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Page Two PANTHER November 8, 1974
Students Show
Political Apathy
Political activity on the Atlanta University Center cam
puses “aint what it used to be.”
The Center campuses were once a vortex of political
frenzy in the sixties. Students could be an even more for
midable force today if they recognized their own strength.
One candidate for the 32nd House district seat asserted
that just 30 per cent of student ballots cast for a candidate
would almost insure victoiy at the polls.
Though this is not taken authoritatively, history can bear
out the decisive role AUC students have played in the poli
tical game, the students were instrumental in placing young
and black, faces at the last National Democratic Convention.
In the last mayoralty and city council race, the more in
telligent candidates focused much of their efforts at the
black campuses, and rightly so.
With the vote extended to students who are not residents
of the area but are otherwise qualified and registered, the
campuses could well be a political force to contend with.
Though young, black energetic faces are quite visible
at rallies, like Andy Young’s held on Oct. 30, the deciding
appearance must be made at the polls.
Studies at the Black
Bowman Gets
Scholarship
By Barbara L. Massenburg
Alpha Kappa Alpha So
rority, Inc., Alpha Pi Chap
ter awarded its annual
scholarship to Miss Deb
orah Bowman. The re
cipient is a sophomore ma
joring in psychology. Her
ambitions are to attend
graduate school and obtain
her M. A. in counseling.
She plans to work as a
counselor in the penal sys
tem. Deborah hails from
Miami, Florida.
The scholarship is a-
warded annually to a fe
male student who has
achieved high academic
standings during her ma
triculation at Clark and
who needs financial assist
ance.
World
The late sixties was an
era when questions were
loudly being raised regard
ing the quality of education
that Black people were re
ceiving in high schools, col
leges and universities. As a
result, Black studies pro
grams and research insti
tutions were set up in many
colleges and communities
across the country. Here
in Atlanta, the Institute of
the Black World was a cen
tral part of the movement
for Black Studies. When
the cry for Black studies
died down, many of the
programs began to die out
also. So that now in 1974,
there is still a problem,
still a need for ‘‘educa
tion for liberation”. For
tunately there are institu
tions and organizations that
have survived the times
and still remain dedicated
to the study of the struggle
of Black people. The Insti-
tue of the Black World is
one of those institutions.
In the fall of 1967, Ste
phen Henderson (then
chairman of the Depart
ment of History at Spel-
man) and Vincent Harding
began the work of finding
ways in which the essence
of the work of W. E. B.
DuBois. DuBois was one
of Black America’s fore
most Black activist scho
lars. He pioneered in the
concept of establishing
schools that would develop
Black intellectuals, as op
posed to the Booker T.
Washington approach that
emphasized manual labor.
The idea of an Institute of
Advanced Afro-American
Studies came out of this
work. Following the assa-
sination and funeral of Mar -
tin L. King, Mrs. King ap
proached Vincent Harding
about taking leadership in
the creation of a Martin
L. King Memorial Center.
Vincent proposed that the
By Vanessa Crump
Institute for Advanced
Afro-American Studies be
incorporated into the pro
ject under the name of the
Institute of the Black World.
The poet A. B. Spellman,
Stephen Henderson, Bill
Strickland, Vincent Hard
ing and others became the
Planning Staff of the Insti
tute and produced the first
draft of what the Institute
was to be in the fall of
1968. Later on, problems
arose in the relationship
between the Institute and
the schools in the A. U.
Center. Several of the Plan
ning Staff members voiced
their commitments toward
radical change, Black soli
darity and Black control of
Black institutions. There
was some disagreement by
Board members of the Mar
tin L. King Center.
They agreed with non
violence and integration as
the path for Black libera
tion. They wanted an in
tegrated staff, where as
the members of the Insti
tute were concerned with
Black people building and
maintaining their own in
stitutions.
The Institute of the Black
World emerged from this
with a definition and direc
tion of its own. Its com
mitment' was/is to re
search, understand and de
fine the past and present
experiences of African peo
ple in America and around
the world. January 17,1970
marked the official opening
of the Institute.
IBW, from its study of
History believes that our
education should not be for
the purpose of maintaiing
and justifying the existing
order in this country. Our
education must be one that
will develop our ability to
create, and ask difficult
questions about the schools,
nation, and world in which
we live. Education should
develop the skills that would
enable us to understand
American society and aide
us in radically transform
ing ourselves and our so
ciety. Black scholars
should be charged with the
responsibility of finding so
lutions to our problems,
knowledge without action is
meaningless. Therefore
Black educators should be
guides to action as well as
storehouses of knowledge.
