November, 1972
BLACK INK
7
Toronto Exchange
Coleman urges Blacks
ahead at UNC
selects 3
By Sterling Swann
This year the Toronto
Exchange will host three Black
Carolina students. The Toronto
Exchange had its origins
fourteen years ago between the
University of North Carolina and
the University of Toronto.
Thirty students from each
university are selected for a
short five day visit to the other
school, during which they
experience various cultural,
social and intellectual events.
Working with this year’s
exchange are Janice Mills, Royce
Joyner and Sterling Swann.
These three students were
chosen along with twenty-seven
other students from a large
quantity of applicants. The
exchange seeks those people of a
wide diversity and interest.
These three students had
various reasons for applying for
the program. Janice Mills said
her interests in Canada are
“natural.” “Since reading of the
refuge Canada provided for
escaped slaves 1 have always
wanted to see the country and
get to know the people,” she
added.
Royce Joyner also had his
reasons for joining the exchange.
“I believe I have a lot to offer
By Mary L. Lacewell
Minister of Information
A bus load of Black students
being over turned by a rowdy
bunch of irate white parents, a
police escort for Black students
to shield them from physical
blows of fanatic white adults,
and the arrival of Black students
to a nearly empty school house
were all incidents occurring a
number of years back in Little
Rock, Arkansas. However,
several weeks ago, the exact
incidents occurred in the most
liberal section of the United
States, the great metropolis of
the U.S., New York.
My initial reaction upon
hearing this news was one of
utter disbelief. Even after
viewing the incidents mentioned
above on the evening news, I
found it difficult to believe that
there could be a a second
occurrence of the Little Rock
incident and even more difficult
to believe that these incidences
could occur in “hberal” New
York.
Regardless of the issues
involved, how any sane person
could even think about harming
an innocent child, whether the
child be Black or white, I cannot
comprehend. Those white
parents in New York were
willing to physically assault the
Black students because they
didn’t want their lily white
children to be surrounded by
too much Blackness. They felt
they had done enough by
opening their doors to a few
Blacks. When HEW decided to
bus more Black students to the
predominantly white school,
they went berserk.
But, 1 ask you, is this just
cause for those white parents to
injure the innocent Black
children? I think not. Every
single one of those white parents
who tried to inflict harm on the
Black children should bo locked
up in a mental institution. Any
Blacks
the Canadians in terms of getting
to know me as a person - and a
black man,” Joyner said.
The Canadians will be visiting
here during November 15-22.
While they are here they will
attend many events. They will
also attend Mt. Zion Baptist
Church. UNC students will visit
Canada January 17-24. The
activities for this visit will be
scheduled by the Canadians.
In the time before the
Canadians arrive the members of
the exchange are busy preparing
for their arrival. Some students
on the exchange will sell
programs for the
Carolina-Virginia game to help
defray the cost of the event.
This is a tradition for the
members of the exchange.
Those in the future who are
interested in the exchange
should not hesitate to apply. All
UNC students are eligible. There
is no fee for applying and the
cost of the trip ranges from
$35-60. After being accepted the
student must work actively in
planning events to entertain the
Canadians while they are in
Chapel HUl.
If you see a brother or sister
carrying a Canadian flag don’t
do anything rash. It will only be
the Toronto Exchange in action.
adult who lets out his hostilities
on an innocent child should be
under psychiatric care. Those
white parents who tried to injure
the Black children are suffering
from the same mental hang-ups
as child-beaters. Child-beaters
are punishable by law. 1
sincerely feel that those white
parents in New York should be
punished also. Any Black parent
who witnessed his child being
beaten by one of those blatent
child molesters should prosecute
immediately after he personally
takes care of the child molester
himself.
Once we could separate the
parts of the United States on the
basis of which section was racist
or not. We said that the South
was racist and the North was
liberal. The South practiced
open racial discrimination. As
soon as you applied for a job
you were immediately denied it
because you were Black. The
North was more liberal in the
sense that you might get hired
for the job but you discovered
later that you were getting paid
much less than your fellow
workers. In other words, the
liberal North exploited you.
Today we know that there
can be no separation of the
United States on the basis of
racism. Every single section of
this country is racist. The best
thing that we can say about the
North is that it is suffering from
a case of covert racism. 1 am sure
that many of the New York
parents who tried to turn over
the bus with the Black children
on it expre.ssed dismay a number
of years back when the same
thing happened in Little Rock,
Arkansas. At that time, HEW
wasn’t forcing the school system
in New York to integrate.
Therefore these parents weren’t
able to demonstrate Iheir latent
racism, not until HEW started
busing little Black children to
Iheir predominantly white
schools.
to get
by Gwen P. Harvey
Feature Editor
Talk with Karl Coleman and)
one will hear delivered a very
excited pep-talk concerning the
wiles and the ways Black people
need to employ in order to get
ahead at white UNC. And he
speaks from experience.
