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Page 7
Maroon Tiger
April, 1968
BENJAMIN WARD, JR., a 19-year-old
senior at Morehouse College, has been desig
nated as “one of the best future college teach
er prospects on the continent” by the Wood-
row Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.
Mr. Ward, who entered Morehouse from
the tenth grade as a Merrill Early Admissions
Scholar, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin
Ward of Montgomery, Alabama. After spend
ing last year at the University of Paris (France)
as a Merrill Travel Scholar, he will graduate
this year with a double major philosophy
and French and a double minor English and
music. An accomplished pianist and organist,
he is accompanist for the Morehouse College
Glee Club and has been featured as piano
soloist in concerts at the College. Mr. Ward
spent two summers at Yale University in
the Intensified Summer Program and plans
to enter the Yale graduate school this fall.
His appointment gives Morehouse 21 Wood-
row Wilson Fellows in the 23-year history of
the Program.
For the past ten years, with funds from
the Ford Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson
National Foundation was able to make direct
grants to students to support their first year
of graduate study.
“Now our major role is to identify for
graduate departments those students who in
our view have the best potential for college
teaching,” said Sir Hugh Taylor, president
of the Foundation, in announcing the names
of the Woodrow Wilson Designates. “This
year’s Designates are as distinguished and
carefully selected a group as last year’s Fel
lows. We hope all of them will receive assist
ance from the graduate schools or from fed
eral or other fellowship programs.”
CANBLACKE
In the United States of America (which is not really united, butretainsthe copyright title
nevertheless), one of the states least united is known as Alabama. In Alabama there are several
dozen tiny districts known as counties. These are essential to the composition of the state al
though they serve no useful purpose. Each county is served by one fat, tobacco-chewing, shot
gun-toting, porch-sitting, nigger-hating magistrate, known as a sheriff.
Canblacke was born in one of these counties in a wood hut near a dust road. Alter his father
died (which came not by act of the KKK, but by act of God), Canblacke’s Uncle Thomas moved
into the position of head of the house. Canblacke soon learned to love his Uncle Tom as he had
his own father. As Canblacke grew, Uncle Tom taught him the ways of the world; he taught him
that although he was poor and miserable, he was fortunate that he wasn’t ever poorer and more
miserable because the white man had given his grandparents their freedom; and had it not been
for this he might have been a slave this very day. Canblacke may as well be grateful, for no a-
mount of ungratefulness on his part would conversely change the order of things, but they would
make him correspondingly more miserable by causing him to wish for things that would never
come. To this he added that the struggle Canblacke might make would at best alienate the friend
ly whites, causing Canblacke to be deprived of more privileges and eventually hurting the South
ern economy if he were successful, and he wouldn’t be successful, because this was the way
things were meant to be.
Canblacke listened to his uncle and believed hirrpbecause Uncle Tom would never tell a lie.
The Rationale For a Black Co-Operative
In late September, three black girls were accused of smoking marijuana in the dormitory by
white girls on their corridor. The white girls said that “sweet, pungent odors” were coming from
the black coeds’ room. The real cause of the odor was burning pressing oil as the black coeds
straightened their hair.
About midyear at Cornell there is the usual reshuffling of rooms and roommates. This is part
icularly the case for black women, a large number of whom changed rooms because of friction
and conflicts with white roommates or corridor-mates. Late on the evening of January 8, 1968,.
Alicia Onnami Scott, a black coed, was taken from the Balch I dormitory to Sage Hospital. She
was said to be “emotionally unstable.” Emotional instability as defined in this case is the reject
ion of one’s white corridor - mates’ values and terms of acceptance and the desire to keep one’s
integrity and cultural heritage intact.
These are just three of many incidents which made the Afro - American Society realize that
something had to be done about the living conditions for black women. The Afro - American So
ciety has requested that the Dean of Students Office set up a co - operative for women.
A black co - op is necessary because of the intolerably hostile atmosphere in the dorms. Black
girls and white girls came from distinctly different cultural backgrounds which are becoming in
creasingly distant. The present dormitory system, being white in orientation and administration,
places the burden of adjustment to communal standards and values, i.e., white middle class, on
the black coed and in so doing implies that the cultural background of these balck coeds is in
ferior and not worthy of consideration.
One aspect of the new consciousness of blacks today as represented by “Black Power” is a
heightened sense of pride in self and race. Any implication of inferiority on blackness, as the
dorm system does indeed make, is a direct affront to black people.
Moreover, Cornell purports to be a citadel of intellectual egalitarianism where black and white
interaction can be on an equal basis. But, by forcing black students to adapt to a foreign and of
ten times hostile environment, Cornell, in reality, encroaches on the natural, if not civil, liberties
of the black students. Black people should be able to determine for themselves the environment
in which they are to live and study.
Cornell has a responsibility for the mental and social welfare of all its students, not just the
white students. It would seem to be encumbent upon Cornell to make provisions for living units
for its black women since those provided have proven to be unsatisfactory and in no way con
ducive to the mental and social well-being of black coeds.
A black co -operative in no way means that the black coeds plan to segregate themselves from
the Cornell community. In fact, they will better be able to make meaningful contributions to
the community as do black men who do not live in the dorms. Moreover, one must askdf black
people are here solely to enlighten whites or to develop as individuals and as a community.
In conclusion, the abortive endeavors of groups like the Human Rights Commission to legis
late humanism into Cornell’s autonomous “white” fraternities and sororities should serve to de
stroy any illusion that racism at Cornell will end in the near future. Cornell University must re
flect its ability to distinguish between ideals and reality by helping us obtain a meaningful and
healthy home life while we struggle for the freedom and equality of black people.
Let’s Keep Our Women at Home
Well, what kind of men are we? We are definite
ly not the so-called Homo sapiens we think we are,
because no truly wise men would let women fight
their battles. The battles I have reference to are the
ones concerning civil rights, which we are presently
involved in. We picket, have sit-ins, demonstrate,
and—yes—even riot, with the assistance of our faith
ful women, who, when the opposition comes (us
ually in the form of policemen), get their share of
the beatings, kicking, slapping, and other brutal,
injuman treatment along with the men. To subject
our women to this kind of treatment is immoral
and disrespectful.
Sure, the women should help fight this battle
because it is for the improvement of the race, not
the sexes; but I feel that she should strengthen the home front with her brains
and skills instead of the “front lines” with her blood. In the battle for civil
liberties we are not only trying to gain total freedom and unquestionable equ
ality; an attempt is being made to educate and replenish the race with a strong
er generation to further the cause—and the women are instrumental in these
roles. By subjecting women to front-line action, we endanger the existence of
future generations.
There is a big enough job for them in the “black movement” in secretarial
and journalistic work, in the manufacture of equipment, in spreading propa
ganda, and in giving moral and spiritual support.
We as Negro men owe our women much more respect than having them sub
jected to the humiliation and discomfort of the front lines. Most victorious
battles were fought by men who received significant support from faithful
women. This we should make known to our leaders and female-movement ac
tivists before the disastrous climax suffered by Joan or Arc comes to our
Negro women today.
The Afro-American Society of
Cornell University
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