Black Studies inspires sense of destiny
By Nathaniel Scott
serves that function in all societies.
We realize that examinations that
test IQ’s, which are designed around
and modeled after cultural bias o f
the European, are not designed
aroud the cultural experiences o f
Black people or people o f African
descent. The educational process
here is a negative one.
Observer: What do you feet is the
im portance o f a Black N a tio n a l
Holiday?
Little: A Black national holiday
would be useful, but I don’ t think
it ’ s as significant as people make it
out to be. My reason for saying that
is, there are some other fundamen
tal things that need to be done that
are much more important.
Observer: M artin Luther K in g ’s
Birthday...?
Little: It’ s alright, but there are
much greater men in our history
than M a rtin Luther King. For
example, one can look at DuBoise;
one can look at Garvey; one can
look at T.T.Thomas Fortune and
quite a few others that have made
substantial contributions that are
much greater in their ideas and
philosophies. On the other hand,
Martin Luther King is a present day
hero, so it ’s alright to look at him
because people, white and Black
respect that. Malcom X is probably
a more sig nificant in d ivid u a l to
recognize, not so much because he
evolved out o f the lower class, but
because the philosophies that
Malcom had w ill be the basis o f
Black liberation in this country.
Portland State University’ s Black
Studies program is headed by
W illiam “ B ill” L ittle , Ph.D. His
field is Political Science. Prior to
teaching he worked in construction
and served five years in the U.S.
Marines.
Dr. L ittle is chairm an o f the
Regional Ten C ouncil o f Black
Studies. Following are his responses
to questions posed by the Portland
Observer during an interview.
Observer: H hat is the difference
between Black culture and Black
studies?
L ittle : Let me deal w ith the
question o f d e fin itio n , because I
think we have to deal w ith that
before I can began to answer your
question. The problem arises when
we began to talk about Black
culture. Black is a color, it’ s not a
race of people. When we talk about
Black hnd white, it evolves out of
the European mentality that tends
to define things by color as opposed
to ancestry. Basically what you are
talking about when you say Black
culture is African culture. Culture
and studies are not inseparable; they
are defined parts o f the same thing,
but because we live in an European
dominated society, we have sort of
separated these functions and there
arises the maze. When people talk
about cu ltu re , they are ta lk in g
about history, art and the music.
They aren’t talking about culture in
terms o f politics and culture in ter
ms o f social relationships, yet, those
are cu ltu ra l things are as well.
Because a person says he is in
terested in Black culture doesn’ t
mean he is interested in understand
ing the interactions and decisions
and the behavior o f Black people.
Observer: What does Black
culture entail?
Little: Black studies entails a total
examination o f the tota lity o f the
African and the African diaspora.
Basically the Europeans have
designed and developed notions that
places Blacks in an inferior position.
A position that’ s not reasonable or
desirable. In fact, it’s inaccurate. So
W IL LIA M
to a large extent, we have to create
an accurate picture o f the African
past and present, which w ill provide
a stronger identity of self. We are
trying to get rid o f the distortions
and the omissions that whites have
perpetuated against people o f
African descent.
Observer: What are your views
about education, grade and college
level?
Little: Education is a process of
learning, developing, becoming
aware o f facts and events o f the past
BILL" LITTLE
and understanding what your poten
tials are. That is the process that
education is suppose to do. But,
when you began to look at the
process o f education in America for
people o f A fric a n descent, the
education here is basically designed
to facilitate a strong emotional at
tachment to the American society
whether you are racist or not. In
other words, the education here is
basically a propaganda sort o f thing
to ensure that the people have some
sort o f love attachment identifica
tio n to the established society,
where that society is just or unjust.
But to carry it further, education
Observer: What are some needed
changes w ithin the Black com
munity?
Little: The biggest problem that
Black people have in this country is
their welfare mentality. When 1 say
welfare mentality, 1 don’ t mean that
people have to be on welfare. It’s
just like the notion that I have to
have someone do it for me. Black
people have to get a sense of them
selves. A sense o f people. A sense o f
responsibility for our own destiny.
And until we take control o f our
destiny in the sense o f building
relationships, networks, support
bases, and take mutually benefical
action among ourselves, we w ill
continue to be in a deprived sort o f
condition.
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