Minutes from
BSM meeting
by Dawn Clayton
Staff Writer
March, 1973 THE BLACK INK Page 7
Media conference
held for Blacks
It was the first BSM meeting
in the Upendo Center and Mayor
Howard Lee was up for the
occasion, February 1, 1973.
Presenting the BSM not with
official walking papers to the
city, he instead proposed a
Chapel H ill-Carrbo ro bus
referendum, a veritable Love
Train that would chug to the
tune of $430,000 and provide
fifteen buses for the township,
and four for on-campus transit.
Ernie Pitt, up to his old antics
of hard work for Hillsborough
prisoners demonstrated the need
for campus action to make life
more tolerable for the Blacks in
stripes behind the bars. Pressing
for Black tutors, he emphasized
the need for a Black history
course, and on the recreation
side, urged Blacks to volunteer
to escort the Brothers in groups
of four to Saturday movies to
dig on such fare as “Lady Sings
the Blues” and “Sounder,” as
well as munch popcorn.
Ernie termed it a “hell of an
experience” but discouraged
female applicants due to a
prohibitive policy against
hanky-panky for inmates.
In a powerhouse declaration,
Larry Mixon gave thanks to
everyone who saw Julius
Chambers, reminded everyone of
Malcolm X Day on February 21,
and entreated support for the
Ben Chavis Trial and the rally
held in Hamilton Hall.
Mindful of the easy
accessibility of prison to Blacks,
he struck fear into the hearts of
all who have “cribbed” on
exams or purloined a test here or
there along the way with this
dread warning: “Who will be
next?!” Tell it like it is. Brother
Mixon.
The BSM Choir took a little
culture over to Duke
Auditorium in February, and
naturally “Showed off” for the
members of the First Baptist
Church in Chapel HilL
Allan Mask unsuccessfully
reopened his campaign for
President, raising the rather
insupportable question of
whether Black presidents in a
row is too much for even this,
heah, “liberal southern white
university.”
Deryl Davis was back on the
political trail, introducing a bill
to the student legislature to
consult the BSM for Black
appointments. It was alSo
revealed that the Mary Gibson
tutorial program is floundering
for lack of support and funds. In
keeping with this monetary
crisis, H. Bentley Renwick sent
work that a number of Black
students may “be in limbo” due
to the plight of financial aid and
the non-priority given to Black
“anything” in these lean Nixon
years.
A sickle cell screening clinic
was held that Thursday night in
Upendo, by some fine young
Black medical students from
UNC and Duke. Eagerly taking
down phone numbers and
addresses of willing participants,
they took blood samples,
showed films, and gave the dope
on sickle cell and its origins.
Eyeing the pool table to the
left and the bar in front, Milton
Gunn felt right at home in
making social committee
announcements. Tooting the
tournament extravagan/.a
coming up in March . . .
featuring pinochle, bid whist,
billiards, and chess, he warned
that “if you’re shucking and
jiving you’re going to get left
out” of the fun, and he
requested volunteers to act as
judges to insure against any
indiscreet activities, as well as to
present trophies to winners.
Perhaps it was simply the
Magic of Upendo, and the fact
that it is ours at long last, or
maybe the defiant red, black,
and green map of Africa hanging
on the wall. Perhaps it was
simply the influence of all the
UNC Brothers and Sisters
reclining Hannibal and
Sheba-like in uncontrived
positions of authority, power,
and grace; but obviously,
everyone knew where his head
was at, and was ready to get on
with it. It was even easy to give a
little blood.
MORE POWER!!
Short story
It began quite by accident
one evening two months ago
when I, thoroughly frustrated
with my menial assignments as
lab assistant at the observatory,
promptly tossed all those
ridiculous directions from my
superior into the waste basket.
And then boldly strutted over to
the massive telescope that I had
been forbidden to even touch
and ran my fingers languorously
across its cool metallic surface.
In one swift motion I was
seated behind its powerful and
ominous form, mimicking the
gestures made by the professors
as they made adjustments on the
instrument. My eyes strained to
secure an image of the night sky
through the delicate visual
openings.
Gradually it revealed itself to
me. My hands trembled but my
fingers burned with a new
energy that forced them to
manipulate the mechanism until
that image was sharpened and
made alive with furious color.
I remained transfixed, gazing
upon a myriad of tiny fiberlike
objects that flickered and
swayed captive within a pearly
white substance flowing as
gently as any river.
My body began to feel warm
all over, heated by some type of
excitement, as if some part of
me knew--actually
comprehended-what my eyes
were watching. I was practically
afire.
Terrified, abruptly I swung
my body away. But the flush
remained. A flush which was to
drive me back again and again to
that particular spot in the days
to come.
Riot Rimes
No. 55
On my job, man
They were burning mad!
They wanted to say something
So bad!
Finally one of them
Comes up and asks me
With a frown—
His face all red—
Why all the trouble
In my part of town.
What trouble? I said.
Raymond Patterson
“It is absolutely vital for
Blacks to get into
communications because of the
great influence of the media.”
The speaker was Tony
Brown, executive producer of
“Black Journal” and Dean of
Howard University’s School of
Communications. He was
addressing the Second Annual
Black Careers in Communica
tions Conference, held on the
Howard University campus in
Washington, D.C.
