October 19, 1976 BLACK INK 7
Moses: ‘I don’t listen to white writers’
ByALLENJOHNSON
Editor-ln-Chlef
Although a number of adjectives may be
used to describe Bemadine Moses, one of
them is not soft-spoken.
The Spelman graduate who earned her
master’s and doctoral degrees in the UNC
school of journalism and who is now
assistant editor of the North Carolina
Education magazine, states her opinions
candidly and quite explicity.
For example, concerning Howard Lee’s
criticism at the hands of columnist Mark
Pinsky (page 2), she countered, while
examining Pinsky’s article, “I say
whoever wrote this was white. I say
secondly, for him to say that the only way
you could tell Howard Lee was Black was
to look at his campaign poster is because
whites who write articles want Blacks to
sit around and say ‘yeah, uh-huh, well you
know, I have a hard time.’
“When they get ready to quote Blacks,
they always leave off the ‘ing’ at the end
and put an ‘n’ and a little line. But since
when was it that they ever quoted Jimmy
Play that funky music...
by YVETTE BELTON
Staff Writer
Being Black in a predominantly white
organization has its drawbacks for many
students, but for Blacks in UNC’s Mar
ching Band it’s a different experience.
Black faces in the Marching Tarheels
are few. This marching season there are
about 15 Blacks out of about 170 band
members, but as a handful, they’re treated
as individuals instead of as a minority
group.
“I feel I’m treated like I’m a musician
and a contributor,” says a Black band
member. “The fact that I’m a Black is
secondary. I just wished more Blacks had
joined the band.”
Kathy Fayton, a senior education major
is also concerned that more Blacks didn’t
come out for the band this year.
“Black participation is slack,” she said.
“I think the band should actively recruit
more Blacks because 1 don’t think Blacks
really know much about the band or what
goes on in the band. So they’re skeptical
about getting in.”
Kathy also feels that the type of shows
performed at half time may not attract
some Blacks because they’re more used to
dance-type shows.
UNC’s marching band shows consist
mostly of march routines, highlighting the
majorettes and flag girls.
Jean Mills, a former band member, feels
that the type of shows discourages some
Blacks.
“Predominantly Black colleges use
more dance steps. Here, the half time
show is more like a play.”
During a week of the game, the band
practices Monday thru Thursday from
6:00 p.m. to around 7:30 and for a short
period on Saturday mornings.
Uke Jean, some Blacks quit the band
because of lack of time but racial reasons
aren’t one of the problems.
“The^iacVts that stay in the band seem
to stick around and work,” said Kathy
Fayton. “I’ve only heard about two cases
of any racial trouble in the band, however I
don’t know the details.”
Senior Darrell Van Hoy of Walkertown
said, “Many students. Black and white
quit after one year because the band was
not what they expected or it doesn’t offer
them what they’re looking for.”
Whatever the reason for the fast tur
nover rates of Blacks in the band each
year it still has something to offer to the
incoming freshmen, said Terry Stinson a
freshman from Fayetteville. Terry was
impressed by the music.
“I’m pretty pleased with music, con
sidering the number of Blacks in the
band.”
Music with a Black flavor that has been
played so far this year includes the
“Hustle” and “The Theme from Swat.”
“Some (Blacks) join for the music and
others just for the fun of it,” Stinson said.
“Band takes up a lot of time but it is a lot
of fun.” says Linda Williams a senior
physical education major. Linda has been
in the band for three years, and she now
holds a leadership position in the band.
The lack of Blacks in the band has also
hurt the leadership roles for Blacks
because leadership is based on seniority.
Kathy Fayton and Linda Williams are the
only Blacks who have been in the band for
at least three years.
Green and put the southern accent in and
wrote it down that way?
“I don’t listen to white writers. Why
should I listen to them?”
During the past summer, Ms. Moses
assisted in the teaching of a Black press
course with Professor Sonya Stone. A
frequent source of spririted discussion in
the class were the Black oriented con
sumer magazines, “Essence” and '
“Ebony.”
“On the magazine level you expect some
things that are beyond you,” she said of
magazines’ tendency to portray
prohibitively expensive elegance and
glamour. Of “Ebony,” she said, “I don’t
like their writing and I don’t like their
subject matter. I think they’re on two
extremes, either they’ve got LeRone
Bennett being very, very intellectual, or
they’ve got somebody else, who’s writing
crap, like Diahann Carroll and Robert
DeLeon, and all about the cars and houses
and on down the line.”
On the subject of the Black North
Carolina press, Ms. Moses, who will be
coordinating a workshop for Black
weekly’s later this month, observed, “Too
many of the papers are not set up on a level
with the d^y in marketing, research,
demographics. Right now they don’t have
the packet that they can present to the
advertisers, and as a result, they don’t get
the long-term ads. Secondly, most of them,
with the possible exception of the
(Carolina) “Peacemaker” are run like a
family organization.
“Consequently,” she said, “too much
dependence on family hierarchy can mean
a premature end for some papers.
“Papers like the “Future Outlook” just
die. "riie editor dies and the newspaper
never comes out again.
“Black papers in North Carolina do,
however, have some very important
strengths, most important of which is the
mere fact that they are Black.
“Most people get their identity by
having something that’s just for them.
Good or bad it’s for me, if it’s directed to
me, that means, i.e. I exist. I’m important
enough so somebody puts money into
something that is for me.”
On the subject of the “other” Black
North Carolina press, the campus
publications run by Black stud^ts, Ms.
Moses points out that although the Black
paper on the Black campus serves a
definite purpose, the Black paper on the
white campus is even more important.
“On the Black campus you know you’re
there, you run it,” she said. “On the white
campus, the paper gives you an identity
when it’s lost so much in your day-to-day
movements. It tells who you are, what
you’ve done on that campus. It legitimizes
you.”
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Bemadine Moses; “On the white
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