Negro Digest - Freedom Archives
Negro Digest - Freedom Archives
Negro Digest - Freedom Archives
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power to purge when necessary . Quite often we do not really know the<br />
people we bring in to teach and administer us . If no struggle occurs<br />
which calls for a demonstration of their commitment, it is safe to assume<br />
that we never really know where they are . Alas, in many cases when<br />
struggle has occurred, more often than not, we have discovered that our<br />
BLACK AND THIRD WORLD INSTRUCTORS were on the other<br />
side . At best, they were for themselves . (This was graphically illustrated<br />
during the strike at Berkeley when only SIX Third World faculty and<br />
administrators out of approximately SEVENTY-FIVE would agree to<br />
go on strike when we asked them to . Of course, there were all kinds of<br />
reasons why they couldn't, many of which could have been offered by<br />
the students who were on the line . But then it's O.K . if students get<br />
offed. They should "keep on pushin' " so that faculty and administrative<br />
people can continue to multiply and give credence to the lie . ) But I<br />
really didn't wish to get into all this . I only meant to say that we have<br />
learned that it is extremely dangerous to act as the head of a house when<br />
you can't bring people in or put them out when it comes to that point .<br />
I should like to suggest right here that one simple way of dealing with<br />
this problem-while checking the over-all shotgun approach to the development<br />
of Black Studies-would be to rule out from the "git go" any<br />
development of Black Studies in those institutions where we are unable<br />
to gain the autonomy necessary to control them . I fear if we fail to do<br />
this now we shall all suffer for it later . But the total solution of this<br />
problem calls for more than one move . The other moves, I feel, represent<br />
a partial response to your questions regarding our sense of vocation.<br />
As is clearly borne out by the problems we face regarding "programs"<br />
and personnel, there is an urgent need for us to begin to identify both<br />
faculty and students who have a serious, long term, vocational interest in<br />
developing a Black University and getting them to work on it immediately .<br />
If successfully carried out, this alone would probably kill two-thirds of<br />
the non-functional Black Studies programs in the country . Somehow, at<br />
some time, we have got to make it clear that Black Studies is not a mere<br />
cultural phenomenon which one relates to by parading around in the<br />
latest nationalist garb and talking bad . Sooner or later, there just has<br />
to he a parting of the ways between those who just want to be "in"<br />
(either the "thing" or the "know") and those who want to aid in our<br />
liberation through education . We are simply no good for one another!<br />
It will also have to be made clear that Black Studies has not come about<br />
to guarantee jive-time, boagaloo, opportunistic students degrees by padding<br />
their grades . At present, there is an immense amount of outright<br />
"shuckin' and jivin'," i .e ., students expecting grades of excellent for<br />
writing papers which, in essence, say only, "I've got my shit together"<br />
(which is doubtful) or "I'm doing my thang ." Others expect good<br />
62 Morch 1970 NEGRO DIGEST