The theme of the conference,
“The End of Rhetoric...The
Beinning of Action,” expressed
its goals.
These goals were further
defined by Dean Brown in his
remarks to the gathering. “Black
people have been saying that
there aren’t enough Blacks in
communications, and the white
media said... ‘you’re right, but
there aren’t enough qualified
Blacks’.
“Last year we took action to
end such rhetoric with the first
Black Careers in Communica
tions Conference. We invited the
media and found the qualified
Blacks... the warm bodies,”
Brown continued.
The “warm bodies” were in
Washington again on March 5, 6,
and 7, 1973.
“They” were mainly juniors
and graduating seniors, but
several were graduates and
Blacks with graduate degrees in
Communications, seeking
summer internships, as well as
permanent jobs.
The applicants were screened,
categorized according to
educational status and print or
broadcast interest, and were
then interviewed by recruiters.
When it was all over about
200 people had been hired.
In keeping with the theme of
the conference, there were no
formal speeches during the
business sessions of the
conference but a number of
distinguished Blacks in
communications spoke briefly to
the conference.
Vincent Tubbs, press director
of communications for Warner
Brothers Corp., the man who
“sold” “Super Fly” to Black
masses, spoke of various aspects
of his job as a motion picture
publicist.
Dr. Gus Adair, executive
director of the Congressional
Black Caucus and Professor
Samuel Yette, journalism
professor at Howard U and
author of The Choice,
participated in a panel discussion
on First Amendment Rights.
Professor Yette said that
Blacks should be concerned
about the current controversey
over press freedom. “If there is
any threat to the white media,
Blacks can’t be better of,” he
said.
Yette added that the white
press is undergoing its
“niggerhood”. The Black press’
rights have been abused before,
but abuse of the press did not
become an issue until the
Caldwell case which also
threatens the white press.
In his book The Choice,
Yette predicted that the First
Amendment rights of the press
were threatened and the Black
reporter is in danger of
becoming a spy.
He cited the Supreme”Court
decision against Earl Caldwell, a
Black reporter for the New York
Times who refuses to disclose
information concerning the
Black Panthers to a California
grand jury.
The Court said that reporters
do not have the right to shield
their sources from official
investivations.
“The reporter should have
control of his work to editors
and the courts,” Professor Yette
,said.
The Black planning to work
in the white media should be
concerned about this, he said.
The courts attempted to force
Caldwell to turn over
information he gained because
of his “color credibility,”
Professor Yette added.
Dr. Adair read a statement by
the Congressional Black Caucus.
The statement included these
points:
-the white-controlled media
has systematically excluded
Blacks.
-they have distorted Blacks
and newworthy evens involving
Blacks.
-and have ridiculed efforts
by Blacks for reform.
To illustrate, Dr. Adair said
that a study of 18 newspapers
with over 20% Black circulation
showed no Blacks in their
Washington bureaus. He named
no specific cities or newspapers.
Action?
by Linda Williams
Staff Writer
They called it “The End of
Rhetoric . . . The Beginning of
Action.” It was the Second
Annual Black Careers in
Communications Conference
held at Howard University at the
beginning of March. The purpose
was to bring the communica
tions media and qualified Blacks
looking for jobs in the media
together.
True, there was very little
rhetoric thrown about in
Cramton Auditorium, but the
“action,” the success of the
conference, is qualified by a
number of facts.
The conference was a success
because of the emphasis on
action. Everybody talks about
the disgraceful lack of Blacks in
communications. Blacks as well
as the white media, which hides
behind the myth of “too httle
qualified Blacks,” but the
conference held in Washington is
one of the few attempts to do
anything about it.
The white media was
confronted with the qualified
Blacks they said didn’t exist.
About 200 Blacks found jobs as
a result of the conference; two
hundred who probably would
not have been hired otherwise.
That is the success story which
emerges from the conference.
However, the conference
illustrates the disheartening fact
that the Blacks who wishes to
work in communications has
many a disappointing experience
waiting for him. The Black
media, as it is today, can not
absorb all of the qualified Black
personnel, and the white media
simply is not eager to hire them,
depite the fact that it has one of
the poorest minority hiring
records of any industry in the
country.
Why was the conference
necessary? Because the media
has not looked for the qualified
Blacks. The conference itself is a
sad commentary on the state ot
affairs. Yes, 200 Blacks were
hired, but many traveled
thousands of miles for a chance
at the jobs.
The response of the media to
both of the conferences has been
poor. Twelve thousand firms
were invited to the ’73
conference, 100 responded. Less
than 1%, a .008 response to be
exact. The large number of firms
was invited because of the
4000 that were invited in ’72,
only about 50 showed up.
A great many of those
represented at this year’s
conference were not at all
serious about hiring anybody.
There were several personnel
managers set to recruit writers.
The Washington Post, which
enjoys a reputation for
recruiting Blacks, sent its
personnel manger, a Black, who
conducted interviews as if he
had been given instructions to
“appear, but don’t you dare hire
any of them niggers.” One
wonders if its reputation is
deserved and how it got it.
Others bore the vague title of
company representatives and
were in no position to hire
anyone. So, the only purpose for
attending the conference for
these members of the media was
in the interest of public
relations. After all, the
confernece was publicized and it
was filmed for “Black Journal.”