4
BLACK INK
Oclobcr. 1972
Dr. Brewer (Photo bv Russell Davis)
Brewer: BSM
important
by Mae Israel
Floyd James-
Mr. Wizard
by Gwen Harvey
Feature Editor
For Dr. James H. Brewer,
professor of Afro-American
Studies, rapping with students is
as important as his interest in
fishing, loafing and bridge.
The big, former All-American
college football star reveals his
love of his “brothers and sisters”
through his endorsement of the
UNC Black Student Movement
and emphasis on Black
awareness and appreciation.
Dr. Brewer feels that the BSM
has a definite role in the
University. “It is the training
ground to provide experiences
for Blacks for those they’ll need
in life, like with the NAACP or
Urban League,” he explained.
“It is imperative that Blacks
have something that they can
personally identify with and call
their own,” Dr. Brewer
emphasized. He believes that
“one cannot underestimate the
meaning of the BSM and the
contributions of its leaders to
the university.”
According to Dr. Brewer, an
organization like the BSM
enables Blacks to make the
proper adjustments on
predominantly white campuses.
Students who participate in such
groups reveal the creativity of
the Black experience.
As the co-director of the
Afro-American Studies Program
on campus and instructor of
Afro-Am 40, 41, Dr. Brewer
stresses the important role of
Blacks in American History.
He tries to correct the
distortion that Blacks do not
have a rich history. “The
Afro-American courses offset
centuries that Black children
have been taught to deny their
historical existence, except that
of being a slave. The courses
bring out the trait of Black
history,” Dr. Brewer explained.
Dr. Brewer concluded that
the study of Black history
“helps Blacks to overcome
self-hate and self-negation and
enables them to move to
self-pride and self-respect.”
Concerning the political
campaign. Dr. Brewer
commented, “Upon observing
the Nixon court, the office of
the Attorney General and the
stand on forced bussing, it is
obvious to Blacks that four more
years of Nixon will not be a
rewarding experience.”
Aj a recognized authority on
Afro-American life and culture,
Dr. Brewer has lectured
throughout the United States on
Black studies. In 1970, he was
the >winner of the Mayflower
Cup for the best historical
publication in the state, THE
CONFEDERATE NEGRO. He is
now completing another book,
THE Bl.A CK ETHOS.
This past summer. Dr. Brewer
headed the Task Force for
Higher Education which
evaluated special services
programs for minority,
disadvantaged and physically
handicapped students in
institutions of higher learning.
The N. C. Historical Society
has commissioned Dr. Brewer to
write a short history of Blacks in
North Carolina. He also
participates on various other
committees.
For the last three years. Dr.
Brewer has held a joint
appointment as a professor at
North Carolina Central
University in Durham and UNC.
This year, he is functioning as a
full-time visiting professor.
BLACK LOVE
Brenda McClain
Reach
Down.
Down into the dark
Dark depts of your soul
And find the sensuous
Feelings of mood.
Black man —
Take.
Take into your arms
The genesis of life!
She has birthed and fed
A race of kings.
Warriors, inventors, explorers—
And slaves.
Black woman —
Take.
Take onto yourself
The essence of
The Black Way of Life!
Enclosed in his chest
Is the heartbeat
Of a brave and wise people.
Believe in him.
Respect him.
Move, move
Move to the intoxicating rhythm
Of our people.
Move!
You bodies and minds
Erupt like volcanoes,
Your sweat flows free
Like the Nile.
And then.
Peace as at daybreak
On the fertile plains
Of the Mother Land.
Enjoy and understand.
Forever —
One.
Brenda McClain
Watch
What
You Eat
by Gwen P. Harvey
Feature Editor
-YOU ARE WHAT YOU
EAT.”
A simple statement - one we
have all heard from time to time.
Followed by a return to eating
the greasy hamburger and french
fries heaped on our plates with a
mere shrug of the shoulder.
We all consume huge
quantities of beer, soft drinks,
potato chips, and other
delightful “junk” foods. And yet
we wonder why the pimples pop
out on the forehead, the belt
gets too tight, and we feel just
plain tired and energyless all the
time.
The problem stems from a
flagrant denial of the plain
truth: our diet is inadequate and
moreover just unnatural and
unhealthy. Sure we think we eat
well. All the time — there’s
breakfast at Chase and dinner at
the Zoom. The quantity is great,
usually too great - but consider
the quality. From breakfast to
those late night snacks we take
in mostly empty and wasteful
calories. Just try and count the
grams of protein consumed.
Yeah, protein. That stuff that is
the basis of all life. Was that
“steak” you ate for supper really
an acceptable form of animal
protein, or was it merely
mangled threads of fat, floating
in a pond of hot grease?
