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The Panther
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1967
3
GIVE ME LIBERTY
Give me liberty or let me stay at home and fight!
This should be the Black American’s cry of defiance when
asked to risk their lives in Vietnam defending the freedom we
are still trying to get here in the United States. There is no
denying the now somewhat hackneyed phrase—Second class citi
zen, first class soldier—since President Johnson himself made
public statements commending the “valor and courage” of the
Black soldiers, but when they return they find that their trip to
the Far East is not a prerequisite for equality.
We have only to look at some of the
statistics of proportion, or rather, dis
proportion, to see the implications pro
duced by the war in Vietnam. Negroes,
who make up 11 per cent of the popula
tion, currently comprise 9.5 per cent of
the armed forces. But in 1966 Negroes
accounted for 13.4 per cent of all draftees
inducted. This disproportion can be seen
even more clearly in Vietnam. The last
available Defense Department study
shows that by the end of 1965, 12.5
per cent of all servicemen in Vietnam . ..
and 14.6 per cent of battle dead . . . were
Negroes.
Does then, the Black soldiers’ position on the front lines of
battle have anything to do with his valor according to President
Johnson? It would seem that a medal or commendation is a high
price to pay for a man’s life. One step further, then wouldn’t
a fight for freedom at home bear sweeter fruit?
Black Power—a rearrangement of the attitudes and concepts
of America—is the only weapon the Blacks have against the
system we live under. The system that takes Black men away
from theil liberty-deprived homes and puts them in a land of
jungle and violence to fight for what the system uses as an excuse
to oppress Blacks. The system that changes a man’s mind accord
ing to the position he holds; President Johnson, when still a U. S.
Senator, once said that he was against “sending American G.I.’s
... on a blood-letting spree to perpetuate colonialism and white
man’s exploitation of Asia . . .”
Considering the previous statements and admitting that the
racism that is present here in the United States is in actuality
perpetuating the war in Vietnam, can we not arrive at the point
where it is clear that the Civil Rights we are supposedly achieving
are those rights that we have been told we deserve and that
Human Rights are more important and most of all international,
encompassing every Black Man’s struggle for freedom.
Now the Black Man in America is able to assess statements
made pertaining to “valor” and “courage” used in context to lead
them to believe bravery in war could serve as a vehicle to place
them on an equal basis with the Beast. He can now understand
the importance of drawing alliances with other non-whites, sub
jects of oppression, for their fight is a common fight and their
enemy is a common enemy. The same system which enslaves us
in Birmingham, Alabama makes its presence felt in the Dominican
Republic and acts directly in Vietnam.
It is time for us to become cognizant of the role we have to
play on the melodramatic stage of life. The past being prologue,
has set the scene, the whine of bullets in Vietnam and the dis
enchanted utterances of help from suppressed Blacks, provide the
choral background, all this in readiness for the Black Man in
America to take his cue and read from the powerful script of
revolution written in the blood of his forebearers.
Dedicated To P.R.I.D.E.
The Giant Is Wounded
Come on Uncle Tom, take my hand,
We’re going to the promised land,
No! no! Uncle Tom; the front door,
We don’t use the back anymore.
Sit down Uncle Tom, don’t be afraid,
They won’t hurt you; tho’ they’re red,
The giant is wounded, can’t you see,
There will be less hate and bigotry.
Release your tongue, take a deep sigh,
Drink some “white water,” eat some “white pie,”
The giant is wounded, can’t you see,
Freedom awaits both you and me.
You are a man, no less than a man,
We must slay the giant and enjoy this land,
Take up your arms; follow me,
We’ll slay this giant; just wait and see.
Hold still enemy, VICTORY is mine,
I share the throne in due time,
My sword is swift, I stand deep in the groove,
I won’t retrogress, and I shall not be moved.
Forward! march! black men of pride,
Don’t sit down, keep the stride,
The giant is wounded, can’t you see
Let’s make this a complete victory.
Just What Happened
At Savannah State
by Harold Craig
An athletic contest should
never reach the point where
people must fight after the out
come has been decided and this
is what happened when Clark
played Savannah State in Savan
nah. Clark lost the game and
that should have been the end
of it, but Clarkites visiting the
campus for the game were at
tacked in the dining hall for no
reason. Or perhaps there is a
reason—it is well-known that
many of the students in Geor
gia’s state colleges lack the
backgrounds to compete with
students from private institu
tions. It may be that the game
had not as much to do with the
violence as the fact that Savan
nah State’s students resented
well-dressed students from a pri
vate institution entering their
dining hall singing and cheering.
But this theory is only conjec
ture for the trouble could have
arisen from incidents that took
place in the game.
The facts remain to show that
Clark students were attacked;
three of whom were cut. The
situation worsened because the
campus police were unable to
control its students and instead
of arresting their students who
openly waved knives and guns,
attempted to place the blame for
the incident with the Clark stu
dents. Dr. Jordon, the president
of Savannah State, refusing to
take the stand of an unbiased
leader accused our students of
“tearing up our dining hall” and
tried to have Clark students who
had only tried to protect them
selves arrested.
