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The Panther
January, 1970
The Panther
Clark College — Atlanta, Georgia 30314
Co-editors Lillian Andrews, Desdimonia Jones
Associate Editor Barbara Boone
Faculty Adviser Alan Bussel
The Panther is published by students of Clark College. Letters to the
editors are welcome but must be signed (names will be withheld on request).
Editors of Panther present new policy
The editors are trying a new presentation of the Clark College Panther. Real
news reporting will replace passive report giving.
Deviating from the past, there will be no Greek reports, unless such news
benefits the entire student body and not just the Alphas, DSTs or the Sigma
Gamma Rhoes.
This is not a literary newspaper, and poetry, essays, and so forth will not appear.
Editorials and contributions from students will be edited at the discretion of the
editors. All editorial page items—except letters to the editors—will reflect the
thinking of the editors.
All items that affect the Clark student body will appear, and are welcome.
However, the paper is not an instrument to be used by the administration, and it
will not be a gripe sheet to be used by students.
All news stories must be sufficiently supported. Rumors and hearsay will not
appear as news, as this is not a gossip paper. All our Walter Winchells and Dorothy
Kilgallens have retired.
News from all sources, far and near, will be given ample space if it affects the
Clark student body in any way.
This newspaper will not be used to get revenge or spread confusion. It will be to
present the news at all times.
Editorial opinion will be used to induce students to think, and only that. The
editors will voice opinions in any instance that calls for discussion.
Criticism is always invited, if it will improve the news reporting of The Panther.
All persons are invited to attend and participate in all Panther news staff
meetings.
The editors feel most students have not done their share in supporting the
almost dying Panther. The passivity and apathy which still surround the paper
ought to be eliminated.
Some students are of the opinion that The Panther and Your Mama is Black are
competitors. Your Mama has its purpose and has done extremely well in abiding
to it. However, The Panther has a purpose here on this campus also. It cannot
serve in the same capacity as Your Mama.
It is the hope of The Panther staff that more people will join in our efforts to
show the rest of the nation what is going on at Clark and how it is affecting the
rest of the world.
The editors reserve the right to dismiss at any time any person who is doing
anything which is contrary to the well being and existence of The Panther.
Our promise to the student body has been kept. We have reactivated The
Panther. Your promise to yourself should be not to let The Panther get to the
stage where it has to be revitalized. Not again.
The Panther suggests:
A fitting name for new unit
There has been much speculation
as to the name to be given the new
ly constructed academic building on
Clark’s campus. The suggestions range
from deceased donors and instructors
to public figures.
The building should be named after
someone known in all circles of life.
The name should praise someone
who has done something for all man
kind.
The name should be a source of
pride for everyone who knows its
derivation.
The name should represent homage
to someone who has done more than
one could possibly repay.
The name should be King Hall. It
would be an appropriate birthday
remembrance of a man who did more
than his time called for, a man who
touched all men’s consicences.
Lottery pros and cons
Clark men divided on new draft plan
By CHARLES SINGLETON
Men of Clark have taken many dif
ferent stands concerning the new draft
lottery.
A number feel the lottery system
will not prevent a large number of
blacks from being drafted. In the op
posite corner, many believe the lottery
is one of the fairest ways to draft
eligible men.
A great many young men dislike the
“lucky number” system. Many believe,
the lottery is unfair and operates to
the disadvantage of blacks, poor people
and 19-year-olds.
Opponents of the new draft system
do not believe the members of draft
boards will draft a man by his lottery
number but by the color of his skin
and his social status. They feel there
is no way of knowing which numbers
are being chosen or taken at a given
time.
Many also dislike the lottery because
it would sometimes leave troublemak
ers and juvenile delinquents at home.
They would prefer that troublemakers
be drafted first and then other eligible
young men.
To some Clark men, the lottery
seems a good and fair method for
obtaining the desired quota of military
personnel. The new draft system, ac
cording to its backers, lets a young
man know if he is going to be drafted
and when. Then the draft-eligible man
can plan for his future.
Supporters like the new plan because
they feel it no longer involves a racial
issue with drafting. A few believe the
lottery system will finally prove fair.
They do not believe men will be over
looked because of their race or social
status. They believe a man will be
drafted strictly according to his lottery
number.
The lottery system, in my opinion,
is a good method for drafting all eligi
ble young men. It can only be good
and fair if it drafts a man by his lottery
number only.
Draft boards should keep a list of
the numbers that have been drafted.
