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^^^felack Ink I Endsights: I feel like a homeless black man. I feel like a human guinea pig put at UNC to provide white students with a new socio logical experience. Endsights By Terrence Garrison Staff I am a black man at a predominantly white university, and quite frankly— I’m mad. I chose UNC because of its reputation as a liberal university, because of its prestige and its social life. What I found out when I got here is the term “liberal” means that we group blacks together with homosexuals, handicaps and white women and then give them our token appreciation. Quite frankly, I resent being placed in the same category with these unfortunate groups. To me, it is an attempt to downplay the legacy of200 years of slavery, a burden which most homosexuals, handicaps and white women do not carry. I am mad because what I thought was an academic reputation, turned out to be a system which is hoplessly biased against women and black people. I am mad at this system because it is void of an African/African American Studies Department. I am mad because the Afri/Afam Curriculum is a collection of TA’s and professors who, for the most part, spew out pseudo academic, eurocentric hogwash. I am mad that there are zero or maybe one token Native American professor (notwithstanding that there are very few Native Americans anywhere). I am mad because the administration does not tolerate blatant racism, although other forms of racism are purposely overlooked. I am mad at those who are perfectly willing to believe pseudo-intellectual, eurocentric hogwash, and participate in liberal tokenism— the UNCLE TOMS. These “color-blind” people sport green contacts, hair extensions and have a preference for the “light skinned” (white is its closest possible approximation). This incredible combination of coincidences, which applies to Uncle Tom brothers also is maddening. To these people I say: Keep doin’ what you do, don’t speak, because I sure as hell won’t speak to you, especially in the summer time when I’m dark and crispy black. Sometimes I wish I had gone to Morehouse, Howard or Hampton because UNC is a place where blacks are educated on everything but themselves. It is a place for “sell out” brothers and sisters. It is a place where white liberals come to purge themselves from the guilt of racism. I for one, am not willing to participate in pig pickin’s and square dancin’ just to accomodate the intolerant, ignorant and misguided. Having been here for approximately three years, I realize what my father, a successful graduate of both North Carolina Central University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, meant when he asked, “Why don’t you apply to Hamptoa’ You’ll realize around your junior year, whether you really feel at home at Carolina or not.” Now, I feel like a homeless black man. I feel like a human guinea pig put at UNC to provide white students with a new sociological experience. I hope my education will provide me with valuable experience in dealing with racist and sexist institutions— the cornerstones of American society. For those who say, dammit, you shouldn’t have come here in the first place—you know what you can do. In fact, during my freshman year a member of the UNC Board of Trustees reportedly made a comment that Blacks should go to a black school if they want black culture. This is typical of UNC as are the events listed below: 1. Statues at Davis Library which portray student life (It’s so hard to type with this damn basketball in my hand and book on my head) 2. The “no nigger queen” and “KKK” incidents 3. The “no niggers” in the Senate incident 4. Various acts of ignorance and stupidity which are to numerous to recount. Placed within an America with a President named Bush and VP named Quayle, can’t a black man (woman) live in peace— HELL NO. Why on earth would the President veto the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1990. Given the aforementioned incidents, it does not take a giant intellectual leap to realize that there is a need for such an act. Not unless UNC as an institution is unique in its racism, sexism and general ignorance. I am mad because in 1989, predominantly white schools enrolled 80% of black college students but produced only 60% of black college graduates. I am mad because according to an August 1990 survey in Black Enterprise mdigdiZme , 57.5% of black parents prefer that their child go to a black college; 86.6% think black colleges serve a purpose that mostly white schools cannot serve; and 40.3% think it is worse for an African-American student to attend a white college versus a black college. Black students at UNC, except for the ignorant who probably won’t read this article in the first place, know what I’m talking about. White students at UNC, probably don’t understand and it’s likely that they won’t read this article either (If you are, you’re in the minority). The idea that UNC is the “Southern part of Heaven” is a white “thang” I don’t understand because to me it has been nothing less than a baptism in ice, cold water. Page 11 Novembers President's Veto An Injustice To All Secentljr our President^ George Bush, vetoed the Civil Rij^ts Act erf" 1990. This al would have eUminated discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, or national origin. We, the Collegiate Black Caucus, feel that this is a great in^isUce to all citizens erf our country. Last year, the Supreme Court weakened two laws, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and the 1866 Civil Rights law which prohibitsintentional race discrimination in the making and enforcing of con tracts, These taws were essential for prelecting Americans against job discrimination. The only pur pose of the act of 1990 is to restore these laws and to strengthen Title VII so as to insure justice far all victims of intentional discrimination. The Act prevents the harassment, the ur^ust firing, and the unfair denial of promotionsof women, and other minorities tn the workplace. It takes the burden of proof from the victims’ shoulders and requires the employer to show that hiring or promolicHj practices bear “a sub^ntial and demonstrable relationship to effective performance”. The Act also guarantees victims of intentional discrimination the right to sue for damages. This legislation has been commonly referred to as the quota bill by President Bush, Senator Jesse Helms and other “conservatives”. However, Section 13 of the bill states “Nothing in the amendments made by this Aa shall be construed to require an employer to adopt hiring or promotion quotas on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin....” In an attempt to prove that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr would have been opposed to thebill, Helms said that King was agaiast preferential treatment. Dr. King wanted people to be judged by the content of their character, not by the color of their skin. He is correct. However, the Civil Rights Act of 1990 does not call for preferential treatment.sRather it attempts to protect citizens from discrimioau'on within the workplace. Helms, in the Congressional Record , urges President Bush to see that because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, discrimination on all fronts has been eradicated. He goes on to attempt to prove that there is no need for further dvil rights legislation. If Senator Helms believes that in 26 years this country has totally rid itself of all forms of discrimination, then he is sadly mistaken. A case in point; The president of a Washington, D,C, computer firm lost a major contract solely because he is Jewish. He filed a claim with the Supreme Court but it was dimissed because of a narrow interpretation of section 1981 (which prohibits intentional race discrimination in the making and enforcing of contracts). This legislation is essential for the advancement of our country. The grounds that havebeen fabricated by Helms and others are not relevant. Discrimination still exists within our society and the Civil Rights Act of 1990 could have led us in thedirection of equality. Express yourself about Issues that concern Black Ink readers. Drop your article by Suite 108-D Student Union, or mall to Black Ink, CB# 5210, StudentUnlon, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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Nov. 5, 1990, edition 1
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