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EDITORIAL
the
nali t gath
vention thi ,
number of frican
aero th country r main limited.
Simply adding frican erican journ li t
to the ran of th n ti n m dia i of little in
to the Black community if tho e journali t
deny th ir heritag and ign re the truth in pur-
uit of per onal advanc m nt.
ft r all, r gardl 0 th job, it i very dif-
ficult to buc th b . 11 of u now con ciou -
ly or uncon ciou ly what i exp cted of u on the
job. We know what w an g t away with when
it come to v rin fr m th norm.
Too often, African Americ do only what is
necessary to eep their paychec coming rath r
than the right thing. But thi i true in all field,
not ju t journali m.
Black face in high place do not meanju tice,
righteou ne r an nd to raci t practice .
Every day of the year there are Blac banker
who continue redlining: Black politician who
prop up th white p wer tructure ; Black
teacher wh di mi ghett youth a incor
rigible; Black athlete who inve t their million
anywhere but in the community; and Blackjour
nali t who turn their head to the real truth.
African Americans in this ociety - whatever
the job - bear heavy burden . First they must
excel just to keep the job. Then, they are only
one mall cog in a large racist institution.
But, because they are African Americans in
tegrity and the community demand from them
something more, something better than the
norm.
The experience of being African in America
is unique, ho tile and rough. Thu we 1 to
each other expecting greater compassion, 'a
deeper committment to ju tice and with the
. hope that since y u are African American, you
will do a little ornething more, a little some
thing different to right the wrongs of the past.
In short, it is always hock to OQU(\Ill fric
Americans who p t th c st st'stettlS
imbedded in Americ, ciety. J .
For journalists who are by profession sup
posed to be committed to searching out the
truth, the burden of great expectations is espe
cially high.
So, while the goal of hiring more African
Americans into the newsrooms of the nations is
great, how many can or will dare to sacrifice
their personal advancement in the pursuit of the
truth?
The whole media bu ines in thi country will
slowly but surely evolve, if having Africans in
the newsrooms means what it should mean.
That unique life and cultural experience will
help open a nation's eyes to the wrong it does
daily, the truths it ignores and the history it
refuses to correct - IF those journalists are
committed to truth rather than a paycheck.
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. OUI oris FOI T I' ruTV I
01 FOI IITTII
PUILIC
SCHOOLS
VIEWS 'OPINIONS
TRUTH is spoken
through demonstrative action by the
oppressed to those who oppres , it
sets the stage for change to occur.
This i the reason that despite the
diversionary actions of persons like
Buthelezi, the struggle against
raci m and economic exploitation in
South Africa will continue to
ccelerate. Truth d on
t ide of th tional
Con d nothin ho of to
di manUin 0 partheid ill do.
Here in th United St tes, it .
important for the nti- p rtheid
movement 0 keep the p ure on
during thi dvent to the final
moment 0 victory. Vigilance d
trong c of olidarity are till
nece ary. We must not let our
i te and brothe in South Afri
trike alone. We must ct in concert
with them and do our part here to
demand freedom and j lice in South
Africa and in America.
We have beard that De Kler has
changed hi previous oppo ition to
the e tabli hment of an "interim
coalition government" toward a free
and democratic South Africa. The
uccess of the strike and recent
demonstrations, at least now, have
caused a political situation where De
Klerk is willing to entertain the idea
of negotiating the issue of the interim
government before the end of this
year. The interests of freedom and
justice should not be delayed. There
is no justification for waiting until
the end of the year to negotiate an
interim govemmental structure.
The time to act is DOW. Every day
CIVIL
RI HTS
JOUR
ee more nd more politic 1
murde nd vlole ce in South
The tim to e bl h and
egoti te interim lution no ,
ot 1 r. Th people 0 South Afri
ve dy endured holocaust of
genocide nd unprecedented
exploitation. The time to end this
m dn no.
Th trike for freedom in South
Africa i trike for freedom
throughout the world. the world
re-orders," let m e ure the
uffering of the people of South
Africa is not forgotten. It i
intere ting th t during the 1992
presidential campaign thus far,
Africa in general and South Africa in
particular have not been i u of
debate and concern.
