Newspaper Page Text
VOL XXXI, No. 3
Atlanta, Georgia
November, 1987
The Blue Eyed Black Forum: A Response
by Ingrid L. Williams
On Thursday, October 8,
approximately 150 students
poured into the old Giles
Library to discuss an issue
which ignited a heated
debate within a matter of
minutes. The issue, blue
eyed blacks, or simply blacks
wearing colored contacts,
affected many students who
consider themselves cultur
ally conscious as opposed to
those who were not as
socially aware.
Six students sat on the
panel. Morehouse senior
Dwayne Williams and junior
Eddie Glaude were in oppo
sition of wearing colored
contacts. Morehouse sopho
more, Dondi Tunnage and
Spelman seniors Monique
Guest and Michelle
Stevenson were in favor of
wearing the contacts. The
sixth panel member, Michelle
Bass was neutral and found
no reason for a forum.
Students in the audience
asked with a sense of distrac
tion why the panel members
wore the colored contacts. “I
don’t want you to think I
wear them because I look any
better, I just like them,” said
Guest. She said she received
the contacts for free during
the summer when she
worked for an optometrist. “I
have green and blue contacts
and I wear them for a
cosmetic change,” said Guest.
Her counterparts agreed.
Tunnage and Stevenson said
they wore the contacts as a
fashion statement.
Glaude, who was against
Blacks wearing the colored
contacts, said “you are
psychologically enslaved
because this is a manifesta
tion of us not identifying who
we are.” He urged the three
to stop being idealistic.
Things began to get loath
some. Students in the audi
ence started popping up like
Pillsbury pop and fresh
dough anxious to spit out
questions and remarks
concerning their identity,
assimilation and cultural
awareness. One student, who
was exceedingly angered by
the presumed ignorance of
the students said by wearing
colored contacts blacks are
becoming the “slavemasters
nigger.”
Williams said the
economic factor was an
important issue regarding
the contacts. He said certain
products are marketed specif
ically toward Blacks because
the manufacturers know the
items will sell. He also
stressed the relevance of
economic independence
by Jiea Rutland
Morehouse’s Homecoming
celebration gives many
Spelman women the oppor
tunity to participate in coro
nation. Spelman women are
recognized by the various
honor organizations and
state clubs, they are there
fore able to participate in the
auxiliary courts which
support Ms. Maroon and
White. An extremely impor
tant factor for us, as Spelman
women is the existance of our
own royal court, the Blue and
White Court. The members
of the Blue and White Court
include Mr. and Ms. Blue and
White Court McKinnley
Wooten and Valerie Vershon
Davis. The first attendants
Maurice McRae and Greta
Mitchell and the second
among the black community.
“We need to stabilize the
economy in our own commu
nities instead of spending
millions of dollars on goods
that aren’t made for us,” said
Williams.
Glaude, Williams, and a
host of students in the audi
ence said the contacts send
out negative connotations to
both younger Blacks and
whites in general. “What
kind of Black pride can you
share with your younger
brothers and sisters if you
have artificial blue, green, or
hazel eyes?”, asked Glaude.
Guest said she has a younger
brother with whom she
shares and teaches the
importance of Black culture.
She said he understands
Black identity and her
attendants are Dorian
Jointer and Karen Calloway.
I had the pleasure of inter
viewing Ms. Blue and White,
Valerie Davis and I was
impressed by her intellec-
wearing colored contacts
does not affect what she
stresses to him. “He thinks
my eyes look funny when I
have contacts on, but I don’t
think it makes him question
my identity,” said Guest. “It’s
just like putting a curl in
your hair when you wake up
in the morning, there’s no
difference.”
“Whites already think we
want to be like them,” said
Glaude. He said our defini
tion of beauty is distorted to
the white man but we must
overcome this psychological
enslavement. Spelman junior
Carol Ross, who attended the
forum, said she agrees with
Glaude. “I don’t like the
image the contacts project, it
says a lot about the person
who finds the need to change
tual, yet down-to-earth
disposition. I am positive you
will understand why Valerie
Vershon Davis was selected
Ms. Blue and White on
January 31, 1987, for the
his or her eye color.” Ross said
the people have no sense of
Black pride and that they are
assimilating in the White
race. Morehouse junior,
William Crawley said
appearance is not half as
important as mentality and
as long as our brothers and
sisters are culturally
conscious then there is no
need to squabble because we
are already a divided people.
The forum did spark fumes
and kindle people’s
consciousness but whether or
not it changed the minds of
those Blacks who wear
colored contacts is another
story. The question still
remains to be, or not to be
Black? Do you have the
answer?
1987-1988 academic year.
Jiea: What inspired you to
run for Ms. Blue and White?
Valerie: The fact that I
thought who could represent
me? Many times I asked
myself, who would be a good
queen for my college, why not
me? I saw myself possessing
the qualities of a queen.
Jiea: So you feel you possess
the qualities to represent
Spelman, what do you feel
those qualities are?
Valerie: I asked myself, what
does it take to represent
Spelman? All you have to be
is a Spelman woman and
those are my grounds for
running, to show that
anybody could do it, it wasn’t
necessary to be this way or
that way. Be a Spelman
(continued on page 3)
Interview with Ms. Blue and White