Negro Digest - Freedom Archives

The Black University Concept
In preparation for the second special issue of NEGRO DIGEST dealing
with the concept of the Black University, copies of the first Black University
issue (March 1968) were sent to a dozen prominent black educators
and heads of predominantly black colleges requesting that they
read the magazine and then write a brief statement setting forth their
reactions to the Black University idea as presented in the magazine . At
press time, responses had been received from the four college presidents
listed on the cover of the magazine : Dr. James R. Lawson, president of
Fisk University; Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, president emeritus of Morehouse
College; Dr . Samuel D. Proctor, former president of Virginia
Union University and present dean of Special Projects at the University
of Wisconsin; and Dr . Benjamin F. Payton, president of Benedict College .
The statements of the four gentlemen who did respond are of the utmost
relevance for their experience as educators over the past several decades
has provided them with a practical basis from which to view the new educational
demands and orientation . NEGRO DIGEST is honored to present
in the following pages the statements of Dr. Lawson, Dr. Mays, Dr .
Proctor and Dr . Payton on the Black University concept .
-The Editor
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FllucaroxsxESrovn
~;~~c ;~N THE March, 1968,
special issue of the
NEGRO DIGEST, de-
~~ voted to a consideration
of the Black University
concept, you editorialized,
rte:S ~~cr.rw~on
President, Fisk University
"That something is gravely wrong
with the conventional approach to
the education of black children no
longer is arguable . Much of the
problem of course, is general:
there is something gravely wrong
March 1969 NEGRO DIGEST