March 1995
MANDATORY BLACK STUDffiS.
THE PLACE IS HERE, THE TIME IS NOW!
By Shawn Torry
Americans, both white and black,
are suffering from a detrimental igno
rance of true unbiased historical
knowledge. This lack of historical
knowledge promotes racial ignorance,
prejudice, fear, bigotry, and intoler
ance.
Segments of this nation’s white
educational establishment realize that
the teaching of true unbiased history
would create a more equal playing
field for all Americans, from the stand
point of opportunity. Simply put,
knowledge is power. An uninformed
fool is likely to fall for anything.
In America, history is taught
strictly from an Eurocentric perspec
tive. Any other perspective is consid
ered to be false or insignificant. This
point is illustrated in many of this
nation’s public schools. How many
of you remember learning about all
those Kings and Queens of England,
France, Spain, and other European na
tions? Now how many African kings
and queens were you ever taught
about? For that matter, how many Af
rican Kingdoms were you ever taught
about. The answer is probably none
because there is a fear that knowledge
of this ancestral greatness would pro
mote a feeling of pride among Afri
can Americans. Hell might would
even curve some of this black on black
violence, Lord forbid that!
No all that we are taught about our
selves is that we were slaves. Well
how did we come to be slaves? What
could Africa have been like had it not
been for the Trans Atlantic Slave
Trade? It is important to remember
that over 24,000,000 people were
taken to be slaves. Not just any
24.000.000, but 24,000,000 of the best,
the youngest, the strongest, the fittest,
the smartest. In short the present fu
ture vanished, most never to be seen
or heard from again. Imagine taking
24.000.000 of the youngest, strongest,
and brightest, from the southeastern
United States. North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Ala
bama together do not have 24,000,000
people in them.
The Slave trade plunged Africa into
a deep intellectual and physical depres
sion, from which it isare yet to fully
recover. I, just like most of you, must
have been absent from school the day
the teacher taught about that. If I
wasn’t absent, the teacher just didn’t
bother to discuss it, which is probably
more of what happened.
As stated earlier, the censorship of
unbiased history is detrimental to both
whites and blacks. White students are
being given a false since of intellec
tual superiority over there nonwhite
classmates. It is not just that the his
tory is not being taught, but it is being
intentionally distorted and tampered
with.
For example, how in the world are
Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato consid
ered to be the first great thinkers? I
don’t know but that is what I was
taught. The fact of the matter is that
Socrates, who taught Plato, who taught
Aristotle, was himself taught in Egypt.
Yes, the legendary Socrates went to
college and studied in Egypt. Great
ness is inspired by greatness. Socrates
was taught by black Egyptian schol
ars. Let me be politically correct and
say that Socrates was taught by “NON
WHITES”, rest assured these Egyp
tians did not have “BLONDE HAIR
AND BLUE EYES”. Socrates himself
was put to death by the Greeks for
teaching foreign philosophies that un
dermined and were detrimental to the
Greek society and way of life. If
Socrates, a Greek, had made up all of
these philosophies that he is given
credit for, how then could they have
been foreign? They were foreign be
cause he stole them from Egypt, which
regardless of that false eurocentric la
bel—the MIDDLE EAST—is a part of
Africa.
Fayetteville State University, along
with all other Historically Black Col
leges and Universities must take the
lead in teaching the truth. If we leave
it up to the high schools or other col
leges and universities, we learn noth
ing but propaganda and rhetoric.
Eurocentric history books have a way
sugar coating, omitting, or sometimes
even sensationalizing and justifying
the evil that Europeans have done. We
must teach ourselves to search beyond
the hype and beyond the fame the find
the ultimate underlying truth.
A year ago at A&T, I was reading
a European history book that said the
reason that Europe advanced to be
come the world power it is today, was
because Europeans “aggressively bor
rowed from other civilizations. “Ag
gressively borrowed” no, I don’t think
so. If I “aggressively borrowed” your
car as the Europeans aggressively bor
rowed, you would probably aggres
sively call the police on me. Today
we call that type of “aggressively bor
rowing” carjacking!
Last March after a long hard fought
struggle. North Carolina A&T adopted
a mandatory Black Studies curriculum,
effective Fall 1995 for all new fresh
man. Broncos, it is up to each and
every one of you to personally make
this cause your cause. Change will
come, it is inevitable, so get on the
SGA to make it happen.
Be a Summer Tar Heel!
Session I: May 18-June 23,1995
Session II: June 27-August 1,1995
Students from any college or universi^ teachers, rising hi^ school seniors,
and others who are not enrolled at UNC-CH may apply as Visiting Summer
Students for first, second, or both sessions.
UNC-CH offers, during two S'A week sessions, over 900 courses in 45
disciplines. A t^ical course load per session is 6 semester hours.
Some evening ^d night courses and three-week short courses are offered.
Spaces still available m three-week Summer School Abroad programs.
Approximate Cost per Session; tuition and fees of $125 PLUS $47 per credit
hour for NC resident imdergraduates or $341 per credit hour tor nonresident
undergraduates.
When requesting a catalog and appUcation, please mention seeing this ad in
The Bronco’s Voice for special attention.
Summer School
CB #3340,200 Pettiwew Hall
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3340
Phone; 919-962-1009
Fax; 919-962-2752
EEO Institution
THE FUTURE HOLDS NOTHING ELSE BUT
CONFRONTATION!
“Something Wicked This Way Comes”
By Shawn Torry
Imagine getting up one morning and going to work, only to find that you’ve
been fired. You go to your Boss or Supervisor to find out why. Your employer
says, “Your performance is not the problem; the bottom line is that Congress
has repealed Affirmative Action. Now there is nothing requiring me to keep
you, any of you people (Blacks). It is not that I don’t like you, I am just looking
out for my own people. If you still want to work here, I might be able to find a
position for you in the unloading department. I know that it is a long way from
being a cost accounting analyst, but at least you’ll be working. Isn’t that right,
boy?”
Does it sound too wild or unbelievable? I sincerely hope not. After this
new Republican Congress gets done you might feel like it is 1955 rather than
1995. Civil Rights as you know it may go the way of the Dinosaur. Not just
Affirmative Action, but any other program that seeks to promote equality or
“give those who ain’t got, a little more.” Yes, the Republicans intend to pull a
fast one on us. The sad part is, they are doing it with virtually silent opposition.
There are more than enough blacks and other minority voting age citizens
to make these “redneck, first cousin marrying, pick up truck with a rifle rack in
the window driving, confederate flag license plate having, good ole’ days wish
ing for”, racists think about being reelected. The problem is that only a small
percentage of voting age minorities are even registered to vote and an even
smaller percentage actually goes out to the polls to vote.
If we as a people do not collectively find our voice and start making our
selves heard, many of us could find ourselves facing a scenario like that above.
To all of you “Clarence Thomas loving, I am where I am today because of my
work ethic. Rush Limbaugh watching”, conservative blacks, you all are in just
as much danger as the rest of us. In the end, you are still black. If you think
there are glass ceilings now, you haven’t “seen nothing” yet! I’m talking about
bright red brick walls!
Just wait until Jesse Helms, Strom Thurmond, Grin Hatch, Robert Dole,
and the rest of those racist senators get finished. You might want to start learn
ing the words to “We Shall Overcome”, because trouble is most definitely
coming. Maybe that will be what it will take to create some unity among
blacks, but that is another story.
The issue of the day is affirmative action. Read the newspaper and watch
the news. Trouble is on the horizon. Now is the time to be heard. We need to
make some noise now. If we remain silent, the future holds nothing but con
frontation. Something wicked this way comes.