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4 Liberate Forum " Off the coast of North and $outh Carolina, and Georgia, there 'i$ a growing "African" liberation ?$ruggle, yet millions of African .^jnericans and others remain rela tively unaware of this struggle. The "{tea Islands" are part of a chain of ^sfriall islandTlocated less than one ?mile from the mainland of the ^southeast coast of the United States. ? Hilton Head, but remains not attached to the mainland. These two islands pay taxes to Beaufort Coun ty, South Carolina. Daufuskie Island is actually very close to the port of Savannah, Georgia. Inciden tally, the oldest African-American church, First African Baptist Church, is still located in Savannah, <^$orgia. Today on Daufuskie CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL By BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS JR. t ? ~ . The Sea Islands historically were populated by escaped or freed African slaves and their descen dants for more than the last 150.^ years. Due to the fact that these ' islands were not directly attached to die mainland, the majority African American population over the years retained a considerable degree of authentic African culture, language and traditional ways of nurturing the land and other natural resources. Now all of this is being destroyed by the avarice and greed of large so-called "developers." In light of a tremendous national advertisement campaign, many per sons have heard of the luxurious urns of the "Hilton Head Islands, South Carolina resorts and "proper ties." Hilton Head is one of the Sea Islands where now, the indigenous population is being displaced and transformed into a post-modern ser vant/slave class. Hilton Head Island is now con nected to the South Carolina main land by a bridge. Daufuskie Island is geographically located close to Island, the nation's third oldest African-American church, Second African Union Baptist Church, is still providing indigenous leader ship for the ongoing struggle for survival and liberation. It is on Dau fuskie Island, in particular, that there is a need for emergency response to the rapidly changing sit uation on the island as the develop ers have now almost totally elimi nated the indigenous population. This is not a case of "black land loss" but "black land rip off." We recently joined a fact find-v ing mission to Daufuskie Island sponsored by the Prophetic Justice Unit of the National Council of Churches. We were part of a mul tiracial, ecumenical delegation that spent several days investigating the Daufuskie crisis. The Racial Justice Working Group of the* Unit had journeyed to Daufuskie Island for a similar mis sion last year. The Prophetic Justice Unit con cluded that the crisis on Daufuskie Island represented a clear case of deliberate "cultural genocide and racial exploitation and oppression." The National Council of Churches Unit has called for immediate Con- I gressional hearings on the plight of the remaining natives of Daufuskie who are refusing to be driven from their homes and land. At one time there were more than a thousand ? African-Americans who lived on Daufuskie: Today in 1991, there are less than 75 African- Americans left on the island. ?We are aware that there are some cynics who will take the posi tion that this little island now with only less than 75 sisters and broth ers should not cause enough to sound a national alarm. That"' view misses the point. The indigenous people of Daufuskie not only "need" our support, they "deserve" our active support. For decades, against tremendous pressures, this_^ small band of sisters and brothers have held on to their "past, present and future" in many ways that have been lost by African-American communities besieged on the main land throughout the United States. The developers, mainly the Melrose Company and International Paper Company's Resorts, are now attempting to prevent the indige nous population from having even the means of vital transportation to and from the island all with the complicity of local government authorities. The ChrisHcTlnsliltrte^ South has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the people of Daufuskie against the myriad of injustices. Let us work together to save the "Gullah" culture of the Sea Islands. Helping to save Daufuskie Island from destructive "develop ment" will help us save this impor tant people's struggle. Let us work together to help liberate Daufuskie Island. Dear Justice Thomas: ' I did not oppose your nomina tion, but I was not one of your sup porters cither. After I watehed^he -setcnd round of Senate Judiciary C6mmittec hearings, however, I now believe you can be a positive Hill, who was 25, bright, attractive an<i obviously going places. 