![[photo of C. Tucker]](someone.gif)
Black History Month has its roots in a week-long recognition of African-American contributions to the development of civilization. This was started by Carter Woodson in 1926 and was intended to be held in February, as close to the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln as possible.
There was a sense among historians, such as Dr. Woodson and Dr. W.F.B. Dubois, that heroic deeds of individuals were interdependent with the actions of the unknown millions and that denying the contribution of black people to the progress of humanity repr esented the denial of true human history. WPI is recognized by some as having had one of the most interesting and provocative Black History Month programs in Worcester and this year looks to continue in this tradition.
The library will display two exhibits, one by the Black Student Union which will emphasize life in Africa and the Caribbean and the other which will contain the works of African-American writers. SocComm has selected "Sugar Cane Alley," which depicts lif e in Martinique under French colonial rule, as a part of the Passport Films series (to be shown on the 17th) and the film "Finzan" which was produced in Mali, to be shown on the 21st. "Finzan" is the story of two women's rebellion against traditional ma le dominance in the village and is considered one of the boldest examples of socially engaged filmaking to come out of Africa in recent years.
One of the highlights of the month-long celebration will be a lecture given by The Atlanta Constitution editorial page editor, Cynthia Tucker. Her talk will focus on The Bell Curve and its implications. An excerpt from her article "'Bell C urve' Rides the New Backlash" reads: "The polls reflect a nation whose white citizens are tired of the black and brown poor, wary of immigrants, resentful of expanding civil rights. Blacks, for their part, are cynical about racial progress. The politica l climate is ripe with cheap demagoguery and petty scapegoating. Welfare mothers, Mexicans, feminists and gays top the hatemongers' hit list."
This discussion is timely, for it comes just as Congress is considering major cuts in social programs, a time when a Social Darwinistic approach would easily justify such a spending decrease. Tucker is responsible for guiding the development of the Co nstitution's opinion policies and her visit to WPI should present the community with some thought-provoking commentary.
Recently added to the schedule of events is a visit from the cultural attaché of Haiti, who will give an update on the political situation there, with a point of view which is perhaps a little different from that of the American media. In a talk with Pro fessor Bland Addison, who organized this event and served on the committee which arranged many of the events in the schedule, he mentioned that: "It behooves us all to talk to the heroic people of Haiti and to find out what's going on there." While it is admirable that the U.S. tried to arrive at a compromise, there is some concern as to whether there will be a lasting peace once outside armed forces leave; hopefully this talk will give us some insight.
On the same day, a PBS video conference will be held to discuss the progress that has been made in increasing campus diversity and where we might go from here. It is fairly evident that there is more that can and should be done to bring students of diver se cultural backgrounds to WPI.
There also will be an African Market, concerts featuring many styles of music, including a percussion concert, "African Rhythm," and a jazz concert as well as other presentations on campus and all students are encouraged to attend. Another program "WPI i n Africa" will include the personal experiences of an IQP group which worked in Botswana.
To sum the programs up, Black History Month will give the WPI community a chance to view the current state of African-Americans, life in the Caribbean and Africa and even some of the current on-campus efforts to increase diversity.
Perhaps the most striking comment about the importance of this month of recognition is one made by Professor Addison: "It is shameful how little Americans know about Africa--our ignorance is as vast as the continent itself."
Cynthia Tucker, editorial page editor of The Atlanta Constitution will be coming to WPI to speak about The Bell Curve and its implications aspart of Black History Month on Wednesday, Feb. 8 in Newall Hall