Leadership
By Todd Anderson
Assignment Reporter
■ A speaker says leaders
of tomorrow must remember
the past and work together
to create a better future.
The future of the black freedom
movement is at risk, and it’s up to young
leaders to seize the opportunity to guide
the way into the next century, Cornel
West said Saturday night.
West, a Harvard professor of sociol
ogy and prominent Mack leader, spoke
during the Big 12 Conference on Black
Student Government at the Comhusker
Hotel.
“When I look at our youth, I don’t
see Generation X, I see Generation
Expectation,” West said.
Good leaders, he said, are driven by
their identification with three senses:
history, uigency and destiny.
Identification with past leaders and
their struggles is key to a leader’s drive
to make a difference, West said.
“You know you can’t do anything
else because the love burning in your
heart won’t let you do anything else,” he
said. “That’s the sign of a leader.”
West said we live in a “hotel civi
lization, where the lights are on all the
time” - a society that emphasizes com
fort and convenience and “refuses to
acknowledge the dark side of society.”
But, he said, black people have had
to deal with the dark side of humanity
because of the legacy of slavery, oppres
sion and discrimination in the United
States.
Identification with that tradition of
struggle pushes black leaders to have a
sense of urgency, West said.
“Why does there have to be so many
folk suffering in a justified manner?” he
said.
“Black folk raise (that question) in a
nation that claims to be the freest, most
democratic nation in the world. How do
we account for it?”
West said the way young people
react to that question will determine
how future generations will view die
work in progress today.
“We’re not going to be here forever,”
he said. “What will we pass on?”
As in preparation for battle, leaders
must prepare their weapons to tell die
truth and start change, West said.
And their desire for change comes
from loving oneself and others, he said.
Love, which comes from the com
munity, is the answer to problems creat
ed by a market-driven economy, West
said.
“More and more creative, visionary
young folk are having to deal with a cul
ture centered around buying, selling and
advertising,” he said.
West said “market morality” defies
the rules of love, trust and kindness.
He said those nonmarket values
should be extended to all people.
Finally, leaders must have a sense of
destiny or calling, which must not be
confused with a career, West said
“You need to do your homework to
come through for your calling,” he said
Once leaders have realized their
calling, West said, they must look for
other leaders and work together to
achieve their goals.
He said today’s leaders are ready to
challenge mainstream ideas and make
some changes.
But, he said, there’s no guarantee
that black freedom will thrive.
“Itis up to each and every one of us,”
he said.
“For those who accept the chal
lenge, m be there with you because Fm
going down fighting and swinging.” .
i • . ' r'
Lane Hickenbottom/DN
JAY TERRELL, representing Salem Raptist Church in Omaha, pears his voice ent in gospel daring the Gospel
Extravaganza an Friday night at the Corehesker Hotel. The celebration helped kick off the Rig 12 Conference on
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Speaker calls for unity
By IevaAugstums
Assignment Reporter
When Cheryll Sibley-Albold
went to college at a predominantly
white school, it was not easy to excel
as a student.
But she overcame racial difficul
ties to succeed, so she shared her strat
egy with other black students Saturday.
“What’s important here is that I
was in the same situation that many of
you are in now,” Sibley-Albold said.
“And I received help back then, and
you can receive help now.”
Sibley-Albold, coordinator of
central programs at Macalester
University in St. Paul, Minn., talked
about why black college students are
leaving predominately white campus
es in her workshop called,
“Historically Not Ours, but Presently
We Need a Plan: Strategies for
Navigating a Predominately White
Campus.”
Sibley-Albold said black students
must remember their rich history and
the educational struggles many had to
face and overcome.
“Blacks are not here in college
just because of affirmative action,”
Sibley-Albold said. “We are here
because we have been in college -
and we are here to stay.”
Sibley-Albold identified four rea
sons why black students tend to not
excel:
■ Low academic performance.
■ Dissatisfaction with course
requirements.
■ Low social integration.
■ Lack of institutional commit
ment.
Students agreed with Sibley
Albold; however, many said there
were more pertinent issues on their
campuses that need addressing.
