The Compass - page 2
February, 19^
EDITORIAL
Shall We
Overcome
January 19 dawned cold and
wet. About 50 people braved the
weather and marched from
Thorpe Hall to Hobb’s Park in
Elizabeth City. These dedicated
marchers were commemorating
the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. These marchers did not
let the rain and cold get in the way
of their march to honor King and
all he stood for. The march was a
spontaneous gesture after the offi
cial march had been cancelled.
I think we need to fight against
racism as much now as others did
in the past-even in the rain. Rac
ism and prejudice don’t take vaca-
tions-can we afford to relax our
efforts at stamping them out?
I believe that people who want
equality for all races need to fight
injustice all the time. It shouldn’t
take a federal holiday to get peo
ple to do something. However, a
holiday does offer an opportunity
for people to get involved-even if
only for one day. Cancelling the
march took away a chance for peo
ple to get involved.
I admire those who marched
despite the Dad weather ana me
cancellation. They showed true
dedication to an ideal and to the
memory of King. Their marching
showed that some people see the
need for change and action.
What is disappointing is that
there were only about 50 people
that participated in the march.
Have we so quickly forgotten how
bad things were just 20 years ago?
Are we starting to think the job is
done and we don’t need to do any
thing? Has a little bit of success
softened us to the point where we
are starting to say, “I’ve got my
piece of the pie, let someone else
fight injustice.” Attitudes like this
are dangerous and allow and en
courage racism.
We need more dedication like
the 50 marchers showed to ensure
a more equal world. A holiday is
not needed to fight for human dig
nity and worth-but dedication and
work is. The battle is a daily one-
and if recent attitudes are an indi
cation of a growing trend of indif
ference-one I’m afraid we are in
danger of losing.
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Your Foreign
Policy i§?
»COaEGE PRESySERVICE
Black History Month
recognizes achievements
Throughout America’s his
tory, black people have con
tributed significantly to the
overall development and pro
gress of this country. In vir
tually every field, sometimes
against tremendous odds,
blacks have been the precur
sors of numerous descoveries
and advancements in science,
the arts, entertainment, poli
tics and sports; often coaxed
by the adage “necessity is the
mother of invention.” Like all
pioneers, black leaders have
visualized, conceived, and
produced vital contributions
to the ever-changing Ameri
can society.
by Joe Holley
Staff Writer
To many younger people,
the abundance of blacks in
the areas of sports and enter
tainment (especially music)
has eclisped other remarka
ble achievements of our an
cestors and contemporaries.
Often the wide publicity and
popularity of such people has
led younger people to aspire
to be sports or music super-
stars,looking up to the popu
lar players and entertainers
as their only role models. Not
that this is bad, but it can stop
a young person from striving
for a more realistic goal.
Black History Month is
needed because the heritage
and history of blacks is
glossed over in most public
school history curriculums.
Unless a course in Black His
tory is offered, students are
exposed to only the most out
standing aspects of the legacy
of blacks in America. There
fore, many students are mis
informed or uninformed
about the role of blacks in
Are college presses free ?
America’s history.
Because of this lack of in
formation, many black col
lege students are not com
pletely aware of the truly
proud heritage they have.
Blacks have to undertake the
responsibility of understand
ing their role in the history of
this country beyond music
and sports.
To segregate black
achievements and label them
“Black History” is unfortu
nate. Perhaps a better label
would be “Blacks in Ameri
can history.” Nevertheless, it
is an honor to have a month in
which to acknowledge the
contributions of Blacks in his
tory. We should use this
month to honor the contribu
tions of black men and
women and place them in the
proper perspective of Ameri
can and world history.
Editor’s note: January was
designated as Freedom of the
Campus Student Press
Month.
What exactly should a col
lege newspaper be and what
are its rights and responsibili
ties.? Should it be an arm of
the school’s administration?
Not as far as I know. Should it
be a public relations tool for
the administration, alumni or
other speicial interest groups
on campus? I don’t think so. A
student newspaper is first
and foremost a newspaper,
run by students for the pur
pose of training future jour
nalists in as realistic a setting
as possible.
According to a nationwide
study by Ivan Holmes, profes
sor of journalism at the Uni
versity of Arkansas, many
administrators, alumni, SGA
president’s, and other mem
bers of the school hierarchy
do not know the purpose of a
college newspaper. Many
newspaper advisors, editors
and reporters don’t know ei
ther. They do not know their
rights so they give in to pres
sures from certain groups
and allow censorship. Outside
interests often persuade advi
sors and editors to print self-
promoting stories.
Nationally, most college
publications depend on uni
versity funding for their exis
tence. Staffs are often fearful
of “biting the hand that feeds
them”-or pays the printer.
Often, stories are not printed
or are changed to watered-
down public relations “fluff.”
Holmes suggests that stu
dent advisors and editors
should learn the free press
rights that are guaranteed to
the student press by the U.S.
