Newspaper Page Text
April 20, 1982
El Salvadore
Continued from page 4
campaign coordinated by
Havana and Moscow to support
the Marxist guerillas in El
Salvador.” Numerous follow up
stories quoted Administration
spokespeople on plans for op
posing the supposed growth of
guerilla power. It was not sur
prising, then, that when the State
Department finally came forth
with its white paper, putting the
evidence for its claims on dis
play, an almost hypnotised press
responded on cue. The
Washington Post (Feb. 24) led the
chorus: “The report and docu
ment made public by the State
Department yesterday nail down
the foreign Communist role,
especially Cuba’s, in arming,
training, and directing the in
surgency in El Salvador.” The
editorial simply parroted the
conclusions of the White Paper;
not until 101 days later did The
Post publish an analysis of the
report and the accompanying
documents.When the white
paper was put under close
scrutiny, many distortions,
omissions, internal contradic
tions, and faulty interferences
were discovered. These faults
which were used to mislead
journalists have now been con
firmed and even strengthened in
the mainstream, established
press. A closer look at the
sources from which thg paper
was derived finds little or no
evidence which would support
the allegation of massive Cuban
or Soviet supply of arms. The
White Paper, however, has been
used to justify President
Reagan’s plans regarding El
Salvador which are; to increase
financial support of Salvadorean
Government to 235 million in
1982 and 300 million in 1983.
Myths pervade American un
derstanding of the war in El
Salvador. Liberal and conser
vative observers alike in the U.S.
employ widely believed fictions
and half - truths to explain'
Salvadorean events. But if the
United States is ever going to
handle effectively the crisis in El
Salvador, it must first see through
five popular misconceptions: 1)
Land reform has failed, 2) the
traditional oligarchies remain
major factors in Salvadorean
society, 3) Civilians in the current
government exercise real
power, 4) the left- wing in
surgents resemble the San-
dinistas in Nicaragua, and 5) the
Salvadorean armed forces are
open to genuine reform. Instead
of blindly believing these myths,
the United States should accept
the facts, which make a satisfac
tory military victory by either
side impossible. In particular, the
United States should recognize
that for the first time the
Salvadorean left may now be
genuinely willing to enter a
negotiating process in which it
will make significant con
cessions. In expecting a triumph
against international com
munism, the Reagan Administra
tion will miss an opportunity for
a political solution that could
save tens of thousands of
Salvadorean lives, establish a
democratic political process, and
guarantee U.S. interests.
Today, profiting from an ine
quitable land tenure system that
is undergirded by laws, courts
and security forces biased in
their favor, the upper two per
cent of the population owns sixty
percent of the land. An im
poverished ninety one percent
of the people are left with only
twenty two percent. Since El
Salvador is an agrarian country
with one of the highest popula
tion densities in the world ( a
population of almost 5 million in
an area approximately thesizeof
Massachusetts), such
maldistribution of land results in
a condition of virtual slavery for
large numbers of landless
peasants and for those whose
tiny plots cannot support their
families. According to the 1979
report of the Inter American
Human Rights Commission of
the Organization of American
States (OAS), one of the primary
causes of crisis and polarization
in that country “is the tremen
dous concentration of land
ownership and of economic... as
well as political power, in the
hands of the few, with the
consequent desperation and
misery of the rural workers
whomake up the large majority
Kiron Gives Grad
School Tips To Spelmanites
By Carla Johnson
The judicial and medical fields
On March 30, 1982, Spelman
alumna, Kiron K. Skinner,
currently a Ph.D. candidate at
Harvard University spoke on
“Career Opportunities for Black
Women with Ph.D.’s.”
Ms. Skinner began her talk by
relating her personal ex
periences as first year student at
Harvard’s Graduate School. Her
advice to all students is to be
motivated. Ms. Skinner stated
that Spelman College provided
her with a secure, protected
environment. Graduate school
on the contrary, assumes that its
students are mature, motivated,
and ambitious. The secure en
vironment is replaced by one of
total independence. Teachers
give assignments and assume
that the students are doing their
work until they (students) prove
otherwise. Ms. Skinner stated
that last semester for one class
she read approximately 6,000
pages. The academic skills of
reading, writing and quantitative
analysis play integral parts in the
lives of graduate students
everywhere. Ms. Skinner said
that all students who are serious
considering attending graduate
school should take “tough
challenging courses during their
undergraduate years in order to
prepare themselves for the
graduate school course load.”
