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SEPTEMBER 16, 1992
ENDSIGHTS = 11
!l One of the Best Neighborhoods in Chapel Hifl IS
Because we value an atmosphere in which students can establish a home,
we maintain, renovate, and upgrade our facilities to meet the growing
needs of our community. We also explore collaborative ventures with
other departments and student government, and pursue enhancements
in technology and services for our twenty nine halls and three hundred
six apartments. We do this to make our CAROLINA community the
best neighborhood possible.
Because we value personal growth and development, we offer opportu
nities for exploring international language and cultural diversity, present
programs on relationships, sexuality, communication, and enhancement
of academic skills, and promote physical and mental well being through
special interest houses and over one thousand in-residence programs
and activities annually.
Because we value human understanding andfair treatment of both stu
dents andstajf, we hire and train a diverse and talented staff, educate
students and staff on issues of diversity and multiculmralism, and are
intolerant of all forms of harassment, discrimination, and racism!
Because we value a supportive community, we work closely with the
Residence Hall Association in addressing student needs, seek and pro
vide a well trained staff who can offer counseling and advice to residents,
and offer opportunities for resident input and feedback.
WEMEPROUD OFWHO WEME
JNDWHATWEDO!
We are equally proud of our eleven Assistant Area Directors, one hun
dred fifty eight Resident Assistants, and literally hundreds of other
student staff who assist us by aiding our community on a daily basis.
WE ARE ALSO PROUD OF OUR CAMPUS RESIDENTS, whose
drive, energy, and inquisitiveness constantly reminds us why we enjoy
serving the CAROLINA neighborhood!
We welcome our new residents, welcome back our returning residents,
and wish our great community the best in the upcoming year!
DIVISION OF
STUDEh4T AFFAIRS
□I
Department ofUniversity Housing
pull Time Professional Staff
The Price of Afrocentricity
Jn
Editors’ Note: Endsighls is a column
that will be appearing regularly in
the Ink. This column is open to those
brothers and sisterswho have strong
viewpoints and would like to share
their thoughts with the readers.
This week’s article was
submitted by Trisha Merchant, a
graduate student in the School of
Education from Fayetteville.
Hotep! Asa student of the
original people here at UNC-Chapel
Hill I greet you in a most ancient
tradition.
As we go into the fifth week of
the school year, there is no doubt
that any and everyone on campus
has been roused by the 14 year old
issue of a free-standing Black
Cultural Center building.
Although there have been
periods of climax that have pushed
the issue to the forefront of campus
activism, this year has been unlike
any other. With the supqx)rt we are
getting from the Jordan Foundation
and the Carolina Athletes, we are
definitely on our way to a free
standing building.
Because the blood, sweat and
tears of Afrikan people are
responsible for building both this
university and this country, without
pay, we, the students of African
descent, have a just right to any
damn building we may want to build
on this campus!
The correct history of America
is not known by the majority of its
residents since the writers of his-
stcffy in the educational system have
and still are distorting events,
eliminated non-white contributions
to America’s history, and have
somehow convinced the status quo
that white males were responsible
for the building of “this great land
of ours.”
A free standing black cultural
center is not only right, but is also
one of the many reparations that we
as African people are owed for being
brought over here under deceitful
terms.
When I was asked to write this
peice for the Black Ink, I was told to
write from the heart. And to be
honest, that’s the only way to go.
While I have your attention for
tis Iwief moment, Irt it be known
that cultural consciousness and
spirituality come from within. There
are those ofus who are very much
“enlightened” about being
Afrocentric; but there are those of
us who are ultimately “skilled” at
being Afrocentric in thought and
practice, because of the way that we
as a people have been programmed
to think since we arrived in the
United States, reaching the skilled
level will come hard for many. But
when we ultimately reach this point
of action as a people, we will be
free-thinking individuals (within the
context of the African-American
community) who will be liberated.
As of now we have yet to reach this
point. We are still controlled by the
white man and even by ourselves.
When one thinks for himself/herself,
and follows a course of action that
they deem necessary for his or her
total liberation, regardless of what
obstacles are put in front of them,
they are free. When the non-white,
oppressed people fonn a bond with
other non-white, oppressed people
outside of their inhabited boundary,
with the intentions of undertaking
serious forms of action to gain
liberty, then they are skilled and on
a course to becoming free.
Malcolm was not killed because
he was preaching black is beautiful,
and black is powerful. He was killed
because he went outside of the legal
jurisdiction of the United States,
where black is the majority, and
formed allies with the other non
white oppressed peoples of the
world. And if you look very closely
at the time period when Martin was
killed you will find that by the time
ofhis death, he was preaching about
the evils and injustice of the V ietnam
War realizing that it was not
democracy against communism,but
as with the case in America, white
against non-white. Hence, the
ultimate price our leaders have had
to pay fw being skilled and free is
death!
The movement for a free
standing black cultural center is a
stepping stone in attaining freeedom
of mind and action. Hence, it is of
the uunost importance that this will
be the year that students of African
descent take what is rightfully ours.
Trish Merchant is vice
chairwoman of the Sonja Haynes
Stone Black Culltural Center
Advisory Board and Graduate
Assistant for the Sonja Haynes Stone
BCC.