Civil Rights
by Joe Volpe
It seems only appropriate that
we, living in Greensboro, should be
concerned with civil rights. Certainly the presence of two Negro
campuses and the first sit-in demonstration oi the Negro Revolution
held here in Greensboro, should be
constant reminders of the problems
that are now plaguing our country.
However, being human, it is not
easy to forget, especially if it is
something we do not wish to be
reminded of. Rut, there comes a
time when even the most absent-
minded of us must remember. The
time in point was a month ago
when a group of Negro students
from South Carolina State tried to
integrate an all-white bowling alley. The result was needless and
senseless killing by the South Carolina State Police, which can only
be interpreted as an act of sheer
stupidity and/or violence.
The unnecessary attack with
shotguns and automatic weapons
is a display of just that attitude the
Civil Rights Movement is trying to
terminate. Certainly actions like
these are reinforcement for the vio
lent Negro behavior of the past
three summers. The question is:
how can irresponsible behavior
that hinders progress, of both Negroes and whites, be resolved? Of
course, the answers are not easy.
Rut, the potential to solve them
lies with the intellectual community. It is in this atmosphere where
the fallacies of stereotyping and
projection can be exposed. It is
here where prejudice and discrimination can and should be objectively evaluated and conclusions
reached about each.
The educational system, not job
training, stands as the best potential solution to the problem. Rut, it
is the educational system that
stands in the area of biggest failure. In order for education to serve
as our salvation there must be a
constant stressing of responsible
ideals and, most important of all,
the application of them. The time
has come when rational and responsible thinking must dominate
the traditional emotionalism found
in a situation that is enslaving
thousands of people.
