SSS SSS SEE

SPECIAL ISSUE

DRED SCOTT
1857

   
  

ARAMBEE

ARE aN A CAN PLOPLE | ee a. :
K ‘TIGER’ a
JWIDELL

 

 

 
  

GARY JACKSON
1970
 

Historically, Amerika has
always adherred to a very
racist policy in reference “to
Black people. This has been
true in the past, and it is
true today. We can equate in
principle the firing of Gary
Jackson to the racist decision
handed down in the case of
Dred Scott. The overriding
implication in both situations
is that a Black man has no
rights that a white man is
bound to respect.

In 1857, the decision in
Dred Scott wv. Sandford was
handed down by then Supreme
Court Chief Justice Taney.

The factual situation differs
from the one Surrounding Gary,
but that is not what matters.
what matters is that histori-
cally and presently, the at-
titude of the white powers has
not changed. AS Black people
we still confront the same
questions today that Dred scott
faced in 1857.

In the Dred Scott case, the’

court faced this basic ques-
tion: "Can a Negro, whose
ancestors were imported into
this country and sold as
slaves, become a member of
the political community
formed and brought into exis-
tence by the Constitution of
the United States, and as
such become entitled to all
rights, and privileges, and
immunities guaranteed by
that instrument to the citi-
zen?"

In coming to its conclu-
sion, the court relied heav-
ily on the meaning of the
word “citizen.” Citizen
was sSynonomous with. the words
"yeople of the Unites States"
They both described the poli-
tical body which, according
to their republican institu-
tions form the Sovereignty
and which holds the powsr
and conduct the government
through their representatives,
The question was, therefore,
whether Dred Scott was of
that class of persons. if
ne were of that class, then
Congress could not make any
laws foiling his right to es-
tablish religion and the free
exercise thereof, or abridge
his freedom of speech or of
the press, or his right to
peaceful assembly and peti-
tion the sovernment for re-
dress of grievances, Nor
could Congress deny him the
right to keep and bear arms,
the -rignt to trial: by -jury,
or force him to be a witness
against himself in a criminal
proceeding.

Was Dred Scott of that
class? The court held "We
think they(Negroes) are not,
andthat they are not included
aod were not intended to be
included, under the word
‘citizen’ in the Constitution,
and can, therefore, claim
none of the rights and pri-
-vileges which instrument pro-
vides for and Secures to Ccl-
tizens of the United states.
On the contrary, they were at
that time considered as a
subordinate and inferior class
of beings, who had been sub-

 

.l2 GUAGE

 

 

jugated by the dominant race,
and whether emancipated or not,
yet remained subject to their
authority, and had no rights

or privileges but such as those
who held power and the govern-
ment chose to grant them," In
essence, a 3lack man has no
rights that a white man is
bound to respect.

Now, more than a hundred

years later, has our predi-
cament changed at all? Of
course not. The Kansas soard
of Regents arbitrarily dis-
missed Gary. He did not break
any laws and had fulfilled the
obligations required of his
academic appointment, but his
Constitutional and human rights
were violated by an arrogant
clique of managers who chose
to ride roughshod over this
University, its faculty, and
its students, Dany a_man

the right to work, and you
deny him the right to live.

lialecolm X said that Black

people in this country are
merely twentieth=century slaves,
Only now, we are the happiest,
best fed, best dressed, richest
best educated, most tzlented
Slaves on earth. But, what
does that mean if we have no
fundamental control over our
lives, if white racists and
fascists still determine our
destiny,-if the persons in
power rip us off at random
every time we do something
that they don't approve? One
hundred and thirteen years
after Dred Scott, Black people
still have not received equal
protection of the laws or due
process of law.

We, aS a people, must not
allow this cnprecedented sit-
uation to continue. At some
point in our history we are
going to have to stand up and
say “cnough!" The limitations
of a tyrannical government and
its agents are only prescribed
by what a people will endure,
Racism and fascism will only go
as far as we let it, or ignore
it. Action and resistance

Will stop it; 20 call the go-
vernment, the Board of Regents
fascist, faggots and pigs
meanstnothing. History has

  

AN INJURY TO ON2,
IS AN INJURY TO ALL!!!

proven them so. The ques-
tions we must ask ourselves
are: What are we going to do
about it? and What are we
willing te endure? All the
lamentations and screams in
the wicld didn't stop the
pigs from murdering Tiger,
from running £ldridge into
exile, from unseating Adam
Clayton Powell, from murderin;
Fred Hampton, from dismissing
Angela Da vis at U.C.L.A.

for her beliefs, and so on
down the line from before <=
1857 until now.

At a time when we as a
people are trying to close
ranks and speak in terms of
nation building and conceive
ourselves as a nation within
a nation, we cannot allow
anyone to violate our most
fundamental rights and vamp
on us at will. One of the
basic tenets af nation
building is the ability to
protect members of the nation
from the aggressions of out-
Siders, if we seriously
believe the idea that an in-
jury to one is an injury to
all, then let us not allow
the Board of Regents to
arbitrarily dismiss Gary Jack-
son without expressing our
most serious protests and
political consequences. To-
day it may be Gary, Tomorrow
it may be you or me, The
pigs in power have proven
themselves historically to
have a thirst for lynching A
nigger, Some nigger, Any
niggers.

