2
BLACK INK
Oec*mb«r, 1973
Once a year is not enough—Little
Emma Pullen
Editor-in-chief
Black students began to
assemble at one o’clock near Silent
Sam for the annual James Cates
Memorial March. Brother James
Cates was fatally stabbed by a
white motorcycle gang, the Storm
Troopers, during the early
morning hours of November 20.
1970. His slayers were acquitted.
The Processional began at Silent
Sam, went one block down
Franklin Street, turned left on
Rosemary Street for one block
then turned left back on campus.
Chanting:
“Power to the People
Black. Black power to the
African people
Who shall survive Amerika?
Very few niggers and no crackers
at all.”
The demonstrators marched into
Great Hall where they listened to a
slate of speakers.
Mrs. Cates, the slain man’s
grandmother, was present.
The Reverend Preston Jones
provided the invocation. He was
followed by Dean of Special
Affairs, Harold Wallace who said
that he did not know Cates
personally, but in as much as tragic
and brutal death is a part of the
Black experience in America, he
knew James Cate.
Wallace redefined the word
“hero” as it pertains to the Black
community. According to Wallace
a hero is “a central figure of any
important Black event or period
that is honored for outstanding
qualities.” He stressed the fact that
it is up to the people to decide who
' v'r,^ . r-'* ' '
Marchers for the James Cates Memorial listen as Rev. Leon
White delivers address in Great Hall. Behind White are Dean
Wallace and Mrs. Cates, the slain man’s grandmother, (photo by
Russel Davis)
their heroes are; they should not be
designated by outsiders. If the
people decide they are. they are.
Wallace applied his definition of
a hero to James Cates. Cates is a
central figure in a confrontation
which resulted in his death,
therefore he is a hero to the Black
students at UNC.
These Are Critical Times
The guest speaker for the
occassion was Rev. Leon White of
the Commission of Racial Justice.
He warned the students that “these
are critical times that we are living
Miss BSM crowned
“Conceived in Black" was the
theme for the third annual Miss
Black Student Movement
Coronation Ball, which was held
on Friday night, November 16.
Miss BSM of 1972-73, Francine
Randolph, began the festivities by
first congratulating the candidates
and then, playing a piano rendition
of the Black National Anthem,
“Lift Every Voice and Sing."
The three Maids of Honor,
Carolyn Yarborough, Cynthia
Crawford and Sandra Little, began
the processional to the stage. Next
came the five members of the Miss
BSM Court: Margaret
Brewington, Denise Edwards,
Oveta Fuller, Sandra Morrison
and Emma Pullen.
The Ebony Readers presented
an anthology of Black poems and
the Opeyo Dancers performed to
the music by Donald Bird, “Black
Bird," and Zulema, “American
Fruit. African Roots.”
Each Maid of Honor was
presetned with a single red rose and
finally, the highlight of the
evening—the announcement of
Miss BSM: fourth runner-up,
Oveta Fuller; third runner-up,
Sandra Morrison; second runner-
up, Denise Edwards; first
runnerpup, Margaret Brewington;
and Miss BSM, Emma Pullen.
As a tribute to Miss BSM,
Wayne Welch and Michael Mosely
sang an original composition,
“Conceived In Black." Once again,
the senior woman who had
contributed the most to the BSM
and Black students on campus was
honored. This year’s winner was
Valerie Batts, former Black Ink
editor and present Minister of
Information for the BSM.
After the recessional. Chocolate
Funk, a soul band from
Greensboro, provided
entertainment for the rest of the
evening.
In an attempt to attract minority students, UNC’s law school
sponsored a “Law Day”. Students from across the state came to
the Chapel Hill campus to view the law school facilities, meet the
faculty and to find out what law school is all about. Prominent
speakers including Mayor Howard Lee gave an address. Above,
young Black minds ponder as this new horizon unfolds, (photo by
Russel Davis)
in." Using the theme of“t he hand is
quicker that the eye". White
pointed out the current happening
in the legislative, executive and
judicial branch of government that
are repressive measures used
against Black people.
