THE SUMMER SESSION KANSAN
79th Year, No.1
The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
June 10, 1969
Panthers want action
"We want Brother Huey P. Newton set free today, or the sky's the limit," said Peter O'Neal, deputy chairman of the Kansas City Black Panther Party (KCBP), at a "Free Huey P. Newton" rally May 1 in Kansas City.
The rally, one of many held throughout the nation on May Day, publicized Newton's California hearing before Federal Judge Alfonso J. Zirpoli, scheduled for the same day. Newton unsuccessfully sought bail while pending his appeal on a voluntary manslaughter conviction.
Newton, BPP minister of defense, and Bobby Seale, national BPP chairman, founded the organization in October 1966 in Oakland, Calif. The organization was called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.
Since then, the self-proclaimed revolutionary group has almost continually been in newspaper headlines across the nation.
Public reaction to Panther programs has varied from praise and financial support to outright contempt. In turn, BPP members in Kansas City and throughout the nation have been under constant police surveillance and harassment.
The organization's name and symbol were appropriately chosen.
The black panther is "a vicious animal, as you know. He never bothers anything, but when you start pushing him, he moves backwards, and backwards into his corner, and then he comes out to destroy everything that's before him," said John Hulett in the Aug. 13, 1966 New Republic.
Hulett is a member of the Lowndes County (Ala.) Freedom Organization (LCFO), which uses the black panther as its symbol. LCFO initiated Negro voter registration on a large scale in Lowndes County.
The BPP borrowed its name from the LCFO symbol. Like, the black panther, the American Negro has been pushed back farther and farther into the ghetto. Now he is cornered. He
must react or suffocate. The BPP is one type of reaction.
World cities analyzed
The Black Panther Party Platform, which was written in October 1966, aptly states the organization's aims and beliefs; parts of it follow:
"1) We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our Black Community.
By Ted Bell
The world's cities are unorganized masses of concrete and steel monuments to economics and power. Complex labyrinths of roads, administrative organs, and millions of miles of paper are similar monuments in these cities
Boys State governor elected last week
Neal T. Robinson, Wichita, was elected governor of the 1969 American Legion Boys' State of Kansas June 4. He was elected by the 1180 delegates who attended the June 1-7 session at KU.
Robinson ran on the Federalist ticket to defeat Nationalist party candidate Jeff Anderson, Newton. He was sworn in by outgoing Governor Ricky Kellenberger, Sabetha, at inaugural ceremonies
June 4. The new Boys' State officials met with their official counterparts from Topeka June 5. County officials met with their counterparts from Douglas County. The citizens of Boys' State observed a mock trial by Washburn University law students.
to the genius and ineptitudes of politics.
Friday evening, June 6, Robinson hosted the annual Boys' State Governor's Ball, which climaxed the week of activities at Boys' State.
Junior high campers move in
But primarily, cities are made of people. Rich and poor, living amidst gregarious wealth or subsistent squaller. How they get to the cities, why they come, what makes them stay and what the future holds for them are some of the most important questions of the century. Each must be answered if social reformers are serious about lessening the misery of urban blight.
Statistics on urban areas In 1960, 30 per cent of the world's population lived in urban areas.
Britain—could be so regarded. Today all industrialized nations and even some newly independent countries are urbanized not only in terms of population but also with regard to economic and social influence.
2. ) We want full employment for our people. (We believe that the federal government is responsible and obligated to give every man employment or a guaranteed income. We believe that if the white American businessmen will not give full employment, then the means of production should be taken from the businessmen and placed in the community so that the people of the community can organize and employ all of its people and give a high standard of living.)
In the United States, 96 million people (53 per cent of the total population) are concentrated in 213 urbanized areas that occupy only .7 per cent of the nation's land.
Before 1850, no society could be described as predominantly urbanized. By 1900 only one—Great
Each city is unique. Cultural history and tradition dictate the administration and many of the problems of the world's cities. There are two things, however, that all cities have in common regardless of culture, tradition, or geography.
Urban blight and economics The most obvious is urban blight. Overcrowded slums, rapid spread of disease, growing crime, lack of food, employment, education, and hope add up to violent social unrest that is susceptible to violent explosion with the capacity to destroy a city or a nation.
The second factor shared by the (Continued to page 3)
(Continued to page 3)
3. ) We want an end to the robbery by the white man of our Black Community. (We believe that this racist government has robbed us and now we are demanding the overdue debt of forty acres and two mules. Forty acres and two mules was promised 100 years ago as restitution for slave labor and mass murder of black people. We will accept the payment in currency which will be distributed to our many communities. The Germans are
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The junior high school division of the Midwestern Music and Art Camp at the University of Kansas opened June 4 with 425 boys and girls enrolled.
Camp attracts Junior Hi kids
The program of intensive instruction in music will end with concerts by the two bands, orchestra, and two choirs on Friday.
Prof. Russell L. Wiley, longtime director of bands at KU, is organizer of the camp and the director.
Guest conductors for the junior high camp are: bands, Richard Brummett, Winfield; and David Catron, Director of Bands, Lawrence High School; orchestra, Louis Treczinski, director of the
Nebraska String Band; choruses,
Miss Marilyn Curt of KU and
Paul Young, Shawnee Mission
North High School.
The visiting musicians are living in air conditioned residence halls a short distance from Murphy Hall, where camp activities are concentrated.
noto by Gary Mason
Choir rehearsal for Friday concert