Newspaper Page Text
The Panther
A Voice for
Student
Sentiment
Vol. XXXIII, No. 5
Clark College, Atlanta
May, 1970
Poll shows
many attitudes
The wanton shooting of high
school and college students is a
trend which is still prevailing in
the 197©’s. When the forces of
protection in our nation begin
silencing the voices which dis
turb the majority toy crushing dis
sent, by jailing or killing stu
dents for what they perceive
has already been done to them
—the question arises, “what are
the views of the nation’s people
on the matter?”
The Panther recently took a
survey to find out the attitudes
of the students at Clark about
the Kent State murders. The most
common attitudes are presented.
Freshmen had some of the
following opinions:
“I have no emotions to donate
to the Kent State Massacre. I
have no time for sympathy
towards that portion of American
life because my body bleeds for
the murder of the black people
in Orangeburg, S. C., Birming
ham, Ala., Augusta, Ga., and
Jackson, Miss.”
“I have no opinion on the sub
ject. But I am wondering what
is America going to do about
those murders.”
“The Kent State affair shows
the wretchedness of white society.
It appears that law and order
has taken priority over human
ism. This shows that the white
power structure will eliminate
anything or anyone including
their own youth if they dissent
over their father’s decisions.”
Sophomores said:
“They should have shot all of
them because those students -had
no business rioting or protesting
in the first place.”
“It was evident to me that
one of the privileges -for which
our country was founded has
been violated. It’s a scary thing.”
“I can’t sympathize with that
tragedy. As soon as the sons and
daughters of whitey are killed
by their forces of power whitey
wants investigations of the event
to bring to justice the people re
sponsible for the crime. But
when those students were killed
at Orangeburg they didn’t do a
damn thing.”
“Just four more honkies dead.
I haven’t seen nobody protesting
about the deaths in Augusta,
Ga.”
Juniors ventured:
“The United States has another
grim intimidation to show the
world.”
“I’m wondering why did the
news, media give it so much cov
erage when they didn’t give the
Orangeburg Massacre half that
amount of coverage. Three fourths
of the people living in this country
probably don’t know what hap
pened in Orangeburg.”
Seniors had the opinion that:
“When the tragedy occurred in
Orangeburg little or no opposi
tion was miade over the brutality
and impulsiveness iotf the police
force. But as soon as some honk
ies are shot, the entire nation
is supposed to mourn and de
mand justice for those students’
deaths. They must be crazy.”
Play review
Clark playhouse
presents two
BY BARBARA BOONE
The Clark College Playhouse’s
productions of “T.V.” and “A
Soul Gone Home” marked the
final curtain call for the season.
“T.V.” A satire. Nothing more,
nothing less.
On the other hand, the less said
about “A Soul Gone Home” the
better. The production was quite
good with Carol Morten being
singled out for such delightful
framing of the character. The
play itself is the cause for audi
ence disenchantment.
The play was written by
Langlston Hughes, a celebrated
black poet and writer. It has
added a new dimension to black
womanhood. In ten minutes,
Hughes reduced the strong and
warm black matriach image to
that of a real human being. A
Movie review
human being that would not be
broken by the ruptured presence
of death to her son’s life nor by
the daily sting of fate in her
own.
Although the character is far
from -being admirable, she is not
quite the monster I’d like to think
she is. The horror of it is she
represents real elements of ithe
black society. The beauty of it
is not all elements of black wo
manhood fit this particular mold.
Black culture is a theme with
the Clark College Playhouse. A
broad and interesting selection
of works can only enrich the
black expedience. Here’s hope
that in the coming seasons, the
Playhouse continues to focus
upon relevant issues and inter
pretations of black life as they
deal with the black commlunity.
‘The Liberation of L. B. Jones’
BY THEODORE GREENE
The motion picture “The Lib
eration of L. B. Jones” is cur
rently playing at Loew’s Grand.
The jive picture should not be
playing anywhere. Let me ad
monish everybody to save their
$2J25. If anyone wants to -get sick
they can read Pimp or Styron’s
Nat Turner.
“The Liberation of L. B. Jones”
concerns the troubles of a black
man (L. B. Jones) and his lus
cious but Whorish wife.
L. B. Jones is a well-to-do
mortician who is the “biggest
nigger” in town (a southern
town, of course). He has the
misfortune of being married to
a broad who has a white lover,
Willie Joe Worth. Dig the name!
When L. B. Itires of his wife,
Emma — who does her ow-n
thing openly with Willie Joe —
he seeks a divorce. This is
Where the plot of the movie
cotaes in.
The idea is -for L. B. to get
his divorce unoonteste-d so Ithat
the good white folks (and espe
cially Willie Joe’s wife) will not
know Willie Joe -was getting over
with a black woman. The city
attorney advises Willie Joe to
make sure Emma does not con
test the divorce.
Willie Joe first tries to per
suade Emma to fire her lawyer
but he fails, ostensibly because
she is pregnant, and, because she
knows the white, courts will' give
her damn near all that L. B.
owns if the divorce is granted.
After Emma fails toi give in,
Willie Joe fires on her until she
“ropes like okra”.
