By Timika Shafeek, Managing Editor
Controlled Ramblings
By Charles Mills
Many times. Black students at UNC have been accused by White students and
Black students themselves of being apathetic. Because this has been a frequent occur
rence, it would not be difficult to fathom that we as a whole believe and/or have in
deed become apathetic.
What we as Black individuals need to realize is that we as a Black group have the
power to move not only the stagnant minds of those on this campus, but also the
stagnant minds of those in the United States. All that is necessary to illustrate this
fact is a brief look into the past.
In 1963, the March on Washington led by Martin Luther King, Jr. and over
100,000 Black Americans forced the rest of America to accept the fact that it would
be in the best interest of America to give us our civil rights, lest they be taken.
In the race for the Democratic nomination, our Black candidate, who was sup
ported by the Black group, shook America. Jesse Jackson was and is dominant
because he has Black America backing him.
White America is now wondering how much longer their requirement that the
President of the United States must be a White male will be in effect.
In 1985 and 1986, at the University of Michigan, many isolated incidents of racism
towards Black students occurred. Black students on that campus had for some time
had grievances concerning the attitudes of White students and administrators toward
Black students. However, it took the escalation of these isolated incidents, such as
harassmg notes left under the doors of Black students, degrading flyers about the
Black race posted around campus, and a remake of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a
Dream” speech which substituted “little nigger boys” for “little Black boys” to
unite Black students to settle their grievances and to accomplish their goals of higher
Black enrollment and a higher percentage of Black faculty.
Closer to home, the most memorable occasion came in April of 1988, when Black
students here at UNC formed a cohesive group to voice our opinion concerning the
replacement of Dean Hayden Renwick, and the continuation of the Office of Stu
dent Counseling as it was under his leadership.
We gathered on the steps of South Building as other students, administrators, and
the media look on, astonished. Our voices were heard. Those that were unmovable
were made to move.
Is it that we wish to be apathetic that is the problem or simply the fact that we do
not know the power of our own strength?
Since this has become such a popular
column. I’ve decided to include it as a
regular feature. Please, hold down the
applause. Let’s begin this week with
basketball. I watched UNC’s Lady Tar
Heels play an exhibition against Spain
and must say they were pretty im
pressive in the second half. This year’s
team is extremely young. It features 6
freshmen, 2 sophomores and 1 juco.
Regardless, veterans Merlaine Oden and
Liza Donnell looked great, and
freshman Emily Johnson was im
pressive with the way she hustled up and
down the floor, non-stop. Last year’s
10-17 nightmare is over, and the future
of Tar Heel basketball looks bright.
The 1988-89 men’s team also looked
great in their first games of the year
played in Smith Center. The Heels are
playing a new style of basketball, un
characteristic of past Dean Smith
teams. They are pushing the ball up
court pretty hard and taking quick
shots. Although they are still passing
well, they aren’t passing quite as much.
The Heels have also looked good on
defense. They swarm all around the
court and trap much better than they
have been doing in past seasons.
Mercifully, football season at UNC
has come to an end. Can anybody think
of anything good that came out of this
season besides Keimard Martin’s rise to
greatness? Yep, that’s what I say.
There is one other good thing that
happened this season. I had an oppor-
timity to make my first pilgrimage to
Mecca. That’s right, I went down to
Clemson to experience football the way
it ought to be. The stadium, the fans
and the team were all awe-inspiring.
One lesson I learned from this trip
down to Clemson is that to be a top
footbaU program, you’ve got to have a
lot of gimmicks. Clemson has its fabled
rock that the players touch for good
luck, and its hill from which the players
rush down onto the field. They have
their fans dressed completely in orange
and white and they all sing along to the
nation’s sweetest fight song. And they
shoot off a cannon after every Tiger
score and kickoff. Now, think about
Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Michigan
and Oklahoma. They all have a whole
bag full of httle gimmicks, too. It
works.
Let me end by giving the big con
gratulations to Anson Dorrance and his
national champion women’s soccer
team. These ladies are just incredible.
Earlier this year I advocated removing
the bust of Dean Smith and replacing it
with Dorrance. Well, I’ve changed my
mind. Let’s take down the statue of
Silent Sam and erect one of Dorrance
right there. Later, gang.
Record of Campus Racial Incidents
The Black Student Movement requests that you document any incidents that occur to you at this university
that you feel in any way are discriminatory or racist. These incidents may involve anybody on campus—fac
ulty, administration, students, etc. They are not restricted to any particular race. Even if you are only a
witness to such an incident, we ask that you fill out a form.
The purpose of these forms is to have a documentation of the types of problems that minorities are faced
with on this campus. So much of it is covert. Many incidents occur that seem so miniscule that we choose to
ignore them, or we don’t act on them. We feel that every little thing that occurs to a minority that has racist
undertones is significant and needs to documented. In this way we will have an idea of the magnitude of the
problem here.
We ask that you leave your name and address simply so that we may contact you if necessary. It is not
required—anonymous accounts can be made, but the forms are more valid if they can be identified with spe
cific people. We also ask that you make a judgment call on the incident. If you think that the incident is
addressable—that we can contact specific people concerning what has happened or that disciplinary action
can be taken—please indicate that on the form, and the BSM will contact you and address it with you as soon
as possible.
Thank you for reading this, and be sure to record any incidents that happen to you, and encourage your
friends to do the same. We cannot begin to affect change on this campus until we identify the problem spe
cifically. The Record of Campus Racial Incidents is one way that we can do this.