Friday, February 22, 1991
THE BENNETT BANNER
PAGE THREE
Belles approve of African-American as racial name
by Monica L. Hawkins
What’s in a name?
What name should be used,
African-American or Black
American? This is a question
that many African-Americans
and or black Americans are
striving to answer.
The question of identity is
not only a concern of promi
nent African-American and
black leaders across the
nation, but a concern of stu
dents and teachers on this
campus.
Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks,
executive director of NAACP,
gave his opinion in Ebony
Magazine. “Our primary con
cern remains the protection
and enhancement of civil
rights, sheltering the home
less, defending the powerless,
finding jobs for the jobless,
caring for the helpless, fight
ing the scourge of crack and
other drugs and making our
communities safe. Therefore
the dialogue about what we
call ourselves should not over
shadow the more immediate
and pressing problems that
afflict our community,” Hooks
said.
Ms. Charmaine McKissick-
Kemp, director of the Inter
disciplinary Studies Program,
explains her view. “We have
been defined by the majority
race as number of things
ranging from coon, Negro,
even nigger. I feel it’s time
for us as African-Americans
or blacks to define ourselves
instead of someone else telling
us who we are.”
A poll was r^ently taken
on campus, asking students
which name they preferred
to be called. 70 percent said
they want to be called Afri
can-American, 25 percent said
it does not matter what they
are called, and 5 percent chose
Black American.
Stefanie Warren, a sopho
more business administration
major, tells why it does
matter what name is used.
“Basically they are the same
thing. We have been called
African-American and Black
American, so why do we keep
changing?”
The name African-Amer-
ican is very inspiring for
Christine Clyne, sophomore
political science major. “Our
ancestors are from Africa
and the first people originated
from Africa, and that is
something that we can’t neg
lect.”
Ramona H. Edelin, presi
dent of National Urban Coali
tion, stated in Ebony Maga
zine why the name African-
American must be claimed.
“We must unify. We want
African people throughout the
world to refer to ourselves ^
Africans wherever we are in
the diaspora. This is our
proper geopolitical identifica
tion. It is our obligation to r^
construct our culture at this
critical point in history so
that we can move forward
and not be satisfied with one
or two people rising to the
surface. Calling ourselves
African-American is the first
step in the cultural offensive.
Our cultural renaissance can
change our lot in the nation
and around the world.”
On the opposite side of the
issue are those who do not
see the point of being called
African-American. The term
black is very suitable.
Sophomore Kim Dargan,
ma’oring in broadcast com
munications, explains how
she feels. “I feel that we live
in the United States and there
are different shades of the
color black. African-American
sounds like we are all from
Africa, and everybody that is
black is not from Africa. The
people from Africa when they
come to the United States can
become a citizen of the
United States and they are
called African-American, and
we are from the United States
and we are already Amer
icans, and we are black. It
would seem to me that we
would be called Black Amer
ican because there are so
many different heritages.”
Dr. T. J. Jemison, president
of the National Baptist Con
vention U.S.A. INC., gives
his opinion in Ebony. “I
see no particular need to
change. I am comfortable
with the term ‘Black.’ I’ve
gone through changes in the
deep south over the word
‘Negro.’ I fought with the
press here in Baton Rouge,
La., to write the word ‘Negro’
with a capital N. Then we got
them to go to Black. I don’t
see any need for me to make
any change at this time. Afri
can-American is all right for
those who like the term. I’m
perfectly at ease and accept
the term ‘Black!’ I don’t see
any need to identify us as
‘African-Americans.’ I will
use what I’ve been using
‘Black.’ ”
Rivers delivers a rousing address
by Rehan Overton
King Holiday got off to a
rousing start this year as un
suspecting students got a jolt
of adrenalin during the an
nual convocation services
commemorating the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The guest speaker, Mr. Nelson
Rivers III, executive director
of the South Carolina NAA
CP, began his address by
saying that “I can’t think of
anyplace I’d want to be than
with all my beautiful African-
American sisters here at
Bennett College.”
