BASIB
"You're the only Negro I've seen that
can't sing ..." The person who made this
statement has just found out that his
prejudice was unfounded. And a statement
like that shows that contrary to what some
people might think, Negroes have been and
are stereotyped at Guilford. It happens
very rarely and is quite subtle, but it's there
nonetheless.
Fortunately, with thirty-five Negro
students on campus this year, an
organization was formed with which the
black student can identify, BASIB. Last
year, there were only nine blacks on
campus, and many often complained that if
they didn't see another black person soon,
they'd go out of their minds.
Brothers and Sisters in Blackness was
the organization the Negro students
needed. Its purpose by now is known to
everyone—to aid the Negro student in
becoming more aware of his history,
culture and role in society. There are
similar groups at Wayne St., Detroit, at
Amherst College, Massachusetts, at Wake
Forest U., UNC-G and other colleges
throughout the country, so the idea is not
new.
But more important than making the
Negro student more aware of himself, is
BASIB's effort to get the white student to
know the Negro and his problems. Whites,
in fact, seem to have missed out on a whole
chapter of history by not recognizing that
the Negro has been in this country almost
since its beginning. Many white people
criticized the recent segment of the CBS
program OF BLACK AMERICA, saving
that some of the instances shown of
Negroes in history were insignificant. What
they failed to realize was that it's not a
question of their relative importance,
rather more a question of just recognizing
that they were there. BASIB does well to
concentrate on the white people to help
undo their prejudices.
So it seems that although our black
students should not be stereotyped, they
have been in the past. We heartily endorse
BASIB's effort to erase these prejudices.
-MARK LESSNER