Ms. Skinenr recommended
statistic, advanced statistics,
calculus, English and a foreign
language. The foreign language
courses must exceed the 200
level required courses because
graduate students are expected
to be fluent in a foreign
language. This rigorousschedule
looks overwhelming and so do
the demands of a graduate
school education. However, Ms.
Skinner strongly encouraged
students to be strong and
persevere.
Ms. Skinner quoted
astonishingly low statistics on
Blacks obtaining Ph.D. degrees.
have become increasingly attrac
tive to Black students. Financial
stability and a surer road to
success are provided by both of
these areas. However, using
creativity can help you use your
Ph.D. to your advantage. Some
people have combined their
Ph.D. with a business program
and became loan analysts, credit
analysts and foreign securities
analysts, to name a few.
She closed her talk by
reiterating the fact that Ph.D.
programs prepare students to
become scholars which is
something our race needs. We
need more Black scholars to
analyze and write about our role
in this society. Those who were
unable to hear Ms. Skinner’s
speech missed a prime oppor
tunity to talk with a recent
Spelman graduate about
graduate school and the Ph.D.
program at Harvard University.
Rescue
Haitian
Motorcade To The
The American - African Relief
Foundation, Inc. (AARF) of
Atlanta is sponsoring a motor
cade to Miami, Florida in
response to the grave needs of
the Haitian refugees subsisting in
the area. The motorcade will
leave the Atlanta stadium park
ing lot on May 7 at six o’clock
p.m.They will bedrivingvansfull
of food, clothing, and non -
prescription drugs to Miami.
Mr. Jesse Williams, President
of AARF stated, “While the status
of other refugees has received a
great deal of publicity, the plight
of the Haitians has been largely
overlooked. The scope of this
relief mission promises to keep
Atlanta in the forefront as a city
which is concerned about the
plight of people caught between
the problems of hunger and
neglect here, and political
repression at home.”
By Veronica Peggy Green
Dr. J. S. Liburd, Director of the
International Affairs Department
at AARF, spoke about the Crime
Detention Center, where the
refugees are being held, which is
a facility that was originally
intended to house 500 people. At
present, there are over 1,200
Haitians being housed in this
center. “Unless concerned in
dividuals get involved and
donate food, clothing, and
money, the Haitian plight will
remain the same,” commented
Dr. Liburd.
AARF was established in 1977
as an emergency relief founda
tion to assist refugees in Africa,
explained Dr. Liburd. It is not a
political or profit - based
organization, but rather a
humanitarian one that provides
several areas of service. An
emergency pick - up service is
provided for those who find
themselves without funds to pay
rent and moving charges.
Collection and distribution of
African relief supplies is also an
avenue of AARF’s service.
Spelman students will be given
further information about
donations in their dormitories.
The AARF asks that Spelman
donate as much food, clothing
and money as possible.” The
Haitians need our help. If we do
not aid our own people, who
else will? asks Dr. Liburd.
For more information, please
call the American - African Relief
Foundation at 681-0490. The
motorcade will be leaving Atlan
ta on May 7. Arrangements for
donation pick - ups can be made.
The office is open from 9 a.m. to
5 o'clock p.m., and is located at
the Georgia - Hill Neighborhood
Facility, 250 Georgia Avenue, S.E.
of the Salvadorean population.”
Furthermore, the tendency of
the large plantation owners to
produce export crops such as
cotton, coffee, and sugar rather
than food crops for domestic
consumption has created a situa
tion of epidemic malnutrition
affecting all of tEfe nations poor.
In spite of their political
powerlessness, in spite of
prohibitionsagainst unions and
the frequent and brutal repres
sion, peasants continue to
organize, often under the
church, in orderto demand land,
decent wages, and humane
working conditions.
The growing pressures for
change and the vitality of labor
Continued on page 10
W
Just tell us ,
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Your ArtCarved representative will be on campus soon to show you the
latest in class ring designs. With dozens of styles to choose from, you'll be proud to select
your one-of-a-kind design. Just tell us what you want. And be on the
lookout for posters on campus to get you where you want.
DATE: The Artcarved representative will
be back on campus April 26th.
LOCATION: Artcarved rings are always
available in the bookstore.
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