Newspaper Page Text
VOL. XXV, NO. 2
SPELMAN COLLEGE, ATLANTA, GEORGIA
October 17, 1963
State Department Official First
Town Meeting Speaker
The distinguished G. Mennen
Williams, former governor of
Michigan and now Assistant Sec
retary of State for African Af
fairs, was a guest in the Atlanta
University Center this past week.
Secretary Williams’ lecture was
the first of a series of lectures
to be given in connection with
the Non-Western Studies (Pro
gram, which is under the direc
tion of Dr. Arthur Banks of
Morehouse College. The area un
der study this year is Africa.
According to Mr. Williams, be
fore the emergence of the inde
pendent nations of Africa, few
American Negroes neither knew
anything about the continent nor
were they very much interested
in it. Now, we are concerned. We
want to be identified with Africa
and want to be known as Afro-
Americans.
The tremendous progress of
Africa, seen in the fact that
twenty-nine countries gained
their independence in twelve
years, has been unequalled in
history. But the significance has
sometimes been lost in the tur
bulence which accompanies in
dependence in some countries.
Although the Africans are
proud of their success, they real
ize that the big job is still
ahead. The economic level of the
continent must be raised. The av
erage per capita income is $130.00
a year in some parts. The aver
age literacy rate is fiften per
cent. The basic economy is still
agriculture and is only four per
cent as productive as is agriculture
in North America.
But through assistance from
the free world and through the
hard work of its natives, Africa
is making progress. The Gross
National Product has increased
all over the continent. Most re
markable is Ghana with a forty-
nine percent increase. The number
of children in elementary schools
has tripled in some countries.
In most African countries, the
political structure resembles that
of the nation which colonized it.
African socialism where it ex
ists is distinct, in that private
enterprise still counts for the
largest part of the economy.
Africa has withstood commun
ism. Though there have been
many invitations for students to
study in communist countries,
and offers to extend credit, there
are few legal communist parties,
and the communist influence is
only strong in South Africa. The
African is determined to maintain
his independence. After breaking
away from one form of colonial
ism he does not intend to suc
cumb to another.
The ideas for a united Africa
vary greatly from country to
country. Some national leaders
envision a United States of Af
rica, while others hope for an
association of all African coun
tries. But whether separately or
united, the nations of Africa will
play a vital part in future world
politics. We ignore them at our
peril.
Fortunately, the African na
tions share our love for freedom
and feel good-will toward us.
The United States can, therefore,
use its power in associating free
ly with these new nations, rec
ognizing their status and joining
with them in an attempt to
spread the idea of freedom all
over the world.
FRESHMEN TALENT WINNERS, pictured from left to right: Eleanor
Hanks, Andrea Frye, Adrienne Lanier, Karen Davenport, Cheryl
Pride, Valerie Greene, Carol Boddie, Gail King.
College Sex Life Discussed:
Mrs. Moreland First Speaker
The first discussion session on
the problems of love, sex, and
marriage was held on Monday
evening, October 1, at 7:00 p. m.
The discussion series is being
conducted on an experimental
basis here this year. Cooperation
of students and active participa
tion is needed to make the ses
sions successful. The program is
under the direction of Mrs. Sa
die Allen, in collaboration with
Dean Olivers, Mrs. Rena Craig,
Josephine Dunbar, Joyce White
and Patricia Johnson. The next
session will be held October 14th.
The inductory session was con
ducted by Mrs. Lois Moreland.
Her presentation consisted of
ideas from various sources about
“Sex on the Campus”. Statistics
were given concerning the rate
of female students who drop out
of college because of marriage
at the age of .twenty or younger.
The general causes and effects of
Odetta In Concert At Morehouse
For almost 2000 Atlantans, a
cold March day last year was
warmed by the intense beauty and
feeling of a great folk singer’s
talents. The fabulous Odetta per
formed at the Morehouse College
Gymnasium and held an almost
packed house enthralled for over
two hours.
On Saturday evening, October
19, Sid Davis, who introduced this
outstanding artist to the city, will
again present Odetta in concert at
the Morehouse College Gym. Her
program will range from work
songs and sea chants to Negro
spirituals and blues.
The rapidly shifting tides of
American taste and the evergrow
ing boom in folk music has failed
to dim the spectacular talents of
Odetta. On the contrary, she has
gained in stature and is respected
as one of the all-time greats in
folk music.
