Opinions
JL
Apartheid In America
BY HOLLY HOBBS
Apartheid - the epitome of
racism in our world today. Where
a white minority rules a black
majority, allowing no black
representation what-so-ever.
Where racial segregation is
strictly adhered to. Where blacks
are forced to live in the
agriculturally poorest sections of
South Africa. Where it is difficult
for a native African to find work
in the white cities; and if s/he
does, a pass is required and s/he
is often separated from his/her
spouse indefinately. Americans,
and the world, many actively pro
testing, find this system abhor
rent.
America is 100 years away
from such a prejudice govern
ment; slavery has been abolish
ed, many say. What an ignorant
belief! The only similarity bet
ween slavery in the American
South and Apartheid in South
Africa is the oppression of one
race by another. Black South
Africans are paid for their labor
(albeit meager wages); Black
South Africans are not torn away
from their families through slave
auctions (although those who
work in white cities are
separated from their families).
At very best, America is but 20 -
yes, twenty - years away from
South Africa's tragedy today.
While blacks and whites lived
together, neighborhoods, fac
tories, restaurants and schools
were strictly segregated.
In 1954, the Supreme Court rul
ed that segregation in the schools
must end. Greensboro was the
first city in the South to announce
that it would comply with this
decision.
Although token desegregation
began in Greensboro in 1957, this
ruling was largely ignored. One
black student who attended a
black school six miles from his
home, applied for admission to an
all-white school within walking
distance of his home. His request
was denied. Other black students
in all-white schools were harass
ed - one student was spat upon
and had eggs thrown at her, and
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rocks were often thrown through
the windows of her home. One ali
white high school in Greensboro,
after black parents took it to
court asking for desegregation,
transfered every one of its white
students, then allowed the
transfer of 450 black students into
it. Even Guilford College,
Quakerly devoted to every form
of equality, admitted Africans
("International" students) but no
Afro-Americans.
On February 1, 1960, four black
students from A&T began a sit-in
at Woolworth's in downtown
Greensboro, turning the U.S. up
side down. This happened six
years after the Supreme Court
ruling, and took 15 more years to
erase conspicuous segregation
and prejudice.
Thank God, many readers may
sigh, it is over with. Not by a long
shot. Racism still abounds in
America, in the South, and in this
community. I site two examples
to prove my point.
First, a black acquaintance of
mine worked for one of the
largest companies in North
Carolina He was assigned to his
job as an on-the-job trainee with
four other blacks and seven
whites. Two of the five blacks had
worked on this job for many
years. Two whites were rookies
like my friend. Within the two
years of his work, my friend and
the two other blacks were written
up for every possible mistake,
even while on-the-job training.
My friend and one other black
were fired a month ago.
Coincidence or prejudice?
Maybe my friend d'd make alot of
errors. However, I know his
character, and he is a hard and
good worker. Also, only rookie
blacks were fired; no rookie
whites. Incidents such as this
happen all over America. In
cidents that are only con
spicuously racist to the victims
involved It is unfortunate that
this case would never stand up in
court.
My second example occured at
Guilford on October 31. when Dr.
Joseph, a black professor spoke
on racism to the freshmen during
an IDS lecture. Unfortunately, I
was not there. But this black
women caused an uproar. For
once, Guilford students became
livid, and expressed their anger
at this woman's point of view.
One faculty member stood up and
cried, "Madame, you are ar
rogant!" The freshman class,
largely white, Dr. Joseph's reply
in effect said, "You are all racist!
Supporting a white man against
what 1 am saying!"
At 7:30 p.m. in the Gallery, Dr.
Joseph spoke again. I was
privileged to hear the last half
hour of the discussion. One white
student in effect said, "My best
friend is black, and it never ov
vurs to me. I don't consider her
black." No?! Well, she is black!
Looking at blacks, conforming
(hem to white ideals, is just as
racist as out-right prejudice is!
Afro-Ameicans' heritage is of a
different root than the majority
WASP Americans' heritage is. To
truly integrate is to recognize
blacks' separate culture as their
culture, while allowing them true
equality at the same time. And
true equality comes when blacks
are not looked upon in white
terms, when quotas are no longer
filled (which is also just as racist
as out-right prejudice). When
each person - black, white;
female, male; Jew, Christian;
homo- and heterosexuals - is ac
cepted on equal terms, for their
own qualities, is when true
equality will exist.
