Newspaper Page Text
DECEMBER 12, 1968
WOLVERINE OBSERVER
PAGE 7
NIGGER BIBLE
STUDENTS EMERGE VICTORIOUS
Leslie Gerber
White people, until recent
years, could easily be classified
by the shapes of their mouths. If
the corners of their mouths
always stayed up close to their
temples, if their teeth were bright
piano keys for their upper lip,
they were decent and liberal. On
the other hand, if one end of
their top lip hung from a nostril
while the other end held down a
rolled cigarette, they were out
and out bigots. These sharp
differneces grew up because
liberal mouths habitually said
“knee-grow” whereas bigot
mouths said “nigger.”
Now all this is changing. No
sooner have white liberals begun
referring to black people as
“black people” than there comes
along a radical Negro telling them
to call their darker brethren
“niggers.” What is to be done?
One cannot now be a truly
avant-garde liberal without using
the term “nigger” which makes
one instantly into a retrograde
bigot. Such a state of confusion
may be attributed to a deliberate
stra tegy--only slightly
facetious-formulated by one
Robert deCoy, a nigger by trade.
The Nigger Bible attempts,
among other things, to infuse
positive connotation into the
heretofore abhorrent term
“nigger.” The technique is
Pavlovian: the word is presented
in a laudatory context so often
(304 pp) that the reader’s
responses are sharply altered. A
concept underlies this effort. De
Coy remembers that the term
“Negro” was foisted on the black
races of Africa by whites and
that, historically, it has developed
normative significance through
being constantly opposed to
“nigger.” Thus, when one is a
“Negro” he has a type of status,
even dignity. Says who? Says the
American white man, who, oddly
enough, defies dignity as
becoming white. But since, for
deCoy, the entire white world is
irreparably corrupt, dignity must
he elsewhere.
DeCoy’s racial heritage
determined that he should have
kinky hair, broad facial features,
and black skin; this is his “natural
State of Being.” But this is also
the prerequisite for being
considered a nigger. Thus,
“nigger” preeminently refers to
basics, to reality. To describe
one’s self as a “nigger” is an act
of honesty and realism, whereas
“to be consciously ‘Negro’ is to
be nothing but a ‘State of Mind,’
constantly in turmoil and conflict
with your natural ‘State of
Being,’ Blackness.” Elence, the
first stage to racial maturity is the
adoption of the right name; the
second step is to see what this
name really means.
The true nature of the races is
ostensibly revealed as deCoy
refabricates biblical myth. The
genesis of mankind is
accomplished through the sexual
union of God, who is black, and
Nature, who is white. During this
struggle--which is vividly
portrayed-the valleys and
mountains are formed. Then
Nature gives birth to men, whose
colors range all in between the
extremes of white and black. Sel
in the garden of Paradise, these
god-children remain at peace
until they begin to notice
~ physical differences. Using these
differences as a basis for
exclusion, they provoke the rage
of God and are driven from
Paradise.
To this account of original sin,
deCoy adds another, albeit not
with great consistency. Here
Adam appears as the head of a
pure white male race. His
whitness signals his neutrality; he
bears no positive value.
Accordingly, he is narcissistic and
is continually caught up in rites
of auto-eroticism. Soon he
convinces the other races (the
“hue-mans”) that their
heterosexuality is evil and filthy ;
thus Adam jeopardizes the
survival of the created world. Eve
attempts to correct Adams ways,
but he does not “fall.” Instead,
he placates her passion through
sodomy. Because the other men
do not force Adam’s fall, they are
guilty with him and the peoples
are scattered, carrying still the
tendencies which Adam had
taught them.
These two mythical treatments
provide “nigger” with a basic
identity value. Black signifies
healthy sexual activity, white
signifies perversion. “Nigger”
equals virility, “Negro” equals
effeteness and sodomy. The black
man’s nature dictates an ethic of
communion, life-giving, virile
participation in nature. He is
disciplined in his abstention from
unnatural acts, and he develops
an instinctive inner respect for
the wonder of his own being-for
his “God-self.”
Through historical survey,
parables, and amateur sociology,
deCoy expands this basic view.
The upshot is a call for the
formation of black municipalities
within the present structure of
American politics. This modified
separatism derives strength both
from a doctrine of mutual respect
for cultural differences and a
willingness to co-exist peacefully.
Evaluating deCoy’s book is not
difficult. He himself calls it “a
beginning point” commencing a
series of “biblical” works, and as
such it is incredibly rough. The
writing varies from noteworthy
(especially in his descriptions of
the Mardi Gras) to flatly
sophomoric. As pornography,
which it is in many places, the
work is definitely second-rate.
But more importantly, deCoy
is engaged in willful
self-deception. As “Negro” (from
the Latin nigrum, meaning black)
was applied by the white man, so
was the term “nigger,” and no
one, most especially black
people, wishes to rescue this
epithet: the stretegy, like the
etymology, is bad. Further, to
base black identity m sexual
vitality excludes the old,
deformed, impotent, “average”
black people from the alliance.
