Newspaper Page Text
MARCH-APRIL, 1961
WOLVERINE OBSERVER
Page Three
PERSONALITY
OF THE MONTH
Apollo Wakiaga
In this issue Apollo Wakiaga, who
is one of the M.B.C.’s students from
a distant land, has been selected to
be our personality of the month.
He has been selected because of his
fine personal and scholastic quali
ties. Mr. Wakiaga is an amiable and
dignified young man who always
finds it easy to smile. He is an
honor student and is the instructor
of a non-credit course in the Swa
hili language here at his alma ma
ter. Mr. Wakiaga’s life has been
part of the struggle for human dig
nity which has possessed the atten
tion of the world.
With the establishment of the
British Colonialism in Kenya, af
fecting the existing tribal systems
of rule, Wakiaga’s father, caught in
this dynamic political and economic
transition, moved from the tribal
land to live in the city. This small
port, the city of Mombasa, which
is the largest and most accessible
entrance to East Africa, is where
Wakiaga was born, twenty-three
years ago. Thus, Wakiaga’s father,
son of a chief, having deliberately
ignored his heritage as a son of a
tribal chief, did not deem it a loss
when he took a career in mechanics.
In the first seven years of his
life, Wakiaga attended a Mission
School established in Kenya for
freed slaves of the Arabs, his
mother had often taken him with
her to visit his tribal relatives in
the hinterland. The Luo tribe, to
which he belongs, is found along
the Eastern shores of Lake Vic
toria. Wakiaga’s clan, among
many others, is located on the is
land of Rusinga in Kenya. His
visits to this Western region of
Kenya accelerated the knowledge
that he had gradually been acquir
ing of the nature of the British
Colonial administration.
The next eight years, which he
spent in school were not pleasant
considering the lack of a free state-
supported school system. To make
matters worse, there existed com
pulsory government check-out
examinations, and stiff competition
for the few schools in the colony.
The disciplinary enactment in the
British colonial high school is
unique. Wakiago views the four
years boarding in Shimo-La-Tewa
high school as a time when he fol
lowed a line of action pertinent to
loyalty to the British Crown. This
he had to accept even though it led
to a frustration of his conscience.
In the very year that he grad
uated, he was employed on a tem
porary basis by the Kenya govern
ment, in the Sociology Department.
In the meantime, his life as well as
the lives of many Africa people was
in a constant state of torture and
suffering as the Mau Mau Revolu
tion swept on. During the seven
years of emergency in Kenya, im
perial rage was emitted to curb the
rise of six million black national
ists. It was during this time that
Tom Mboya, then the Secretary
General of the Kenya Federation of
Labor and a Nationalist leader,
toured the U.S.A. for purposes in
cluding the expediency of educa
tional aid and exchange programs.
It was through such programs that
Wakiaga came to Morris Brown
College in Atlanta, where he has
taken a great deal of interest in j
Economics.
His two years stay in the U.S.A. J
has been an opportunity to ac
quaint himself with the dynamic
aspirations of the American people,
and he shares the opinion that the
Americans can maintain their pres
ent world leadership a little longer
by rendering undiluted justice in
their, domestic problems, as well as
pursuing constructive policies in
the area of her international rela
tions. He hopes the U.S.A. will join
the fight for independence of
colonialism and be ready to wel
come an institution of democratic
and republican government any
where in the world.
Mr. Price Speaks In Florida
Professor Charles E. Price of the
department of History at Morris
Brown College recently returned
from a trip in Florida where he
was the featured speaker at Mt.
Moriah Baptist Church in Panama
City, of which Rev. Charles P. Price
is pastor and at the Quinn High
School in Apalachicola where pro
fessor W. L. Speed is principal.
Price is a graduate of Quinn High
School where he spoke on, “Hope
of the New Frontier,” to a special
assembly.
The Church at which Mr. Price
spoke is pastored by his father who
has been its minister for twenty
years.
Mr. Price is now serving in his
second year as instructor of His
tory and government at Morris
Brown. He was educated at Johnson
C. Smith, Howard, and Johns Hop
kins universities. He holds the
B.A., M.A., and LL.B. degrees.
Around The Campus
(Continued from page 1)
new freshmen joined the Morris
Brown family and went to work in
earnest. Some now hold responsible
positions among the students and
there are a nummber of them who
are honor students. . . . The Fresh
men class gave a “boss” affair
Tuesday, March 28. It was a com
bination talent show and dance, and
it was “way out.” “Like, dad it was
what’s happening!” . . .Well kids,
by the time you see this writing,
you’ll be back from that coveted
spring holiday. Here is hoping you
all hive a “boss” time. Kwaheri
(Swahili good-by)!
Elegy To Dr. Mitchell
Death has cast his fatal reflec
tion across a vast fraternal pond.
Big Brother Mitchell exchanged
positions to seek and meet his God
beyond.
His manhood with Sigma changes
places for higher honours and none
to fear.
, His life and soul interplaces with
God’s Fraternal atmosphere.
