BLACK INK
October, 1972
Black Student Movement Newsletter, UNC, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514
Volume 4, Number 2
1
Legal lynching
in Chavis trial
Francine Randolph, Miss BSM
Randolph
Miss BSM
Francine Randolph, a
sophomore nursing major and
Johnston scholar from Kinston,
N.C., was named Miss Black
Student Movement at the second
annual coronation ball pn Oct.
13. Before a crowd of 300
students and guests in Great
Hall, Miss Randolph pledged “to
uphold the honor that this title
bestows and to continue as
director of the gospel choir.”
Other members of the court
were: first runnerup - Valerie
Batts, second runnerup —
Theresa Burnette, and maids of
honor — Ruby Fuller, Theressa
Whitley, and Sadie Baldwin. A
long stem rose symbolizing
honor, beauty and service was
presented to each member of the
court.
Warren Carson acted as
Master of Ceremony while Doris
Stith, Miss BSM 1971-72,
presented the awards. A plaque
was presented to Mae McLendon
as honorary Miss BSM for four
years of unselfish service to the
organization.
In tribute to the court,
“Sometimes I Feel Like A
Motherless Child” was sung by a
freshman vocal ensemble. The
Opeyo Dance Group gave a
touching and dramatic
performance of “I Told Jesus.”
Ebony Readers, a group made
up of freshmen also, did selected
readings from a play “Three X
Love,” by Ron Zuber.
For the remainder of the
evening, the audience was
thoroughly entertained by “Free
People,” of Wilmington, N.C.,
whose mucial diversity ran from
Jimmy Hendrick’s “Purple
Haze” to Kool and the Gang’s
“Chocolate Buttermilk.”
The ball ended at two, but its
spirit continues.
Power to the people!
By Angela Bryant
This is nothing but the same
old formula; political activism +
Radical Ideology = political
prisoner. These arrests are
designed to give the impression
that political activists have
committed criminal acts against
the people. This diverts the
attention of the people from
their just struggle against
oppression and powerlessness, to
a short term struggle to raise bail
or legal defense funds, thus
destroying the “will” of the
people.
The trial of Rev. Ben Chavis
and the Wilmington 16 for states
charges began on September 11
in Burgaw, North Carolina. The
state alleges that these charges of
conspiracy to commit arson and
assault occured during the
‘Wilmington Insurrection’ of
February 4-6, 1971.
The struggle began in
Wilmington with a series of
racial incidents in the schools for
which only Black students were
punished. Following these
incidents a list of demands were
presented to the school
administration for Black studies
and personnel and for review of
the cases of suspension of these
Black students. Sporatic fires
and sniping ensued. Blacks
marched on city hall and asked
for a curfew to protect the Black
community from white
vigilantes.
A Black youth, Gibbs
Stevenson Corbett, was killed by
the police allegedly in the line of
duty protecting a fireman from
sniper fire. A curfew and the
National Guard were called in
only after a white man, Harvey
Cumber, was found killed in a
wave of sniper fire. Ben Chavis,
organizer for the North
Carolina-Virginia Commission
for Racial Justice and minister
of the Church of the Black
Messiah “came down ... to
mobilize the Black community
behind students.” He publicly
charged “the mayor and city
council with conspiracy in
setting up the Black community
for annihilation.”
In December, they began
making arrests. They charged
Rev. Chavis and Jim Grant, a
Black newsman, with
‘conspiracy to aid individuals to
escape custody, and possession
of explosive devices, in
connection with a Black
rebellion in Oxford, N.C. two
years ago.
Both were released on bond.
Rev. Chavis was charged, a week
later, with accessory after the
fact to the shotgun death of
Eugene Wright on "March 17,
with two sisters and two other
brothers. Suddenly nine months
later, the police uncover that all
those in the house conspired to
hide the murder of Wright by
one of the other brothers, Don
Nixon, the murder, was out on
$3000 bond while activists,
Chavis and Sister Mollie Hicks
had bail over three times as
much.
Chavis was arrested for a
second time in two weeks on
charges of conspiracy to ihurder
Harvey Cumber. Placed under
Gregory: Youth for peace
By Mae Israel
Speaking to a capacity crowd
in Memorial Hall on Sept. 26,
Black political activist and
former nightclub comedian,
Dick Gregory praised the young
people of America for being
“the most morally honest,
dedicated group of people that
ever lived.”
