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UILFORDIAN
Greensboro, N.C.
Volume 92, Issue 13
www.guilfordian.com
January 20, 2006
Youngblood offers a "defense for dreamers"
Megan Feil 6 Ben Dedman
Senior Writers
"I don't drink coffee," said Rev. Dr.
Johnny Ray Youngblood when presented
with a Guilford College throw and coffee
mug at the conclusion of his speech. "Tea?"
suggested Holly Wilson, Coordinator of
Africana Community Programs, who pre
sented his gifts. "I can put beer in that too,"
Rev. Youngblood said with a chuckle.
"It was great that he could end it
with a joke, especially because the rest
of his sermon did a good job of com
bining the seriousness and celebration
of the occasion," said first-year Keiron
Maroney.
Rev. Youngblood, a pastor in
Brcx)klyn for the past 27 years, notably
increased his congregation at St. Paul
Community Baptist Church from 84
people to 9,000. He addressed a diverse
audience in Dana Auditorium at 7 p.m.
on Jan. 16 in commemorative celebra
tion of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
He began by referencing the Bible,
quoting Genesis 37:1-8: "and they hated
him yet the more for his dreams and
for his words." Rev. Youngblood dis
cussed dreamers and their esteemed
qualities throughout his speech.
"Dreams make dreamers, people
don't just conjure up dreams," said Rev.
Youngblood. "Dr. King was wrong
when he said he had a dream - a dream
had him. He was, in a sense, pos
sessed."
The recurrent shouting of "amen"
throughout the program indicated the
enthusiasm Rev. Youngblood inspired
in the crowd.
During her welcoming remarks.
Wilson said, "we expect a move of spirit
tonight."
"Even though we have theological differ
ences between us," said first-year Noah
Schiansi. "What he was talking about really
stirred me during the program and hope
fully I will be moved to action. That hap
pens a lot to students at these things, we
never proceed to actually do anything
about what we believe."
According to Monica Walker, Visiting
Lecturer in Justice and Policy Studies,
Youngblood serves as an example: "He is a
giant who has done more with the minutes
in his life than most do in a lifetime."
Rev. Youngblood offered his opinion on
controversial current affairs by metaphori
cally connecting hatred with heart disease.
He listed the various physical heart condi
tions plaguing the medical community.
Rev. Youngblood recalled Dr. King’s message of dreams
adding hatred to the end of the list.
"The worst kind of heart trouble I have
heard of is hatred. Hating, ya'll, is an awful
disease. Hazardous to your whole health. If
you have not had a spiritual check-up yet,
you may be afflicted."
He believes hatred naturally occurs in
life, defining it as "the force of love moving
in the wrong direction." The spiritual check
up he recommends takes the form of a "hate
test." "If you cannot share your hatred
with God," Rev. Youngblood told the
audience, "there is a good chance it is
demonically induced."
He mentioned learning as a child
that four-letter words are bad. At the
time, his parents only informed him of
h-a-t-e. This is the underlying problem
of all issues in the world according to
Rev. Youngblood - racism, sexism, and
religious differences.
Youngblood tied in these prob
lems to the inactivity of dreamers and
the over-activity of haters:
"Dreamers create a restlessness on
the part of people who are addicted to
business as usual. They upset the sta
tus quo by pointing out topics uneasi
ly discussed because they know it is
the right thing to do."
For those protectors of the status
quo "who don't have love, don't have
dreams, who have a history of vio
lence, who are propagators of hate,"
Youngblood coined the term "poverty
pimps."
This is what he had to escape
growing up in poverty-stricken New
Orleans. To make Ws point, he
recalled an appropriate line in the
theme song from the classic TV sitcom.
Welcome Back Kotter: "Dreams were
my ticket out."i§
Long-standing Guilford trustee Stanley Frank dies at age 91
Don Etter
Senior Writer
Stanley Frank, member of
Guilford College's Board of
Trustees for 36 years, died on Jan.
2. Services were held at Temple
Emanuel, where approximately
600 people gathered to pay their
respects.
The procession stopped at the
Frank Family Science Center to
hear prayers from professor and
rabbi Jonathan Malino.
Frank was buried at Hebrew
Cemetery.
Frank was more than a trustee.
He was a friend, confidant and
mentor to four Guilford presi
dents; and he offered his bril
liance, his support and his smile
to any member of the Guilford
community.
"Stanley had a commanding
presence, but a visible compassion
to go with it," said Jon Vamell,
Director of Facilities and Campus
Services.
Frank was chair of the Building
and Grounds Committee and one
of the top donors in Guilford's his
tory, leaving behind the Frank
Family Science Center and the
steps of New Garden Hall. Frank's
theory of buildings mimicked his
lifestyle: he believed a strong
infrastructure was far more
important than a flashy appear
ance.
Frank did more than donate
money, however. He created
opportunity.
Continued on page 3
Faculty and staff greeted Stanley Frank’s funeral procession in front of Frank Family Science Center