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9H, w ■ • -my \ows \i>v cnipcr BCC Leaders: Wage Cultural War Through Afrocentricity By Renee Alexander Ink Staff Writer Black Cultural Centers on col lege campuses must wage a culuiral war with an arsenal of self-knowl edge. This was the sentiment of speak ers at The Second National Confer ence of the National Association of Black Cultural Centers at Ohio State University Nov. 7-9. “We are fighting a cultural war,” keynote speaker Asa Hilliard III, professor of Urban Education at Georgia State University, told an audience of over 200 African- American students and faculty rep resenting over 12 universities and colleges. Hilliard’s speech was one of many which emphasized this year’s theme: “The Role of Afrocentricity in the Development of Students of Color: The Challenge of Cultural Centers in the United States.” For students in attendance, the conference was a learning experi ence. Aside from leaving with an afrocentric view of self, students also left with an afrocentric view of Black Cultural Centers. “One of the major purposes of Black Culmral Centers is to reject the cultural genocide that the Euro peans have placed upon us, as black people,” said Trisha Merchant, one of four UNC students in attendance. Also attending the three-day conference were freshman Rente Alexander, sophomore Denise Matthewson and senior Michelle Thomas. The students, members of the UNC-CH Black Cultural Cen ter Advisory Board, were accompa nied by Margo Crawford, director of the Sonja H. Stone Black Cul tural Center. For students, the conference was a learning experience. Aside from learning about the purpose of Black Cultural Centers, participants also learned that the back bone of Black Cultural Cen ters is Afrocentricity. According to Molefi Asante, head of Temple University’s Afro- American Studies Department, Afrocentricity must be defined, internalized, critique and lived by African-Americans. “Afrocentricity is the belief in the centrality of Africans in post modem history which can best be understood as encompassing three basic themes: It(Afrocentricity) is a liberating of ideology; It transcends the theoretical and is grounded in the practical lives and experiences of Africans globally; and It is plu ralism without hierarchy,” Asante said. While many agree with Asante, some are divided on whether to refer to the term as“Afro”centricity or “Afri”centricity. UNC sophomore Denise Mat thewson prefers the latter. “Afrocentricity as opposed to Africentricity is a difference in semantics,” she said. “However, the ‘fri’ (free) of Africentricity stresses the freedom of the mind.” Despite which term one chooses to identify with, both serve the purpose of priding African-Ameri- cans with a strong sense of self and an Afrocentric view, which they are able to take and put to practical use at their respective universities. This was both the focus and the chal lenge of the weekend. According to Asante, African Americans are one of the most dis placed groups in history—cultur ally, geographically, and psycho logically. Theaim of Afrocentricity See MIX, Page 10 Pawns Have No Business With Microphones from page 6 an outsider in the hip hop commu nity and will never get any respect becauseof the plastic mask of tough ness he hides under. He never should have tried to fake what has to come from the heart. Gerardo is another example of a pawn. He’s been placed into the world of rap simply because there haven’t been any successful His- panics in hip hop and he was/is supposed to fill those ranks. ThCTe’s no way that suckers like these have any business with a mic in their hands. We need to learn how to separate the “wanna be’s” from the “real McCoys.” CONCLUSION: When all is said and done, mainstream sounds will still con tinue to be heavily influenced by the jazz, soul, and hip hcq) indus tries. After all, many of the innova tions made in music are made first in the latter three categories. It is time for pop musicians and their listeners to begin acknowledging that other music forms are making contributions to the style and direc tion that all contemporary music is taking. LORIA AYLOR Author of Mama Dav and The Women of Brewster Place will speak at Memorial Hall on November 13,1991 at 8 pm A Rico yes, Suave No > 1 -'i. t, • ^ • . # t • f • S. • y
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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Nov. 11, 1991, edition 1
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