But are they not possessed of
beauty and wisdom? Beyond this,
we are all too familiar with
vitalistic racial theories. They
sent pure and virile and blond
Aryan troops a-killing black
soldiers.
MORRIS BROWN RESPONDS
About 300 co-eds left their
dorms in protest of what they
termed, “antiquated, ancient and
archaic rules” on Mon. (Nov. 1 1).
They were soon joined in the
Student Union Building by
hundreds of males and other
students from the city.
Leaders of the protest
discussed with the student body
four demands that had to be met
immediately and the technique
they would employ to get swift
action.
At about 10:30 p.m. Dr. John
Middleton, president of the
college, arrived on the scene. The
demands were presented to him.
He asked for a few days to act on
the demands and was promptly
met with boos and catcalls from
many of the students.
President Middleton
attempted to reason with the
crowd but they were in no mood
for what he had to say.
After the administration could
not come to an agreement with
the student body the meeting was
adjourned. The students vowed
they would not leave the building
or attend any classes until their
demands were met.
In preparation for a sleep-in
many of the students returned to
their dormitories to get pillows
and taxe out blankets. Others
brought back books by the
truck-loads and many injected a
carnival atmosphere by returning
with record players, radios and
cards. By 12:00 all had returned
for what was to be, a very long
night.
Shortly before 3:00 a.m. the
students were awakened and
given orders to assemble in
Cunningham Auditorium for a
meeting. Edward Downs and
Lloyd Swain, president and. vice
president of Student Government
respectively warned the students
that the continuation of the
protest could lead to Federal
funds being cut off from the
school and from individual
students who were on grants and
aids. This built up fear in many
of the students and by 6:30 a.m.
most of them had left the
building for breakfast.
Dr. Middleton conferred with
the Student Government for
several hours the next day. He
then made a formal
announcement at 7:00 p.m. that
all the student demands had been
accepted. These included
abolishing curfews for women
dropping Compulsory Class
Attendance and Compulsory
Chapel and ending restrictions on
Dress.
DANCE CLASS
A new dance class that will
offer instructions in Elementary
ballet, Modern Jazz, African
Rhythm, and Tap is currently
being organized.
Classes will begin in January
with instructions by Mrs. Norma
Bell, presently a Biology
instructor.
The new class is an outgrowth
of the Dance Group organized by
Mrs. Inez Payne last year.
The class will be open to both
men and women students.
Students are urged to sign up for
this class today!
VT\
COMVU UOfOf UStOi
National Education Week
Observed Here
By Nathaniel Sheppard
Continued from 2
If Morris Brown, or the other
Colleges in the A.U. Center does
not take a lead in spreading our
culture and in preparing black
students to deal with life in this
multiracial society, then who will
assume this responsibility? We
can no longer afford to complain
about intellectual castration of
black culture in this country, we
must take the initiative in
instituting change!
If this university system of
Atlanta wishes to produce true
intellectuals, it cannot continue
“We must not allow ourselves
to be caught in the crossfire of an
inferior education,” I.S. Mitchell,
vice pres. Georgia Power
Company, told students during
American Education Week
Program here.
Mitchell admonished students
to join in and get the kind of
education that will enable them
to keep up with the changing
patterns of society. He
emphasized the necessity of
staying in touch with new trends
in education.
Dr. Lawrence E. Boyd,
chairman of the Education
department at Morris Brown, also
a featured speaker, told the
audience that “it is time for
American to re-dedicate
themselves to the American
dream of universal, free,
compulsory education for
everybody.” He went on to add
that Americans should also
rededicate themselves to the task
of desegregating the educational
enterprise and guaranteening the
equalization of educational
opportunity for all children and
youth regardless of ability, race,
religion, and social economic
status.
Dr. Boyd listed four major
areas of educational inequalities
that continue to vex us.
There’s still inequality
between urban and rural schools.
. There is still inequality
between southern and northern
schools
. There is still the inequality
between rich-district and
poor-district schools.
There is still the inequality
between Negro and White schools
We have failed to rootout these
four inequalities in education
more because of the exigencies
and incessitudes of fate,
conflicting ideologies, and lack of
educational statesmanship than
because of any meanness and
inherent hostility and design of
the American people.
to make the same mistakes that
white oriented institutions have
made. According to the report of
the Summer Task Force, “We the
student and faculty of the
Atlanta University Center, must
reflect the experiences of Black .
Americans along with that of
C’aucasians, Orientals, and others.
This is Atlanta University’s
chance to become a truly liberal
arts-oriented system. This is one
chance we cannot afford to
default.”
I.S. MITCHELL, III, vice president of Georgia Power Company, was
key speaker during American Education Week observance at Morris
Brown.