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Page 2 THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT March, 1967 The Spelman Spotlight Published monthly by the students of Spelman College Janice Holloway, Guest Editor Anna B. Porter, Editor-in-Chief Andrea Williams, Associate Editor Henrietta Turnquest, Business Manager Melody McDowell, Yvette Savwoir, Feature Editors Cynthia Smith, Literary Editor Margaret Mills, Cartoonist Joyce Akridge, Berdie Ricks, Photographers Layout Staff: Yvonne Jackson, Marjorie Rich, Eileen Bass, Joyce Young Advertising Staff: Eileen Bass, Luella Nichols, Phyllis Johnson Poet-in-Residence: Joan Gaillard Contributors: Marilyn Hunt, Janice Holloway, Ruth Baety, Jane Smith, Cheryl Summers, Lillie K. Walker, Casey Taylor, Joyce Allen News Editor: Chris Singleton Dr. Richard Carroll, Faculty Advisor EDITORIAL POLICY The Spelman Spotlight is published monthly by students of Spelman College. We welcome articles and letters to the editor from our entire reading public. These letters and articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Spotlight Staff or the majority of Spelman students. We also welcome advertisements, but do not necessarily support the views of our advertisers. Monthly deadlines will be posted. If Not For Yourselves--- Then For Others With the change of the semester, Spelman College has seen some rather unique changes concerning rights and privileges of its students. Most of us will agree that the food in the dining hall has improved a great deal. The gym has been opened on Saturday for recreation, and the Dean has given permission for students to play cards in the snack shop at designated hours. To some, these changes may not seem too important. But to others of us who “knew Spelman when . . it is ob vious that slowly but surely we are making those transitions that our former sisters and we ourselves have so long been awaiting. It has been observed, however, that many of us will not be allowed to enjoy some of the new changes that Spelman sees now, for they might soon be taken away. I agree that all of us might not like to play cards at the time that has now been designated; nevertheless, will we get this time changed by breaking the rule now? The answer is NO! If we continue to play cards at all times of the day, everyone will suffer when rule is abolished. So now the question arises—what must we do? I suggest that those of you who wish to play cards or whatever all day long in the snack shop make tjiis request to the student government. I say this because it has been noticed that newer, faster, and better changes occur at Spelman when taken through the proper channels. And don’t think this is just true of Spelman, for it’s not. This is true of any place. Organization is the key. And your student organization wants only to please you. Meanwhile, let us try not to jeopardize those changes that we have now by taking advantage of them. And you’ll be surprised to see how great an influence this will have in the struggle for other privileges. Make a special effort this spring if, not for yourselves—then for others. Janice Holloway. Are We or Are We Not? A Spelman College faculty member, when asked whether a paper by one of his students could appear in the Spotlight, replied, “I don’t know whether your readers would understand it.” As a Spelman student 1 was deeply insulted by this remark. This should be a place where minds are stretched as close to their limits as possible and where teachers expect the very best from their students. A woman’s college should be more than a stopover between adolescence and marriage. But as long as faculty and students underrate the mentality of the student body, we are not “an institution of higher learning.” I hope that the instructor who professed the above opinion is not typical and that our faculty members regard their stu dents as capable and intelligent adults. This year, Spelman has two first prize winners in the Reader’s Digest writing contest and two Woodrow Wilson Scholars. The literary magazine, to be published in April, will show that there are many talented writers and artists on this campus. The Spelman student body refuses to be under rated. The fact that a faculty member would so insult us should make every student on this campus very angry. An Open Letter to John Ruffins Regarding Stokley Carmichael I would like this letter to reach you before you begin to believe the things you wrote in the Maroon Tiger. It is one matter to be misinformed, but quite another to announce and publicize it. An analysis of the riots shows that the riots that tore across this country are the result of socio-economic conditions planned by the white man. The white power structure does not wish to admit that the riots express a deep rooted problem, and commit themselves to solving it. They prefer to say that “outside agitators” like Stokley Carmichael or communists are starting trouble with our “good Negroes.” I have read enough to know that in early May, 1966, a leading magazine predicted the eruption of riots in cities like Watts, Baltimore, Harlem and Cleveland because of socio economic conditions. This was before Stokley Carmichael succeeded John Lewis as national leader of SNCC and before the Black Power movement began. Furthermore, how do you explain the fact that Stokley Carmichael was virtually un heard of during the