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THE VOICE November, 1980
Editorials
Meet The Editor, Lillie Booth
by Lillie Booth, Editor
Since I’ve been at Fayette
ville State the one question
that I’ve been asked the
most is: “What do you plan
to do with a non-teaching
degree in English after
graduation?”
I smile, usually, and
inevitably end up listing the
numerous possibilities. I
don't think they take me
seriously, however. They
don't seem to realize that a
good English major is
worth her wieght in gold.
Now that that's off my
chest. I'll confide in you
i
Z
O X
O I-
The Voice
"Speaking for Ourselves"
Volume 35, Number 2
November 1980
Published twice month
ly during the school year
by students of Fayetteville
State University, Fayette
ville, North Carolina,
28301 to cover mailing and
handling costs. Editor-in-
Chief, Lillie Booth; Manag
ing Editor, Curtis Prichard;
Business Manager, Law
rence Brandon; Advertis
ing Manager, Vivian Kelly;
Literary Editor, Valery
Frazier; News Editor, Billy
Hopkins; Sports Editor,
Derrick Eddie; Circulation
Manager, Marshall Gales;
Photography Editor, Ron
ald Spicer; Head Typist,
Precellia Pratt; Other Ty
pists are Valeria Harkley,
Mary Marlowe, Juanita
Blackmon, Carolyn Bryant,
and Jaqueline Davis. Staff
writers are Cynthia Powell,
Jonathan Fant, Debra
Pettiway, Mavis Colvin,
Michael Moore, Timothy
Moore, Janie Jackson,
Helen Hooks, Americhi
Umerah, Ronnie McLean,
Jimmy Gibbs, Brenda
Bethea, Carolyn Wilson,
and Kenneth Johnson.
Craig Johnson and
Carolyn Robinson. Layout
Beverly Edge and Rosa
Latiner. Advisor, Charles
Mooney.
that I plan to write a best
selling novel, eventually.
I've written since grade
school and have had ma-
terial published in
Essence, Players, Family
Weekly, True Story, and
others.
As editor, I can frankly
say that the position can be
frustrating at times. But, of
course, there are high
points. One memorable
experience for me was the
interview I did of James
Inglehart, star of the movie,
"Death Force."
My hobbies are photo
graphy, freelance writing,
and bowling. I enjoy read
ing how-to books, listening
to Al Green records,
watching soap operas, es
pecially, "All My Children,"
and sharing films at home
with my family.
I appreciate moments
of solitude more than any
one else, I believe. The fact
that I have five children, a
cat, and two dogs may
contribute to this.
I love teachers that are
enthusiastic about thesub-
ject they teach and are able
to effectively relate the
material to students. I de
test teachers who don't
know as much about the
subject as they should, yet
try to convince you that
they know what they're
talking about even though
you're aware that they
don't.
Once I graduate, I hope
to establish a scholarship
fund in order that a student
that has contributed great
ly to the progress of the
paper will be rewarded.
Perhaps this will serve as
an incentive and also let
the person know that the
job that he/she is doing is
appreciated.
Between The Races, A Parable
by Dr. Manning Marable
Two runners are on the
track preparing for the first
of two important races.
One is black; one is white.
Both have trained many
years for these celebrated
races. Both are looking
forward to the spirited
competition and to the
handsome cash prize given
to the victor.
Before either runner
can position himself in his
starting blocks, several
conscientious officials run
onto the field. The black
runner's legs are chained
together. The gun is fired
suddenly and the white
runner trots away. The
black runner languishes far
behind. He cannot stand,
he can barely crawl. His
muscled legs are cut and
bloodied from the constant
rubbing against the rusty
irons.
The white runner reach
es the halfway point
around the track,‘when a
sympathetic black specta
tor realizes the injustice of
the contest. He runs down
to the track, grabs a metal
ball from the shot put area
and gives it to the black
man. The black runner
smashes his shackles. He
stands and begins to
quickly narrow the dis
tance between himself and
his sole competitor. As the
white is turning the bend
toward home, the black
runner is approaching the
halfway point. Closer and
closer he comes to the
white runner. The finish
tape is clearly in sight.
