Page 4 The Broncos' Voice
EDITORIALS
Do White People
Need Black History?
A rebuttal to our March 1992 cover story,
by Wayne Hodges.
Do white people need Black history?
This was the question raised as the
theme of the March 1992 issue of the
Broncos’ Voice. Staff writer Matthew
Royal used this question to compose an
article which was a collection of other
students’ thoughts on the subject (includ
ing my own) and his own opinions on the
subject.
After reading the article written by Mr.
Royal (whom I know personally), I was
stupefied by his position on the question.
Mr. Royal stated that whites do not need to
learn Black History because “in contem
porary American society, one can go far
and do much without ever knowing a
single fact regarding [B]lack history. Black
history is noi needed lo incorporate a
business. Black history is not needed to
file taxes. Black history is not needed to
communicate with others.” These com
ments are Mr. Royal’s, to my surprise and
I felt obligated to rebut them as a Black
man.
Unfortunately, he is looking at this
question idealistically rather than realisti
cally. Most of Mr. Royal’s thoughts deal
with what one can do physically. Educa
tion goes beyond the realm of the physical.
Education in any field (in this case history)
deals with the mentality. And it is the
whites that lack a mentality supplemented
with Black history that continue to be the
main supplanters, liars, and exploiters, of
the other peoples of earth. Whites who
know not true Black history engender
prejudice, racism, and discrimination in
this society. They have been diseducated,
miseducated, and mislead. If whites learned
Black history, they would see the great
accomplishments that Blacks and Afri
cans made in America and Africa, and
would have a greater respect for Blacks as
individuals, as a race, and for Black and
African achievements.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the father of
Black History, states in Miseducation of
the Negro, “In history ... the [Black] had
no place in this curriculum. He was pic
tured as a human being of the lower order
... No thought was given to the history of
Africa except so far as it had been a field
of exploitation for the Caucasian.” Dr.
Woodson is correct and just in his assess-
May, 1992
ment. This portion of history is all whites
(and some Blacks) seem to have been
taught. As Dr. Woodson also states, “You
might study the history from the elemen
tary school throughout the university, and
you would never hear Afiica mentioned
except in the negative. You would never
thereby learn that Africans first domesti
cated the sheep, goat, and cow, developed
the idea of trial by jury, produced the first
stringed instruments, and gave the world
its greatest boon in the discovery of iron.”
If whites were to be truly educated on
these accomplishments that Blacks and
Africans made at one point in history, they
would realize that through all the unmiti
gated suffering and pain that Blacks have
endured, there still lies within Blacks in
America and Africa, the quiescent ability
to do them again.
So, in my assessment, whites do NEED
Black history so that there will exist a
mutual respect between Blacks and whites
for each other’s historical accomplish
ments. They NEED it so that attitude and
behavior patterns of prejudiced and racist
whites may possibly be assuaged and
changed. Whites learning Black history is
an essential in the perpetuation of free
dom, justice, equality, and all other prin
ciples of “righmess” in the world. Mr.
Royal shouldheedtheprevious comments.
Also, I was astonished at some of the
comments by other students in the article.
I was not astonished by the persons mak
ing these remarks, but rather how their
comments entailed so much ignorance. I
was also humored by their attempts to
avoid answers to the question.
One sir responded to the question in
this manner: “All people need all history.”
Yes, all people do need all history, but that
was not the question at hand. I am sure if
the sir would check himself he, to, would
see this fact; moreover, if the sir would
capitulate to the eyes of reality, he would
distinctly see, considering the presentcon-
dition of race relations in this nation, that
the history of the Black man deserves
excessively more than a modicum of at
tention.
Quri Simmerly, with whom I also
hold acquaintance, made a comment which
stated “the problem with history is that
people find many excuses and irrelevant
problems of the past and try to bring them
into the present. Only our actions from the
present can solve the problems for the
future.”
Surely Miss Simmerly does not be
lieve this, but if in fact she does I hope her
position is an evanescent one. Miss Sim
merly does not truly understand that as
every moment of the present ticks away, it
changes into the past and also the future.
History’s role in society is one much more
profound than the superficial thoughts of
Miss Simmerly.