We have to stop kidding
ourselves. The body will
certainly let you know. But by
then it may be a bit too late.
You’ve had that one candy bar
too many. And you emerge: a
physical wreck.
Dick Gregory has the right
idea, although perhaps a little
too extreme for the novice, to
dietary theory. Try scrutinizing
what you eat. Evaluate your
diet. Don’t eat anything that
doesn’t look clean, pure, simple,
and “untampered.” Read the
labels on the things you
innocently pick up in your
friendly neighborhood grocery
store. If it sounds strange, don’t
let it enter your system.
Sure it’s hard. But you don’t
necessarily have to forsake ALL
meats, ALL starches, ALL
sweets. Merely learn to
distinguish the good from the
bad. A rational approach would
involved investing in a good
book on sound nutrition
(Frances Moore Lappe’s £)/e for
a Small Planet would be a good
choice), charting a plan to fit
your own particular dietary
needs, and being willing to
accept the fortunes derived from
feeling and looking your best
possible.
That’s a potential that
deserves not to be squandered
any longer.
UTOPIA
Jewel C. Latimore
(Johari Amini)
brothers
brothers
everywhere -
and
not a one
for Sale.
Zoom! He streaks by on his
bicycle, terrorizing pedestrians, a
“mad professor” grin flashing
across his face. So goes Floyd
James.
“People have come to know
me through the bike more than
anything else,” Floyd says with
a laugh. Then he pauses and
jokingly adds, “Except perhaps
for the stunt pulled by Travis
Anderson the weekend we all
came up for freshman
orientation. I made the mistake
of telling him my math score on
the SAT. From then on I was
known, to him and everyone
else, as ‘Mr. Wizard’.”
Floyd is a junior majoring in
physics. At least right now. But
physics? “Yeah, that ‘physics’
makes everyone do a
double-take,” Floyd smiles, “but
you should have seen some of
their reactions when I used to
say I was a chemistry and a
physics major!”
The son of an Ahoskie, North
Carolina farmer, Floyd says he
always found the subjects of
math and chemistry “fun.” It
followed naturally that he won
scholarships, came to UNC, and
gained status within his class.
These things he did despite the
lack of any specific
encouragement from a counselor
or teacher in high school.
“1 didn’t even know the thing
existed,” he says about the
James M. Johnston Scholarship
he now holds. “My guidance
counselor never suggested that I
try for a distinguished
scholarship.” Quite a neglect on
her part, considering that Floyd
had scored the second highest in
his county on the National Merit
qualifying examination.
However, Floyd continues:
“UNC called me and asked that I
come up and try for the
Johnston Scholarship.” he did,
and won. The Johnston
Scholarships are awarded to
entering students having high
academic achievements, the
financial need, and evidence of
leadership and motivation
toward purposeful life-goals.
Each year the top 120
members of the freshman class
are invited to join the Honors
College. These students are
chosen on the basis of their
predicted grade point averages.
Floyd was among them. He
accepted the priviledge gladly,
participating in the college his
freshman and sophomore years,
afterwhich the student is no long
eligible. Being a member entitled
him to take A and H courses:
small, select, advanced classes.
“A lot of hard work, but it was a
pretty good deal,” Floyd admits.
Now Floyd is as busy as he
will ever be. “This is the ‘big
year’ in the department,” he
says. “It’s either do or die now.”
In order to really understand
what Floyd means: the
department only graduated four
physics majors last year. !
Floyd is hitting the books
hard, with studies ranging from
“systems of particles and
conservation laws” to
“Maxwell’s equations and their
application to electromagnetic
waves.” “You sure do find
yourself studying a lot,” he
muses aloud.
Floyd’s big problem now is
deciding just what type of
degree he really want to attain
from this four year effort.
Originally he had wanted to try
for a B.S. in both chemistry and
physics, but soon became aware
that such an attempt would be,
to put it mildly, too strenuous.
Then he considered an A.B.
in chemistry and a B.S. in
physics, only to learn that the
university did not allow such an
arrangement.
So Floyd says now: “A B.S.
in physics would be fine, for I
want to go right ahead into
graduate school. “But a few
quick computations, “if I take
four more math, two more
physics, and three more
chemistry courses, I could get
three A.B.’s; an A.B. in each
field.”
Does he really think he’ll try
for all three? A grin.
“I have until December to
decide.”
BSM ACQUIRES CENTER
The BSM has acquired a space
for Black students in what was
the Minj-Union in the basement
of Chase Cafeteria. This was
arranged through the Office of
Student Affairs and the Carolina
Union. It is scheduled to open in
two weeks or sooner.
Plans are being made for
name, decor and purpose. If you
are interested in helping make
these decisions, contact
Chairman Warren Carson. The
committee is being formulated
now.