Letters to the editor
October 19, 1976 BLACK INK 5
Shackleford editorial ‘misinformed, malicious’
Dear Editor;
I would like to respond to the misin
formed and seemingly malicious editorial
published in Black Ink entitled “Union
Neglecting Blacks?” As a volunteer who
has sometimes bended over backwards to
program for Black and minority students
as well as the “white majority,” excuse
my tendency towards self-righteousness.
The essential fact is this: despite pleas to
the BSM hierarchy over the past two
Victoria Motley
years, Black students remain largely
uninvolved in the Union program, one of
the few points that Ms. Shackelford
correctly points out. It would be useless for
me to list all the programs last year which
the Activities Board planned with minority
students in mind. They ranged from an
entire symposium on prisons (and Blaclj
poet B. F. Maiz) to Donald Bogle, a
program co-sponsored with the BSM.
Last year is history; the rest of this year
Little soul appeal on radio
The water shortage is not Chapel Hill’s only problem. We newcomers to this
area have had much to adjust to much against our wishes, and nature.
With the available resources of talented Black folks in Chapel Hill, the most
readily heard, loud and clear music on the radio does not have much “soul
appeal.”
When I initially moved to this area my inquiry about local soulful music was
answered by a non-brother with a Sunday night jazz program. But, it was on
Monday that I wanted to hear some sounds.
My next inquiry led me to know that there were stations in Raleigh, Durham
and most recently Warrenton. One of these stations is sponsored by a university
community less than half the size of UNC.
These stations do play good music, that is if you get them before they go off
the air.
What does Chapel Hill have for persons selective in what they want to hear?
The alternatives are few. They include (1 )listening every seven days to the Jazz
program for a couple of hours (2) investing in recordings of favorite artists (3)
selecting your hours to tune into stations in other communities (4) watching
T.V. on Saturday or (5) waiting for soulful sounds between the records of non-
Black ones—which can be so disheartening to the ears.
I have been amazed with the lack of interest toward having the several
Chapel Hill radio stations address the wants of the Black community.
Are there any persons interested in the field of conmiunications? Do others
see that Chapel Hill radio stations should offer the Black community more than
a weekly jazz show?
Are we as Black folks satisfied with our limited sources in communications?
Victoria Motley is a first-year graduate student in the School of Public Health.
is not. Ms. Shackelford mentions David
Buffet (it’s Jimmy), U. S. Army Brass
Quintet, et al. as programs appealing to
the white students only. Why doesn’t she
mention Billy Cobham, or Modern Jazz
Quartet, two concerts that have
tremendous potential. Or New York Mary,
a rising young group of jazz musicians?
Perhaps Ms. Shackelford didn’t know that
the George Faison dance company was to
anchor our season, but cancelled. Or that
that the Gosler Pantomine Circus will be
here, which features some fine Black
artists.
There are others as well. There is most
certainly not a “total absence” of cross-
cultural entertainment at Carolina this
year, nor was there last year.
I can assure you that there is not
“blatant neglect” of the black population
on the Activities Board. Last year, Carlton
Dallas was selected as a chairperson for
our Board. To my knowledge he was one of
only two or three Black students who in
terviewed for a position. Carlton quit
before the year began. The situation is
much the same in the committees. I get the
feeling that Blacks are told when they
arrive at Carolina, “Forget about any
Black cultural events here, there won’t be
any and there’s nothing you can do about
it.” Believe me, there is! We need all the
help and input we can get, but not
misguided criticism and condemnations.
Michael Kennedy and Eugene Wright
are committee members on the Carolina
Forum. Mr Wright especially has been
asked to keep a pulse of the Black com
munity’s needs and desires. We are
diligently working to secure Black
speakers who are contemporary and
provocative. I welcome suggestions. The
point is this: we will work to the best of our
ability, not “out of the goodness of our
hearts” but from a sense of responsibility,
to meet the needs of all Carolina students.
But try as we might, most of us are still
Rod Broadway: Explains quote con
cerning Black schools on Page 12.
white students and cannot presume to
know all the needs of Black students on
this c£unpus. If we haven’t done the job to
this point, it is not through ignorance. The
September 28 editorial spits in the face of
those of us who have tried very hard to
(Continued on page 12)
About our letters section
Black Ink welcomes letters to the editor
and asks only that they be concise and
legibly typed.
We reserve the right to edit letters for
length and good taste both of which will be
determined by the editor.
Those wishing to submit a letter to the
editor may do so by mailing them to Black
Ink, Suite B, Box 42, Carolina Union, by
delivering them in person to the
designated envelope in the BSM office (at
the same address) or by handing them to
Managing Editor Gail Westry.
Are Black television programs harmful?
YES by Sheri Parks
If anyone ever asks me which racial
stereotypes have persisted into the 1970’s,
I will steer him straight to the nearest
television set and tell him to sit and watch.
If he sits through enough prime time
segments, he will see:
Stereotype No. 1: Good Times—a
comedy about a tenement family which
includes, among others, a large, big
chested mother who is quite adept at
making a chicken and a bag of corn meal
feed a family of five and various neighbors
who drop in at dinner time; an artistically
talented son who spends more time
chasing women than painting a canvas and
an attractive, if not so intelligent father
who often lays down the law over the much
more sensible suggestions of the martyr-
mother.
Add about five good punch lines, lots of
guffaw (after all, aren’t all Black folks
happy?), and a sister who manages to
dress quite well amid the ghetto dwellers,
and you’ve got yourself a nice, neat
stereotype. And to add a different lemon
twist, kill the father so you can explore the
fatherless tenement home situation.
Stereotype No. 2: The Jeffersons—
Another comedy, this time about some
Blacks who made it up the social ladder
and are living in the big time. C:haracters
should include another large, big-chested
mother, a smaller, older mother version,
and a small, loud-mouthed husband who,
too, is not so intelligent. Again, mother is
always right. Here, the idiom, “You can
take the nigger out of the ghetto, but you
can’i.take Ibe ghetto .out the mgger:’. is..
(Continued on page 12)
George Jefferson and spouse Ix)uise: the classic jive nigger
and mammy images?
NO by Allen Johnson
George Jefferson is an abrasively
lovable character, strutting proudly
through the imaginary New York which
spawned Archie Bunker, J. J. Evans, and
Maude Finley, and imploring poor
“Weezie” to get her stuff together and
enjoy the “good life.”
And while psychologists, sociologists,
and other self-righteous critics lambast
“The Jeffersons,” “Good Times” and
other Black-oriented television programs
for portraying “detrimental” Black
images, we must remember that such
shows are not designed to portray The
Ideal Black Man and his Ideal Black
Family.
If they indeed did present such sterile
characters, the shows would have been
cancelled by now. There is, after all,
nothing funny or interesting about perfect
people.
It is, in fact, the imperfection of George
Jefferson and characters like him which
captures the audience’s interest and
compassion. We can identify with
George’s obsession with flaunting his
wealth. He has struggled long and ar
duously to make his “move on up to the
East Side.” He naturally wants to im
merse himself in the spoils of his victory.
Certainly, George is overly concerned
with material rewards, with all but in
serting his nose up the posterior of a
wealthy white Mr. Big, but he never
succeeds at such ploys and generally
profits from his mistakes.
As for so-called “positive” characters,
.i^eoc^’^,^f), ,^^Vis-a^ P9SiU\ie young,
(Continued on page 12)