riots of 1965 in Watts? So, it is these logical facts that came to mind when you insulted our intelli gence by stating that Stokley starts riots. Obviously you have never talked to anyone from a rioting community and under stood the pent-up frustrations of our brothers who wouldn’t recognize Stokley Carmichael if they saw him. Throughout the history of the black people in America we have never been a violent people. We are, by nature, if anything, submissive. When we were violent it was merely a release of tension. It was not organized or directed. This was shown by the number of Negroes who were hurt in rioting areas. It would take more than Stokley passing out Molotov cocktails in a rioting area to start an uprising among our people. That is to give too much credit to one man. Fur thermore, Stokley doesn’t want that “credit,” because he has said that if he were prone to start a riot, he would not have black people aimlessly killing their brothers. Obviously your mind has been confused by the white press you mentioned in your letter. You told Stokley to exhort students to get an education. Well, obviously you have never heard him speak. Stokley has emphasized the fact that college students are the hope of the black community. But perhaps you missed that part be cause he went on to warn us of the effect education can have on our attitudes toward our brothers in the ghetto and admon ished us to use this education for the advancement of our race. I would prefer a leader who was more dedicated to truths than to the number of hypocritical faces in the audience. I would prefer a leader who offers sincere leadership to my people than one who bites his tongue on “live” television and shuffles his feet, saying “yes, sir, Mr. Charlie,” so he can have an organization that gets thousands of dollars in contri butions from “white liberals.” I would prefer a leader who is willing to scrape up money for sandwiches in the airport to one who is concerned about the compliments and criticisms of “Uncle Tom” bourgeois Negroes. In my opinion it is commendable that we have a Negro leader who thinks about the white man. They have been think ing and scheming against us since they brought us here. So, I feel that it is good to think and read (anyone who has heard Stokley can tell you that he is well-read) and sociologically evaluate the situation in an effort to help our people. You advised Stokley to get a slogan and program that won’t frighten the white man. In other words, “Uncle Tom” until we can get equality. It is more important that Negroes have a leader to speak to their needs and relate to them. There is a wise saying, “Read more, think much, and speak less.” Perhaps this might apply here. As a start, I suggest that you read “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” What We Want by Stokley Carmichael, Black Bourgeoisie by E. Frank lin Frazier, Why We Can’t Wait by M. L. King, Jr., The Negro in the Making of America by Benjamin Quarles, and Floyd McKissick’s article on Black Power in Elegant Magazine. Then, after you have read much, begin to think. Finally, after these two steps it will be a simple matter to speak less. It is my opinion, and I hope that of my classmates, that if Negroes would spend the time they spend criticizing their leaders, trying to encourage them, we would not be as far behind as we are. Yours in Black Power, Janice Hale Class of ’70 Letter to The Editor Dear Editor: What do we Black students have to offer the community? This was the question asked by Dr. Vincent Harding as he in troduced the Social Science Club’s discussion on the cre ative uses of Spelman Black power. Leading the discussion were Mrs. Brisbane, social worker and instructor at At lanta University, and Ruth Mason, junior at Spelman. There were two distinct po sitions taken. Mrs. Brisbane expressed the need for us to volunteer our services to social agencies, such as the Bethle hem Center, VISTA, and Girls’ Club. Ruth and students in the audience were essential ly in agreement with Mrs. Brisbane. Dr. Manley, also in the audience, held the dissent ing opinion. Spelman students could ren der very significant services to the community. As a SNCC worker in the audience put it, “The Black man’s battleground is America. Therefore, we should be soldiers of the Black man’s war.” Certainly, though, Dr. Manley was correct when he said that no college is a social agency. Nevertheless, the college, as I see it, must function in the community to retain a sense of reality. That fence around Spelman should not serve as a “chastity belt.” Spelman students have a very cloudy awareness of the real world, especially the Black world outside of the A. U. Center. For too many Spel- manites knowledge ends with the closing chapter of a text book; interests end with ac ceptance by a particular per son or clique. We have no social consciousness and, fur thermore, the atmosphere here discourages concern. Indeed, the college would be chaotic if it forfeited its aca demic duties to become a so cial agency. The academic role of the college, however, goes beyond the college walls. If we allow the institution of higher learning to become pedantic, the students of such an institu tion, in effect, are secluding themselves from the real world and cannot participate in or contribute to the real world. —Yvette Savwoir Watch Out For Spelman College Literary Magazine