Newspapers / Fayetteville State University Student … / Dec. 22, 1982, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page 2 The Voice December 22,1982 Editorials It's so easy for students to, sit at a desk open a book, and prepare themselves for class. But what takes a determined effort is for that same student to involve himelf into the everyday problems which face the university he attends. Surely, instructors intend for the learning experience to come from more then books. Instead, it would.be much more helpful to not only read about it, but to live it, and change the words if necessary. For too long Fayetteville State has been the target for derogatory comments. And for just as long the FSU family has been caught with their heads in the books. After being the victim not once, but twice, it must be clear to FSU by now, “If you sit around you'll get pushed around.” From The Grassroots “George Wallace Returns: Never Again” Of all the opponents to blacks' civil rights in the 1960s, none equalled George C. Wallace in racial hatred and demagoguery. Wallace was the personification of bigotry and white supremacy. Yet on September 29,1982, the symbol of racism won an election in the Alabama Democratic primary, and is likely to become governor of that stale for an unprecedented fourth term. In a narrow race with a progessive Democrat, Lieutenant Governor George McMillan, Wallace succeeded in carrying a third of the state's black voters, and by that margin won the election. In the campaign, the overwhelming majority of black elected officials supported McMillan. But Wallace was able to co-opt the majority of conservative rural black preachers into his cause, who in turn urged their congregations to “forget the past” and “to forgive Wallace” by casting their support for him. When Mrs. Coretta Scott King and other civil rights activists stumped the state for McMillan, black ministers denounced her as “an outside agitator.” Incredibly, several majority-black counties — the sites of the bloodiest civil rights demonstrations — cast majorities for Wallace. The former governor even received 30 to 40 percent of the black vote in Montgomery, the state capitol. For outside civil rights observers, the renaissance of Wallace is nothing short of a political nightmare. Such interpretations fail to take into account Wallace's chameleon-like ability to reverse himself according to the prevailing political conditions. During the recent campaign, for instance, Wallace not only defended Mrs. King's right to campaign against him, but also noted to the press that “one or both of Mrs. King's elderly parents, who live in Marion, Alabama, planned to vote for him.” To understand Wallace's recent victory, it is necessary to review his political career over the past forty years. In the 1940s, Alabama was a strictly segregated society. Yet the state's white electorate, in the tradition of Southern Populism, put into office a number of relatively enlightened public officials. Compared to the vitriolic demagogues of neighboring Mississippi, particularly Theodore Bilbo, Alabama Senators Lister Hill and Hugo Black, and Governor James Folsom were infinitely better. They were all segregationists, but they advanced economic programs which benefited poor blacks and whiles alike. Wallace first emerged as a protege of Folsom, winning election as a state representative from rural Barbour County. Wallace served as Folsom's alter-ego for a dozen years, managing his successful re-election campaign in southern Alabama in 1954. In return for his support, Wallace asked Folsom to appoint him to the board of trustees at Tuskegee Institute. “It was considered a very liberal move at the time,” one prominent white policitan recalled later. “Naturally, nobody was thinking about race back then Uke they got to thinking about it later, but it was still considered very liberal of him to establish this contact with the Negro community. And he was real proud of this connection with Tuskegee; he'd tell everybody about it. Anybody'd said back then he would be where he is today on the racial question, we'd of thought they were crazy.” During his first decade in Alabama politics, Wallace established himself on the left wing of the Democratic Party on the race question. A genuine populist on economic issues, Wallace urged his white constituents to consider the plight of blacks in the same terms as their own. After his election as circuit judge, Wallace subsequently announced his candidacy for governor in 1958. His principal opponent was a “stridently irreconcilable segregationist,” John Patterson. When Patterson accepted the support of the Ku Klux Klan, Wallace issued a sharp denunciation of the racist group. Endorsed by labor, Jewish organizations and the state's NAACP chapter, Wallace lost the run off election to Patterson by 