Constitution. He also suggests
that professional journalists
defend the free press rights of
student journalists. Holmes
further suggests that groups
which address student press
issues should become more
centralized and coordinated.
Holmes says, “A national
foundation should be estab^
lished to help the college stu
dent press fight censorship by
publicizing such attempts, by
educating all parties, and by
offering financial and legal
assistance to beleaguered
student journalists.”
Aspiring journalists should
be able to cover pertinent top
ics, regardless of possible re
percussions. Just as you can’t
learn to swim from reading a
book, you cannot learn to
write in the classrpom. The '
irony here is that the institu
tion which should foster free
dom of thought and academic
inquiry, sometimes squelches
creativity. How is an aspiring
young Tom Wolfe going to
learn to function as a reporter
if he is not given the chance to
think for himself?
Freedom of the college
press does not give students a
license to print anything they
want. With freedom comes
responsibility. Student re
porters and editors need to
practice the tenets of respon
sible journalism. A student
newspaper is not an “under
ground” newspaper out to get
the administration, nor is it a
sensational paper trying to in
vent stories aiid create con
troversy.
A college newspaper is sim
ply what the name says it is-
a newspaper, run by students
for the purpose of training fu
ture journalists. A student re
porter’s job is to print the
news-good or bad; and to
provide editorial comments
and informed opinions on
many issues.
Prejudice: Alive and Kicking
by Krystal Simpson
Staff Writer
With the Martin Luther
King holiday celebrations so
close behind, memories of the
past were rekindled in the
hearts and minds of many
people.
Many residents of this com
munity remember the days of
“whites only’’establishments
and the bitter rivalry caused
by skin color. Segregation
was an accepted way of life. I
decided to phone my aunt and
have her elaborate on some of
her past experiences.
“I remember the first day
public school was integrated
here,” said my 33-year-old
aunt, who is a former Eliza-
teth City resident but now
lives in Washington, D.C. “It
was 1970. It was so odd, I was
a senior in high school. The
tension was so thick it seemed
as if one could cut it with a
knife. I did not know whether
or not I wanted to be in school
with whites. I was happy that
we could at least seem to be
equal, but it was so scary and
Rosa Parks, who refused to
give her bus seat up to a white
man, entered my mind. I had
read about her in school. I
said to myself ‘I wonder how
she would feel today.’ I quess
overall I was proud to be
black.”
My most vivid memory of
racism occurred on a Thurs
day at a football game when
another student called me a
‘nigger’ because I would not
vote her way. My mind went
wild but I did not utter a
sound. Tensions were already
mounting because Roots was
being aired on television. I
told a friend what was said
and soon the word was out
that this particular student
did not like blacks. Black stu
dents began to harass her.
Because she was harassed,
she reported me as being re
sponsible for the incident. I
was called to the principal’s
office, reprimanded and pro
ceedings for expulsion began.
I was even asked to apologize
to her. I responded to the
principal’s demand by asking
him, ‘If I called you a ‘honky’
who would apologize, you or
new. I remember anticipat
ing the day when blacks and
whites would walk the halls
and attend classes together,
me?’ I was not expelled and
the incident was not men
tioned again. But I remember
it as if it happened yesterday.
I even see her occasionally
and she has never apologized
to me.”
Prejudice is ever present in
today’s society. The media is
having a literal field day on
the apparent resurfacing of
racial prejudice. The inci
dents in recent months are
many and everyday the toll
reaches new levels. You read
of the Howard Beach incident
in New York, where three
black teenagers were jumped
and beaten; of Forsythe
County, Ga., a community
where no blacks reside; of
Pitt County, N.C. where there
were protests for the nonob
servance of Martin Luther
King’s birthday as a national
holiday; of Time Magazine’s
three-page spread on the re-
surgeance of racism; of The
Citadel, where the cross burn
ing incident occured; and of
the recent arrests of leading
members of the White Patriot
Party (an offshoot of the
KKK) in Fayetteville, N.C.
With incidents such as
these happening right under
our noses, everyone needs to
be reminded of how things
were-how things are-and how
things can be. Past wounds
should be examined periodi
cally to make people remem
ber how far we have come
and how far we must go.
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State University, Eliza
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The Editors
The Compass
Co-Editors Pam Brown
Steve Smith
Associate Editor Robin Sawyer
Sports Editor Fred Lassiter
Assistant Sports Editor Minor Wigging
Photographers Kevin Cox
Richard McIntyre
Ron Townsend
Reporters Lavette Washington
Deborah Carr
Lynne Chapman
C.C. Rhodes
Production Steve Smith
Faculty Lane Hudson
Dr. Anne Henderson
The Compass has been published by ECSU students
since 1959 under the Department of Language, Liter
ature, and Communication; Dr. Anne Henderson,
Chairperson. Questions and comments should be sent
to The Compass, P.O. Box 815, Elizabeth City State
University, Elizabeth City, N.C. 27909.