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BLACK COLLEGES, BLACK STUDIES     FOSTER

more as a fad than as a viable human-sustaining concept. Such skeptics do not view, certainly in an optimistic sense, Black Studies as moving toward a redefinition of education, a definition which has as its center the necessary preparation for enabling one to think and to work out meaningful programs to serve Black people.

It seems, too, that many people when thinking about Black Studies focus too exclusively on the cultural aspect. By no means is this an unimportant part of Black Studies, but it must never be used as the only, or major, measuring stick to judge the success or failure of a program. Just as it would be a mistake for a Black Studies program to concentrate solely on the teaching of Black history, Black literature, Black art, Black music, and African dance, so is it a reflection of unawareness or simply narrow-mindedness when the critic dooms Black Studies as failure because of the absence of Black culture conspicuousness.

Of course Black Studies cannot afford the luxury of training young minds for obsolete jobs, a luxury, in part, indulged in by Booker T. Washington at the turn of this century. Black Studies faces an ever present paradox: its training must meet the test of practicality, now; but at the same time prepare for future challenges. To meet this dual demand requires a profound sense of analysis not only of the society here in the United States but to a comprehensive degree, the world condition as a whole must be grasped, specifically with some knowledge about the role Black people are going to play in the decades which lie immediately and distantly ahead. Failure to properly analyze the operative world forces means, at best, that prescribed action which Black people might take, be it to the job market place or to a revolutionary battle field, will be on shaky grounds, indeed.

It requires considerably less than a genius to know that a Black Studies program serious about Revolution will get no sustained support from HEW, Ford Foundation, or an establishment-oriented college university, be it in the form of grants, budget allotments, or otherwise. Self-preservation has long been considered the first law of living animals, and the worst possible mistake any revolutionary can make is to underestimate the intelligence of his foe.

Black Studies is one means of dealing with the needs of Black people. While a very strong case can be made to show the absurdity of having a Black Studies program on a Black College campus, the presence of such a program on the Black campus can definitely be a positive force. In June, 1972, we completed the fourth year of organized

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