64,902 votes. After his defeat, Wallace informed his supporters; “John Patterson out-nigguhed me. And boys. I'm notgoin'to be but-nigguhed again.” The aiAbitious policitan who once told friends that “we just can't keep the colored folks down like we been doin' for years and years” suddenly become a raving demogogue, more outrageous than Bilbo, Patterson, Vardaman, and the entire motley host of racist leaders throughout Southern history. In the election of 1962, Wallace's entire campaign denounced “carpetbaggin'” and “race-mixin'.” Anyone who opposed him was “sisjy-brilches intellectual morons,” and was swept into office as governor. At his inauguration in January, 1963, Wallace declared, “From this very heart of the great Anglo- Saxon Southland, in the name of the greatest people that have trod this earth, I say. Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever! cont’ on page 3 * Dear Editor, Once again the Fayetteville Media has taken advantage of opportunities to take unnecessary pot shots at Fayetteville State University. On November 26, 1982, five FSU basketball players were arrested and charged with stealing hub caps off an automobile in the parking lot of Cross Creek Mall. This incident was blown totally out of proportion by the Fayetteville Times and Observer, receiving front page coverage in both public and taking another cheap shots at FSU. Since four of the players were acquitted of any wrong doing in connection with the above mentioned incident, and the fifth is suspended from the basketball team pending an investigation of his part of the mishap. It seems as though the only time FSU receives any major news coverage is such a negative aspect. The positive things that we are trying to accomplished such as the FSU Endownment Fund, renovation of the Lilly Gym, and others, receive little or no media coverage. Why FSU has and continues to be the front of degrading and bais reporting remains a mystery. This administration would like to see a collabration of both parties so that this problem can be corrected. A school and the media are vital parts of a community and they should work together. Thank you Jerry R. Beatty, President Student Government Association Was Black College Day Really A “Dud’7 A article expressing negative views from Black College Day 1982 was recently printed in the Carolina Times (“Black College Day Deemed A Dud”) by Marion Mckinley, October 30, 1982. It stated that Black College Day was among other things, a failure and a dud due to underplanning, bad communications, and nonchalant attitudes of the coordinating organization of the rally, The North Carolina Association of Black Student Governments. There were also complaints leveled at our keynote speaker for the rally Mr. Terry L. Bellamy, a local political figure in Charlotte. It was stated that “Mr. Bellamy's speech was contrary to our purpose...I saw no other purpose for the gathering except as a ritual.” It is the view of the North Carolina Association of Black Student Governments (NCABSG), that despite the problems with the weather and a few minor problems with communications Black College Day 1982 was a success. The planning was initiated in August by the NCABSG and it was decided by the organization to continue the rally in the rain. As far as nonchalant attitudes, no person participating in the organization has shown reluctance or nonchalance in their working with the NCABSG. In the constitution of this organization it is stated that we are committed to address “forces that affect the total lives of the students” and “community concerns.” Mr. Bellamy's speech “Buddyism and Professionalism - Keep the faith.” The speech dealth with problems with black administrators, black colleges and several community issues including the Budweiser Boycott. Therefore Mr. Bellamy's speech was in fact consistant with the ideas of the NCABSG. According to the fact sheet prepared for the rally, among the purpose for Black College Day were: 1. To bring issues effecting Black Colleges to light. 2. To bring issues effecting Black Americans to light. We feel that these requirements were surpassed by the NCABSG and the persons bringing greetings to the hundreds of people that participated in the rally. And they are to be commended for their perseverance and bravery during the rally. In the future it is our hope that people who are sincere in their efforts to promote black success and achieve black equality maintain their sincerity. Malcolm X once said that we as blacks had been taught to hate ourselves. If such is the case, let it be known that this organization is committed to change this attitude and eliminate it from all aspects of American life. Keep the faith! Randall O. Westbrook Chairman North Carolina Association of Black Student Governments
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