THE BENNETT BANNER ^,3
'‘Believing that an informed campus is a Key to Democracy”
Wednesday, May 27, 1969 BENNETT COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N.C. VOL. XXXIll NO. 7
SOBU May Replace NSA
Nelson Johnson
Black Univ. Instituted
Malcolm X Liberation Univer
sity is planning to open its doors
full-time this Sept. in Durham,
The idea for the University came
out of a struggle by black stu
dents at Duke University to make
that institution relevant to black
eople. The students ran up a-
gainst the usual brick wall of
racism, and decided a counter
institution was necessary for
their survival. In April the idea
became a reality with the opening
of the university on a part time
basis. The response was so over
whelming that the decision was
made to pursue the development
of MXLU on a full-time basis.
A series of meetings were held
with students, faculty, and other
black people throu^outN.C. get
ting ideas for the development
of the university. On May 2, 3,
and 4, a work retreat was held
at Franklington Center in Bricks
The participants came from the
initial meetings, and from other
waces throughout the country.
The results of these sessions
now serve as the base for the
continued development of Mal
colm X Liberation University,
Because the founders feel the
existing system of education does
not respond to the needs of the
black community--does not pro
vide an ideological or practical
methodology for meeting the phy
sical, social, psychological, eco
nomic and cultural needs of black
people, Malcolm X Liberation
University is a direct response
to this vacuum. Also, they say it
is clear that the revolutionary
struggle of Africans in this coun
try has reached a level where
there must total understanding
of the relationship between black
people in this country and the
whole Pan-African liberation
truggle. Blacks are oppressed
because they are black and, the
community is not determined by
geography, but wherever black
people are within the community.
To accomplish Its goal, Mai-
colm X Liberation University
must develop a black revolu
tionary Ideology, crystallize and
project positive self-awareness
for black people, and create an
educational process that builds
and disseminates concepts and
techniques to the black commun
ity. It shall move to analyze the
existing political systems as they
relate to black people, and study
the institutions of colonizing so
cieties, such as those in the U.S.
which influence the thinking of
black people. It is apparent that
this effort must be build around
the development of a concept of
self-determination and undying
love among black people,
Malcolm X Liberation Uni-
versity represents a real alter,
native for Black people seeking
liberation from the misconcep
tion of an institutionalized ra
cist education.
Any Black person who accepts
the goals and objectives of the
university, (stated in the pre
ceding paragraphs), is eligible
for entrance. Students will be
selected on the basis of a per
sonal interview, one must sub
mit an application. To apply,
write to Howard Fuller, Mai-
colm X Liberation University,
c/o Foundation for Community
Development, Post Office Box
647, Durham, N.C. 27702, In
order to allow equal considera
tion to all applicants, all ap
plications must be in by Jidy
31, 1969,
An interim committee, which
is charged with making the de
cisions necessary to open the
university in Sept., will review
all prospective resource people
(formerly known as faculty).
Members of the Interim Com
mittee are sister Bertie Ho-
ward, student, at Duke Univer
sity; brother Nelson Johnson,
newly elected vice president at
A&T Univ,; brother James Vau-
ghn, student at N.C.C.; sister
Faye Edwards, Program Con
sultant at Cornell Univ,; brother
q.t, jackson, student at Howard
Univ.; brother T.D. Pawley, lee-
turer at MIT, brother Howard
Fuller, Director of Training for
the Foimdation for Community
Development; brother Jim Gar.
rett. Director of Black studies
Program at Federal City College;
brother Jim (Kwame) McDonald,
Rutgers Univ.; brother Frank
Williams, co-ordinator for black
Students United for Liberation;
brother Cleveland Sellars In-
The following is a resolution by
the black student participants at
NSA Southern area conference,
Atlanta, Ga.; Feb, 15, 1969,
WHEREAS: The U.S. National
Student Association claims a le-
gitimate concern with all issues
which affect students in their
role as students, it has not con-
cerned itself with the issues and
legitimate concern of black stu
dents, and
WHEREAS: The U.S. National
Student Association has used
black college students as pawns
in order to maintain a facade of
representing all students, and
WHEREAS: The U.S. National
Student Association has ir
responsibility denied black stu
dents an effective role in shaping
policy and determining direction
for the organization, and
WHEREAS: The U.S. National
Student Association has provided
no meaningful service to Black
colleges, and has made no at
tempts to deal specifically with
problems peculiar to Black stu.
