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The Panther
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1967 7
The Idea of Blackness
by James Mays
It was Victor Hugo who wrote
that “there is nothing more pow
erful than an idea whose time
has come.” The time for black
awareness has arrived. It is the
most powerful idea that has
been brought forth in a very
long while and with it has been
produced a crop of young, black
minds never again to be si
lenced. It’s too late to stop it.
The most powerful nation in the
world can do nothing now ex
cept beat futilely upon the dia
mond hard chast of young black
awareness in this country while
it grows to full maturity engulf
ing everything in its path.
The idea of blackness in this
country is like a game of keep-
away with the white man in the
circle and black men throwing
the ball over his head to another
player as he chases foolishly
from one player to another try
ing to catch the elusive black
idea. If the white man notices
one black militant preaching
blackness in one section of the
country, before he can get there
to destroy him someone some
where else has the idea and
mockingly laughs at the ridicu
lous looking white man who he
knows will never catch up be
cause the idea is moving faster
and more powerfully than any
thing ever has.
Black pride is like an inflated
inner tube which the white man
has tried to keep submerged in
water for three hundred years.
Until recently black people
knew nothing of the approxi
mately 250 slave rebellions
which took place in this coun
try. Each time the white man
thought he had the inner tube
down for good, he found it forc
ing its way up with as much
pressure as ever. When will he
learn that every time he relaxes
blackness will bob up, ever
pushing, ever struggling to
reach the top?
What has suddenly brought
about this tremendous new in
terest in blackness by black
men? The answer may be found
in something Cicero said. He
stated, “A man who knows
nothing of his history is like a
child, for not knowing where
he has been, he can not possibly
know where he is going.” Black
Americans are beginning to
know more and more of black
history and knowing it, are made
to realize that the white man’s
idea of keeping any knowledge
of black contributions to world
civilization has been a well-
thought out plot to instill feel
ings of inferiority and subservi
ence into the minds of black
people unable to know any bet
ter. Pride and subsequent rebel
lions are the products of black
enlightenment. For the first time
the American black man is be
ing made aware of his history
and with this an insight into the
future is being brought about.
I’ve caught the tail of the
idea of black awareness and
now I am being led through
territory where I see the foot
prints of Nat Turner, Malcolm
X and others who knew what
black pride was all about. Un
fortunately, many of us have
grown set in our ways and will
never catch up with this power
ful young idea, but I make a
desperate plea to all young black
people in this country: Make
friends with this black, angry
Georgia Power Co.
To Judge Best Editorial
Plans are now being made
for the third annual Jack Mc-
Danough Editorial Award com
petition, sponsored each year by
the Georgia Power Company for
Georgia college students.
The contest, named in honor
of Georgia Power’s retired board
chairman, seeks to recognize the
Georgia college student who
writes the best editorial on free
enterprise in America and has
the editorial published in his
school newspapers during 1967.
The contest winner will re
ceive a $500 scholarship for
two years’ tuition to the Henry
W. Grady School of Journalism
at the University of Georgia. He
also will receive a plaque of
recognition and an electric
typewriter.
No limit is set on the number
of articles an individual or col
lege may submit or on the length
of the editorials.
Entries should be sent to
Dean John E. Drewry, Henry
W. Grady School of Journalism,
University of Georgia, Athens.
A special faculty committee will
judge the editorials.
The award will be presented
at the next meeting of the Geor
gia Collegiate Press Association
in February, 1968. Deadline
for entries is Jan. 9, 1968.
"Pioneering the Past"
50 Volunteers wanted for
Archaeology “digs” in
England in 1968.
A new and exciting opportun
ity in England is now offered
to College students wanting to
spend next summer in Europe
in an interesting way.
You may help to reveal the
secrets of a Roman villa, an
iron-age hill fort or the struc
ture of a medieval town or An
glo-Saxon cathedral before they
disappear, perhaps forever. Ex
panding housing programs, city
centre redevelopment and new
highway projects in Britain to
day have opened up many new
possibilities for archaeological
investigation.
You may help in this impor
tant work, earn credits, make
international friends and receive
valuable training in archaeology,
by joining a program sponsored
by the Association for Cultural
Exchange, the British non-prof
it organization.
Volunteers first join a three-
week seminar for training in
British archaeology and exca
vation techniques at Queen’s
College, Oxford. They then
split up into small groups for
three or more weeks “digging”
on an archaeological site. Total
cost of the program is 725 dol
lars, including round-trip air
transportation from New York.
Part scholarships are available
to suitable students with a “B”
plus average.
Write now for further de
tails to United States Represen
tative: Association for Cultural
Exchange, 539 West 112th
Street, New York 10025. Clos
ing application date is expected
to be beginning of January
1968.
idea now, for if you do not, it
may devour you with all the
rest and never stop to notice
that you are black, too.
Homesick Blues
by Lizzette C. Jones
The middle of the school term
has arrived. The excitement and
anxiety of going to college is
beginning to wear off.
Students are counting the
days until December 16, Christ
mas holiday, and the day they
can get “away from this place
and go home.”