From that moment on.
Rivers captured the attention
of everyone with his fiery
and passionate words de
nouncing President Bush’s
use of Jan. 15 as the deadline
for war in the Persian Gulf.
“How dare George Bush do
that to the legacy of Dr.
Martin Luther King!” Rivers
dubbed Dr. King as the “20th
century prophet” and added
that if he were alive Dr. King
would ask us ardently, “What-
cha gonna do?”
Students cheered and ap
plauded Rivers as he conjured
up realistic and musical sce
narios about college life,
male/female relationships, on
campus, and the duty of
young African-American
women to “walk the high
road of excellence.” “Com
mand respect from these
young men and know who and
whose you are! You must love
yourself before anyone loves
you.”
Rivers gave his listeners
the 5 C’s of leadership: con
fidence, competence, consis
tency, compassion and cour
age. “Our ancestors were the
masters of excellence ... We
don’t need anymore trifling
black folk!” he said.
Rivers declared that the
“King Holiday has been made
into a monument instead of
the remembrance of a man.”
Rivers eloquently used a
metaphor of a man’s search
for an eagle amongst birds
who didn’t know how to fly.
“We are eagles,” he said. “We
are supposed to fly!” Rivers
received a very deserved
standing ovation.
“We Shall Overcome,” the
anthem of Dr. King’s civil
rights and peace movement,
rang throughout the chapel
as the audience stood, hands
grasped in unity, hoping and
praying for a more peaceful
world, dreaming about the day
when the words of the song
will finally come true.
“Each One-Reach One” succeeds
by Olivia M. Rowe
When Keturah Morehead,
an eighth grade student at
Lincoln Middle School, began
her tutoring sessions, she
was an average student.
However, after achieving a
goal to make an “A” in one
of her classes, her new goal
is to make straight “A’s.”
Morehead is one of the
many children in grades K-12
participating in the “Each
One-Reach One” pro^am
implemented by the National
Black Child Development
Institute of Greensboro
(NBCDI).
Daughter and Mom are triumphant
“Each One-Reach One” is
a multi-faceted academic en
richment program designed
to improve the self-esteem
and performance of children
who are academically at risk.
The State of North Carolina
devised a definition for the
term ‘at risk,’ according to
June Valdes, assistant pro
gram director for the NBCDI
of Greensboro. “The definition
is so broad that it can include
any child,” said Valdes. “If a
child hasn’t been on public
transportation, that child is
considered at risk. We can
(see page 4)
(from page 2)
I don’t know why, but at
that moment something was
different, something sizzled
inside of me, and I knew that
I couldn’t allow her to make
it up those stairs. Maybe it
had been the cold water on
my face, or maybe there had
just been too many years of
silence in that house.
“So, are you going to tell
me what’s wrong,?” I said.
I almost choked on my words,
or maybe it was just that
lump the size of a plum that
got stuck in my throat.
She stopped abruptly mid
way up the stairs and she
beamed down on me. I could
feel my face getting warm
again. I wanted another
splash of water. But this time
I looked her straight in the
eyes; I took the heat. But as
I looked into my mother’s
eyes, I seemed to be looking
into something deeper. May
be it was the little girl inside
of her because I saw som^
thing I had never seen in
her before—weakness.
“I just had a hard day,
baby, that’s all.”
“I know I’m your baby
girl, but I’m also a young
woman, and if you want to
talk, if I’ve offended you, you
can tell me. We can talk about
it; you can open up; but the
silence, it’s killing us, so
please, please don’t abuse
yourself this way,” my voice
quivered.
“It’s just so easy to abuse
myself. Everybody else does.
Everybody else does all day
at work, so I just get used
to it. I guess, and I bring it
home with me, and I can’t
stop, it’s easier.” I heard her
words, and I wanted to say
something, but I didn’t know
what to say. She was almost
unaffected by what she had
just said, and I knew she was
hurting, but she couldn’t
really feel it anymore. And
there was silence, silence
bouncing off of her, and me
and the walls. Then she took
another step, but I couldn’t
let her go.