dents, and
WHEREAS: The U.S. National
Student Association has used me
thods of financial attraction to
further divide Black students,
and
WHEREAS: The U.S. National
Student Association is infiltra
ted by the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) and with the Fed
eral Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
and has publicly admitted its
connection with the CIA and or
ganizations which oppress peo
ples of glory, and
WHEREAS: This conference on
the University and Racism spon
sored by the U.S. National Stu
dent Association has been a com
plete failure and has only pointed
out how racist this organization
is, and so be it resolved that we,
the Black students representa
tives of colleges, universities,
and black student organizations,
denounce the United State Na
tional Student Association as a
racist *rganization that perpet
uates division among black stu-
dents, we further urge all black
students across the country to
sever their affiliation with the
USNSA.
(Bennett students who attended
the conference and who support-
ed the resolution are Doris Scott,
student government president;
Sandra Philpott, newly elected
president of the student govern,
ment, and Linda Silver, newly
elected corresponsing secretary
for the Student government.)
As a result of the resolution
taken at the Atlanta Conference
steps were taken to establish a
new organization that would meet
the needs of Black students. The
result was SOBU (Student Organi-
zation for Black Unity) a three
day conference held at A&T,
May 8-10. Approximately sixty
students from various colleges
and universities came together
to establish SOBU as an official
student organization. Bennett was
an active participant at the con-
ference.
SOBU went on record as op
posing Black capitalism, stating
that it was simply white capi
talism in reverse, exploiting the
masses for economic gains. The
delegates emphasized that SOBU
was not established as a com
petitive organization to other al.
ready established Black organi-
zations, but that SOBU would
strive to work in harmony with
these organizations.
The conference delegates also
urged that students at white in
stitutions should raise money to
hear Black lectures.
The fifth major resolution was
the establishment of a Black de
fense alliance to be used as a
protective arm of SOBU.
The delegates agreed on having
the SOBU headquarters tempora-
rily located at the headquarters
of Malcolm X Liberation Uni-
versity in Durham. Malcolm X
University was also recommend
ed to be the Black University
with the establishment of various
branches to the main university.
The representatives at the con-
ference established a yearly
membership fee to SOBU of $200.
per school, recommending that
the fee be paid from the treasury
of the institutions student govern
ment, It was indicated that cer
tain allowances might be made
for Black student organizations
on \rtiite campuses.
Area conferences of SOBU will
be held in October with the na-
tional conference being tenta
tively scheduled for Novembet,
At the closing session, Nelson
Johnson, newly elected vice
president of A&T's student body,
was elected as national con
vener for SOBU, Johnson stated
that he would work very hard
for the development of this black
student organization.
Whitney M. Young
structor at Cornell Univ.
The university will accept ap-
plications from any black people
who feel they can make a con-
tributio«"to the goals and object,
ives of the university as a re-
source. Financial grangements
will be discussed with the ap.
plicant.
The tuition for Malcolm X
Liberation University is a mini,
mum 3f $300,00, Any student
capable of paying more will be
requested to do so.
Graduation Speakers
Whitney M. Young, Jr., Execu-
tive Director of the National
Urban League, will be Bennett’s
96th Commencement speaker. He
assumed the leadership of this
organization on October 1, 1961,
climaxing seven years of Urban
League service. After seven
years as Dean of the Atlanta
University School of Social Work.
Born in Kentucky, he attended
Lincoln institute and graduated
from Kentucky State College in
1941. After service in the army,
he did graduate work at Mass
achusetts Institute of Technology,
and the University of Minnesota,
from which he received his Mas
ters degree in 1947. During the
academic year 1960-61 he was
a visiting scholar at Harvard
University,
A lecturer and writer, his book,
“To Be Equal”, was published
in 1964 by Mcgraw Hill, and a
second, entitled “BeyondRa-
cism” is now in preparation, A
column-To be Equal appears in
93 newspapers across the country
and is carried by 20 radio sta-
tions.
Rev. Dr. J.E. Lowery, Mini-
ster, Central United Methodist
Church, Atlanta, Ga., will be the
Baccalaurate speaker. Rev. Low
ery, a native of Alabama is
m
Rev. Dr. J.E. Lowery
chairman of the board, Southern
Christian Leadership Conference
and Is one of Its founders. He has
been active in civil rights move-
ments and voted outstanding citi-
zen of the year on two occasions.
The man who talks the most
about what he is willing to do
Is not always the man who
reaches in his pocket when
the call for cash for a worthy
cause Is heard.