As Malcolm X stated, “ ... it is
impossible to understand the present or
prepare for the future unless we have some
knowledge of the past.”
So, I state to all those persons who
responded to the question negatively or
managed to “get around” the question, I
can see as a result of their comments and
responses that they do, in fact, need Black
history.
Full Scholarships
(For In-State
Students Only)
by Albert Johnson
When an administrator called me on
the phone a year ago and told me that I was
receiving a full scholarship to Fayetteville
State University, I jumped for joy. A couple
of weeks later, I received a letter from FSU
that explained the scholarship criteria. The
letter said that my award was a “full schol
arship at an in-state rate.” At first, I did not
understand this phrase; so, I called FSU
and was told that an enormous amount of
tuition would have to be paid by scholar
ship students who were out-of-state resi
dents. [This meant that in-state smdents
would have to pay no additional fees but
out-of-state students would have to pay
the difference between in-state and out-of-
state tuition.
When I realized this, I did not think I
would accept FSU’s scholarship offer. As
time went by though, no other school —
including the one in my hometown —
offered me any money. This made me
reconsider FSU’s. Besides, I wanted to get
away from home, because I needed a
change from my regular aunosphere. So as
things turned out, I accepted the scholar
ship, realizing that my tuition would only
be partially covered.
After my first semester at FSU, I
earned a 4.0 GPA. When a few people
heard about my accomplishment, they told
me what a fme example I was setting as a
Chancellor’s scholar. As I thought more
about these remarks, I considered them to
be insults instead of compliments. Of
course, most students with Chancellor’s
Scholarships receive the same amount of
money. But, out-of-state students, like
myself, have to pay at least $2500.00 more
per semester.
Whenever I tell someone I’m here on
aChancellor’s Scholarship, they automati
cally assume that I’m one of the elite
students whose tuition is fully covered.
Well, I am “fully” covered but only at an
in-state rate. The more I thought about
this, the more upset I became. What was
bugging me the most was not the fact that
I was paying $5000.00 for tuition this year;
it was the fact that I was put in the same
category with students who were fully
covered when in reality I was not. Out-of-
state scholarship students are given the
same amount of money and have to keep
the same requirements (3.2 GPA, 6 hours
community service every week) but are
still only partially covered. So how could
out-of-state students be looked at in the
same manner as in-state students?
The phrase “full scholarship at an in
state rate” was so vague that when a few
out-of-state scholars arrived at FSU, they
believed they had a full ride. When they
found out the truth, they felt as though they
were cheated. How many of these students
will return next semester remains to be
seen. Those out-of-state students who are
returning have obviously accepted the fact
that they are on partial scholarships.
The big problem though is distin
guishing “partial” scholars from Chancel
lor’s scholars. Since scholarships for most
out-of-state students do not cover even
half of their tuition, why should they be
given the same requirements in order to
keep their “awards” as those who are fully
covered? Is it really necessary for a student
to do 6 hours of community service every
week for his/her scholarship, when he/she
is the one that needs help paying for tu
ition? I say it is too much for a student to
work so hard for a partial scholarship and
still have to worry about paying an enor
mous amount of money. Granted, these
students can always look towards finan
cial aid, but there are no guarantees that
financial aid will cover the rest of their
fees. Therefore, out-of-state scholars
should not have to perform community
service or be required to keep a GPA as
high as fully-covered scholars.
Being considered a “full” scholarship
recipient is an insult to my pride. When I
earned a 4.0 GPA, I earned it for myself,
not for the sake of the scholarship. Like
wise, when I perform community service
I do it as a human being.
By continually regarding me as an
“elite” Chancellor’s scholar, the admini
stration gives others the wrong impression
of my true status asaChancellor’s scholar.
The lack of distinction between those who
truly receive full scholarships and those
who receive only partial scholarships im
plies that we who in fact receive partial
scholarships should be just as grateful as
those receiving a “free ride”.
Because I am offended by this policy,
I refused to accept the “Chancellor’s
Scholar of Distinction” award I earned for
making the Chancellor’s List.
Editorials, continued next page.
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