The Brownites are counting your
laoburs Dr. Mitchell in faith of
cloudless heart. Each depicting
your toiling years with accuracy, as
the days depart.
The Allenites are also raising to
say praises for your deeds. And sin
cerely emphasizing fulfilments of
God’s dire needs.
Well done, Dr. Mitchell, soldier
..of God. You have laboured and set
the pace. Clinging always to your
rod. To heed his call to see his
face.
MORRIS BROWN STUDENTS
ATTEND S.N.E.A. MEETING
Thirteen members of the C. L.
Harper Chapter of the S.N.E.A.
witnessed an informative and en
joyable state meeting of the Stu
dent National Education Associa
tion and the Future Teachers of
America Clubs. The meeting was
held at the 4-H camp in Dublin,
Georgia, on February 3 and 4, 1961.
The students attending the meet
ing were Misses Betty Anthony,
Ann McBride, Anita Jackson, Sallie
Mitchell, Espanola Collins, Miriam
Mosley, Mildred Ealey, Altamease
Neely, Dorothy Rodgers, Constance
Watson, Nellie Ruth Woodard and
Mr. Waymon Shiver. Others in-
BOOK REVIEW
“FOR INNOCENTS
ONLY”
This very interesting novel was
reviewed by Dr. Elsie Edmondson, a j
professor of English here at Morris
Brown College. The review was
conducted under sponsorship of the
Library Club of M.B.C., Monday,
March 20, 1961. The following ex
cerpts are from the text of Dr.
Edmondson’s review of For Inno
cents Only.
For Innocents Only is a novel of
innocent sophisticates and sophisti
cated innocents—perhaps. The au
thor is Richard Dohrman, who
writes with depth, intensity, and a
raw imaginative quality. He
chooses as his foreward, a striking
ly apt quotation from Shaftsburg:
“A man is by nothing so much him
self as by his temper and the
character of his passions and affec
tions. If he loses what is manly and
worthy in these, he is as much lost
to himself as when he loles his
memory and understanding.”
The novel has five divisions: The
Tree-House, Cabanas, Connecticut
Colonial, Playa Reposada, and
Ruins. The Tree-House is in a small
company village in Honduras, from
which Peter Guild shipped veneer
logs to the United States and Eng
land; Cabanas is partly Mqxico
and a yachting party, then New
York and Connecticut; Connecticut
Colonial, of shifts to New England;
Playa Reposada is again Mexico
and a magnificent hotel, owned by
Peter Guild’s cousin, Ruth Deland;
Ruins is again in Honduras, with
the closing scenes in New York.
For Innocents Only raises serious
questions about who is innocent,
and how the qualities of the inno
cent may be defined. More deeply,
it examines human dignity. There
are a number of characters, none of
them simple, whose lives are all
brought together in Ruins, and only
those persons whom we see at the
end seem to be unscathed or un
aware. But their escape, too, is a
moot point!
eluded Mr. Earnest Coleman, who
is a state staff worker of S.N.E.A.,
and Mr. J. K. Rowley.
The meeting, being a new experi
ence to the above students, was well
participated in by Morris Brown
College. These students participated
in every phase of the meeting which
included group discussions, commit
tee groups, conversation corners
and other activities.
As these students were inspired,
it is our aim that more students
will become active in such profes
sional student organization.
JOIN YOUR STUDENT NA
TIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIA
TION.
People On The Outside
By W. F. CARMICHAEL
Last summer, through the Human
Relations Club of Morris Brown
College, I was employed under the
auspices of the American Friends
Service Committee at an institu
tion for the mentally retarded in
Salem, Oregon.
My work at this institution was
most gratifying. However, my first
days were a perpetual nightmare
but as days passed I rapidly ad
justed to my new environment.
I have never been as depressed
as on the first day that I toured
the institution at which I was to
work. This was the saddest day of
my life. I had never seen such
hideous looking human beings be
fore. When I saw the custodians,
many of which had adult heads and
children bodies, I became quite up
set. But then as I saw the hydro-
cephalons and some of the other
kinds of mental retardiness, I felt
absolutely helpless. I knew that I
could never help these people. Had
I the money to return home, I
would have left that same evening.
However, the more I saw of the
patients, the less I thought about
myself. I soon lost all fear of them
and became, deeply interested in
them. We called them kids since
they were really kids mentally.
Calling them kids enabled us to ac
cept them as they really were. At
first, I couldn’t call some of the
adults kids but soon I was able to
do so.
I spent two weeks in the Cas
cade Mountains range at Silver
Creek Falls in an experimental
camp for the mentally retarded for
some of the patients where I was
employed. At first, I was alarmed
over the idea of about twenty-five
employees being in camp with
about one-hundred twenty-five pa
tients. I was looking forward for
anything to happen. But I got the
biggest surprise of my life—these
kids behaved perfectly. It was fun
working with them. I enjoyed the
camp as much as they did. But I
didn’t dare go swimming because
the water was too cold for me.
