Revolution Televised.pdf

Respect Yourself! 123
tion, Howard strove to create a curriculum that replicated the best
white universities in the country. Often called the Black Harvard,
Howard confronted the black consciousness of its student body in
the late ’60s. This was exemplified by the victory of Robin Gregory
as homecoming queen in the fall of 1966. Gregory based her campaign
on issues of black pride and wore a natural, or an Afro, in
contrast to previous homecoming queens, who were judged on
their ability to imitate white standards of beauty—one of the cultural
pitfalls of integration. Gregory’s victory sparked protests in
which students demonstrated against mandatory ROTC training
imposed on incoming freshmen as well as discrepancies in the educational
curriculum, which largely ignored black history. Students
suspended attending class and eventually took over the administrative
building until Howard administrators were willing to agree to
many of their demands.
As discussed in chapter 1, this was a period in which many black
political and social organizations discussed the ramifications of
integration, selling out, losing one’s identity, and the breakup of
black communities with black professionals’ exodus to the suburbs.
In “The Doctor’s Dilemma,” all of these concerns, which were part
of the rhetoric of Black Nationalism and black consciousness, are
invalidated because they are embodied in a woman who is demonized
and positioned as ignorant.
Even when Julia expresses a sense of consciousness, her words
are easily diminished. In “Am I, Pardon the Expression, Blacklisted?”
Julia comes home to discover that Corey and Earl have been
shining shoes to earn money for a toy. Very upset about the incident,
she explains to Marie why she will not allow Corey to continue.
julia: Because there was a time when that was all our men could
do—shine shoes, wait tables, menial jobs.
marie: Times have changed, Julia. Today they’re supreme court
justices, senators, labor leaders, mayors—Thurgood Marshall,
Philip Randolph, Edward Brooks, Carl Stokes. Oh Julia, come
on! Maybe there used to be a stigma attached to manual labor,
but today hod carriers and brick masons all earn as much as a
lot of professionals.
(Stage directions: Julia smiles, agreeing with and impressed by
Marie’s simple logic. Things are changing and we know that this
is a better world because of the Marie Waggedorns.)