Negro Digest - Freedom Archives
Negro Digest - Freedom Archives Negro Digest - Freedom Archives
~5~~ ;~~iE March 1968 edition Of NEGRO DIGEST Ori The Black University celebrates a significant turning point in the history of American race relations . Taken together, the articles in that edition constitute the most compact statement extant of the quest on the part of young black intellectuals for self-definition in the realm of educational theory and technique . Confronted with the intractable facts of history and culture, an apparently growing number of black thinkers re-opened with fresh intensity the old debate regarding the purpose and strategy of education for Black Americans. Disillusioned with both the conceptual depth of integration as an intellectual construct, and with its slow growth as a social reality, increasing attention is now being given to the internal dynamics of the black community itself . Whether this re-focusing of vision will aid the struggle for black freedom will depend very heavily on just how faithful it is to the "regimen of fact and logic" in the black community. For this community is not the simple phenomenon that many white and some black writers have taken it to be . Carter G. Woodson very aptly asserted in his book, The Mis-Education of the Negro, that : ~a President, Benedict College "the Negro community suffers for lack of delimitation because of the various ramifications of life in the United States . . . The Negro community, in a sense, is composed of those around you, but it functions in a different way. You cannot see it by merely looking out of the window of the school room . This community requires scientific investigation ."' Similarly, the black college is a complex datum requiring the disciplined approaches of sound theory, technique and insight if the realities of its past, the dynamics of its present and the promise of its future are to be accurately gauged . Whether we like it or not, what has always been-and what will likely continue to be-af critical importance are the interconnections of the black college with the world around it, the white world as well as the black world. A fundamental assumption of this article is that no important institution within any community-white or black-can be adequately understood through a process of violent abstraction from the setting in which it "moves and lives and has its being." The article by J . Herman Blake on "The Black University and Its Community" gives us valuable information about some of the socio- March 1969 NEGRO DIGEST
economic changes now occurring within the black community; particularly in terms of the Northward and city-ward movement of black people, and in terms of changes in occupational roles and income levels of black males and females . Some of these are rather well-known facts : that the majority of black Americans "now live in the central cities of metropolitan areas" ; that "despite higher levels of education, the employment situation of black people has changed little from the `last hired, first fired' status" ; that "the black female has a better chance of obtaining a job consistent with her education and training than the black male in the professional, technical and managerial categories, while the black males are more likely than females to be adequately represented in clerical positions" ; that "the relative situation for the black man improved between 1959 and 1966 while the absolute situation declined" ; that "the absolute and relative situation of middle-income blacks is getting better and that of low-income worse" . blacks is getting These are all important and interesting data. But, what is their significance for educational mission and strategy? The question- is not answered directly, but answers are sometimes implied and sometimes inherent in the conceptual description of "The Black University" provided by the other contributors to NEGRO DIGEST Match 7969 the edition . All of the writers assume the absolutely critical importance . of transforming "the predominantly Negro college" into a meaningful and relevant instrument of social change . The article by Darwin Turner is, by far, the wisest and most reasoned description of the total scope of problems and postbilities to be considered . Whether because of distinct definitions of tasks or for some other reason, his is the only article which treats "The Black University" contextually in terms of the hard facts of financing, policy-making, faculty recruitment and administration as well as in terms of the currently more popular dimensions of curriculum development and public service . It is interesting to note that in view of the fact that so many black students today get much of their emotional and intellectual fuel from black and "Third World" oriented thinkers, not a single word of the entire edition is addressed to the issue of roles for student involvement in "The Black University ." One of the major constituencies of any college, and one of the most important "hearers of an ethical vocation in history" 2 today are students . Precisely because of their self-conceptions as significant agents of social change-a selfimage in the most serious need of careful scrutiny-no concept of "the prophetic social role of the Black University" (McWorter) is l5
- Page 123 and 124: people in their struggle toward a c
- Page 125 and 126: else suggests that the group is bac
- Page 127 and 128: e established far Black students th
