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SPELMAN SPOTUGHT-February,1972-Page 2
Homefront Needs
Constructive Protest
SSGA Establishes
Communication Links
by Sylvia Baker
Prostesting Attica
is great, protesting the
plight of Angela Davis is
great and protesting the
War in Vietnam is great,
but what about protesting
for necessary changes here
at Spelman and the Center.
On Spelman’s campus
and really in the A. U.
Center, we are faced with
the problem of inadequate
library materials. Be
cause of who we are, black
people and because of what
we’re about, black libera
tion through education, we
should not have to “Bus-
it” over to whitey; Car
negie Library, Georgia
State University Library
Georgia Tech University
Library or Emory Univer
sity Library for materials
that we should have in our
own libraries.
It is frustrating to be
given an assignment that
you can’t complete here
in the Center because the
Center lacks the needed
materials. But, it is not
the Center’s fault. Mean
ing it is not the fault of the
teachers that the books are
not in the Center. It is
my fault and your fault;
Yes, it is our fault be
cause we’re the ones for
whom the Center was built,
we’re the ones who use
the libraries. Now, we
should be the ones to go
about making the Center
libraries meet our needs.
One of the problems I
find is the lack of multi
ple copies of basic depar
tmental books. Another
problem closely related to
this is the lack of early
dated journals and pamph
lets. Sure, our libraries
carry most of the pamph
lets and journals, but they
don't carry the ones we
need the most, those with
earlier publications dates
than 1940.
With the advent of Black
Studies there is a greater
need for the use of books by
and about black people. It's
a shame that the largest
“Black Collection” locat
ed Trevor Arnett Library
is only opened from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Mondays through
Fridays and not at all on
weekends! If you’re like
me and a lot of students,
between 9 a„m„ and 5 p.m.
weekdays., you're either in
class or working. So, when
do we get the opportunity
to use the much needed
“Black Collection” at
Trevor!
I was .shocked, one day,
after walking over to I.T.C.
Library to check out some
books on black religion to
discover that I. T. C. has
closed circulation among
A. U. Center students!.
These are obstacles that
we as students in an edu
cational institution should
not have. It is problems of
this nature that we must
address oursleves to.
We protested and de
manded social reform. We
got it!
We prostested and de
manded certain curricula
changes. We got it!
Why can't we protest and
demand adequate library
facilities? The blame does
not lie with our teachers
nor with our libraries, but
with ourselves. So, let us
do something about it!
Spelman sisters, if your
ready to see necessary
changes in our libraries
drop a line to the Spotlight
Box 207, and let us know
that you’re concerned.
ATTICA! George Jack-
son! Joetha Collier!Andre’
Moore! Angela Davis! Me-
dgar Evers! Martin Luther
King! Malcolm X!
Must I go on? Each black
person in the United States
today could add more
names to this list. Reports
are rapidly leaking out con
cerning the extensive bru
tality inflicted on black
prisoners. A recent natio
nal survey stated that 1/3
of the total black male
population is in prison: the
new plantation. Too many
blacks are being killed in
either Vietnam or the
streets. But why do these
things happen to black peo
ple ? I say blacks are treat
ed this way basically be
cause America is sick, and
because the black man has
no government! If an in
justice has been done to
a black man, he seeks his
justice from the same man
who inflicted the crime.
In the history of the Unit
ed States, a white man has
never been executed for
the murder of a black man.
What government today is
committed to protecting the
Africans of the world?
There is none. There was
a period when the Chinese-
Americans were subject to
much ridicule and laughter,
but since the growth and de
velopment of Red China the
Chinese have somehow
ceased to be funny.
There have been very
fruitful efforts made by
various black leaders to
negotiate with XJricansmn-
cerning the plight of their
exiled brothers and sis
ters. Our bodies may ne
ver reach African soil, but
our dollars can. A United
African Appeal (UAA) could
be the most important or
ganization we could create.
We’ve found, since the
beginning of the year, that
a number of students are
concerned about relating to
the surrounding communi
ty; the world that is wait
ing for us once we leave
the protective walls of the
college. This concern is
expressed through volun
teer work with children in
tutorial programs and
drugs; making courses re
levant to our needs in deal
ing with the community,
e. g., internship - with
institutions of government,
social services, and bu-
We must condemn white
racist propaganda that says
Africans do not want to
identify with us. Our Afri
can brothers, have repea
tedly proven this to be a
lie. We have been a race for
too long without a govern
ment. We must go to the aid
of Mother Africa so she
can protect her children.
