OPINION
AUGUST 31, 1992
]
Year of the Panther
By Charles McNair
Ink Columnist
“Weare nol Hghiing for integration;
we are not fighting for segregation.
We are fighting for recognition of
human beings.”
—Malcolm X
Greetings brothers and sisters. I
hope that your summers went well
and that you are steadily adjusting
or readjusting to life here in the
"Southern Part of Heaven.”
If you spent the last half of the
summer in Chapel Hill, then you
will know that something is astir.
This summer, the Coalition for a
free-standing BlackCultural Center
sponsored two "speak outs", a Black
Cultural Expo, and a symbolic
ground-breaking ceremony for the
BCC. At the speak outs, students
expressed their concerns and
opinions about the BCC and racism
here at Carolina. In addition to
these events, the Black Awareness
Council was formed and
implemented.
The administration also gave us
their latest plans for the Black
Cultural Center. Chancellor Paul
Hardin wants to clear all of the
space in the rear of the Union and
renovate it, making it into a Black
Cultural Center. Meanwhile, the
ejected oi fices such as the DTH and
the Yackety Yack will be housed in
new constructs on top of Daniels
Bookstore or Chase Hall. This plan
is wracked with problems: I will
address several of them in this
article, but there are too many to
address them all here. I want to look
at the segregation/separation
argument and some of the
administration’s comments. Of
course, I have to plug in that neither
they, nor anyone else, can use the
cost argument because we have
pledged to completely fund the
building, and already have potential
donors.
The administration at UNC-
Chapel Hill has repeatedly stated |
that a free-standing Sonja Haynes ;
Stone Black Cultural Center would ^
cause segregation and separation of I
the black and white races at UNC. i
Vice-ChancellorDonald Boulton is |
afraid that the actual argument and
fight over the building would hurt
race relationson campus much more
so than a physical building would.
To that we say, STOP FIGHTING
US AND LET US GO AHEAD
WITH
OUR
PLANS!
He has
also
stated that
race
relations
were
better 10
to totally forget, and are demanding
adequate representation on
Carolina’s campus as we enter the
200th year of its existence. For its
"The administration presumes that the
majority of white people at Carolina are
so racist, fearful and/or ignorant that
they would let the fact that a building
with the word black in its name keep
them from entering the building."
years ago,
when the
initial
committee
for a BCC
was
formed, than today.
I can only speculate why he
would say that race relations were
better 10 years ago than today. He
said that race relations were better
because:
1. He is insulated and numb to
the uue nature of race relations in
America and the local community.
Remember the Miami riots in the
80’s? I’m also sure I can look
through some old DTH’s and fmd
some instances of bad race relations
from 10 years ago.
2. Some Blacks were more
willing to accommodate, or what
was perceived as accommodating,
10 years ago. Also, hand in hand
with this is that students only spend
an average of 4 years at Carolina so
that any trouble-making Blacks who
called for equality would graduate
fairly soon (this is called student
turn-over, and the adminisu^on
thrives on this).
3. Blacks on this campus were/
are mainly the victims of racial
harassment as opposed to whites
being the victims. Race relations
were “good” as long as Blacks didn ’ t
retaliate too much and, for the most
part, forgot about the incidents. But
Malcolm has reminded us that a
people who forget their history is
destined to repeat iL We remember
the “No New Nigger Queen” sign
left on the car of a Black
Homecoming queen candidate, the
words Nigger and KKK written
across a Harvey Gantt poster, the
hangman ’ s noose left on the door of
two African-American students,etc.
4. Blacks today are less willing
entire existence, the state has taxed
the Blacks of North Carolina to help
with the University’s upkeep, but
only since the 1950’s were blacks
allowed to attend the University.
THERE WILL BE NO MORE
TAXATION WITHOUT
REPRESENTATION!
5. He has totally forgotten or
overlooked the students of other
ethnic origin who are involved in
the movement to build a free
standing Sonja Haynes Stone Black
Cultural Center, as well as the
diverse body of people who use the
current Black Cultural center office.
