IT ALMOST GOES
without saying that the over­
whelming majority of college
students were of European de­
scent, and therefore the notion
of diversity in higher education
a primarily found via
economics.
Scholarship were the major
ource of aid, usually limited to
short-term borrowing intended
to see a student through an
emergency.
The involvement of the
federal government in student
aid began at the conclusion of
World War n with the GJ. Bill.
It expanded modes tl y in
1958 when the United Stat
responded to the Sovietlaunch­
ing of Sputnik by initiating the
National Defense Student Loan
Program. .
Soon after there followed
such programs as College
Work-Study and Educational
Opportunity Grants as part of
the Office of Economic
Opportunity's War on Poverty
in the 19605.
In the late 19605 and early
197�, the Pell Grant (initially
called the Basic Educational
Opportunity Grant, or BEaG)
and the Guaranteed Student
Loan Program were created.
THUS, THE FTVE major
federal student aid programs
that we have today were
operating by the mid-1970s.
The main focus for these
programs was on the students
from low-income families until
1978, when the Middle Income
Student Assistance Act was
passed and the federal
programs were expanded sig­
nificantly to aid both lower­
and middle-income students.
Between 1964 and 1980,
federal assistance grew from a
relatively modest $100 million
to over $7 billion.
During this same post­
World War n period, m�y
states also initiated financial
aid programs patterned after
. the federal government's in-
itiatives. .
The private sector also
joined in, and the different
types of scholarships that cor­
porations and associations of­
fered grew steadily.
Today, financlal aidisa vast
enterprise, channeling over
$20 billion to college students
each year.
The information for the
column on financial aid comes
from Peterson's College'
Money Handbook.
HILTON: HIGHER
EDUCATION is MsigMd to
encourage dialogue with col­
lege and world leaders. Educa­
tion is ongoing and is cotllinly
IIOt limited to classroom study.
Let's talk: (714)899-0650.
ADVERTISE IN
THE MICHIGAN
CITIZEN
income carne .
I G OUP 0 includ
million of fem Ie-headed
households with children who ur­
vive on �d to Famili with De­
pendent Children (AFDC); ten
million dults who are unemployed
VIEWS OPINIONS
READERS WRITE
I
Dear Editor:
Thanks for publishing that letter from our organization: West War­
ren Avenue Merchants Association -that appeared in the Jan: 12-18
edition of your newspaper.
The people of Michigan are very fortunate indeed to have such an
excellent paper as yours to read.
Keep up the good work.
. Peggy A. Moore, President
West Warren Avenue M erchants Association
MARTYR
Martin Luther King, Jr. died for us, so that we could truly be free,
-so that we could have a chance to live as equals in America.
Jesus Christ died for us satha: we could have a remission of sins all
over the world.
We thank Christ by lying and hurting one another and putting each
other down as a nation, as a race, and as people.
We thank Martiin Luther King, Jr. with crack, alcoholism, violent
deaths and putting each other down as a race, even our own brothers
and sisters.
In times of slavery, we had more pride, maybe because we could still
see cleariy the real African man and woman with more pride than any
othe nation. But somehow we allowed ourselves to be brainwashed,
and lowly chip away at ourselves, wanting to be more like others, and
all we can see is Tarzan andJ � with the BlDcJc man foUowing thDn, wearing
his grass skirt and cutting off heads for a living.
That made us sit back and ask ourselves, wluu pride is there in being a
Black man? The decision we came up with was to lay back and enjoy rIM
wine and wOnreIL But, as Black men, you had to st!ttle for Wild Irish Rose and
lowering your fine Black women's self-estum, aU to follow a man who Iuu
virtually destroyed every race tha: has come undo his feet.
Ask yourself: Who is our idol? Is it God.or man? Who is the hoUkr of the
�jobs?1hes�hoUkrofr�crack
We are in a pond, a foolish pond, to foolish to see wha: really k«ps us
back Martin Luther King would say now, it is up to us. Stop s«ing our
ancestors as followers of Tarzan and Iane; Mad humers.
Let's get over being once mslllved, for now we are oaslaved by OUT own
thoughts and our goals.
Alice Boyd
y
By DAVID RAMBEAU
The Monday, January 27.edition
of Black Journal (Ch. 56) gave a
revealing portrait of the near-total
lack of understanding and
knowledge by Black folk of the
modus operandi of the economic
system of this country.
From the .person on the street's
comments to the panel of Black
professionals in the studio, the- id;eas
expressed were uperficial, short­
sighted, confused. It was a pathetic
display of incompetence for a' com­
munity and a people trapped in n
economic depre ion of global
proportions.
The central focus was tax abate­
ments to corporations in the aty of
Detroit.
Within this focus w the com­
pliant about Pepsi Cola's tax abate­
ment for the plant they recently built
in the Forest Park neighbor)lood in
the Eastern Martet area.
