Negro Digest - Freedom Archives

power to purge when necessary . Quite often we do not really know the
people we bring in to teach and administer us . If no struggle occurs
which calls for a demonstration of their commitment, it is safe to assume
that we never really know where they are . Alas, in many cases when
struggle has occurred, more often than not, we have discovered that our
BLACK AND THIRD WORLD INSTRUCTORS were on the other
side . At best, they were for themselves . (This was graphically illustrated
during the strike at Berkeley when only SIX Third World faculty and
administrators out of approximately SEVENTY-FIVE would agree to
go on strike when we asked them to . Of course, there were all kinds of
reasons why they couldn't, many of which could have been offered by
the students who were on the line . But then it's O.K . if students get
offed. They should "keep on pushin' " so that faculty and administrative
people can continue to multiply and give credence to the lie . ) But I
really didn't wish to get into all this . I only meant to say that we have
learned that it is extremely dangerous to act as the head of a house when
you can't bring people in or put them out when it comes to that point .
I should like to suggest right here that one simple way of dealing with
this problem-while checking the over-all shotgun approach to the development
of Black Studies-would be to rule out from the "git go" any
development of Black Studies in those institutions where we are unable
to gain the autonomy necessary to control them . I fear if we fail to do
this now we shall all suffer for it later . But the total solution of this
problem calls for more than one move . The other moves, I feel, represent
a partial response to your questions regarding our sense of vocation.
As is clearly borne out by the problems we face regarding "programs"
and personnel, there is an urgent need for us to begin to identify both
faculty and students who have a serious, long term, vocational interest in
developing a Black University and getting them to work on it immediately .
If successfully carried out, this alone would probably kill two-thirds of
the non-functional Black Studies programs in the country . Somehow, at
some time, we have got to make it clear that Black Studies is not a mere
cultural phenomenon which one relates to by parading around in the
latest nationalist garb and talking bad . Sooner or later, there just has
to he a parting of the ways between those who just want to be "in"
(either the "thing" or the "know") and those who want to aid in our
liberation through education . We are simply no good for one another!
It will also have to be made clear that Black Studies has not come about
to guarantee jive-time, boagaloo, opportunistic students degrees by padding
their grades . At present, there is an immense amount of outright
"shuckin' and jivin'," i .e ., students expecting grades of excellent for
writing papers which, in essence, say only, "I've got my shit together"
(which is doubtful) or "I'm doing my thang ." Others expect good
62 Morch 1970 NEGRO DIGEST