We took the patients (male) on
two seven mile hikes to Silver
Falls. Each week we had a different
group of patients and they loved
the hikes. I shall never forget the
ravishing beauty of the falls.
Being at camp really “broke the
ice” between the Friends, kids and
regular staff. We had the opportu
nity to become familiar with some
of the people with whom we would
work for the remainder of the sum
mer. The kids were changed entire
ly. Also the kids and I began to
understand each other better.
They told me of their problems,
how well they like the institution,
what they thought of themselves,
whom they didn’t like, how their
parents treated them, and when
they were going to run away.
My job at the institution was in
the area of recreation. I took the
kids on hikes, talked to them, play
ed hall with them, rode, on the
merry-go-rounds and swings with
them, danced with them and tried
to entertain them in any way in
which I could.
During the latter part of the
sumfmer, I spent another week
camping in Boring. I was a coun
selor for nine boys from my in
stitution. On the first day I had one
boy to sprain his ankle and I had
to carry him about camp for a
week. On the third day, I had one
deaf-epileptic to get lost and I
found him just as another em
ployee from the institution sug
gested that we call the state police.
On the last night, a half-blind pa
tient decided to run away, but we
nabbed him just in time.
The kids took advantage of me
at my first night of camp. They
appeared to be entirely helpless.
(Continued next issue)
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Wol
verine Observer received the fol
lowing article in the form of a
newsletter from the Chairman of
Public Relations and Publicity of
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.,
in Washington, D. C.)
DR. CLIFTON R. JONES
ALPHA PHI ALPHA
OBSERVES EDUCATION
WEEK AT BROWN
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity an
nounces the observance of Educa
tion Week, April 16-23rd, headed by
Dr. Clifton R. Jones, Baltimore,
Maryland, Director of Educational
Activities, and Dr. William H. Hale,
President, Langston, Oklahoma.
Dr. Jones says that local chapters
will feature special programs for
“Go to high school—Go to college”
with vocational guidance programs
and career conferences to better
advise students on choosing a col
lege career.
The number of Negro students
who fail to finish high school is
appalling and the proportion of
Negro high school graduates who
enter college is considerably below
the national average and an inter
est in higher education must be
stimulated.
Other problems to be features are
an insistence on improvement in
the quality of public school educa
tion and a special challenge on in
sistence on greater compliance to
the Supreme Court decision of 1954
and 1955 with respect to school in
tegration.
Alpha Phi Alpha will award over
$10,000.00 in Scholarships to high
school seniors, undergraduate,
graduate and professional college
students.
High school winners are based
on grades and an essay in their
own handwriting on the subject
“My Life’s Goal and Why I Need
Assistance.” Graduate and under
graduates are awarded on scholar
ship and need of the applicant.
Correspondence should be mailed
by May 11th to Dr. Clifton R.
Jones, Director of Education Ac
tivities, Alpha Phi Alpha Fratern-
nity, Morgan State College, Balti
more, Maryland.
Announcements of recipients will
be made by June 15, 1961.
Archonian News
, The Archonian Pledge Club of
Beta Chapter, Zeta Phi Beta So
rority is looking forward to another
semester which will include a num
ber of cultural and social events.
Among the members in the
Archonian Pledge Club are a
few of us who are looking forward
to “crossing the burning sands” in
April. We are also looking forward
to welcoming our new sisters into
the club.
The winners of the Watusi dance
contest at the most recent Sports
Dance were Earl Griggs and Jean
Peterson.
Reporter
Helen Berryhill
SOCIOLOGY CLUB
The Sociology Club, under the
leadership of Mr. William Stroud,
Jr., is in the process of making
the final plans for the spring ac
tivities. This was the major dis
cussion of the last meeting. The
club also went over the top with
it Founders’ Day effort, and this
made the club members want to
move out with further projects. The
Department reported $300.00 to
Founders’ Day.
We wish to thank all the mem
bers for their effort.
THE JUNIOR CLASS
The Junior Class for the school
year 1960-1961 has great things in
mind for this school term. We have
chosen as our officers:
President, Walter Kimbrough;
Vice-President, John Goodlet; Re
cording Secretary, Willie Mae
Keith; Corresponding Secretary,
Evelyn Lynch; Treasurer, Vera
Smith; Business Manager, Ralph
Mitchell; Reporter, Helen Berry-
hill; Chaplain, Eleanor Smith.
At the present our attention is
focused upon Founders’ Day, in
which we are anticipating one of
the greatest contributions in the
history of our class. Sometime in
the latter part of May we are look
ing forward to giving the prom
which promises to be one of the
best.
Note: To all Juniors who are not
aware of the fee which each Junior
is to pay, please check with the
president or secretary at once.
Reporter,
Helen Berryhill
First Annual Fort Lauderdale
Spring Jazz Festival To Be Spon
sored By New College Magazine
Now that Newport has apparent
ly seen its last Jazz Festival (The
City Council of Newport Rhode
Island having voted not to issue a
permit for a Festival this sum-
continued on page 4)