OREGON
DAILY
merald
Vol. LXXII, No. 32
University of Oregon, Eugene, Wednesday, October 21,1970
‘New scholarship’ needed, Hare declares
By PEARL BAKKEN
Of the Emerald
American schools need a “new
scholarship” because education today,
including most ethnic studies programs, is
not relevant.
That was the message of Nathan Hare,
editor of Black Scholar and former
chairman of the Black Studies Depart
ment, San Francisco State, one of three
speakers addressing over 200 persons
Tuesday night in McArthur Court.
Racism in education
“You can look at all your education
and see the racism there,” he said.
Echoing his thoughts about the need
for educational change were Dennis
Banks, chairman of the American Indian
Movement, and Ed Benton, associate
director of the movement.
The three speeches were part of the
ASUO’s symposium on racism scheduled
this week at the University.
Hare said some schools have tried to
bring change with Black and ethnic
studies programs, but have “corrupted”
those programs. “Instead of Black studies
they have Negro studies programs with
courses in race relations.”
The classes fail because there has
been no change in ideology or
methodology, contended Hare. The key to
successful programs is “to alter the
ideology of the course—to change the
values of society. You can’t put Black
studies under the same old values,” he
said.
Historical approach
Hare suggested two possible ap
proaches for an ethnic studies program:
•Use the historical approach,
presenting past contributions of non-white
people to various fields and including the
present day contributions, “so nomwhites
can feel a sense of involvement.”
•Use the “yardstick of relevance—
instead of talking about things that don’t
relate to our needs, bring in things that are
more relevant, like math and science.”
Hare said a major mistake with many
of today’s ethnic studies programs is that
they emphasize only culture, art, religion
and painting. “We need to move into some
technology. We need some skills to
overcome the oppressors of our society,”
he said.
Racist history
Racism exists in all aspects of
education, said Hare. For example, “in
history they teach the Blacks and other
oppressed peoples to honor Patrick Henry
who said ‘Give me liberty or give me
death.’ But if one of us says that they give
us death.”
Blacks will be the “catalysts” for the
new kind of scholarship, said Hare,
because “their minds are not poisoned to
racism.”
Pointing out that racism is only part of
a complex group of problems, Hare said
that racism can’t be solved until
“revolutionary fundamental changes in
society bring a new politics, economics,
scholarship, family, morality—a whole
new society.”
“We need a new morality because the
religion of the oppressor is unable to make
men decent human beings.
New politics
“We need a new politics, where
majority rule is not just a myth as it is
today.
“These things have to be changed if
the oppressed races of the entire world are
ever going to be free,” Hare said.
Also attacking the education, Banks
said the educational system in the United
States is a “national tragedy.”
Today’s schools are “systematically
eliminating Indian students from higher
education,” said Banks “The way it is set
up now it is preventing minority people
from expressing their opinions from
standing up and from having the right of
self determination ”
Continued on page 3
Nathan Hare
Ed Benton
Dennis Banks
‘Why can’t we be Americans?’
Panel talks of racism, war
By CLAY EALS
Of the Emerald
Four people giving individual
speeches comprised a panel discussion
Tuesday afternoon: “Racism and War” in
the EMU Ballroom.
Following an hour-long showing of the
film “No Vietnamese Ever Called Me
Nigger,” the discussion was made up of:
•Francisco Rodriguez, Chicano
Student Union.
• Rick Jackson, Indian Student Union.
• David Aquilar, Valley Migrant
Housing Project.
• Ray Eaglin, Black Community.
• Alycia Simmons, moderator.
Sponsored by the ASUO, the panel
discussion was part of this week’s
“Symposium on Racism: Black, Brown &
Red.”
Rodriguez began by saying, “Why
can’t we be Americans in America?”
More and more minorities are being
inducted into the service, Rodriguez said,
“but when we come back, we see our
fathers and mothers living like animals.
We aren’t Americans.”
