l'
SU Pro e or accepts
nomination as 'Africana
ByFLOD
fta(f Reporter
S.RlGGS
DIrrROrr - A house is not
always a home. I
But because associate
professor Gloria House has al
ways made Wayne State
'University feel at home
they have chosen her as chair
for their new Department of
A&icana Studies. _
House has continually sup
. ported them whether it was
, during their ll-day "study-in,"
atteDding their meetings or just
offering guidance and advice,
students attest.
"Dr. House has alw ys been
there," said Errol Henderson, a
IUniversity ofMicbipn political
. ce Ph.D. caDdi e .
also a "study-in" spokesperson.
"We Dever had to go and get her.
Not only does House urpass
Brenda Berrian, the university's
chair nomination recently
resigned, in cademic qualifica
tions she a 0 has the com
munity experience and
resources, Henderson said.
"Her record speaks for itself.
Her record of community ser
vice would put to shame a lot of
people'," Henderson, "We want
Dr. House and we're going to
have her."
During a community rally
Thursday oe, 26 House public
. Iy accepted the students'
nomination.
"I'm here aDd I'm ready for
the struggle," House told the
crowd. "I'm hoping that
together we will win."
Remembering her days of
protests was a deciding factor,
she said.
"You couldn' imagine how '
exhilarated I was wheD- I heard
'Are we Black enough for you?'.
- .. ( chanted by udents inside of
last spring's 'study-in')," House
id, "I very thankful with
students saying we've- had
enough,
But, House warned students
that the war they started with
the unive 'ty is re sop �ti-
ludents'
chair
cared than earlier ODes wheD
racism was blatantly carried out
with fire hoses and police
dogs.Support from the com-
. munity is essential, she said.
"It's only going to be the
strength, the force of the com
munity that will make them go
through with it," House said.
(Because the university)
doesn't want me there (a
chair)." .
Always considered at war
with the university, Ho said
her nomination will be a tough
one to ratify. This reason has
stopped her from ccepting the
stu ts' choices earlier.
"I said no' repeatedly," she
said. "But as I listened to them
I felt myself 20 years ago." .
Kwame Kenyatt , com
munity activist, came to the rally -
supporting House' Domina
tion.
"We support her candidacy
because we feel she's the best
qualified person," Keny tta
said. "She represents the X fac
tor. When you closed Wayne
State down you represented the
X factor."
Kenyatta agreed that com
munity support and student ac
tivism together help House get
the seat the Department of
Africana Studies chair.
C GAM CI11ZEN
CODtnd
f I
,Op n Ie ter to the African American Pan-
My Dear Brothers and
S' er
. I ite to you tonight with a
cavy cart because of the es
cal ting violence, criminal
hazing. "underground" pledging
activitie , and lawlessness
hich have become evident
amoung so many of our under
gr duate ch pter .
Fighting, injury, abduction
and eveD death are arising out
of this beh vior. As the adults
the elders of our group, we have
a responsibility to take counsel
with each other, and to act as a
culture to change this tragic be
havior among our children. ID
the COD text of the African
American Cultural Offensive,
this is the classic case of a time
en integrity, power and cor
recto must step in to change
or correct intolerable behavior.
I rite to you tonight to
earnestly implore us, as the
African American Pan Hellenic
Elder to i itute policy at the
Grand Chapter level, and put
in 0 ebon throughout our col
lective De rk of chapters and
iDdMdual members, a plan by
. ch de . ODS of alumnae
chap er embers of African
American Greek Letter Or
,.nizatioD become more _
. edly invoYIed in the orie
tion and initiation of under
graduate chapters in their
neighborhood, tOWD, city or
region.
How will our under
graduates share our . common
values and ways of doing things,
if do Dot share with them?
Who will teach them the real
value of our soroities and frater
nities, which is that educated
African Americans need to
bond like sister and brothers,
and form groups according to
the values, goal , styles and
preferences of their members;
and they then need to decide as
a group how they will work
together OD behalf of the uplift
of our people. ..
We h ve done that very well
at times in our histori but we
are doing very poorly today.
There is a clear role aad func
tion for Gree in our culture;
and there is a clear need,
tho ds of grduate chaPter
initiates prove each year.
We D� to bo together,
unify, and form a powerlUl net
work of educated pr�e&II'OJUI�
aero the COUDtry aDd the
world. But are We doiDa ...... ·,�
could d d be doiDa to be
examples of hat the values
represent; aD are we .
our traditiOD aDd staDdards 0
to geDUation? Clearly,
arenot.
I believe we should SO talk to
each of our undergraduate
cb pters, to share with them
h the O�ganizatiOD means
and stands for; where we have
been to get this far but DO fur
ther; why leadership and ser
viceto the vast masses of our
people areso inportant, and
central to our advancement. let
them know we love and acre for
them; and that we recognzie
their talent and their problems,
and we have something in way
of practice wisdom to share with
them. To guide them in thier
handling of pledfing initiate
and in other matters of repre
sentation. Not to dominate, in
timidate, castigate or in any w y
disrepect, but to be the adults,
the elders; and to show the way
is natural and correct for it to
be shOWD. By example.
My brothers and sisters, how
can we have any earthly hope of
helping our children who have
literally beea turned out into the .
streets and who live in an en
virorame t of gang nd drug
violence, if we do not guide and
nurture the TalCfDted Teath?
Please become persooaDy in
vovled t • crucial time, to
em this tide before i rises any
hiaher by becoming invovled
with our children. We can't be
too tired, too busy climbing tha
corporate ladder. too otherwise
seIf-indulgeDt, to come to the
. d of our children D they
obviously Deed our help. We
can't leave them in this st te of
knowing what Greekdom 100
ellenic Community
. _ 1.
like, but not k wing what it is
really all about Let's share our
understanding nd experiences
with them, and provide pr cti
cal help where e can and it is
desired by the ung people.
We will be f owing-up with
as much as po le, thro gh the
African Ameri Cultural Of-
fensive, to offer suggesti and
resources.
We can do what we will do!
Yours in Unity,
Ramona H. Edelin (AJpha
Beta Chapter, Fisk Univer
sity,l966 Delta Sigma Theta, In-
corporated) -
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