mi ke and J i mdashed down t he st eps . "J ust onegame, " I begged . "Li st en honey, " Ti na sai d, t ur n- i ng t o f ace me. "Doyou wanna pl ay hi de and seek wi t h us t oni ght ?" "Sur e. " "Okay. Keep qui et when we' r e t al ki ng busi ness, " she sai d. "Busi ness, " I mumbl ed . "Hey you, hey gi r l , " I sai d, cal l i ng t o J an~ce. I st oppedwhen I sawTi na' s di r t y l ook and pr et ended I was t al ki ng t o mysel f . I pi cked up my ones . I hear d t he scr een door open as I st ar t ed my t wos . I gl anced up and saw Mi ss Rut h st andi ng next t o J ani ce. Mi ke whi st l ed sof t l y. Mi ss Rut h smi l ed as she l ooked acr oss t he por ch at us . She was a shor t , t hi n woman, j ust f i ve f eet t al l i n heel s . And she al ways wor e heel s . She l ooked cool i n her pi nk sl eevel ess dr ess . I smi l ed at her shyl y. Shel ooked l i ke a f r agi l e t oy, l i ke somet hi ng you woul d pi ck up car ef ul l y and hol d gent l y wi t h bot h hands . "Hel l o, " she sai d i n a sof t voi ce. She al ways spoke sof t l y ar ound us . I mumbl ed and l ooked down at her t i ny f eet . ` ` Hi , Mi ss Rut h, " Mi ke sai d. "Hi , " Ti na and J i msai d at t he same t i me. They l ooked at each ot her and gi ggl ed . Mi ss Rut h t ur ned away f r omus and l eaned over J ani ce. "Why don' t you pl ay wi t h t hem?" she asked . "I wanna r ead, " J ani ce sai d. Her NEGRO DI GEST Mar ch 1968 voi ce sounded har d compar ed t o her mot her ' s . "You r ead t oo much, " Mi ss Rut h sai d. She put her hand on J ani ce' s shoul der . "Honey, you ought t o pl ay wi t h ot her ki ds . " J ani ce di dn' t say anyt hi ng. She di dn' t seem t obe l i st eni ng. "I ' mgoi ng t o get some beer , " Mi ss Rut hsai d. "Shoul dn' t be gone l ong. I f Cur l y comes bef or e I get back, t el l hi mt o wai t . " "Awr i ght , " J ani ce sai d. Mi ss Rut h wal ked down t he st eps, her smal l hi ps swayed sl i ght - l y f r om si de t o si de. I wat ched her unt i l she di sappear ed. I l ooked over at Ti na. She was st andi ng i n a cor ner , t al ki ng t o Mi ke and J i m . I l ooked at J ani ce. Shewas wat chi ng us wi t h st r ange dar k eyes . I hel d t he j acks up and beckoned t oher . But she seemed t o be l ooki ng t hr ough me. I t hr ew t he j acks on t he f l oor and pi cked up my t hr ees . "I ' mgl ad t o see you back f r om t he ar my f r ont , " Mi ke chant ed. I pi cked up t he j acks and st ar ed at hi m cur i ousl y. Hemar ched acr oss t he por ch. "Hey now, " he cont i n- ued, "I ' mgl adt osee you back f r om t he ar my f r ont . " Ti na put her hands over her mout h and gi ggl ed. J i ml aughed out l oud. Somet hi ng f unny was goi ng on. As usual I was l ef t out of i t . "Hey, hey, " J i msai d, "I ' mgl ad t o see you back f r om t he ar my f r ont . " J ani ce l ooked up at Mi ke and t hen at J i m and Ti na. At f i r st , she seemed puzzl ed. Then Mi ke began 57 t o swi t ch hi s hi ps t he way Mi ss Rut h di d . J ani ce' s mout h swi vel l ed up unt i l i t became ver y smal l . Her eyes nar r owed. They wer e al most cl osed. She j umped up f r omt he chai r and sl ammed t he door as she went i nsi de t he house. Mi ke and J i mmar ched over t o J ani ce~s si de of t he por ch. I hesi t at ed onl y f or a f ewseconds bef or e j oi ni ng t hem. "I ' mgl ad t o see you back f r omt he ar my f r ont , " I shout ed i n a hi gh pi t ched voi ce. The l i ght s went out i n J ani ce' s l i vi ng r oom. "I ' mgl ad t o see you . . . " I st opped abr upt l y. J ani ce' s ski nny f ace peer ed out t he wi ndow f aci ng t he por ch. She made a f i st , br ought i t up t o her nose and shook i t at me. St ar t l ed and f r i ght ened, I backed over t o our si de of t he por ch. J i m, Mi ke, and Ti na wer e st i l l chant i ng when Mi ss Rut h and Cur l y wal ked i nt o t he yar d . Cur l y was car r yi ng a si x- pack of beer under hi s ar m. Hi s l i ght ski n was br i ght ened by hi s yel l ow shi r t . He di dn' t wear abel t . Hi s hi ps hel d hi s br own sl acks up; and t hey l ooked as i f t heywer e goi ng t o f al l down . "Wher e' s J ani ce?" Mi ss Rut h asked, l ooki ng ar ound. "Aw, she went i n, " Mi ke sai d. Mi ss Rut h t hanked hi mwi t h a smi l e. Bef or e ent er i ng t he house, she and Cur l y st opped at t he door and whi sper ed t oget her f or a f ew mi nut es . Af t er war ds t hey went i n- si de of t he apar t ment ; and J ani ce dashed out as qui ckl y as she had dashed i nsi de . 5 8 Mi ke never st opped when he had a good game goi ng. Ar my f r ont was a good game. Ever y t i me one of us mar ched acr oss t he por ch, J ani ce' s eyes woul d get nar r ow and her mout h woul d shr i nk. We di dn' t have t o say anyt hi ng : al l we had t o do was mar ch . One af t er - noon, when we wer e al l on t he por ch, Mi ke j umped down t he st eps and r an down t he si dewal k f or about a bl ock. He t ur ned and mar ched back t owar d us . He st opped i n f r ont of t he house and l ooked ar ound. Then he mar ched i nt o t he yar d and up t he st eps . ai m dashed over t o J ani ce' s si de of t he por ch and st epped i nsi de of t he scr een door . He put hi s l ef t hand on hi s hi ps and pat t ed hi s hai r wi t h t he ot her one . "Wel l , hel l o wi f e, " Mi ke aai d . He st opped i n f r ont of t he scr een door . Ti na and I gi ggl ed . "I t ai n' t ` hel l o wi f e, ' " I sai d . "I t ' s ` hel l o dar l i ng. ' " "Onl ywhi t e f ol ks t al k t hat way, ' ' Mi ke sai d . I st ar t ed t o di sagr ee. But t hen, I had never hear d Dad cal l Mama "dar l i ng. " Maybe Mi ke was r i ght . "Hel l o wi f e, " Mi ke sai d agai n . "I ' mback f r omt he ar my f r ont . " J i mopened t he scr een door and st epped out on t he por ch . "Hel l o husband, " he sai d. He put bot h hands on hi s hi ps . "I ' mgl ad t o see youback f r om t he ar my f r ont ; " he chant ed sof t l y. "Ohhhh, " Ti na sai d, r unni ng her hand t hr ough her shor t , nappy hai r . Mar ch 19b8 NEGRO[ 1f GEST "Oh, myhai r i ~ so cur l y, so cur l y. " J ani ce l ooked l i ke an ani mal about t o at t ack. ` "I r eal l y do have t hat good st uf f , " Ti na cont i nued. "I t ' s so cur l y . Heynow, ai n' t I got cur l y hai r ?" she mar ched acr oss t he por ch wi t h Mi ke and J i m . Suddenl yI was act i ng cr azyt oo . "1' mgl ad t o see you back f r omt he ar myf r ont , " I shout ed. ` ` We t hank t he Lor d f or your r et ur n, " Ti na sai d. She t hr ew her hands up i n mock pr ayer . "Oh, v~e' r e so bl ad t o see you back f r om t he ar my f r ont . Yes, Lor d! We' r e gl ad t o have hi m back. Ai n' t we gl ad t o have hi mback? Yes, Lor d, we i s . " "I st i l l l ove cur l yhai r , " J i m sai d sadl y. "I j ust l ove cur l y hai r . Do you l ove cur l yhai r ?" "Ever ybody l oves cur l y hai r , " Mi ke sai d. "Shut up!" J ani ce scr eamed, t hr owi ng her book on t he f l oor . "Shut up! You sayone mor e wor d about my mama!" "Who' s t al ki ng about your ol d mama?" Mi ke asked. "You j ust say one mor e wor d, one mor e wor d, " she whi mper ed, ` ' and I ' l l knock t he shi t out t a you . " "I ' mgonna t el l your mama, " I sai d, i mpr essed i n spi t e of mysel f . "You sai d a bad wor d. " J ani ce enj oyed her sel f f or a f ew NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 mi nut es . "Be t oo l at e, af t er I knock i t out t a you. " "I ' mr eal l y gonna t el l now, " I sai d. "You gonna knock t he shi t out t a me t oo?" Mi ke asked . He st r ut t ed up t o J ani ce and pushed hi s chest out unt i l hi s body t ouched her s . "Go on, hi t me, I dar e you, " he sai d as he l ooked down i nt o her f ace. "Hi t me, hi t me, I dar e you. " "You sayone mor e wor d about my mama, " she sai d. "We ai n' t t al ki ng about your ol d mama, " Ti na sai d. "Yeah, " I sai d, dr awi ngcour age f r omt he ot her s . "We' r e j ust pl ay- i r _ g a game. We' r e j ust pl ayi ng ar my f r ont . Ai n' t we j ust pl ayi ng ar my f r ont ?" Mi ke t hr ust hi s f ace i nt o J ani ce' s and l aughed. "I ' mgl ad t o see you . . J ani ce gr abbed hi mby t he t hr oat . He t r i ed t o pr y her hands awayf r omhi s neck; she woul dn' t l et go. Then he hi t her i n t he f ace. She swung at hi mso har d t hat t hey bot h f el l on t he f l oor . "C' mon Mi ke, " J i m shout ed. "Get her ! Get her !" Ti na shr i eked. I was shocked. Mi ke was on t he bot t om! J ani ce was si t t i ng on hi s st omach, bashi ng hi mi n t he f ace wi t h her f i st . J i mcoul dn' t st and i t anyl onger . He j umped on J ani ce' s back and pul l ed her of f hi s br ot her . Then Ti na l eaped on J ani ce and t he t hr ee of t hem wr est l ed her . J ani ce bi t , ki cked and swung her f i st wi l dl y. The noi se gr ewl ouder , 59 and I was af r ai d Mamawoul d hear us. I backed t o our si de of t he por ch and sat downon t he t op st ep. Al l at once, I l ooked up and saw Mamast andi ng at t he scr een door . She st epped out on t he por ch. Her f ace was wet wi t h per spi r at i on, and her st omach st uck out so f ar t hat i t l ooked as i f she had swal l owed a wat er mel on. "What ' s al l t he noi se f or ?" she asked cr ossl y . Ti na, Mi ke, and J i m r el eased t hei r hol d on J ani ce and st ood up. I st ood up t oo. J ani ce r ose sl owl y . Her nose was bl eedi ng. She wi ped her f ace on t he bot t om of her bl ouse . We al l l ooked ashamed and gui l t y, t he way you' r e supposed t o l ook wr en gr own- ups cat ch you doi ng somet hi ng wr ong. But J ani ce put her hands on her hi ps and gl ar ed at my mot her . Wi t h bl ood st i l l dr i ppi ng f r omher nose, she l ooked as i f she wer e goi ng t o at t ack Mama. Mama l ooked at her wi t h di st ast e. "Wel l ! " Mama sai d. She wai t ed f or an expl anat i on. "I t ' s al l her f aul t , " Mi ke sai d qui ckl y . "Sur e was, Mama, " I sai d. "We was out her e pl ayi ng, mi nd- i ng our own busi ness, Mi ss Dor o- t hy. " Ti na sai d. "Then she st ar t s f i ght i ng and car r yi ng on . " "Sur e di d, Mama. She sai d a bad mor d, " I sai d. "She' s al ways causi ng t r oubl e, Mi ss Dor ot hy, " J i m sai d. "Can' t nobody get al ong wi t h her . " "Do you know what she sai d, Mama?" I sai d eager l y . 6 0 "I don' t want t o hear none of her nast i ness, " Mama sai d. "You l i t t l e hei f er , why don' t you st ay on your si de of t he por ch i f you can' t pl ay ni ce l i ke t he ot her s. " "I amon my si de, " J ani ce sai d. I f I had spoken t hat way, I woul d have been whi pped. "Don' t you t al k back t o me, ' ' Mama snapped. "I don' t pl ay wi t h chi l dr en. " J ani ce cl osed her mout h t i ght l y . Even t hough she was si l ent , she ( coked def i ant . Mama was f ur i ous. Sl . e coul dn' t bear t o have anyone st and up t o her . Agai n, I was i m- pr essed wi t h J ani ce . "I don' t want t o hear no mor e f ool i shness f r om any of you, " Mama sai d. I l ooked away f r omMama t o t he ot her si de of t he por ch, and I saw Mi ss Rut h peer i ng t hr ough t he scr een door at us. I di dn' t know howl ong she had been t her e nor what she had hear d. My f ace gr ewhot wi t h embar r assment and shame. For t he f i r st t i me, I r eal l y began t o f eel t he summer heat . Mi ss Rut h opened t he scr een door and poked her head out of i t . Appar ent l y she had been sl eepi ng, f or she wor e a r ed bat h r obe whi ch was unf ast ened. She hel d i t t o- get her wi t h one hand. "What ' s wr ong?" she asked i n a sof t voi ce. "These ki ds ar e f i ght i ng agai n, " Mama sai d. She l ooked at Mi ss Rut h as i f she wer e l ooki ng at si n i t sel f . "I done t ol d ' emI don' t want no mor e of t hi s f ool i shness. I f t hey di st ur b me wi t h t hei r noi se one mor e t i me, I ' m gonna gi ve ever y Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST one of them a good whi ppi ng, no matter who they bel ong to. " She l ooked at Mi ss Ruth to see how she woul d take her thr eat . Mi ss Ruth came out on the por chandl et the scr een door cl ose. She put her ar m ar ound J ani ce. " Mi ss Dor othy, " Mi ss Ruth sai d qui etl y, " I know you mean wel l . But I don' t l et no outsi der s touch my chi l d. i f she does somethi ng wr ong, you tel l me and I ' l l puni sh her . " " Mi ss Ruth, " Mama l ower ed her voi ce to match Mi ss Ruth' s, " a body can' t be ever ywher e al l the ti me . Wecan' t al ways see the devi l - ment our chi l dr en star t . " Mi ss Ruths_ni l edf ai ntl y. " That' s tr ue, Mi ss Dor othy, " she conceded. Her smal l mouth l ost i ts sof tness . " I tr y to do r i ght by ever ybody, " Mama conti nued. " When a body sees Bctty doi ng wr ong, they know they can chasti se her . l t' s gonna be the same f or thi s ene her e. " She touched her stomach. " Youdo what youthi nk best f or your chi l dr en, " Mi ss Ruth sai d. ` ' But nobody better touch my J an- i ce . Why, I don' t whi p her mysel f . " " I can bel i eve that, " Mama sai d. I suddenl y had a vi si on of Mi ss Ruth attacki ng my mother the way J ani ce had attacked Mi ke . Coul d l i ttl e Mi ss Ruth beat up Mama, or woul d Mama beat up Mi ss Ruth? What woul d Daddy say when he came home and f ound that Mama had beaten up Mi ss Ruth? I di dn' ` _ l i ke what was goi ng on. " She don' t have no br i ngi ng up at al l , " Mama conti nued. " You' d NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 r ather car r y on mth that one- eyed boy than to do r i ght by your own chi l d. " Mi ke exchanged a gl ance wi th Ti na, and they l aughed. J i m, wi th hi s hands j ammed i n hi s pockets, l eaned agai nst the wal l . I began to f eel uneasy and hot . I di dn' t want to pl ay ar my f r ont any mor e. I j ust wantedever ybody tc stogy tal ki ng. " Don' t tal k about my mama, " J ani ce sai d suddenl y . Her voi ce was al most a pl ead. " See ther e. Tal ki ng back to l _er better s al r eady, " Mama sai d. " I al - ways say you r eap what you sow. And someday, thi s chi l d her e i s gonna pay you back f or not doi ng r i ght by her . " " Don' t say no mor e . . . " " Hush, " Mi ss Ruth sai d to J an- i ce. " I don' t mean no har m, " Mama sai d, " but I bel i eve i n tel l i ng thi ngs the way they i s . Nowyou can l i ve the wi l d l i f e i n thi s wor l d. But you' r e gonna have to come bef or e the Lor d i n the next one. " Mama' s voi ce r ose as she began to f eel the Spi r i t . Mi ss Ruth was speechl ess . Ever ybody was qui et . I was getti ng hotter . I f el t water r unni ng of f my back . For a mi nute, I was af r ai d that Mama woul d f eel the Hol v Ghost . Then she woul d begi n shouti ng andthanki ng the Lor d f or 61 bei ng good enough t o f eel t he Hol y Ghost . " I ' ve l i ved a good l i f e, " Mama cont i nued . " Di dn' t go r unni ng ar ound andcar r yi ng on and l eavi ng a chi l d t o go ever y whi chway. " " Don' t t al k about my mama, " J ani ce sai d. She was br eat hi ng har d now. Mama l ooked at her sadl y. " I don' t f aul t t he chi l d none. L t ' s your t eachi ngs t hat ' s maki ng her what she i s. L ook at Bet t y. She never t al ks back. Knows bet t er t han t o t r y i t . Mi ss Rut h gl anced at me qui ckl y and I t r i ed t o back away f r omher l ook . " Don' t yousay . . . " " Be qui et , " Mi ss Rut h sai d har shl y. " Thenmake her shut up, " J ani ce scr eamed. " Make her shut her damn mout h!" Mi ss Rut hr el eased her r obe and sl apped J ani ce acr oss t he f ace. Be- wi l der ed, J ani ce backedaway f r om her mot her . They l ooked at each ot her f or a l ong t i me. Theyl ooked as i f t hey, bot h, wer e goi ng t o cr y. J ani ce' s mout h t r embl ed. She j umped of f t he por ch st eps and r an down t he st r eet . Mi ss Rut hl ooked at Mamawi t h t ear s i n her eyes. " I ' m sor r y, " she mumbl ed. " I don' t know what ' s wr ong wi t h me. I knowbet t er t han t o f uss wi t h you i n your condi t i on. I know I ai n' t l i vi ng r i ght , Mi ss Dor ot hy, " she sai d. " But I don' t mean no har m. I j ust can' t hel p my- sel f . I don' t mean t o hur t nobody. 