Finally, the white runner
surges forward, defeating
the black runner by a few
steps.
The black runner ar
gues loudly that the race
was not at all fair or
sportsmanlike. The white
runner disagrees; the rules
of the race call for one of
the runners to wear ankle
irons throughout the con
test. It was an unfortunate
accident of fate that the
black runner received the
chains and that the white
runner had not. But cer
tainly, the white runner
insists, rules are rules. The
race was designed by fair
and impartial gentlemen.
The race was a national
institution and public cele
bration, designed for the
amusement and pleasure
of the general public. Sure
ly you are not questioning
the traditions, the customs
and the authority of the
race?" the white runner
asked in amazement.
"Exactly so," states the
black runner. "The rules of
this game must be revised.
What I desire," he argues,
"is equality between our
races."
"Long before we began
training for this race," the
white runner responds,
"you knew that our res
pective positions were to
be separate but equal.
Why, you know the old
saying: "We can be separ
ate as the fingers, yet one
in the hand in all matters of
mutual athletics."
The officials of the
games congregated, dis
agreeing amongst them
selves what course of
action to follow. Onejunior
official, the sole black man,
suggests cautiously that
the white runner be allow
ed to keep the large cash
purse for his victory, but
that the race be declared a
draw. The senior official
disagrees intensely. The
black runner should re
ceive nothing, and should
possibly be banned from
further competition. "In
deed, he violated every
code of his race by delib
erately breaking his
chains!" hesays,Thespec-
tator who had run onto the
field of play illegally had
already been arrested and
was in a local police station
awaiting criminal charges.
The black runner must be
penalized in some way.
Still another official be
lieved that the whiterunner
should donate some small
portion of his prize to the
black man's children and
that the entire incident be
erased from the official
proceedings.
Finally, the perfect sol
ution is reached. Both
runners are ordered to
return to the starting line
for the second race. The
white runner is allowed to
keep both the first place
prize and is declared the
winner of the first race. The
black runner will be neither
punished nor rewarded for
his actions. Henceforth, no
runner will be bound by
chains.
All the participants in
cluding most spectators in
the stands agree that the
decision is both fair and
just-save the black runner.
“The white runner should
be penalized by wearing
my chains, at least through
a brief portion of the second
race,” he insists. “Those are
the rules of the race. You
said so youself. Look at
your own rulebooks, if you
dare to. Either the white
runner should wear these
chains in this race, or I
should collectthe prize from
the first race.”
All of the officials, in
cluding the black one,
disagree. "That would not
be exactly fair, now would
it? he explains. "You want
ed equality. You even
broke your chains for
equality. Now you've got
it."
The black runner con
tinues, “but those old
chains bit into my legs.
cutting deep wounds and
leaving bruises. I may not
be able to run well this
time. Certainly I should be
compensated in some sig
nificant way."
"There is nothing in our
rulebooks about compen
sation to injured players."a
white official interjects.
"You run the race, you
assume the risk. We know/
the rulebook; we wrote the
rules for our race."
"I hate to be trouble
some," the black runner
persists, limping slowly
back toward the starting
point. "But it seems to me
that the white runner could
be forced to start perhaps
five to ten yards behind me
in the second race. My legs
are swollen and still bleed
ing. It would only be fair."
"Of course it would be
fair, my boy," a white
official smiles, placing his
arm around the blackrun-
ner's shoulders. "But it
wouldn't be equal. That's
what you've been asking
for all along, isn't it? All the
runners will be considered
equal in all these future
races, endowed only with
their physical abilities in
their pursuit of life, liberty
and happiness. Besides,"
he adds, "there is no such
thing as perfect equality
between all races."
An impatient official
looks at his watch. A gun is
raised and fired. The se
cond race begins.
This essay was pub
lished as a Postscript in
Manning Marable's recent
book, From the Grass
roots: Social and Political
Essays Towards Afro-
American Liberation. Dr.
Marable teaches political
economy at the Africana
Studies Center of Cornell
University and is a leader of
the National Black Political
Assembly.