White termed these measures
“legalized . murder”. His first
example concerned capital
punishment—the majority of
recipients are Black. According to
White, the Democrats in the
Congress have introduced a bill in
both houses to repeal the 1972
Supreme Court decision to abolish
capital punishment. The North
Carolina Supreme Court has
already re-enacted Capital
punishment. White said the
Commission for Racial Justice has
declared war on the death penalty.
Rev. White’s second major
concern was the new federally
funded multi-million dollar
complex for the study of behavior
modification—an experiment
which controls behavior by
operating on certain parts of the
brain. White expressed the belief
that political prisoners may be used
in these experiments to make
“gw)d niggers" out of them.
White challenged the Black
students on this campus to find out
whether UNC will ^ involved in
these experiments.
The BSM Gospel rendered two
selections—“Remember Me” and
“All You Need”.
The final speaker was Larry
Little Chairman of the Greensboro
chapter of the Black Panther
Party. Little said that “it isn’t
enough for us to come out once a
year to march and memorialize
Brother James Cates. This
marching, struggling and
memorializing should be a
constant part of our daily lives.”
“We can not afford to be a
people that “do our own thing”.
Yes, we have skills, many different
skills and talents and we should use
these skill—blend the skills and
talents to work for our own
freedom. If we do not do this, if we
do not pick up the torch, then
Brother James Cates, Martin
Luther King, Malcolm X, Fred
Hampton and countless other
Brothers have died in vain!”
Court reinstated
Andromeda Monroe
Staff Writer
On Oct. 12 Ford Runge, Student
Body President, re-established the
Minority Court after almost three
months of controversy over its
legality.
The Minority Court had been
established by the Student
Legislature in I969by thepassgeof
two bills, one establishing such a
court, and one providing for three
Blacks in addition to seven regular
Honor Court members.
The system at that time was
predominately white and Black
students coming before the court
for alleged violations viewed it as
discriminatory. Other Blacks saw
the court as a denial of a
defendant’s right to trial by his or
her peers.
Thus, the Student Legislature
passed the bills establishing
Minority Court with the provision
that the Black members be
appointed by the Student Body
President. The question of legality
arose over whether the Student
Legislature had the authority to
establish the court without student
body approval.
At the beginning of the 1973-74
semester, Reid James, Student
Attorney General, abolished the
court, stating as his reason its
unconstitutionality. James also
revealed his personal objections to
the court on other grounds. He
commented that often it was hard
to get court members to show up
for a scheduled trial due to the
small number of Black Minority
Court members from which to
choose, and that many times Black
court members knew the
defendant, therefore, resulting in
possible prejudice.
The abolition of the court
prompted reaction from the BSM.
Chairman Willie Mebane met at
length with Chancellor Fcrebee
Taylor in an attempt to have the
court reestablished. Mebane
viewed the dissolution of the court
as the beginning of a gradual
phase-out of Black institutions on
campus: First the Minority Court,
then Upendo, and finally the BSM.
Taylor asserted his objection to the
court and stated that he would veto
any attempts to reestablish the
court by student referendum.
On Monday, Oct. 12 at a
meeting to determine the future of
Minority Court, Reid James
revealed a clause in the Student
Legislature’s Constitution which
gave the Legislature the power to
right inequities in the ("aw.
especially as they related to
minorities. The regular court
system had been, indeed, a system
of inequity, and thus, the Student
Legislature had had the power to
establish a minority court without
approval of the student body. The
next day Ford Runge publicly
announced the court’s
reestablishment and legality.
Presently, the Minority Court is
permanent, and any Black student
accused of a Honor or Campus
Code violation may request a
hearing by it. But the Court will not
be set up until next semes'-
because of a requirement th;
new court members view at i
three court hearings prior to siti
on a case themselves.
Thus, Minority Court may t
phased out, even before it ha.
become functional, by judicial
reform which will require that all
courts contain a certain number of
Blacks, whites, and females.