P^gC 2 Block Ink
In Perspective
May the Legacy Continue
Very few, if any, days pass that we
do not feel the effects of the tireless ef
forts and patient workings of Martin
Luther King, Jr.
If after boarding a bus, we choose to
sit in a front seat, we have this choice
because of his perserverance and deter
mination to have a choice.
If we take a sip from a water foun
tain free of a “For Colored” sign on it,
we have this freedom because of his
refusal to be discriminated against.
If we walk out our front doors free
of the fear of being lynched, we have this
security because of his efforts to teach the
world about humanitarianism and justice,
and because he taught us to stand up in
the face of violence believing that “we
will all see the promised land”.
Just 25 years ago this campus was
void of the copper, caramel, and
mohogany-colored skins that grace this
campus today, bringing with them - diver
sity, a new culture, and a new and dif
ferent outlook on life.
But this outlook on life often gets
watered down as we become too comfor
table at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill. In our quest to make the
grade so that we can make the money, the
selfless efforts of King become little more
than a memory, rather than an example
proving that the fight for equality can on
ly be won through undaunted effort and
continued action.
Yet many black students never
become comfortable at UNC. But they ac
cept the discomfort, and remain in a state
of passivity until it is time to graduate and
go out into the real world to collect their
personal earnings.
King knew that such an attitude
would never get him to the promised land.
He went to the wheel of the ship and
steered us to a sense of pride and
individualism.
While many of us would have waned
under the imprisonment, bombings and
death threats. King kept striving for his
dream.
In our efforts to celebrate the life of
this man, we often make him greater than
life. But King was human, just as we are.
He knew fear, resentment, just as many
blacks, as well as whites do. So to believe
that we are incapable of his humanity,
strength and patience, is untrue.
So this issue of The Ink is dedicated
to the black leaders of UNC, who go to
the ft-ont, not always looking for recogni
tion, but for justice.
On .hiiiuaiy 19. while Ihc nalmii
cclcbraies ilic birth of King, wc can all
be King lor a day. We can all go to ihe
luill ol ihe ship and guide it to ealnier
waters — to a better world. We can all
make a eomniitinent to try to make the
dream eoine tiue.
This issue is also dedicated to the
meniory ol Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr.
May the legacy eontiiuie.
On January 19, while the nation celebrates the birth of King, we can all be King for a day. We can all go to the hull
of the ship and guide it to calmer waters — to a better world.... If we take a sip from a water fountain free of a “For
Colored” sign on it, we have this freedom because of his refusal to be discriminated against. If we walk out our front
doors free of the fear of being lynched, we have this security because of his efforts to teach the world about humanitarianism
and justice, and because he taught us to stand up in the face of violence believing that “we will all see the promised land”.
(^lack qSM
Sheila Simmons
Editor
Richard White
Assistant to the Editor
Diana Lowery
Special Projects Editor
Taundra Woodard
News Editor
Abraham Segres
Nancy Harrington
Yvette Cook
Staff Writers
Mia Davis
Advertising Editor
Keith Clark
Business Manager
Lori Roberts
Features Editor
Tonya Carter
Suzanne Jeffries
Andrea Shaw
Reubena Whitted
Staff Photographer
The Black Ink is published by students of the University of North Carolina dt Chapel
Hill every two weeks during the regular academic year, excluding holidays and ex
amination periods.
The Black Ink is the Official Newspaper of the Black Student Movement and is
designed to cover events of the group and other issues of interest to readers of Black
Ink.
Comments and editorials written in the VPerspecti.ve" section reflect views of the
writers and are not necessarily shared by the Black Ink Staff.
The Black Ink Office is located in 108D of the Carolina Union. The mailing ad
dress is Box 42, Carolina Union, Chapel Hill, NO 27514. The telephone number is
(919) 962-4336.
Two Steps Ahead
We must look back through history
to determine the real significance of
January 15. Martin Luther King’s birth
day is not just a day to stay out of class
or home from work. In fact. North
Carolina does not officially recognize the
holiday which means everything is sup
posed to be “business as usual”. But, as
Have we forgotten the sit-in’s at
the Woolworth lunch counter in
Greensboro or the bus boycott in
Montgomery? We are a strong
people with a proud heritage that
should be stressed every day of
our lives.
the aspiring leaders of tomorrow, we, the
black youth, must remember the trials and
tribulations our forefathers endured to
secure our civil rights. Have we forgot
ten the sit-in’s at the Woolworth lunch
counter in Greensboro or the bus boycott
in Montgomery? We are a strong people
with a proud heritage that should be
stressed every day of our lives.
The past is gone and the future lies
ahead. Although Dr. King has passed
away and the movement no longer carries
the force it did when thousands marched
from Selma to Montgomery it is by no
means, dead. We must revitalize the cause
to insure that our children won’t have to
go though back doors or receive a lower
quality education. The eighties are not a
time for regression but for progression.
We have seen increased Klan activity, a
SIXTH ANNUAL
BIRTHDAY
CELEBRATION
January 15 - January 20
1987
black candidate for the presidency, and an
increasing number of black mayors
around the country. One step back means
two steps forward.
This week we must come out in force
to show our appreciation for the “father”
of the Civil Rights Movement. We can no
longer sit back on the accomplishments of
our ancestors.
We must start making history today
by voicing our opinions, standing up for
what we believe in and acquiring as much
knowledge as possible. With an education
we can overcome any obstacle that stands
in the way of our dream.
Taunddra S. Woodard
News Editor