ho
orld
JU TA TH r
fference nd simtl ritie
ong all people of v rio
ulture and ethniclties, e
cknowledg the career ,
a pirations th t tudents bring
to college.
Tbe program and
.curriculum tbat you will
encounter in colle e hould
con istently attempt to reflect
your cultural contribution ,
!pccially from a multi-cultural
perspective - a per pective
t at is rich, humane,
multi-faceted and invaluable to
t e telling of he human tory .
. If they don't accurately
reflect your culture( ), let u
know.
We believe that it i
important that our annual F 11
Address to new tudent not
focus on " urvival kill "
becau e uch urvlval or '
marginality t.alk is teeped in a
reactionary mode.
No, we don't addre your
urvival in college because a
long a you and enough of
your support people remain
African or multi-cultural
centered and committed to
students of color, it i quite
likely tbat you will oon
become po itioned at the
forefront functioning as
student cholars for numerou
cempus, leader hip, cultural
and national is ues.
ALWAYS BE strong, firm,
fair and humble becau e you
never know who is listening to
you.
Always be strong, firm, fair
and humble becau e you never
know who wi 11 be wa chlng
you and may ome day come
to you for guidance.
Always be strong, firm, fair
al)d humble because you never
know when YOU may also need
someone.
No person is an island. No
organization or person can
stay on course if it doe not
bave i map, guides, people
power and technology to steer
it clear of obstacles that may
impend its way.
You will need people who
will keep you energized, 0
that yoa might keep yourself
African centered, so that you
may remain on cour e.
WE STRONGLY .
encourage you to di mis or
view cautiously any talk about
"will you survive at college."
Of course you will be
ucces ful in college.
, You were successful in your
,respective high chools. And
ou will be uccessful once
you leave these colleges.
It will now primarily be an
Isue of how well you handle
he numerous con trucUve and
not so con tructive challenges
tbat will be placed before you
and in some ca e thrown at
you.
. In these case , the faculty',
. s�aff, other upport group and
I HILTON: HIOHBR BDUCATION
will be here with you eaCh tep
of the way. Always remember
I that you are not alone.
Education is ongoing and
certainly not limited to
classroom study. Let'$ talk.
(714) 899-0650.
,
. .�
c
NJAMIN L. HOOK
Neither joy nor hast charac­
terized the decision of the NAACP
ational Board of Directors to urge
\be Se to to ct notQiaatl of
Judge Clarence 1bonw an M­
soci te J tice Supreme Court of the
United Stat .
The dec' ion to oppose Judge
Thom 'nomination to Iuca:ed J -
lice Thurgood MamhaD came after
mature and agonizing deliberation
by the NAACP Board, which ded
fter receiving an exha live report
on Judge Thomas' philosophical and
legal view as reflected In speeches
and writing. Judge Thoma '
nomination to the High Court is but
the cond occasion in the natton's
history of an African-American
having been chosen for uch a post.
In 1967, when the nominee w
Justice Mamhall, the NAACP, cog­
nizant of his outstanding record and
achlevemen the Association's
Special. Counsel, 81 a Judge of the
United Stat Crcuit of Appeals for
tbe Second Circuit, and Solicitor
General of the United State , w
able to give an enthusiastic and un­
qualified endorsement to the Mar-
hall confirmation.
Upon Justice Marshall's an­
nouncement of hi intention to retire,
we urged the President to name a
well-qualified African-American
rus succe r. We believe that there
is great value in having diversity on
the Court.
THE PRESIDEN.T chose Judge
Thomas, a member of the bench of
the Circuit Court of Appeal for the
01 trict of Columbia Circuit. Judge
Tbom , who w ppointed to the
Court of Appca by Preaident Bush,
previo ly held appointment in the
Admini tration of President Bush,
previously held appointmen in the
Administration of President RonaJd
Reagan, erving a an As istant
Secretary of Bducation for Civil
Rights, and as Chairman of the Equal
Employment Oppo�ty Commil':
slon.
Clarence Thomas' judicial career
is of uch limited duration as to offer
little guidance a to how he might
perform a member of the high
tribunal. We must look to hi work
In the Reagan Administration and to
hi wrilin and peeches for clu .
