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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