DECEMBER 7 - 13. 19
THE MICHIGAN CITIZEN
OPINION
Blacks and scie ce
educators stuck in
15th century
y David u u
t a recent meeting of th
D troit Board of Education
urriculum Committee meetin
there wa a pre ntation about
developin unit about the role
of Bl s in S ience. Thi wa
ugge ted to the Board as a
result of a recent consultant
proce with Hunter dam.
Though no detail w pre nted
ab ut the i nee unit in
marked contrast to the con
prehen ive report on Black Hi -
tory presented at the arne
meeting by orman eCrae
one can ill di u the con-
tr di tion that exi t within the
ho I y em with regard to
Black pe ple and ience.
t the ov. lOch 01 bard
meeting the Urban dult In
stitute pre nted a plea for
li ht bulb for the h I gym.
an you t e t h t n ff light
ulb .
t the .. 0. and Purch -
in Committee me ting the
board pproved a c ntra t f r a
ubur n bu ine t upply the
h I sy tern with part f r
lawn mower and thro -
ers. Thi uburban company
h no Black employee. That'
right , " zero.,. that m t
� i nifi nt of
ien t ifically
bu ine ha n Blac employee
and our ho I ystem i 90%
Bla of tudent,
in a 75% BI city then on
I gically ded uce that
we ould n t do busine ith
th t c mpany.
But for all the ience and
the chievement f Bl c s in
ience that they're going to
te ch the youth, the uper, the
board and th ien e depart
ment can't fi ure out ho to
rep r nd rvice th la n
mo er and 0 bl wer with-
ut lily- hite suburban com
pany who h id for year
they have no Black employees
and don't intend to hire any,
if you believe, like I do, that
a tions speak louder than words.
Ho i it that slave kept
the uthern factories and farm
working during the Civil War
and qur so-called educators in
ience and technology can't
figure out, over a period of
year ho to make the lawn
mowers and snow throwers
throw?
And till on ience. Board
member Edna Vaughn when I
sugge ted to her during an in
terview that the hool board
ught to publish it son b 0
and n t depend on racist text
bo k publishers to include
tr nd of Blackne in their
tex t she told me that the
h I board/ ystem wasn t
ready for that. Gutenberg
ev lved the printing proces
mewhere in the l Sth cen
tury, Five hundred fifty 50
years later the recently re
elected school board member
E. Vaugh a rts that Blac
people have not mastered, in a
cultural nse, that ancient in-
vention. Perhaps we haven't
and yet the board says they're
going to teach our student
about computers. And that s
what student need to compete
in the 21st Century. But the
School Board till hasn's master
ed technologically peaking the
15th century, ow have you
ever heard of anyone who hasn t
mastered additi n pretend to
tate with me authority the
need for students to rna ter
differential equations. It'
cultural joke. I mean you ve
got to laugh becau if you
don't I ugh you ve got to cry.
Or maybe both con cutively
inter-changeable or simul-
taneously. Fir t comedy then
tragedy, and finally, far e.
-MAYBE IT'S BETTER WHEN KHO E'�I MAKES
US OUT �GREAT SATAN"
e a d in g
Together
A CURSE FOR A GIFTED CHILO
A young Blae boy got on a bus and sat be 'de a light-
inned Bla oman. Sh turned to him and id,' You re
Black and you stink and you can never ash it ff.'
Though the b y was e tremely gifted the woman bitter
ords were to hang over him like a eur for the re t of his
life. Hi t ry is told by Jame Ha in in the bo , at in
Cole (Stein &- Da , 1984).
The multi-talented athaniel C le h d a choi e of ro d
to t ke when he graduated from high hool. Hi out tandin
athletic ability held the promi of fame, but he al h d
out tanding mu i al ability. He eho mu ic. Hi reative
artistry at the piano eventually cau d him to become r -
garded as one of the giant in the field of jazz.
His talent as a jazz musician however, wa on t be
overshadow d by an even greater talent. at King ole h d
a Voice - a hoar , breathy r th r ratchy voi e hich could
perform miracles with a ng. It could mean ordinary
ballad seem like smooth velvety wine or turn a plain pop
tune into bubbly champagne!
Even though Cole' career occurred during the time when
music in America, like people, a separated into rigid com
partments of Black and white, ole talent jumped over the
color b rrier and gathered follo ers of all races. This bi -
graphy give a clear picture of the dilemma which at ole
faced by having an integrated follo ing in a gregated world.
The crux of at's problem wa that he wa a shy, gentl
per n who didn't want to have confli t of any kind - r cia]
or otherwi . He just wanted to entertain people, But hi
super- bundant talent refu d to stay jailed in the n rro
spa e reserved for Bla s. It pre d into the c ncrete all of
racism like a high po ered drill, eausing a sho er of r cia]
park to fly bac onto this shy mild-mannered man,
His talent searched for expre ion in televi i n. in movi
in Broad ay play - all the pIa es where Blae entertainer.
at that time were n t welcomed. It wanted t p rform f r
all his fan regardless of absurd racial barriers. It eau d him
to want to live in the same ind of hom the ther entertain-
ers had in spite of restri tive c enant. Thu t 1
frequently found him If in the enter of ra ial ntr er ,
though the p liti f race rnethin he pre erred t
avoid.
Thi biography well-bal n
fe ' nal and p r nal life, give p ial tt nti n t
per nality. full ch pter i d voted t hi tremend u
p pular re ording of" ature B ,. e utifull imple n
hi h m t m up th m ge f 01 he ith th
rd: 'The great t thin u'll ever learn. i iu t tt 1
and be I ved in return.'