Negro Digest - Freedom Archives

mentioned earlier, the whole black
revolution is a reaction to grievances
too often ignored and promises
too frequently forgotten . Thus,
there is the possibility of overreaction,
on both sides . It is a painful
experience for both the majority
and the minority in a society to understand
that so much of its fabric
is interwoven with racism . The desire
to eradicate it or to forget it
(this is a much less feasible possibility
in the context of modern society
with its mass media and mass
communication) can lead to many
false starts and well-intentioned
mistakes. The majority of blacks
do not want an apartheid society,
but many will stand with "black
only" causes until society shows
that it really means to include
blacks in the society on an equal
and meaningful basis .
The black
students are quite justified in demanding
more coverage of black
history and the contributions of
blacks to society . Although some
of the black students don't believe
that white students should be admitted
to these courses, black history
courses will be of considerable
value to white students also .
Certainly, the relatively inane
treatment of slavery and the Reconstruction
period by historians
deserves correction in the minds of
all . Some definitive works on Reconstruction,
such as that of John
Hope Franklin, chairman of the
history department at the Univer-
NEGRO, DIGEST March 1969.,
(Continued from page 32)
sity of Chicago, have been written,
but to a great extent these are not
included in the basic history
courses that are taken by most students
. Black students are justified
in asking that more black counselors
and advisers be appointed . Not
that only black counselors can
counsel black students, but black
students should have black counselors
available if they want to talk
with one. Also, black and white
students should be able to see
blacks in a variety of positions in
the university . Demands of the type
that I have just mentioned are not
to develop an apartheid university
; rather they are to provide for
a valid recognition of black people
and black students as a part of society
and a part of the university .
The consideration of the black
student as a special case in the university,
particularly at an institution
that prides itself on its democratic
traditions, might appear to
violate principles of equality and
nondiscrimination . But the university,
as one of the most important
institutions of society, has a
responsibility to help blacks and
other minority groups achieve the
position of social and economic
equality that is implicit in our system
. President James M. Hester of
New York University, for example,
says that NYU intends to discriminate
positively in favor of black
students to help eradicate the ef-
s~