6 2 Never hi t t he chi l d bef or e i n my l i f e. Don' t know what ' s wr ong wi t h me. Pr ay f or me, Mi ss Dor ot hy. Pr ay f or me!" Mamawi ped t he per spi r at i on of f her f or ehead wi t h t he back of her hand. " I ' l l pr ay f or you, " she pr omi sed. I l ooked ar ound f or Mi ke. He was whi sper i ng somet hi ng t o J i m and Ti na. They wer e pr obabl y maki ng up a newgame or t hi nki ng of newways t o pl ay t he ol d one . I di dn' t want t o be wi t h anyof t hem anymor e. Whi l e Mama and Mi ss Rut h wer e di scussi ng Mama' s con- di t i on, I wal kedof f t he por ch. Then Mamayel l ed at me. I di dn' t r un or anyt hi ng . I j ust kept wal ki ng down t he st r eet . " Bet t y, " Mamayel l ed, " you get your sel f onback her e. " I di dn' t t ur n ar ound, I j ust kept wal ki ng. I f oundJ ani ce i n t he al l ey, about a bl ock f r omt he house. She was l yi ng, f ace down i n t he mi ddl e of t he st r eet . " What ' r e you doi ng?" I asked as I wal ked up t o her . " Go away, " she sai d. " I hat e you, t oo. " She l ooked f unny. Ther e was di r t and bl ood al l over her f ace. " C' mon, get up. " " I ' mgonna st ay her e f or ever , " she sai d, " unt i l I di e. " " You gonna get r un over , " I sai d. " I don' t car e. I wannadi e. " " Why?" I asked. " Who car es?" she asked. I t hought about her quest i on f or Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST a whi l e. I di dn' t know what she meant by i t . But I knew t hat I di dn' t hat e her , and I di dn' t want t o make f un of her anymor e. " I . . . I . . . car e, " I sai d. " C' mon J ani ce, get up. " As usual , J ani ce di dn' t pay any at t ent i on t o me. " I hat e ever y- body, " she sai d . " I hat e mama, t oo. I ' mgonna st ay her e t i l l I di e. Then she' l l be sor r y. "
i I was al r eady sor r y abo~ever y- t hi ng. " Pl ease get up, " I sai d, f i ght - i ng back t he t ear s . She woul dn' t move. I wal ked over t o t he si de- wal k and sat down. I wasn' t i n any hur r y t o go home. I knew I was goi ng t o get i t when I got t her e. I t woul dn' t be any l i t t l e ol d sl ap ei t her . Besi des, I knew J ani ce coul dn' t l i e i n t he st r eet f or ever . Peopl e dr ove t hei r car s t hr ough t hat al l ey. And one way or anot her , t hey woul d make her move. I sat f or a l ong t i me t hi nki ng about J an- i ce, Mi ss Rut h, and Mama. Fi nal l y J ani ce got up and came over t o t he si dewal k . She sat down next t ome. I di dn' t knowwhy she moved f r om t he st r eet . Maybe she t hought t hat someone car ed af t er al l . Maybe she j ust got t i r ed of l yi ng t her e. Any- way, she moved . We sat t her e f or a whi l e l onger . I di dn' t l ook at J an- i ce because I di dn' t want t o cr y; and I t hi nk maybe she di dn' t l ook at me because she di dn' t want t o cr y ei t her . Chr i st i ne Reams, aut hor of t he shor t st or y, " ' The Game, " i s a st udent of Hi st or y at Washi ngt on Uni ver si t y i n St . Loui s, Mo. Af t er gr aduat i on i n J une, Mi ss Reams pl ans t oj oi n t he Peace Cor ps f or a per i od of t wo year s . Thi s i s her f i r st publ i shed st or y. NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 63 especi al l y one at a predomi nant l y Negro i nst i t ut i on- i s suspect . Hi s i nt el l ect ual i nf eri ori t y i s assumed. I f he i s wri t i ng about Negroes, hi s bi as i s presumed. I t i s a pai nf ul j ob- but a f act - t hat when a whi t e man st udi es t he cul t ure of Ne- groes, hi s work i s sent t o anot her whi t e man f or apprai sal . When a Negro wri t es about Negroes, hi s work i s sent t o t hree whi t e men. What i s publ i shed. and publ i ci zed, consequent l y, general l y repeat s what ever whi t e men al ready be- l i eve about t he Negro. What i s needed i s a Negro press, a bl ack publ i sher t hat wi l l publ i sh and publ i ci ze t he book- l engt h re- search of Negro schol ars . I f i rst heard such a request i n 1957. Af t er a decade, Negro educat ors and busi nessmen have not t aken t he f i rst st ep t owards such a company. Negro publ i shers of magazi nes evi - dence t hei r f ears t hat Negroes wi l l not buy schol arl y publ i cat i ons, f or t hey have concent rat ed t hei r ef f ort and money on peri odi cal s wi t h popul ar appeal . Unf ort unat el y, t hey may be cor- rect . Langst on Hughes was among t hose who, 30years ago, depl ored t he unwi l l i ngness of Negroes t o buy books . Hughes, of course, ref erred t o popul ar books- f i ct i on and poet ry. I nt erest i n schol arshi p i s even l ess . 64 ( Cont i nued / rompage 20) FACULTY Negro t eachers are needed. But t he t ask of securi ng t hemi s not as si mpl e as mi ght be presumed f rom l i st eni ng t o t he bri ght young edu- cat ors who demand a bl ack uni - versi t y . Let us assume t hat we are con- si deri ng est abl i shi ng a uni versi t y of 10, 000 st udent s- smal l by st andards of t he prest i ge uni versi - t i es, col ossal f or a Negro i nst i t u- t i on. Let us al so propose one t eacher f or every 20 st udent s . cert ai nl y not a f ar- f et ched st and- ard f or an i deal i nst i t ut i on. That amount s t o onl y 500t eachers, pl us admi ni st rat ors and secret ari es . Onl y 500. But t hat number wi l l not be f ound among Negroes who earn graduat e degrees i n 1968. I do not propose t o excl ude arbi t rar- i l y any candi dat e who l acks a doc- t orat e degree . Nor do I wi sh t o deni grat e t he i nt el l ect ual abi l i t y and t he ent husi amof peopl e who may appl y. But desi re i s not suf f i - ci ent . Knowl edge and t eachi ng abi l i t y are requi red. Furt hermore, because i nst ruct i on must be pro- vi dedi n al l areas of t he curri cul um, even t he capabl e and wel l - t rai ned i nst ruct ors must be screened t o make cert ai n t hat t hei r qual i f i ca- t i ons are suppl ement ary rat her t han dupl i cat i ng. For i nst ance, i t i s usel ess t o have f our t eachers wel l - t rai ned i n zool ogy i f t here i s no one suf Fi ci ent l y t rai ned i n bot any. March 1968 NEGkODI GEST Si nce suf f i ci ent t eacher s cannot be secur ed f r omnewgr aduat es not al r eady commi t t ed t o par t i cul ar i n- st i t ut i ons, i t wi l l be necessar y t o r ai d t he f acul t i es of est abl i shed i n- st i t ut i ons . As anyone knows who has t r i ed i t , money does not al ways pr ove suf f i ci ent l y st r ong t o pr y a t eacher f r oman i nst i t ut i on and a communi t y wher e he has pl ant ed r oot s f or hi msel f and hi s f ami l y. I n t i me, a newi nst i t ut i on wi t h suf f i ci ent money and sat i sf act or y f r i nge benef i t s- such as geogr aphi c l ocat i on, adequat e l i br ar y, l i mi t ed t eachi ng l oad, and cul t ur al act i vi - t i es- can bui l d as sat i sf act or y a f acul t y as di d Duke and Chi cago, t o name onl y t wo i nst i t ut i ons whi ch compet ed successf ul l y wi t h wel l - est abl i shed i nst i t ut i ons . But t i me i s r equi r ed. Adecade may not be an unr easonabl e mi ni mum . Meanwhi l e, i t may be necessar y t o devel op t he pr ogr am at an i nst i - t ut i on al r eady est abl i shed, f or one may st r engt hen a compet ent f acul t y mor e qui ckl y t han cr eat e a new one . Nat ur al l y, t he i nst i t ut i on must be sel ect ed car ef ul l y, and means must be devi sed t o excl ude f r om t he pr ogr am- - - or at l east mi ni mi ze t he i nf l uence of - t enur ed f acul t y member s who, apat het i c, i ncompe- t ent , or host i l e, cannot cont r i but e whol esomel y. NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 ADMI NI STRATI ON Negr o admi ni st r at or s have been cr i t i ci zed f or i ncompet ence, aut o- cr at i c behavi or , and egocent r i ci t y. Al t hough t he char ges ar e of t en j ust i f i abl e, compet ent admi ni st r a- t or s can be secur ed f r omamong t hose al r eady i n hi gher educat i on. Li ke t eacher s, however , admi ni s- t r at or s may be unwi l l i ng t o aban- don est abl i shed post s t o gambl e wi t h uncer t ai nt y. I cannot easi l y condemn a man- bl ackor whi t e- who hesi t at es, and f i nal l y r ef uses, t o dedi cat e hi msel f t o a cause whi ch may r equi r e hi s sacr i f i ci ng ever yt hi ng whi ch he has spent a l i f et i me bui l di ng. Per haps, t her e- f or e, t he pr oposed pr ogr amshoul d be pl aced under t he j ur i sdi ct i on of a pr esi dent who has demonst r at ed excel l ence at an i nst i t ut i on al r eady est abl i shed. Bef or e r ej ect i ng t hi s suggest i on, l et us exami ne t he maj or obj ec- t i ons- t hat i s, t he cr i t i ci sms t r a- di t i onal l y hur l ed at Negr o admi ni s- t r at or s . Aut ocr at s have gover ned and do gover n some Negr o col - l eges . But t he Negr o r ace owns no monopol y on t yr anni cal pr esi dent s . Aut ocr at i c admi ni st r at i on may de- vel op wher ever a weak, i nsecur e f acul t y sur r ender s i t s r i ght s . Ther e i s l i t t l e need t o f ear t hat aut ocr at i c pr act i ces wi l l gover n t he i deal bl ack uni ver si t y . Fi r st , t he pr esi dent wi l l al r eady have demon- st r at ed excel l ence. Compet ent ad- mi ni st r at or s r ecogni ze t hat educa- t i onal pr ogr ams wor k best when t he f acul t y assi st s i n det er mi ni ng 65 pol i cy. Second, t he st r ong f acul t y r equi r ed f or t he i deal i nst i t ut i on wi l l not sur r ender i t s r i ght s . Negr o admi ni st r at or s al so ar e accused of i ncompet ence. Agai n, t he f ai l i ng shoul d not be i dent i f i ed wi t h a par t i cul ar r ace. I ncompe- t ent whi t e men pr esi de over col - l eges, j ust as i ncompet ent Negr oes do . Conver sel y, many Negr oes ad- mi ni st er pr ogr ams ef f ect i vel y, j ust as whi t e men do. The f act t hat some pr esi dent s have pr oved t o be i ncompet ent mer el y emphasi zes t he need t o se- l ect a pr esi dent car ef ul l y. Some men cannot cope wi t h t he r api d expansi ons of col l eges t oday. For exampl e, an admi ni st r at or who has gover ned successf ul l y as a f at her - i n- r esi dence f or a f ami l y of f i ve hundr ed st udent s and sevent y t eacher s may l ear n t hat hi s met h- ods f ai l when t he popul at i on doubl es . Tr adi t i onal l y, mi ni st er s and pr o- f essor s have been sel ect ed as pr esi - dent s of Negr o col l eges . Mi ni st er s ar e pr esumed compet ent t o gui de t he mor al as wel l as t he i nt el l ect ual devel opment of st udent s . I t i s f ur - t her assumed t hat br i l l i ant pr of es- sor s can r eshape t he cur r i cul um i magi nat i vel y and can st i mul at e academi c per f or mance char act er - i st i c of t hei r own wor k. The f act i s, however , t hat t he compl exi t y of col l ege admi ni st r a- t i on t oday r equi r es t he t al ent s of a cor por at i on execut i ve r at her t han t hose of a schol ar or a spi r i t ual counsel or . Hi gher educat i on i s bi g bb busi ness . Some key admi ni st r at or on t he campus must know how t o secur e gr ant s, how t o or gani ze st af f , how t o handl e per sonnel , how t o pr epar e and pr esent budget s and pr oposal s : i n shor t , someone must knowhowt o oper at e a bi g busi ness successf ul l y . I deal l y, t her ef or e. some t op admi ni st r at or - a vi ce- pr esi dent , per haps- shoul d be ex- per i enced i n busi ness management . But how many Negr oes have been gi ven t he oppor t uni t y t o exer ci se t hei r t al ent s as execut i ves i n l ar ge cor por at i ons? Wher eas some whi t e col l eges may compl ai n t hat t hey cannot f i nd busi ness execut i ves wi l l i ng t o accept l ower sal ar i es as vi ce- pr esi dent s, Negr o col l eges must compl ai n of t he scar ci t y of Negr oes wi t h suf f i ci ent execut i ve exper i ence t o ser ve even as vi si t i ng consul t ant s . An i deal i nst i t ut i on needs a t r i - umvi r at e of key admi ni st r at or s- one man, exper i enced i n managi ng a cor por at i on, who manages t he oper at i on; a second man - an i magi nat i ve schol ar - who spear - heads t he academi c pr ogr am ; a t hi r d man, knowl edgeabl e about budget s, t axes, and l aw, who ser ves as f i nanci al of f i cer . Nat ur al l y, as a schol ar , I woul d name t he academ- i c man t o t he post of pr esi dent . Each of t he t hr ee, however , i s es- sent i al t o a successf ul oper at i on, and each must f i nd suf f i ci ent pr es- t i ge and sat i sf act i on i n hi s own po- si t i on t hat he wi l l not seek t o usur p t he r esponsi bi l i t i es of t he ot her t wo. Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST NEWPROGRAMS ANDEXPERIMENTATION Thenewcour ses pr oposed ear l i er do not compl et e t he academi c r e- f or ms whi ch ar e needed. Newcur - r i cul a must pr epar eNegr o st udent s f or occupat i ons pr evi ousl y cl osed t o t hem . Many pr edomi nant l y Ne- gr o col l eges, st ar vi ng f i nanci al l y, cannot af f or d t he addi t i onal ex- pense of newpr ogr ams, no mat t er howdesi r abl e t hey may be. For exampl e, i f onl y f i ve st u- dent s seek t r ai ni ng f or col l ege per - sonnel posi t i ons, an i mpover i shed i nst i t ut i on may ar gue t hat i t can- not af f or d t o of f er such a pr ogr am. Inst ead, i t wi l l cont i nue t o pr epar e t he f i f t y st udent s i nt er est ed i n el e- ment ar y and secondar y school counsel i ng. Thus, col l eges, eco- nomi cal l y f or ced t o per pet uat e t he t r adi t i onal , f ai l t o pr epar e Negr o st udent s f or newoccupat i ons . The Bl ack Uni ver si t y may suf f er si mi l ar f i nanci al har dshi ps ; vet i t must of f er newpr ogr ams . Ot her - wi se, i t wi l l bet r ay i t s st udent s and, i n f act , may l ose pr ospect i ve st u- dent s t o l ar ger uni ver si t i es whi ch can af f or d such pr ogr ams . The Bl ack Uni ver si t y al so must di scar d t he char act er i st i c conser v- at i vi smof most Negr o i nst i t ut i ons . Fear i ng cr i t i ci sm f or f ai l ur e, Ne- gr o i nst i t ut i ons r ar el y have gam- bl ed on educat i onal exper i ment s . Many of t he so- cal l ed exper i ment s i n cur r i cul umand met hod mer el y r evi ve ant i quat ed and abandoned pr act i ces . Or t hese "exper i ment s" abandon academi c st andar ds under NEGRODIGEST Mar ch 1968 t he pr et ext of r espect i ng t he so- cal l ed cul t ur e of t he Negr o. Exper i ment at i on must be en- cour aged. Ther e shoul d be exper i - ment s i n met hods of t eachi ng, ex- per i ment s wi t hnon- gr aded cour ses, exper i ment s wi t h t ut or i al sessi ons . But exper i ment s must be con- duct ed syst emat i cal l y. Cont r ol gr oups shoul d be compar ed wi t h t he exper i ment al gr oups, and st u- dent per f or mance shoul d be t est ed and eval uat ed. Al ways, t he exper i - ment shoul d be desi gned t o di s- cover t he most ef f ect i ve means of achi evi ng desi r ed r esul t s, never mer el y t o conf i r mt he val i di t y of a pr e- det er mi ned hypot hesi s . Possi - bl y, exper i ment at i onwi l l pr ove t hat many st udent s cannot r each t he r e- qui r ed l evel of compet ence wi t hi n f our year s . If so, t he st udent s must be r et ai ned l onger . Col l egeeduca- t i on, t hus, wi l l not be envi si oned as f our year s of cour ses pr oduci ng a di pl oma as aut omat i cal l y as ni ne mont hs of devel opment pr oduce a chi l d. Inst ead, i t shoul d be vi ewed as t he movement t owar d a goal , t he dur at i on det er mi ned by t he knowl - edge, st ami na, and qui ckness of t he st udent . The need f or new pr ogr ams and exper i ment at i on i s a pr obl em f or al l of hi gher educat i on, not mer el y f or Negr o i nst i t ut i ons . I must r e- emphasi ze, however , t hat t he t er m "exper i ment " or "cur r i cul um de- vel opment " shoul d not mask a con- descendi ng accept ance of i nade- quat eper f or manceby Negr oes . For exampl e, some educat or s cur r ent l y 67 advi se t eacher s t o r espect t he di a- l ect and t he cul t ur e of Negr o st u- dent s . Si nce no st udi es have de- t er mi ned what t hat di al ect i s, some educat or s woul d accept al l habi t s of l anguage usage, no mat t er how f ar t hey devi at e f r omt he st andar d. Si nce st udi es do not descr i be t he Negr o' s cul t ur e, some educat or s excuse i r r esponsi bi l i t y, f or exam- pl e, as char act er i st i c of t hat cul t ur e. Such per mi ssi veness f ur t her i nj ur es t he Negr o st udent , who, af t er gr ad- uat i ng, seeks a pr of essi onal or t ech- ni cal posi t i on. The pr of essi onal wor l d expect s t hat col l ege gr adu- at es wi l l use l anguage i dent i f i ed wi t h pr of essi onal peopl e and t hat t hey wi l l demonst r at e r esponsi bi l i - t y. For exampl e, f ew empl oyer s wi l l hi r e secr et ar i es who wi l l say, " I ai n' t got none of t hem. " Whet h- er t he secr et ar y speaks wi t h t he ac- cent of Bost on or Char l est on does not mat t er , but t he empl oyer ex- pect s a di f f er ent l evel of usage. The empl oyer - bl ack or whi t e- does not car e whet her t he secr et ar y' s par ent s and f r i ends speak t hat way . He assumes t hat i f she wi shes t o r et ai n t hat pat t er n of usage, she shoul d wor k among t hemr at her t han i mpose her " di al ect " on hi s busi ness . Si mi l ar l y, no one- whet her a whi t e man or a r ace- pr oud bl ack man- want s an i r r e- sponsi bl e doct or or even an i r r e- sponsi bl e pl umber . 68 THEATRE, MUSI C, ART The Bl ack Uni ver si t y shoul d pr ovi de a t r ai ni nggr ound f or young act or s, pl aywr i ght s, composer s, musi ci ans, and ar t i st s. No t heat r e t oday pr ovi des adequat e oppor t u- ni t y f or st r uggl i ng act or s and pl ay- wr i ght s t o devel op t hei r t al ent s . Once agai n, t he pr obl emi s not r e- st r i ct ed t o t he Negr o ; a youngwhi t e pl aywr i ght exper i ences equal di f f i - cul t y i n gai ni ng exper i ence by st ag- i ng hi s dr amas . We ar e concer ned, however , wi t h t he devel opment of Negr o ar t i st s . An adequat el y f i nanced uni ver - si t y shoul d be abl e t o mai nt ai n a r esi dent company of youngwr i t er s and per f or mer s who coul d shar e wi t h st udent s t hei r pr of essi onal ex- per i ences, l i mi t ed t hough t hey may be, and who woul d have a st age on whi ch t o devel op t hei r t al ent . Si mi l ar l y, t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y must house a subst ant i al col l ect i on of wor ks by Negr o wr i t er s and schol ar s and a museumof ar t by bl ack men. Bot h col l ect i ons r e- qui r e money and t he ser vi ces of f ul l - t i me di r ect or s who have t i me and t r avel expenses t o sear ch f or t he necessar y mat er i al s . The r esi dent company, t he l i - br ar y, and t he museumcan be es- t abl i shed and mai nt ai ned as easi l y at a pr edomi nant l y Negr o i nst i t u- t i on al r eady est abl i shed as at a new i nst i t ut i on. Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST TRUSTEES I f I seemi ndi f f er ent t o t r ust ees, t he r eason i s onl y t hat , as a t each- er and quasi - or semi - admi ni st r at - or , I have consi der ed t r ust ees onl y as busi nessmen who gi ve t he bl ess- i ng of t he pr act i cal wor l d t o t he dr eams of educat or s. I f or esee l ess di f f i cul t y i n secur i ng t r ust ees t han i n secur i ng anyt hi ng el se f or t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y. J acki e Robi nson, Ral ph Bunche, Mayor Car l St okes of Cl evel and or Mayor Ri char d Hat cher of Gar y, Publ i sher J ohn H. J ohnson- t hese ar e onl y a f ew who ar e possi bl e. Tr ust ees- al l - bl ack or al l - Negr o or al l - Af r o- Amer i can or what ever you wi sh t o cal l "t hose peopl e"- can bef ound. PRESTI GE Thef i nal need of t he Bl ack Uni - ver si t y i s f or pr est i ge. Even newl y est abl i shed whi t e i nst i t ut i ons r e- qui r e t i met o bui l d r eput at i ons. But I f ear t hat , i n Amer i ca, a bl ack uni ver si t y wi l l never ear n nat i onal r eput at i on as l ong as i t uses onl y bl ack t eacher s t o i nst r uct onl y bl ack st udent s. And I wonder how l ong Negr o st udent s wi l l r et ai n pr i de i n t hei r i nst i t ut i on unl ess t hat pr i de i s r espect ed by non- bl acks. Thi s i s per haps t he f i nal r eason r eaf f i r mi ng f or memy or i gi nal con- el usi on t hat t he desi r ed r esul t s may be obt ai ned mor e ef f ect i vel y by bui l di ng upon an al r eady est ab- l i shed pr edomi nant l y Negr o uni - ver si t y r at her t han at t empt i ng t o est abl i sh a newi nst i t ut i on. Secur e t he necessar y money- whet her f r ombl ack men or whi t e men, and add t hi s t o t he money al - r eady i n t he budget of a school . Secur e admi ni st r at or s whose t al - ent s suppl ement t hose of a compe- t ent admi ni st r at or who al r eady has exper i ence. Secur et eacher s- bl ack or whi t e- who havet he knowl edge and t he abi l i t y t o t each t he desi r ed cour ses, and uset hemt o st r engt hen a st af f whi ch al r eady has number s and compet ence. Accept st udent s - whi t e or bl ack- who wi sh t o exper i ence t he educat i on pr ovi ded. Then r evi se t he cur r i cul umt o meet t he needs and demands. What r esul t s wi l l not be t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y, f or i t accept s whi t e money, whi t e f acul t y, and whi t e st udent s. But i t shoul d be t he ki nd of i nst i t ut i on best desi gned t o pr ovi de adequat e oppor t uni t y f or bl ack t eacher s and st udent s t o de- vel op t hei r capabi l i t i es f ul l y, t o ser ve t he bl ack communi t y ef f ec- t i vel y, t o gai n pr i de i n and knowl - edge of t hei r her i t age and t hem- sel ves, and t o achi eve r ecogni t i on f or t hei r abi l i t y. And t hese, af t er al l , ar e t he maj or pur poses f or whi ch a Bl ack Uni ver si t y i s pr o- posed. Dar wi n T. Tur ner , aut hor of "The Bl ack Uni ver si t y: A Pr act i cal Ap- pr oach, " i s dean of t he gr aduat e school at t he Agr i cul t ur al and Tech- ni cal St at e Uni ver si t y of Nor t h Car ol i na, Gr eensbor o. NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 69 st andar ds wer e t he met hods of se- l ect i ng di smi ssed i ndi vi dual s . Dr . Nabr i t sai d- al l t he peopl e have uni f or ml y sai d- "We' ve used t he schol ar shi p met hod- we' ve r ead i n t he pa- per somewher e, r i ght l y or wr ong- l y, t hat t hese peopl e wer e i n some way associ at ed wi t h t he di st ur bance. And t hat ' s a scho- l ast i c way t o appr oach t he si t uat i on . ' Geor ge Hayes, Howar d at t or - ney, assumed a Lawyer Cal houn demeanor and wai l ed t hat "t her e has been a suggest i on of b- l ack pow- wuh" ( del i ver ed i n t he Bap- t i st pr eacher ' s f i r e- and- br i mst one t ones) . He f ur t her i nsi nuat ed t hat I had caused t he f i r es, ` ' r eadi ng a st at ement f r oman ar t i cl e on How- ar d I had wr i t t en i n t he Washi nb t on Fr ee Pr ess. Ther e I had sai d of t he admi ni st r at i on: "They don' t seemt o hear t he t hunder . . . and so, t he boycot t l ast Wednesday, t he f i r e next t i me" ( obvi ousl y empl oy- i ng t he t i t l es of t wo wel l - known novel s about t he r aci al scene) . "' I n a conf i dent i al r epor t t o hi s super i or , t he associ at e dean of st u- dent s, Car l Ander son, set f or t h l udi cr ous and, needl ess t o say, er - r oneous concl usi ons, based on t he vi ewi ng of a f i l mby 30 member s of t he st af f and t wo st udent s em- pl oyed as spi es . The f i l mof a Her - shey hear i ng had been t ur ned aver t o Howar d by a l ocal t el evi si on 7 0 ( Cont i nued / t una page - 16) st at i on whose whi t e r epor t er had got t en i nt o an ar gument wi t h bl ack mi l i t ant st udent s out si de t he bui l d- i ng and was knocked down and hospi t al i zed. The t r oubl e wi t h t hi s was t hat t he Howar d i nvest i gat or s had a f i l m wi t h no sound. Conse- quent l y, t hey wat ched Ant hony Gi t t ens, i n t he r oom l egi t i mat el y as a wi t ness, and J ay Gr eene, who sought t o br i ng t he mi l i t ant cr owd under cont r ol , and concl uded f r om t hat t hat t hey wer e i nci t i ng t he cr owd t o r ebel l i on . The "conf i dent i al " r epor t al so er r oneousl y decl ar ed t he Bl ack Power Commi t t ee under t he con- t r ol of SNCC and t he Communi st Par t y and l abel ed t he f at her of one st udent a communi st . The r epor t l i st ed t he names of 12 "member s of t he Bl ack Power Commi t t ee" ; onl y one of t hem was act ual l y a mem- ber . One st udent who was l i st ed as a member , Ar t Gol dber g, was whi t e. Fr omt hi s ki nd of evi dence an ad hoc kangar oo di sci pl i nar y com- mi t t ee of 15 f acul t y of f i ci al s met ed out puni shment ( f r om di smi ssal s t o war ni ngs and dor mi t or y pur ges) t o 60 st udent s, i ncl udi ng Andr e McKi ssi ck, daught er of CORE' s Fl oyd McKi ssi ck. Facul t y member s di smi ssed wer e mer el y out spoken f acul t y member s whose cont r act s conveni ent l y expi r ed t hat year . They had vi ol at ed t he cul t of medi - ocr i t y or i gi nat ed i n Howar d' s ear l y Mar ch 1963 NEGRO DI GEST year s when ' `Chr i st i an char act er and r epubl i can pr i nci pl es" wer e, j ust as pol i t i cal doci l i t y i s now, t he pr i me pr er equi si t es f or empl oy- ment and pr omot i on. ' ~ The onl y ot her accusat i ons, asi de f r omAct - i ng Pr esi dent St ant on L. Wor m- l ey' s l abel i ng of me and Pr of . l van Eames as f el l ow " r aci st s, " came f r om Pr esi dent Nabr i t (who was al most never on campus) who sai d t hat t her e had been" showi ngs and some ki nd of physi cal cont act . These t eacher s had been i nvol ved i nt hi s ki nd of act i vi t y . " ' ~ Thi s, of cour se, was a bal df aced l i e. I n t he r ecent mont hs, f our addi t i onal pr of essor s of unquest i oned pr of es- si onal per f or mance have been r e- f used r eappoi nt ment appar ent l y f or pol i t i cal vi ews . Mor e r et al i a- t i ons ar e t o come wi t h each year ' s expi r at i on of cont r act s- as t hi ngs nowst and- unt i l al l per sons of a di ver gent pol i t i cal hue have l ef t i n di sgust or beendi smi ssed . When news of l ast summer ' s f i r i ngs r eached me, I had beenl ec- t ur i ng at t he Uni ver si t y of Wi scon- si n at Mi l waukee . Af t er some weeks I r et ur ned t o Washi ngt on a: nd suggest ed, i n passi ng, when r espondi ng i nt he l ocal pr ess t o Na- br i t ' s boast s of hi s past ci vi l r i ght s l egal wor k, t hat at l east now, hav- i ng out l i ved hi s usef ul ness, af t er ser vi ng wel l i n hi s day and r ecei v- i ng hi s r ewar d, he shoul d have t he NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 decency t o get out of t he way . I l ef t t own agai n shor t l y and Nabr i t , who had one year l ef t bef or e r each- i ng t he mandat or y r et i r ement age and who had spent hal f of t he pr e- vi ous year of f i ci al l y wor ki ng away f r om Howar d as a " sal esman" of LBJ ' s f or ei gn pol i cy, announced hi s " r et i r ement . " I was si t t i ng at a conf er ence br eakf ast t abl e whenI r ead t hi s i n t he Washi ngt on Past and I i mmedi - at el y excl ai med t o my compani ons t hat i t was a pr opaganda, a publ i c r el at i ons, st unt . My skept i ci sm was based, i n par t , onl ong exposur e t o t he conni vi ng, di shonest appr oach of t he Howar d admi ni st r at i on. Lat er , I was t o l ear n t hat Howar d' s publ i c r el at i ons di r ect or , who hi gh- l i ght ed t he Her shey af f ai r whent he sel ect i on of st udent def endant s cl ear l y i ndi cat ed t hat t he Bl ack Power Commi t t ee was t he t ar get , had r ecei ved a speci al ci t at i on f r om t he Amer i can Associ at i on of Col - l ege Publ i c Rel at i ons Of f i ci al s . He al so pl ayed up t he bl ack power i ssue af t er t he f i r i ng of si x pr of es- sor s (f our of t hem whi t e, and I t he onl y bl ack power advocat e i n t he