- Page 129 and 130: A Dual Responsibility The White Uni
- Page 131 and 132: a situation in a different manner w
- Page 133 and 134: Black Perspective A cU~TU~~L, ~~~I~
- Page 135 and 136: life-style, yet they persist in the
- Page 137 and 138: plex (a viable institution in that
- Page 139 and 140: The Positiveness of Separation BL~C
- Page 141 and 142: white students are, except that wha
- Page 143 and 144: did) to thesis students who then gr
- Page 145 and 146: Roach, Harold Cruse, Rhody Mc- Coy,
- Page 147 and 148: conferees attempted to eject white
- Page 149 and 150: ~. iii1~i-i Black Life, White "Expe
- Page 151 and 152: BOOKS Black Writing : this is u, th
- Page 153 and 154: Grow old? Maan! I ain't never Gonna
- Page 155 and 156: answering ; "Monday. That is if tha
- Page 157 and 158: at a time when the ratio of Negro d
- Page 159 and 160: A Special Experience xox .a~, xi .:
- Page 161 and 162: to comment that I was a typical cre
- Page 163 and 164: students said, "Didn't Malcolm prea
- Page 165 and 166: What I did object to was the effort
- Page 167 and 168: with American education, period. Ho
- Page 169 and 170: President Emeritus, Morehouse Colle
- Page 171 and 172: them, there just aren't enough blac
- Page 173: I cannot see the sponsorship for su
- Page 177 and 178: aising a question regarding in exac
- Page 179 and 180: to say that "yet an irreverent revi
- Page 181 and 182: Fire ; steal it, borrow it or wait
- Page 183 and 184: lures and yet, in a most interestin
- Page 185 and 186: and what is the right procedure for
- Page 187 and 188: mentioned earlier, the whole black
- Page 189 and 190: (C) Consistency of Thought and Acti
- Page 191 and 192: J. .JICLCfj ._Jd .L'~ .FU~~e ; one
- Page 193 and 194: must carry a greater sexual burden
- Page 195 and 196: C.~e~or 3 l /ot~e3-- (Continued fro
- Page 197 and 198: and that prepares them to deal effe
- Page 199 and 200: THE DUKE NATURAL S ET EASY COMB let
- Page 202 and 203: BLACK HISTORY BLACK POWER U .S .A .
- Page 204 and 205: ~re~atorc~ ~o~e~- THE BLACK UNIVERS
- Page 206 and 207: "1lTew Creation or Familiar Deatla"
- Page 208 and 209: contradictions they entail . Furthe
- Page 210 and 211: As northern universities continue t
- Page 212 and 213: Response to Vincent Harding 12 BY R
- Page 214 and 215: was then running for the state asse
- Page 216 and 217: e done without some base of support
- Page 218 and 219: amount of emphasis-both in Bro . Mo
- Page 220 and 221: m~,irofir_- ~r- ir;r_ rr_~,~r; v;~~
- Page 222 and 223: Institute of the Black World : Basi
~5~~ ;~~iE March 1968 edition<br />
Of NEGRO DIGEST Ori<br />
The Black University<br />
celebrates a significant<br />
turning point in the<br />
history of American race relations .<br />
Taken together, the articles in that<br />
edition constitute the most compact<br />
statement extant of the quest on the<br />
part of young black intellectuals for<br />
self-definition in the realm of educational<br />
theory and technique .<br />
Confronted with the intractable<br />
facts of history and culture, an apparently<br />
growing number of black<br />
thinkers re-opened with fresh intensity<br />
the old debate regarding the<br />
purpose and strategy of education<br />
for Black Americans. Disillusioned<br />
with both the conceptual depth of<br />
integration as an intellectual construct,<br />
and with its slow growth as<br />
a social reality, increasing attention<br />
is now being given to the internal<br />
dynamics of the black community<br />
itself .<br />
Whether this re-focusing of vision<br />
will aid the struggle for black<br />
freedom will depend very heavily<br />
on just how faithful it is to the<br />
"regimen of fact and logic" in the<br />
black community. For this community<br />
is not the simple phenomenon<br />
that many white and some<br />
black writers have taken it to be .<br />
Carter G. Woodson very aptly asserted<br />
in his book, The Mis-Education<br />
of the <strong>Negro</strong>, that :<br />
~a<br />
President, Benedict College<br />
"the <strong>Negro</strong> community suffers<br />
for lack of delimitation because<br />
of the various ramifications of<br />
life in the United States . . . The<br />
<strong>Negro</strong> community, in a sense, is<br />
composed of those around you,<br />
but it functions in a different<br />
way. You cannot see it by merely<br />
looking out of the window of<br />
the school room . This community<br />
requires scientific investigation<br />
."'<br />
Similarly, the black college is a<br />
complex datum requiring the disciplined<br />
approaches of sound<br />
theory, technique and insight if the<br />
realities of its past, the dynamics of<br />
its present and the promise of its<br />
future are to be accurately gauged .<br />
Whether we like it or not, what has<br />
always been-and what will likely<br />
continue to be-af critical importance<br />
are the interconnections of<br />
the black college with the world<br />
around it, the white world as well<br />
as the black world. A fundamental<br />
assumption of this article is that<br />
no important institution within any<br />
community-white or black-can<br />
be adequately understood through<br />
a process of violent abstraction<br />
from the setting in which it "moves<br />
and lives and has its being."<br />
The article by J . Herman Blake<br />
on "The Black University and Its<br />
Community" gives us valuable information<br />
about some of the socio-<br />
March 1969 NEGRO DIGEST