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January-February, 1987 * SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT • Page 3
Editorials and Other Thoughts
Student Clarifies Purpose
of Symposium on Relationships
Spelman Prepares
Her Students With
Subtle Tests
By Kimberly Russaw, SGA President
It seems as though every time
I sit down to write this editorial
I either have too many or too lit
tle ideas on, or in, my mind.
Some of the more aggressive
ideas often bump into each
other vying for my attention
while the shy, more intimate
ones hide in the corners of my
mind and try to go unnoticed.
So 1 put off writting until Jennifer
threatens me with bodily harm.
Recently, I have received death
trreats on Spotlight stationary,
malicious stares in the hallways,
and “friendly” reminders on the
telephone (and people say I’m
never in my room!!!) In an effort
to escape an untimely death 1
have enterd the auditorium of
my mind and have held an audi
tion for all of my aspiring ideas,
the following is their debut.
The Christmas holiday prov
ed to be a time of awakening for
me. As I sat in my home I sud
denly realized that that was pro
bably the last time 1 would be
able to spend three consecutive
weeks with my family for
Christmas vacation. The pro
spect of entering “the real
world” is indeed somewhat
scary, but 1 can’t decide whether
it is scary because I am aware of
what is out there. 1 like to think
that Spelman has prepared me
for what is ahead in many ways,
so I am not afraid I’m just
apprehensive.
I have been lucky. I have
been afforded, or blessed with,
opportunities that have tested
my “prepared-ness.” Serving as
President of the Student
Government Association has
proved to be a continual test. A
series of tests. Tests of my men
tal, physical, and emotional
strengths. Tests of my social
grace. Tests of my diplomacy.
Tests of my conscious. Tests of
my spiritual faith. Tests that
have been administered by the
college’s administration, the
Spelman women past and pre
sent, the greater community,
my family and myself. All these
tests have served to prepare me
for the tests awaiting me in “the
real world.”
Not everyone can be Student
Government Association Presi
dent and not everyone can be
Kimberly Dawn Russaw, so not
everyone will be tested in the
same ways. Quite often we are
tested, and in turn being
prepared, without knowing it.
When the Campus Chef
employee will not let us enter
Alma’s through the back door,
because more than likely we do
not have our ID - we are being
tested, or prepared. When the
RA puts the entire floor on pro
bation for something one of our
sisters did - we are being tested.
When we stand in the registra
tion line for hours and then find
out the computers have shut
down - we are being tested.
When our cars are towed from
the spot we have been parking
in for the entire year without
receiving a parking violation -
we are being tested. When it
seems as though we have
waited too long for things that
our rightfully ours - we are be
ing tested. When our instructor
asks us what is an idea and what
is it to question at 8 a.m. - we
are being tested. When we are
walking back from West End
and one of our Spelman sisters,
who may or may not even know
us, offers us a ride - we are be
ing tested. When we join the
other AUC institutions to
celebrate the birthday of a fellow
graduate on a cold January
morning - we are being tested.
When we stay up all night just
talking and sharing with our
sisters - we are being tested.
When we come together as a
people to enlighten our brothers
and sisters in a particular Nor
thern Georgia county - we are
being tested. When we are ex
cited about being led as an in
stitution for the first time by a
Black woman - we are being
tested. When we realize that she
is not one of our Spelman sisters
- we are being tested. We take
comfort in knowing she is a
sister, but next time she will be
a Spelman sister.
Tests therefore, may come in
many shapes and sizes. They
may be graded in many different
ways. As students we constant
ly ask is Spelman preparing us
for the future, for “the real
world.” I suggest that with her
varied tests and various test ad
ministers, yes Spelman does
prepare her students. Our ques
tions however should not always
be of Spelman, but of ourselves.
Are we passing the tests that
Spelman offers? Are we prepar
ing ourselves?
Dear Editor:
This is a letter of concern. On
January 21, 1987, the Ladies of
Delta Sigma Theta Soroity, In
corporated sponsored a sym
posium on Male/Female Rela
tionships. Through this sym
posium, we have found that
there are many students
throughout the Atlanta Univer
sity Center who are ignorant to
our history. So we have
dedicated ourselves to educating
those who do not know.
