Rowan, Carl T.

English

Howard University: Digital Howard

New DirectionsVolume 7 | Issue 2 Article 41-1-1980Propaganda Babes in the Woods'Carl T. RowanFollow this and additional works at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirectionsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Howard @ Howard University. It has been accepted for inclusion in New Directions byan authorized administrator of Digital Howard @ Howard University. For more information, please contact lopez.matthews@howard.edu.Recommended CitationRowan, Carl T. (1980) "Propaganda Babes in the Woods'," New Directions: Vol. 7: Iss. 2, Article 4.Available at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol7/iss2/4COMMfNTARY20NEW DIRECTIONS JANUARY. 1980The following was excerpted from anaddress by journalist/authorCarl T Rowan, at Howard University's112th Convocation, September 21,1979.'Propaganda BabesIn the Woods'By Carl T. RowanThis is a time of both gloom and hopefor Black America. Gloom becauseunyielding racial discrimination keepsBlack America in economic distress.And the American political process,along with the mood created by themedia, have fostered terms like "re-verse discrimination," and legal actionsexemplified by Bakke and Weber, withthe result that the position of the Blackfamily, relative to the white one, hasworsened. In fact, the Black family isbeing destroyed.When I came to Washington almost19 years ago to join the Kennedy Ad-ministration, the normal Black familyhad $54 income for every $100 thenormal white family had.Through the anti-poverty program andother programs of "The New Frontier"and "The Great Society," the incomelevel of Black families increased ap-preciably-to the point that by 1967the Black family had $64 for every $100available to the white family.Then, in the late 1960s, along withRichard Nixon, came a period ofpoison. Racist code-phrases like "lawand order," "welfare bum," "food stampchiseler," "reverse discrimination," "ra-cial quotas" soon filled the air, theairwaves and the pages of America'snewspapers. "Big spender" and "biggovernment" suddenly were abhorredby Americans more than hunger, injus-tice, joblessness, bigotry.In this ugly new dog-eat-dog America,social progress virtually stopped, atleast where Blacks were concerned.Black family income began to declinerelative to that of whites. Black jobless-ness began to rise. Current LaborDepartment figures show white unem-ployment at 5.3 percent and Blackjoblessness at 11 percent.And what has happened to Black familyincome? It has slipped back to wherethe Black family has only $57 for every$100 available to the white family.That is not just another of the statisticsof racism in America. It is reflected inthe high rate of divorce among Blacks;the appallingly high number of Blackfamilies headed by women; the atroci-ously high number of Black girls andyoung women who are sexuallyexploited and brutalized, who bearbabies out of wedlock, whose livesbecome dead-end at age 16, 14,even 12.How does this happen to us Blackpeople? How do we let Black family'income rise from 54% to 64% and thenfall back to 57%? How do we let a civilrights movement fall into limbo?We succumb to frustration: "Whitey ain'tnever gonna let me be equal- so tohell with integration." We lapse intoschizophrenia: "How come Pat Harrisheads HUD [former secretary of theDepartment of Housing and Urban De-velopment] and she doesn't force allthem white suburbs to let Blacks in?" isTuesday's cry. Wednesday, at thebarber shop, the same person is gos-siping about a friend who saved up hismoney, challenqed the realty system,and bought a home in what was anall-white suburb. "Why would old Jimdo that? That nigger wants to be whits!"But the reason for Black impotence anddespair that troubles me most is thefact that we are propaganda babes inthe woods. We have failed to givesufficient emphasis to these things:• The power of trained intelligence.• The need for Blacks to get intoposition to influence, even manip-ulate, the communications media.Let's face it Black Americans havebeen out-propagandized on law andorder, welfare, reverse discrimination,Rhodesia-well, you name the issue,and you will have to admit that we have1Rowan: Propaganda Babes in the Woods'Published by Digital Howard @ Howard University,not gotten our licks in, either in themedia or the Congress, or the WhiteHouse.Ed Brooke fought a valiant struggle inthe Senate to prevent a situation whererich women can get abortion afterabortion, but poor Black women mustbear babies that they do not want. NowBrooke-the sole Black voice in apowerful body of 100 [US Senate]-is gone. Tragic.In the House of Representatives, theBlack Caucus is increasing in stature,but it still does not wield enough influ-ence in a body of 435 to prevent theHouse from many