BUCK INK
November 18,1982
Black Ink will not be a forum for gossip
7
Many people have been complain
ing that the Black Ink has not printed
anything on the controversy going on
now/ within the Black Student Move
ment. Why hasn't the official voice of
the BSM published the news about
that organization?
Because, as far as we at Black Ink
are concerned, until now there has
been no news. The same old anti-
“VVende" factions have been up to
their old tricks—ruining the whole
organization.
Some apparently feel it is news
when a small group of radicals set out
TO undermine the aims of the Black
Student Movement and to manipu
late the unsuspecting, naive general
body into helping them by soliciting
their signatures on a petition.
That is now news. That's history.
Blacks have been tricked before. One
time some blacks thought the Com
munist Workers Party was their ally.
Before then some blacks thought the
plantation owner had their best in
terests at heart. Now, blacks in Ala
bama and other states have been
duped into thinking that a one-time
racist can actually change. But none
of that is as tragic as what we see
happening on the Carolina campus.
Here blacks are being used by their
own people.
mittee thought. Little did the commit
tee know that born-again choir mem
bers would not think twice about
breaking the law and would embez
zle BSM funds from the student gov
ernment.
It appears thatt he choir leaders
were determined that the central
committee would not be their gov
erning body, for the treasurer of that
non-sub-group, Zollie Stevens, acted
as only BSM treasurer is allowed to
do, and completed requisitions for all
but $60 from the choir's allocated
funds. That's a violation of the honor
code. That's news. Furthermore the
checks were made payable to gospel
choir leaders. That's peculiar.
It's time for blacks to start being
suspicious of the petition pushers.
Why should anything they spectacled
Harvey Jenkins says be taken with
more than a grain of salt? For some
one who knows so much about the
Black Student Movement, he was
only in it two months. He must have a
persona! vendetta against Watson.
And isn't he the same Jenkins who
had to be forced by the student attor
ney general to turn over records of
deposits for BSM monies because he
was holding them until "Wende apol
ogized" to him? He is the same
Jenkins who failed to pay a single bill
,A Im
1
Lisa Staten and father, Roland Staten, are elated as she is pronounced Homecomeing Queen,
1982. Staten was the BSM nominee.
The problem started and stems
from, we contend, the regulations
handed down from the Black Student
Movement Centra! Committee re
quiring the BSM Gospel Choir to give
up most of its religious aspirations,
the main problem being tha they did
not want to give them up. While
Black Ink is not a religious organiza
tion, we have means of knowing that
the nature of God is not such that He
would have the choir use the tactics
they used against the central commit
tee.
Choir leaders set out to form their
own choir, still using the good old
BSM name. But there was one prob
lem with this. They did not have the
good old BSM funds, allocated tothat
organization by student government,
at least that's what the central com-
for the BSM while in office. He is a
questionable source of reliable infor
mation.
No, there is nothing in Black Ink
about the controversy. We don't con
sider it news or even features, and
that's all we print.
As for obtaining information,
blacks must take it upon themselves
to actively pursue the truth. All BSM
meetings are open and most central
committee meetings are open, so
find out for yourself.
We believe that if blacks really want
the truth from the central committee
and the chairperson, Wende Watson,
they should simply ask. An impeach
ment hearing is far from necessary.
But it would give Jenkins and the
choir the revenge they are seeking.
From the Mailbox
To the editor:
I have three very important ques
tions that I would like to have
answered in your paper. As an active,
involved, and conderned BSM mem
ber, I feel that I have a right to know
what is going on in the organization
that I belong to. The questions are as
follows:
1. Wy wasn't the Black Student Move
ment listed among the Student
Recognized Organizations on theis
campus in the October 14th issue
of the DAILY TARHEEL?
2. Why did the General Body need to
vote on whether to change the ti
tles Chairperson adn Vice-Chair
person to President and Vice-Presi
dent when our "Chairperson" took
the liverty of having the member
ship cards printed with her title as
PRESIDENT?
3. Why did the Black Student Move
ment endorse another black candi
date for homecoming queen AF
TER the Black Greek Council had
already endorsed their candidate?
Why didn't the BSM support the
BGC's endorsement since the BSM
was late with their endorsement
anyway? That act did not show very
much unification between the
blacks on this campus. Isn't UNIFI
CATION the message that the BSM
is supposed to be advocating this
year? Are we as unified as vye claim
to be?
Thank you for your time and effort
in answering these questions.
Fellow BSM member:
While Black Ink appreciates mean
ingful input from members of the
Black Student Movement we were su-
prised and disappointed that you, a
BSM member would attempt to abuse
the pages of this newsmagazine to
damage the reputation of a long-stand
ing institution like the BSM. We sin
cerely hope that in the future those
who want to see unity in the organiza
tion do not show it by publishing defa
matory statements about the group.
In answer to your questions, no such
report was printed in the Oct. 14 issue
and according to sources at the Daily
Tar Heel office, the Newspaper did
not print such a list. You may be refer
ring to an ad taken out by student
government, where BSM may or may
not have been included, according to
the descretion of the advertiser. In any
case the BSM is an officially recog
nized organization.
The BSM central committee elected
to have the chairperson referred to as
president because the rational for the
■change was so logical. That rational
was that the head of a committee is a
chairperson. The BSM is not a commit
tee; therefore, the head of our organi
zation should more rightfully be re
ferred to as president. The central
committee reasoned that the general
body would see the logic in this and
vote accordingly.
Finally, the BSM and the Black
Greek Council are seperate organiza
tions neither of which dictates policy
to the other. Since it was the goal of
the BSM to nominate and endorse the
candidate most likely to win, it backed
Lisa Staten. We believe that action has
been vindicated.
BLACK INK \
If blackness can be converted Into wolds and pictures,
we intend to do it.
Stanley Woodley
Photography Editor
Cheryl Williams
Features Editor
Sonja Payton
Editor in Chief
Allen Davis
Business Manager
Lisa Lewis
Advertising Manager
Gail Westry
News Editor
Linda Conley
Arts Editor
Linnette D. Banks
BSM Member