Racism will not end itself. It
to be truggled against in every place
all of the time. We are tbankful that
our isters and brothers in South
Africa have not lost hope and are
fighting on wi th renewed
determination. Apartheid in South
Africa will be broken down finally
by the might of the people who cry
out for freedom and who will not rest
unW victory is won.
OF COURSE WITH THIS JACKET YOU'LL NEED ALL THE PROPER ACCESSORIES.
urpri
ing· influence of Anita Hill
By JAMES E. ALSBROOK
Good news and bad news have
resulted from the Clarence Thomas
nomination hearings last year. The
news is good for Black people but
bad for George Bush and Clarence
Thomas. .
The good news is that Anita Hill
has become an admired and effective
role model for millions of women of
all races in America and abroad, and
that she has opened doors for
darkooskinned Black women who
heretofore had been shunted aside by
many Black men and stereotyped
among whites with the AuntJemima,
cook-maid-cleanup-lady image.
Receiving a reported $10,000 per
stop on the lecture circuit, the Yale
law graduate and professor is
dazzling audiences with her breath
of knowledge, her clarity of
explanation and vocal projection,
and her pithy gems of wit and
wisdom.
She enunci ates, glorifies and
personifie women's hopes and
aspirations acro racial and cultural
lines.
THE SPFAKER'S bureaus at
universities and especially at
women' clubs are filling
auditoriums with her as special
guest These women internalize and
regurgitate her values.
Her effect on women's opinions
is undoubtedly strong. Some women
must be wondering now what their
Black female kitchen help could
have done with 'the advantage of
Hill's upbriging and education.
Hill's influence is being felt
e pecially on two fronts - the
Women's Liberation front with its
condemnation of sexual harassment
and gender inequali ty, and the
freedom of choice front in which
repeated surveys show most women
prefer to have the legal right to
decide for themselves on all matters
pertaining to their own bodies.
Both of these fronts are
quagmires for George Bush.
Big daily newspapers report that
white Republican women are
applauding widly when Hill speaks
on these two fronts. An unexpected
fallout of the Thopw' Hearings is
that Hill's performance on the sexual
harassment issue inspired women to
the extent that two women in
California, one in Dlinois and one in
Pennsylvania have become strong
conten<icrs for this year' election to
the U.S. Senate.
THE BUSH PLAN to get
Thomas on the Supreme Court was
designed to achieve two objectives.
The first was to diminish and reverse
the Black-equality ideas and thrusts
of Thurgood Marshall. The second
was to use Thomas' supposedly
"high" standing as a symbol of Black
approval of the "white is right" Bush
political action bible.
Some Blacks who admired
Marshall were happy to see a
dark-skinned Black like Thomas
named to a high position.
Having lived through years of "If
you're Black, stand back," many
dark-skinned Blacks quickly
considered Thomas a very special
role model. To them he was a symbol
of emancipation from the color caste
originated by slaveowners and
perpetuated by the nation generally.
This color cast held that
light-skinned Blacks were more
valuable and preferable than
dark- kinDe<! Blacks imply beca e
they had some white blood.
But Thomas disillusioned many
who gloried in and identified with his
very dark kin. They looked only at
him - without examing his record
of anti-Black decisions and
I'
administrative policies.
THOMAS CAN sit in the "Black
seat" on the Supreme Court for forty
years and try to overturn the 1954
. Brown v. Topeka desegregation
decision as he has mentioned doing,
but the more rational minds would
out vote Thomas along with Justices
Scalia and Rhenquist.
Perhaps the most important thing
Anita Hill has done, however, is to
redefine the Blac woman to
employers and to the increasingly
sophis ticated public. This
redefinition has a ripple effect.
Why? Because for the first time a
national network is using
Black-skinned women on camera
nationwide.
Attractive Starr Jones, a jet-black
trial law.yer, is legal consultant,
reporter and commentator for NBC.
And Debra Roberts, also jet-black
and pretty t is a frequent on-camera
reporter and anchor woman. .
Millions will see these role
models and unconsicously improve
their attitudes and actions toward
Black people.