An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890 | 02.01.2019 Vol. 219 No. 089
Racism Protestors March On Beardshear; Talk Is Heated BY THOMAS.QUAIFE @iowastatedaily.com After Friday’s demonstration on central campus, several protesters marched on Beardshear Hall to demand that university administrators account for their actions regarding a list of demands presented by black students May 17. The central campus demonstration ended at 2 p.m., and many of those attending started to walk away when someone shouted, “We’re going to Beardshear.” The intention was confirmed by Cornelius Henry, chairman of the Black Students Organization (BSO), who announced over the public address system that interested persons should join the march to Beardshear. Nearly 60 persons marched to the administration building, where they
proceeded to the office of ISU President W. Robert Parks. Parks was out-of-town at the time, but the demonstrators did summon the attentions of two other administrators: Wilbur Layton, vice president for student affairs; and George Christensen,vice president for academic affairs. The two administrators and the 60-some demonstrators assembled in a conference room adjacent to Parks’office. “We don’t want a conference, we want action!”shouted one of the demonstrators. Several of the demonstrators expressed anger over the fact that Parks was out of town.They said the two groups sponsoring the central campus demonstration, the BSO and Phoenix party, had invited Parks to the rally, which was “the most important” event on campus that day, but Parks had devoted himself to other matters. Although Parks was absent, the
demonstrators sought explanations from Layton and Christensen concerning the May 17 demands. Layton and Christensen referred to two of the demands before Henry ended the meeting by saying, “As everyone here can see, no progress has been made, but we’ll be back…” One of the demands that was covered in the meeting was on demanding that black students be allowed to speak with Parks directly when problems arise. Christensen said he could not speak for Parks on this demand. Another demand called for a “halt of all mental abuse and physical harassment of black students and community persons by the Ames Police Department, specifically Officer Roland Dippold.” “Why can’t the University put the ‘screws’ on the police force?” a demonstrator asked. “I imagine all of you are over 18, you
IOWA STATE DAILY ARCHIVES George Christensen (pictured left,) and Cornelius Henry (pictured right.)
can register and vote… you have powers as voters to determine (the composition of) the city council,” Layton said. “You expect us to work through the ‘system’when the ‘system’is deteriorating?” shouted a demonstrator. Christensen then referred to an Aug. 7 meeting he sought to arrange between the black students, deans and faculty heads, which failed to materialize when no black students attended. Henry replied to Christensen, “I don’t play the rules of your game…How many times have you been to the Black Cultural
Center? You are afraid of blacks.How can you administer?” A student, who would not identify himself, asked why black students did not attend the Aug. 7 meeting planned by Christensen. “Who are you addressing your question to?” Henry said, glaring. When it became obvious that the student had addressed the question to Henry, the BSO chairman replied, “Get out of here, you’re not one of ‘the people.’” and proceeded to push the student out the door.
About this Rally Probes Issue Of Justice For Blacks, Whites edition BY MURIEL.ECKSTEIN @iowastatedaily.com
Black History Month, celebrated on an annual basis, serves as an opportunity to reflect and recognize the many achievements of black Americans. In this edition of the Iowa State Daily, we aimed to repurpose old articles — reprinted in their original form — in an effort to highlight the tumultuous, yet powerful, history of black students at Iowa State, specifically in the late 1960s and early 1970s between the Black Students Organization and the Athletic Council. Our Voices editor, Whitney Mason, also provides a retrospective on the advocacy and activism of students not just in the 1960s but also the 1990s during the renaming of the building now recognized as the Carrie Chapman Catt Hall. Iowa State, nor the Iowa State Daily, was immune from the systematic racism so intrinsic to many higher education environments. We hope that by revisiting the stories, and students, that were critical to our university’s history we can cement the important role that black students had, and will continue to have, at Iowa State. Thank you for reading, — Alex Connor, editor in chief — Whitney Mason, Voices editor
About 400 students gathered on Central Campus at noon Friday to talk about an ugly word — racism. A demonstration, entitled, “Does Justice Mean Just Us?”, was sponsored by the Black S tudents Organization (BSO) and the Phoenix Party. After a musical presentation, it dealt with the question of whether racial discrimination exists in the Ames community and at Iowa State. Jane Larkin, an ISU graduate and Phoenix member, drew cheers from the crowd when she said the main difference dividing people is not race, “it’s the difference between exploiter
and exploited.” “The same thing is sustaining racism as started it — the profit motive,” Larkin said. Larkin briefly traced black history from slavery to their role as cheap labor after World War II; they (blacks) became part of a system called wage labor. Some people would call this wage-slavery,” Larkin said. Larkin criticized the use of the “political tactic of divide and rule.” She said white leaders fear blacks and whites organizing together,” and create a situation so white workers are better off than black workers, thus identifying themselves with white owners. When it was announced that Phoenix Party and the BSO were working together on the demonstration, Larkin said questions were asked and eyebrows were raised.
“They’re afraid if the black and white students get together, we’re going to do something. Well I hope to hell they’re right.” Following Larkin’s talk, a guerilla theatre involving a court trial was presented. It was announced that “any relationship between this court-trial and any actual court trial is purely coincidental.” The details involving a white woman accused of forgery who says she was forced to do so by a black man, were similar to a court case in Nevada this summer, involving Edward Larmond. At the end of the “trial,” when the black defendant was sentenced to 10 years and the white girl set free, he sent the words ringing across central campus, “This is a mockery of justice, a mockery, a mockery.”
Black Students Organization EDITOR’S NOTE: THE WRITER IS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BLACK STUDENTS ORGANIZATION.
EDITORS — The Black Students Organizations came into existence during the fall quarter of 1968 as a tangible vehicle for the physical survival and mental restoration of black students on the campus of Iowa State University.
At that time, the organization consisted primarily of black student athletes; there existed virtually no non-athletic black student body at the university. Injustices in the athletic program spurred by academic and social schism caused the Black Students Organization to present the university and athletic department with a list of concerns and demands. The concerns
of black students were not adequately met at that time. As a result of the position taken by the university, black students’ relationships with the university administration and its predominantly white student body have greatly suffered. The pur pose of the Blac k Student Organization is to offer the black students an opportunity to participate in an organization
that is geared to meet their political, cultural and psychological needs while at Iowa State and when they return to the communities from which they came. Specifically, the organization philosophy seeks to expound upon and instill the following principles and ideology: 1) to serve as a structured; focal
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