Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 21 February 2002 — Page 4

The Muncie Times, February 21, 2002, page 4

NEWS BRIEFS

NEWS BRIEFS from page 3 have not been compiled, the Knoxville College event was expected to net at least $100,000, according to foundation officials. Joyner, a graduate of what is now Tuskegee University, said black colleges serve unique role in the

community

“HBCUs can and do prodace the best and brightest this country has to offer,” he said. “Not just academically but socially... Why does a black child do better at an HBCU? Because he or she is expected to succeed. That’s not usually the case at mainstream universities and colleges. If no one expects you to do well, you probably wont do well. But when you’re surrounded by people who look like you and act like you, have been where you’ve been and have gone where you’re going, you’ll do better,” Joyner said most of his

“Both sets of grandparents, my mother and father, several of my aunts and uncles, my brother and I, and my two sons, are all graduates of HBCUs,” Joyner said. “Right now, two of my brother’s children are attending black colleges. When my boys, Killer and Thriller, began considering what colleges or unversities they would attend, I told them they would go anywhere they wanted- as long as it was an HBCU.” MSNBC INADVERTENTLY USES N-WORD ON SCREEN It may have been an accident or perhaps it was a Freudian slip. No matter the case, the MSNBC cable television channel let the “nword” loose on the air. Last week, former black movement radical-turned-Republican consultant Niger Innis was the unfortunate victim of an on-screen typo

identifying him as “Nigger Innis.” Innis was invited on a news segment to discuss the Enron hearings on Capital Hill. He appeared completely oblivious to the network’s mistake, until reporter Grey Jarrett commented on- air on the blunder on- air. “Let me offer a profuse apology from this network, “ Jarrett told Innis. “We accidentally misspelled your name in the last hour and we are terribly sorry.” Innis accepted the apology and said, “It’s not the first time it’s happened, but hopefully it’s the last.” Later last week the same typo appeared on Newsblues.com, a site for television jounalists. MSNBC officials isued another apology. BLACK HISTORY NEEDS GROUP, NOT INDIVIDUAL FOCUS

the past. Their accomplishments have built dynasties and icons within the culture. We must never forget their sacrifices and thank the Almighty for sending them our way. Their work is a reminder that the struggle for liberation is ongoing. So in no way is this writing an attempt to belittle their efforts. But if history is a source of empowerment and liberation for African Americans today, then the quest to understand its principles and message requires one to conceptually understand “the big picture” of the African American struggle. David Potter, in his book People of Plenty, tells the reader The purpose of the reader is not simply to show that events, which might have happened to anyone did happfen to someone, but rather to explain why a

special sequence of events befell a particular aggregation of people. Ib do this, history must find, as a unifying factor, what is distinctive in the circumstances, the condition, the experience to the aggregation^; a-I'stion. Great persons studies or studies focusing on individuals will not achieve the above purpose or assist one in having, a “conceptual” understanding of history. If we are to understand the past, so we will not repeat it, then the full story must be available to the student Malcom X a’ Dr, Martin Luther King Jr. were powerful leaders during the civil rights years, but the serious student will never understand the major impact of this movement or its purpose without understanding the impact of many others, not as well known, such as Septima Clark, Fannie Lou Hamer, Nobel Drew Ali, Elijah Muhammed, Marcus Garvey, Bishop Hairy Ibmer, Martin Delaney, the Rev. Vernon Jordan, E.B. Nixon and the organizations and their ideas that shaped the platform for which we honor Dr. King and Malcom X today. Fredrick Douglas and Harriett Tubman stand tall on the pantheon of great abolitionist, but their work is only part of the movement to abort slavery in the New World. The serious student would miss major tenets of this movement with out studying the Stono Rebellion, the Nat Turner movement, the writings of David Walker, the development of the antebellum black church, often called the “invisible institution”. So focusing on the individual defeats the central theme of African American history, which is group struggle. In one of his recent works, Intellectual Warfare. Dr Jacob Carruthers informs the reader that, “those who have been waging the long war to liberate African history and culture have been fighting the following two battles: an international war

against the European intellectuals; and a civil war against the colonized African spokespersons who are trained by Europeans to undermine African independance. In this history work of the 19th century and early 20th century black historians, their focus many times was to explain the historical struggles of African people in America, from the great woman, great man theory of history. Their reasoning was sound due to the erroneous nature of African history as presented by Europeans and due to the sins of omissions as it related to black accomplishment within the general textbook on American history Intellectual white America purposely negated Africa so that “chattel slavery” could be justified. So black historians such as George Wahington Williams, Carter Woodson, J.A Rogers and Charles Wesley, gave us the gjsatoie^ of indwidual black accomplishments and for that we thank them. Black educators used this same format through much of the 20th century, as a way of celebrating Black History Week and, later, Black History month. It was designed to lift the esteem of African people living under oppression and subjugation. It was not until the likes of John Henrik Clark, Chancellor Williams, John Jackson and Dr Ben did black studies take on a “conceptual study,” as opposed to a great-woman study. Educators must see the value in “concept studies. As a Dr. Carruthers wrote, “victory will occur when and only when African teachers, who have drunk deeply from the deep well of the African heritage, take over the preservation, cultivation, reconstruction, and dissemination of African history and culture as the vital core of African education.” As we celebrate our culture during February, let's remember that the group has

always been the key to change in history, not a lone individual. ‘Up you mighty race, you can accomplish what you will,”- Marcus Moziah Garvey. SHARPTON MULLS RUN FOR U.S PRESIDENT IN 2004 WASHINGTON D.CThe Rev. A1 Sharpton is expanding his National Action Network chapters around the country, strengthening the possibility that he may run for the U.S presidency. Sharpton, who announced 6 months ago that he is exploring a possible run for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, has expanded his New Yorkbased NAN to 21 chapters in 17 states. He says he is considering establishing Iowa and New Hampshire, two key states necessary to create credibility and momentum early in the campaign season. ■ In a strategy similar to that of the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 runs for the nomination, Sharpton has told NNPA that the rapid expansion of his Harlembased NAN, founded in 1991 to combat racial and civil rights violations, may in fact lay the groundwork for his campaign. “We’ve picked up five chapters over the past 5 weeks, including in Florida and Mississippi. We're building around the country because we feel that it's important that the National Action Network build in the grassroots. It is imperative that we build and expand,” Sharpton said. Jackson aiming to help Democrats win control of the Housp in the November elections, appears to be distancing himself from Sharpton. “I don’t know anything about his campaign,” Jackson tells NNPA My focus politically this year, is F m trying to regain the Congress as I focus my NEWS BRIEFS SEE PAGE 7

Without a doubt, many

them. in their deeds and actions of