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Page 2 » THE MAROON TIGER « Wednesday, October 16, 1991
POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES
P&S Speaking: "Educational
reform in the 90’s and Beyond"
By Charles E. "Chuck" Hobbs H
2nd L Maurice Waring
Is There Hope For Blacks
In Statewide Elections?
For the Morehouse Man that
finds himself compelled to take
an occasional stroll through
Southwest Atlanta, many sur
prises await on these historic
streets. Choose any direction
from these hallowed halls, and
the reality of life for many blacks
looms. We all read the papers,
and most of us can recite and see
the statistics of our race, particu
larly our men. But to actually see,
and converse with the downtrod
den reaffirms the urgency of the
situation we are in.
One solution that must remain
in the forefront is the reformation
of the educational system. Secu
lar public schools have not ad
dressed the needs of the masses.
In a recent Atlanta Journal and
Constitution study, it was cited
that black students are three
times as likely as their white coun
terparts to be in classes for the
educationally or mentally handi
capped, but only half are likely to
be in classes for the talented and
gifted. It also stated that blacks
are two to five times as likely as
whites to be suspended from
school at an early age.
It is documented that one of
the most critical stages of devel
opment is from birth to third
grade. Somewhere during this
time, young blacks are lost Chil
dren must be taught values and
discipline early on if they are go
ing to be successful in life. There
is no need for a child to be out
playing in the streets at ten or
eleven at night, or watching tele
vision from the afternoon special
until Arsenio signs off. But this is
the scene that is played time and
again in our neighborhoods. This
destruictive behavior can ulti
mately lead to unproductive, law
breaking citizens later in life.
The immediate solution to this
delimma is education. This neo
reform cannot come from the
public sector, for federal guide
lines cannot be followed for the
type of education our children
need today. Through private fund
ing by black philantropic organi
zations and the pooling of com
munity resources, I envision
black academies where a young
black student is taught not only
the beauty of our culture, but the
beauty and importance of all cul
tures. This is vital because each
day, our global community be
comes increasingly crowded, our
children must have an apprecia
tion and ability to work with other
people. Secondly, our young
black students cannot afford to
be ill-prepared in math and sci
ences. Tomorrow's work force
will be technologically oriented,
and if our kids are going to make
strides and become leaders in
these fields, a fundamental ap
preciation and working knowl
edge of mathematical and scien
tific principles is needed. Thirdly,
discipline as in the days of old,
will be needed for academic
achievement to come to fruition.
Pointing back to the statistic that
blacks are two to five times as
liekly as whites to be suspended
from schools shows that many
black students are taking for
granted the opportunity thatthey
have in attending school. Some
may argue that "It is a conspiracy
by white educators to hinder
blacks by suspending them or
administering corporal punish
ment in disparaging numbers."
This concerns me not At an all
black academy, the conspiracy
word can gladly go the way of the
dinosaur. Young black kids, es
pecially boys, must learn disci
pline and realize that there are
consequences for improper be
havior. Since many of our kids
are not receiving these lessons in
their homes, our academies must
shoulder the burden of teaching
responsibility. Fourthly, our black
private schools must hold work
shops and forums throughout
school terms in order to bring
successful, positive blacks to in
spire our youth to work hard,
persevere, and achieve the same
status as these individuals.
Finally, it would be a fatal faux
pas to think that God can be left
out of our schools. The 1925
Scopes trial, the eventthatsetthe
beginnings of today's secular
schools, does not apply to black
people. We have a history of be
ing a God-fearing, religion ori
ented people. This is a key cog on
the development of our people. If
a child is taught early on about
religion, Christianity in particu
lar, he/she will have a reinforce
ment of values, ethics, respectfor
others, and a sense of family; com
ponents that are lacking in our
people today. These academics
would have time out for prayers,
and church attendance should be
required. Hopefully, our next
generation will grow up commit
ted to justice and become pro
ductive citizens.
Utopia? Perhaps. Feasible?
Maybe. Worth a try? Without a
doubt If we are going to gain
harmony and prosperity, an ef
fort must be given. We have to
attack our problems with innova
tive approaches, and the time for
blacks academiesisnow. Wehave
nothing to lose, and everything
to gain. Destiny is in our hands.
For if not us, who? If not now,
when? Education is truly ourpass-
port to the future.
By Leslie Lewis
Although there has been a dra
matic increase in black office
holding at the local level, we have
continued to fail statewide.
During this century there has
been only one black senator, Ed
ward Brooks, a republican from
Massachusetts. Recently, Dou
glas Wilder became the only black
to ever be elected governor (in
1873 the black lieutenant-gover
nor of Louisiana, P.B.S.
Pinzchbeck, served as acting gov
ernor for forty-three days).
It is crucial for black politicians
to have a statewide base in gain
ing national leadership. The 1984
and 1988 Jesse Jackson cam
paigns promoted interest in a
black presidential candidacy.
This experience does not provide
the ideal model for an eventual
black president. Despite
Jackson's enthusiastic appeal, he
faced extremely negative opin
ions from white voters.
