1993_02 The Daily Collegian February 1993

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February 8. 1993
Uhuru Na Umoja
Patted
— ^m^^
Cokely Speaks
Annopncements
What's the Latest?
Stan early and give your community the
latest. What's going on in your organiza¬
tion? Call the i/hum today and tell us
your upcoming events and meetings.
278-6863
Get three units by working with the
Uhuru!
Fulfills an ethnic studies requirement. No
experience required. For more Informa¬
tion contact the Ethnic Studies depart¬
ment. 278-2923
New Add/Drop Date
The new date is February 12.
A.S.U. Meeting February 10
Find out the upcoming events for the
semester and the following school year.
USU Room 302, Wednesday at 6 PM.
"Black Youth Doing for Self
Conference"
The Church of New Light for New Ljfe
presents the first annual Black Youth
Conference February 20, from 1 to 9 PM.
Keynote speaker features Professor Griff.
$8 in advance, $10 at the door. For
more information contact Brother Todd.
456-4913.
Come Study the Truth!
Every Wednesday at 6 PM theChurch of
. New Light for New Life hosts an African
American Studies Program for all ages on
various topics dealing with African
American truths. Located off of
Stanislaus and L Street B
Date Change
Delta Sigma Theta has changed their
"Tribute to African American Women"
conference date to Saturday. February 13
from 2-4 PM.
StilNoeSn-rring a bell?. Some people   rid of him as his adviser. It took Sawyer a
week to decide to fire Cokely after he
refused to resign.
The Rev. Herbert Martin, executive
director of the Council of Human Rela¬
tions in Chicago, declared thathe thought
Cokely's comments had a "ring of truth.
They're inflammatory, yearr?" said Martin,
according to the New Republic, "bujt
sometimes the truth is rather inflamma¬
tory."
The New Republic commented that,
"prominent leaders expressed solidarity
with Cokely either on the ground of
freedom of speech or of the truth in what
he said. Not one black official dared to
contradict Cokely at that time?'
Cokely's documentation of
facts.books, and figures on file have even
frightened superiors higher up in the
government, who have, on several
• ocassions, tried to stop him speaking by
declaring him as "insane," and attempting
to institutionalize him in a mental asylum.
These attempts have not stopped
Cokely as he continues his quest for
speaking the truth!
"We've been slaughtered, killed, beat
tip, locked down 400 years and we, the
victim, will be accused of being racist
when we oppressed nobody," said Cokely.
Cokely will be speaking on February
17 at 6:30 pm in the Upstairs Cafeteria
Room 200. .   f>
Farrakhan Day
Fresno City is sponsoring this event
February^ from 12 to 3 PM. Free.
\U
may be more familiar with Cokely if they
knew his role in* the heated controversies
between the African Americans and
Jewish people in Chicago.il!inois during
the mid 1980s, or his role as counsel to
several Chicago mayors.
"- Harold Washington was Chicago's
first African American mayor and was
criticized for favoring the needs of the
Jewish community over his own, because
his ticket to office was supported by
Jewish voters. However, the African
American community suffered during
Washington's term: the predominately
African American public schools were
branded the worst in the United States and
the infant mortality rate for African
American babies was worst than that of
Costa Rica's, according to the New     t
Republic August 8,1988.
When Washington died of a sudden
heart attack at the age of 67 in November,
1987, the next in ":•»» as acting mayor was
African American Alderman Eugene
Sawyer. Cokely was the advisor to
Sawyer. This caused a scare in the
segregated city of Chicago because two
African American activists were in control
and would play a significant role in the
governing of Chicago.
Negative racial slurs and uprising
would interfere withChicago's heavy,
political agenda and a disgusted Cokely,
became the voice of the angry Aliican
American community. He would give
public speeches which were censored by
the media, so that he would be blamed as
the catalyst of the African American and
Jewish People conflicL
Cokely criticized Washington in a
speech on "Compulsory Education is
Mandatory Strangulation" November 18,
1987, saying Washington had "sacrificed
himself to the white power structure and
then was betrayed by it." He termed this
situation as African Americans in a state
of "colorlessness," meaning; "many
blacks who attempt to become coioriess
are then met by the inveterate racism of
the white community."
Such speeches heated up the Jewish
community, who then stepped to the new
acting mayor Sawyer. Sawyer was ap¬
proached privately by Jewish leaders who
opposed Cokely's speeches, claiming they
were "Anti-semitic" and urged hint,. ■ .1"
Conform to Love
Be it that our love was meant "> ^
Without exhaustion
Succumb to my kiss and ask me:
"Is my heart worthy of your willful
desire?"   *     •
The emotions in my love is true.
Burning frantically like an uncontrolled
fire.
Our passions shall shine over the deep
rooted oceans
The sentimental eyes of you and me are in
Basic forms of initimate dreams.
The horizons of our love is farther than it
seems.
—John Spencrr .
Movie Nights
However the movie "Sflrafina" por¬
trayed the life of bold students in South
Africa who dared to speak out and take
action for what they believed in. The
action resulted in imprionsment, but
Sarafina, who always shuned her mother
for being a housekeeper for a white
family, realized that her tnothcr wcaUdn't
have survived in such an environment that
.rondemns black pride. Her motlter's way
of being militant was providing for her
family and making a way for^her child to
go to school. '
Some spectators couldn't find a   •
common relationship between African
Americans and South Africans after
watching the movie.
"I don't think anybody here [America]
has a clue of what really goes on in South
Africa," said Daivs-»That was a real
reality check for me watching the movie."
Another spectator agreed.
"The only thing that I could feel was
anger for them," said Hooker. "I really
couldn't relate because I personally have
never been through that much brutality."
South Central
The name concisely expressed the place
setting of the movie, but the usual gang¬
like seterotype some people have of South
Central wasn't the whole movie.
There was a heart- felt theme that
climaxed towards the end that demon¬
strated that a gun with bullets cannot kill
tiie love between a father and his son.
The story began in 1982 were a'gang
called "Deuce" had one of their leaders
named Bobby finally released from jail.
Bobby, not knowing he ever had a son,
came home surprised and frustated when
he saw his girfriend holding his one-year
Old son.
Conflict developed in the plot when
Bobbv was caueht for the murder of a
enlightened in prison. Bobby went
through the same revelation by disvocer-
ing his roots through history books the
wise inmate induced him to read.
Finally Bobby gets out of jail and seeks
revenge on the. leader of the Deuce gang.
Bobby desperately wants to find his son,
who was sent to a boys' home because his
mother was strung out on drugs and
couldn't take care of him after he got out
of the hospital. Bobby viaited/the-boys'
home to see his son but realized that his
son wasn't receptive to the positive things
he was telling him and the promise that he
would get him out of the home.
Disgruntled, the son escaped. The
police approached Bobby, wondering
where the son went. Realizing that once
his son was caught by the police he would
be in the same predicament as he himself
was when he was younger,. Bobby went
around the town frantically searching for
his son, finding him at the Deuce head¬
quarters.
Friction erupts between Bobby-and 4he
gang leader, who felt betrayed because
Bobby was no longer a member of the
gang. The gang leader held Bobby's son
in custody, as though he was his own son;
at the same time the gang leader held the
home owner, who had previously shot
Bobby's son, at gunpoint, tlcd-up in the
middle of the room.
Although the simmering heat became
oppressively hot, Bobby stayed cool as the
gang leader pointed his gun at him. Bob!»
hoped that faith and self-control would
keep him alive. When Love won the
battle, all the guns dropped to the groui
The son rushed to his father's arms and
both father and son wept oyer the lost