Speaking For Ourselves
The Voice
Vol. 40 No. 4
Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, North Carolina
March-1986
‘He’s The Mayor’
On February 18, 1986. The
Area of History in conjunc
tion with the Lyceum
Committee presented a Black
History Month program. The
program was held in
Seabrook Auditorium at 2:00
p.m.
The program was opened
by Dr. Adam Simmons, a
Professor of History here at
Fayetteville State University.
Dr. Simmons stated that some
of the other Black History
Month Programs featured
such notables as John Hope
Franklin and Earl Thorpe.
Louise Driver. President of
the Student Government
Association, gave the history
of Black History Month. She
e.xplained that it was started
by Carter G. Woodson who
completed an objective and
logical study of black history
for presentation to the general
public, in 192(>. Woodson
Started Negro History Week,
which was later expanded to
Black History Month.
The guest speaker for the
occasion was the Honorable
Harvey B. Grantt, Mayor of
Charlotte. .Gantt’s back
ground, as given by Dr.
Shelton Clark, is very
impressive. Gantt isa native of
Charleston, S.C. He attended
Iowa .State University from
1960-62. Later, he attended
Clemson University, as the
first black person in that
school's history. He then
received his Master’s in City
Planning from the Massa
chusetts Institute of
Technology, (MIT). He has
been a visiting lecturer at the
University of North Carolina,
UNC-C, Hampton Institute,
Mississippi State, Cornel,
Yale and many others. Some
of his awards and honors
irvcluiie: N-AACP Citi/en o1
the Year 1965. '75, ’85, Alpha
Phi Alpha Young Man of the
Year 1980, and Kappa Alpha
Psi Young Man of the Year.
Gantt remarked that black
people survived slavery,
struggled to hold on to their
heritage and still managed to
build their own subculture.
They have also survived a
century of second class
citizenship. Black Americans
have surpassed insur
mountable odds to have an
economy that is presently
valued at $160 billion. That is
9th in the world. But. Gantt
also noted that even now, the
contributions of black
Americans are being
measured on the basis ofa few-
outstanding blacks instead of
the overall contribution of
black Americans. Gantt
suggested that the audience
should try for just a moment
lo imaiiine America wi(houi
black people. Gantt stated
that there should not be a need
for a special month to be set
aside to honor the contri
bution of black people, but
their contributions should be
honored continuously. Gantt
stated that there needs to be a
midcourse correction. He
challenged the young people
iri the audience to make that
correction.
Gantt believes that it is the
poor and disadvantaged that
will have to bear the weight of
the Gramm-Rudman Act. He
also stated that the solutions
that worked earlier, such as
the type of social programs
that exist today are not
necessarily the ones that will
work. In conclusion. Gantt
stated that it is up to the young
people to select the leadership
to move people out of poverty
and make a difference to the
underclass.
Mayor Harvey Gantt
Then, Chancellor Charles explained how he. Dr.
‘A’ Lyons, Jr.. gave some Carson. Vice Chancellor for
unusually short remarks. He Institutional Development.
warned those students who
were sleeping through Mayor
Gantt’s speech not to “...sleep
through their commence-
and Mayor Gantt were
working on some projects for
the improvement of the
University.
Tlie Cr
nanceilor
A Week With A Touch Of Class
It was a week of pink and
green to remember; the Delta
Alpha Chapter of Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
displayed their colors
proudly. This w' a s the
chapter's First Annual Week
celebrating Founder’s Day.
The whole week ol February
10-14, was set aside to
celebrate the occasion. The
Delta Alpha Chapter also
assisted in the honoring of
Black History Month. The
activities and services
provided spread further than
Fayetteville State University
grounds. Off campus the
AKA’s observed Black
Histor\ Month with the Zeta
Omega Chapter of Alpha
Kappa Alpha by delivering
poetry "Voices of the Past" at
the Gillespie Street Library in
Fayetteville on Sunday.
February 9. Both the graduate
and the undergraduate
chapters celebrated spiritually
at Williams Chapel Freewill
Baptist Church in Spring
Lake, NC. After church
services, both of the AK.A
chapters met at the Fort Bragg
Officers Club for a luncheon
to redevote themselves.
Monday was the beginning of
the Nursey Art Contest and
Essay Contest- the subject was
“Significant Contributions of
a Famous Black Woman Past
or Present.” The prizes were
$15.00 for first and $10.00 for
second place. 1 uesday was
"the day’’ to win a New You!
In^he Student Center Music
Room at 6:30 pm was a facial
makeover session. Three
ladies enhanced their natural
beauty with Mary Kay
Cosmetics. Wednesday was
the day to help the Sickle Cell
Drive. I'he money that was
raised has been donated to the
patient carelund of the Sickle-
Cell office in Fayetteville. The
essay deadline was also on
that day. Thursday, was ladies
dav or should it have been
called “the day of the men."
The AKA auctioned off some
of FS U ’s finest men.
representing Alphas. Kappas.
Omegas. FSU lootball.
basketball, band members
and even some F'reshmen. 1 he
man who attracted the highest
price of the day was Terrell
Danner. That was truly a da\
of “The Chosen'Few.’’ 1 hat
was not all that occured that
day. The evening was the time
other ladies interested in
pledging AKA were properly
introduced to the organi
zation through the .AKA’s
Spring Rush, which was held
at 7:00 pm in the Smith Hall
Continued on page 2
iiiiiiiii
*
Dianna Cooper, Miss FSU
Miss FSU To Complete
For National Title
By Samuel Cole
Steel Bandits Perform During
Black History Month
AKA’s and Auctionee
The Steel Bandits of
Georgia put on a spectacular
concert in the Seabrook
Auditorium, February II,
1986 for members of the
university family and
community. (This is one of the
on-going programs scheduled
to be held during Black
History Month.) The program
was sponsored by the Lyceum
Committee.
The Steel Bandits consist of
six talented brothers and
sisters who possess a unique
style of playing music on steel
drums. They played a variety
of music ranging from the
sounds of West Indian
Calypso tunes, classical music
and a variety of popular
songs.
Dianna Cooper,, Miss
Fayetteville State University
1985-86. will be representing
FSU in the Miss Collegiate
Black America Pageant in
Miami. Florida during the
week of March 18-26.
Cooper, a native of Nesmith
South Carohna. was elected to
Steel Bandits
the title of Miss FSU during
the Spring Semester of 1985 to
reign in the 1985-86 school
year.
The Miss Collegiate Black
America Pageant was
founded in 1983. The first
actual pageant was held in
April of 1985. At that time,
contestants from 20 slates
re presenting 23 colleges
competed for the title.
Adrienne Johnson, Miss
Morehouse College was
crowned the 1985 Miss
Collegiate Black America.
To compete in the pageant,
the contestants “must be the
reigning 85-86 campus queen
for their college or university.
Continued on page 2