It may take a century, but
maybe our children will be
able to sing the words of
our black national anthem
with new meaning. . .
“. . . . Shadowed beneath
thy hand,
May we forever stand
True to our God,
itiue to our
Native Land.”
Last year I participat
ed in the annual anti-
Vietnam Moratorium here
in. Atlanta. The march or-
originatedfrom the West
Hunter Street Baptist
Church (which seemingly
has automatic implications
for the Black community).
It was labeled a success
by the mass media. Al
though only a handful of the
approximated 6000 mar
chers were Black, that
omniscient force called the
mass media lead the public
to believe that the Black
community was well repre
sented in the march. This
was quite misleading.
While standing in front
of the church, watching the
whitp^prowds amass, I was
accusted by a brother who,
though he was obviously
concerned about my inten-
sinesses; instituting new
majors that will aid in our
success in competing
meaningfully in the above
institutions.
I went to Detroit on the
weekend of October 29th,
to attend the first Great
Lakes Regional Con
ference, sponsored by the
Detroit - Spelamn Alumnae
Club. Chapters from Wash
ington, D.. C„, Cleveland,
Ohio, Chicago, as well as
Detroit were present. It
was very well expressed
that as Black people, it is
about time we began to ad
dress ourselves to the fact
that there is a well-known
phenomenon called the
Brain Drain effecting our
faculty as well as students,
and that this phenomenon
was undermining the poten
tial strength of Black col
leges and universities,
Spelman included. Who is
to say that federal grants
and foundation support
were to last and last? Fin
ancial support from alum
nae as well as other sour
ces will aid in facilitating
the implementation of pro
grams to expand present
courses in faculty and oth
ers necessary tools to meet
our needs; furthermore, to
institute new majors that
we feel and know that we
need to: c o m p e t e in the
world outside; when a
student comes to Spelman
College, she will know she
will be READY when she
leaves, and not wait until
junior and senior year to
begin to decide what she
may want to do. The
S. S. G. A. will begin to
set up communication links
with the chapters to keep
them informed of what’s
going on on campus,ana tnat
we know where they ( the
alumnae) are coming from
on various issues and
ideas. We have some good,
strong support from our
tions, questioned my parti
cipation in such a march.
Quite naturally, political
sentiments being as they
are with many of us young
folks, I was offended that
he, with his “thou artgreat-
er than thee” attitude,
should question my doing
what I felt was necessary.
However, with the advent
of political maturity I have
also come to question in
volvements such as the
aforementioned.
Perhaps if the brother
had approached me from
a different frame of re
ference, that is to say if
he had asked me why I
was participating in that
particular march rather
than why I thought the Viet
nam crisis was a valid
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT
HARRIETT L. GEDDES
Editor
PAULA HICKS
Associate Editor
CORDELIA TAYLOR
Business Manager
HARRIETT MILLER
Exchange Editor ■
DENISE SMITH
Literary Editor
SYLVIA MCGRIFF
Layout & Design Editor*
DR. RICHARD CARROLL
Advisor
MEMBERS OF THE STAFF;
Janice White, Alice Deck, Alma Wyden, Shirlene
Evans, Sheilah Webb, Carolyn Woods, Shelia Venson,
Jacqueline Gambrell, Amelia Hamilton, Gail Allen,
Freddie Abney, Janice Williams, Angela Byrd, Sheryl
Harris, Avis Topps, Deborah Raoinson, Sheila Shaw,
Cynthia Patterson, Ginger Johnson, Mama Gaston, Lee
Robinson, Teresa Styles, Shirley Hopkins, Linda Quil-
lian, Cartoons by Gwen Furgerson.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The Spelman Spotlight is published monthly by stu
dent of Spelman College. Signed letters and columns
do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Spotlight
staff. Unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the
majority,of,the editorial staff.
The Spotlight welcomes letters expressing views and
opinions- on any subject. Letters and articles must be
typed an$! double spaced and must be signed by the
author (names can be withheld from publication upon
consent of the editor). Once articles and letters are
received they become Spotlight property.
“I care but little what white men think of what
I say, write or do: my sole desire is to so bene
fit the colored people; this being done, I am
satisfied—the opinion of every white person
in the country or the world, to the contrary
notwithstanding.
—Letter from Martin B. Delaney
to frederick Douglass, July 10,
1852.
Blacks Continue struggle
by Mama Gaston
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Student Attends Moratorium
By Sylvia McGtiff