Minorities called foreigners
Rodriguez added, “They call me a
foreigner. Minorities are always
foreigners. They don’t have a place in this
society.”
Minorities cannot get an education, he
went on, because “people can’t relate to
you.”
Talking of the Chicanos, Rodriguez
continued, “We’re militants. We never
were before, but now we are a little bit. We
can play the White man’s game.”
And, referring to the war in general,
Rodriguez said, “Chicanos are dying for
the White man’s war.”
Jackson began his talk by saying he
didn’t want to “talk too much about the
Vietnam war because of unpleasant
memories.”
Shoudn’t be in Vietnam
A veteran himself, Jackson said when
he was in Vietnam, “I saw only about 25 of
us...my kind (Native Americans). I don’t
think we (Native Americans) should be
there.”
Jackson continued, “Militancy and
determination is bringing the Native
Americans together.”
Concluding, Jackson said, “Without a
People’s Army we have nothing.”
Aquilar said at the beginning of his
talk that, “One thing that makes me mad
is the real poison. The upper middle class
people who have got it made, who are
planning their next year’s vacation to get a
suntan.”
He deplored the use of such ad
vertising devices on television as the Frito
Bandito and said he didn’t like it that in
grade schools in America he was forced to
Today’s symposium schedule
10:00 a.m.—Films: “Los Siete de las Raza”
“No Vietnamese Ever Called Me Nigger”
1:00 p.m.—Panel Discussions: “Racism and Political Power”
Participants: Kent Ford, Portland Black Panther Party
John Trudell, Alcatraz Indians
Frank Martinez, Valley Migrant League
Charles Evers, Mayor Fayette, Miss.
Gloria Gonzalez, Chicano Student Union
Moderator: Art Jenkins
4:00 p.m.—Black Messengers, 50c
7:30 p.m.—Addresses: Charles Evers
Frank Martinez
KZEL (96.1 FM) will broadcast the tape “Panther Lawyers Speak” Wednesday and
Thursday nights. Charles Garry and Carelton Goodlet will talk on the Black domestic
colony and the war in Vietnam. Also to be broadcast will be “Interview with Huey
Newton.”
eat bread sandwK' ?s when he wanted to
eat tacos.
Surprise coming
Addressing himself to the “middle
classed and middle aged,” Aquilar said,
“They’ve got a surprise coming.”
Aquilar added, “The only thing I know
is that society is sick. If something doesn’t
happen, we’re going to run out of
patience.”
Eaglin told the audience of about 150
people that he didn’t believe in Manifest
Destiny (“all of that about moving from
east to the west was a racist lie.”) as part
of a heritage of America which “is all a
lie.”
Talking about people moving to action,
Eaglin continued, “I almost feel like I’m
stupid sitting up here talking.”
There is a market
Eaglin said of the Vietnam war,
“There is a market and the government
has to have something to put their ‘Made in
USA’ on and war is something ‘Made in
USA’.”
He added, “What can you do with
Richard Nixon? He’s the kind of guy that
wouldn’t let you cheat off him in high
school.”
Eaglin said he wasn’t talking of
reform, or writing letters to congressmen,
but saying, “The only thing there is left to
evaluate at this late date is a choice of
weapons.”
He qualified his statement by saying
that letters to congressmen or picketing
could be weapons as well as violent means.
“The whole world is waiting for you to
get it together in your community,” Eaglin
added.
Eaglin then defined racism: “A
psychological and a real trait...you aren’t
born with it. It’s attitudinal and
behavioral—institutionalized and per
sonalized. I even think this whole program
is racist.”
Eaglin then said he thought there
“should be somebody yellow and
somebody White on the panel.”
Closing his remarks, Eaglin said,
“We’re out to rectify a dying system—
bring it to its death.”
Miss Simmons, the moderator, then
told the audience, “We are all in jeopar
dy.’’ She added, “some of us are in double
jeopardy,” referring to women.