si x ) . Unf or t unat el y, a gr oup of di s- mi ssed st udent s and f acul t y mem- ber s mi sr ead Nabr i t ' s " r esi gnat i on" (as di d j ust about ever ybody el se) and cal l ed a pr ess conf er ence t o announce i t as a vi ct or y f or our cause. They al so suggest ed Ken- net h B. Cl ar k (a member of Howar d' s Boar d of Tr ust ees! ) as a successor t o Nabr i t , whi ch caused 71 me t o excl ai munconsci ousl y al oud as soon as I had r ead i t . 1 was awar e t hat i f you wr i t e a book cal l ed TanGhet t o peopl e wi l l t hi nk you moder at e; Dar k Chet t o, a mi l i - t ant ; and Bl ack Ghet t o, a f l ami ng r adi cal . Hence i t di d not sur pr i se mea f ewpar agr aphs l at er when I r ead t hat Cl ar k had denounced our movement as "psychot i c" whi l e commendi ng t he ways of Nabr i t . I n Sept ember , Nabr i t was t o an- nounce t hat he had never wr i t t en a l et t er of r esi gnat i on and woul d not , i ndeed, t hat hemi ght def y t he mandat or y r ul e and st ay on sever al year s. Then, t he day af t er t he f i r st f i ght of my cur r ent boxi ng come- back i n December , i n whi ch 1 won by a knockout i n 2 mi nut es and 22 seconds of t he f i r st r ound, Nabr i t announced i n t hepr ess f or t he sec- ond t i met hat he woul d not r et i r e. Wewent t o cour t i n August - I bel at edl y and r el uct ant l y, f or I f el t t hat t hat woul d t ur n t hemat t er over t o t he mer cy of t he Gr eat Whi t e Cour t s whi ch mi ght r ul e on a l egal t echni cal i t y r at her t han on pur e j ust i ce. Al so, Howar d st udent s and t eacher s, shoul d any st i l l car e or r emember by Sept ember , woul d t end t o accept t he cour t ' s deci si on as i nf al l i bl e or , equal l y as bad, awai t i t passi vel y . Our l awyer s as- sur ed us t hat t he case woul d be over by Sept ember and I f el t I had t o go al ong because ot her f acul t y member s t hought t hat my st ayi ng out woul d hur t t hei r case. The j udge who handl ed i t , an oct oge- nar i an, had a r eput at i on f or con- 7 2 ser vat i smas wel l as f or maki ng t he wr ong deci si on i n t heopi ni on of t he Cour t s of Appeal s ( wher e t he case i s now) . Wedi d not , t her ef or e, ex- pect a f avor abl e deci si on, and t i me and agai n dur i ng t he cour t r oom pr oceedi ngs t hebi ased and i l l ogi cal comment s of t he el der l y j udge br ought down t he cour t r oom i n l aught er . 1 di scover ed, meanwhi l e, t hat t he member s of t he Bl ack Power Commi t t eehad been i mpr i soned i n a summer "r i ot - pr event i on" r ound- up of bl ack mi l i t ant s, i n t hi s case f or "conspi r i ng t o i nci t e a r i ot . " As bai l money coul d not be r ai sed f or t hemat t he t i me, t hey coul d not r et ur n t o Howar d. Thi s l ef t me st andi ng on t he bat t l ef i el d wi t h no f or ces ; and so I wor ked al ong wi t h ot her st udent l eader s who pl anned a boycot t f or Sept ember . I al so r e- member ed al l t he hel p l ocal bl ack l eader s- not t o ment i on Howar d st udent s and pr of essor s- unsol i ci t - ed by me- had pr omi sed t hr ough- out t he pr ecedi ng year , and I pl anned at l ast t o sol i ci t t hei r ai d. However , st udent l eader s wer e st r ongl y agai nst "out si de" f or ces . Then, j ust bef or e school st ar t ed, t he st udent s wer e r ei nst at ed, t hough most o t hemwent el se- wher e, gener al l y t o bet t er school s . Oneof t hemi s sai d t o have t ol d t heot her st udent s t o wor kon f or m- i ng a "st udent j udi ci ar y commi t - t ee" i nst ead of r i ski ng pr ot est . I per sonal l y hear d a di smi ssed pr o- f essor di scour age r ebel l i on bef or e hel ef t f or anot her col l ege. St udent Mar ch 1 968 NEGRO DI GEST l eader s and pr of essor s posi ng as mi l i t ant s echoed t hi s advi ce. Now, st udent s who pr evi ousl y had ur ged me not t o r ound up and br i ng i n "out si de" f or ces, i nf or med me t hat t her e woul d be no boycot t and sug- gest ed t hat I use t he out si de f or ces . They had j ust l ear ned t hat mem- ber s of t he Bl ack Power Commi t - t ee, whi ch had st ol en t he campus l eader shi p f r omt he l i ber al - moder - at e st udent est abl i shment t he year bef or e, wer e now away i n j ai l . At about t hi s t i me t he l ocal af - f i l i at es of Newar k' s Nat i onal Bl ack Power Conf er ence f or med a Wash- i ngt on Commi t t ee f or Bl ack Power , of whi ch I was el ect ed chai r man. I sought hel p wi t h t he Howar d move- ment f r om t hem and f r om ot her bl ack mi l i t ant s, but none came f or war d . Nor di d any bl ack gr oup r ai se f unds or cont r i but e t o t he bi l l f or cour t cost s, al t hough some ar ea whi t e pr of essor s hel d a f und- r ai si ng par t y and some Amer i can Uni ver - si t y st udent s hel d a f und- r ai si ng concer t . Howar d st udent s di d not h- i ng al ong t hese l i nes, al t hough t he mi ~i t ant s put on a par t y t o r ai se bai l money f or a per son never con- nect ed wi t h Howar d and who had, i n f act , hel p per suade t he Wash- i ngt on Commi t t ee f or Bl ack Power t o evade t he Howar d st r uggl e . On t he f or mal openi ng of How- ar d, a wal kout was pl anned by mi l - i t ant st udent s f or Pr esi dent Nabr i t ' s addr ess . Onl y t hr ee pr of essor s- agai n al l whi t e- - coul d be per - suaded t o t ake an act i ve par t . Kei t h Lowe, Har var d- t r ai ned Engl i sh NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 pr of essor who had been par t of t he summer ' s pur ge, st ood wi t h me on t he si dewal k t o gr eet st udent s and f acul t y member s wal ki ng out of t he audi t or i um . As st udent s gat her ed r ound and cheer ed, t he voi ce of Pr of essor Lowe, an Or i - ent al r ear ed i n J amai ca, gr ew hoar se as he i mpl or ed: "I have seen you act as f ul l human bei ngs Don' t l et your st r uggl e sl i p back. " I war ned t he st udent s t hat t he onl y hope i s t o cl ose Howar d down i ndef i ni t el y unt i l a r ut hl ess, hel t er - skel t er admi ni st r at i on buck- l es under i n r epent ance . I di d not knowt hat t hat al so had been t he vi ewof Mor decai J ohnson, f or mer pr esi dent of Howar d, when t he Congr essi onal Appr opr i at i ons Commi t t ee at t emped t o suppr ess academi c f r eedom at Howar d ear l y i n t he McCar t hy er a. But , as i n t he case of l ast year ' s boycot t , st udent mi l i t ant s, mi s- t akenl y seeki ng "wi de par t i ci pa- t i on, " had t ur ned t he l eader shi p of t he pr ot est over t o est abl i shment st udent s . I know nowt hat t he ma- j or r eason f or t he Bl ack Power Commi t t ee' s r el at i ve st r engt h l ast year r est ed i n i t s excl usi veness, al - t hough t hi s anger ed many st udent s who r egar ded t hemsel ves as "bl ack r adi cal s" and had r eput at i ons f or const ant espousal s of t he gl or y of bl ackness and r evol ut i onar y r het o- r i c . These st udent s may st i l l be 7 3 f ound at t hi s game, beat i ng t hei r chest s and r eadi ng and par r ot i ng Fr ant z Fanon and Mao-Tse Tung; and i t i s cl ear nowt hat t hey cannot be expect ed t o do much el se. Then t her e ar e t he gr and or gan- i zer s . I r ecent l y at t ended a uni f yi ng meet i ngof t her epr esent at i ves of 19 di f f er ent gr oups, each pr oposi ng t o have t he cur e f or Howar d' s i l l s . When I f i nal l y l ef t t he meet i ng at mi dni ght t hey had not managed t o get t oget her on anyt hi ng ot her t han t he pr ohi bi t i on of campus act i vi t y by any si ngl e member -gr oup. Lat er , 1 l ear ned t hat t hey agr eed on a col l ect i ve name whose acoust i cs f or med an Af r i can wor d but t hey have done not hi ng si nce, whi ch- r emember ?-i s what t hey agr eed- t hat no member -gr oup shoul d do anyt hi ng. Thi s not hi ngness per vades t he ai r at Howar d, al t hough St eve Abel , st udent chai r man of t he Uni t ed Bl ack Peopl es Par t y, ap- pear s t o t r y har d and t o mean busi - ness ; but he has l i t t l e or no hel p ; and f r eshman cl ass pr esi dent Mi chael Har r i s, who has much pr omi se but has not yet had t he t i me t o l ose hi s f ai t h i n t he l i ps and pr omi ses of Howar d' s admi ni st r a- t i on and est abl i shment -st udent l eader s, di d st age a si t -i n i n Pr esi - dent Nabr i t ' s of f i ce, pr ot est i ng compul sor y ROTC. Agai nst Abel ' s wi l l , t he 100 st udent s wer e per - suaded by est abl i shment -l eader s t o br eak up t he si t -i n on t he pr omi se t hat Nabr i t woul d el i mi nat e com- pul sor y ROTC. Thi s pr omi se may 7 4 yet be f ul f i l l ed, but , i n any case, at best i t i s a paper vi ct or y i n mor e t han one sense of t he wor d. Under st and me, t her e st i l l ar e maybe 10 t r ul y mi l i t ant st udent s l ef t at Howar d, whi ch woul d be enough t o det onat e t he movement shoul d t hey ever manage t o shake of f t he cont r ol of t he admi ni st r a- t i on' s st udent f l unki es, st udent - l ounge r adi cal s and ot her phoni es . Adr i enne Manns, edi t or of t he Hi l l t op, f or exampl e, has done a br i l l i ant j ob, al ong wi t h Ant hony Gi t t ens, chai r man of Pr oj ect Awar eness, i n maki ng st udent s awar e . Al so, i t i s sai d t hat t i me makes mor e conver t s t han r eason, and i t may come t o pass t hat t he next t i me Nabr i t announces hi s r e- t i r ement , Howar d st udent s (90per cent of whomoppose hi s admi ni s- t r at i on, accor di ng t o a Hi l l t op sur - vey) may have t he cour age t o r un hi mout of t own. As of t hi s wr i t i ng, t he at mos- pher e at Howar d appear s t o t he casual vi si t or t o l oomt hi ck wi t h t he si ckness of a st r ange and eer i e apat hy. Admi ni st r at or s cl i ng t o t he er r oneous not i on t hat a uni ver si t y can st and upon guns, cunni ng and conni vance, unwar y, i t seems, of t he f act t hat hi st or y i s a vengef ul l ady and, when once i t r et al i at es, can be a vi ci ous execut i oner . St u- dent s and pr of essor s wal k ar ound vi r t ual l y wr apped i n a caut i ous t r ance, as i f r eady t o r un at t he sound of "boo. " Some wear t he f aces of gr i nni ng mummi es, huckl e- bucki ng nol ess i n mock gl ee i n and Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST out of "The Punch Out " and ot her st udent hangout s . I wal k t hr ough t he campus on occasi on and, nowand agai n, st u- dent s wave or gr i n at me; or come over t o shake myhand and t o i n- qui r e about mywel f ar e; and i t sad- dens me t o see t hat t hey ar e not concer ned about t hei r own. I t i s sadder st i l l t o see i n t hei r f aces and r eact i ons ( and, f r equent l y, f r ank apol ogi es and r at i onal i zat i ons) a r ecogni t i on t hat t hey have pl ayed i nt o t he hands of di shonest y and di sgr ace t o t hei r own her i t age, bar - t er ed away sel f - r espect f or i nsul a- t i on agai nst t he r i sk of del ay or i nconveni ence i n get t i ng t hemsel ves r at i f i ed ( no pun i nt ended) f or t he r at r ace t hey f eel l i es ahead. Some of t hemmay never r eal i ze how cheapl y t hey sol d out . But st udent s, unl i ke pr of essor s, ar e not st uck f or ever i n t he cess- pool of Howar d' s medi ocr i t y. Many wi l l be abl e t o shake of f t he cr i p- pl i ng i nf l uences of t hei r col l ege year s and someday r ecl ai m t hei r l i ves el sewher e and make f ul l con- t r i but i ons t o t he wor l d andt o t hei r r ace. The pr of essor s who r emai n must ei t her f ace di smi ssal or be l ef t t o qui ver ai ml essl y i nt he qui cksand of i nduced doci l i t y. I havewat ched t hem, daybyday, young pr of essor s wi t h st yl e andpr omi se al r eady l os- i ng t hei r spar k, gr umbl i ng i n t he dar k but f al l i ng si l ent and t eet hy when admi ni st r at or s wal k by; ol d mennowdi ssat i sf i ed, but power l ess at t hi s l at e dat e t o move, dr i ven t o NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 ( See Foot not es on Next Page) dr i nk i n bar s near t he campus di s- cussi ng t he books begun f i ve t o 10 year s ago whi ch t hei r f r ozen pens wi l l nownever f i ni sh. The day bef or e Chr i st mas Eve, I st opped by an asyl umt o vi si t a f or mer Howar d pr of essor and f r i end i ncar cer at ed t her e. He had been one of t he deans of Negr o l i t er at ur e and bl ack t hought i n t he days when Howar d was i n i t s hey- day, sought out f or gui dance by a gener at i on of bl ack st udent s when Howar d' s f acul t y di r ect or y r ead l i ke a Who' s Who Among Negr o Schol ar s . I n l at e November some- one had t ol d me howhe st ood i n a f acul t y meet i ng and angr i l y t hr eat ened, shoul d Howar d go t hr ough wi t h a pr oposal t o gi ve al l t hi s year ' s honor ar y degr ees t o whi t e i ndi vi dual s, he woul d wr i t e exposes whi ch woul d "make Na- t han Har e' s seemmi l d. " Wi t hi n t wo weeks t hey compel l ed hi mt o r et i r e ( "l eave of absence" begi n- ni ng t he second semest er unt i l t he end of t he year and t hen goodby) af t er over t hi r t y year s on t he f ac- ul t y. I n a f ewdays he was t aken byf or ce t o St . El i zabet h' s hospi t al . Comi ng down t he cor r i dor on t he dayof myvi si t , he l ooked wel l f or hi s age and i n good heal t h . On ap- pr oachi ng cl oser he r ecogni zed me and r ef used t o see me, st at i ng t hat he di d not wi sh t o see anybody f r omHowar d agai n. I amgl ad I was a Howar d pr o- f essor , but I al so amgl ad t hat Howar d f i r ed me. 75 1 . Wal ter Dyson, HowardUni versi ty: The Capstone of Negro Educa- ti on. Washi ngton: HowardUni versi ty Graduate School , 1 942, passi m. 2. I bi d. , p. 1 9. "Whi ttl esey Testi mon, " HowardI nvesti gati on (Con- gressi onal ) , 1 870, p. 2. See al so NathanHare, "Behi ndthe Bl ack Col - l ege Student Revol t, " Ebony, August, 1 967, pp. 58-61 . 3. The Speci al Court of I nqui ry upon Charges Agai nst General How- ard, May5, 1 874. "The Prof i t of Godl i ness-a Pi ous Bri gadi er, " The Capi tal of Washi ngton, D. C. , J une 22, 1 873. 4. The NewYork Eveni ngPost, J une 1 8, 1 875. I bi d. , J ul y 1 0, 1 875. 5. Hare et . al v. Howard, Ci vi l Acti on no. 2037-67. 6. I bi d. 7. I bi d. 8. Attorney Ri chardMi l l man, Ameri canCi vi l Li berti es Uni onl awyer, Hareet . al . v. Howard. 9. George Hayes, HowardAttorney, Hare et . al . v . Howard. 1 0. Washi ngton FreePress, May, 1 967. 1 l . Wal ter Dyson, op. ci t. , p. 90. 1 2. Hareet. al . v. Howard. NathanHare, author of the arti cl e, "The Decl i ne andI mpendi ngFal l of A`Bl ack' Uni versi ty, " i s author of the book, The Bl ack Angl o Saxons, anda popul ar spokesmanf or the "Bl ack Consci ousness" move- ment. He recentl y recei vedan appoi ntment as coordi nator of a pro- j ected Bl ack Studi es Programat SanFranci sco State Col l ege. 76