“Never before has any group
had on its shoulders what you
have on yours,” Gregory
emphasized. “Young people
have a big job to do, but not too
much time. You were left with
the problems but the old folks
used all the tricks. It is up to
you to clean up this sick, slimy,
degenerate nation.
According to Gregory, the
American youth have to fight
the hypocrisy of the older
generation. “The old folks left
you a bad check with no more
cash,” he explained.
As freelance humanitarian,
Gregory urged the youth to
develop peace, harmony, and
respect for the right ideals in
society. “Man has more respect
for flags and songs than he has
for one another,” he said. “1
hope when you get through
doing your thing, we’ll feel
toward another the way we feel
about the flag.”
Concerning race relations,
Gregory called the white
students “the new niggers.”
“America’s mentality is such
that it has to have a nigger.
Black people were not always
America’s nigger. At one time,
we didn’t even qualify. Until the
I960’s the Jews, Irish, and
Catholics were the niggers. Now
the qualifications have changed.
If you have long hair, wear a
dirty tee shirt, no bra and
sandals, you are it.”
C; regory warned while
students about making the same
mistake as the other niggers.
“They only wanted to get out.
You must insure that alter you,
there will be no more niggers,”
he added. "We ex-niggers want
to say to you new niggers.
Thank you baby.”
As a political analyst,
Gregory said the 18 year olds
only have “the right to elect but
not to select.” He criticized the
government for playing tricks on
the people. Gregory told the
youth. “Don’t let the super
freaks get you into their bag.”
For 18 months Gregory has
not eaten any solid food in
protest of the Vietnam war. He
feels that this fast, which will
not end until the war does,
“serves as a rallying point of the
positive forces in the U.S.”
Gregory has fasted many times
to illustrate various causes:
America's drug problem led to a
71 day fast beginning August.
1970.’
First famous as a professional
comedian, Dick Gregory is now
a recording artist, author,
lecturer, actor, social satirist,
critic and philosopher.
$75,000 bond this time, Chavis
was arrested with 6 other
brothers and a white woman. All
were charged with various
offenses, ranging from assault on
emergency personnel to arson.
Wilmington police Chief, H.E.
Williamson said, “I’m the
happiest damn police chief in
the whole country. I think we
have the majority of those who
made trouble for us last
February.”
The state’s key witness, Allen
Hall, who has been in and out of
mental institutions for several
years and convicted for arson
and assault netting him 12 years
in prison, was the highlight of
the hearing. There were many
contradictions in the witness’
testimony. There was visible
evidence that all defendants had
been maced and beaten in their
cells.
On April 8, the federal trial
of Chavis and Dr. James Grant
began in Raleigh on charges of
“conspiracy to commit an
offense against the U.S.
government and aiding and
abetting a federal fugitive to
escape the country.” Theodore
Alfred Hood, facing 30 years in
prison, and Walter Washington,
facing 60 years in charges, had
all charges dismissed against
them in exchange for testimony
against Chavis and Grant. The
jury found Chavis innocent of all
charges, but mysteriously
found Grant guilty of all
charges. Chavis was returned to
New Hanover County Jail under
S50,000 bond to await state
charges on May 1.
The county solicitor’s office
requested a mistrial, because
after the first week of jury
selection, the solicitor became ill
with “intestinal flu.” A mistrial
was granted on 12th at which
time the potential jury was
composed of ten Blacks and two
whites. After bri lliant
representation by attornies
James Ferguson and associates,
bail was lowered and on June
14th the prisoners gained their
temporary freedom. On October
9, the state rested its case after
five weeks of trial in Burgaw.
The Conference on Dual
Justice and Political Oppression
asks that you “use whatever
influence you may have to
protest the state’s conspiracy to
legally hang these defendants.”
Also protest that another trial
after the mistrial is “double
jeopardy” which is in violation
of the constitution. YOU ARE
THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN
STOP THIS POLITICAL
TRIAL!
Please organize and publicize
this injustice and this oppressive
dual justice system. “If they
take him in the morning, they
will be coming for us at night.”