THE ROLE OF TODAY'S BLACK CHURCH IN THE STRUGGLE FOR BLACK LIBERATION
Brother Hart Raps!
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BY BRO. EARL HART
Throughout the history of the
Black man in racist America, his
history has been one that has been
closely centered around the church,
until recently. From the beginning
of slavery and the Black spirituals,
to the underground railroad, from
the abolitionist movement to re
construction, from Booker T.
Washington to Marcus Garvey, to
the late Reverend Dr. Martin Lu
ther King, Jr., the church has
played an important role in the
Black man’s struggle for libera
tion. Most prominent Black lead
ers come from the church.
But today the church has taken
a back seat in the Black man’s
struggle for liberation. The church
is no longer the leader it was ten
years ago. Why? Because the
church has not kept pace with the
generation of today. The church
has refused to take time to under
stand that you don’t use yester
day’s skills for today’s jobs. That
is, the strategy to gain total lib
eration for the Black man has
taken a drastic change, and the
church has refused to take a posi
tive stand on the political, social,
economical, and educational situa
tions that exist in America today.
The church has refused to support
the Black community as the Black
community should be supported.
The church must play the role
that it was designed to play. That
is, it must bring about the neces
sary changes within the church
structure so that it can fully take
an active part in the Black com
munity. The church must no long
er stand silent on the Viet Nam
War because in that war the Black
man’s rate of death is greater
than his per cent in the total popu
lation. It must speak out against
racism, hunger, the mass murder
ing of Black people, the closing of
Black schools for pseudo integra
tion, the denying of Black people
their history, heritage and their
culture and their right to be them
selves. The Black church must no
longer listen to the white news
media to obtain information about
the Black revolution which is tak
ing place in America and abroad.
It must become involved in what
is taking place in their communi
ties so that they will have a first
hand view of what is going on. You
must not turn yourselves off from
the younger generation because we
think that non-violence has run its
course and that it died when Bro.
Stokely Carmichael shouted “Black
Power” on that road to Jackson,
Miss. The church must remember
that it must do whatever is neces
sary to keep pace with the Black
community. Also the church must
remember that the younger gene
ration of today will determine
whether there is a church tomor
row.
Brothers, you must come down
home where Black people are. You
must address yourselves to the
problems that the Black communi
ty is confronted with on earth.
UNITED NEGRO
COLLEGE FUND, INC.
An appeal for support on behalf
of the United Negro College Fund
is being made again to college and
university students across the
country, it was announced by Mar-
that B. Lucas Pate, chairman of
the Fund’s College and School Di
vision.
I
Man doesn’t know whether there
is a life after death or not, but he
does know that there is life on
earth. And he knows that he must
live a better life here before he
can even think of an after life.
Therefore, you must readdress
yourselves to the earth problems
of man first.
You must not let the social and
moral norms of this racist society
prevent you from getting involved
with a positive attitude. The
church must protect and speak out
for the Black community. The
church must take a positive atti
tude.. The church must take a
positive stand on the social, eco
nomic and political issues involv
ing the Black community. As Rev
erend Cleage of Detroit stated:
“The Black church must support
the Black revolution which is tak
ing place, and those leaders who
are perpetuating or leading the
revolution.” The leaders of the rev
olution are morally right in their
efforts to free Black people of the
physical and mental exploitation,
oppression, and emasculation which
we have experienced at the hands
of the white man in America.
Therefore, my brothers, you must
come into the main stream of the
Black man’s struggle for libera
tion on all fronts.
Brothers, let us strive to make
this life a more relevant and mean
ingful one and a better place to
live for Black people, and after
we have accomplished such, then
let’s think about the life after
death.
In closing I will quote the late
brother Malcolm X: “We should
leave our religion at home when
we are working to implement a
program of action which is going
to benefit the whole Black com
munity. We are not oppressed and
exploited because we are Baptists,
Methodists or Catholics. We are
oppressed and exploited because
we are all Black. Therefore, we
must realize this and lay our dif
ferences aside and come together
as plain Black people with a com
mon problem and attempt to solve
our problems in that manner.”
We have to keep in mind at all
times that we are not fighting for
integration, nor are we fighting
separation. We are fighting for
recognition as human beings. We
are fighting for the right to live as
free humans in this society. In
fact, we are actually fighting for
rights that are even greater than
civil rights, and these are human
rights.
“MISS ARGUS
Sister Bertha Clark, a sophomore
from Mocksville, N. C.
Citing the latest census bureau
statistics which show a marked in
crease in black student enrollment,
Mrs. Pate said, “because of this
I important development, much of
' % \ the burden of educating these stu-
’ dents will be on black colleges. In
order to help alleviate this burden
I’m calling upon students of the
nation to help make this trend a
success by supporting the College
Fund and its 36 member schools.”
This year’s appeal is being made
to more than 4,000 colleges, univer
sities, professional schools, junior
colleges and private secondary
schools throughout the country.
