April 19,1984
Black Ink
Page 3
All Seasons State of the BSM
Legacy For
by lames Exum
Sixteen years ago a man was slain,
a dream deferred. The man was the
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The
dream was that of an American who
practiced social justice and tried to
live out the true meaning of its
creed. It is a dream brought to na
tional attention when Rosa Parks
refused to relinquish her bus seat in
Montgomery, Alabama. It is a dream
which longevity was brought into
question when King was slain on
April 4, 1968, while organizing a
poor people's march. It is a dream
most eloquently pronounced by a
man of deep conviction and
courage, A dream threatened to
become the symbol of the nostalgic
past rather than a catalyst for the
continued pursuit of racial equality.
The attempt today, sixteen years
after the assassination, is to make
King's legacy a cause for all seasons.
1 am often amused when I see a King
quotation associated with organiza
tions who seek to achieve their aims
through violence or non-Christian
acts. Although King's messages cer
tainly transcend the turbulent time
during which they were espoused,
the commercialization of his legacy
has been pushed to the point of dis
service.
The dream has been deferred
because we too easily remember
King's words but unfortunately do
not seek to emulate the actions that
make those words so significant. The
dream has been deferred because
too many people falsely deem the
words "we shall overcome" out
dated since, after all, we have
already overcome. A dream has
been deferred because the plight of
the disadvantaged is ignored. There
is no longer a national moral convic
tion to take care of the homeless
and provide aid for those who can
not help themselves.
King's dream found its base on
three areas: his commitment to
black progress, his demonstration of
the validity of nonviolence and his
challenge to- American society to
live up to its moral ideals. The dilem
ma of racism propelled King to the
pinnacle of national attention. He
sought to solve the race problem by
creating a integrated society or "be
loved community." King brought to
the forefront of national con
sciousness the belief that racism is
the attempt by those of one race to
enslave the physical psychological
and social development of persons
of another race. He believed that
segregation stifles freedom because
it cuts off one's right to deliberate,
to decide and to respond. Although
King was primarily recognized for
his belief in black justice, his was a
call for universal freedom and
justice for the whole human family.
It is clear that King was not a man in
terested in partisam politics but,
rather, a leader committed to
spiritual salvation.
There are so many who elon-
quently espouse an idea or a belief.
Perhaps the difference between King
and those people is that he not only
had a dream, but he additionally set
a practical method to bring his
dream to realization through the use
of nonviolence.
King's philosophical and
pragmatic views on nonviolence
came from a convergence of the
teachings and examples of Jesus,
Thoreau, Gandhi, and Niebuhra.
Nonviolence, for Dr. King, was not a
temporary means to social justice,
but instead a permanent fixture
which would produce just and
peaceful ends. Through nonviolent
direct action. King was able to
create a high level of constructive
tension in a community so that
issues that were previously con
sidered non-negotiable were sudden
ly put at the top of the agenda.
King perceived with remarkable
foresight, that in a world of nuclear
nightmare, the easy use of violence
to achieve one's objectives has lost
all justifiable basis. He believed that
to face violence with nonviolence
was nothing short of revolutionary in
America morality and psychology.
The committed example of non
violence in the life and work of King
holds continuing promise for us to
day.
In order to bring about the
realization of his dreams. King ap
pealed to the moral fiber of this na
tion. It is ironic that a nation found
ed upon the principles of truth, jus
tice, and equality would overtly and
simultaneously express a belief in
segregation and the alleged in
feriority of the minority race.
America's problem, in King's opi
nion, was that it too frequently
sought to separate power and
morality. America will never be a
truly great nation until it uses its
great material power to eradicate
the problems of racism, poverty and
militarism around the world. Only
then will it become a moral light for
the rest of the world.
If King's dream is not be deferred,
there must be a new call upon the
moral convictions of this nation to
recognize the continued tragedies of
social injustice. A state of urgency
must be attributed to the malignan
cy of covert discrimination, hidden
poverty and enhanced militarism.
