If we don't change things, who will?
Chancellor Hardin? John Pope?
Yeah, they will change things, all
right: back to an all-white UNC, if
they could get away with it.
By Kimberly Ellington
Contributor
This semester. Political Science
44, African-American Politics, is
>eing offered for the first time
during my years at UNC. As many
other African-Americans, I have
eagerly awaited this course. I
walked into the jam-packed room
of registered students and those
anticipating adding the course. We
quickly ran out of seats, and many
were left standing. The professor,
Kerry Haynie, walked in, and en
larged the enrollment to 40. Mr.
^aynie decided to pick names out
of a hat to determine which of the
many hopefuls would get in. A
number of students were turned
away. This is the only section of
*oli Sci 44, and as a person work
ing on his dissertation, Mr. Haynie
just does not have the time to teach
is obviously going to leave me un
fulfilled. I feel that I am missing a
large part of my education be
cause I am not being taught about
myself and my heritage. We are all
subjected to racial harassments that
are so-called “isolated incidents,”
not to mention an administration
that is blind to these incidents that
are becoming a common occur
rence.
As a junior on track to graduate
on time, it is too late to transfer.
John Pope, an infamous member
of our Board of Govanors, stated
in 1989 that if we wanted a Black
Cultural Center, maybe we should
attend an historically black insti
tution. As Terrence Garrison sug
gested, by the time we are juniors,
many of us are re-thmking our
decision to attend UNC. It is obvi
ous that my father, a Johnson C.
Smith University graduate, and I
Endsights
any other sections. This is not an
isolated incident; Political Science
59, Contemporary Africa; Politi
cal Science 65, AMcan-American
Political Thought, and of course,
the majority of the African and
Afro-AmaicanStudies courses are
filled beyond their capacity. If there
is a demand fw courses by 350
students, it would be nice if all 350
could enroll; but that is obviously
not possible at this university. The
solution is to find more professors
who are capable of teaching
courses relevant to African-Ameri
cans.
I chose to come to the Univer
sity of North Carolina because I
considered it the best liberal arts
school in the region. Yes, when I
graduate, it will look good that I
have a degree from UNC, but UNC
overestimated the advances that
UNC should have made by now.
We have to face facts: it is too
late to transfw (for me); if we
don’t woric to change things, they
will not change; and the admini
stration is not likely to give us one
ounce of help.
What can we do? As Dr. Sonja
Stone is famous fw encouraging,
we need to go into education. The
more African-American teachers
there are, the more Afirican-Ameri
can children will learn about them
selves. We won’t have to be taught
things in college that we should
have learned in elementary school.
Secondly, African and Afro-
American Studies needs to be
expanded to a department from a
curriculum. We also need more
educators who can teach related
courses, not just in AFRI and
AFAM, but also in political sci
ence, history and English. They do
not have to be black — but they
must be qualified. Barbara An
derson of the AFRI/AFAM cur
riculum and Hugh Singerline of
the political science department
are two prime examples of people
who are definitely capableof teach
ing AFAM classes. To most black
students, they may not be ideal
candidates, but personally, I am
more than happy to have Mr.
SingCTline’s point of view in teach
ing me African-American politi
cal thought, rather than not being
taught at all. I am not suggesting
that we settle for anything less
than what we want; I am just try ing
to urge us to fight for what we
need.
It was a joke to some N.C
Central University students that
we even had an AFRI/AFAM
curriculum. They questioned if we
had any black professors. I in
formed them that we did, some of
die best. Dr. Stone is incompa
rable, as are many of her col
leagues. We have to force the
University to hire and retain more
instructors like them. It is insane
that Dr. Stone had to fight for
tenure, but that is another com
mentary.
If we don’t change things, who
will? Chancellor Hardin? John
Pof)e? Yeah, they will change
things, all right; back to an all-
white UNC, if they could getaway
with it. We have to make a diffCT-
ence. Run for “political” office
(for the right reason, not for your
r6sum6), work for Black Ink, sup
port the Black Student Movement.
And when you see injustice, stand
up against it and let others know so
we can support our brothers and
SiStCTS.
A Tribute To Little Known
African-Americans
As African Americans we are all too familiar with the fact
that quite often our contributions to American history have gone
unnoticed. These "oversights,” however, have not been made
solely by the majority community — unfortunately, many of our
)eopIe*s accomplishments are alro unheard of in our own commu
nities. So, in honw of Black History Month, one of the ways in
which Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will do its part to educate the
campus community about African American heroes and heromes
will be by showcasing in each Febniary issue of Black Ink imU-
viduals who are not so well-known as Malcolm X and Martin
Luther King Jr., but whose accomplishmenu are unqueslionaUy
significant.
Blanche Kelso Bruce (1841-.1898); U.S. Senator (R-Miss.)
Blanche K. Bruce achieved a number of firsts. He became the
first black to serve as a full-term senatOT and the first black whose
signature appeared on U.S. currency. Bruce also founded the first
school for blacks in Missouri.
Bom a slave in Virginia, Bruce received a formal education
from a private tutor assigned to teach his master’s son, despite a
state ban against educating slaves. Later, as a printer’s apprentice,
he continued his education by reading voraciously.
Understanding the value of education, he used his limited
resources to establish an elementary school for blacks in Missouri.
After teaching a few months, he realized he needed more educa
tion, mi enrolled in ObCTlin College in Ohio. He studied there a
few months until his money ran out.
Widi 75 cents in his pocket, Bruce moved to Mississippi at age
27. His interests soon turned to politics, and he became supervise
of elections in Tallahatchie County. Within six years Bruce be
came a school superintendent He later saved as sergeant-at-arms
in the state Senate, and a member of the flood control commission
for the Mississippi Delta.
He was one of the few blacks to searve as a delegate to the 1872
Republican National Convention. He turned down a request to run
for lieutenant governor, setting his sights on senator. Only seven
years after he moved to Mississippi, Bruce was elected to the
Senate in 1874, at the age of 34.
Bruce used his position to defend the rights of blacks. He also
was active in gaining federal assistance to control flooding along
the Mississippi River and creating the Mississippi Commission in
1879.
During Bruce’s last years in office, the political involvement
and voting power of blacks was sharply curtailed during the
Redemption movement, especially in Mississippi. Bruce realized
he would not be reelected to the Senate and accepted the post of
registrar of tfie Treasury. His signature a^jpeared on aU currency
printed during his two terms at that position.
11
Black Ink February 11, 1991