Negro Digest - Freedom Archives
Negro Digest - Freedom Archives
Negro Digest - Freedom Archives
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Simultaneously there arose a hybrid<br />
political party-protest group<br />
called the Student Rights Oragnization,<br />
inspired in part by Art and<br />
Jay . I accepted the invitation to be<br />
its faculty advisor . SRO's membership<br />
covered the political waterfront<br />
. Their leaders, mainly the editors<br />
and feature writers on the Hilltop<br />
staff-which later was to prove<br />
invaluable - regarded themselves<br />
as black militants, in the responsible<br />
sense of the category, and had<br />
as their heroes the national leaders<br />
of SNCC though their own style<br />
approximated more the style of<br />
national CORE .<br />
When UN Ambassador to the<br />
UN, Arthur Goldberg ex-boss of<br />
Nabrit, came to Howard, SRO<br />
staged a walkout in which I was<br />
able to persuade five other professors-all<br />
white ; of course-to take<br />
an active part . Shortly after that,<br />
some SRO members, dissatisfied<br />
with the moderation of its leaders,<br />
came to me (late February by<br />
now) with a plan to form a "Black<br />
Power Committee ." They were all<br />
freshmen largely unknown on campus,<br />
except in their dormitories and<br />
among their classmates, and accordingly<br />
asked my aid in composing<br />
and reading at a press<br />
conference a sort of "black university<br />
manifesto ." We called for the<br />
complete revamping of <strong>Negro</strong> colleges<br />
as they now exist, spoke<br />
against the emerging desire to make<br />
<strong>Negro</strong> colleges predominantly<br />
white, and generally setting forth a<br />
program for transforming <strong>Negro</strong><br />
NEGRO DIGEST Morch 1968<br />
colleges into black universities<br />
with relevance to the black community<br />
and its struggle against<br />
white racism and imperialism, cultural<br />
or otherwise . This kicked off<br />
an onslaught of student demonstrations<br />
(with, now and again, some<br />
faculty participation ) and the first<br />
real confrontation between Howard<br />
students and an oppressive administration<br />
.<br />
A rumor grew prevalent on campus<br />
that I was going to be "eased<br />
out" in the summer and, by mid-<br />
April, it had slipped into television<br />
and radio broadcasts . One night,<br />
on the way to my population class,<br />
I encountered a number of students<br />
~~ho inquired anxiously whether<br />
the rumor was true . I assured them<br />
that no such word had come down<br />
to me and that the deadline for<br />
non-renewal of two-year contracts .<br />
December 15, already had passed .<br />
Inside the classroom, I sensed the<br />
downcast spirit of the students,<br />
brought up the rumor and suggested<br />
that, if there was a Howard<br />
in September, 1 would very well be<br />
there . All at once they burst into<br />
applause ; but I knew even then<br />
that, probably, I was passing<br />
through my last days at Howard,<br />
and perhaps, as a college professor<br />
anywhere .<br />
Student uprisings rocked onincluding<br />
a confrontation with a<br />
police riot squad behind a girl's<br />
dormitory ; the sponsorship of a<br />
"Black is Best" lecture by heavyweight<br />
champ Muhammad Ali<br />
after the administration closed<br />
45