Unfortunately, there i little ip hi
record to offer hope and comfort to
the devo es of civil righ .
We have found Judge Thomas to
hold inconsi tent views on civil
rights policie . We are not willing to
riskhi going on the Court a mem­
berofthe lncre Ingly radically con-
rvative right.
In hi first term O\alr of the
EEOC, Jud Thomas appeared to
aclmowled the benefi of tradi­
tional ffirmative ction reme41 •
includin 0 I and timetabl .
After I confirmation fO.r a
homa
day, before liberal whi created
Icbolarships for promising Black
studen· - w done for Clarence
1bom at Holy Cross College.
• \ Thom orked bard to
a eve hi present professional and
I
social taJiding. He bas d, ho -
owr, help alon the ay, from tbe
DdS wbo oducated him; from Holy
Crols, which let out to enroll
promJalq Blae tuden. and from
Yale UDI ty, w be studied
I , vm, boon Idminecl under .r­
flrmadvc action poUd •
Yet, deepl bavina 10 be led,
Judge Thomas denigrates affirm­
ative action and would withhold III
. benefill form others. How much
better it would be if Judge Thomas
would take the view of General
Colin Powell, who acknowledged In
his peech accepting the NAACP's
SplngamAward that he had climbed
on the backs of Othell.
second term, there w a dramatic
shift in hi position. Indeed, the
NAACP found his post tion so hostile
to the interests of Black America
that some called for his resignation.
DURING HIS tenure at the
EBOC, Judge Thorn complained
repeatedly about' the lawl aDd
policies tbat be w tcquired to en­
force. He was particularly forceful
in oppo fng established federal
policy on affirmative action
remedies.
Thousands of complalntl lan­
guished in the file of the EEOC,
Including approximately 13,000
complaints of age discrimination.
Eventually, Congress w forced to
p special legi lation to restore
orkers' righ .
Judge Thomas has been in­
temperately critical of civil righ
leaders, h ving said hey "bitch,
whine and moan."
The story of Judg Thomas'
(orm the poverty of youth to .hla
present eminence i captivating and
inspiring. .
His homilie on elf-help are well
taken. Judge Thomas is not, ho -
ever, alone in holding uch a view.
WE HAVE NO b Ie quarrel
with Judie Thomas' devotion to
If-reliance aod self-help. Indeed,
we hale It. What is overlookded In
the emp II on self·reliance la any
concem for what government and
other leeton of aociety ought to do
to alleviate many problema in the
minority community. It not wrona
to point to the bJatorica1 record of
abuse and denial of minority riptl
and concerns - and to demand
reclre.
The i ues in the confirmation
b me are laraer than the personal
fate of Jud Thomas. The i are
larger than the important question of
an African-American on tbe High
Court.
We believe that Judge Thom is
part of the announced intention of
the Reagan-Bush political estab-
11 hment to "pack" the Supreme
Court - indeed, tbe federal
judiciary - with persona sym­
pathetic to the political aDd lOCiai
views of the far right.
We earnestly desire the appoint­
ment of African-American to the
supreme bench. But if there la
reason to believe the African­
American DOminee would Join In the
further and continued ero ion of
threatened civil rights gains, we
don't need that appointee.
We bear It said that if Judge
Thom it .ejected, Ptesident BUlb
I likely to appoint a penon, perha
a Hlapanic. who ould equally
co rvative If not mo.e so.
THE VALUES and virtues of
d clpline, restraint, hard wor and
diligent tudy are commonly held
and honored in the Black com­
munity. Judged Thomas is but one
of a number of Black Americans
wbo have risen from adverse early
circ:urn$laDCCS.
His story, while imp ive, is not
more impres ive than is that of J e THAT IS a bridge to be c ed
Jackson or John H. Johnson. It· not when it II reached. We are quite
more Impre ive than that of the late . prep red to fight and to keep on
Roy Wilkins, w mother died fiahting - until hell freezes over,
ben he w four years of age, bo.. 1 oooe d - to prevent the confir-
w rat by an aunt and uncle, and mative of any pelIOn tile to 0
he earned money for � colle e i tel.
education by orting in a packio e tblnk � Rowan put It
house and awaiteron di�ngcar. ell: Do not take a nic today be-
That w ho bright B bo you Y be confronted Ith
d for their education in wn
. .