“Mommy, if you can’t stop
abusing yourself, well, could
you please stop abusing me.
Can we please stop the sil
ence?” I pleaded.
“Abusing you?” At first
she looked at me as if I were
some kind of enigma, but
then something snapped in
side of her too, and she
started down the stairs. I
didn’t know how she was
feeling, but I wasn’t finished.
I was going to tell her what
I had been harboring for
nearly eighteen years.
“I never know what’s
wrong with you, but you al
ways make me feel like it’s
my fault, like I’m two years
old again. You look at me
with those scoraful eyes, and
it makes me sick, sick physi
cally and mentally.”
At that moment I really
didn’t care how she felt, but
I felt triumphant. And I was
crying aloud, but not for me,
or even for her, but for us,
and for what we had accom
plished that day, for the hug
we shared, and for the break
ing of the silence, the shat
tering of the silence, and for
the death of the silence.
Single Mom has strength
by Elizabeth Richardson
The typical life of a teen
age girl is filled with slumber
parties, jump rope, school and
the signs of puberty, but 15-
year old LaTonya does not fit
this mold.
LaTonya (fictitious name)
gave birth to a baby girl when
she was 13 and in the eighth
grade. The father Eric was
18.
“My mother told me it could
happen, but I trusted Eric to
be careful,” she said.
When she found out she
was pregnant, she was al
ready four months along and
did not have the money to
consider an abortion. She went
straight to Eric for advice.
At first, he disclaimed pater
nity, but then he started to
plan for the baby.
One of the hardest deci
sions LaTonya and Eric had
to make was how to tell their
parents. They agreed Eric
should take resiwnsibility.
Having endured their parents’
castigation, they are now
dealing with the ups and
downs of parenthood and re
ceiving aid from their
parents.
How did it feel to be preg
nant and give birth at such
a young age? LaTonya said,
“When I started showing at
first, I was embarrassed be
cause I was the only one, but
most of them girls I went to
school with had had abortions
so after a while it didn’t
bother me. Even giving birth
wasn’t all that bad. It was
painful but Eric was there
for support and Erica came
right out. I guess the hard
part came after the delivery
and me and Erica came home.
Even though my mother and
my father and Eric and his
parents took a lot of the res
ponsibility, most of it was on
me. Between Erica and my
school work, I didn’t do any
thing else.”
She admits that it was
very hard caring for her baby
because she was but a baby
herself and did not know what
she had done to herself and
her carefree lifestyle.
Now LaTonya is 15, her
ex-boyfriend Eric is 20 and
their daughter Erica is 2.
Even though she and Eric are
not together, he still takes
responsibility for his daugh
ter’s well-being and he and
LaTonya plan for her future.
LaTonya feels blessed to have
gotten pregnant by a guy like
Eric because even though
there is a five year span be
tween their ages he has never
left her alone in the raising
of their daughter.
“Even though we broke up
a while back, we are still
friends, and he never did not
claim Erica as being his, and
if he ever showed me he loved
me, he showed me by never
leaving me alone to care for
our daughter,” said LaTonya.
LaTonya’s day starts at
6 a.m. when she dresses her
self for school and Erica for
daycare. By 7 ;30, Eric has
picked up Erica, and LaTonya
is on her way to school where
she is a member of the honor
society and maintains a 3.85
g.p.a. After school there are
no extra-curricular activities
except feeding and playing
with Erica, then putting her
to bed, after which LaTonya
does her homework. She
watches a little TV and goes
to bed.
For being 15, LaTonya is
very mature. She does not
outwardly regret her “very
grown-up” lifestyle, saying
“God does not put on anyone
any more than they can stand.
Though I never thought it
could happen to me, I am now
part of a growing statistic
and I am not going to let that
keep me down, for my sake
and the sake of my daugh
ter.”
You wanted
Spring Break
and now It is here
Get there safely
So you can
celebrate
in good cheer