April, 1973
THE BLACK INK
Page 3
iii
Ex-BSM chairman
‘We must survive’
Newly elected BSM chairman Willie Mebane talks to Black
students during die regular general body meeting in Upendo.
Minutes from
BSM meeting
Dawn Clayton
Staff writer
Still on the job and alert to
the oppression of Blacks,
Indians, and other minority
groups, getting walking papers
together to stampede Raleigh
with the Tuscaroras the
following day, and still smarting
from the scrape of Wounded
Knee, the BSM held its last pow
wow of the school year on
Thursday night, April 12, 1973.
Chairman Warren Carson
presided for the last time,
pressing on in dealing with issues
and problems dealing specifically
with UNC Blacks.
Rapping on the theme of
unity, Richard Matthews was up
from Shaw University to
challenge Blacks to join with
Indians in a rally and march
from Shaw to the Capitol on
Friday 13. Speaking of luck!
Warren Carson spread word that
Kittrell College’s Library has
been gutted by fire, and urged
UNC students to do “anything
we can to help.” Due to the fact
that any surplus literature of
bloods at UNC was hopefully
absorbed in the Upendo book
drive, Val Batts, new Minister of
Information, suggested raising
money as well as sending
communiques to sororities
(including our own new superfly
Delta Sigma Theta Chapter) in
an appeal to their philanthropic
inclinations, with the astute
observation that “at least it
looks good on their records.”
Warren Carson also called on the
united souls of Black folk to
attend the African Liberation
Day rally, May 26, to exhibit
support for Pan Africanism, and
decide on future goals.
In spite of its being tax
time, or perhaps because of it,
much of the BSM’s conversation
and rhetoric centered around
money. Green and springtime
fresh. Most discussion was
centered around Nixon’s
cutbacks in federal funding, and,
hitting close to home, cutbacks
in financial aid to college
students. Richard Matthews
disclosed that Shaw might have
to lock its doors, and hinted that
a lot of UNC’s own might have
to “put it in the want ads for
jobs” rather than pack up books
and bad rags next fall if that
money doesn’t come through.
Warren Carson and Larry
Mixon, already thoroughly
disgusted at the reduction in
incoming Black freshmen,
partially attributable to
monetary deficiencies, suggested
intercollegiate protests, and a
letter writing campaign, to say
nothing of keeping fingers
crossed, to alleviate the
situation.
With the shoe finally on the
other foot, Warren Carson took
a few minutes out for the lighter
side of business to reprimand,
berate, and in a few choice
words, to literally excoriate the
shiftless, lazy, downright
no-good white help in charge of
the upkeep of Upendo,
represented at present by the
non-imp ressive personage of
redneck janitor Ed Childs. It
seems that “Ed”, as the Black
folks around here address him,
when necessary, didn’t want to
wash windows, polish furniture,
or scrub floors for the Black
Center. Imagine that! Instead he
felt the duties should be
delegated to the Brothers on
work study. Anyway, Warren
Carson made it perfectly clear
that things had better get cleared
up with Ed. Soon!
Willy Mebane, introduced as
the new Chairman of the BSM
promptly jumped to his duties,
taking over Carson’s old desk,
gavel, and parliamentary
procedure. Commenting that the
BSM is “for Black people,”
“must be responsive,” and
“offers something for the
money” in dues, Mebane
characterized his new programs
as “forceful.” Outlining broad
new programs for the fall, and a
host of activities for incoming
freshmen, including “a list of
professors not to have,” and a
movie “Black Roots,” it was
obvious that Willie Mebane
captured the spirit of Warren
Carson at least. The question
remains: Can anyone recapture
Warren’s mouth?!
More Power!
Warren Carson, Jr.
BSM Chairman
Struggle to Survive-a
concept adopted by many Black
organizations. How does this
concept relate to BSM? Looking
back over this past year and
evaluating BSM endeavors,
struggle is evident, but survival
remains uncertain.
First of all, we are still an
organization without any
written ideological guidelines.
During a most crucial period, the
lack of an ideology was
something that helped BSM
considerably, thouth now that
we are apparently approaching a
transitory stage in our struggle,
this fact could prove to be more
of a detriment than a positive
force. Without a list of set rules
to follow, BSM was free to
explore certain possibilities that
would have otherwise been
off-limits.
The period during which we
have operated without a
documented ideology or
doctrine —5 years to be
exact—has given us ample time
to explore all segments of
society, determine which of
these are useful to the Black
struggle, and set our course of
action accordingly. Exploration
in itself was a struggle.
Oftentimes we were met with
hostility, which was not in any
sense pleasant, bjt interesting.
This one phase we have survived,
but now the time has come for
us to tighten our organizational
structure. We know wha.t we
want, we know how to get it.
The simple task before us it to
write it down, stick to it, and
make it work.
Secondly, the BSM is a
representative organization by
its mere composition. Black
students are represented in most
other areas of campus activity.
Realizing first of all that
representation was not
necessarily power, but at the
same time, that in over
seventy-five representative
positions there must be some
potential power, a Black Caucus
was formed under a BSM
directive.
The format of the Caucus was
to culminate all positions held
by Blacks on campus into some
type of organized, corresponding
body. During the past year, the
Caucus has functioned not only
as a correspondence unit, but as
a support base also.