Thinking students demand
that some action be taken. All
athletic, social, and academic
relations must be severed. Coach
Epps must file a protest with
the commissioner of the SEAC,
especially in light of the fact
that members of Savannah’s
coaching staff took part in the
violence. President Henderson
must demand a full investigation
and the firing of Dr. Jordon
from the Georgia Board of
Regents. SGA president Elias
Hendricks must demand an
apology from the Savannah State
SGA president on behalf of their
student body. These measures
may appear harsh but this mat
ter must not be laid to rest. If
it results in the closing of Savan
nah State (and our “good”
friend, Mr. Maddox might) stu
dents must be made to realize
that an athletic contest is just
that and victory or defeat must
not spell the beginning of vio
lence. In light of recent interest
in racial pride, one might re
member that fighting a fellow
Black brother over the outcome
of a game in no way aids in
ethnic cohesiveness and identity.
LIFE
You must change to live
You must live to love
You must love to feel
You must feel to hurt
You must hurt to cry
You must cry to understand
why
The world is as it is
One must change to live
Without changes —
One is not really living.
. . . Geneva Ward
Contradiction
by JoAnn Green
Since I have been taking Religion and Philosophy, the course
has left me bewildered. I am a Catholic and the Catholic Church
has taught me that God created man and created the earth. That
God has no beginning and has no end. That God knows everything
and God is everywhere. God knows your most inner-thought. That
God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us and
for our salvation.
But listening to the speakers in the Monday Religion and
Philosophy Forum, I have been left bewildered. For instance, one
particular speaker discussed the universe.
He stated that the scientists believe that
the earth and its atmosphere were at the
beginning mixtures of molecules and these
molecules began to form over millions
and millions of years. These molecules
develop large heavenly bodies known as
planets and these molecules also develop
the sun, the moon and the stars. The
scientists assume that the universe could
be over a billion years old. During the
lecture Dr. Simpson did not mention God
or anything related to Him. So a question
has arisen: if the universe was formed
millions and millions of years ago from
molecules or some other mixture, where does God come in? But
in my religion I was taught that on the first day God created the
earth and the star-spangled reaches of space and this was the
beginning. And it also stated that God may have taken millions
of years for His work of creation. The six days may be considered
as the six stages in God’s work. To God, a day is like a thousand
years, and a thousand years is like a day.
Another speaker discussed the theory of evolution. The defi
nition of evolution is the process by which living organisms have
developed their distinguishing structural and physiological char
acteristics. The theory of organic evolution is the hypothesis that
all living things are historically related through a common an
cestry, and that the higher forms of life have evolved by modifi
cations of simpler forms of life. However, the question that is
brought out about evolution and God, did God make man or did
man develop through special cells? In my religion we were taught
that God made man out of the dust of the earth and when man
dies he will return to the dust of the earth. He made man in His
own image and likeness. He gave man the ability to think and
reason and also gave man a free will. Most important God cre
ated a human soul for man.
Still another speaker spoke about the Process Theology. The
ology is the study of God and the relations between God and the
universe; study of religious doctrines and matters of divinity. There
are many controversies about the God who is ‘up there.’ And the
question that has crossed many theologians’ minds, is there a God
‘up there’ or ‘out there’? A supernatural being existing beyond the
sky. Few theologians have doubt of a supernatural being existing
‘up there’ even though they believe their religion. God is con
ceived by process theologians who divide God into three categories:
purposes; having no concrete goal; power, God is not almighty
but is struggling; perception, God is not omniscient; knows the
future only in terms of possibilities. And other theologians believe
there is a God who exists ‘up there’ and Christians should not have
any doubt. As a Catholic, I was taught to believe in God. To
believe that God is wise, powerful, and almighty. God is Eternal.
As the time goes by, we leave our yesterdays behind, and live
through our todays, and think what we will do tomorrow. But with
God, todays and yesterdays and tomorrow are all spread out like
a map. He can see them all at once. God is three persons and these
three Persons are called the Blessed Trinity. God the Father is the
First Person of the Blessed Trinity. God the Father who has a Son
is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. The Third Person of
the Blessed Trinity is God the Holy Ghost. We cannot understand
God, no human being can. God’s glory is too bright for us to
bear in this life. In Heaven, we shall see Him, and we shall never
grow tired of looking at His beauty.
Vietnam: An American Tragedy
by Charles A. Miller
Whatever may be said about the American involvement in
Vietnam with respect to world politics, the Vietnamese people, or
military strategy, it is a tragedy for Americans in the United
States. This tragedy reveals itself on several levels and in dif
ferent ways. The most obvious national effect of the Vietnam war
is that $30 billion per year is being invested — wasted — in goods
designed to be blown up as soon as possible. From this invest
ment we retain nothing but surplus army uniforms and jobs in
defense industries. The rest disappears as bombs and bullets. The
money spent on Vietnam, it is obvious, could equally well, indeed
better, be spent for medical care, urban transport, an end to
water and air pollution, education, housing, and cultural activities.
The failure to spend the money for these items, a direct conse
quence of the war costs, contributes to the accelerating rate of the
deterioration of the quality of American life.
A second consequence of the involvement in Vietnam is the
sharp division of views among Americans. It is no more reasonable
to assert that this division is the “fault” of those who dissent from
the policy than to say it is the “fault” of those who agree with it.
(Continued on Page 8)
. . . Glenn W. Dee