BLACK INK
October, 1972
On Pseudo
Blackness
Let’s take a few minutes, brothers and sisters, to look at
ourselves. Let’s forget for now about the man and the other brothers
and sisters. I will look at me, and you look at you . . .
HOW DO I FEEL?
This is the question we all must deal with first. The feeling of true
Blackness comes from within. Unless one knows himself and his real
committment to a struggle, he is actually a part of the problem.
My vibrations are “shakey” about the amount of self-awareness
(and, consequently, committment to the struggle) we Black students
at UNC have. Many of us are talking Black and looking Black, but
are we really feeling it?? If so, why all the competition?
We’re playing games, brothers and sisters; we’re really playing
games. Check it out!!
DO I KNOW MYSELF?? When we do, we won’t have to play
games; we won’t have to compete with each other - we’ll compete
with ourselves, to see how much “1” can do to make things better.
THE FEELING OF TRUE BLACKNESS COMES FROM WITHIN.
It makes me cringe (do you know how it feels when the prof
scratches the chalk across the blackboard?) to see the way we niggers
compete with each other - to see who can be the baddest Black man
or woman; who can write the deepest poem; who can talk the most
shit to and about the whitey; who can wear the biggest ‘fro; who can
be known by the most people on campus (be it the “establishment”
or the brothers and sisters); who can wear the baddest rags . . . need
I go on?? We’re competing about everything!
Brothers and sisters, we’ve got to stop checking each other out
and check out ourselves. We Blacks need to be involved and
committed - but not for a show!! By just considering the situation
closely, any Black student here can feel Black without having to
pretend! Come on, bloods, don’t play games with yourself! Get
out there and deal with the system for a while - you’ll know the
feeling!!
Being “too” Black can drive one insane - an illusion of Blackness,
like any illusion, just ain’t real!
Just be cool and check out yourself and your surroundings - you
will feel it, because whether you ACTUALLY realize it or not, you
ARE Black!!
BLACK CALENDAR
October 24 Central Committee meeting, 215 Student Union,
7:30 p.m.
October 28* Langston Hughes’ “Tambourines to Glory”
presented by the Ebony Expressions Community
Theatre Group of Chapel Hill, Great Hall, 7:30
p.m.
October 31 Central Committee meeting, 215 Student Union,
7:30 p.m.
November 1* NCCU Black Artists exhibit. Souther Gallery of
Student Union, the entire month.
November 10 BSM general meeting, 111 Murphy, 7:30 p.m.
November 12 Free Flick: Sweet, Sweetback’s, Great Hall, 6:30
& 9:00 p.m.
November 17* BSM Talent Show, Memorial Hall.
November 21 * James Cates Memorial in the Pit.
*Dates are tenative.
anyone having knowledge of activities that would
be of interest to the Black Community, please
contact:
Emma Pullen
650 Morrison
(933-4186)
BLACK INK
I
Valerie Batts
Editor in Chief
Mitzi Bond
Associate Editor
Doris Stith
Managing Editor
Gwen Harvey
Feature Editor
Angela Bryant
News Editor
Leonard Lee
Sports Editor
Ida Dew
Lay-Out Editor
Milton McCoy
Photography Editor
Mary Laceweli
Minister oj Information
BLACK INK, published monthly by the UNC BLACK
STUDENT MOVEMENT. All unsigned editorials represent
the opinions of the editor. All columns represent only the
opinions of the Individual contributors, l.elters to the
Editor may be addres.sed to BLACK INK, 261 B, Carolina
Student Union, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,
N.C. 27514.
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Union slights Blacks
by Deborah Austin
Staff Writer
The Frank Porter Graham
Student Union Information
Desk buzzes with activity
informing the student body of
the great activities planned for
them. What hard working Black
Student would dare miss our
homecoming show starring The
Hollies with Raspberries? And
let’s not forget the other
upcoming Carmichael concerts.
Why on Thursday, October 19,
we will all be graced with the
Paths to
Blackness
by Larry Mixon
Staff Writer
“Think Black, talk Black, act
Black, create Black, buy Black,
vote Black, and live Black.”
—Maulana Ron Karenga
It is again time for us, as
Black students to come together,
read, talk, and argue upon a
common premise as to what our
Black values are. In the past.
Black students, especially at
non-Black universities, have read
and discussed the words of Black
thinkers such as Malcolm X,
Stokely Carmichael, and even
Martin Luther King. They have
discussed the meanings of their
truths and acted upon them.
In the early 60’s, Black
students under Martin’s
philosophy of non-violent direct
action, agreed upon its relevance
and moved to form the Student
Non-Violent Co-ordinating
Committee, freedom marches
and sit-ins. This caused the
crumbling of the legal
segregation-caste system.
Inspired by the relevance of
Malcolm’s fiery words, students
moved to formulate the growth
and rise of Blackness, i.e. Black
power, Black beauty. Black
pride - Black people.
In both instances. Black
students confronted their
surroundings, forced the issues,
and caused change in the status
quo-something which we as
Black people desperately need.
At no time did they sit back and
become content and apathetic.
They saw clearly their
surroundings with all its
illusions, fantasies, and cruel
realities. This is what we, as
Black students today, must
continue to do. Open our eyes,
our mouths, and converse with
cach other.
Read Bobby Seale’s “Seize
the lime” and discu.ss its
relevance towards our condition.
Revive W.I-.B. DuUois and his
old realizations-which are still
very pertinent to our condition.
THINK! Look at your
situation here and see how
‘Black’ your future is going to be.
Question the feasibility of
integration or seperatism as a
technique to attain your
people’s liberation and the
liberation of your children who
will not be just existing
individually, but will be part of
the continuing Black masses.
So, organize here at UNC in
you very own dorms. Bloods,
come together; read, discuss, and
agree upon a Black agenda for
liberation.
‘Red is For The Blood.
Black Is For The People.
Green Is For The Land.’'
presence of Jackson Browne!
and after Stevie Wonder and
Osibisa at Duke University
Saturday night, won’t we be
proud to take our visiting friends
to see Stills and Cross, that bad
folk group, on November 13.
By this time you should have
realized that I am being very
facetious. One must admit that
entertainment-wise the Union
has definitely forgotten or
overlooked the Black students
on campus. There is no way that
Dick Gregory or Les Africans
Ballets who will be in Memorial
Hall on March 7, 1973 can
satisfy the need of the Black
Students. Now we will have to
provide for ourselves with
limited funds and facilities.
There are two Black flicks on
the Union Schedule—Shaft,
which was shown on September
24 and Sweetback which is to be
shown on November 12. And
the Union is always open for
those who like bowling or
billiards and pool.
Somewhere within the walls
of the Union there is a music
listening and browsing library
open seven days a week from I
p.m. to 10 p.m.
It cannot be said enough that
the Black Students have
definitely been slighted. If there
has been anything more planned
for us, it is definitely an A-1 top
secret.
FREEDOM
by Monte
Are we free, my people?
Or is this a dream?
Will we ever awake?
And when we do, will we scream?
When we get it will we rant and rave
To satisfy freedom’s crave?
Or maybe we’ll just be satisfied
To let our new bag be tarnished and not glorified.
Complacency is our history.
Why this is so is a mystery.
But now it’s high time we awake
And make the whole DAMN earth shake!
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM THOSE WHO ENDURED . . .
by Frederick Douglass
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to
favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops
without plowing up the ground. They want the rain without the
thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar
of her mighty waters. The struggle may be a physical one, and it may
be a moral one, or it may be both moral and physical, but there
must be a struggle, Power concedes nothing without a demand. It
hever has, and it never will ”
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