PAGE 2
How Relevant Is The Kent
State Incident 7
The most recent developments in news for the last few weeks has
brought back to mind something that was said quite a few years ago.
It was once said that situations and conditions mean nothing in
America until middle-class white America is affected. This point has
proven over and over again on and off college and university
campuses throughout America in the time since the Kent State
incident.
The entire country has been “up in the air” over the death of the
four Kent State students. Yes, it’s bad it’s true. To suddenly look
around and find out that armed guardsmen who are suppose to
keep the peace has upset the peace of so many people by their
actions against students. As a result, colleges everywhere have been
protesting the actions.
Then, people wonder why the Black students aren’t all upset and
aren’t displaying their disgust. Why should we?Just last year, our
brother, Willie Grimes, at a neighboring institution (A&T State) was
killed during the May 1969 disturbance on that campus. It too
involved National Guardsmen and student confrontations. Did
anybody get up in the air about that?Only those here close to him.
To speak of something more people are familiar with, what about
the Orangeburg, S.C. incident of 1968?Then three brothers were
killed in the confrontation between National Guardsmen and
students. Who shouted and marched in protest then? Not the
middle-class whites-no, they didn’t feel it. It was just some more
“niggers” dead.
Now students are turning out their schools, marching on their
state Capitols and the nation’s capitol as a result of this offensive
action against college students.
Are the earlier offenses to be forgotten or ignored?lt seems that
authority has a whim of what might com, so, news a few days ago
mentioned something of an investigation that was about to take
place in the Grimes case. But guess how long ittod(...a year. How
long was it before investigations were on the Kent State case?
A picture appeared a few days after the Kent State incident that
showed a guardsmen with a revolver, shooting into the student
crowd. That’s a big issue. A picture appeared after the Orangeburg
incident that could possibly have been used as discriminating
evidence has it been followed up. Who’s to judge?
Now that students on the campus of Jackson State have been
killed by National Guardsmen, it remains to be seen if their incident
and death will become a part of the nationwide sympathy protest
movement.
Stop and weigh the incidents; does the scale balance?Or is
America really only vulnerable to Middle-class white American pain?
THE BENNETT BANNER
MAY 22. 1970
/
mSPOH
3
"Are >ou prepared to take the
step?"
Bennetfs Academic Atmosphere Is
A Major Student Concern
The students meeting with
faculty, staff, and
administrators seemed at first
to be a step in the solutionof
the problem to get more black
SLC Attempts
What SBS Is All About Have Proven
Very Fruitless
Whether the scheduled meeting was poorly publicized or whether
students and faculty alike were busy with registration, at any rate,
few persons showed up in the coffee house for “National Save the
Black Schools Day.” The panel presentations were highly
informative, and the discussions that followed were quite lively and
spirited. It appeared that everyone who had decided to take time out
from his busy schedule was interested in the problem. Yet, what
about the other 99 44/100% who did not show up. Perhaps the
impact of the situation has not yet been fully understood by them.
Apparently very few blacks realize that the black school can very
easily pass away-that the so-called integration-desegregation gag is
really a threat to the existence of black schools. Or perhaps, some
don’t see a need only to point out a few facts. First, very few of us
would be able to meet the entrance requirements of a white
school~not because we’re dumb” but because we haven’t been
exposed to what is often referred to as a “liberal education.”
Moreover, as far as entrance requirements are concerned,only the
“cream of the crop” would be allowed to enter, and many of us are
simply not the cream of the crop. Secondly, many blacks certainly
could not afford to pay to go to a white school since many Of us are
now on scholarships, work-aid or are receiving some type of fmancial
aid-which in some cases we could not expect from a white school.
Thirdly, if whites can discriminate against our going to their schools.
Obviously, then, we’d be at the bottom of the totem pole once
again.
The necessity of fighting to maintain our black schools should be
a 24-hour a day job for all of us blacks. The response that the first
annual call to commemorate “Save the Black Schools Day” solicited
is not only heartbreaking, but disastrous-disastrous in that within a
few years, there may be no more black schools-unless we all act
NOW.
EDITOR’S MAILBOX
Dear Editor,
Recently, the Science
Division sponsored a Science
Emphasis Week which
combined divisional student
presentations and visiting guest
lecturers. In my opinion all
students, not just science
majors, could have related to,
enjoyed and learned sonething
from these sessions. Frankly, I
am very disappointed with the
lack of enthusiasm on the part
of both science and
non-science majors.
A concerned and
wondering student
Continue on Page 4
This year, perhaps for the
first time in many years, there
will be no student leadership
conference. The reason is that
student leaders agree that past
conferences have been virtually
useless. Each summer the same
proposals are made, similar
suggestions for campus
improvements are made, and
very little happens.
The enthusiasm with which
one enters the conference is
often short-lived for, one soon
discovers that during the
conference, no final decisions
are made (whether or not
decisions can be made is
unclear), and that each
proposal presented must be
compiled first and presented to
the faculty in the fall. This
simply means that though
proposals are made in the lattei
part of May, nothing get'
action upon until the following
school term, in September or |
maybe in October. By that
time, far-range programs would ^
not go into effect until the,
following semester or even the
following year.
So this year, and rightfully
so, student leaders will leave
campus with the majority of
the student body, certain of
perhaps one thing and that is
that next year will be another
rehashing of the same old
gripes, of making the same old
suggestions that fall on the
same old deaf ears, and
spending the same old year in
the same old dull way.
instructors on campus and to
retain those we already have.
However, this feeling was
short-lived. In the minds of
many students who attended
the session, the meeting was of
no avail. Administrators, in
reality, failed to respond
positively to the students’ pleas
that more blacks be hired and
that the few already here be
retained.
Moreover, it was apparent
from the atmosphere generated
that many faculty members
and students alike were
frustrated in their efforts to get
a clear idea of why some black
faculty members, after years of
dedicated service here, were
allowed to leave, and were
being replaced by whites, who
in some cases were not as
qualified as the blacks whose
place they had taken. The
desire to know the answers as
to why so few blades are hired
and why so many, after years
of committed service, would
leave, was a recurring question
throughout the session. The
answer most often given was
where the number of white
instructors far exceed the
number of black instructors.
Moreover, the desire for more
black instructors as opposed to
white instructors, is not a
the need for more money. This
is questionable. It is agreed
that money is a major factor as
to why many blacks leave
Bennett, but in cases where
instructors have worked here
for 15 and 20 years, the
problem could not possibly be
a question of salary. Obviously,
there are underlying reasons
that have not as yet been
brought clearly into the open.
Some faculty and staff
members, fully aware of those
“underlying” reasons, remain
closed-mouth, at the irisk of
our losing more and more
qualified blacks.
A striking example of the
increasing severity of the
situation can best be seen if
one takes a good, hard look at
the math and physical
Continue on Page 3
Banner Staff
Tbe Boinett Banner is published by tbe students at Boincitjj
'oUege, Greensboro, North Carolina 27420.
Editor. In-Chief
Dimples L. Armstrong
rilanaging Editor
kwinona Griffin
[Business Manager Hattie Carvell
eire Edtor, Cartoonist - Myra Davis'
[Feature Editor - - .Darwin Prioleav
kPine Arts Editor - Bettv Jonesl
[Pbotograidiers - Dwight Dav
Douglas McAdooJ
Reporters...... ..-Diane Dawson. Audrey Demp*
Lynn Henton,
' YljJsts..r Ethel Bond Carolyn Everett, Cynthia McKaskill I
or Doug^ McAdoo