Page 2, NovembtT 19‘)2 ^
Stark reality faces the Students
Government Association I’resident,
Sean Mack. Decisive leadership
is important in bringing cliange to
the S.G.A. and addressing student
concerns that liave been neglected
by previous administrations.
Mr. Mack acknowledged this
importance in liis speech at the
installation ceremony of S.G.A.
officers.
"I bring you new leadership with
an agenda of change. Tliere's a new
sheriff in town a;id those in our way
should step aside," said Mack.
Yet to merely talk about the need
for new leadersliip and change is not
enough, because, as we all know,
action speaks louder than words.
As one student put it, "Sean talked a
lot but said little." Already students
aie weary of inflated rhetoric and
expect a lot from Mack.
Also, our sheriff enters oflice
shadowed by several festering
internal problems, which include the
composition of his executive
cabinet, and an unconstiiutionally
appointed chief justice. It is vital
that he addresses these questions
before he introduces his reform
■'A I
I( was onie said that ignorance
deprives a prison of freedom, since
one dx;s nn laiow what alternatives
Mv viivn to one. Given this fact, it
would be impossible to cluK)se from
what one does not know. Because of
the existence of segregation within
our 'educated' scK'iety, human beings
us a whole have been denied entry
to the vast temples of knowledge
available to them. Segregation
closes the mind's eye toward
alternative points of view, limiting
one to seeing, believing, and
accepting one sect - that being the
most favored sect. Is there no
redeeming virtue in a rejected sect?
package. Such action would be a
positive step toward restoring his
credibility with the student body.
. Although Mack did not mention
any specifics on his agenda, it is a
comforting thought that he
recognizes the need for change.
Granted, it will take some time
before Mack restores law and
order, especially in light of the
problems he faces.
It would be a mistake to set an
unrealistic agenda. Mack must
remember that the S.G.A. is an
organization of the students , by the
students , and for the students.
Therefore, he must focus on
student concerns, such as academic
matters, dormitory conditions, and
complaints about the cafeteria.
Mack must avoid using the "Tap
option" - turning the water on and
off to suit the S.G.A disposition.
Despite his speech, our swdent
president knows the fundamental
issue is not rhetoric but how he
performs this year. What confronts
Mack is whether he will act
decisively or whether he will add
meaning to the saying that talk is
cheap.
Good luck, Mr. Mack!
7
I believe th(^e is. In every rejected
sect there >ufe qualities that can
greatly t'^Aance the value and
efficiency of any accepted sect. It is
only thjough a mind open to all
tilings that an individual could
become as prcxJuctive, both
intellectually and physically, as
human capabilities allow.
Wliile there are many cases
where segregation is practiced, let
us examine the most active case: thtJ
case of races. Although it has been
argued that this practice has been
greatly discouraged, its total
discontinuation is the goal we
should strive for.
Until recently, when I stumbled
on some narrowly circiriated
literature concerning Black history
called ^'His - storical Lies and
Myths that Mis - educate Black
People" by Zak A. Kondo, it had
been my belief that previous
accounts of history were totally
accurate. For instance, we were all
taught that the first Africtins came to
the continental Americas as slaves.
However, according to Kondo, long
before Columbus and other
Europeans visited America as
traders and explorers, the Spaniards
reported of an African kingdom in
the Americas called Darien. In
addition, even those Africans
brought to America by the English
and the Dutch came as indentured
servants and not as slaves (see Leo
Wiener's Africa and the Discovery
of America). This is not to say that
what we were taught is totally
wrong, but imagine how much more
knowledgeable we would be, if all
available sources aie used in our
quest for truth. Until all aspects of
liistory and other issues are
explored, one's knowledge in that
particulai’ area is not only limited,
but also biased. To support a race
discounting or discrediting another
race because of what was done to
them is not only wrong, but shows
that the offender is no better than
One that stresses the need for respect
respect for who you are as an
individual; respect for the great
(Ones that fought in the past,
allowing us all to hold our heads up
high as we walk; yes, respect even
for those who were led to believe
that one race is better than another.
One of the most effective ways
this can be acliieved is through
becoming more educated about who
we are, where we come from, and.
S^nt Augustine’s College
most importantly, where we are
goiiig. A small glance at the many
accomplishments of the past, for
ex-ample those of Booker T.
Washington, W. E. DeBois or
Benjamin Banneker, leads one to
ask how far mankind would have
reached if only this impediment
were not present. Can you imagine
how many geniuses, inventors and
other pioneers, and how much more
information would be at our
disposal today?
Is there a practical side to
segregation? Is it really the force
that has propelled humanity to the
heights it has reached at present?
Without the segregating of the
races, those civil rights leaders and
reformers would not have a cause
for which to fight. The many
intellectual thoughts and inventions
by Blacks to prove they are equal
would .not be of the
significance.
While the former inay be a
thought to ponder on, ccansider this:
is it not the ultimate goal of all
human beings to survive and to
strive for the total betterment of
mankind? It is my belief that
segregation ih any form takes away
from this goal. Can we fulfill this
task with such a narrow-miwAjjl
view about the unknown facts
.aiound us? I tliink not. With the
existence of segregation, we are
dealt a crippling blow that hinders
US Iroiii* movins ^
society should let go of its many
set-backs, like segregation, and
allow itself to move freely toward
total advancement.
In other words, it is only when
this issue, and countless otheTSSfear
aie often swept under the caipet, aie
at least invfisfigated that we can as
human beings fearlessly seaich for
and indeed find that higher
knowledge and power that we all
seek.
Quote of the month
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public
relations officers.
Daniel Boorstine, The Imaee. 1962
POINT OF VIEW
THE PEN
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