Newspapers / Black Ink (Black Student … / Feb. 25, 1991, edition 1 / Page 3
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nrr n\ ‘i;-' Cr-Jte r7~s |f*{ 1 mnral,'^'''"-jJTl 1^:9 jOj y f I’-J 0 r V / z'" y//j // /S^/ //T^ '' I ••'• ’■'- If a BCC at UNC is finally approved, where will it be built? BCC Needed To Achieve Cultural Democracy BCC earmarks Black History Month to educate campus on need for a permanent and adequate site contribute to campus community development. Likewise, BCC ac tivities encourage Afirican-Ameri can students to work avidly to ward closing the gap that exists between the masses of their pec^le and rising black intellectuals such as themselves. Students must know, however, that culture gro w s mainly from the masses. “The Negro is considered artistically, creatively, and culturally inferior,” wrote Harold Cruse in 1967. BCC programs strive to alter such theses by keeping everybody in touch with cultural issues related to the black experience. Hip-hop cul ture, for example, is fun and en tertainment, but it contains much more than that. The Black Cultural Center has as its highest priority the estab lishment of an adequate, perma nent facility. The University needs a Black Cultural Center to give leadership that will democratize the diverse cultures on our cam pus. African-American students must be encouraged to develop critiques on their culture: cri tiques and research that will en hance the University as it lakes its place in the 21st Century as a uni versity that earns an “A” in achiev ing diversity. Rising African-American intel lectuals must provide leadership to their culture on this campus and in the world. To become educated, and not miseducated, an African- American intellectual must know the history of African-Americans and be encouraged to question everything. If Columbus “discov ered” America, for example, who “discovered” Europe? How have blacks influenced Southern cul ture? If black theater is considered “real art,” then why have we omit ted it from our drama programs for so many decades? Which of the many languages we use is the “best” language? If there is no such thing, then when do we use Too Short’s language? Besides pointing out our stereotypes, what do we know about African-Ameri- can culture? What do we need to know to achieve cultural democ- [ racy at UNC? Margo Crawford is the Director j of the Black Cultural Center By Margo Crawford Contributor The Black Cultural Center (BCC) at UNC has contributed to setting the tone for the University to embrace diversity in campus culture and the curriculum. The BCC recognizes African-Ameri- can culture as part of intellectual, artistic, and creative develc^ent The BCC has “aroused” the cam pus community to understand that learning to value diversity is everybody ’ s responsibility. BCC’s greatest strength is its ability to program for the full campus, allowing African-Ameri can students to see themselves regularly in the culture of the campus and giving all students the opportunity to participate in black cultural programs. Social relationships among different racial groups will be altered from dialogue among these groups anHind African-American cultural issues. We must recognize and accept the fact that most of the history of minorities, especially African-Americans, has been omitted or distorted by scholar ship. These omissions must be corrected and the BCC plays a major role in this work. In 1933, in The Mis-education of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson, known as the father of black his tory in the 20th Century, concluded that the education system had failed son refuted racist scholarship and accused academia of teaching blacks to be inferior. He agreed with W.E.B. Du Bois, who claimed the education system was detri mental to black students. He wrote in the 1930s: “Race prejudice in the U.S. today is such that most Negroes cannot receive a proper Current Events the black community because the history of African people was not taught in schools. This omission allowed many racist assumptions and distortions to root in scholar ship, namely that African people were subordinate, menial, cultur ally deprived and even subhuman. These assumptions paved the way for U.B. Phillips, Burgess, and other scholars dictating historiog- rj^hy and writing volumes ex plaining how good slavery was for Africans, claiming that it exposed Africans to civilization! But this is not the historical position of black scholars. Wood- education in white institutions. In many public school systems in the North, Negroes are admitted and tolerated but they are not educated; they are crucified.” Obviously, some, but not all, of the“crucifying”has stopped. While we have made some advances in civil rights and achieved some in tegration, we have made fewer advances in achieving cultural democracy. The BCC encourages cultural democracy — a climate where African-Americans and others can create new ideas and new images from their cultural baggage as they The Human Rights Committee of the Campus Y cordially invites You to Get Involved The Human Rights Committee is accepting applications for 1991 Co- Chairpersons. No pre vious experience is required. Applications are due by 5:00pm Friday, March 1,1991 at the Campus Y
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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Feb. 25, 1991, edition 1
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