Finally Willie Joe decides to
put the pressure on L. B. by
warning him that he will kill
hum if he doesn’t -call off the
-divorce. This is where the plot
thickens. Either L. B. gets brave
at this point or tires of kissing
behinds (white) and decides to
take a stand.
He later died for that stand.
L. B. decided that too many nig
gers had run from the Man and
wanted to find out exactly what
the Man would do when push
really came to shove.
Near the end of the movie
Willie Joe and his pig -partner
Bumtpas stop L. B. in his “hog”
-and beat him -half to death.
L. B. jumps out of the car but
suddenly remembers that he is
not going to run -from the Man.
After some more pleading by
Willie Joe, L. B. is shot in the
head and sadistically castrated.
For all practical purposes the
movie ended here, although
Bumpas was pushed into some
sort of heavy farm machinery by
a black who lacked the guts to
rip Bumpas off with his .38 which
the black carried around in a ci
gar box all the time. Bumpas had
supposedly mauled this brooding
black when the black wias a
Child.
At the very end -of the movie,
one is left wondering what hap
pened to poor Emma. Personally,
I hoped that she swallowed 5,000
razor blades.
In conclusion, I would like to,
say that this poor movie is an
affront to any (black man who
has any sense at all. This movie
is about the past (at least we
hope so) and not relevant to the
present (black generation who
will not stand for such foolish
ness.
Clearly, this movie was before
the time of Malcolm X and Huey
Campus fee
to rise
The fee for campus students
will show a-n increase for the
coming year. Instead of $25.00,
it will be $45.-00.
The additional $20.0-0 covers
$5.00 for room) reservation fee,
and $16.00 for' property damage
deposit. The remaining $25.00 is
for the continuing fee required
of all students returning for an
other year.
The St5.00 damage deposit will
be returned if there are no
charges against it such as marks,
paint jobs, broken furniture,
doors, etc.
The $25.0-0 and the $5.00 will
be applied to tuition.
If the fee is paid between
May 1 and May 21, a student is
assured of housing for the fall
semester. After that date rooms
will be assigned on a first-come,
first-served basis.
Student Council
votes for reform
At most colleges across the
country open elections are held
for the selection of newspaper
and yearbook editors. Clark Col
lege has always let the staffs of
these two groups select their
own editors.
The Clark College Student
Council melt in May to come up
with a better method of select
ing these editors (because the old
method has worked out poorly
in Ithe past several years.
The 'Student Council voted to
have open elections of the year
book and newspaper editor after
candidates pass a screening
-board composed of Student Coun
cil representatives. This proce
dure will take effect beginning
with the SGA elections in May
of 197-1.
The Student Council voted for
the 1970-71 newspaper editor.
Tethel White, -a freshman ma
joring in political science, Was se
lected. Miss White was on the
1970 newspaper staff, and is
from Jacksonville, Florida.
Angela Wilson was selected as
1970-7(1 yearbook editor. Miss
Wilson is a 'sociology major from
Atlanta and has served two
previous years on the yearbook
staff.
P. Newton to name only a cou
ple.
Finally, if it takes movies of
this kind for Lola Falana and
Roscoe Lee Browne to become
“stars”, then they are -better off
in o-bscurity. We don’t need any
more Sidney Potiers, do we?
If you -are wondering why I
-bothered to tell the entire story,
I’mi trying very hard to dissuade
anyone from spending money
foolishly by going to see “The
Liberation of L. -B. Jones” and
then leave mad.
New SGA
has task to do
By TETHEL WHITE
I -have been told that this
year’s election of SGA officers
was the most exciting campaign
that -the student body has seen
in a long time. There were many
proposals of change presented by
both parties, -and the student
body will be looking for the in
coming -administration to put into
effect somie of those proposed
changes.
The newly elected officers
sh-oul-d keep in mind several
things while serving:
* the new administration
m-ust not forget or overlook the
fact that the outgoing admini
stration served in a year marked
by an ever widening gap be
tween the students and the SGA
office.
* the new administration must
establish programs for the pur
pose of bettering communica
tions to close the -gap -between
the students and the SGA.
* the new administration must
-become aware of the extent of
the -apathy that exists on our
campus among the students and
deal with it. It must inform, en
courage and promote student par
ticipation on issues and in activi
ties. It must find out what the
feelings of the students are and
remember that its purpose is to
serve the students.
* the new administration must
keep in (mind the responsibility
of (following through with pro
jects that are presented to the
student body. Scheduled activi
ties were presented to the stu
dents this year, many of which
did not materialize and no for
mal explanation was given to the
student body.
* the new administration must
be responsive to -the needs of
the students and work with all
elements of the campus. It must
deal with campus problems as
well as national issues and take
a -stand on them.
* the newly elected officers
must not forget their purpose.
They are placed in office to serve
the student body. The student
-body elected the party (because
i-t realized that a fundamental
change was necessary in the SGA
office in order to improve the
student’s lot.
* the new administration must
not overlook or forget the trust
that the students have placed in
its hands; it must uphold that
trust and work with, and if it
becomes necessary, it must go
against the administration to see
that the institution fulfills the
educational and social needs of
the student -body:
Best wishes,
seniors