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N°V 20 7967
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
AT GREENSBORO
Department of History and Political Science
November 19, 1967
Chancellor James S. Ferguson
Dear Jim:
This is just to say to you some things that I have been saying over and
over again in my mind, about the students' recent Black Power conference.
Basically, I want to tell you how strongly I agree with what you have
said (as reported by the paper — I didn't see you on TV), but more than that
I should like to record my own impressions of the strong flavor that conference
took on, and how students in two groups I meet reacted to that flavor.
You are so right (and an aspirant for our governorship, from whom I had
hoped for better things, so wrong) about the reasonableness of the holding of
such a forum on our campus. It is so ridiculous to think that it is better
to hide our eyes, or to protect our young people, from controversial areas
such as this one in the thought that somehow this will make them better able
or us better able to survive. Our students did attend these sessions in significant numbers, especially on the third day when our G. D. N. man did not
mention them, they participated in the discussions in a very meaningful way,
and have without doubt profited greatly therefrom. The fact that large numbers
of other students were there too seems to me only to show that our campus was
doing something vital.
I say this despite my understanding that at times the meetings took on
some of the qualities of an evangelistic crusade, and that there were those
present, and on the program, who espoused a straight Marxist-Leninist-
Castroite line. I am not one of those inclined to see Communists hiding in
every bushj I sometimes think much of the Communists' success in the world
must be due to the free advertising they get from receiving credit for everything that is excitingly new and good and accomplished by others. But Lucien
Stone in this conference said everything, down the line, as a good Castroite
womld say the same thing anywhere in Latin America. Far from all the people
interested in black power follow this line — least of all, in this gathering,
the conservative Professor Brewer — but I am convinced that the contacts from
Havana through Stokely Carmichael to men like Lucien Stone remain vibrantly
alive. I feel indeed that the N. S. A. in choosing persons like,Stone to run
its "Black Power Commissionn has made a mistake revealing naivete even greater
than that shown by its involvement with the C. I. A. That men like Stone have
an emotional impact on some Negro students is quite understandable, even if
seeing that impact translated into a shout causes me to cringe just a little,
wherever that happens.
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA / 27412
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| Full text | N°V 20 7967 THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO Department of History and Political Science November 19, 1967 Chancellor James S. Ferguson Dear Jim: This is just to say to you some things that I have been saying over and over again in my mind, about the students' recent Black Power conference. Basically, I want to tell you how strongly I agree with what you have said (as reported by the paper — I didn't see you on TV), but more than that I should like to record my own impressions of the strong flavor that conference took on, and how students in two groups I meet reacted to that flavor. You are so right (and an aspirant for our governorship, from whom I had hoped for better things, so wrong) about the reasonableness of the holding of such a forum on our campus. It is so ridiculous to think that it is better to hide our eyes, or to protect our young people, from controversial areas such as this one in the thought that somehow this will make them better able or us better able to survive. Our students did attend these sessions in significant numbers, especially on the third day when our G. D. N. man did not mention them, they participated in the discussions in a very meaningful way, and have without doubt profited greatly therefrom. The fact that large numbers of other students were there too seems to me only to show that our campus was doing something vital. I say this despite my understanding that at times the meetings took on some of the qualities of an evangelistic crusade, and that there were those present, and on the program, who espoused a straight Marxist-Leninist- Castroite line. I am not one of those inclined to see Communists hiding in every bushj I sometimes think much of the Communists' success in the world must be due to the free advertising they get from receiving credit for everything that is excitingly new and good and accomplished by others. But Lucien Stone in this conference said everything, down the line, as a good Castroite womld say the same thing anywhere in Latin America. Far from all the people interested in black power follow this line — least of all, in this gathering, the conservative Professor Brewer — but I am convinced that the contacts from Havana through Stokely Carmichael to men like Lucien Stone remain vibrantly alive. I feel indeed that the N. S. A. in choosing persons like,Stone to run its "Black Power Commissionn has made a mistake revealing naivete even greater than that shown by its involvement with the C. I. A. That men like Stone have an emotional impact on some Negro students is quite understandable, even if seeing that impact translated into a shout causes me to cringe just a little, wherever that happens. GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA / 27412 |
