February 18, 1992
News
12
Pro-choice Wattleton Criticizes Government
Planned Parenthood Pres. Ends Speech With Call to Arms
By Natalie Baucum
Ink Staff Writer
Faye WalUeton, president of
Planned Parenthood, spoke about
her views on abortion Feb. 10 in
Memorial Hall.
Wattleton is the first woman and
the first black to become president
of Planned Parenthood. She has
served as president for 14 years and
will retire in March 1992.
In her speech, Wattleton stressed
that people need to look at the big
picture -- the fundamental issue of a
woman and the power to control
reproduction.
“The B ill of R ights was designed
to create a wall of freedom between
people and politics so there could
be privacy,” she said.
Watlleton said she believes the
government is now trying to rob a
woman’s privacy on the issue of
abortion.
“We must not give up the power
to control our private lives,
regardless of our position on
reproductive issues,” she said.
Wattleton also said that if
abortion was made illegal a lot of
back alley abortions would become
popularagain. She added that unsafe
illegal abortions would most likely
lead to injuries or deaths in women.
“Women should never die
because of someone else’s beliefs,”
Wattleton said.
She said that the majority of the
women who would be affected by
the overturning of Roe v. V/ade
(1973), the Supreme Court case
that legalized abortion, are
minorities, particularly black
women.
“Poor women should not have
to be discriminated against because
the government is debating over an
issue that only concerns the rich,”
she said.
Wattleton cited her African-
American sisters as one reason for
her extensive involvement in the
pro-choice movement
“Will women let legislature tell
them what to do with their bodies
or will they say no and stand up to
them?” she asked. “Young women,
especially teenagers, should have a
choice.”
Wattleton used her 16-year-old
daughter, Felicia, as an example to
explain just how unjust abortions
laws are becoming.
“Felicia can have a baby without
my permission but she cannot have
an abortion,”she said. “Family
experiences cannot be regulated.”
Wattleton then criticized the
courts.
“The courts say that women are
too immature to have an abortion
but not too immature to have a
baby.”
Wattleton brought her speech to
a close by encouraging people to
stand up to the leaders in
Washington. “We the people need '
to make them understand that this is
an issue they cannot put aside
another time,” she said. “It is time
to pass a freedom-of-privacy act so ,
women can control their own
bodies.”
Wattleton added; ‘Those who i
die will be those who do not vote
and have the power to put down
decisions in government. It will be |
those at the bottom of the social and
economic ladder who suffer the
most.”
Wattleton plans to host her own
talk show in Chicago after the
expiration of her term as president
of Planned Parenthood.
What Have You Done for the Black Community Lately?
Speaker Asks from page 7
Brown v. the Board of Education of
Topeka, Kansas, African Americans
have the option to choose what type
of school that they wish to attend.
Predominately white schools offer
students an individual-focused
education. You are trained at a
predominatly-white school how to
do what is necessary for you, the
individual to succeed. HBCU’sused
to be the opposite. Traditionally at
HBCU’s, students were taught to
be accountable to their community.
B lacks were educated for the benefit
of blacks. But now that HBCU’s
have to compete with
predominately-while schools for the
enrollment of African- American
students, they, too, have become
more individual oriented. We must
turn things around and re-root our
institutions within our community.
What we, as African American
students at a predominantly white
institution must do, is to hold the
majority community accountable
for the needs of our community.
When is the last time that you
checked to see who is being
accountable to the black
community? Ifyouhaven’tchecked
recently, then you don’t even know
if you’ve sold out or not. We must
learn to make this University what
we want it. We must work
strategically for the interests of our
community. We must not allow the
University to pimp us with their
Affirmative Action quotas. We
must take everything that they
claim to be doing for us “minorities”
and make it work for our entire
community. If the chancellor is
going to create a $100,000
committee called the Chancellor’s
Committee on Community and
Diversity, then let’s ask the
Chancellor if he can spare a few
thousand dollars from that
committee to fund a program that
we wish to set up in our community,
namely COMMUNIVERSITY.
WTienever they boast about what
they are doing for the minority
students and community-at-large
here in Chapel Hill, we must ask,
“What are they doing for my
community?” If the answer is
nothing, then we must got out aiid
raise some sand until they do what
we want them to.
No my brothers and sisters, you
don’t have to be a sell out if you
attend a predominantly-white
institution, but you do have to check
yourself. Ask yourself,“Whathave
I done for my community lately?”
If you can’t think of anything then
you need to ask yourself “Am I A
Token Black?”
Nominee for Board of Trustees Praised by Colleagues, Students
By Jacqueline Charles
Ink Staff Writer
Richard Epps, the University’s
fu’st black student body president,
is one of several persons being
considered for the Board of j
Trustees. '
Student Body President Matt
Heyd nominated Epps to fill the
vacancy left by former trustee
William Darity. Darity resigned in
December.
“There’s something special
about Epps,” Heyd said. “He would
be a good addition to the campus.”
Although Heyd made a total of
three nominations for the position,
he said he will directly nominate
Epps. “Epps has an understanding
of the campus that no one else have.”
Epps, 40, graduated from the
University with ajoumalism degree
in 1973. As an alumnus, he has been
active on the Board of Visitors and
in the Genearal Alumni Association.
If selected to the BOT, Epps
will join Angela Bryant, a former
Black Ink editor, on the board.
Bryant was appointed last July.
“1 feel its very appropriate that
he got nominated,” said Bryant, the
only black presently on the BOT
and the first black female ever
elected to the board. “He made lots
of achievements in student
government and has been faithful in
his role as an alumnus.”
Both Epps and Bryant were
organizers of the first Black Alumni
Reunion 11 years ago.
A private attorney with his own
practice in Alexandria, VA., Epps
fu^t learned about the nomination
six weeks ago.
“I was very pleased with the
possibility,” he said.
See EPPS, Page 13
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