There are those who dare say that
the problems confronted in King's
time have been resolved. How
tragic. The fact that the president of
the United States says that there was
no racism when he was growing up,
the presidential counselor says there
is no poverty in America and that
the present administration is content
to ignore the social demise of the na
tion in order to continue a wasteful
military build-up shows the com
placency of today's generation. A
new era in human dignity must be
ushered in. Coals condusive of
social freedom — voting rights and
political clout, better jobs and
economic equality, higher education
and social mobility — must not be
allowed to recede to the pre-civil
The BSM performed very well at
the first (qualitative) hearing of CCC
meeting. The BSM received superior
ratings for six out of nine programs.
They are the Opeyo Dancers, Ebony
Readers/Onyx Theatre, Gospel Choir,
Black Ink, Martin L. King Jr. lecture
and the proposed Black History
Month activities. Programs receiving
lower ratings were the 1984 Summer
Retreat, Coronation Ball and Fund
raising.
Quantitatively, the CGC Finance
Committee voted to appropriate
$10,000 to the BSM for the next fiscal
year. This figure represents a 15% de
crease over last year's budget. We
fared well considering other organiza
tions were cut from 50-75%.
The third and final step of this pro
cess is with the full CGC on April 11,
in which case, any monetary figures
proposed by the Finance Committee
are subject to change. Hopefully, that
will not happen. Regardless, 1 want
you to understand that I'm not report
ing the value of our programs just be
cause the CGC now recognizes their
excellence. I've always known, but it
is important that you know that the
BSM is making UNC take note.
Each year, thousands of students
worldwide go the extra mile and
enter graduate or professional
school.
This is a major career move for
Blacks, and, unfortunately, there are
not enough Blacks pursuing higher
degrees.
Did you know that Blacks receiv
ed only 17,183, or 5.8 percent, of the
294,184 master's degrees awarded in
1981? That same year, of the 71,273
Ph.D.s awarded. Blacks received on
ly 2,929.
In addition, 32,839 medical
degrees were awarded. Guess how
many of those degrees went to
Blacks? A mere 1,265.
Those shocking statistics were
tabulated by the Department of
Education, Office of Civil Rights.
The facts clearly speak for
themselves, so surely you agree that
we need to expand our knowledge
by expanding our numbers in grad
and professional schools.
Many of you may quickly dismiss
rights days. If King's legacy does in
deed endure, it will be up to people
of all races and religions to join to
gether in a combined sole force to
I am very pleased to be a part of
these enthusiastic executive officers;
Keith Cooper, vice president; Connie
Smith, secretary; and Lee Cooley,
treasurer. By the time you read this ar
ticle, all other Central Committee pos
itions will have been appointed, and
judging from the applicants, the posi
tions will be filled by some very ta
lented people.
What do we plan for next year? I
plan to give the BSM a voice that it
hasn't had in a while — that of the
black student advocate. And 1 advo
cate: 1) the increasing of minority fa
culty, 2) the divestment of UNC's
monies from corporation which sup
port apart held in South Africa, 3) the
heighted awareness of racial conflicts
on campus, and 4) the additions of
academic support systems for disad
vantaged students.
1 plan to address these state con
cerns. But I also ask UNC's black stu
dent body, do me a favor and think
about these issues, and if you think
they need to be addressed, then put
your mind in overdrive and help me.
Remember, a mind is a terrible
thing to waste.
the thought of going to grad school
because you think it would be too
expensive.
You shouldn't use that excuse as a
crutch. Financial aid is not restricted
to undergraduates, so why should
you make hasty generalizations as
cover ups for your uncertainties?
All that is required of you is to
take the initiative and apply.
Fellowships, assistantships, scholar
ships, grants, work/study and loans
(Lord, forbid) are alive and
flourishing in the accounts of
numerous grad students. You could
be one of them.
There are many reasons why
Black students stra away from seek
ing advanced degrees, but hopefully
the statistics will make you aware of
our academic shortcomings.
The next time you consider
graduate school, think about the
United Negro College Fund slogan:
"A Mind Is A Terrible Thing to
Waste".■
carry the great burden that will bring
into fruition the "promised land"
that the Rev. King envisioned. Yes,
we too must have a dream.
Where are Black
Grad Students
by Michael Thompson