With these positions
mobilized and the amount of
power determined,
correspondence maintained, and
a general understanding that
Blacks must struggle together,
through the Black Caucus a split
among the Black student
representatives was avoided.
Thus in an effort to avoid an
administrative division, we have
survived.
Many people have posed the
questions “What has BSM done
for me?” and “What programs
are beneficial?” Certainly this
year the BSM has offered more
speakers and programs than
before. Various speakers have
appeared on campus through our
courtesy— Julius Chambers,
Larry Little, and Dwight
Womble, to mention a few. As
well, programs for North
Carolina Political Prisoners,
Sickle-Cell Anemia Detection,
various cultural programs, and
yes, parties have been
held-sponsored by BSM.
Of course, every program did
not appeal to every person at
every time. Thus and such was
never the reasoning of the BSM
Central Committee. The idea
behind such a varied program
was hopefully to appeal to some
with one program, to others
with a different one, and to
titillate the sensibility of another
shared-interest group with still
another event.
The only prerequisite that
any program required was a
mere pertinence to the Black
Struggle. Even so, I dare say that
some were displeased, and those
who remain so probably don’t
realize the difference anyway. In
the area of active participation
and involvement on the part of
Black students at large, we
certainly have not survived, but
neither has the situation gotten
so far out of hand that there is
no solution.
We must keep struggling to
avert this crisis—we must survive.
Another major struggle which
the BSM has been involved in
was the struggle for recognition
among the University
Administration as an active
Black student organization,
aware of the many problems
which plague us, and seriously
dedicated to working toward a
satisfactory solution.
There was strong indication
during 1971-72 that BSM was
perceived by the Administration
as a bunch of hotheads who only
thought in terms of striking a
match to South Building or
knocking down the Old Well.
During this past year, several
factors have indicated that
perhaps the Administration does
take BSM more seriously.
Upendo Lounge, for example,
was not granted to Black
students because the
Administration felt sorry for
those poor, neglected Black
students who had nothing to call
their own, etc. Rather, due to
the innovative ideas offered by
BSM concerning a Black student
lounge, and the persistent
pursuit in making the idea a
reality, what was an infrequently
used room in Chase Cafeteria is
now an important part of Black
student life at Carolina.
In addition, a recent bill
passed by the Student
Legislature will prevent the
University from choosing any
representative for Black students
without BSM approval. We are
serious —we do mean
business-this we have
proved—this struggle we have
survived.
The major struggle that BSM
is still faced with is the struggle
for unity among ourselves. With
a Black population as diverse as
we have here, with so many
different conceptions, or
misconceptions, the fact still
remains that we are all Black, all
victims of an oppressive society,
and hopefully, all concerned
with reaching the ultimate goal
of complete liberation for all
Black people.
Yet we con t inue to
vigorously compete with each
other, instead of directing that
energy toward freedom. It is
apparent that we are not
“Brothers and Sisters in the
Struggle” in the true sense of the
phrase, for obviously if we were,
unity would not be a question.
This is indeed a grave
problem, for in the words of a
contemporary “without linkage,
there will be slippage,” which
means, of course, if we don’t
have unity, we are doomed to
fail in all endeavors.
I have heard that it is
impossible to please everyone.
Perhaps this holds great truth.
But inasmuch as the problems
encountered by one Black
affects every other Black, there
must be some common ground
on which we can unify.
On many previous occasions,
1 have pondered upon the
question “What would it take
for Black people to unify?” At
times I’ve felt that it would take
nothing short of a massacre in
the Pit—Alabama style; at other
times, perhaps only the snap of
the finger.
Presently, strong indication
prefers the former idea, but I
have not given up hope that
through some shape, form or
fashion, we will realize our
predicament, unify, and move.
As another contemporary puts it
“We damn sho’ can make it if we
try.”
Perhaps the primary reason
for this lack of unity is a lack of
the necessary realization of the
plight of Black people. The
situation in Chapel Hill is a
unique one, but only because we
focus attention on the
immediate problems facing us as
Black students in a
predominantly white
environment.
These problems in fact bear
the same origin as the problem
of poor housing conditions for
Blacks, lack of jobs, lack of
adequate medical faciUties in the
Black ghetto, and so on. With a
liberation movement, it would
seen only normal that Blacks
would face the reality of
oppression and support the
cause.
However, our situation is far
from this ideal point of view.
What we see here are black
brothers and sisters clad from
head to toe in the Liberation
colors of Red, Black and Green,
but when asked to tutor a young
brother or sister who is trying to
make it-“Nah, Brother Man, I
ain’t got the time.”
This brings us to a basic
misconception of Black Pride vs.
Black Vanity. Black Pride is
what you think of yourself;
Black Vanity is what you would
have others think. For those
ill-informed ones. Red, Black,
and Green is not enough—
WE’VE GOT TO HAVE UNITY!
It cannot be over-emphasized
that this need for unity is of
paramount importance. It is a
challenge for the next BSM
Chairman to meet. Furthermore,
it is a challenge for the next
Central Committee to maintain
that which we have gained and
add to it, not destroy it.
The situation at hand also
presents a challenge to the
general Black student body—to
become active participants in
BSM functions, for if you are
See Survive, page 7