actions that areinimical to the well-being of BlackAmericans. Imagine a majority of theHouse voting down implementation ofthe Panama Canal Treaty. The "ColonelBlimp" colonial mentality is very muchalive in the House.So we have a Senate, newly-steeped infear of the Soviet Union, that votes toreduce spending on social programs infiscal 1980 by $3.6 billion-a cut inwelfare payments and unemploymentbenefits, for example - while at thesame time increasing the defensebudget by $25 billion over the nextthree years.The House is balking, reluctant to goalong with this madness, thank God,but the point remains that you and mostof Black America are not even in on thediscussion.While some senators talk about reduc-ing funds for social programs, the priceof heating oil has gone up 50 percentsince January and 100 percent since1976. Food prices have risen 20 per-cent in two years.Half the Black families in America liveon $10,142 or less. The Bureau of LaborStatistics says $11,586 is needed for alow standard of living. Will you tell mehow-given today's prices-a couplewith three children can pay for rent,food, fuel, transportation, clothing andstill provide education and a decentchance in life for the youngsters on$10,000 a year? That is why thoseBlack families do not buy books, sub-scribe to newspapers or magazines. Itis one reason why a lot of BlackJohnnies cannot read or write, and whyBlack adults do not know enough aboutwhat is going on to put proper pressureon the politicians.John O'Leary [former deputy secretaryof energy] says millions of Americansface a cruel choice this winter: "Heat oreat," "food or fuel." You know and Iknow that the cruel choice will fall upona disproportionate number of Blacksand other minorities.But how well-prepared are we, evencollege professors, to fight to ensurethat Blacks do not suffer unfairly?How many people have taken a looklately at the Food Stamp program?Carter "reformed" it, mostly to appeasethe conservatives who were making it apolitical football. He got Congress toremove the purchase provisions whichkept many of the very poorest familiesfrom participating because they simplydidn't have the money to purchasesome [food stamps] so they could getmore food stamps free.But in order to embrace the pitiablypoor, a compromise was struck wherethe so-called marginally poor would beexcluded. It is a tragic truth that millionsof Americans whose earnings arebelow the poverty level ($7680 for afamily of four) do not get food stamps.More than half the 18 million Americanswho eat off food stamps are in familieswith incomes below $3,600 a year-or$10 a day.The program has been running at $7billion a year, which is a lot of money, tobe sure. But it is not enough.'Make no little plans. Theyhave no power to stir men'sblood and probablyin themselves will not berealized ... '21I started out talking about gloom andhope. I've given you so big a dose ofgloom that you have to be asking,"Where is the hope?"It's out there, in the form of teachersand students at dozens of institutionslike Howard University.How do I say that with certainty? Frompersonal experience. From time to time,one of you students is wild enough todecide to write a term paper, or thesis,about me. After I'm badgered for aninterview for days, I relent, and thestudent shows up to ask, in one way oranother:"How does a Black man who used tohoe bulb grass at 10 cents an hour,who belonged to a family in which noone ever had graduated from highschool-let alone college-wind upwinning a bitter public feud with J.Edgar Hoover, getting on Richard Ni-xon's enemies list and surviving, crit-icizing Jimmy Carter and still gettinginvited to Camp David for talks aboutthe energy crisis?"How? Because 38 years ago I wasgiven much the same kind of opportu-nity as you youngsters. I left my littletown of McMinnville, Tennessee, andwent to Tennessee State, scared abso-lutely to death, wondering how in theworld somebody from my terrible littleschool could compete with childrenfrom high schools in places likeNashville, Knoxville, Memphis andChattanooga. I got down to TennesseeState and -10 and behold -what didthey do. They put me in an art class.They never heard of art in my highschool. But I went in and the teacher,Miss Frances Thompson, looked out.NEW DIRECTIONS JANUARY. 