Negro Digest - Freedom Archives

all of those persons who are not only concerned-but WHO WISH TO
DEVOTE THEIR ENERGIES TO THE CREATION of a Black
University . If this is not done and we bring an amorphous group of
people together to discuss black education in general, we run the familiar
and often catastrophic risk of lapsing into needless oration and generalities
. This is not to say that we do not need or appreciate the support that
we presently have-only that someone must actually do the work .
Now, something is implied here which ought to be dealt with . What
is implied is that some differentiation is being made between black education
in general and the Black University . In my opinion, this is a
necessary differentiation . It is my understanding that we who wish to
work towards the development of a Black University are not saying that
we wish to dictate or control everything educational that has to do with
black people . Instead, we are simply saying that we believe that there
should be a Black University . In other words, I do not believe that we
are implying that no schoal other than the Black University should attempt
to have its curriculum reflect the presence of black people . Indeed,
I think we all agree that this should be done . I think, however, that we
ought to be saying to our own people that any MAJOR program developed
should, in some way, be either directly related to, or at least
complimentary to, the development of the Black University . Otherwise,
such programs are bound to do a disservice to the Black University by
contributing to our already disturbing state of diaspora .
Once we have decided where the mother campus of the Black University
is going to be, I can see no difficulty in then determining where
other programs should be developed .
You raised the question (1) of how you, our brothers in the South,
might be of the greatest help to us in the North ; how much of your
energies should be spent in consulting and lecturing in the North at our
request when you have so much business to take care of down there?
I am tempted to answer this question by saying that you should do
nothing with respect to the North-just continue to do your thing "down
there ." But that would be too blatant an expression of my bias for
what you are doing there as opposed to what we have gotten involved
with here. Then, too, there are some things that you can do for us
without adversely affecting what you are doing there . First of all, you
can help all of us by using your influence and ideas with other sincere
black educators to help us form some kind of an accrediting association
to deal in the area ,of Black or Afro-American Studies . It seems our
only chance of insuring some degree of integrity when so many things
are happening . I think we could also expect such an association to be
able to determine which programs (schools) in the North are worthy of
your attention (visits, consultation, lectures, etc .) and which ones are
64 March 197Q NEGRO DIGEST