editorial
Apartheid — a crime
against humanity
“You can blow out a candle but you can’t blow out a
fire. Once the flames begin to grow, the wind will spread it
higher. ” — Steve Biko
Since the death of Steve Biko at the hands of South
African security police in 1977 (the offical report stated that
he died from “self-inflicted injuries” during interrogation),
the flames of protest in South Africa have spread like wild
fire. Year by year, as the death toll of black South Africans
struggling against apartheid increases, so too has social
unrest grown. In 1985, this struggle for justice has reached
new heights.
With each day that passes, more and more black South
Africans are being detained, beaten, arrested and cold
bloodedly murdered by security police as they take to the
streets in massive demonstrations against apartheid. A clear
example of this brutality can be seen in the slaughter of 19
unarmed blacks in the town of Uitenhage on March 21. What
was their crime? They had gathered in a funeral procession
to mourn the death of other blacks who had been killed by
police in protests two weeks earlier.
The system of apartheid, nourished and protected by
the government of South Africa, represents a cruel and in
humane philosophy of racial superiority. Within that coun
try, a black man or women is a non-person. Although born
in South Africa, blacks are not Citizens in that land, they
cannot vote, they cannot own “white” land and they must
carry identification papers on them at all times or fade arrest.
Apartheid is nothing less than a crime against .humanity.
Steve Biko, one of South Africa’s greatest spokesmen for
equal rights and justice, recognized this/and like thousands
of other blacks, he gave his life in the struggle against
apartheid.
Where do we, as students and as citizens of the United
States, stand in relation to this struggle? We cannot claim
ignorance. We will not be able to say to our children that we
didn’t know what was going on in South Africa. Whether we
like it or not, the news media have brought the reality of
South Africa into our homes. Hardly a day goes by without
mention of the arrests and killings of South African blacks
who seek freedom.
Today is a special day at the University. Today, all of us
who believe in a better world must take a stand on South
Africa. We must fight apartheid and one way to to do that is
to protest against our own government.
For over a century, the United States has supported
South Africa with military and economic aid. By arming
South Africa with the latest technology (computer systems
used by police to monitor black “subversives”, riot control
equipment, etc.), U.S. corporations have helped strengthen
the very apartheid system which they now claim to oppose.
Americans must also cast off the illusion that President
Ronald Reagan’s South African policy of “constructive
engagement” works. It does not. According to 1984 Nobel
Peace Prize recipient Bishop Desmond Tutu, since Reagan
became president more blacks have died at the hands of
South African police then in the previous ten years
combined.
Just as South Africans will determine their own future,
we must determine ours. This translates into pulling U.S.
investments out of South Africa and cutting U.S. military
and economic aid to that country until apartheid is
dismantled. Let your feelings on apartheid be heard. Join the
rally in the EMU courtyard at 2 p.m. today. Together, we can
take a stand for justice by calling upon our government to
end its policy of cooperation with the racist leaders of South
Africa.
G*iATror&y/;
em 1$??
M ART OF K&DGWmw
letters
A tribute
For A1 on May Day :
We are still struggling with
the reality that A1 Szymanski is
gone.
If only he could have taken
what he needed to renew his
strength from those of us who
loved him.
But he seemed to know only
how to give.
We can turn to his writings
for instruction and inspiration,
so that contribution will forever
be available to us. But there is
now a great emptiness in place
of his friendship, and only
memories of his energy,
warmth and kindness remain.
We miss you, gentle militant.
“I have shut my balcony
because I do not want to hear
the weeping,
but from behind the grey walls
nothing else is heard but the
weeping.
There are very few angels that
sing,
there are very few dogs that
bark,
a thousand violins fit into the
palm of my hand.
But the weeping is an im
mense dog,
the weeping is an immense
angel,
the weeping is an immense
violin,
the tears muzzle the wind,
nothing else is heard but the
weeping.”
by Federica Garcia Lorca
Sandra and Michael
Francisconi
Eugene
Oregon doily _ -
emerald
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Show support
The University of
Washington, Harvard, Notre
Dame, Stanford, the University
of Texas, Michigan State
University. Princeton, and cam
puses throughout the Universi
ty of California system are but a
few of the campuses that allow
publication of course and
teacher evaluations.
On Wednesday May 1 the
University Assembly will vote
on a motion to allow students at
the University to see compila
tions of such evaluations at
selected sites on campus.
The faculty at the University
has repeatedly voted against all
but the most restrictive access
proposals over the past 10
years.
This intransigence has led
students to take their case to the
state legislature and prompted
the 1980 Student University Af
fairs Board to debate calling for
a student boycott of
evaluations.
It is time for the faculty at the
University to join their col
leagues across the United States
in allowing students to use
evaluations as a part of their
class selection process.
It is not an unreasonable
request.
Students, please ask your
teachers to go to the Assembly
to vote for the access motion.
Faculty members, please ex
press your confidence in your
students and your colleagues.
Bring those colleagues with
you to the Assembly to support
this appropriate change.
Roscoe Caron
Student Senate
Nonsense
Students for a Progressive
Agenda, whose thundering
eight percent student vote, has
confirmed once and for all that
our campus is indeed liberal.
One out of 15 students voting
is a sure sign that apathy is dead
at the University.
While walking through the
EMU on election day, a cordial
man wearing a SPA button gave
me some literature. I asked him
what are the goals of this group.
He responded by saying,
“SPA is dedicated to the tradi
tion of activism and change."
This makes little, if any, sense.
"Tradition” is a maintenance
of the status quo and "activism
and change” means the active
pursuit of change.
Oh well. SPA doesn’t have to
explain their philosophy or
epistimological values.
I'm sure we'll ail be told that
America, the greatest, noblest,
freest country on earth, is
politically and morally inferior
to that of Soviet Russia, the
bloodiest dictatorship in history
— that our wealth should be
given away to communist Marx
ist failures in Africa, with
apologies for the fact that we
have produced it while they
haven’t.
We will be told to mind our
own business in Central
America but do as much as
possible to interfere with South
Africa.
If we asked our SPA leaders
in the past what are the ideas we
should fight for, their answer is
such a sticky puddle of stale
syrup of benevolent
bromides and apologetic
generalities about brother love,
global progress and universal
prosperity (at the USA's ex
pense) that a fly would not die
for it or in it.
Will things be different with
Lynn Pinckney?
Historically speaking, no.
Dan Goulet
College Republicans
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