19802New Directions, Vol. 7 [], Iss. 2, Art. 4http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol7/iss2/422 She said, "I want each of you to take apiece of paper and I want you to writeon that piece of paper the grade youexpect to get in my class." Well, Isummoned up all the courage I couldmuster and put a big C on that piece ofpaper.We passed the papers back and sheriffled through them and paused andsaid: "Would Carl Rowan from McMinn-ville, Tennessee, raise his hand?" Istuck my hand up. She said, "Wouldyou stay after class for a moment for alittle chat with me?" I said, "yes,ma'am." The other students left and shesaid.Did it surprise you that I knew youwere from McMinnville?" I said, "no,ma'am." She said, "Would it surpriseyou if I told you I knew every grade yougot in high school?" I said, "no, ma'am."She said, "Well, I know you didn't get aC in your life and I want to know whyyou would put a C on that piece ofpaper?" And I sat there, speechless, asshe pulled open a drawer. She said, "Iwant to read you something." And shebrought out a piece of paper and readme some words written in 1926 by aman named Daniel Berman. Thosewords were: "Make no little plans. Theyhave no power to stir men's blood andprobably in themselves will not berealized. Make big plans in the hopesthat through the years they will becomea thing of living, burning intensity" Shehanded me another piece of paper,and I said: "If that's the way she wantsit!" I put a big A on that piece of paper.I can tell you that no teacher in humanhistory ever worked so hard to earn herstudent an A as Frances Thompsondid.That was exactly what a little greencountry kid needed -a bit of confi-dence, a bit of belief. And I'm askingyou, especially those of you who areinterested in communications, to be-lieve, to believe that you can come outthere and at least do something tomake America less a dog-eat-dogplace and a country with a little bitNEW DIRECTIONS JANUARY, 1980more heart and a little bit more dedica-tion to that sense of justice that raisesits head every so often and then getsknocked down.Frances Thompson, and a few otherteachers like her, taught me that youcannot beat the system, in fact youcannot survive in this sytem as a realman or woman, without education-and without staying abreast of thedevelopments that affect you and thoseyou love.Some jokers who have surrendered tobigotry are always trying to sell"separatism." They make it soundpalatable to the ill-informed and spine-less. As for me, I'm going to have lunchwhere James Kilpatrick, George Willand Hugh Sidey [co-panelists in a localTV show] have lunch. If I don't hearwhat they hear, read what they read,drink with whom they drink, how do Icompete?It would be difficult for Blacks to com-pete if they cannot articulate their aspi-rations and grievances, and state theirproposals forcefullyIf I could issue one heartfelt plea to ourstudents it would be that you read atleast two newspapers every day, atleast one news magazine weekly, andwatch a television news show at leastonce a day If you don't know, you don'tgrow.Beyond that, I beseech every studentto fall in love with the English teacher.That will shield you from the misguidedjokers who, in their frustrations, goabout telling Black kids that they don'thave to learn "the white man's lan-guage," that "Black English" is OK, andadequate, and furthermore it is a sym-bol of Black pride.Good English never belonged toWinston Churchill; it was employedmasterfully by Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr. Standard English was not the pro-perty of John F.Kennedy; it was usedwith consummate skill by WhitneyYoung, Jr. Convincing, eloquent Englishwas not a private possession of EleanorRoosevelt; it helped to make MaryMcLeod Bethune a force for Blackfreedom that we shall honor for as longas Black men and women breathe.Jesse Jackson catches hell for seeingArafat. Espousing justice for Palesti-nians is unconstitutional, you will as-sume from the clamor. But when thepress grabs him, I don't worry aboutJackson. He has the facts and he cantalk- in English.We, as a people, need so many thingsso desperately. More doctors and den-tists, teachers and therapists, scientistsand sociologists. But we need nothingmore than our youngsters moving onto the editorial boards of newspapers,helping to decide what goes on televi-sion screens as the news of the night,helping in meaningful ways to shapethe mentality of America.We need more discipline in BlackAmerica. We need more determinationin Black America. We need more sac-rifice in Black America. And, we needmore trained intelligence in BlackAmerica.Without dedication to these truths, weshall forever be burdened by the prob-lems of grade school violence, highschool drugs and dropouts, adults whocannot read and write well enough toanswer a want ad or get a driver'slicense. We shall for times unlimited seeour communities in economic despair,our children face to face with humandegredation, our families rent asunderby self-hatred and hopelessness.By God, we shall do better than that. 03Rowan: Propaganda Babes in the Woods'Published by Digital Howard @ Howard University,

Propaganda Babes in the Woods\u27

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Propaganda Babes in the Woods\u27

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