March 1 968 NEGRODI GEST penni l ess wr i t er , he t r avel s t he gamut f r ombeans and hamhocks t opl ush meal s i n Eur ope. Hel eaves t he Negr opaper f or a mor e pr of i t - abl e posi t i on on a " l i ber al " whi t e one . Hi s publ i shed novel s become a measur ed success, so successf ul t hat one event ual l y goes i nt o paper - back. He j oi ns t he Whi t e House st af f as a speech wr i t er f or a " Ken- nedy- t ype" Pr esi dent , and l eaves unhappi l y because t he Pr esi dent doesn' t use any of hi s speeches . He emascul at es hi s manhood t hr ough hi s r el at i onshi ps wi t h bl ack and whi t e women and soon becomes a car bon- copy of t hat whi t e boy. Li l l i an Pat ch, who i s ki l l ed be- cause of an abor t i on, was, of cour se, t he pr ot ot ype of t he " Ne- gr o" pr of essi onal woman, one who had acqui r ed al l t he whi t e " val ues" of her soci et y and who wi shed t o l i ve t hose " val ues . " Li l l i an and Max woul d have got t en mar r i ed had Maxhad a bet t er payi ng j ob, andhad he movedmor e swi f t l y i nt o t he Amer i can " mai nst r eam. " Max made t he mi st ake of l et t i ng Li l l i an wear t he pant s, and i n ef f ect l ost hi msel f and Li l l i an . Af t er a shor t depr essi on per i od br ought on by t he deat h of Li l l i an, Maxi s r egener at ed t hr ough a j ob wi t h t he New Yor k Cent ur y- a l i ber al whi t e paper - and t he pub- l i cat i on of hi s t hi r d novel . Af t er a successf ul st ay at t he Cent ur y, Max l eaves andj oi ns Pace ( a Ti me- st yl e NEGRO DI GEST ' Mar ch f 968 ( Cont i nuedf r om pn e 52) magazi ne) and wor ks hi s way up t o chi ef of i t s Af r i can bur eau. The scene of t he novel shi f t s f r omt he Uni t ed St at es t o Af r i ca and Eur ope. Whi l e i n Af r i ca we l ear n such t hi ngs as t he t r ut h about t he Af r i can sl ave t r ade, t hat bl ack Af r i cans own a ver y smal l per cent - age of t hei r l and, t hat t he bl ack masses of Sout h Af r i ca, wi t h i t s own syst em of apar t hei d, have a hi gher st andar d of l i vi ng t han t he masses of Af r i cans i n ot her ar eas of t he cont i nent . We l ear n t hat t he maj or i t y of bl ack l eader s i n t he " i ndependent " nat i ons of Af r i ca ar e j ust as devi ous, sel f i sh and pr o- West er n as t he bl ack mi ddl e- cl ass i n t he Uni t ed St at es . I n Eur ope, we have gl i mpses of J ean- Paul Sar t r e, Al ber t Camus and t he whol e Fr ench- bl ack i nt el - l ect ual associ at i on. As i n t he Eur - ope of Hemi ngway, Pound, El i ot , J oyce and Fi t zger al d, bl ack wr i t er s ar e not want edor needed. Fi nal l y, whi l e we ar e i n Eur ope, we come t o t he r evol ut i onar y di scover y of t he " Ki ng Al f r ed Cont i ngency Pl an" f or t he det ent i on and sys- t emat i c ext er mi nat i on of t he Af r o- Amer i can peopl e. Whi l e at t endi ng t he f uner al of Har r y Ames, Maxi s gi ven t hi s hi ghl y secr et i nf or mat i on by Har r y' s whi t e mi st r ess . As Max r eads t he l et t er f r om Har r y expl ai ni ngt he pl an, hi s phys- i cal pai n ( cancer of t he r ect um) l eaves hi mandi s r epl aced wi t h t he 77 pai n of knowi ngt oo much, and we shar e t hi s pai n as Max r eads : "Pani c i n Washi ngt on ensued when i t was di scover ed t hat J aj a not onl y had i nf or mat i on on t he Al l i ance, but on Ki ng Al f r ed, t he cont i ngency pl an t o det ai n and ul - t i mat el y r i d Amer i ca of i t s Negr oes . Mer eAmer i can member shi p i n t he Al l i ance woul d havebeen suf &dent t o r ack Amer i ca, but Ki ng Al f r ed woul d have madeNegr oes r eal i z e, f i nal l y and angr i l y, t hat al l t he new moves- t he l aws and commi t t ees - t o gai n democr acy f or t hemwer e f r audul ent , j ust as Mi ni st er Qand t he ot her s have been sayi ng f or year s . Your own l et t er t o medays af t er you l ef t t heWhi t eHouseonl y under scor ed what so many Negr o l eader s bel i eved. Theone al t er na- t i ve l ef t f or Negr oes woul d be not onl y t o seek t hat democr acy wi t h- hel d f r omt hemas qui ck and as vi ol ent l y as possi bl e, but t o f i ght f or t hei r ver y sur vi val . Ki ng Al - f r ed, as you wi l l see, l eaves no choi ce. " Have bl ack peopl e ever had a choi ce? NO. Yet , t he NewYor k Ti mes r evi ewer sai d of t he Ki ng Al f r ed pl an, " . . . her e bel i evabi l - i t y f al t er s . " The Sat ur day Revi ew adds t o whi t e Amer i ca' s i l l usi ons wi t h t he asser t i on, "I t r eads r at h- er l i ke an ant i - whi t e, Pr ot ocol s of t he El der s of Zi on. " The Nat i on sai d of t he Cont i ngency, "I t i s an unl i kel y possi bi l i t y t hat def l ect s at t ent i on f r omt heways power and pr ej udi ce act ual l y wor k. I nevi t abl e bl ack genoci de i s a r i sky t hi ng t o 7 8 base your whol e vi si on upon. " A whi t e cr i t i c r evi ewi ng a bl ack book f eel s t hat "t he Ki ng Al f r ed Con- t i ngency Pl an" i s not onl y f i ct i on but bor der s on sci ence f i ct i on. Wer e Det r oi t and Newar k f i c- t i on? Wer e t he deat hs of t hr ee col l ege st udent s i n Sout h Car ol i na ( t wo shot i n t he back) f i ct i on? I s t he f or mat i on of one t housand vi gi l ant es ( posse) i n Chi cago t o f i ght of f "r i ot er s" f i ct i on? And what about t he pur chasi ng of ar - mor ed car s, "Mace" ( an eye- i r r i - t at i ng, nauseous gas) , "banana peel " ( a chemi cal t hat makes a st r eet t oo sl i pper y t o wal k on) , pol ycar bonat e Ri ot Shi el ds, gr e- nade l auncher s f or 12- gauge shot - guns, and ot her weapons by ci t y and st at e gover nment s? One can go f ur t her , even af t er r eadi ng t he so- cal l ed schol ar l y cr i t i ci sm i n Tr ans- Act i on and r ef er t o t he Re- por t f r omI r on Mount ai n. The "Repor t " not onl y l egi t i - mi z es war , but suggest s t hat t he gover nment r econsi der t her ei nt r o- duct i on of sl aver y : "Anot her possi bl e sur r ogat e f or t he cont r ol of pot ent i al enemi es of soci et y i s t he r e- i nt r oduct i on, i n some f or mconsi st ent wi t h moder n t echnol ogy and pol i t i cal pr ocesses, of sl aver y. l " As a bl ack wr i t er , I can l ook at The Man Who Cr i ed I AMf r oma di f f er ent per spect i veand i ndeed see "Ki ng Al f r ed" bei ng i mpl ement ed t oday. 3 Repor t
Fr om
I r on
Mount ai n,
Di al Pr ess . Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST Nodoubt about i t, Mr. Wi l l i ams can wri te ; he proved that wi th Ni ght Song andSi ssi es but the Wi l - l i ams of thi s novel transcends the arti st and becomes the seer, the prophet . One of the poor poi nts of the bookwas the author' s mai ncharac- ters' consi stent rel ati onshi p wi th whi te women. MaxandHarry had whi te wi ves, and Max f orever wanted a redhead. When wi l l we stop hati ng oursel ves and start l ov- i ngour own women? As one bl ack woman put i t, "Wi l l i ams makes a f ool of hi msel f i n thi s respect . I guess he coul dn' t wri te any other way si nce he has one f or a wi f e. I t i s i nteresti ng to note that the bl ack man wi l l share hi s hard ti mes wi th the bl ack woman, but when i t comes tof ame and f ortune, i t l ooks better wi th a whi te woman at hi s si de. " Wi l l i ams i s ambi guous when he states that, "I t was one thi ngto sl eep wi th whi te women, but qui te another to marry them. " Yet the twomai n f i gures i n hi s novel had whi te wi ves- a part of bei ng ac- cepted, I guess. Af ter seri ousl y thi nki ng about the endi ngf or some ti me, my con- cl usi on i s that i t coul d happen . . . Mai nl y because we knowf or a f act that bl ack FBI and CI Aagents do exi st ; they are bei ng used today i n Af ri ca and i n the bl ack communi - ti es of the Uni ted States . As f or the 50- mi nute transatl anti c cal l Max makes to Mi ni ster Q( Mal - NEGRODI GEST March 1968 0 eol mX) to tel l about the `' Ki ng Al f red Conti ngency, " I regard i t as extreme stupi di ty, but then, mai n, what el se woul d a "negro"~do? Max, as Ki ng"negro, " hadi n actu- al i ty l ost meani ngf ul contact wi th hi s peopl e . He had l ef t "home a l ongti me agoand had no i ntenti on of comi ngback. I f Maxhad been i n tune he woul dhave had brothers i n Europe whowoul d have hel ped hi m. The val ue of thi s novel cannot be measured i n terms of copi es sol d or revi ews wri tten. Todate i t has not sol d as wel l as Conf es . si or~. s of Nat Turner f or obvi ous reasons, and most of the maj or whi te cri ti cs compl etel y overl ooked i t . Thi s, I bel i eve, i s an i ndi cati on of i ts i m- portance. Ramparts magazi ne cal l ed i t the "toughest novel of the f al l " and ran an excerpt i n i ts De- cember 1967 i ssue. Thi s, too, i n- di cates i ts val ue f or thi s i s the f i rst ti me, i f 1 amnot mi staken, that a novel by an Af ro- Ameri can has been excerpted i n a maj or whi te publ i cati on. * Yes, J ohn A. ~~l ' i l - l i ams has wri tten a dangerous novel and when the order comes down f romthe Regi me that "books wi th dangerous teachi ngs shoul d be pub- l i cl y burnt, " The Man WhoCri ed AMwi l l start the f i re. - Do: v L. LEE ' The wri ter i s mi staken. The newnovel of J ames Bal dwi n, Tel l Me Hog+~ Long The Trai n' s Been Gone, f or exampl e, was excerpted i n the February 1967 i s- sue of McCal l ' s magazi ne . - F~i ~Ox 79 whi ch even t he t r adi t i onal "j uni or year abr oad" coul d not gi ve hi m. And st udent t r avel coul d concei v- abl y be subsi di zed i n much t he same manner t hat such pr ogr ams ar e under wr i t t en, and woul d be vast l y cheaper . And what about t he t eacher s t hemsel ves? As I sai d ear l i er , t hey coul d be Bl ack Humani st s or "Spe- ci al i st s i n Sl ackness . " The Bl ack Humani st s woul d i ncl ude bl ack t eacher s i n t he t r adi t i onal humani - t i es who have been "cur ed, " so t o speak. They woul d knowChaucer , l et ' s say, but t hey woul d al so know t he Scot t i sh poem, "The Lady wi t h t he Mi ckl e Li ps . " They woul d t al k about bl ues poet r y wi t h a f ul l ap- pr eci at i on of t he bal l ad maki ng pr ocess whi ch t ook pl ace i n Nor t h- er n Engl and and i n Appal achi a. The Speci al i st s i n Bl ackness woul d i ncl ude t hose compet ent and dedi - cat ed peopl e who, wi t h degr ees or not , have t hor oughl y acquai nt ed t hemsel ves wi t ht he hi st or y and cul - t ur e of bl ack peopl e i n Af r i ca, Eur ope, and t he Amer i cas . They woul d i ncl ude hi st or i ans, behavi or - al sci ent i st s, soci al sci ent i st s, et hno- musi col ogi st s, t eacher s of l an- guages and l i t er at ur e, poet s, nov- el i st s, composer s, t eacher s of dance musi ci ans and ot her per f or mi ng ar t i st s . Some of t hese peopl e wi l l by def i ni t i on be bl ack peopl e. Ot h- er s woul d be gr een i f t hey had t he i nf or mat i on, and i f t hey had a sym- 80 (Cont i nued f r ompage 26) pat het i c i dent i f i cat i on wi t h t he r eal (as di st i ngui shed f r omt he ar r o- gant l y pr esupposed) pur poses of t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y. Al l of t hese f i el ds ar e hi gh- pr i or i t y f i el ds, so, i t seems t o me, t hat a gr eat emphasi s woul d have t o be pl aced on i den- t i f yi ng gi f t ed st udent s and i mbui ng t hemwi t h t he desi r e t o pr epar e t hemsel ves f or t he academi c pr o- f essi on. The musi ci ans and t he ot her ar t i st s, but especi al l y t he musi ci ans, coul d pr ovi de a basi c gr ass- r oot s r el at i onshi p wi t h t he communi t y, l i mi t ed onl y by t hei r t al ent and commi t ment . Pover t y and degr ada- t i on, ar en' t necessar y f or t he pr o- duct i on of gr eat ar t . Why t hen do we cont i nue t o negl ect our gr eat and t or t ur ed musi ci ans, i gnor i ng t hem even i n deat h? No one has wr i t t en t he bi ogr aphy of Cl i f f or d Br ownor Fat s Navar r o? And t he bl ood of Char l i e Par ker i s st i l l on our hands . At l east hal f of t he Negr o col l eges as t hey exi st t oday coul d pr obabl y suppor t a gi f t ed j azz gr oup f or at l east a semest er . The Bl ack Uni - ver si t y must make i t possi bl e f or such ar t i st s t o l i ve and cr eat e i n di gni t y. I t must al so t ake a pr i mar y r e- sponsi bi l i t y f or doi ng t he ki nd of schol ar l y r esear ch i nt o t he cul t ur e of bl ack peopl e t hat onl y bl ackpea pl e t hemsel ves can do. I n al most any di sci pl i ne t hat one can con- cei ve of , t her e ar e vi t al pr obl ems of Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST r esear ch cr yi ng f or t he ki nd of cl ar i f i cat i on whi ch i s essent i al t o our sel f hood . Some aspect s of t hi s r esear ch coul d be car r i ed out even by ser i ous "C" st udent s . Cer t ai nl y any "B" st udent wor t h hi s sal t coul d f i nd enough, say i n ur ban cont empor ar y f ol kl or e, t o make a nat i onal r eput at i on f or hi msel f . Fundament al document at i on of bl ack l i f e- i n- pr ocess needs ser i ous at t ent i on f r omour cr eat i ve f i l m- maker s and ar t i st s, f or somehow st at i st i cal st udi es f ai l t o capt ur e t he vi t al i t y and whol eness embodi ed i n t he concept of Soul . I n t he mod- er n wor l d, our r esear cher s need mast er y of moder n t echnol ogy and met hedol ogy. Our t ext books need ser i ous r e- vi si on. Many need si mpl y t o be wr i t t en. I n my own f i el d, I haven' t seen a si ngl e r el evant t ext i n t he t eachi ng of wr i t i ng i n t he past f i ve or si x year s . Our humani t i es cour ses ar e of t en ar chai c, and st u- dent s ar e under st andabl y bor ed. And al l t hi s whi l e we ar e i n t he mi dst of an i dent i t y r evol ut i on. Our pr of essi onal or gani zat i ons can st i l l be r el evant i f t hey woul d wel come i ncr eased par t i ci pat i on by gr aduat es and under gr aduat es al i ke. We need t hese st r uct ur es . Thei r evol ut i on was t oo sl ow and pai nf ul f or us t o di scar d t hemnow. Let t hement er