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FREEDOMWAYS   FIRST QUARTER 1973

Black Studies at Jackson College.12 It was a moderately successful year, but having, we feel, profound significance for future Black Studies programs, particularly on the Black College campus. The main thrust came from the College itself, utilizing fully the human and material resources and expertise available at our Institution. A sound philosophy, uninterrupted continuity, and sincere commitment are vital ingredients for building a useful Black Studies program. Fortunately, it can be proven that these ingredients are present at Jackson State College, and we look forward to their being nurtured to the point of excellence in the very near future. For us, Black Studies is far from dead.

well-rounded schedule at Jackson State

Formal and organized Black Studies at Jackson State kicked off in September of 1968, when the College started an Institute for the Study of History, Life, and Culture of Black People having as its director, Dr. Margaret Walker Alexander. Comprised mainly of undergraduate courses to be offered throughout the regular academic year, the Institute is an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental program within the regular college curriculum.13 In the year Black Studies was started on campus, six courses were offered by the Institute; courses designed to enrich the students' general knowledge with specific information concerning the heritage, culture, and life of Black people.

By the end of the academic year 1971-72, Black Studies at Jackson State College had expanded substantially relative to 1968, both in course offerings and in the number of students taking those courses. During three summers since 1968, Jackson State College has offered a workshop in Black Studies, the first workshop coming in the summer of 1969. By far, the biggest of these workshops14 was offered in the summer of 1971 when, in addition to the Institute faculty and thirty participants (college and high school teachers), more than a dozen nationally known Black scholars were brought on campus as consultants and for eight weeks the college and community were baptized in holy Blackness. Following the outstanding workshop of 1971 was a relatively small, though effective, Black Studies workshop in June and July of 1972 involving mostly high school teachers.

Our Black Studies program is very much community oriented. In all extra-curricular campus affairs the community is asked to participate. Moreover, speeches to church groups by Institute faculty were made throughout the year and workshops, designed to help

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