The sophomore Radio,
Television, and Motion Pictures
major came to UNC from the
small town of Rich Square, N.C.,
only with the notion that he
wanted to do something
practically unheard of and
totally unique to that particular
region. He wanted to be a
television and motion picture
director and producer. Spurred
on only by a wild curiosity and
certain admitted mercenary
tendencies, Karl sought the thrill
of seeing his name listed among
the credits rolling across the big
screen.
Opportunistic he had to be.
No other students at W.S. Creecy
High School could really
understand where he was coming
from, not to mention the
seemingly uncaring guidance
counselor.
“I got into it on my own,”
Karl says. “One day I happened
to see a brochure dealing with a
summer program in the media
here at UNC. I asked my
guidance counselor about it, but
she could tell me nothing. I
realized right then and there that
I was going to have to make
things happen on my own.”
Karl wrote directly to the
University and the summer
between his sophomore and
junior year in high school he
attended the Radio, Television,
Motion Picture High School
Institute at Chapel Hill.
It was a two-week “cram
course” in all the fundamentals
of the broadcast media. Of the
eighty people who attended,
only three were Black.
“It was really hard work, but
I did learn ' a lot,” Karl
remembers. “It was the first
time I really got a hand on a
camera. Then they were merely
toy cameras - not of broadcast
quality. But it was alright with
me.”
During the session, the
students were divided up into
two groups and charged with the
responsibility of producing an
half-hour television show each.
Karl was chosen to be one of the
cameramen for his group.
“The production was of the
Johnny Carson talk-show idea,”
Karl relates. “As cameraman, all
1 was supposed to do was keep
my mouth shut and follow the
director’s orders. I think I did a
pretty good job — for the first
time.”
While attending the Institute,
Karl became good friends with
Dr. Melson, the professor from
the RTVMP department who
was in charge of the summer
program. That friend.ship paid
off; when Karl came to UNC as a
freshman last year Dr. Melson
remembered him.
At an organizational meeting
of the department in September
of ‘71, Dr. Melson introduced
Karl to Maurice Talbert, head of
the crew at WUNC educational
television. Both men suggested
that Karl come work at the
station in his spare time.
That Karl did, at first on his
own, but later as a part of the
work/study program. And there
he is now, working and battling
his way up the hierarchy of
power at the station which
serves over 90%of the state.
Karl learned to develop his
skills by actually watching and
working with others. “The first
time I was behind a camera
filming a real live show, I didn’t
know what I was doing,” he
admits. “I screwed it all up and
was yelled at for it.”
“But I made up my mind that
I would not quit. 1 would do
anything to be around those
cameras — including doing a lot
ass-licking. But I would not
quit.”
Basic to any novice’s training
is the acceptance, for a short
period of time, of the “whipping
boy” role. Karl realized that he
did not know and that no one
was going to offer it up to him
freely on a silver platter. He
therefore set out with a firm set
of principles, yet humbly “took
shit” so that he could gain some
position of power and some
basis of workable information
and skill for himself.
The Blackest Day
“There’s nothing else I would
rather do,” he smiles. “Why if I
could get a good job with a
major network, I would quit
school right now and do just
that.” He laughs; but there is a
hint of seriousness in his humor.
“I’ve learned a lot, but there’s
still so much more. Book
learning is one thing, the actual
practice is another. That’s what
I’m into now: the actual
practice.”
Right now Karl is sort of a
jack-of-all-trades at the studio.
He’s fixing the sets, the lighting,
handling the audio, working
with the camera — doing
everything except directing. Yet
he’s making definite plans and
talking with head people in the
studio about the possibility of
assuming such a position before
too long.
“I’m out meeting people.
Trying to get things done for
others. Making myself known.
Not being afraid to ask.
questions ...”
His list of personal objectives
and observations go on and on.
But the real thing is making him
so deliriously happy is that he is
involved: “I’m doing.”
Let not your head be bowed
By ageless shames heaped upon your
Ebony skin like sores...like a whip on your man’s back!
You are beautiful! And you are purest.
Let no one rank your blackness among the filthy...
Even though the years have tried to break your heart
with it...
FIGHT IT!
For you are truly beaufitul.
And you are truly strong.
And you are truly good,
BEAUTIFUL BLACK WOMAN.
Dream the dream of the ages.
Beautiful black women.
With afros blowing in the air
More beautiful than the silkiest blond.
The sadness of the decades
Are soon to pass away their dismal clouds.
— -Lift up your heads.
Be very black and very proud.
Let no one abuse your body.
That harbors in it the soul of a most desirable flower.
Open up your petals and glow!
For the world is yours...
Open up your hands and take it!
Support the James
Cates Memorial
Little Rock again?