3, 2000
0arch 23, 2000
The Banner
Perspectives
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kre we learning different cviltural histories?
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Student
Government
Association
black history, or better
African-American
chievement in white society,
omething that should be cel-
brated and incorporated
fithin our “American his-
merely disposed of
lecause it’s not seen as pro
fessing and protecting “white
ently written,
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would have to
only intelli-
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the weight of
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Stop berating
if all that'
it off
■unding
)ear Editor,
Your March 16 editorial on a pro-
new entrance for the campus
juched on many other projects
hat continue to be high priority for
INCA: the new Highsmith Center,
itherneededbuildingimprovements,
idewalks and bike paths, addi-
ional parking and the like.
The editorial seemed to assume
what is gained for one project
ubtracts from others. The truth is
apy
if you have
an intention
“I intend
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rtthanhourof
J reading.”
jveryone. Tell
se and roor
ty good way’
going to carry
aurse of action,
reward. Dent
you were plan-
f, because a re-
thing that you
hold from your-
nit. Whether it
an hour readii^
best seller,
nore enjoyable
ninute you no-
inating, plungt
ill need to do.
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mountain lake
lly immersing
ezing step. It*
ust leap in, and
eling of having
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nually pushing
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ydo not intend
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irocrastinatin&
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re if these id
: in writing this
fresh resolve
bought a pack
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rning and I am
Culture is de
fined as “the totality of so
cially transmitted behavior
patterns, arts, beliefs and in
stitutions, and all other prod
ucts of human work and
thought characteristic of a
community or population.”
So why has America failed to
embody African-American
progressivism in creating an
established concept of “Ameri
can Culture?” Many African-
American, Native-American
and Latin-American students
are viewing American history
with a special dislike because
it fails to reflect the social,
political and economic ad
vancement their ancestors
have accomplished.
America places emphasis on
cultural diversity, but fails to
realize that it is a society built
along racial lines — so does
pluralism, or, taken a step fur
ther, cultural pluralism, that
exists in society today. Cul
tural pluralism is the political
theory where there are multiple
centers of legitimate power and
authority. If this is true, then
one can state that America is
not culturally pluralistic, in that
white elitists try to conceal
black history to evoke a false
sense of nationalism.
Maya Angelou, a phenom
enal female writer, wrote,
“History, despite its wrench
ing pain, cannot be unlived,
and if faced with course, need
not be lived.” This is a
crucial point. America needs
to stress the importance of
learning the struggles that my
Nubian brothers and sisters
have endured. Martin Luther
King, Malcolm Malik
Shabazz, and Harriet
Tubmann — the list goes on.
If you don’t educate, you vio
late one’s ability to learn from
the past to create a better fu-
Black history is not history
designated for the under-rep
resented (African-American,
Native-American, etc.), but
history soughtforall. Ingrow
ing from a child to a man, I
have been taught to respect
white culture — learning the
Constitution, learning the na
tional anthem and glorifying
America’s fore
fathers.
So, the ques-
you is, does
reaching the
cept established
by white elitists,
mean glorifying
that protected
slavery? Why
America lift
their voices and
sing in the glo
rious anthem of
black America?
Singing with
the harmony of
knowing that
the victory of cultural diver- too easily written as the his-
sity has won. Kwame tory of its dominant class.”
Kkrumah wrote in his work Black history must remain
“Consciencism,” “The history an important part of society,
of a nation is, unfortunately, Blackleadersandactivistswere
America places em
phasis on cultural
diversity, butfailsto
realize that it is a
society built along
racial lines.... Black
history is not his
tory designated for
the under-repre
sented, but history
sought for all.
not only fighting for the rights
of one, but for the rights of all
(women, poor white individu-
als, and other racial
ethnicities). So when you
study my history, black his
tory, visualize it as history not
only affecting my status in
America, but your role in
making society a better place
Henry David Thoreau wrote
in “A Plea for Captain John
Brown ,” “I am here to plead
his cause with you. I plead not
for his life, but for his charac
ter — his immortal life; and
so it becomes your cause
wholly, and is not his in the
least.” So like Henry
Thoreau, 1 am here to make
the same plea with UNCA. I
plead not only for you to
include black history as a
part of UNCA’s culture, but
maintain and reinforce it as
vital source in shaping
American tradition.
Letters to the Editor
that funding for these projects must
come from various different sources.
Most of the university’s fimding
comes from legislativeappropriations
—tax dollars that the people’s elected
representatives authorize us to spend.
^JC^en they authorize an expendi
ture, it is for a specific purpose.
For example, we cannot spend
dollars authorized for operating ex
penses — salaries, utilities, sup
plies, and the like — to pay for
“capital” items like buildings. And
vice versa. Nor can dollars autho
rized for a specific capital project Be
spent for a different capital project.
If we had funding appropriated for
a classroom building, for example,
we could not spend it for a resi
dence hall.
In the case of the entrance road,
the university is making an effort to
obtain some special assistance
through the North Carolina De
partment of Transportation
(DOT). Whether DOT will ulti
mately be able to provide help or
not is still to be determined, but
ofte thing is for certain — any fund
ing the university can obtain from
this special source will not take
away from other critical projects
such as Highsmith.
University funding priorities are a
legitimate topic for debate. But
members of the campus commu
nity should recognize that the uni
versity cannot wait for the fimding
of projects to fall into a neat, ideal
sequence. It is essential to work on
many different priorities at the same
Tom Byers
Special assistant to the chancellor
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Editorial Board
Emma Jones
Sarah Wilkins
Meghan Cummings
Krystel Lucas
Jason Graham
Lauren Deal
Matt Hunt
Zach Dill
Editor-in-Chief
News Editor
Features Editor
Sports Editor
Photo Editor
Copy Editor
Online Editor
Asst. Online Editor
Staff
■ ■ Kay Alton, Lena Burns, Jennifer Crowl,
Walter Fyler, Anthony Greco, Davon Heath,
Kathryn Krouse, Susan McCord, Eric Porter,
Melissa Starnes, Alison Watson, Teshania Wiley
Manager
Rebecca Cook
Eric Porter
Business Manager
Circulation Manager
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Jennifer Ross, Matthew Rossi,
SGA
Contributing Staff
Anais Adal
Mark West, faculty advisor
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