BLACK INK
The essence of freedom is understanding
MARCH 20,1980
BLACK STLDF.NT MOVEMENT OF FK IAI. NEWSPAPER University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 12
Cureton wants Blacks in student government
By UNDA BROWN
Features Editor
Black Student Movement Vice
Chairperson, Jesse Cureton has been
chosen as Director of Campus Affairs
for student government, however, his
most immediate concern is getting
more Blacks into Suite C, student
government’s central office in the
Carolina Union.
‘‘I feel that with me being in Suite C,
that would make a lot of Black
students feel comfortable coming into
Suite C. They can make their com
plaints and grievances to me and 1
would make sure they were heard,”
he said.
He feels that with his being in stu
dent government there is no way that
any cultural grievances cannot be
heard. ‘‘I personally feel that even
when everything is going right. I’m
going to be the person to say, what
about the Indians, what about the
Blacks, what about the disadvantaged
students,” he said.
Cureton said, "I think in the past
Blacks have been very apathetic in
getting involved (in student govern
ment and the BSM), and yet, we are
on top of social events as far as jams
and step shows, and not to say this is
bad, but I think we’re putting our
priorities in the wrong place.”
He said that whites are still in the
top positions in government outside of
the University and that students
should use the University as a train
ing ground for participation in city,
state and national government.
“The Black students that are sitting
here in Carolina are supposed to be
some of the top Black students, and I
think that if we’re apathetic about
things going on here, then who’s going
to lead the Black community, who’s
going to lead the Black people,” he
said.
He said he is upset by the growing
apathy in the Black community. “We
are top Black students and we have to
be apppinted to a position on CGC (the
Campus Governing Council). And it’s
not because we had anybody running
and they didn’t win, they just didn’t
have enough interest to do it. We have
to be selected, we have to be begged,”
be said.
“To me, the BSM on this campus
has taken on a negative connotation
when it should take on a positive one.”
Jesse Cureton
Director of Campus Affairs
he said.
Cureton said he has a theory of why
the Black students cannot unite into a
more positive and effective group. He
feels that the Black fraternities and
sororities have caused a split among
the Black students, when the students
were already in a minority.
“Within our small community we
are separated still. I feel that if we
can work within these separate
groups and work as a strong power,
then I think we can do a whole lot
more than we have done in the past as
far as service to the community, as
far as helping each other and as far as
being a closer group of people,” he
said.
Student Body President Bob
Saunders also appointed Ortega
Smith, a sophomore from Plymounth,
N.C. as Director of State Affairs. He
will be UNC’s monitor on University
related affairs in Raleigh.
Reggie Sumner, Student Govern
ment Athletics director, will be retur
ning to his position.
Cureton, Smith and Sumner will all
be selecting their staffs during the
next few weeks to assist them in car
rying out their duties. Persons in
terested in serving on any of the staffs
are asked to see one of the committee
heads, who can be contacted through
Suite C of the Carolina Union.
Saunders is also looking for a
minority student appointment to
CGC. That person would serve as the
representative voice for UNC’s Black
students to CGC.
Committee serves Black freshmen
Ijrry Ellis
By MAXLYN LA VIE ELLISON
News Writer
Unifying the capable projectile of
minority freshmen is the job of the
four officers and five auxiliary
helpers that make up the Freshman
Action Committee.
The committee, which was formed
at the suggestion of the Central Com
mittee of the BSM, takes pride in its
ability to be informed. The Seven
Principles of Blackness, the freshman
newsletter, is the most outstanding
achievement of the committee. It
cites points of general interest and
coming events that its readers might
otherwise have been unaware of.
Implementing the wishes of the
freshman class is another facet of the
committee’s purpose. Initially, all
freshmen were urged to attend
meetings that allowed for suggestions
regarding the activities offered by the
committee. These suggestions are
now being used to plan future ac
tivities of the group. “Everyone is
free to make suggestions at any
time,” President, Larry Ellis said.
“I am disappointed with the
freshman class because of its apathy;
however, I realize that the Committee
should have offered more services;
nonetheless, I think this last semester
will prove outstanding” he said.
Future activities sponsored by the
Freshman Action Committee include
participation in the Black Arts
Festival on March 20-24. This festival
will feature a freshman block show
and include plays, reading, and danc
ing. The block show will be held Satur
day, March 22 in Great Hall of the
Carolina Union.
Johnson says Blacks conservative at UNC-CH
By DONNA WHITAKER
Associate Editor
Allen H. Johnson III, from
Greensboro. N.C., received his
masters degree in journalism in
December of 1979 from the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after
2*^ years of study. He attended UNC-
CH as an undergraduate English ma
jor. entering in the fall of 1973. He has
been a leader in the Black campus
community, holding the positions o^
Black Ink Editor and Black Student
Movement (BSM) Chairperson. He is
now Program Coordinator for the Up
ward Bound program located on cam
pus.
Johnson also graduated from
Dudley High School in Greensboro.
where he was involved in many
organizations and activities, in
cluding the Honor Society.
Associate Editor Donna D.
Whitaker interviewed Jonson at the
Afro-American/African Studies
Department at UNC-CH where he
works as an assistant.
Black Ink; WHAT WAS YOUR
LIFE LIKE AT DUDLEY HIGH?
Johnson: Dudley was a
predominantly Black school when I
first went there and in my junior year
it was integrated. One good thing
about it was that we were all poor —
the rich whites didn’t come. They
went to private schools. I thought we
got along the l)est of any of the
students in the high schools in the ci
ty. There wasn’t any class distinction
and we all could relate to each other.
There were little problems here and
there, but we had no major racial pro
blems at the school at all. Everybody
thought we would because we were all
Black and something Black is always
considered dangerous. We really sur
prised the city because we had less
problems than any of the schools.
Black Ink; HOW DID YOU FEEL,
COMING FROM A PREDOMINATE
LY BLACK SCHOOL TO A WHITE
ONE?
Johnson: Out of place. UNC is the
first school I ever went to where there
were more whites than Blacks, and I
was the only Black in all my classes.
But I also felt important because,
when vou’re the only one in the class,
people listen to what you say,
especially if it’s racial. I was a little
outspoken, so I always had something
to say.
The big problem was cultural, not
academic. I did fine in the classroom.
I felt out of place during the chatter
before the professor came into the
classroom, because the things they
were talking about, I felt, were very
irrelevant.
Black Ink: WHAT WAS THE AT
MOSPHERE OF THE ENTIRE
UNIVERSITY WHEN YOU GOT
HERE?
Johnson: You didn’t see a lot of
overt racism. What I saw were subtle
things, like when I would go*in
English class and write somethin?
(Continued on page C)