1 hope you weren't the sleazeball character ized in her testimony, but you prob- - ably weren't the saint you'd have us believe you were either. So when you angrily, arrogant AGAINST THE GRAIN By ROOSEVELT w]lSON factor on the Court if you would take note of just a few things: ' First: Understand that as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice in America, you are second only to God in pass ing judgment. After the High Court, unless Congress and the president can agree on new legislation, there is no other recourse for an appellant except God. Understanding that, you must be almost God-like in your charac ter; wisdom and attitude. During your confirmation you should have answered all questions, and without the arrogance, anger and impatience yoti showed in responding to the allegations of Anita Hill. - ' Second: While you are expect ed to be God-like as an associate justice, 1 1 years agd you were just a 32:year-old red-ilooded male, working very closely with Anita ly, vehemently and categorically denied EVERY allegation made by - Hill, perhaps you protested a bit too mugh. ^Because there is no way to prc^ve thfem, I must give you the benefit of the doubt and say Hill's allegations and your denials carry at least equal weight, so they offset each other, and the harassment issue should not have been a factor in your confirmation. Third: Justice Thomas, you tes tified that the allegations are "charges that play into racist, bigot ed stereotypes" that you worked so hard all your life to avoid. About the hearings, you said: *"It is a national disgrace, and from my standpoint as a black American, as far as I'm concerned, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do tor them selves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that unless you kow tow ta an older order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the U.S. Senate rather than hung from a tree." Justice Thomas, welcome to the real world, ? You have spent so much time trying to prove that competence not color is what makes a difference that you forgot what color you are. Suddenly, after 43 years, after you have worked so hard to rise so far, you acknowledge that racism is as ugly and potent as ever. You acknowledge that yes, one must be competent, but unless one is an affluent white male, one must also be beware. I believe you have a new sensi tivity to those who cry racism and discrimination. I believe you can now understand that cases coming before the-Gowt that threaten to undermine gains made by civil rights legislation are crucial because our system simply will not treat minorities, women, the handicapped and the elderly right, unless it is forced to. I can support you because if after all you have been through, you still want to sit on the Supreme Court, you probably will be a greater champion for the rights of the oppressed than anyone ever dreamed. The return of the peace dividend ? It seems like ancient history, but .back in the days when the Cold War was melting and both sides between the superpowers would enable deep cuts in military spend ing that could be applied to meeting TO BE EQUAL By JOHW E. JACOB cut the arms race our domestic needs. doWn to size, something emerged Not that there was universal cafted the "peace dividend." agreement. Some wanted to use the That was the assumption that peace dividend to cut the deficit; conning of peaceful relations others to cut taxes. Many, including myself said that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in our neglect ed human capital and rebuild our infrastructure through a Marshall Plan for America to make our nation competitive again. Then, Sadaam Hussein started flinging missiles and tanks around and the picture changed. From the prospects of peace, we had the real ity of war, and the peace dividend was presumed to be a major casual ty of the Persian Golf conflict. Well, it wasn't, and it isn't. That's partly due to some of the things we learned in the war about Please see page A6 \ Blacks say little has changed in teaching African-American heritage MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) ? Dorothy Autrey, a professor at Alabama State University, says she : wasn't taught black history when she was in school ? she lived it. Growing up black in Alabama during the turbu lent years that saw the "Cradle of the Confederacy" beepme the birthplace of the civil rights movement, Autrey attended segregated schools and graduated from all-black D.A. Smith High School in Ozark in 1965. She went on to undergraduate studies at Tallade GUEST COLUMN By JESSICA SAUNDERS Associated Press ga College, the first all-black college in Alabama. After earning a doctorate in American history from Notre Dame University and teaching at Clarke Col lege in Atlanta and Bethune-Cookman College in Miami, she returned to her home state a year ago for a job at predominantly black ASU. Autrey was surprised and discouraged to discov ' er how little Alabama students knew about their her itage. Some had not even read a book she considered basic high school material, "Up From Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, who founded Tuskcgee Insti tute about 45 miles away. "They know very, very, very little. They've heard of (Martin Luther) King, and a few other well known blacks," said Autrey. In the 20-odd years since Alabama schools were desegregated, black educators like Autrey say little has changed in the teaching of black history ? it still tends to be a subjcct given in fragments, fit in around other subjects or in special lectures during Black History Month in February. Black teachers also poin^ouuhat while history ? textbooks may include the accomplishments of black Americans, the information is often set aside in spe cial sections rather than incorporated into the main text. The arguments play into the ongoing national debate over so-called "curocentric" education, the belief that all American history has a pro- white slant because it is written mainly by people with white European ethnic backgrounds. In Alabama, home to Tuskegee Institute and George Washington Carver and the backdrop for such civil rights landmarks as the Montgomery bus boycott and Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights . march, any failure to give black heritage equal time may be felt more keenly. High school teachers of both races say