On the panel were City Council­
man Gil Hill, former aty Council
President Erma Henderson, a former
Pepsi Cola orker, Victor Long, and
an attorney, Anthony Adams, (rom a
large local law finn. The host, Cliff
Russell, also included comments by
persons on the treet (two of mine
were used) and some telephone call­
ins.
Tax ab temeJt are imply ODe
don'
economic piece in a broad mosaic of
governmental support or induce­
ments for business development
within specific area, in this case,
Detroit. What they have proven to
be is an economic disaster for any
government that has targeted these
gifts to large corporations.
THAT THEY ARE simply
another corporate rip-off should
have -been een from the tart.
Anybody 0 has done even mini­
mal tudy of Western (England and
U.S.) economic history is aware of
(be exploiting nature of the mercan­
tili t/capitalist ystem. Business
enterpri e has polluted the land,
water and air, has exploited labor,
has colonized the world, bas in­
stigated wars, all in the name of
power and profit.
In this hemi phere, busine s
enterprise began with Colmnb and
progressed to the genocide of the
Native American and for Black
people 400 years of chattel and ge
lavery. With this historical bac -
ground hy ould any intelligent
Blac person tbink tax aba1emen
.for corporations ould engender any
community benefits?
In the month of February e
eulogize Bla history. Why do we
do that? Why uld e study his­
tory? it j t for vague f-
everyone.
When millio food for their
children, or have no medical in­
urance, the fabric of the entire
Dr. MIlNIin arable is Profi
or of Political Science andHistory,
Uni�ity of Colorado. -Aloft
Color LiM- pears ill 200
publiclllio .
/111/ ... eRN r
PLEASE
SEE
v
a
esteem? Or should we study our his- .
tory so that we learn how to analyze
and critique other histories?
Shouldn't we study history in
order to intelligently structure our
individual and collective behavior?
History is not simply the past; it is
operationally linked to the present
aDd predictably linked to the future.
This panel obviously had no grasp of
history of any kind.
Anyone who has been around
Detroit awhile has witnessed the
deindustrialization of this city on a
mammoth ,basis. Anyone who has
been in this country for the past two
years has witnessed layoffs and
"restructuring" that bas brought un­
employment to 11 percent generally
and 22 percent in the Blac com­
munity. With more to come.
At the forefront of this economic
ult has been the national govern­
mentand the multi-national corpora­
tion.
cemed about jobs. Tangential.
Hill gave his usual slowly­
delivered, confused commentary on
an issue; He started by saying he
hadn't made up his mind about tax
abatements. Has Ii made up his
mind about anything? He then went
on to say that 80 percent of jobs are
developed by small business. But
that be was for Pepsi's tax abate­
ment. Is multi-national Pepsi a small
business? Small business doesn't
have the specialist personnel to wade
through governmental bureaucracy
which effectively means only large
business gets tax breaks. All this
from a councilman who would be
mayor.
Dear Erma is a nice person. But
after two decades on council that be
till thinks an adjunct, Madison
Avenue, of the ystem of production
runs the show, is incredible. Maybe
it' her social worker mentali ty.
Another surprising tatement he
made was that GM ought to use its
influence to improve things.
DOESN'T SHE KNOW that
corporations use their influence for
themselves only? It's called atten­
tion to the bottoin line. Doesn't he
know that corporate capitalism is a
cut-throat enterprise. You take no
prisone.rs, no hostages. Would we
have all of tbeIe homeless folk if
corporations practiced noble se
D�PITE THIS, Gil Hilllup­
ports tax abatements. Pathetic.
Erma Henderson suggested tbat our
problems ere caused by Madison
Avenue (the advertising industry).
o naive. V'c Jones said Pe i
gave them promi of employment
Sad. Anthony Adams claimed
a tements re going to be around.
Irrelevant
Pe on the treet ere 000-
clu
._ ...
.....
oblige? •
Victor Jones thought Pepsi �.. •
promises. Corporations sign �:: •
tracts o� day and violale them �. - .
next If you dump toxic w tea in tbi ..
water, air and land, what the ben is •• �
promise? A pr;omise is merely a ." #
tic to confuse the weak-miDded. K, ••.
contract is merely. tactic hieb.:
when not convenient, can b •.
countered through multi-Ievelliti
tion. Haven't trikes,lockou , IOOf =
squads, layoffs, and nmaway plan... . ....
taught workers anything? : .....
In um, the re ponses of uu.': ·
group are at best a warning IDc1 • • :
notice of the third-rate study .. •
economic analysis that's going on .. 4O ...
thi community. It would be la
able if it wasn.'t so pathetic. So many
livea are at staD. And our leadca:.
and po people don't even have
clue about bat's going on.
David Ratnbeau is a jOfU7lQJi#
aNl director of Project BAIT, •
medUl production and traiIUIIg Dr­
ganizatlon headquartered ill
Detroit. RtJIJ'Ibea prodMca -For
My People, - -TMdIImu. p'_."_"
and several odIu telni.rioft �-_ •
tions, He is also a teacher,·
playwright, and poet.