i nt o t he cont em- por ar y di al ogue. Let t hemshar e t hei r wi sdom, t hei r hi st or i cal per - spect i ve, wi t h t he young. Per haps i n t he pr ocess t hey wi l l r egai n somet hi ng of t hei r or i gi nal vi si on . NEGRODI GEST Mor ch 1968 Let us t ur n, f i nal l y, t o a di f f i cul t , pr act i cal and t heor et i cal pr obl em: t he r ol e of t he nat ur al sci ences i n t he cur r i cul umof t he Bl ack Uni - ver si t y. I n t he f or egoi ng di scussi on I have del i ber at el y begged t hi s quest i on. The r eason f or t hi s shoul d be obvi ous . How, as one of my col - l eagues r ecent l y asked, ar e you goi ng t o t each bl ack chemi st r y? Howar e you goi ng t o t each bl ack ast r onomy? Al t hough t hey r epr e- sent an over - si mpl i f i cat i on of t he whol e concept of t he Bl ack Uni - ver si t y, t hese quest i ons do have some r el evance, whi ch I shal l br i ef - l y t r y t o poi nt out . At t he out set , I suggest ed t hat t he f acul t y of t he Uni ver si t y be st af f ed wi t h Bl ack Humani st s and Speci al i st s i n Bl ackness . I al so i n- di cat ed t hat such a uni ver si t y woul d al most by def i ni t i on i nvol ve chi ef l y t hose di sci pl i nes whi ch ar e human- cent er ed, i . e. , t he soci al sci ences, t he behavi or al sci ences, l i t er at ur e, ar t and t he l i ke. Thi s, however , as t he quest i ons i mpl y, does not answer t he f undament al quest i on of t he r el at i onshi p be- t ween t he humani st i c st udi es and t he nat ur al sci ences and mat hemat - i cs . What i s t o be such a r el at i on- shi p i n a Bl ack Uni ver si t y? Fr ank- l y, I amnot cl ai r voyant enough, nor r ash enough, t o say; but I must say t hat t hi s pr obl emi s not t he ex- cl usi ve concer n of t hose of us who 81 ser i ousl y concei ve of such a Uni - ver si t y. I t has been a gener al pr ob- l emi n West er n educat i onever si nce t he advent of t he new sci ence. I t was par t i cul ar l y cr yst al l i zed i n t i r e 19t h cent ur y i n t he exchange be- t ween Mat t hewAr nol d and Thom- as Huxl ey . I t i s st i l l wi t h us i n t he cr i si s of t he t wo cul t ur es as descr i bed by C. P. Snow. I t i s st i l l wi t h us i n t he gr owi ng di ssat i sf ac- t i on wi t h Gener al Educat i on pr o- gr ams, as wel l as a r at her common awar eness t hat Sci ence al one can- not sat i sf y al l of t he compl ex needs of human soci et y and cul t ur e . I t i s st i l l wi t h us i n t he wi despr ead f ear t hat a soci et y compl et el y domi - nat ed by sci ence mi ght event ual l y depr i ve us of t hose ver y val ues whi ch make human l i f e meani ng- f ul . Thus, i f anyt hi ng, i f t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y i s pr edi cat ed upon t he i nt r i nsi c human val ue of phi l o- sophi cal bl ackness, or SOUL, t he conf l i ct bet ween t he humani st i c st udi es and t he nat ur al sci ences coul d concei vabl y be hei ght ened st i l l f ur t her . And i f , as I assume, t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y woul d pr obabl y come i nt o exi st ence as a r esul t of modi f yi ng t he st r uct ur e of some one or mor e of t he exi st i ng l i ber al ar t s col l eges whi ch have sci ence de- par t ment s f i r ml y ent r enched i n t he academi c l i f e, ot her pr act i cal and t heor et i cal pr obl ems ar e gener at ed . Suppose, f or exampl e, t hat at Col l ege Xan i deal si t uat i on exi st s i n whi ch t he admi ni st r at i on and t he boar d of t r ust ees agr ee t o change t he i dent i t y of t he col l ege i n or der 82 t o make i t a Bl ack Col l ege or a de f act o uni t i n a l ar ger Bl ack Uni - ver si t y. What shoul d be t hei r at - t i t ude t owar d t he mat hemat i cs cour ses and t he cour ses i n t he nat - ur al sci ences? What shoul d be t hei r at t i t ude t owar d t he Bl ack Human- i st s, assumi ng agai n an i deal si t ua- t i on, who t each t hese cour ses? What shoul d be t hei r at t i t ude t o- war d t he bl ack st udent who i s al - r eady di scover i ng hi msel f and hi s wor l d t hr ough an expl or at i on of t he Bl ack Exper i ence but who hap- pens t o be a physi cs maj or ? Shoul d t hey, wi t h a bl ack st r oke of t he pen, wi pe out as ant i - Soul , and t hus ant i - bl ack, t he ent i r e depar t ment ' ? Of ' cour se not , f or such an act i on woul d be i n i t sel f di vi si ve and hence ant i - Soul . I t woul d chop bot h st u- dent and pr of essor st r ai ght down t he mi ddl e, pr oduci ng t he ver y ki nd of f r act ur ed sensi bi l i t y whi ch i s t he t r agi c i nher i t ance of moder n West er n l i f e . Then what r ecour se i s t her e? A r et ur n t o a pr e- sci ent i f i c st at e? Thi s i s cl ear l y i mpr act i cal , even i f i t wer e desi r abl e. As I see i t , i t i s not onl y undesi r abl e ; i t i s f ool i sh . Sci ence i s her e t o st ay. Technol ogy, a st ep- si st er of sci ence, i s al so her e t o st ay . Not onl y must Af r o- Amer i cans come t o gr i ps wi t h t hat f act , so al so must t he so- cal l ed Thi r d Wor l d. And so i n f act t hey have Wi t ness t he Aswan Hi gh Dam. Wi t ness t he br i l l i ant successes of t he Chi nese i n nucl ear physi cs . Wi t ness t he hi s- t or y of J apan si nce t he cont act wi t h t he West . Lest one di smi ss t hi s Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST l i ght l y as West ern i nt el l ect ual i m- peri al i smor moral cont ami nat i on, l et us recal l t hat t he earl y hi st ory of sci ence t ook pl ace l argel y i n non- West ernareas of t he worl d- i n Af - ri ca, i n t he mi d- East , i n t he Far East , and i n pre- Col umbi an Amer- i ca . Lef t t o devel op wi t hout t he de- vast i ng cont act wi t h t he West , any one of t hese areas mi ght wel l have evol ved an i ndependent modern sci ence, and we have no assurance t hat t he morenegat i veaspect s of sci - ent i smwoul d not have devel oped l i kewi se. Thus, si nce t he st udy of sci ence seems a nat ural and l ogi cal enough human pursui t , i t shoul d have, i t seems t o me, an honored pl ace i n t he curri cul umof t he Bl ack Uni versi t y . That pl ace shoul d not be subordi nat e t o any ot her, f or t he ri gorous di sci pl i ne i mposed by sci ent i f i c st udy and t he t hri l l i ng sweep of t he sci ent i f i c i magi nat i on woul d be ext remel y val uabl e i n al l of t he ot her academi c pursui t s of t he st udent . The resul t woul d be a newst ruct ure, a newbal ance, and, one hopes, a new man- a new vi si on of what i t means t o be a man. Thi s woul dbe our gi f t t o our- sel ves, andt hrough oursel ves t o t he worl d. Perhaps i t i s not t oo l at e. St ephen E. Henderson, aut hor of "The Bl ack Uni versi t y : Toward I t s Real i zat i on, " i s chai rman of t he Depart ment of Engl i sh at Morehouse Col l ege i n At l ant a, Ga. He i s co- aut hor of A Humani t i es Handbook and of a number of short st ori es and art i cl es . Hi s art i cl e, "Bl ues f or t he Young Bl ackman, " appeared i n t he August 1967 Necxo DI GEST. NEGRODI GEST March 1968 83 j ust ed f or pr i ce changes i n 1965 dol l ar s so t hey show t he act ual si t uat i on f or al l f ami l i es dur i ng t he Si xt i es . The dat a on f ami l y i ncome ar e r el at ed t o t he number of per sons wi t hi n t he f ami l y who ar e pr oduc- i ng an i ncome. I n 1966 mor e bl ack t han whi t e f ami l i es had t wo or t hr ee per sons wi t hi n t he f ami l y br i ngi ng home paychecks, but st i l l a bl ack f ami l y wi t h t hr ee per sons br i ngi ng home a sal ar y (medi an i n- come of $6, 583) made l ess t han a whi t e f ami l y wi t h j ust one ear ner ( $6, 877) . Bet ween 1963 and 1966 me- di an f ami l y i ncome f or bl acks went up f r om $3, 465 t o $4, 628, and f r om$6, 548 t o $7, 722 f or whi t es . I n st at i st i cal t er ms t he medi an i n- come f or bl ack f ami l i es i ncr eased by 34 per cent whi l e t he i ncr ease f or whi t e f ami l i es was 18 per cent . Consequent l y, bl ack f ami l i es made 53 per cent as much as whi t e f ami - l i es i n 1963 and 60 per cent as much as whi t e f ami l i es i n 1966 . I t woul d appear f r om t hese f i gur es t hat bl ack f ami l i es wer e over t aki ng whi t e f ami l i es i n t hei r quest f or a mor e equi t abl e shar e of t he nat i on' s r esour ces, but i f you l ook at t he st at i st i cs agai n and do a l i t t l e cal - cul at i ng you wi l l see t hat i n 1963 a whi t e f ami l y made $3, 083 mor e t han a bl ack f ami l y and i n 1966 whi t e f ami l i es made $3, 094 mor e t han bl ack f ami l i es . The dat a show 84 (Cont i nued f r ont page 31) cl ear l y t hen, t hat i n r ekr t i ve t er ms bl ack f ami l i es ar e over t aki ng whi t es, but i n absol ut e t er ms t he si t uat i on i s get t i ng wor se. One of t he host pr of ound and per pl exi ng pr obl ems whi ch has pl agued t he bl ack communi t y f or gener at i ons has been t he conf l i ct bet ween mal es and f emal es . The i ncome pi ct ur e f or per sons, as di f - f er ent i at ed f r om f ami l i es, shows one under l yi ng aspect of t hi s conf l i ct . Bet ween 1959 and 1966 medi an i ncome f or bl ack mal es (25 year s and ol der ) i ncr eased f r om $2, 610 t o $3, 665, and f or whi t e mal es f r om$4, 851 t o $6, 390. The per - cent age i ncr ease i n t he medi an i n- come of t he bl ack mal e was 40 per - cent as compar ed t o a 32 per cent i ncr ease ' f or t he whi t e mal e. I n 1959 a bl ack man made 54 per - cent as much as a whi t e man and i n 1966 he made 57 per cent as much. I n act ual dol l ar s t he bl ack man made $2, 241 l ess t han a whi t e man i n 1959 and $2, 725 l ess i n 1966. J ust as i t was i n f ami l y i n- come, t he r el at i ve si t uat i on f or t he bl ack man i mpr oved bet ween 1959 and 1966 whi l e t he absoht t c : si t ua- t i on decl i ned. Of even gr eat er i nt er est t o our under st andi ng i s t hat hi gher l evel s of educat i on di d not si gni f i cant l y i mpr ove t he r el at i ve or absol ut e si t - uat i on of t he bl ack man. I n 1959, a bl ack man wi t h ei ght year s of school made 73 per cent as much Mar ch 1968 PJ EGRODI GEST as a whi t e manwi t h a si mi l ar edu- cat i on; a bl ack hi gh school gr adu- at e made 68 per cent as much as a whi t e manwi t h a hi gh school di - pl oma; and a bl ack manwho had some col l ege made 64 per cent as much as a whi t e man wi t h some col l ege. I n act ual dol l ar s t hi s meant t hat i n 1959 a bl ack manwi t h an el ement ar y school educat i onmade $1, 081 l ess t han a whi t e ; a bl ack wi t h f our year s of hi gh school made $1, 794 l ess ; and a bl ack manwi t h some col l ege made $2, 507 l ess . I n 1966, a bl ack man wi t h el ement ar y school educat i on made 80 per cent as much as a whi t e ; t he hi gh school gr aduat e made 70 per cent as much ; and t he bl ack manwho went t o col l ege made 66 per cent as much; and i n act ual t er ms t he i n- come di f f er ences wer e $930, $1, - 880, and $3, 095 l ess, r espect i vel y. As we i ndi cat ed ear l i er , t he pi c- t ur e i s a conf usi ng one, but l et us summar i ze t he i ncome si t uat i on of t he bl ack mani n 1966 as compar ed t o 1959, and bl ack men as com- par ed t o whi t e men. I n1966, bl ack menhad a hi gher medi an i ncome t han i n 1959, and t hi s was t r ue at al l educat i onal l evel s . I n 1966, t he r el at i ve si t uat i onbet weenbl ack and whi t e menhad i mpr oved at al l edu- cat i onal l evel s, but t he absol ut e si t - uat i on had i mpr oved onl y f or bl ack menwi t h ei ght year s of educat i on. I t had wor sened f or t hose wi t h hi gh school di pl omas or who had at - t ended col l ege. Fur t her mor e, t he r el at i ve si t uat i on had i mpr oved l east , and t he absol ut e si t uat i onde- NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 di ned wor st f or t hose who had col - l ege t r ai ni ng. Thi s means t hat at t he hi gher educat i onal l evel s whi t e men ar e movi ng so r api dl y i n Amer i ca t hat bl ack men at t he same l evel s ar e bar el y keepi ng up. The si t uat i on f or bl ack women f or t he same per i od of t i me and i n t he same age cat egor y i s qui t e di f - f er ent . Medi an i ncome f or bl ack womenwent up f r om$959 i n1959 t o $1, 561 i n 1966, and f or whi t e woment he change was $1, 635 t o $1, 988 r espect i vel y. I n r el at i ve t er ms, t he i ncome of bl ack women i ncr eased by 63 per cent and t hat of whi t e women by 22 per cent , so t hat whi l e bl ack womenmade 59 per cent as much as whi t es i n 1959 t hey made 78 per cent as much i n 1966. I n 1959, bl ack womenmade $668 l ess t han whi t es and $427 l ess i n 1966. Ther ef or e i n bot h r el at i ve and absol ut e t er ms t he i n- come si t uat i onf or bl ack women has i mpr oved si nce 1959 . The nat ur e of t he r el at i ve and absol ut e i mpr ovement i s seenmor e cl ear l y when we anal yze changes by educat i onal l evel s . I n1959, a bl ack woman wi t h ei ght year s of school made 85 per cent as much as a whi t e woman wi t h si mi l ar educa- t i on; a bl ack womanwi t h a hi gh school di pl oma made 76 per cent as much as a whi t e woman; and a bl ack woman wi t h some col l ege made 94 per cent as much as a whi t e womanwi t h si mi l ar educa- t i on. By 1966, a bl ack womanwi t h ei ght year s of school made 92 per - cent as much as a whi t e woman; 85 a bl ack womanwi t h a hi gh school di pl oma al so made 92 per cent as much, and a bl ack woman wi t h some col l ege made 13 per cent mor e t han a whi t e woman wi t h si mi l ar educat i on. Medi an i ncome f or a bl ack womanwi t h some col - l ege educat i oni n1966was $3, 964, $445 mor et hant hemedi ani ncome of t he whi t e womanwi t h si mi l ar educat i on. Al t hough t he dat a on i ncome t r ends f or bl acks i s conf usi ng, we bel i eve sever al concl usi ons ar e j us- t i f i ed. I n t er ms of f ami l y i ncome t he bl ack popul at i on has made somer el at i ve i mpr ovement s i n t he Si xt i es, but our absol ut e si t uat i on has r emai ned vi r t ual l y t he same. I f wer emember t hat i t t akes at l east t hr ee ear ner s i n a bl ack f ami l y t o pr oduce a medi an f ami l y i ncome anywher e cl ose t o t hat of a whi t e f ami l y wi t h oneear ner , wecancer - t ai nl y say t her e has been no i m- pr ovement i n t he i ncome si t uat i on of t he bl ack f ami l y ; we have t o wor k t hr eet i mes har der andwe st i l l do not keep up wi t h t he maj or i t y of Amer i cans. Whenwe consi der i ncome of per