The rave notices in the Atlanta
daily newspapers and the Atlanta
weeklies were literally overflow
ing with praise for her perfor
mance here. They ran the gamut,
from words like, “. . . it was a
great day for music lovers and
soul felt singing . . . Odetta has
found a new home in Atlanta,”
to “There are many folk singers
today, but only one Odetta . . .
the audience plainly wanted
more.”
the existing “mania” to get mar
ried were given in relation to our
society. One reason given by
many sociologists for this recent
craze is that women seek to
make up for loss of love in their
homes by engaging in premari
tal sexual relationships. This
produces consequently insecurity
in the marriages which leads to
an enormous number of divorces.
The most exhilarating part of
the session was the period of
discussion that followed the main
presentation. Students were en
couraged to express their ideas
without fear of repercussions or
regard for what others might
conclude of their personal habits
from their opinions. Although the
problems of sex, love and marri
age were not resolved by the
discussion, we received an inter
esting cross-section of thoughts.
Representatives of the African
society were present and gave us
an idea of the manner in which
they deal with pre-marital sex.
One conclusion was drawn
from the observation of the prob
lems of love, sex and marriage
in the American and African so
cieties. It appears that the chief
aim in our society is to make an
impression on our neighbors;
however, as one of the African
students stated, one of the best
rules of government in love, sex,
and marriage, is to respect one-
sqlf rather than society — be
true to yourself.
At the present time these ses
sions on marriage are limited
only to the Spelman community,
in order to obtain a more re
laxed atmosphere. I, personally,
encourage more Spelmanites to
attend .these discussions. I assure
you that you will find them ben
eficial and enlightening.
Phoebe Bailey
svcc n«»
Selma
Selma, Alabama, located on the
bluffs of the Alabama River, has
been the setting for recent local
tyranny in the form of police
brutality, beatings, and arrests of
its Negro citizens. Unrest began
with the arrival of SNCC and
its project in the winter of last
year. The first demand made was
for the right to vote. In Dallas
County, only '0.9 percent of the
eligible Negroes are registered to
vote, even though they comprise
57.7 percent^of the population.
Counteracting SNCC is the
White Citizen’s Council, presided
over by the president of one of the
largest manufacturing companies
in Selma. Most of its members are
a part of a special posse whose
main objective is to hinder pro
gress of the civil rights move
ment in Selma. United States
Armed Forces Defense Bases
have supported the status quo in
Selma by patronizing segregated
facilities in this segregated com
munity. Government contracted
companies, like the Clover Leaf
Cream, supply dairy products to
Craig Air Force Base.
Mass arrests have been made
in the last month alone for pick
eting, schools, stores, and the
courthouse. On September 25,
John Lewis, Chairman of SNCC,
and 26 other students from the
all-Negro Selma University were
arrested as they picketed the
county courthouse in demanding
“One Man - One Vote”.
THE FABULOUS ODETTA
Tickets for this outstanding
event are now on sale in the Dean
of Women’s Office. Prices range
from $3.75 for center section re
served seats to unreserved bleach
er seats at $3.25 and $2.25.
Morehouse
Movie Schedule
FIRST SEMESTER
10/17 Somebody Up There
Dikes Me
10/24 Peyton Place
10/31 Return to Peyton Place
11/ 7 300 Spartans
11/14 Desire Under the Elms
12/12 Sweet Bird of Youth
1/9/64 World of Suzie Wong
1/30 Mr. Hobbs Takes A
Vacation
2/13 Adventures of a Young
Man
2/20 Man Who Shot Liberty
Valance
Amencus
Negroes make up over 50 per
cent of the population of Amer-
icus, Georgia, located deep in
the Black Belt, in Sumter Coun
ty. Like Selma, Americus has
been the site of recent racial
tension. On August 8, SNCC
workers Don Harris, Ralph Al
len, and John Perdew, were
charged with “inciting to insur
rection”, a capital felony which
carries the death penalty (Geor
gia Code 26-902). The judge re
fused to set bonds for the SNCC
workers, although subsequently
eight peace bonds, totalling $12,000
were lodged against the three.
The Federal government does,
however, have the power to inter
vene in such a case as was shown
by Dr. Howard Zinn, former his
tory professor at Spelman College,
in a special letter to the New York
Times dated September 19. As
John Lewis, SNCC Chairman
stated:
If these three young men must
remain in jail for two-four years,
until the case reaches the Su
preme Court, it will rest on the
conscience of every American
who failed to urge immediate
federal prosecution of Suifter
County officials.
Wanda Waples