IBW uses various mediums
in relaying its messages to
the people. They have pub
lications in the form of
books, pamphlets, an edi
torial column (offered to
Black newspapers, journals
and radio stations). They
have an audio-tape collec
tion and develop position
papers for Black caucuses,
organizations, relating to
the political, social, and
cultural struggles of Black
people. To date, IBW has
no student services. The
staff has a small budget
and a small dedicated staff.
However, students can call
IBW and request assistance
in finding information by
setting up an appointment.
They believe that because
the institute emerged from
the Black student movement
and the location of IBW be
ing within the campus area,
that students are their na
tural constituency within
Atlanta.
After having survived a
difficult five years, the In
stitute now has more
strength and stability from
within and can reach out
into other areas. They
would like to have a close
relationship with the mem
bers of the student govern
ment associations and to
let them know what IBW is
all about. Closer ties will
try to be developed with the
newspapers on campus,
making some of the infor
mation that they have avail
able to the school news
papers. This would result
in a well working relation
ship with student body.
Math Prof
Dies
CC Sponsors
Black Women’s
Conference
Clark College will pre
sent ‘‘The Black Women’s
International Conference:
Priorities and Directives”
on April 9-11, 1975 at the
Mar riot Motor Hotel.
Workshop leaders will
include C. Delores Tucker,
Barbara Jordan, Bernie
Casey, Ruby Hurley and
Edward Irons.
Any student interested in
participating and helping
formulate the conference is
asked to please contact
Dorris Wright or Barbara
Ross, P.O. Box 255, Clark
College or telephone 758-
9874 or 691-0113.
By Barbara L. Massenburg
Memorial services were
held for the late Mamie
Beatrice Smith Robinson on
Monday, Oct. 29 in Davage
Auditorium. Reverend Wil
liam Henderson, College
Minister, presided
Students and Faculty
paid tribute in songs,
scripture and words of
kindness at the memorial
service.
Mrs. Robinson, 56, an
associate professor of
mathematics at Clark Col
lege, was affiliated with the
school for over 28 years.
She was also a Clark grad
uate.
Her educational back
ground included a Master’s
degree from Atlanta Uni
versity and graduate work
at Northwestern Univers
ity and University of Wis
consin.
Prior to her martricula-
tion at Clark, she served
as principal of Lynwood
Elementary Schoolfrom 1942
to 1945 and as consult
ant to Atlanta Board of
Education. She was active
in Upward Bound Program
at Morehouse College,
programs at Morris Brown
College and instructor of
classes at Atlanta Univer
sity.
Mrs. Robinson was a
member of the Southern
Association of Colleges
and Schools, the National
Council of Teachers of
Mathematics, the American
Association of University
Professors, Beta Kappa
Chi Scientific Society, and
National Institute of Sci
ence.
Her other activities in
cluded membership in the
American Business Asso
ciation, National Council of
Negro Women, NAACPCon
tinental Society Inc.,
Seventeen Sisters, Evening
Bridge Club, and Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.,
Alpha Pi Chapter at Clark
College.
Funeral services were
held at St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church on Wednesday, Oc
tober 30. Interment was
held at Westview Ceme-
tary. Mrs. Robinson died
after an extended illness.
Clark Grad
Sets Record
By Diane Arnold
A 1971 Clark College
graduate recently made
history in the Tennessee
legal system. MissEtrula
T. Trotter became the
first woman and the first
black to be appointed an
assistant state attorney
general in the state of
Tennessee.
Miss Trotter, 25, got
her start in the law field
as an administrative as
sistant to Tennessee At
torney General Ray Ash
ley Jr.
Miss Trotter graduated
from Clark College with
a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Political Science. After
graduation, she attended
Vanderbilt University
Law School.
While matriculating at
Clark, Miss Trotter be
longed to Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, SCG,
Alpha Kappa Mu, and the
Women’s Association.
orrection
We would like to apolo
gize to our readers in
regards to the story in
the last edition of the
Panther, ‘‘Sports Depart
ment Must Open For Wo
men, HEW Rules”. That
story read as if the pro
posal against sexual dis
crimination was law.
However, we were in
formed by Coach Epps
that the regulations are
not law as yet. No college
is under any obligation by
the federal government
until 1976. The colleges
have been encouraged to
begin preparations for the
transition, Coach Epps
informs us. We appreci
ate Coach Epp’s contri
bution to the integrity of
our paper.