Last year, Colby College, Maine,
made a gift of $12,200 in memory
of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., and Princeton University
has contributed $3,000 since 1967.
The Fund’s pre-alumni council
raised a total of $129,000, and the
college and school appeal raised
another $45,000 for the 1968 cam
paign drive.
In making the announcement,
Mrs. Pate added, “If colleges are
experiencing difficulty financially
these days, black colleges and uni
versities are having an even more
trying time. For more than a quar
ter of a century the United Negro
College^Fund has worked to pro
vide young black students with a
first-rate education to enable them
‘to do their thing’ towards a better
world.”
Today, the UNCF’s 36 member
schools have become one of the
most important single sources of
education for young black men
and women. With a current enroll
ment of more than 45,000 students,
their graduates include nearly
85% of the nation’s black physi
cians, three-quarters of all the
country’s Ph.D.’s and many of the
top leaders of the black communi
ty-
Currently in its 1969 fund drive,
the United Negro College Fund has
set a national goal of $7.5 million.
The money raised is earmarked
I 8 92
A
VOL. vm, NO. 2 WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY, WINSTON-SALEM, N. C. NOVEMBER, 19619
scholarships and other financial-
aid programs for students, for
faculty salaries, for teaching
equipment, libraries and for con
tinued development of remedial
programs.
Mrs. Pate is the former presi
dent of Sweet Briar College and
the widow of Maurice Pate, found
er and until his death, executive
director of UNICEF.
"NO RAIN ON
KAPPA'S PARADE"
Rain may have caused the can
cellation of the homecoming
parade and lessened the attendance
of the homecoming game, but the
Kapparet saved the day. The
Kappa’s homecoming activities
were highlighted by the annual
Kapparet. The action took place
at the new commoditidious Con
vention Center in downtown Win
ston-Salem.
While the alumni were waltzing
upstairs, the Kapparet was in full
force downstairs.
The attendance of the Kapparet
was beyond expectation. Kappas
from Johnson C. Smith, A & T
University, and the alumni chap
ter of Kappa Alpha Psi in Winston-
Salem were well represented at
the dance and partying hard.
The young ladies who attended
the dance were as fly as ever,
and of course the guys were “hung
up” as usual. Although the Kappas
of Winston-Salem State University
were acting as hosts for the eve
ning, they managed to participate
in some of the fun.
To those who attended the
Kapparet the Kappas would like
to say thanks, and to those who
did not, get into the swing of
things. —Bro. Toney Grant
RAMS FACE ANOTHER Hoping to get back on ifs
winning ways, the Rams found
LOSING SEASON
“A good start doesn’t always
mean a good finish.” According
to members of the Winston-Salem
State football team this statement
is very true. As the season nears
the end we find our Mighty Rams
once more in competition for the
cellar position. However, it is very
unlikely that they will finish rock
bottom.
This season the Rams got off to
one of the best starts in many
years. With impressive victories
over St. Pauls 14-0; and Cheney
State 52-8, on Sept. 21 and 2i8
respectively, the coaching staff
was convinced that this would
truly be the year of the Ram.
The Mighty Rams, who had
scored 66 points in two games
while yielding only 8 to their op
ponents, looked very good indeed.
On October 4th the Rams journey
ed far to do battle with the Bears
of Elizabeth City. It was a dark
day for the Rams as the Bears
closed the door in their face and
sent them home with a 42-14 de
feat. This was the beginning of the
If
Coach Wallace
only dissappointment as Livingston
College invaded Bowman Gray
Stadium on October 11 and set
the Rams down to their second
defeat in a row 32-12. One week
later found the Rams on the cam
pus of North Carolina Central Uni
versity in Durham, North Carolina.
The Rams had high hopes of up
setting a tough NCC team. But
hopes were not enough as the
talons of the Eagles ripped the
pood defenseless Rams to shreads
62-6. On October 25, with spirits
still riding high, the Rams traveled
to Greensboro, North Carolina, to
face arch rival A & T University
in W'ar Memorial Stadium. Again
the Rams were denied the taste
of victory as their spirits were
lowered by the A & T Aggies 37-7.
With homecoming activities in
full blast on November 1st and the
annual downpour from the heavens,
the Rams prepared in vam to hand
the Golden Bulls of Johnson C.
Smith University their first defeat
of the season. As it turned out in
the mud and rain, the not so
mighty Rams fell to a hard 30-6
loss.
Many of the Rams blame them
selves for the mid-season defeats.
They agreed that bad punts,
fumbles, interceptions, lack of
hustle, injuries, undesire to play,
and coaching miscues, led to all
of the set backs they faced this
year.
Win or lose, we, the students of
WSSU, are proud of the Mighty
Rams. Victory is sweet and it’s
nice to taste, defeat is bitter but
we must taste it too. Let’s not
taste bitterness next year.
—Bro. Clevell S. Roseboro