sons, i t i s appar ent , as i t has l ong been appar ent , t hat t he bl ack f emal e i s much mor e capabl eof mat chi ng and exceedi ng her whi t e count er par t t han i s t he bl ack mal e. Fur t her mor e, whi l e Mack f emal es wi t h hi gher l evel s of educat i on exceed whi t e f emal es, Sb bl ack mal es wi t h hi gher l evel s of educat i onf al l f ur t her behi nd whi t e mal es. Thi s economi c pi ct ur e ag- gr avat es somany of t hesubt l e psy- chol ogi cal pr obl ems f aci ng t he bl ack f ami l y and t he r el at i ons be- t weenbl ack menand women. Ear l i er , wepoi nt ed t o t wo con- t r adi ct or y t r ends i nt he bl ack pop- ul at i on dur i ngt heSi xt i es . Thegen- er al soci al and economi c pi ct ur eof bl ack f ami l i es i n t he ci t i es gi ves some f oundat i on t o t he bel i ef of some exper t s t hat bl ack peopl emay be movi ng i n t wo di r ect i ons . Re- cent speci al censuses i n many of t he maj or ci t i es of t he count r y ar e showi ng t hat , si nce 1960, t her ehas been r el at i vel y l i t t l e i mpr ovement f or many bl ack f ami l i es and, i n somecases, a r ever sal i n our si t ua- t i on . I nmany ci t i es, t heunempl oy- ment r at es f or bl acks have beenvi r - t ual l y t he samet hr oughout t he Si x- t i es ; t her e has been no i mpr ove- ment i n f ami l y i ncome; and of t en t her e i s a r i se i nt he pr opor t i onof f ami l i es whi ch ar eheaded by wom- en. A not abl e exampl e i s t he Hough ar ea of Cl evel and wher et he mal e unempl oyment r at e was vi r - t ual l y unchanged f r om1960 t o 1965, and f ami l y i ncome decl i ned by 12 per cent . Thesi t uat i oni s not get t i ng wor se f or al l bl ack peopl e i nmaj or ci t i es, however , and t he t r ends bear ver y cl ose obser vat i on and caut i ous i n- t er pr et at i ons . Ther e i s no doubt t hat a l ar ger bl ack "mi ddl e- cl ass" i s comi ng i nt o exi st ence, and t her e ar e some whowoul dhol d t hat t hese Mar ch 1968 NEGRODI GEST bl acks ar e bet t er of f , but we must ask, bet t er of f i n r el at i on t o what ? Ar e t hey bet t er of f i n r el at i on t o t hei r pr evi ous si t uat i on, i n r el at i on t o l ow- i ncome bl acks or i n r el at i on t o whi t es i n t he same ar eas i n whi ch t hey l i ve? Some l i mi t ed dat a f r omCl eve- l and pr ovi de us wi t h some t ent at i ve answer s t o what may be happen- i ng t o bl ack peopl e i n var i ous par t s of t he l ar ge ci t i es of t he nat i on . Whi l e most of Cl evel and' s bl ack popul at i on i s gener al l y f ound i n ni ne nei ghbor hoods, some bl ack peopl e l i ve out si de of t hese ar eas . I n 1960, some 8 . 9 per cent of t he bl ack peopl e i n Cl evel and l i ved out - si de of t he bl ack communi t y ar ea; and i n 1965, 15. 0 per cent of t he bl ack peopl e l i ved out si de of t hi s ar ea. I f we assume t hat , i n gener al , t hose l i vi ng away f r omt he bl ack communi t y ar e mi ddl e- i ncome peo- pl e, and t hose wi t hi n t he communi - t y l ow- i ncome bl acks, we can com- par e some of t he char act er i st i cs of t hese t wo gr oups of bl acks, and t hen compar e t hemt o mi ddl e- i n- come whi t es i n Cl evel and. The t abl e l i st s some of t he soci al and economi c char act er i st i cs of t hese t hr ee gr oups i n Cl evel and f or 1960 and 1965. I n 1960, mi ddl e- i ncome bl ack peopl e had a f er t i l i t y r at i o ( t he number of chi l dr en under f i ve f or ever y 1, 000 women aged 15- 49) much l ower t han t hat of l ow- i n- come bl acks, i ndi cat i ng t hat poor bl acks had mor e chi l dr en t o car e f or and l ess money wi t h whi ch t o NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 do so t han t hei r mor e pr osper ous br ot her s . The pr opor t i on of chi l - dr en under 18 l i vi ng wi t h bot h par - ent s gi ves some i ndi cat i on of f am- i l y " st abi l i t y, " and her e t he mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks wer e al so bet t er of f f or a hi gher per cent age of t hei r chi l dr en l i ve i n " st abl e" f ami l i es . Fur t her mor e, mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks had a f ul l year mor e of compl et ed school t han di d t hose i n l ow- i ncome ar eas . Al t hough mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks have an empl oyment r at e l ower t han t hat of l ow- i ncome bl acks, bot hgr oups have hi gh l evel s of em- pl oyment . The di f f er ence bet ween t he t wo gr oups i s most cl ear l y seen i n t he i ncome st at i st i cs . Mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks have a much l ower pr opor t i on of f ami l i es and t he ver y l owi ncome cat egor y, and a hi gher pr opor t i on i n t he cat egor y of t hose f ami l i es maki ng f r omei ght t o f i f - t een t housand dol l ar s per year . Ther ef or e, t he medi an i ncome of t he poor bl ack f ami l i es was onl y 86 per cent as much as t he medi an i n- come of t he bl ack f ami l i es l i vi ng out si de of t he bl ack communi t y. We can conf i dent l y say t hat i n Cl evel and i n 1960 mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks wer e bet t er of f t han l ow- i ncome bl acks . By 1965, t he f er t i l i t y r at i o f or al l bl ack f ami l i es had dec~i ned con- si der abl y, but t he mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks st i l l had muchl ower f er t i l i - t y t han l ow- i ncome bl acks . The pr opor t i on of " st abl e" f ami l i es i n t wo communi t i es went i n opposi t e di r ect i ons ; i t got wor se f or t i r e l ow- s~ SOCIALAND ECONOMICCHARACTERISTICSOFLOW-INCOMEBLACKS( L. I . B. ) , MIDDLE-INCOMEBLACKS( M . I . B. ) , ANDMIDDLE-INCOMEWHITES ( M . I . W. ) , INCLEVELAND, 1960and1965. Fer t i l i t y Rat i o Chi l dr enunder 18l i vi ng wi t h bot h par ent s ( %) Medi anyear s of compl et edschool , Per sons 25andover Unempl oyment Rat e : Mal es Femal es Number of Fami l i es by Inco: ~e- Under 53, 999 54, 000-57, 999 58, 000-514, 999 515, 000andover TOTAL Medi anFami l y Income ( S) L. LB . M. LB . M. LW. L. LB . M . LB. M . LW. 570 486 429 SOURCE: U. S. Bur eau of t he Census, Cur r ent Popul at i onRepor t s, Ser i es P-23, No. 27, J anuar y 23, 1967 ' , v' '
~' ~ .
, ~' - 62. 1 78. 4 89. 8 10. 0 11. 6 ( NA) 11. 2 8. 1 3. 8 14 . 5 3. 8 5. 9 39. 8 19. 0 16. 1 38. 6 38 . 6 38 . 3 19. 8 40. 1 39. 7 1. 7 2 . 3 5. 8 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 ~i egOr y ( %) 40. 8 26. 7 17. 4 44. 6 48. 4 50. 3 13. 7 22 . 6 29. 0 1. 0 _2. 3 _3. 3 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 51, 367 5, 072 131, 436 i ncome bl acks and bet t er f or t he mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks . Whi l e bot h gr oups i mpr oved i n t hei r educa- t i onal l evel s, t he mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks i mpr oved so much mor er ap- i dl y t hat by 1965 t hey hadover one anda hal f year s mor e ' of compl - et ed educat i on t han di d l ow- i ncome bl acks . The unempl oyment pi ct ur e i n 1965 was most i nt er est i ng, f or t he r el at i onshi p of t he mal es t o each ot her di d not change even t hough t he gener al r at es wer e l ower f or bot h gr oups . The l ow- i ncome bl ack women hada hi gher l evel of unem- pl oyment i n 1965 whi l e t he unem- pl oyment r at e f or mi ddl e- i ncome bl ack women pl ummet ed t o bel ow 4 per cent . The ef f ect of t hese di - ver gi ng t r ends i n f emal e empl oy- r nent i s seen i n t he i ncome dat a . I n t he l owest i ncome cat egor y t her e has been vi r t ual l y no change f or l ow- i ncome bl acks and a dr amat i c i mpr ovement f or mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks . Whi l e bot h gr oups sawi m- pr ovement s i n t he upper i ncome cat egor i es, t her e wer e t wi ce as many mi ddl e- i ncome bl ack f ami l i es maki ng f r omei ght t o $15, 000 per year as t her e wer e l ow- i ncome bl acks . Consequent l y, t he poor bl ack f ami l i es hada medi an i ncome onl y 78 per cent as hi gh as t hat of t hei r mor e pr osper ous br ot her s, a decl i ne f r omt he 1960- si t uat i on. I n 1960, t he medi an i ncome f or mi d- dl e- i ncome bl ack f ami l i es was $836 mor e t han i t was f or l ow- i ncome bl ack f ami l i es, andby 1965 i t was $1, 562 mor e . The evi dence NEGRODI GEST ' Mach Y9L8 sugg. ^st s t hat not onl y wer e m : ddl e- i ncome bl ack peopl e i n Cl evel and bet t er of f t han l ow- i ncome bl ack peopl e i n 1965, i n t he per i od si nce 1960 t he mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks wer e movi ng f ur t her away f r om l ow- i ncome bl acks i n t er ms of f am- i l y or gani zat i on, educat i on, em- pl oyment , and i ncome. The bl ack popul at i on i n one of Amer i ca' s maj or ci t i es i s movi ng i n t wo di f - f er ent di r ect i ons, i t appear s . Gi ven t he compar at i ve st andi ng of mi ddl e- and l ow- i ncome bl ack f ami l i es t o each ot her i n Cl evel and i n 1960 and 1965, how do t he mi ddl e- i ncome bl ack f ami l i es com- par e t o t he whi t e f ami l i es who l i ve i n t he same ar ea as t hey do? Her e we ar e unabl e t o obt ai n al l t he dat a necessar y f or compar i son l i ke t hat above, and t he avai l abl e dat a ar e not as sat i sf act or y as we woul d wi sh, f or t her e wer e si gni f i cant changes i n t he number of bl ack andwhi t e f ami l i es i n t he ar ea under consi der at i on. Whi l e t he number of bl ack f ami l i es l i vi ng out si de of t he bl ack communi t y doubl ed i n t he f i ve year per i od ( an i ncr ease of 100 per cent ) , t he number of whi t e f ami l i es decl i ned by 10 per - cent , appar ent l y as whi t es moved f ur t her away f r om mi ddl e- i ncome bl ack f ami l i es. I n 1960, bl ack f ami l i es i n mi d- dl e- i ncome ar eas of Cl evel and had a much hi gher l evel of f er t i l i t y t han 89 whi t e f ami l i es and a much l ower l evel of f ami l y " st abi l i t y . " Bl ack peopl e were t wi ce as l i kel y as whi t es t o be unempl oyed, and con- sequent l y t hey had much l ower i n- come l evel s t han whi t es . Over a f ourt h of t he bl ack f ami l i es f el l i nt o t he l owest i ncome cat egory as com- pared t o a f i f t h of t he whi t e f ami - l i es, and i n t he hi gher i ncome cat e- gori es t he whi t es consi st ent l y out - st ri pped t he bl acks . Some rat her prof ound changes had t aken pl ace by 1965. The f er- t i l i t y l evel of t he bl acks was much cl oser t o t hat of t he whi t es as a consequence of a sl i ght ri se i n whi t e f ert i l i t y and a l arge drop i n bl ack f ert i l i t y. Bl ack f ami l i es were st i l l charact eri zed by more " probl ems" t han whi t e f ami l i es, however, as onl y 78 percent of al l bl ack yout h under 18 were l i vi ng wi t h bot h par- ent s as compared t o 90 percent of t he whi t e yout h. The most si gni f i - cant change was i n t he unempl oy- ment l evel s . Bl ack men were st i l l t wi ce as l i kel y as whi t e men t o be wi t hout empl oyment , but bl ack women had a much l ower unem- pl oyment rat e, t han whi t e women. Fi nal l y, t here was a consi derabl e equal i zat i on i n t he di st ri but i on of f ami l i es by i ncome l evel s . I t i s t rue t hat more bl ack t han whi t e f ami l i es were i n t he l owest i ncome cat e- gory, but t he di f f erence bet ween t he t wo groups was reduced great l y . On t he ot her hand, t he di f f erence i n t he proport i on of f ami l i es i n t he hi ghest i ncome cat egory was i n- creased i n f avor of t he whi t es, whi l e 90 i n t he mi ddl e- range cat egori es t he bl ack and whi t e f ami l i es were al - most equi t abl y di st ri but ed. The general poi nt we have been t ryi ng t o art i cul at e i n t hi s di scus- si on of mi ddl e- and l ow- i ncome bl ack f ami l i es i n Cl evel and, and t hei r compari son t o whi t e f ami l i es, i s i n answer t o t he quest i on: i f t hi ngs have been get t i ng bet t er f or some bl ack peopl e i n t he Si xt i es, what does get t i ng bet t er mean? The dat a woul dsuggest t hat mi d- dl e- i ncome bl ack f ami l i es are out - di st anci ng l ow- i ncome bl ack f ami l i es i n Cl evel and, so i n rel at i on t o each ot her t he absol ut e and rel a- t i ve si t uat i on of mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks i s get t i ng bet t er and t hat of l ow- i ncome bl acks i s get t i ng worse. However, i n a compari son of mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks t o whi t es i n t he same area, t he dat a are sug- gest i ve i f not concl usi ve. I n 1960, mi ddl e- i ncome bl ack f ami l i es were i n a rat her unf avorabl e posi t i on as compared t o whi t e f ami l i es . By 1965, t he si t uat i on had i mproved f or t wo possi bl e reasons : ( 1) Many whi t e f ami l i es had moved out of t he ci t y i n f l i ght f romt he i nf l ux of bl ack peopl e, and t hose whi t es who remai n behi nd may f al l i nt o t he l owest and hi ghest i ncome cat egor- i es, and ( 2) bl ack women carri ed a consi derabl e port i on of t he i n- come- produci ng act i vi t i es of bl ack f ami l i es, t hus maki ngi t possi bl e f or t hei r f ami l i es t o exi st i n some rea- sonabl e compari son t o t he whi t e f ami l i es who remai ned i n t he area. The si t uat i on f or bl ack men as March 1968 NEGRODI GEST compared t o whi t e men had not i mproved at al l ; i t was t he cont i nu- at i on of t he f emi ni ne pract i ce of support i ng t he f ami l y whi ch has apparent l y made i t possi bl e f or t he bl ack f ami l i es i n Cl evel and t o i m- prove t hei r si t uat i on i n rel at i on t o t he whi t e f ami l i es. I n t hi s paper we have t ri ed t o speci f y some of t he maj or demo- graphi c t rends i n t he bl ack com- muni t y i n t he Si xt i es t o underscore some of t he i ssues t hat must be t aken i nt o account i n t he devel op- ment of a Bl ack Uni versi t y. The dat a i ndi cat e t hat bl ack peopl e are becomi ng a l arger port i on of t he popul at i on i n t he nat i on' s l argest ci t i es, and we have moved i nt o a si t uat i on of i nf l uent i al cont rol i n at l east one t hi rd of t he 30 l argest ci t i es. Ot her dat a whi ch we have not di scussed herei ndi cat e t hat t he bl acks movi ng i nt o t he l arger ci t i es t end t o be young peopl e who are bet t er educat ed and more l i kel y t o engage i n whi t e- col l ar occupat i ons t hant he whi t es who remai ni nt hese ci t i es . Furt hermore, t he dat a i ndi - cat e t hat i n t he Si xt i es bl ack peopl e have been seeki ng educat