Interracial marriages and rela
tionships were points touched
upon in the symposium and we
would simply like to develop
and clarify those theories and
statements which merely
skimmed the surface. First, we
believe it would be beneficial to
define culture. Culture as defin
ed by Dorothy Pennington, a
professor at the University of
Dear Editors,
I have written to comment on
The Connie Smith Show
which was recently held on cam
pus. I will start by saying that I
was not in attendance. I know
your’re thinking, “How can she
comment on it if she wasn’t even
there?” Well I can and I will. The
reason that I was not there was
not because I found something
better to do. You see, when I
heard the list of panelists read in
an announcement over the in
tercom in my dormitory, my
decision not to go was made. I
knew very little about each
panelist accept for the fact all
were male, which brings me to
my point.
How can you have a forum to
discuss the various problems of
black male-female relationships
Marches
Editor:
There is an alternative to Civil
Rights marching. These mar
ches are perceived as, “We’re
Gonna Force Ourselves On
You.” And the natural reaction
is: “Like Hell You Are!” Result:
ill-will at least, conflict at worst.
Look at many Black com
munities and schools in Atlanta.
Certainly these people don’t feel
quilty, humiliated or threatened
living among and going to
classes with only their own race.
Rather, they have developed
Kansas and a black woman,
says, “It is a set of learned and
shared behaviors and percep
tions transmitted from genera
tion to generation through a
shared symbol system.” It has
been disputed that Black
Americans do not even have a
culture, that we second class
citizens and have no rights clear
ly specified in the United States
Constitution. However, that is
not the issue at hand. The issue
is race mixing. Let us first look
at Jewish people. Jewish peo
ple have learned from their past
experiences. They know that no
one can understand, empathize
or sympathize with what they
have gone through as a people.
Additionally, when immigrants
from Italy migrated to the United
States, because of their op
pressive economic situation,
they formed “Little Kenyas or
under an all male panel? The
bias of a unisex panel assumes
that the problems of male-
female relationships come only
of primarily from males. The
assumption that the solution to
the problems of black male-
female relationships lies with
solving the problems of black
male is ridiculous — just as
ridiculous as assuming that the
problems lies solely with
females. The answer lies in solv
ing the problems with both
sexes.
When one of the other sex
assumes that either males or
female relationships become
fingerpointing battles which yield
generalizations that nurse rather
than help solve the problems.
Discussions, then, should center
on the problems themselves.
greater pride in themselves and
their race. For this they should
be praised. And other races or
ethnic groups should be praised
for having the same pride.
Marches that create hostility
should be replaced with a March
Of Praise. Praise for those who
take pride in their community
and race. This would promote
good will, for no sensible person
can feel offended or threatened
by praise. The only ones who
would not like this would be the
enemies of this country who
scheme to pit race against race
Ethopias?” They did not exist.
Why? Because we were stripped
of our heritage, and we were
made to believe, “since we
came from nothing, we were
and are nothing.” Devout and
orthodox Jews are disowned
and treated as if they have died
when they marry out of their
own race, because ethrocentrici-
ty is important to the perpetua
tion of their culture.
We as Black Americans must
realize that Afrocentricity is our
only hope. We must wake up
from our “American Dream”
and realize that one day we may
be extinct. That’s reality. We
have been disrespected and
degraded for more than 500
years and “our country or so
called, is only 200 years old.
This letter is not to encourage
hatred for white people or any
See Relationships, p. 11
We are all well aware of the pro
blems that exist in relationships.
Discussions should focus on
devising meaningful solutions to
the problems which necessitate
a certain amount of give and
take from both sexes. The ques
tion asked, then should not be
“Why do ya’ll dog us’ out?”
(from either sex) but rather
“What can we do to form more
loving relationships?” and “How
can we raise our children so that
they will better handle the pro
blems of male-female relation
ships?” Problems will always ex
ist. However, finding construc
tive solutions is necessary to
avoid a plague of misunderstan
ding under which our children
could suffer.
Signed,
A Concerned Black Female
as part of their divide-and-
conquer plot.
We love our neighbor as
ourself in our racial relations
when we have high regard for all
humanity with their identities,
qualities and cultures; when we
work together and cooperate for
mutual well-being; but it was
never intended that America’s
recially different people should
“come together in social
change,” and intimately mix and
adulterate their pride, their
culture, their race.
T.J. Campbell
How Can You Legitimately
Discuss Relationships Without Women
Are Not Necessary