This is not just a black thing—
black, white, red and brown are
COMING TOGETHER for a free
standing building.
6. All of the above. I choose #6.
The administration has said that
if the BCC was to be taken away
from the pit area, i.e. from the “center
of campus activities,” then it would
"not get the traffic and attention that
it gets now, and would get if it was
a part of the Union. On the surface
this seems like a good argument,
but it rests on several shaky and
questionable assumptions.
1. It assumes that people come
to the BCC only as a result of their
primary visit to the Union or the pit
area and that people won’t come if
it is not convenient to them. In
saying this, the BCC is denigrated
to the position of a “side show.”
They are saying that the BCC
wouldn’t and couldn’t stand on its j
own credit; it needs something else i
todraw people to it, i.e. Black culture \
is illegitimate and bastardly.
2. It assumes that just because
the BCC would not be in the center
of campus, and consequently not
seen, that people would not come to
it. Regardless of
whether it is in the
back of the Union or
in a building
between Wilson
Library and Kenan
Labs, the center
would not be in the
sight of anyone in the
pit area.
3. Theargiunent
assumes that blacks
will continue to
accommodate the
fears of the ignorant
and the threats of the
racist. The administration presumes
that the majority of white people at
Carolina are so racist, fearful, and/
or ignorant that they would let the
fact that a building with the wwd
black in its name keep them from
entering the building. This is a sad
commentary on race relations here
at Carolina and all the more reason
why a building is needed; to serve
as a focal point which would help
race relations that, according to
Boulton, are wwse now than they
were 10 years ago. By advocating
a renovated Union version of a Black
Cultural Center, the administration
is accommodating the racist/
prejudice fears of whites which
would not do them, blacks, or
anyone any good. It would be like
putting a band-aid over a bullet
wound or sweeping the dirt under
the carpet instead of cleaning the
floor like you should.
4. All of these seem to suggest
that the administration thinks that
Black people and Black culture
would not be inviting to people of
other cultural or ethnic groups.
Consequently, an artificial reason
is needed to get people of other
cultural or ethnic groups into the
center. If the center was in the
Union, then someone could use a
line like, “Oh, 1 was just in the
neighborhood (the Union) and
thought I’d drop by to see the BCC.”
Afrocentricity is not exclusive; it
calls for mutual respect for all
cultures and denounces any kind of
cultural hierarchy. The BCC office
strives to be Afrocentric.
In addition to all of the frail
assumptions of the segregation/
separation argument, the
adminstration has forgotten that
THE UNION IS FOR THE USE
OF ALL STUDENTS. PresenUy,
the interim space that people call a
Black Cultural Center is not a B lack
Cultural Center. It is the Sonja
Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center
Office. The office has been in the
Union now fw four years and has
far outgrown its present space. It is
and has to be called an office
because, according to the Carolina
Critic, if it was a Black Cultural
Center then its presence would be in
direct violation of Union policy.
The Black Cultural Center
Office falls under the Division of
Student Affairs; it is not a student
organization. The Union is for
student organizations. Union
officials have repeatedly expressed
the need for more space for its own
uses. It is impossible to expand the
Union outwardly or upwardly.
Taking space from Union officials
and from the student body would
only cause resentment and bitterness
on their parts towards the BCC and
blacks in general. Is this what the
administration really wants?
The students’ organizations and
office space should be in the Student
Union. Likewise, programming and
space that comes from the Student
Union should serve the total student
population equally; over half of the
space should not be explicitly
dedicated to one culture. Also, how
would a Black Cultural Center fit
into the Student Union? How would
you rationalize a bbrary dedicated
to literature pertinent to the lives of
African Americans being located in
the Student Union building in the
manner proposed by the chancellor?
The Sonja Haynes Stone Black
Cultural Center needs its autonomy
from the Student Union. The BCC
needs to operate on its own. the
greatestexampleof this needs comes
with the Comm university program
that operates from the BCC office.
Communiversity is a Saturday
cultural education school for
community children. It is staffed,
facilitated and run by student and
See PANTHER next page
I