Negro Digest - Freedom Archives

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
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