Negro Digest - Freedom Archives

was then running for the state assembly . We were all acting on the
notion that protest alone would not suffice . It was clear to us that if we
were to survive we would have to come forth with meaningful programs
of action . We next entered a period in which there was much talk about
-and general recognition of-what the "ultimate solution" would be .
But there were (and still are) many thousands th2t we had to reach,
train, and prepare for this inevitability . Thus the need for Black Studies
loomed large and clear, and almost simultaneously, we responded to it .
I should add that at this point, early 1968, our efforts to develop Black
Studies, by and large, had not yet gained notoriety or been widely publicized
. We were still thinking, talking, writing and organizing . However,
one thing was clear to all concerned : if education was to play any
part in our survival-it would have to undergo a radical qualitative
change . We also realized that we would have to take it to some people
while enabling others to come and get it . Thus, in nearly every set of
demands for Black Studies there is language which deals with community
participation and admissions policies . But there were (and still are)
problems that remained unresolved . And this gets us almost back to
Bro . Moore .
In June of 1968, the black students at the University of California,
having conceptually developed a program of Black Studies the previous
spring, began to cast around for someone to head-up the program . This
effort greatly expanded our awareness of what was going on around the
country . To begin with, we had made a self-defeating concession to our
masters at the university . Reluctantly, we had agreed to try to find
someone who by understanding and commitment would be palatable to
us, and by credentials would be acceptable to the white university . This,
of course, is a near irresolvable contradiction-a contradiction about
which our worse fears and suspicion would later be confirmed . But,
naively and foolishly, we tried . And, in the process, an even greater
contradiction (the "real rub") came to light . Again and again, everybody
and anybody who had even the slightest commitment to what we
had in mind, was either already committed to some place (school) or
had too many offers to consider another one . When this was not the
case, the person sought was usually grappling with what has emerged
as the central issue that we face today, i .e ., "will we be able to develop
ONE worthwhile Black University if we all persist in our efforts to
develop little ones all over the country?" I specifically recall one scholar's
lament that he had worked for the last several years with the hope of
completing his degree and meeting with other scholars at some point
of conversion to develop a black university . He was now being torn
apart by offers, many of which were so lucrative that he was greatly
distressed by having to reject them . But most of all, he was distressed
14 Morch 1970 NEGRO DIGEST