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| NAACP
seeks new members, growth on ASU campus |
Jusitn Boulmay
Multicultural Beat
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The National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is looking
for more members, and no, race does not matter.
There are already up to six Caucasians in the organization, sophomore
archaeology major Tenina W. Stallings said. Stallings is the president
of the Appalachian State University chapter of the NAACP.
Stallings said she got involved in the NAACP during her senior year
in high school.
“My stepfather is one of the head people in a chapter in Delaware,”
she said. Stallings’ contact with him initiated her attendance
at different meetings. Stallings also participated in the March
on Washington three years ago and began voicing her opinion.
After graduation, Stallings wanted to get involved in college as
well.
The NAACP participates a lot in community service, Stallings said.
In the past, the NAACP visited the Playhouse and interacted with
the children.
In the Greenbriar Theatre Feb. 27, “Tuskegee Airmen”,
a film about black soldiers during World War II, will be playing
and will be free to anyone who wants to come, Stallings said.
A leadership conference is also coming up for different NAACP chapters
from around North Carolina campuses, she said.
The main NAACP headquarters offers scholarships, but there are no
scholarships offered for minority students at Appalachian.
There was an effort last year for a scholarship for anyone in general,
but it did not happen, she said.
“Finances are low,” Stallings said, and cited the limited
number of people involved in the organization as a factor, but she
remains optimistic for the future.
“I think that would be a good opportunity,” she said about
a scholarship opportunity once the Appalachian chapter gets more
members. “We could probably do that.”
Blood drives, providing a way for people over 18 to register to
vote and providing a place for political candidates to express their
views have also been functions of the organization, Associate Vice
Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Harry L. Williams said Friday.
Williams served as the advisor to the NAACP during its first year
on campus and has been involved ever since.
The NAACP [on a national level] started with anti-lynching activities
and the legal aspects of minorities, not only those of African Americans,
Williams said.
“The history has been working for people who have been disfranchised,”
he said.
The organization has had an influence in many court cases since
then, including the famous U.S. Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board
of Education, which ended segregation in schools, he said.
Thurgood Marshall, an African American who would later become a
Supreme Court Justice, led the fight with the NAACP regarding that
decision, Williams said.
White individuals were involved at the beginning of the NAACP, he
added, and, contrary to popular belief, still are.
For more information, call Stallings at 266-7489 or e-mail her
at TS48604@appstate.edu. |
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| Tuskegee
Syphilis Study part of history |
Jusitn Boulmay
Multicultural Beat
|
How many
people know that Benjamin Banneker was the famous African American
mathematician who correctly predicted a solar eclipse in the late
1700s?
Who would be able to say that Muhammed Ali’s original name
was Classius Clay, before his conversion to Islam?
Or why is the town of Tuskegee, Ala., important regarding African
Americans?
In the early 1930s, doctors wanted to test the effects of syphilis
in black men. Posters were distributed in Macon County, Ala., promising
free health care for men with what the fliers called “bad blood,”
according to “Bad Blood,” a historical Web site. There
was a huge turnout. After all, who would reject free healthcare
during the Great Depression?
Nearly 400 African American men went to the doctors, according to
the Web site, where they were injected with syphilis without being
told what was going on. When penicillin was released in the 1940s,
according to the Web site, the men still were not told of their
sickness, and, by the time the project became public knowledge in
the 1970s, all but 79 of the participants had died.
Those who were affected by the study (women and children also caught
the disease when their husbands or fathers unknowingly spread it
to them) would not receive an apology until 1997 from President
William J. Clinton, who spoke on behalf of the federal government.
Despite the number of people who lost their lives, there is a lack
of knowledge regarding the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and African American
history in general, for that matter.
“Unfortunately, in our country, we don’t do a good job
… incorporating the black history and contributions made by
African Americans,” said Tracey L. Wright, assistant director
for the Center of Student Involvement and Leadership (CSIL).
Wright said she thinks the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Appalachian
does a good job at raising awareness year-round and not only in
February, but there’s a difference in opinion among students.
Will E. Bucher, a sophomore industrial technology major, said his
high school used to do activities to promote black history, but,
with regard to Appalachian doing the same, he said he has not seen
anything.
Nicholas G. Farrar, a senior geography major, said the lack of knowledge
depends on the area and the population. At Appalachian, he said,
not as many people seem to know about black history because the
culture on campus is primarily middle class white people.
Junior Elisha M. Webster, however, thinks Appalachian does well
at promoting black history.
“I’ve been to a Kwaanza celebration,” she said.
Webster also said a friend of hers, who is in an American Black
Literature class, said there are only two black people taking her
class.
Dr. Karl Campbell, an assistant professor in the department of history,
teaches a course on black history.
“We’re trying very hard to not only separate ... but also
to integrate African-American history into all of our curriculum,”
he said, but added there should be separate courses offered as well.
Campbell also said there was an increase in the number of students
attending his class.
“I suspect the demand is growing quickly,” he said.
“We’re not just one culture,” sophomore Monica A.
Middleton, a special education major, regarding the importance of
studying black history, said. “It’s … a melting pot.”
Webster agrees, and said it is crucial toward being a good citizen
and addressing current issues that one know black history.
“Black America is part of America; it’s a part of us.”
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