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^'Qhck Ink Endsights: Endsights "What can a white man teach me about the African-American experience?" By Eric McAllister Staff The second day of classes, Friday, August 5,1990,1 walked up the steps of Fetzer Gym. Anticipation and eagerness ran through my veins— I was going to learn more about my heritage, the African-American experience. The classroom filled up; where is the instructor who will teach me all of this valuable history. Heads turned and looked as the door opens— an average looking white man walks in and says, “Hello, I’m Robert Porter- your AFAM 41 instructor for the fall semester.” What can a white man. teach me about the Afrian-American experience?, I thought. This is proba bly the question many African-American students had as they en tered Robert S. Porter’s AFAM 40 or 41 classes. Developing a sense of the African-Amerian experience at an early age, Robert aedits his mother for his strong interest in African-Amerian heritage— so much so that at the early age of seven or eight, he was reading books on Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Growing up part of his life in a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Houston, Texas, also fueled his fire for more knowledge of the African-American experience, but perhaps the most significant incident that made Robert Porter want to know more was when an African-American playmate came up to him crying after an argument with another white playmate. He declared sobbingly that he want to be white. Although quite young at the time Robert knew this was wrong for his friend to say. This incident motivated him to think of the situation of African-Amerians in this country and how, by learning more, he could somehow make a difference. Later, while attending the University of Texas at Austin, he looked forward to taking AFAM history to further his quest for knowledge. Out of 154 hours as an undergraduate, Robert claims the two AFAM classes he took were the best classes he took at the university. Coming to UNC-CH as a graduate student in history, he made a beneficial friendship with Coll in Palmer who brought him into the AFAM Studies department as a TA for Freddie Parker and Sonya Stone. Robert was very thankful for being given the opportunity to come into the AFAM Studies department by Collin Palmer then the head of that department and also for the valuable leaming ex perience under Freddie Parker and Sonya Stone whom he credits for his effectiveness as an instructor. Yes, we see that his background shows that he is truly dedi cated to AFAM Studies. But how effective would he be as a white instructor of AFAM Studies? The answer lies with his students. With a 50 percent retum rate of his African-American students from Fall ’89 to Spring ’90 taking AFAM 40 and 41, it wasn’t hard finding students with nothing but praises for Robert Porter. One student Zaneta Vaughn, a junior said, “He showed great interest in his teachings and made you feel proud to be an African- American. I did not regret it.” Belinda Witaker, a Freshman who took his history class with some emphasis on AFAM Studies as a high school student at a Pre-Orientation Program at North Caro lina State said, “He was a great teacher and that there was never a dull moment.” Courtney Gallop, Porter’s T.A., said, “He is a valuable asset to the AFAM Department in that he is fair, sensitive, and respective to ideas.” One of his former students, Brian Ellerson, raises a thought provoking question: “It makes me wonder why it is so shocking to see a white man teaching Afam? Would 1 be shocked to see a brother teaching European History. The idea is if African-American history is so precious (for us) it seems that it should be taught by one of us. In fact, African- American history should be taught period. Seeing him puts that reality into perspective and class goes on.” So, still left unanswered is my opening question: What can a white man teach me about the African-American experience? The answer is the same as an African-American instructor. Given an African-American instructor can pull from incidents of racism that directly affected him and present them in a classroom environment, as Robert admits himself Still there are advantages accredited to him. Robert, as mentioned before, grew up in an African-American neighborhood and can pull from racial incidents that occured there. Also perhaps the greatest advantage to being a white instructor of AFAM Studies is that he has the opportunity to discover the true opinion of whites intentionally before they know where his sympathies lie. Since racism now is more under the table than out in the open. Those incidents can bring on great classroom discus sions. Robert Porter is a valuable instructor filled with eagerness to learn and to teach. Judging his effectiveness to teach based on color is racism in itself. It should not be the color of the man, but the teachings of the man. Eric McAllister is a junior Political Science major from Hope Mills, NC Express yourself about issues that concern Black Ink readers. Articles should be three pages long, typed double spaced (include major, year, and hometown). Drop your article by Suite 108-D Student Union, or mail to Black Ink, CB# 5210, Student Union, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Page 11 jf October9 4^ fjMO to sanic of hdircdand Hut eyed jesus. These b^ve into thinking that }csus isa whte«i»iaodtha'efbre Cteistianity' isawhi:em&n'sre!^ioft. 1$ tiiru^thaiChdstiftnityisa^ile man's flrfigi»>?Befwe we formulateoufcoDdttsion with the images we have been conditioned w*h, i wiiuld be wise to lode at the evidence. lesus Chmt was bcxn and raised in 5o«lhwcsi Asia and was very famUiar with tiie people of Northern African; Ovist, more than Ifkdy, was dark-skinned. He was bom of a Jewish girl and coocelved fay the Holy Sptrit**- no lumaa fether, so He is not Gentile. Chrisi is not white, A dose exaininaiion of scripture shows that racfetn, favait- Isflj, and partiality all come under the judgeoKnt erf God. In the bibie we find very few references to colw, Chfisttanfly equals Christ and Ghrisl equals God. In Jdin 4;21 the bible says that "Gcxl is the spint, and those who worship Him fljust w(xship in spirit and truth." Wh^ color is spirit? White’ Yellow? Red? IMack’ ^hat color is the ^int of God’ Hcsh has cola, we have color, the spirit does not have coJor. The spirit (CodJ docs not have color and is not prejudiced csr predisposed to any particular color, Oiristiaaity thereftMie Is surely aa the white man's rd igiai When we look aithe btblc, wc look at whc> God is and v^hoChnst is. From die very b^ningof the Christian church, black people were involved. IX, you remember when Chrisi had hLs cross and ^■as gang to be aucificd? There w-as the man named Simon of Cyrene that helped Oinst. Where is Cyrai^ Cyrene is m North Mica, It is a black nanwho was to ooit^ dirist in Jlis neatest hour (rf need, to Acts U, it that they we fir^ called CbristiaiM at Acsiocb. Acts 13:1 says» “Nowthcy were at Antioch^ fo feeclajrdi that was there, prc^ihets and teachers: feiraalw, and Simeon who was called laeius of Cyrene, and Mamm who iiad been brcaight up wUh Hecijd the tetrardb, and .* It goes 00 to talk aixwt Tvhat iiappened at Antlot^. of the leacfers of the Church of Antioch who wre first called Christians, we arc tdd here, were black. S«necai{whowas caUcd Mger) is a Latin word meting "i^ck, ot daik-skiwied^'’ and luctus Cyrene is, (as we fust djsajvered) ffora a Nc«th African city. The leadership of the early Oirlsti«n chunc^ were black people, in fact, the reasoft they canjeto Antioch was becaatse the other Christians weieal e*en sharing the go^ with those who wtsen't Jews. Africa was sending nassionanes to Anltoch at tiTC ttaie d Christ. CtirisJiari missionaries were being sent ffon Africa to Aniwh to Christ wfth those who were lirt Jews, Acts 2, on the day of the Peutecoa, speciftcally Aos 2:10 talb about all die peof^ that were aijeius^em atPentcotMt. IThey w'cre from] Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the detncts of Ubyaaod Cyrene, and vistors from Rome, both Jews and prasdytes,, * There were biadc peof^e in who ivere saved mafiiyj many years ago. See "White Man’s Religion?" p. S
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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Oct. 9, 1990, edition 1
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