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PASU honors
By C.A. MW1mza
Contributing Writer
On February 21, Ig�5, EI
Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, also
known as Malcolm X, was
gunned down by assassin's bul
lets in New York City.
However, despite his untimely
death, millions of African
Americans and people interna
tionally are still influenced by
his ideas.
Wednesday, February 22, a
seminar organized by the WSU
Pan-African Students Union
(P ASU) examined Malcolm X's
contribution to the struggle of
African peoples world-wide for
liberation and unity.
Attended by approximately
100 students, educators and
community people, the seminar
heard presentations from a
number of African-American
organizational representatives
whose groups have been heavily
influenced by the ideas and ac- ,
tivities of Malcolm X.
Setting the tone for the
program, seminar moderator
NA Abayomi ofPASU, stated:
"Malcolm X made a tremen
dous contribution to the world
wide struggle for African libera
tion and African unification"
"Brother Malcolm is an ex
emplerary figure as it relates to
the conditions of the masses of
African people not only in the
U.S. but world-wide", said
Abayomi. "The fact that
brother Malcolm was abl to
transform himself from the rub
bish, from the garbage that he
had been molded into by the
racist-capitalist system here in
the U.S., he was able to trans
form himself from this state
. " '
mto an international revolution-
ary", said Abayomi.
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State ,health care
I put. on critical
8y ARI B. Adler
Capital News Service
pected this summer.
"I would agree that the cost
of health care and how it's paid
for is an issue that hasn't been
dequately addressed in
� or in the nation," said
Blanchard. "It certainJy
dominate a lot of debate in
Washington. •
The numbers on health care
show some staggering ina-eases
over the past two decades.
In 1970, the total national
health expenditures were $75
billion. By 1981, that fagure had
reached almost S300 billion, and
in 1986 it topped $450 billion.
When costs increase, in
surance companies are forced
to pay higher benefits, which
raise the cost of insurance. In
1970, in urance companies paid
a little more that $15 billion
nationwide on benefits. In 1985,
that amount reached $1I3 bil
lion. -
To help foot ·the bill, in- -
surance premiums rose
dramatically. In 1970, the total
LA SING - Health care
has been put on the critical list
in Michigan, and rehabilitation
ill not come easy.
Health costs, and health in
surance rates, are on an upward
spiral nationwide. Caught in the
vortex are consumers who can't
afford to keep treating patients
without health insurance.
"In 1987� Michigan hosp
spent $342 miUiion providing
free health care," said ancy
Fiedler, Michigan Hospital As
sociation vice president for
communications. That was an
ina-ease of 50. percent over
1986, and 1988 will p obably
sho a larger incre se over
1987."
Gov. James Blanchard told
Capital News Service there is a
coalition investigating the
problem of providi g good
he lth c re to -_ citizens at
reasouble r �. A report' ex-
list
spent on insurance premiums
nati?nwide was $16.9 billion,
and U11986 the total was $140.7
billion.
According to Fielder, there
are several reasons health costs
have risen .. These include an
aging population, an crease in
technology which ma es treat
ment more expensive, and the
fact that 60 percent of a
hospital's budget is salary.
"Hospitals have to be staffed
around the clock, and the staff
has a high concentration o'f
professionals with degrees,"
Fiedler said. "It's all interrelated
because inflation is causing
university tuitions to rise, so
doctors need to make higher
salaries when they graduate,
and the hospitals have to pay the
doctors."
Blue Cross/Blue - Shield of
Michigan's Media Director,
Rudolph Difazio, agreed that an
aging population is definitely a
cause for higher health costs.
U
� Abayomi pointed to Mal- exerted on Malcolm's mother by
co� X's tour of Africa and the . the local white authorities drove
Middle-East in 1964 and his ac- her insane which lead to the
�ptancc? by many heads of state breaking up of Malcolm's fami
and national liberation move- ly and its dispersion to foster
ment leaders of the period, as homes. •
being indicative of Malcolm X's Stewart also focused intense-
internationalism. ly on Malcolm's conversion to
Another speaker, Kevin the Nation of Islam (NOI)
Carey, of the WSU chapter of headed by Elijah Muhammad
the All-Peoples Congress, "Malcolmbecamethemostable
stressed the theme of Malcolm and charismatic leader within
X's internationalism and how it the NO!, he was instrumental in
rel�tes. to the conte!Dporary �king it a national organiza
SOb�lty movement 10 No th bon by founding the Muham
�me�ca g�ed toward assist- mad Speaks newspaper in- the
109. hber�l1on st�uggles in early 60s and speaking on col
Africa, Asia and Latin America
• ·When Malcolm returned
from his visit to Mecca and
various African countries in
1964 he clear ly defined the
enemy of oppressed African
peoples as the white imperialist
bourgeoisie", Carey said
He asserted also that the au
rent media coverage involving
the alledged invo vement of
Winnie Mandela in the brutal
murder of South African youth
Stompie Moektsi, was an or
ch�strate� attempt by the apart
heid government to divide the
African nationalist movement
and to dampen -international
support for the African Nation
al Congress (ANC).
"This is nothing but a scan
dalous attempt to undermine
the str�ggle in outh Africa by
preadmg propaganda against
the AN 'and the Mandela fami
ly in order to make the people of
the world scale down their sup
port 'for the anti-apartheid lege campuses throughout the
struggle", said Carey. United States", Stewart said
. An African-American According to Stewart
• th '
women's perspective was given ano er very important con-
on Malcolm X by Malaika Davis tribution, the most important
of he Detroit ed American one made in 1964, was when
Black Artists, Inc. Davis read a Malcolm went to Africa after his
se ies of her poems dealing with trip to the holy land and sucess
the problems of drug abuse, in- fully reconnected us in America
stitutional racism and the op- with our African brothers and
pression of women. Prior to in- sisters in the homeland.' This
troducing Davis, the seminar was the strongest emphasis re- .
moderator quoted Malcolm X: lated to Africa since the days of
"In every country you go to MarOIS Garvey",
usually the degree of progress Stewart provided factual
can never be separated from the evidence released through FBI
status of women.· docum nts under the Freedom
Walter Stewart, the current of Information Act linking the
chairperson of the Pan-African federal government with
Students Union, delivered the counterintelligence disruption
keynote address. Stewart, a campaigns aimed at dividing
political science and Black African-Amercan organ iza
Studies co-major, has done ex- tions and th Assas ination of
teesive research into the life of their most effective leaders.
Malcolm X for sever I years. According to Stewart, these
Stewart pointed out that "this FBI documents reveal that Mal
seminar is long overdue, colm was kept under constant
Malcolm'scontributionmustbe surveillance in the U.S. and
championed by those who he abroad and that Jaw enforce
died for, the oppressed African ment authorities prevented a
masses". thorough investigation of his
'Stewart chronicled the death by assassins in early 1965.
biographical facts relating to This was the fourth seminar
Malcolm X's growth, transfor- of PASU' African-American
mation and development. He History Month Program. The
pointed out the violent death of three previous events e mined
Malcolm's father the Rev. Earl ··Africa's Contribution to World
Little, a follower of Marcus C�tion·, "Marrus Garvey's
Garvey in the. 1930s. ittle, ac- political lega.cY' and "!he R�1e
cording to Malcolm's autobiog- . of Wom" n 10 the Llbera�on
raphy published posthumously Struggle. The final ��r
in 1966, was murdered by a focused on the �e�t sl!Ua�n
white racist mob in Mason 10 southern Africa, highlightmg
Michigan when Malcolm w� the recently released documen
only ix years old The pressure tary: "The Battle of Cuito
CUanavale in Angola·.
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