Brianna Frazier, a student at the
University of Colorado in Boulder,
said when one minority group suc
ceeds at something - grades, organi
zations, programs - the whites at her
school respond in racist ways.
“On our campus reverse racism
claims are becoming more and more
frequent,” Frazier said.
“We don’t deserve it nor does
anyone else.”
Sibley-Albold said Mack communi
ties on campuses need to unite and stay
true to their beliefs and values. Students
can do that by using opportunities they
have in the classroom, she said
“Searching for your culture in
school is not going to be easy,” Sibley
Albold said. “You will have to get up,
move around and do something.”
Glenda Johnson, a student at
Saint Ambrose University in
Davenport, Iowa, said it is hard to
find your “grass roots” when a white
professor “doesn’t know jack about
teaching a multicultural course.”
Tiffiany Bellard, a student at the
University of Central Oklahoma in
Edmond, said her professors and
classmates think she represents the
whole black community.
“In some of my classes I am the
only black student,” Bellard said.
“Everyone else in class, therefore,
diinks I represent the whole black race.”
Sibley-Albold worked with stu
dents regarding their issues and con
cluded that everyone needs to learn
from each other.
“Remember to look at your cam
puses as a whole, not as individual
pieces,” Sibley-Albold said.
“Everyone has a part in the big puzzle.
“Everything will fit together
eventually.” 1 .
tt
Searching for your culture in school is not
going to be easy. You will have to get up,
move around and do something ”
Cheryll Sibley-Albold
Malcalester University central programs coordinator
n
&a i
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By Lindsay Young
Assignment Reporter
Steve Birdine refuses to skirt
around issues.
His direct and comihon sense
approach made many who attended
his workshop Friday afternoon laugh,
gasp, groan and cheer.
About 100 studentsand advisers
participated in Birdine’s workshop,
“ACTION! A Common Sense
Approach to Improving Your
Campus Climate.” Birdine is the
president of Creative Diversity
Communications and is a faculty
member at Indiana University.
Birdine’s goal, in 75 minutes, was
to get “young people to focus on
what’s important.” This included
school, relationships with each other
and students’ contributions to strug
gles at their colleges.
Birdine’s discussions, including
dating choices and partying, recruit
ment and graduation, were things die
students could relate to.
Some of Birdine’s points were
hard for some students to hear, but
they hit home, said Veronica
Michael, Moorhead State
University’s Woman of the World
United adviser.
Birdine encouraged students to
act - not sit back, watch things hap
pen and complain.
Several times throughout the 75
minute workshop, Birdine would yell
“Affirmation!” and die crowd of stu
dents would respond resoundingly
“Action!”
Birdine told the audience that
because the predominantly white
campuses are going to stay predomi
nantly white, the way the Mack popu
lation approaches issues needs to
c
e need to stop focusing on the
negatives and find a way to focus on
the positives,” Birdine said.
Also, when working on recruit
ment, he said, students need to stop
telling only the negatives to potential
students.
“The best recruitment tool you
have is to stay in school and gradu
ate,” Birdine said.
He encouraged students to band
together. Often, students are discour
aged from studying together or even
complimenting each other, he said.
When asked how many people knew
someone in a gang, about 20 people
raised their hands.
“Nobody can hurt a black person
worse than another black person,” he
said.
And, he said, as he students make
these strides in leadership, they need
to work at bringing others with them.
“As you reach up you should
always reach down to bring someone
up to you.”
Events bring students together
UNITY from page 1
allowed everyone to discuss prob
lems and concerns on their respec
tive campuses, Croom said
The conference, which ran
Friday through Sunday at the
Comhusker Hotel, 333 S. 13th St.,
was a help to many students and
black student coalitions.
Adair Shanks, conference man
agement team leader, said by the aid
of the conference, participants were
making plans to visit other schools.
“It is amazing to see everyone
uniting under one cause - despite
our differences,* Shanks said.
Kisha Miller, a Creighton
University student, said everyone
could unite through the events.
“The conference makes you
think,” Miller said. “It brings forth
the negative individual experiences
in our lives and makes us all create