5 Bronco* Voicc
March 1996
FSU Students vs.
Prisoners: Who’s
Really Free?
By Wayne X (Hodges)
It becomes urgent and criti
cal at this hour in the history
of Fayetteville State Univer
sity that we examine and as
sess the effectiveness and
value of the education that one
receives here. Upon my per
sonal examination and expe
rience, I have noticed that
Fayetteville State University
is plagued with a “plantation
mentality” that serves as a det
riment to the student body and
impedes their ability to exist
as free-thinking individuals.
The curriculum of Fayetteville
State University is highly
Eurocentric and basically
worthless to Black people
seeking liberation (see FSU
alumna Barbara Beebe’s ar
ticle in Bronco’s Voice,issue
3, vol. V, November.)
Administrators, professors,
and students seemingly have
forgotten the meaning of edu
cation. The word education
derives from the Latin prefix
“E”, which means “out of or
from.” The root of the word
derives from the Latin word
“duco”, which means “to
lead.” When one is properly
educated, one is led from dark
ness to light; from ignorance
to knowledge; and most im
portantly from captivity
(physical or mental) to libera
tion.
What is needed among pro
fessors and administrators at
this university is the mainte
nance of memory. Instructors
who fail to teach the struggle
of our people and its impor
tance, and in turn
make Black stu
dents believe that
the purpose of an
education is to be
conferred a de
gree and gain
employment in
corporate America, are com
mitting a grave holocaust
against the student populace
and Black people. Any notion
of the such is a LIE!!
Fayetteville State Univer
sity and today’s other institu
tions of higher learning must
forsake the notion that the
mere conferring of degrees
and the imparting of edited
information is the equivalent
of education. For, the deplor
able conditions of the Ameri
can society bear witness to the
failure of its educational sys
tems. So-called educators, ad
ministrators, politicians,
preachers and policymakers
who have been conferred these
very degrees are the ones who
have plunged this nation into
a deep, dark abyss of disunity,
racism, sexism, classism, and
ageism, proving that educa
tion as we know it is danger
ous, mendacious, and impo
tent.
Education as we know it
What IS needed amongproSsssors
an dadministrators at this mu ver
sify is the maintenance of memory.
has only been for a select few
of the society—namely white
males—and has underserved
white females and Blacks al
together. True education is
not the enlightenment of the
classes, but the liberation of
the masses. True education
must begin with self, teaching
man to feel free in venting his
own personality and not that
of a paternalistic oppressor.
True education teaches that
peace among people is infi
nitely more valuable than a
piece of paper( a diploma or
degree).
True education is predi
cated on the principles of love,
brotherhood, and appreciation
of God. True education is not
based upon the salary that one
commands, but rather the so
ciety that one demands. Edu
cation in its truest and most
honest sense is nothing more
than a house held together by
the mortar of historical accu
racy and supported by the pil-
lars of knowl
edge, wisdom,
understanding,
morality and
truth. Until the
colleges and
universities of
'■ today — par
ticularly Fayetteville Sate
University and its sister
HBCU’s—realize this defini
tion of education and institute
it within thqir respective cur
ricula, every student that they
graduate, especially the Black
students, will possess this
“plantation mentality,” will be
rendered as modern-day
slaves, and will contribute to
society only in the capacity of
jobholders, employees, con
sumers, and war victims.
rather than as entrepreneurs,
employers, producers, and
peacemakers.
It is because of the refusal
of Fayetteville State Univer
sity to realize this definition of
education that it has been
transformed into an educa
tional institution absent of
moral conviction and disci
pline. Students are instructed
to study the extremely dys
functional political, economic,
social, and educational orders
of an evil, corrupt world, but
they are not given the proper
tools to initiate the eradication
of its macabre conditions.
This remission is an unscru
pulous, unprincipled act of
severe miseducation when the
challenge that lies before the
Black student is not the mas
tery of subject, but rather the
mastery of self.
Taking all of this into con
sideration it makes me think:
prisoners have enslaved bod
ies, but free minds. Students
at FSU have free bodies, but
enslaved minds. Knowing
that, I ask you: who’s really
free??
Nowhere to go:
Fayetteville’s
Homeless
by Angela Lenard
The Day Center (managed
by Mary Hendrickson, Presi
dent of the Homeless Coali
tion), along with St. Joseph’s
Church on Ramsey Street,
feeds 75 to 80 homeless
people every morning. When
they started they had no fur
niture. Mary sent out a hand
ful of letters with only one re
ply. A major department
store, who wished to remain
annoymous, donated 8 room
fuls of furniture. People in the
community have donated all
the dishes. They are also
enviromentally aware, they
have all their recycling bins
next to the trash can.
