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Page two
Editorial
Cartoons on trial
By Brian Carey
Editor
Cartoons and comics serve an interesting function in a college
newspaper, as they do in any newspaper. To the newspaper
production man, they are used as artwork to brighten up the page.
For the reader, they can summarize an article, elucidate certain
points, address controversial issues, state an opinion, or merely
entertain.
The first issue of the Guilfordian this academic year, dated
September 11, 1979, contained two cartoons which accomplished
several of these objectives, but were also perceived to be racist and
offensive.
One, drawn by staff artist Dave Jewett, dealt with the seemingly
innocuous topic of the "six-year plan" at Guilford. The other was a
nationally syndicated political cartoon concerning South Africa.
While it is not the policy of the Guilfordian to reveal the sources
and/or motives for any article or cartoon we publish, it was felt that
an explanation could benefit all.
Because of the broad nose and black, curly hair of one character
in Jewett's strip, and the character's references to the six-year
plan, prison, and football, many black and white members of the
Guilford College Community assumed he was black.
Since the character now was black in some reader's minds, his
comments were perceived to imply that blacks are dumb jocks
bound for jail, a stereotype the Guilfordian vehemently condemns.
In actuality, this character was modeled after David Brown, a
"finally" alumnus who had a healthy head of curly hair and a
longer timetable for education than four years.
(This is)... "a stereotype the
Guilfordian vehemently condemns."
A matter of perception? Perhaps. But it is a sad comment on the
state of race relations at Guilford when misconceptions such as
these can almost turn into a full-fledged controversies.
Guilford can certainly not be accused of discrimination against
minorities in its admissions, hiring, curricular, or other policy. But
one must also be vigilant against the increasing tendency to
smother minorities, particularly blacks, in a blanket of isolation and
protection.
Brothers and Sisters in Blackness is a case in point. While
seeking to make blacks aware of their cultural heritage, a noble
cause, the actual effect of this campus organization borders on
segregation and alienation of blacks from the greater community.
The justification of their $2900 Senate-funded budget should also
be seriously examined by this year's Community Sentae.
One comment by a white Guilford College professor revolted me
the most. The faculty member said that if the roles in Jewett's
cartoon had been reversed (if the obviously white character had
spoke of six years, etc.), everything would have been fine. Such a
comment stinks of duplicity of values, and further discredits the
over-reactions to this particular cartoon.
continued on page three
Object Description
| Title | Cartoons on Trial |
| Date | 1979-10-07 |
| Creator | Carey, Brian |
| Biographical/historical note | Brian Carey was the editor for The Guilfordian, Guilford College's student newspaper, in 1979. |
| Subject headings | Guilford College |
| Topics | Race relations at Guilford College |
| Place | Greensboro (N.C.) |
| Description | This October 2, 1979 editorial published in the Guilford College student newspaper, The Guilfordian, defends cartoons recently published that had come under fire as racist. Carey points to the student organization Brothers and Sisters in Blackness (BASIB) as potentially segregationist and calls for a justification of their student-funded budget. |
| Type | text |
| Original format | clippings |
| Original publisher | Greensboro, N.C. : Guilford College |
| Language | en |
| Contributing institution | Friends Historical Collection, Hege Library, Guilford College |
| Source collection | The Guilfordian (Civil Rights Clippings) |
| Rights statement | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/ |
| Additional rights information | COPYRIGHT NOT EVALUATED. The copyright status of this item has not been fully evaluated and may vary for different parts of the item. The user is responsible for determining actual copyright status for any reuse of the material. |
| Object ID | GUI_GuilfordianCRG.1141 |
| Digital publisher | The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402-6170, 336.334.5305 -- http://library.uncg.edu/ |
| Sponsor | LSTA grant administered by the North Carolina State Library -- http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/ld/grants/lsta.html |
| OCLC number | 884367749 |
Page/Item Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Full text | Page two Editorial Cartoons on trial By Brian Carey Editor Cartoons and comics serve an interesting function in a college newspaper, as they do in any newspaper. To the newspaper production man, they are used as artwork to brighten up the page. For the reader, they can summarize an article, elucidate certain points, address controversial issues, state an opinion, or merely entertain. The first issue of the Guilfordian this academic year, dated September 11, 1979, contained two cartoons which accomplished several of these objectives, but were also perceived to be racist and offensive. One, drawn by staff artist Dave Jewett, dealt with the seemingly innocuous topic of the "six-year plan" at Guilford. The other was a nationally syndicated political cartoon concerning South Africa. While it is not the policy of the Guilfordian to reveal the sources and/or motives for any article or cartoon we publish, it was felt that an explanation could benefit all. Because of the broad nose and black, curly hair of one character in Jewett's strip, and the character's references to the six-year plan, prison, and football, many black and white members of the Guilford College Community assumed he was black. Since the character now was black in some reader's minds, his comments were perceived to imply that blacks are dumb jocks bound for jail, a stereotype the Guilfordian vehemently condemns. In actuality, this character was modeled after David Brown, a "finally" alumnus who had a healthy head of curly hair and a longer timetable for education than four years. (This is)... "a stereotype the Guilfordian vehemently condemns." A matter of perception? Perhaps. But it is a sad comment on the state of race relations at Guilford when misconceptions such as these can almost turn into a full-fledged controversies. Guilford can certainly not be accused of discrimination against minorities in its admissions, hiring, curricular, or other policy. But one must also be vigilant against the increasing tendency to smother minorities, particularly blacks, in a blanket of isolation and protection. Brothers and Sisters in Blackness is a case in point. While seeking to make blacks aware of their cultural heritage, a noble cause, the actual effect of this campus organization borders on segregation and alienation of blacks from the greater community. The justification of their $2900 Senate-funded budget should also be seriously examined by this year's Community Sentae. One comment by a white Guilford College professor revolted me the most. The faculty member said that if the roles in Jewett's cartoon had been reversed (if the obviously white character had spoke of six years, etc.), everything would have been fine. Such a comment stinks of duplicity of values, and further discredits the over-reactions to this particular cartoon. continued on page three |
