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GREENSBORO, NC
Guilford holds second to last anti-racism forum
Alison Duncan
Staff Writer
James Shields presented
the history of race and
racism at Guilford, bring
ing up forgotten facts in the
history of Guilford in the sec
ond-to-last anti-racism forum
of the academic year, entitled
"Racism and Resistance," on
April 12 at 7 p.m.
"As a historian, it's impossi
ble to move forward without
looking at history and learning
from it," said Shields,
Coordinator of Volunteer
Training.
Shields did extensive
research into the history of
Guilford to find answers to
questions about the history of
Guilford, A&T
sponsor Hip
Hop Conference
Continued from Page 1
first co-programming effort
that has happened between
Guilford and A&T," said
Rebecca Saunders, Director
of Student Involvement and
Leadership. "Hopefully, this
will be a worthwhile and
enlightening experience for
the students for both campus
es. Perhaps this will foster
more opportunities for coop
erative programming in the
future."
The concert is at 8:00 p.m. on
April 17, in the Corbett Center
on A&T campus.
Doors open at 6:00, but early
arrival is recommended.
Tickets are $lO, with Union is
providing shuttles to and from
the event.
racism at Guilford. Based on
the findings, Shields was able
to ask questions such as,
'Why was it okay to bring
Africans from overseas,
Hispanic- and Asian-
Americans, but not African
Americans to Guilford?' and
'What influence or lack of
influence did Quaker values
have on integration?'
These are the questions that
he presented during the
forum.
After exploring Guilfordians
from the 1940s through today,
Shields found that the ques
tion of how to stick with
Quaker values such as equal
ity has been a concern of stu
dents repeatedly through his
tory.
Discussion of Quakerism at Guilford
Continued from Page 1
cessful because it really was a com
munity forum."
In opening, the entire room fell into
silence in the Quaker tradition. After
introductions, a question-answer ses
sion ensued.
The Speakers and Programs
Committee first decided to have a
forum on Guilford's identity as a
Quaker institution in August 2002. Two
years later it was the April 5 discussion
that quenched that need.
"The discussion was particularly
important in light of the numerous
changes involving Guilford - such as a
new president, intent to enlarge the
student population, and intent to
enlarge educational resources," said
Dotson.
"It's fortuitous that this QLSP-gener
ated discussion came at a time when
SLRP is asking the college to consid
er its identity more broadly," said Scott
Pierce Coleman, Director of QLSP.
The Strategic Long-Range Planning
(SLRP) Committee released a second
draft of its initiative for Guilford as an
educational institution on April 1.
As the panelists debated the future
emphasis of Quakerism at Guilford,
the audience asked how to keep the
NEWS
"We have a letter from the
Board of Trustees to the
administration and faculty
telling them not to talk about
race," said Shields.
In 1821 Levi Coffin, a
Quaker from New Garden
Meeting, started a school for
slaves in what is now the New
Garden cemetery before it
was illegal to educate slaves.
However, the administration
did not integrate African
Americans into Guilford until
1968.
Thirty years later, racial
equality was again a big topic
on campus.
The audience reacted
strongly to a story Shields told
from 1998, when slanderous
posters were placed in
Quaker tradition alive - concerns
formed perhaps by the changes asso
ciated with SLRP.
Issues addressed ranged from the
crisis in valuable Quaker leaders, to
Quaker decision-making, to Guilford
plans to remain Quaker-affiliated.
In that Guilford never has been
declared a "Quaker school," recent
changes actually show new initiative
in keeping its Quaker identity. This
can be seen in the newly instated sign
at Guilford's main entrance, "Founded
in 1837 by the Society of Friends."
The discussion led to a debate on
whether Guilford should be consid
ered a religious school and the nega
tive connotations that might have for
prospective students.
The conclusion of the panel discus
Founders hall. Molly Martin,
LaShaira Fulwood and Tanya
Fousek were running for
Senate and Budget
Committee. Martin is white,
but had an African American
on her ticket, and Fulwood
and Fousek are African
American.
Regardless of intent, cam
pus members recognized
those actions as racial hate
crimes.
However, in some instances
the faculty and administrators
were not as accommodating
to ethnic diversity as the stu
dents.
Minnette Coleman will per
form her one-woman show
"Hand Me Downs" in
Sternberger Auditorium at 7
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In it Coleman references her
difficulties with a white institu
tion that she was a part of -
Guilford. This is her first time
performing it at the college.
"It is a play about the Civil
Rights movement and how it
parallels her experiences at
Guilford," said Judy Harvey,
Director of Multicultural
Education.
The play is being performed
during African American
Alumni weekend with hopes
that there will be other people
willing to share their perspec
tives on past racism at
Guilford.
"I think it's going to be real
ly powerful," said Harvey.
sion was followed by questions about
the role of non-Quaker students at a
Quaker institution.
"The non-Quakers at a Quaker
school are the best defenders of
(Quaker) core values, and Quakers
are the best critics," said Farquar.
The fundamental values of
Quakerism nurture the decision-mak
ing of Guilford in silence, peace,
integrity, community, and equality, said
Kathy Coe, Guilford trustee and
Quaker minister. These values are
important to the way Guilford operates
as a Quaker school.
"The process of being student-orien
tated is the process of a Quaker
school," said Adrienne Israel,
Academic Dean, the only non-Quaker
on the panel.