Racial politics at the state level
differs from the city environment
While there is a large black popu
lation in many metropolitan
areas, representation is much
smaller within the states. With
out a large black voting base,
black candidates must rely on a
predominantly while electorate.
Ironically, within the south, the
highest levels of black popula
tion are found in the states most
resistant to black advances —
Alabama, Mississippi, and South
Carolina Recent studies on south
ern party voting suggest that
black statewide nominations on
the democraticticketare ensured
defeat due to while hostility.
Therefore a black statewide vic
tory is not very likely unless south
ern white voters disregard their
racial attitudes.
In spite of the barriers con
fronted by black statewide candi-
Stop The Welfare Mentality
By Said Lerai Y. Prince Sewell III
Beggers are everywhere, on the
street, in public buildings, on college
campuses, and on the evening news.
One can hardly drive down the
street on any city these days with
out seeing some plastic-bag-wear
ing character who is sitting on his
porch smoking a cigarette and
drinking Mad Dog. The beggar is
not just a constant icon of a wasted
life and failed social programs; he
is an icon of apathetic individuals
with no desire to make his situa
tion better.
What is the root of the welfere
mentally in America? Everyone has
a scapegoat advocates for the poor
blame government policy, politicians
blame each other; the Democrats.
The public blames "the ecnomy,"
"the lack of jobs," and "the pres
ence of drugs," With all this finger
pointing, the group deserving the
most of the blame accepts the least.
How can I say this? For the past
two years I have worked in the
"newly" renovated John Hopes
Homes in Atlanta. I have tutored in
the Fredrick Douglass Tutorial Pro
gram, served food to the homeless
on Christmas Eve, listened, coun
seled, given money to the needy, and
even for a while lived their struggle.
I have seen their response to adver
sity. Though I would like to report
otherwise, I am compelled by the
evidence to conclude that the major
ity of our African-American brothers
and sisters, whom we see on the
comer of our neighborhood streets
have chosen their lifestyles. They
are directly opposed to doing what it
takes to ameliorate their conditions;
that is, too many welfare recipients
do not want to WORK They feel no
remorese about leeching off us hard
working people through social pro
grams. With this in mind, I say that
welfare recipients must bear the bur
den of their circumstances and blame
no one else for their troubles.
Let me qualify what I have said.
Not everyone who finds himself out
of a job and in the welfare lines are
there because he wants to be. Some
are victims of tragic circumstances. I
have met people who were very dig
nified and determined; the old woman
who manages to live on only her
Social Security the single mother
struggling to receive a GED; the
woman who is working for minimum
wage at Burger King to make "ends-
meet;" the man who was laid off from
his job after 20 years and has to sup
port a wife and three children on
unemployment benefits. These
people, and those under adverse cir
cumstances, deserve every effort
to help them back on to their feet.
Eventually, according to reports,
such people are able to get off the
welfare rolls within a period of a few
months to a year. Even while "down
on their luck," they are still respon
sible citizens - out everyday walking
the pavement, trying to pull them
selves up by their boot straps. They
Continued on Page 14
dates, success is possible. But at
what cost? White voters have only
found acceptance when the black
candidate is highly qualified and
middle class with a quiet and com
placent style. Can black candi
dates maintain a progressive
agenda without decreasing their
chances of election? This di
lemma continues to plague the
black community. In a political
system dominated by media im
ages and political propaganda we
may only hope.
A New
Pschological
Slavery
By James Gee, Jr.
When President Bush made
his recent Supreme Court selec
tion, what was most disturbing
was not his obvious attempt to
undermine the black community
but rather the black community's
response.
The Black community is hostile
to diversity. This hostility is evi
dent in the "National Lynching" of
Judge Clarence Thomas. In the
shadows of this hostility lies a de
velopment of intellectual clones
within the African American com
munity. Why is it necessary for
every African American to think
alike? Carter G. Woodson once
said, "When you control a man's
thinking you do not have to worry
about his actions." By seeking
unified "Black thought," we are
allowing our oppressors to con
trol and limit our actions. With
out diversity our community be
comes paranoid and predictable,
two traits which are the pre
requisites to failure.
The Black assault on Clarence
Thomas has been fueled by the
ideological cult which pervade
within our community. We are
automatically opposed to a mem
ber of our community whose
ideas are not dipped in the liberal
tradition. Its almost as if African
American conservatives need a
Civil Rights movement to allow
them to have their own ideas. In
the case of Clarence Thomas, this
aversion to diversity has caused
many of us to lose sight of reality.
The reality is that a liberal candi
date will not be selected by a
conservative President (specifi
cally George Bush).
Gentlemen, this is not a letter
to support or destroy J ustice Tho
mas, excuse me, Judge Thomas,
it is merely a letter to discourage
the formation of intellectual
clones and encourage diversity.
Through diversity, we are ex
posed to a number of ideas and
opinions which brings us closer
to our common goal of freedom.