They should make a current list, and
the list should be made public at the
end of each month so the actual stand
ings can be inspected.
The lottery system can only be a
good system if it gives both black and
white, rich and poor, fair consideration.
Writer thinks some exploit blackness
By BARBARA BOONE
Black is a wonderful state of being.
I rejoice at the fact I am black, but
I don’t crusade, and I am not a hypo
crite.
I believe blackness is being exploited
—firstly by those who don’t care about
blackness but seek popularity as mili
tant exponents of a “new awareness”
that turns out to be a new way of the
same old exploitation. Secondly, there
are those who sincerely believe they
are doing something for the benefit of
their people but who simply add to the
confusion.
Some folks walk around day in and
day out saying black people aren’t
going to accomplish anything until they
get together. What the individual black
person should be doing is getting him
self together so he can eventually get
together with other black people.
There are questions that should be
asked and answered by every black
person. Questions such as:
What do I believe? Why do I believe
this? Am I afraid to believe this or
afraid not to believe this? Am I being,
carried along in the swing of things,
or do I know where I am going?
There are other questions that should
be answered before one could truly
call himself “together,” but to list them,
would take more space than that avail
able here.
Black is not a symbol.
I love chitlins—but is that impor
tant? Malcolm X was the greatest—
but somehow I manage to think for
myself. Stokley Carmichael is FINE—
and some of his philosophy I agree
with—but I listen critically to what he
says, and just because he said it, doesn’t
make it so.
My mama is black, and so is my
daddy. But there are millions of other
people walking around giving testimony
to the fact that black mamas and
papas aren’t a rarity.
All the foregoing are symbols of
blackness, and this should be realized.
Symbolism is important, as long as the
symbols do not take on greater im
portance than the things they symbol
ize.
Being black is a beautiful experi
ence, and as long as I live I will use
my blackness to be aware of great
things—but I will never let my black
ness be misused by being bound by
certain small things.
Use of King’s name gains momentum
Is war on with Black Panther Party?
News media are full of reports of
Black Panthers being killed, harassed,
and attacked by police in almost every
major city known to be a Panther
stronghold. The Panthers have stated
that they are being systematically de
stroyed by the Federal government.
If the Panthers were one of the
white citizens’ committees known to
exist in several communities, would
they be subject to the same treatment?
If the Panthers were white, could
they openly express their right to free
dom of speech without being arrested
and accused of threats on their presi
dent?
Why are the Panthers looked upon
as a threat to the middle class white’s
society, when the Minutemen, KKK’s,
and Birchites make up the so-called
society?
Why do some blacks oppose the
Panthers yet accept George Wallace
stomping the country preaching hate
for “dem niggers”?
Why did Eldridge Cleaver’s invita
tion to speak at Berkeley arrouse so
much attention when Goldwaters, Mad
doxes, and Agnews are somewhere
speaking everyday?
What KKK gets up in the morning
before the cock crows to feed some
body else’s kid?
When was a Minuteman killed as he
lay asleep?
Why is an armory of all kinds of
weapons used against blacks doing the
same things that whites have already
done?
What can we, as black students, do
about the situation?
The same thing that happened to
the memory of one great man has
happened again.
When John F. Kennedy was killed
the country was over-run with trinkets,
buttons, tags, printed slogans, portraits
with lights and portraits, pictures with
color and pictures without color. Every
advertising gimmic imaginable was im
agined and used. Because JFK’s private
life was so carefully guarded from
childhood to the presidency he seldom
encountered anyone that had not politi
cally or financially established them
selves.
On the other hand—almost 2 years
ago the same capitalistic activities were
repeated—the trinkets, the buttons, the
printed slogans, the face on the por
traits changed but they still came with
lights and without lights and photo
graphs anyway you wanted them. This
man’s life had not been so well guard
ed. Today, it is impossible to walk up
and introduce yourself to anyone that
didn’t grow up with him, guided him
in some way, remember some memora
ble saying expounded only to that in
dividual, and seemingly everyone was
his righthand man. Many a lie has
been told in the name of this great man.
If this man was still alive he would
not believe how commercially-oriented
everything he stood for has become.
His deeds and accomplishments—
which are in themselves intangible—■
have been measured in terms of tangi
bles: such as money and other generous
donations by large foundations. The
contributions serve worthwhile pur
poses but the motives of the bene
factors are demented.
While praising his name, there are
those who have launched their own
personal careers who otherwise would
not have reached such heights on their
own efforts and accomplishments. Even
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