The Day Center’s clients
range in age from 3 weeks to
80 years old. They help both
men and women. They help
connect people to jobs, help
with bus passes, bag lunches
and have baby items on hand.
They have a client bathroom
where clients can get cleaned
up and receive clothes before
the go job hunting.
All of the people at The
Day Center were extremely
nice and willing to help. Ada
or “The Terminator” as she is
lovinelv referred to as. works
at the intake desk. She takes
all of the important informa
tion and then sends the clients
to the apporiate people. An
gela, second in command, is a
very caring , strong-willed
lady and then we have
Jeanette, leanette was home
less herself; she volunteered at
The Day Center and now has
a paying position. Jeanette is
the lady to see for clothes for
that job interview.
By the time people reach
The Day Center, they have
fallen through all of the
cracks. They either have no
family or their family does not
want them. They were _
working with a family that
the Department of Social
Services (DSS) had sent
them. The father/hus
band of the family was
still around. For that rea-
son, DSS said they could
not help this family. It seems
unfair that a homeless family
can not receive help simply
because the father chooses to
stay instead of running away.
They Day Center also works
with people who HIV positive,
in fact two of there clients
have AIDS.
The Day Center will be
opening a shelter that is
funded by HUD (Housing and
Urban Development); the ex
act date is unknown due to the
delay in HUD funds. At their
present location, they make
availahip thp rlassifieds. a
telephone, and a place to fill
out job applications. They
also give people the chance
to have an address and phone
number. Mary said the num
ber one question she is asked
is, “Where are the jobs?”.
On October 7, 1995, The
Door of Faith Church opened
its doors on Hay Street. Rev.
Prosser and his wife run the
Door of Faith Church. They
started with $100.00, with
the Rev. and his wife doing
all the work. They now have
hard-working, dedicated vol
unteers.
The Door of Faith Church
They either have no fam
ily or their family does
not want them.
is open seven days a week
and has a church service all
seven days as well. They
serve three hot meals a day,
serving about fifty people for
breakfast, 100 for lunch and
50-75 for supper on a daily
basis. Since opening there
doors, they have helped three
people find jobs. As an
added bonus, a local school
teacher has volunteered her
time to teach GED courses
and they also offer counsel
ing. The Door of Faith
Church is looking for thre in-
exnensive houses. One is to
be used for men only, one for
women with some room for
children and the last to house
five to six AIDS sufferers. At
this point The Door of Faith
Church helps more men than
women, due to lack of fund
ing.
Stereotypes of the home
less differ depending on where
you live. Most people think
they are 45-year-old men who
sleep in the gutter. Forty per
cent of The Day Center’s cli
ents are families. While men
will come to the Center,
women tend to call for fear of
DSS. In Cumberland County
_____ there are ten to twelve
homeless shelters with
six to eight beds each.
There are about 100
beds available in the
entire County, which is
in stark contrast to the
1200 to 1500 homeless
people in the County. If the
current Republican welfare re
form bill is passed, it will kill
the homless program at the
Day Center.
Don’t sit back and ask what
one person can do. I have seen
one volunteer at a time that
now collectively make up a
whole team. Get involved.
Take a minute and realize that
one day it could be you.
Senate
from pg. 1
crime. Integral to this effort is
getting back to basic with Al
lah (God) as the center of life.
Fighting for more educational
funding at all levels, especially
at the collegiate level.
He wants to establish fam
ily resource centers for the
needy which would effec
tively bring services offered
downtown to their communi
ties. He’s currently working to
get funding for two new pub
lic school buildings in
Fayetteville.
He wants to prevent eco
nomic slavery that forces Af-
rican-Americans to spend al
most 96% of our incomes in
white-owned businesses.
Imam Eronomy Smith
Mohammed is a man who
cares about what happens to
this community and to this
university. The next time you
see him walking across cam
pus (and you will), stop and
have a few words with him.
You’ll be convinced that he
has the vision, energy, and
knowledge to get the job done
for all of Fayetteville and
FSU.
The Broncos ’ Voice does not
endorse any candidate, but
rather offers all the opportu
nity to present their positions,
ideals, and ideas to our read
ership. ]Ve wish well to all
with the courage to get in
volved. —ed.