Feb^aa/Lt/ 16, 1973
THE TWIG
PAGE 3
I
-1
First BVU project a success
By RENEE LINDSEY
Black Voices in Unity is
unique in several aspects —
first of all it was formed by
black students here, and second
this is its first year of activity.
We are a special group but we
do hope in the near future to
increase in membership. More
important to us is the attract
ing of interested students who
understand what “beingBlack”
is all about. Our membership
is always open to those who
really want to help break down
the myths and fantasies of being
different from others that still
hold up firmly the barriers of
race against all of our bro
thers and sisters.
Black Awareness Week was
our first step in obtaining
this objective. Each day dur
ing the week of February 5-8
featured a different a.spect of
the black culture.
On Monday, February 5, Mr.
Spurgeon Cameron was our
speaker in chapel. His main
point was the supremacy of the*
white male. He tried to point
out that blacks were not the on
ly ones “shafted,” but that the
white women are as well. This
was a great point of interest
not only to me, but it should
have been to every student at
Meredith as well. Perhaps, as
rightly so, he stepped on a few
local toes. I heard later that
one professor called him a mil
itant. That's good to me. Now
at least I know he was not
just listening but was hearing
the truth. Mr. Cameron brought
many points home, so to speak,
in that he spoke on what Mere
dith has already done and can
do in the recognition of blacks
as an intelligent, hardworking
people. Finally he asserted
what we as blacks need to do
for ourselves. Going to col
lege is not enough, according
to Mr. Cameron; we must also
select those areas of study that
will further us economically.
Tuesday evening, Mrs. Anne
Hunt Jones gave her presenta
tion of “Black Music in His-
torial Perspective.” She be
gan with a tape that demon
strated the original sounds of
the African in his singing and
in his speech. She took, for
instance, the African musical
beats, and demonstrated how
even though the singing styles
of the black America changed,
that the beat is still present
in all of our historical and up-
to-date music. Mrs. Joneswas,
as usual, very clever at getting
her audience to feel what she
was demonstrating.
Wednesday morning brought
the Shaw Players and Mrs.
Caple in a fine performance
of “To Be Young, Gifted, and
Black” and “In White Amer
ica.” The acting ability of
the Shaw Players has never
been undermined and they gave
their best. That evening stu
dents enjoyed one of the best
meals we’ve had here at Mere
dith at our Soul Food Dinner.
The food tasted even better in
an atmosphere of various black
musical styles and the cafeteria
itself was decorated in the color
scheme of the black liberation
colors — red, black, and green.
With Thursday came the cul
minating activity for Black A-
wareness Week — a film entit
led “The Black Experience,”
which enlightened us on Negro
folklore. We were taken from
“Brer Rabbit’’ tales to gospel
music in explaining how the
culture of blacks is reflected
in our music and life style.
Items such as jazz and blues
showed other contributions of
blacks which were not empha
sized in previous activities this
week. After the film, we dis
cussed culture differences and
how we are becoming aware
of each other’s contributions to
society.
All good things must come to
an end, but a remnant of Black
Awareness Week will be pre
sent in the art exhibit in the
Rotunda in which several young
black artists’ works will be on
display. Even though our activi
ties in observance of Black A-
wareness Week have ended, I
hope that each of you, as fu
ture mothers, teachers, soci
ologists, etc. will teach all
children to see, recognize, and
appreciate other cultures of the
world. It is our duty as hu
mans not to sit idle and insti
gate hatred. Join us again next
year!
Mr. Spurgeon Cameron delivered the key address on Monday,
Peace fund begun
A million dollar campaign
to more than double its aid to
civilian war sufferers in Viet
nam and its work for a last
ing peace in Indochina was
announced this week by the
American Friends Service
Committee.
Designated the “North
/'Soutti Vietnam Fund for War
Reli(T and Peace Action,” the
campaign opened January 21.
A major early phase of ttie
campaign is directed to the
university communities a-
cross the nation, according to
Wallace Collett, board chair
man of the aFSC.
“University young people,”
said Collett, “and the facul
ties are deeply concerned over
the ramifications of this war.
The theme of the campaign
is ‘Make Your Own Peace,'
“We iiave found,” Collett
added, “that many young peo
ple are seeking a way to do
something on their own voli
tion that can make a differ
ence. Their support of AFSC’s
programs has been identified
by many of them as one way
to make a difference to the
thousands of victims of this
war.”
The Al’SC will more than
double its efforts in tlie year
ahead to respond to ttie accu
mulated misery of the Indo
chinese people'.
“It is equally important,”
said Collett, “that Americans
keep w!'ll-informed about the'
role of the United States in
Vietnam,, Many of the involve
ments of our country in Viet
nam have taken place with the
American people unaware of
the sweeping and tragic nature'
(Ceeeitinued on Page 4)
R. E. Hunter, with one of his paintings, was one of the area artists featured in Johnson Hall
display.
Volunteers urgently needed
to help dig England’s post
Students are urgently invit
ed to help in archaeological'
excavations in England this
summer. Deadline for appli
cations is April 1.
City center redevele)pment,
new road-building preegrams
and rapidly changing land use
are threatening the disap
pearance of prehistoric
graves, Iron-age settlements,
Roman villas, fascinating rel
ics of mediaeval towns, all
over Britain.
American students free
from mid-May, and with pre
vious archaelogical exper
ience, are invited to join an
international team on a dig of
the important Anglo-Saxon
site at Spong Hill where the
1973 excavation hopes to find
new evidence of the early pa
gan settlements. Experienced
helpers will receive free
board for helping in this im
portant work. Similar help is
also required on work on a
mediaeval manor near Ches
ter.
Other students witho’jt ex
perience are invited to join the
British Archaeology Seminar
at Lincoln College, Oxford,
organised by the Association
for Cultural Exchange. Six
academic credits can be earn
ed from participating in this
low-cost program which ends
by three weeks’ participation
on digs in different parts of
England and Scotland.
These include the Associa-
tio.n’s own mesolithic dig on
the island of Oronsay in the
Hebrides which last summer
was visited by Queen Eliza
beth, Prince Charles and
Princess Anne. Cost, inclus
ive of Trans-Atlantic travel
(Continued on Page 4)