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.'