After hearing Dr. Joseph speak
for half an hour and never having
met her, I have intense respect
for this woman. Perhaps one day
I will be "radical" and well in
formed enough to evoke such con
troversy, feeling and stimulation
of thought. For without profound
searching as this, true equality
cannot exist.
This leads me to the title of my
editorial: How different is Apar
theid. in its purest form, from
American society today?
Information on the (,ily of
(irrenshoro WHS tukt'n from
(ivilitcs and (i lit Riflhts, l>\
W illium C.luiffe.
Letters To
The Editor
Quaker
Thanks
Dear Editor:
Last year, Tom Risser set an
amazing precedent at Guilford
College. He, and his staff, had the
desire and the motivation to pro
duce literally the best yearbook
this college had ever seen. His
goal was accomplished;
however, it was reached only
through Guilford students
volunteering countless thousands
of hours running around campus
gathering information, writing
copy, taking photographs, laying
out pages, and doing the hun
dreds of other tasks which must
be done to produce a yearbook of
the highest quality.
There is hardly a student to
whom I, and the rest of the-|
Quaker staff, have spoken who
has not expressed that he/she,-
would like for the newly- e
established tradition of having a c
quality yearbook at Guilford to ,
continue. Although the officers ,
and staff of the yearbook are will ,
ing to continue the trend, we are
not able to do the job without
some help and cooperation from
the students. You can help by do
ing the following things: please
sign up to have your photograph
taken for the signed up for a time,
please show up at that time to
have the picture taken; if you are
a senior, please turn in your
Senior Spec Sheet by November
20. These are three easy thing
which the students of (iuilford
can do to help the yearbook staff.
Also, if you are able to spend even
a very small amount of time
writing or typing copy or doing
any other task, please come to a
Monday evening yearbook
meeting in the Publications Suite
and see what the Quaker is all
about.
Drinking Problem?
BY HOLLY HOBBS
Mary Hobbs dorm had a Hallo
ween party on November Ist.
Although there were problems
with the keg tap, it seemed to be
going well, until some male
Guilford students started to stir
things up. They began by taking
the light bulb covers, which
resembled jars, and drank out of
them. Then they proceeded to
smash them on the floor and
ground. One was thrown through
a window. Three chairs were
broken.
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(iuilforriian—l
November fi, 1!(S
Remember that the Quaker is
about and for you, the Guilford
College student, and that if we
can't get anyone's picture or any
of the other things we need to
create a yearbook of the same
quality as last year's, there won't
be a book that anyone is proud of.
Also remember that the quality
of the Quaker reflects not only on
the yearbook staff, but on the en
tire Guilford community. The
staff of the 198(> Quaker would
greatly appreciate as much
cooperation as possible from the
students of Guilford in helping us
to produce the best yearbook
ever.
Andrew Stuart
Disturbed
|o the Editor:
The library no longer
represents a bastion of academic
excellence, but a prison where
one is constantly subject to the
rules of the wardon.On
weekends, a time when one strug
tiles for academic motivation, a
woman cursed by a legalististic
mentality, haunts the library.
She roams the stacks and the
study room, in plight of stomping
out any half-broken rule, and in
so doing, plagues the student with
a fear of incompliance One can
not study within her "hellish' do
main. for she must constantly
worry about his/her behavior.
The library witch even invents
rules when she can find no broken
behavior to curse. If one occa
sions to rest his/her feet upon fur
niture or study in a peculiar man
ner, she enters here crazy tan
trum and with a schizophrenic
ideal for excellence, disturbs the
students and defies the definition
of a library a place of study.
Disturbed
Brad Chance
And so I ask the rhetorical
question: When will young men
at college stop acting like pubes
cent boys after a drinking session
and start respecting other's pro
perty? The violence at this party
caused alot of monetary damage,
of which either the dorm or the
college must pay. It is of the
editor's strong opinion that the
guilty pubescents should admit to
their childish behavior and pay
for their damage caused to the
dorm. Anything short of that is a
violation of the Honor Code.
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