they encounter some resistance from white parents and students when they make an effort to include black history in regular classes. Eric Lincoln, Duke University's William Kecnan Rand Distinguished Professor of Religion and Cul ture and a native of Athens, Ala., says white Ameri ca hasn't reached the point where it considers black history and culture legitimate. - * "It is simply not adequate to expect one group to - be satisfied or to feerfulfilled with learning about another group," said Lincoln. "You cannot have a strong black culture or any other kind of culture built completely on the concept of otherness ? you have to legitimize yourself." Lincoln said black leaders have not pushed for a diversified public school curriculum and traditional ly control over courses and content has remained in the hands of local school boards, where blacks some times have little inpuL The idea of changing the European-oriented his tory taught in American classrooms for 300 years is relatively new, coming in the wake of integration in the mid-1950s, Lincoln said. "Traditions have been set and the ideas have been etched in stone and peo ple are very loath to change." Himself a product of segregated schools, Lin coln points out that whites would benefit from learn ing that they arc "merely a people among people," particularly because statistics indicate future popula tions will no longer be majority white. "What is going to happen when the majority of the population in this country is black and brown?" i Lincoln asks. In Montgomery County in the late 1960's, the school system staff began working on expanding the curriculum to reflect the racial diversity of the stu dent body after desegregation. One of the teachers who participated in the meetings, Talmadge Oswalt, said the idea was to supplement textbooks and expand reading lists with the help of black educators, who had previously taught at all-black schools. * "Our community was very open to this," he 1 recalls. "Making a curriculum that reflected all the people in the school system and the city seemed like the thing to do." Oswalt, now assistant supervisor for curriculum and instruction, said the ad hoc committee's work resulted in "a celebration of cultural diversity." "We have moved from the time where the only curriculum materials available to us were the kind that dealt with a separate kind of history (to study ing) the people of all races, countries, nations and both sexes," he said. But Joseph Laster Sr., a black teacher who par ticipated in the curriculum development effort, is disillusioned. "You might say I was somewhat naive to believe there was enough openness and willing ness to make desegregation work," he said. Only after he entered the curriculum project did Laster become aware that what he calls "human develop ment" was needed for white and black teachers to understand each others' needs, he said. An advocate of teaching that encompasses the experiences of all cultures, Laster said universities and colleges training future educators give "lip ser vice" to that ideal to satisfy accrediting agencies. "They say, 'Yes, we have a multi-cultural com ponent,' It might consist of allowing a one-day pro gram to address a multi-cultural issue, but it is not embedded in the day-by-day classroom," said Laster, who now works in staff development at the state Dcpartmcntof Education. Laster said textbooks tend to be euroccntric as well because publishers are trying to sell the books to mostly white school administrators. "They made the effort of pretending to make their textbook look multi-cultural by placing pictures of black people on various pages but there is nothing substantive in the text," he said. Laster said the failure to present an integrated look at history is rooted in stilPpervasive racial fears. "There are many whites, middle-class and upper middle-class, who think having their children taught about (abolitionist) Frederick Douglass is excessively radical," he said. John Norell, director of the Southern Center for History and Culture at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, said he sees the lack of an integrated his tory curriculum as part of a larger failure in teaching history. "If you're talking about a change from the pfe civil rights era, there's been a definite change ... at least in terms of accepting racial equality as an ideal," said Norell, who holds workshops for history teachers. "That's not to say it's taught as fully as it should be ? in my opinion no subject in history is taught as fully as it ought to be." Norell said college education majors generally do not receive a strong enough emphasis on history. "They just have a very broad outline and sometimes holes in that," he said. Lincoln, however, says blaming the education system is a "very lame excuse. The history that is taught is European -oriented, period." Whatever the reasons for the lack of black histo ry in the average Alabama classroom, its effect on black students may be crucial to their development, educators say. Laster points out that teaching is more than just presenting information to a student. The most impor tant aspect is whether the student can relate that information to himself, he said. "If one does not know a whole lot about himself, the possibility of a strong self-image is fleeting," Laster said. "The student must be able to relate all this infor mation to himself. That's the whole point of cduca Please see page A 6
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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