Therefore, we are calling
on all Blacks at this Uni-
versity, in this community,
in the state of Kansas, in
Amerika, and in the world;
we are calling on all pro-
gressive and freedom loving
people to defend Gary and
demand that he be reinstated
by the Board of Regents, who
so flagrantly, arrogantly,
impudently, and arbitrarily
violated his.Constitutional
rights today, just as Dred
scot's were in 1:/57.

Unity
Trust
and
Respect

 

At present, we are asking every one to sign

the petitions individually,and as interest

groups or organizations. The petitions will

be located in the main area of the Union. Also,

there will be persons carrying petitions at

at various locations. Help us get Gary rein- x

stated and sign the petitions.

 

of acting in the interest of
maintaining the white power

and United States world domi-
‘mance, The chancellor has <a¢

again proven his ability to

approve the largest group of

people even if it is at the
expense of a smaller group,
Justice, obviously, means lit-
tle to these men,

This is but another example
of the arbitrariness and bru-
tality of Justice meted out to
Black people in this country.
Such examples tabound in Amer-

ikan history; and there is no
reason to believe things will
change unless we change them,
I hope we will not do business
as usual while allowing Bro-
ther Jackson tb be isolated
and taken off in such a cold
blooded manner. Remember that
this could happen to you,.
' Judge Taney'’s Dred Scott
Decision lives on. A Black
man does not have any rights
that a white man is bound to
respect. AND NEITHER DO HIS
SO-CALLED FRINEDS!!!

 

 

"FREEDOM IS NOT A COMMODITY

WHICH IS GIVEN TO THZ ENSLA-
_VeD UPON DEMAND. IT IS A PRE

CIOUS REWARD, TH SHINING
TROPHY OF STRUGGLE AND SCRI-
8 LORS KWAME NKRUMAH

As many of us read about
the injustice dealt Gary, we
will probably say, "Damn, “the
pigs are something else." And
with that, the reaction stops.
But, empathizing or sympathi-
zing with Gary's situation is
not enough, White liberals
have been sympathizing our
oppresSion away for four hun-
dred years, and Black people
are still oppressed. Instead,
we, aS citizens of an African
nation, must be about defining
some concerted action that we
can take to reflect our dis-
gust and resistance to the

' white Board of Regents" dic-

tatorship.

MOST. 411 NOt all. of us-are
here riding on the white man's
free ticket. But, we can't
let concern for our scholar-
ships override our concern for
a Black brother. We have to
realize that our scholarships
can be taken away at any given
moment, and, most important
of all, with or without pro-
vocation. According to the
new policy instigated by the
Board of Regents via the ad-
ministration, students can be
expelled for using profane

 

language on University grounds. es

Now, how many. of us don't say
a 20 of: i's?

So, push that scholarship
out of your minds, The strings

are there, and we can *+. "good

 

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

WE CAN OVERCOME ANY OBSTACLE

DISORGANIZZD AND DIVIDED,

WE WILL FALL ONZ BY ONE.

ieee them away. Besides,”
what we are dealing with is |
much more fundamental than | Be
college diploma (what ta:

mean, anyway?). At issue is

our basic human right to de-
fend ourselves against co-
wardly attacks by self-pro-_
claimed protectors of this
racist society.

Perhaps each of us should
put himself in Gary's posi--
tion. [tis not so improba-
ble or impossible to imagine.
So what if you don't break
any laws. Don't forget that
Gary didn't either. Right

~ now we don't determine if or
when a law is broken, The
pigs have the power, there-

' fore, they define and de-
termine who breaks the law
and what punishment. the so-
called lawbreaker deserves. ~
If and when the pig decides
to vamp on us, he will vamp,
then devise a law to justify:
our destruction and to per-
petuate the myth of a civi-
lized and legalized society.

It is common knowledge —
that the Black athletes are
a Spineless entity at KU.
But, we can't stop at simply —

~ condemning them, but, look at
the reasons why. They, too,
like the rest of us, are con-
trolled by a monarch, whose
primary concern is to win
games, thereby encouraging
the monied, white alumni to _
keepicropping bills on the

University. ‘The Regents

Ks i
ai ge

Showed this very clearly when |

they delegated funds to the
athletic department that the
Student Senate (which lega- |
“jiy authorizes student funds)
had not appropriated. It is
true that Black athletes here.
cannot take a stand for Black
people or, in fact, for their
own manhood if it conflicts
with University policy. sut,
the time is long overdue for ~
each of them to decide where
their loyalties belong--with
their Black brothers or with
the white man. They must
realize that they, like Gary,
can be vamped on. some o
them may be blinded by a pro
contract dangling before
their eyes. But, that, too,

is subject to the whim of the
white man. Many of the ath-
letes already realize that they
are being messed over, They
are not allowed to play, and,
at, best, are being underplayed.
This disgust should be trans-
formed into some decisive ae-
tion--action directed toward

getting Gary Jackson reinstated,

  
 

 

FREE ALL
POLITICAL PRISONERS!