i on more t han ever bef ore . However, i n occupat i ons, and i n empl oyment , t here has been no subst ant i al i mprovement f or t he bl ack popul at i on, wi t h t he excep- t i on of some not abl e changes f or bl ack women. Whi l e bl ack peopl e have shown i mprovement over previ ous peri ods i n i ncome, i n rel a- t i on t o whi t es i n Ameri ca t he si t - uat i on i s not as f avorabl e. Bl ack NEGRODI GEST March 1968 men, part i cul arl y t hose wi t h hi gher l evel s of educat i on, are no more abl e nowt hant hey were previ ousl y t o mat chwhi t e meni ni ncome . On t he ot her hand, bl ack womencom- pare much more f avorabl y wi t h whi t e women i n produci ng" i n- comes. and at t he hi gher educat i on- al l evel s bl ack womencl earl y excel whi t e womeni n i ncome. Whenwe can separat e mi ddl e- and l ow- i n- come bl acks, we see t hat mi ddl e- i ncome bl acks are i mprovi ng t hei r soci al andeconomi c si t uat i on much f ast er t han l ow- i ncome bl acks ; t hus t he t wo groups are get t i ng f urt her apart , andt here i s evi dence t hat mi ddl e- i ncome bl ack f ami l i es have been abl e t o make gai ns on mi ddl e- i ncome whi t e f ami l i es but pri mari l y because of t he i ncome- produci ng abi l i t y of bl ack women. Abl ack uni versi t y must address i t sel f t o t he changes t aki ng pl ace i n t he bl ack communi t y, and t wo pro- f ound condi t i ons have been pre- sent ed i n t hi s art i cl e. We must caref ul l y consi der t he consequences of t he f act t hat , i n t hese t i mes, t he burden of f ami l y support st i l l f al l s heavi l y upont he shoul ders of bl ack women. Howt hi s af f ect s bl ack men i n part i cul ar and bl ack f ami l i es i n general must be gi ven very cl ose at t ent i on as we at t empt t o respond t o t he condi t i ons and needs of t he bl ack communi t y. Secondl y, we must consi der t he si gni f i cance of t he spl i t bet ween mi ddl e- and l ow- i ncome bl acks t hat has cl earl y de- vel oped i n t he Si xt i es. I t woul d 91 seem saf e t o say t hat many pr osper - ous bl acks ar e bei ng r ewar ded i n t hi s count r y whi l e many poor bl acks ar e t aki ng t o t he st r eet s. Ther e must be a phi l osophy and i deol ogy whi ch wi l l uni t e t he bl ack communi t y r egar dl ess of economi c condi t i on or soci al st at us. I f our pr osper ous br ot her s cont i nue t o pr osper by put t i ng t hei r wi ves i n 9 2 t he l abor f or ce and begi n t o f or get , i t may wel l be t hat i n t he 1960' s, one cent ur y af t er t he Emanci pa- t i on decade of t he 1860' s, we may see t he r ei nst at ement of t he ol d "house- sl ave" ver sus "f i el d- sl ave" di chot omy, usi ng i ncome, educa- t i on and pl ace of r esi dence as t he basi s of di f f er ent i at i on. "Lor d have mer cy. " J . Her man Bl ake, aut hor of "The Bl ack Uni ver si t y and I t s Com- muni t y, " i s act i ng assi st ant pr of essor of Soci ol ogy at Cowel l Col l ege, Sant a Cr uz, one of t he ar ms of t he mul t i - l i mbed Uni ver si t y of Cal i - f or ni a. TheNewYor k Uni ver si t y gr aduat e al so wr ot e "TheAgony and t he Rage, " a descr i pt i on of exper i ences on t he Cal i f or ni a campus, i n t he Mar ch 1967NEGRO DI GEST. Mar ch 1968 NEGRO DI GEST "i ON ONYE LOCKARD i s a s el f - t aught ar t i s t , a f act whi ch mi ght have s omet hi ng t o do wi t h hi s choi ce of s ub- j ect s . For , as an ar t i s t , Mr . Lockar di s not much concer ned about t he ar t cl as s ' geomet r i cs and t he del i cacy of s hadowon a r os e; hi s ar t i s di r ect ed t owar d human bei ngs and t o del i neat i ng t hei r beaut y, t hei r angui s h and t hei r j oys . The i mpact of Mr . Lockar d' s wor k i s evi - dent on t he next t hr ee pages , but i t i s t o be r egr et t ed t hat NE~xODi - cEST i s unabl e t o r epr o- duce t he t hr ee pai nt i ngs i n col or . For col or - i n mor e t han one s ens e- i s mos t i mpor t ant i n Mr . Lockar d' s wor k. Thef aces and t he hands ar e bl ack, ver y bl ack, but t ouched wi t h t hat deep umber whi ch s ugges t s t he ear t h. And t he backgr ounds , whi ch appear mer e- l y dar k i n bl ack and whi t e, ar e s hades of bl ue, r ed and f l ame- or ange i n t he or i gi nal . Mr . Lockar d, a Det r oi t nat i ve, cur r ent l y l i ves and wor ks i n Ann Ar bor , Mi ch. , wher e hi s s t udi o (Ann Ar bor Ar t Cent r e, 215 S. Four t h Ave. ) i s l ocat ed. He f or - mer l y oper at ed St udi o 21 i n De- NEGRODI GEST Mar ch 1968 t r oi t , s peci al i zi ng i n commer ci al ar t and i l l us t r at i ons , and at t ended Wayne St at e Uni ver s i t y as an ar t maj or . He now concent r at es on por t r ai t s . Col or pr i nt s of t he pai nt i ngs r epr oduced her e ar e avai l abl e t hr ough Mr . Lockar d' s s t udi o. They ar e 16 by 20 i nches i n s i ze and s el l f or $10. 00 each . They al s o ar e avai l abl e f r amed at addi t i onal cos t . Fr amed 8 x 10 pr i nt s ar e avai l abl e f or $4. 95. The unf r amed pr i nt s al s o ar e avai l abl e at Vaughn' s Book St or e i n Det r oi t and at El l i s ' Book St or e i n Chi cago. 93 The B2aek Messi ah: Descri bi ng t hi s pai nt i ng, t he Rev. Al bert Cl eage of Det roi t ' s Cent ral Uni t ed Church of Chri st t ermed i t a"st rongbl ack f aceunder a crown of t horns, suBeri ng, beat en, humi l i at ed, but unde- f eat ed . " The f i gure has symbol i c bl ue i n hi s eyes. 94
Morch 1968 NEGRODI GEST Pl eaForASecondChance: Work-wornhands, l ovel y i n t hei r t est i mony t o l i f e, ri se i n suppl i cat i on and sacri f i re. Terror--al ways present i nhere bl nck men l i ve amongwhi t e men-t hreat ens, but l i f e wi l l ,be ren~>u~edevenagai n, andt he hands wi l l , grow st ronger. NEGRODI GEST March 1968 95 96 I nterrupti on : Morethan another versi onof Mother andChi l d, thi s pai nti ng speaks to thenewvi saonof bl ack Ameri cans, whonow seethei r ownbeauty, but i t al so cel ebrates the wi l l to endure of the bl ack peopl e. The mother succors the chi l d as f i re rages . March 1968 NEGRO DI GEST That somethi ng i s gr avel y wr ong wi th the conventi onal appr oach to the educati on of bl ack chi l dr en no l onger i s ar guabl e. Much of the pr ob- l em, of cour se, i s gener al : ther e i s somethi ng gr avel y wr ong wi th Amer i - can educati on, per i od. However , as al ways i n a soci ety whi ch- bei ng r aci st by natur e- assi gns oppor tuni ti es and r ewar ds accor di ng to r ace and col or , thosepeopl e suf f er most who ar e r egar ded l east, and those peo- pl e i n the Amer i can soci ety ar e bl ack peopl e . I t i s a hopef ul si gn that some of the br i ghtest young peopl e who have chosen educati on as thei r pr o- f essi on ar e deepl y concer ned about the def i ci enci es of exi sti ng educa- ti onal i nsti tuti ons, par ti cul ar l y as these i nsti tuti ons r el ate to bl ack students and the communi ti es f r om whi ch the students come. These educa- tor s ar e no l onger wi l l i ng- as so many of thei r pr edecessor s wer e- to si t back comf or tabl y and gar ner l aur el s and enj oy status whi l e the tal ent and potenti al of the masses of bl ack chi l dr en ar e cr i mi nal l y wasted. The i dea of a Bl ack Uni ver si ty- an i nsti tuti on desi gned to ser ve the r eal and total needs of the bl ack communi ty- has taken r oot, and ther e i s ever y r eason to bel i eve that the i dea wi l l gr owand eventual l y take con- cr ete shape. The speci al i ssue of NEGRODI GEST devoted to a consi der ati on of the concept of the Bl ack Uni ver si ty devel oped thr ough di scussi ons wi th Ger al d McWor ter , a r ecent Ph. D. gr aduate of the Uni ver si ty of Chi cago now an assi stant pr of essor of Soci ol ogy at Fi sk Uni ver si ty i n Nashvi l l e . I n hi s outl i ne l etter to the other contr i butor s to thi s speci al i ssue of NEGRO DI GEST, Mr . McWor ter sai d that the ar ti cl es deal i ng wi th f acets of the pr oposed Bl ack Uni ver si ty woul d concer n themsel ves wi th "a vi si on, the ar ti cul ati on of an `ought' . . . f or the f utur e . . . " He made i t cl ear that the concept of the Bl ack Uni ver si ty, as envi si oned by hi msel f and the edi tor s, was concer ned wi th the enti r e spectr um of soci al , eco- nomi c, psychol ogi cal and cul tur al i mper ati ves whi ch char acter i ze, i n- f l uence and contr ol the bl ack communi ty. I n a f ur ther cl ar i f i cati on by the edi tor s, the Bl ack Uni ver si ty concept was descr i bed as al so bei ng "concer ned wi th the ar t of bl ack peopl e, and wi th the devel opment and ar ti cul ati on of a bl ack estheti c . I t i s con- cer ned wi th the consci ous str engtheni ng of those i nsti tuti ons whi ch make the bl ack communi ty vi abl e, and i t i s dedi cated to the l i ber ati on of bl ack students ( and bl ack peopl e gener al l y) f r omthe i nhi bi ti ng and cr i ppl i ng pr esumpti ons whi ch have been i mposed upon bl ack l i f e and cul tur e f r om outsi de the bl ack communi ty. " NEGRODI GEST Mor ch 1968 The pr oj ect ed speci al i ssue on t he Bl ack Uni ver si t y was concei ved wi t hf i ve basi c ar t i cl es i n mi nd, pl us t wo "case st udi es" of exi st i ng bl ack educat i onal i nst i t ut i ons . The pr oposed ar eas of concer n f or t he f i ve ar t i cl es wer e as f ol l ows : 1 . "The Bl ack Uni ver si t y : Towar d a Concept ual Model " ; 2. "Pol i cy and Suppor t : Tr ust ees, Admi ni st r at i ons and Fund- i ng" ; 3 . "TheAcademi c Pr ocess : Facul t y, St udent s, Cour ses, Resear ch" ; 4. "The Bl ack Uni ver si t y and I t s Communi t y : Soci al Change i n t he Si xt i es" ; and 5 . "The I nt er nat i onal Per spect i ve: The Thi r d Wor l d. " That t he ar t i cl es as pr esent ed f al l shor t of t he goal set f or t he speci al i ssue of t he magazi ne i s t est i mony mor e t o t he i nf l exi bl e demands of deadl i nes and t he pr eci ousness of t i me t han t o any f ai l i ng on t he par t of t he cont r i but or s, al l educat or s of t he hi ghest compet ency. Despi t e t he i nadequacy of t i me, however , t hey have pr esent ed her e an ur gent and i magi nat i ve educat i onal pr ospect , one whi ch wi l l sur el y engage bl ack st udent s and educat or s mor e deepl y i n t he days t o come. For t hei r ef f or t s and f or t hei r ser vi ce t o t he communi t y, NEGxODI GEST i s most gr at ef ul . HOYT W. FULLER Managi ng Edi t or MOVI NGSOON? DON' T LEAVEUS BEHI ND To changeyour addr ess, si mpl y
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Mar ch 1 968 NEGRODI GEST THEI UA TURAL L 0 0/ ( l S HERE! THEDUKE NATURAL SET MAl RSHEEN l eaves hai r l ooki ng al i ve . . won' t l eave a sti cky, gummy or sti f f f eel . Get the Natur al Set andyour natur al wi l l l ook gr eat . At your f avor i te dr ug counter or send$3. 25 andwe' l l sendthe Duke Set postpai d. RAVEEN AU NATURELLE SET EASYTOCOMB l eaves hai r sof t, man- ageabLe-no mor e snar l s or tangl es . Combgl i des thr ough easi l y . EASY COMB l ets combgl i de thr ough hai r no matter how l ong, thi ck or wi r y. SPRAY' N' GLOWl eaves hai r wi th l ovel y sheen and l ustr e-hai r l ooks beauti f ul l y gr oomedand r adi ant . Not a hol di ng spr ay but an i nstant dr essi ng and condi ti oner . At your f avor i te dr ug counter or send$3. 25 and we' l l sendthe Raveen AuNatur el l e Set postpai d. w~atur al ; ' ~f al r Shc e~ SUPRf MEBEAUTYPRODUCTS C0. , 1808 S. Mi chi gan Ave. , Chi cago; 111. 60616 ACul t? A Fraterni ty? AWayof Li f e? What I s Thi s ~T' hi nc~ Cal l ed Negri tude`s For Af ri ca i n parti cul ar-and f or much of the rest of the worl d i n general -the era of West- ern di scovery, expl orati on and occupati on con- sti tuted a l ong ni ght of expl oi tati on and domi - nati on. And whi l e Col oni al i smscourged most of the non-whi te worl d, onl y the bl ack men f rom Af ri ca were massi vel y ensl aved, corral l ed by the mi l l i ons and transported i n chai ns across the seas to al i en l ands . Torn f romthei r roots, f orbi dden access to thei r cul tural sustenance, assi gned rol es as eternal drones, the bl ack men f rom Af ri ca, drawi ng f romsome uncommon raci al reservoi r, nonethel ess f oundthe strengthandthe strategy to endure. The l ong ni ght i s now recedi ng bef ore a newdawn, but the comi ng l i ght al one cannot heal the deep af f l i cti on i nduced by the prol ongeddarkness . Strong medi ci ne i s requi red to cure the di sease of degrada- ti on, and Negri tude has been of f ered as anti dote to the anci ent evi l of anti -bl ack raci sm. I t was a group of bl ack i ntel l ectual s i n Pari s whof i rst advanced the i dea of Negri tude -Cesai re Ai me, a poet f rom the French Anti l l es, and Leopol d Sedor Senghor, a poet- statesman f romSenegal , chi ef among Them. Senghor, now Presi dent of the Republ i c of Senegal , remai ns the pri nci pal proponent of Negri tude, and he sums i t up i n these words : "Negri tude i s the whol e compl ex of ci vi l i zed val ues-cul tural , economi c, soci al and pol i ti cal -whi ch characteri ze The bl ack peopl es, or, more preci sel y, the Negro- Af ri can worl d. . . I n other words, the sense of communi on, the gi f t of myth-maki ng, the gi f t of rhythm . . . a myth whi chevol ves wi thi ts ci rcumstances i nto a f ormof humani sm. . . " Uni ted Nati ons Presi dent Al ex Ctuai son-Sackey of Ghana def i nes Negri tude as "an acceptance and af f i rmati on of the qual i ty of ' bl ackness' . . . a psychol ogi cal gatheri ng together of al l bl ack peopl es i n the spi ri tual bonds of brotherhood. " And Ameri can prof essor St. Cl ai r Drake terms Negri tude "a sof t and resi l i ent rather than a hard and mechani cal approachto l i f e . . . a deep resentment over subordi nati on to whi te peopl e duri ng the 400 years of sl ave trade and the subsequent structuri ng of caste rel ati ons here andi n Af ri ca : ' Negri tude, then, i s al so a f orm of raci al i sm-Yes, but i n the words of Frenchphi l osopher J ean-Paul Sartre, "anti raci al raci al i sm. " Therei n l i es the di f f erence . And Dr . Drake expl ai ns : "Anti -raci st raci al i sm was brought i nto vi ewby i ts opposi te, whi chi s aggressi ve, expl oi tati ve raci sm . Andthe whol e concept of Negri tude assumes i n i ts di al ecti c that anti -raci st raci al i smi s desti ned to di sappear : ` Knowl edge i s the Key to a Better Tomorrow ReadNegro Di gest at ~ourFavori te Newsstand
Kenneth Dean Austin v. Howard Ray, Warden, Jackie Brannon Correctional Center and Attorney General of The State of Oklahoma, 124 F.3d 216, 10th Cir. (1997)