Dr. MtMtII MarDbk is Pro/u-
or of Political Science and History,
Unlver Ity 0/ Colorado, boulder.
"Along 1M Color LiM" appears in
o r 200 Ucatioru intenuztional­
ly, aJUl i.r also broadcast over sta­
doru tIartJM #aout the UnltedSt� .
DOn't to P
Beca If you do I j t ml
off. I've tried every1blna I coul
thinkoCbutl'*l't Sltnand
bla fe, Wichita aDd
Pearl, from call1na at
,odly hour of 4 a.m.
Yes, lir. Y It. Y • sir. It
happened, apin. The phone rang.
It'. 4:03 a m. and Sam and hi
weird women friends are on the
line.
I mean they were jabberln
like Jay Birdl.
"You could have tilled hbn. m�lf.' 1 am oot th,e only one
"What's wrong with you � Don't platol pacting the e days. Lots of
you have any God qualltiel In people-eome In the church and
your life? Don't you undelltand lOme DOt�on't Intend to let
that you aIm t too an innocent these carjacke stop them from
person's life?" "Yeah! Mr. Quick goln and doln , whatever they
Draw, why In thunder a� you want to do."
riding around with a plstolln your "You are sick. Do you hear
car? " me? Sick." Wichita id. "You
Beck and forth tbey ent, t almost killed an innocent per-
Wicblta, then Slater P rI. They n. "
we.e grUlin Sam lib �y were ,What h ppened?" I yelled.
two .Jessica etchers. And I, at 4 Will someone tell me what hap-
a.m. in the momina, 1 tilii pened."
to tbelr Jabberinl wi ut havi . "You don't have to get excited
the light t idea what tbey were Mr. Wrote. I'll tell you," SI ter
talking bout. Pearl id. "Wichita and Sam
. were taking me to visi t one of my
"YOU N GOD in your church members last evening. I
lifo, Sam. That's \V t you need," think It w about 7:30 p.m."
Sister Pearl said, Wichita�in "I don't have to think,"
with, "and w 0 you're. aetting Wichl aid. "It w exactl y 7 :33
God in your life, thro IW.y t t p.m. "
p tol. You don't.need both."
"Amen. Amen." later Pearl
replied. "You done told him
right."
"Now hold on one cotton piC w
i minute. I want tbe three of you
off my pbone 10 I can Ilcep," I
said. ,
-Don'tyoucarc tMr.Tri·
ger-happy here almost kllled
somebody?" Wichita yelled.
"Killed ho?" I mumbled, _ I
struggled tQ understand the bits
nd pieces of the conversation.
"It seems that Sam gotten
paranoid over Detroit's ruh of
carj cking and bought hi If a
p 101," Sister Pearl aid.
"A what?" I aid.
"A pistol," Wichita ·d. "You
heard her. A bang bang p tol. - -
"Ta to me Sam," I d."1
kno your thinki 't always
what It should be b t YC yo
gono tone crazy? Why are you
riding around lth a p tol?"
"W 0 1" Sam said. "Yall
don't undel'ltand. I aint 100 n
for trou Ie. I j\llt lnteoc1 to pro
"ANYWAY," Si ter Pearl
continued. "We had a bit of
trouble flnding the place because
1 couldn't find my addres book.
But after I got myself together I
direct him traight as an
ano . And when we pulled up
and parked under a treet light,
my friend, Si ter Fannie'
grandson saw me and ran over to
tell me S r Fannie had had a
heart attack and had been taken to
tbe hospital. But j t he got up
to the 'car," Wichita cut in, "thi
gun linger here grabbed his piS­
tol and pull�d the trigger three
tim . Clic . Click. Click."
"Why didn't it fire?" I asked.
"Because Old Doc Holiday
here forgot to put bullets in it,"
Wlchi aid.
"Wo I" 1 'd. "Carjacking.
P rano lid an innocent person
aim tdled And you know what?
ThIs carjackln paranoia is be­
coming danaerou. Very
d ro. And that' the bottom
line."