Snatches of conversation I’ve
heard on campus tell the story:
“I used to complain about
mom’s cooking. I’d give any
thing for a piece of her pot roast
now.. .”
“Whose turn is it to clean
the room, C. W. never cleans
it.. .”
“I was so sure I could make
good grades here. Now I’m
lucky if I pass with a D— or
F-j- if thats’ possible . . .”
“If I cut one more class, my
name will be turned in to the
dean’s office. But you know
some days I just don’t feel like
going to class .. .”
“I have three tests tomorrow.
I wonder if NO-DOZ is habit
forming...”
“College is like marriage.
There is a definite period of
adjustment. But when do I get
adjusted?”
Student of the Month
This month’s student of the
month is Michael Gibson, a
Freshman from Memphis, Ten
nessee with a major in Chemis
try and a minor in Biology. He
was chosen for outstanding abil
ities exemplifying the epitome
of school spirit. Michael is a
1967 honor graduate of Booker
T. Washington High School in
Memphis. His favorite sports in
clude: football, track and bas
ketball. When asked where he
got so much school spirit he
acknowledged thusly: “When I
was in Junior high school we
would almost always win; we
led and other followed. While
in senior high school I became
president of the student coun
cil. This position of leadership
caused me to pattern myself so
that my school meant something
to me. I enjoyed it, and set an
example to those who lacked
school spirit.”
When asked what did he ad
vise the student body of Clark
College to do in order to ac
quire and maintain school spirit
his eager responses were over
whelming. “Victory is sweet
and everybody wants to taste
the sweetness of victory. I ad
vise the student body of Clark
College to have a school spirit
a pride for themselves which
extends to the school. School
spirit is not juvenile and one
will be hiding behind a black
veil if one does not possess
school spirit. Be yourself; stop
hiding; come out and live; let
yourself be seen and your school
spirit exemplified. Don’t let
your school be second best but
‘second to none.’ Tthere are too
many unspirited students here at
Clark. If the team could hear
our cheering, this would encour
age their winning even more. ‘I
salute the Clarkites that are
Clarkites, — the ones who are
an integral part of Clark.’ ”
MERRY CHRISTMAS;
from the
PANTHER STAFF
Peace Corps/College Degree Program
The Peace Corps and the State University College at Brock-
port have announced completion of arrangements to extend and
expand the unique Peace Corps/College Degree training project
launched in the summer of 1967. The highly favorable reaction to
this summer’s pioneer venture sparked the decision to enlarge the
program for 1968. It is the first
program to make Peace Corps
training and service an integral
part of curricula leading to
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
Candidates will be selected
from the rank of students in
good standing at an accredited
college who are completing their
sophomore or junior year by
June 1968. Those selected will
be able to earn an A.B. or B.S.
degree and be eligible for a
Peace Corps assignment in one
academic year flanked by two
summers of fully subsidized and
integrated courses and Peace
Corps training. They will be ex
pected to major in mathematics
or the sciences; those who have
completed their junior year prior
to entrance into the program
will have the opportunity for a
double-major.
At the end of the second
summer armed with the degree,
a teaching license, in-depth cross
cultural preparation and fluency
in Spanish, the graduates as
Peace Corps volunteers will be
off on their Latin American as
signment. As members of the
staffs of teacher training insti
tutions and/or consultants to
secondary teachers of mathe
matics or science, they will be
important participants in the
educational development efforts
of their host countries. During
their two year sojourn they will
have the opportunity to earn up
to twelve semester hours grad
uate credit.
“This integrated program is
based on our two-fold convic
tion: (1) to combine the col
lege and Peace Corps experi
ences is to make both more rele
vant and meaningful and the
personal product more valuable,
(2) to provide much-needed
skilled specialists—mathematics
and science teachers—as Peace
Corps volunteers in Latin Amer
ica is to make a significant con
tribution to all concerned,” said
President Albert Warren Brown,
of the State University at Brock-
port, in announcing the exten
sion of this unique partnership.
If anyone desires more infor
mation about this program they
should call or write:
Dr. John C. Crandall,
Director
Peace Corps/College Degree
Program
State University Colloge at
Brockport
Brockport, New York 14420
Tm A Panther
I’m a legend of this time and of this place
I’m the shrine of a king and I’m owned by a race
I walk through this land with my head held high,
I have a life of immortality and never will die.
I take steps which are powerful and straight
I’m all powerful but I never show hate.
My growl is one of respect and fear,
But when I perform, people stand and cheer.
It is my destiny to stand out, wherever I be
People can always tell a panther from C.C.
I’m badder than the tigers, lions, and all the rest
Because I’m a cool cat and know I can pass the test.
I’m hip, black, and all that other stuff
So if you cross my path, I can get ruff.
If you look back into the sands of time,
You will see a panther is the coolest cat you’ll find.
If you look forward into eternity
You will see a panther is the wisest cat that ever will be.
If you look at this very same day
You will see the panther leading the way.
Everybody knows the top thing in At-lan-ta
Is C.C.’s Big Bad Boss Pan-ther.
. . . /. Von Cleveland