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Part of The Black Grapevine, September 20, 2006

Text

• Interracial Relationships

Volume l, Issue 2

• Sickle Cell Awareness

September 20, 2006

• 6th Annual Sickle Cell Walk
• Tupac's Legacy
• This Week In Black History

The "Browning of America"
by Patrice Gordon
Most issues regarding race
relations are often thought about
based on the Black/White
dichotomy. Even though they
are not exclusive to Blacks and
Whites, this article will focus on
interracial relationships amongst
these two groups.
Interracial
relationships
have been a disputed issue in
America since the establishment
of colonies in the seventeenth
century. The first attempt at
expressing intolerance of such
relationships dates to the passage
of the first Anti-Amalgamation
Law in 1664 in Maryland. This
law was aimed at prohibiting
marriage between Black men and
E nglish
women
due
to
uncertainty as to whether the

offspring of a black slave and a
white
person
would
be
considered a free person or
property. This prohibition of
intermarriage between Blacks and
whites was later perceived by
some to be necessary in order to
prevent corruption of the white
gene pool. However, these laws
did not prevent white slave
masters from crossing the color
line to take advantage of Black
women while emasculating Black
men.
Given that the first
encounters of sexual integration
occurred during slavery, they are
usually understood as being filled
with dominance, violence, and
rape. Because of this, Du Bois
was very critical of the hypocrisy
of
implementing
anti­
amalgamation laws as he believed

that "it is the white race, roaming
the world, that has left its trail of
bastards and outraged women
and then raised holy hands and
deplored 'race mixture"' (Du
Bois: 1921).
Frederick
Douglass,
a
product of Black and white
ancestry,
believed
that
intermarriage was necessary for
the assimilation and acceptance
of newly freed slaves into
American society. He stated that
"the future of the Negro
therefore is .. . that he will be
absorbed, assimilated, and it will
only appear finally... in
the
features of a blended race."
Even though he was also of a
(Continued on
page 2)

Sickle Cell Awareness
D ear Supporter,
September is N ational Sickle Cell Awareness month. For the past six years, T he E nlightened Women of
Alpha Beta Sigma Sorority, Inc. have dedicated this month to raising money fo r Sickle Cell Anemia and
educating the public about the disease.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease
have red blood cells that contain mostl y hemoglobin S, an abnormal type of hemoglobin. Sometimes these red
blood cells become sickle-shaped (crescent shaped) and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels.
When sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessel, less blood reaches that part of the body. Tissue that
does no t receive a normal blood flow eventually becomes damaged. This is what causes the complications of
sickle cell disease. T here is currently no uni versal cure fo r sickle cell disease.
We hold two very successful annual events, The Wal k, whose continuing theme is "BREAK THE. SICKLE
CYCLE!" as well as The Sickle Cell Charity Auction in con junction with the University at Buffalo's Blac k
Student Union. These combined events on ave rage raise approximately $10,000 a year for Sickle Cell Anemia.
We would like to thank everyone who has participated and/ or contributed to the success of these events.
Please visit us at our New Clinic! The Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Organization . For more
information please e-mail us at alphachap@hotmail.com

Sincerely,
Alpha Beta Sigma Sorori ty, Inc.

Page 2

THE BLACK GRAPEVINE

Mixed Emotions About Bridging the Racial Divide
mixed ancestry, W.E.B. Du Bois contested Douglass'
assertion. In opposition, Du Bois stated that Blacks have
resisted assimilation but "it has been forced on us by brute
strength, ignorance, poverty, degradation and fraud" (Du
Bois: 1921).
Although there have been significant increases in mixed­
race relationships, such relationships continue to be rejected
based on the necessity of cultural preservation. Opponents
usually presume that marrying outside one's race amounts to
cultural betrayal. Some African Americans, for example,
believe interracial relationships with a white spouse impedes
on the solidarity of the African American community. As
author Lawrence Otis Graham pointed out, African
Americans disapprove of Black/white relationships due to
fear that children of these relationships will forsake their
Black heritage upon realizing that it is easier to live as a white

person. White America's rejection on the other hand
revolves around the fact that interracial relationships will
eventually lead to an extinction of the white genotype.
Like Frederick Douglass, present-day advocates of
interracial relationships believe it as an inevitable step in
bridging the racial divide. According to one supporter,
Yvette Walker, "racism ...will have to be bred out. We can't
make policies to change it. And certainly in an interracial
relationship the children are raised in a climate of
tolerance." Such supporters readily refer to Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.'s dream of progressing to a point where
people are not judged "by the color of their skin but by the
content of their character" (King: 1963). Is Dr. King's
dream finally coming to fruition or is it that efforts to create
a colorblind society has resulted in a generation that ignores
disparities that still exist?

Upcoming Events
9/23/06 Minority Management Society's 3-on-3
Basketball Tournament
Where: Goodyear Lawn (Clark Hall if it Rains)
Price:

$15 Per Team

Food:

Chicken & Fish Dinners Will Be Sold

Contact: Jessica Pinder Glpinder@buffalo.edu)
CASH PRIZE FOR THE WINNING TEAM!

9/30/06 Sickle Cell Charity Auction
Where:

Student Union Theatre

Price:

$5 (+Bidding During the Auction)

Contact: bsu 1967@gmail.com
PROCEEDS GO TO SICKLE CELL ANEMIA!
10/ 13/ 06 B.S.U.'s Annual Skating Jam
More Info Coming Soon!
Books
On Saturday, September 16, 2006, The Enlightened Women of Alpha Our Nig
Beta Sigma Sorority, Incorporated held their sixth Annual Sickle Cell Charity by Harriet Wilson
Walk. The walk, which is entitled "BREAK THE SICKLE CYCLE" took
place in McCarthy Park and was approximately 2.5 miles long. Although
there was no t a great turnout, the supporters, including members of the Incidents In The Life O f A Slave Girl
Blac k Student Union's Executive Board, chanted facts about Sickle Cell by Harriet Jacobs
Anemia, which got th e attention of several passe rsby on Main Street. On
behalf of Alpha Beta Sigma Sorori ty, Incorporated, The Blac k Student
Unio n would like to thank the walkers and oth er sup porters.

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2

Page 3

A Fallen Star
by Simone Hicks

September 13, 2006 marked the 10th anniversary ofTupac Shakur's death. A victim of a
drive-by-shooting, he will always be a legendary lyricist. Some may know him as a charming
actor, a vicious criminal, a radiant songwriter, a wild celebrity, a misogynist and black
prophet. After 10 years, Tupac's memory is still very vivid in hip-hop music today. Shakur is
highly praised for being the greatest rapper of all time. He has been the subject of books,
movies, college courses and musical forums.
Tupac was born to a former Black Panther member, Afeni Shakur. His mother's radical
features incited many of Tupac's songs. Many of his lyrics reflected an unstable childhood
in the ghetto, economical problems and drug addictions. His with aggravation with the
internal and external failures with the black community was expressed vividly through his
songs. His music is still a constant reminder of the black frustration with America.

Blast to the Past
September 17, 1983

September 18, 1895

September 19, 1797

Vanessa
Williams
became the 56th
Miss America, and [
the First AfricanAmerican woman to '\
be
crowned. '.
Unfortunately, she
was
forced
to
relinquish
her crown and its
accompanying benefits
in 1984 after
Penthouse magazine published nude
photos that were taken of her 10 years
prior to winning the pageant.

The Atlanta Compromise, which was a public
address from Booker T. Washington regarding
race relations occurred on this day. In the
address, Washingron asserted that ·vocational
education, which gave Blacks an opportunity
for economic security, was more valuable than
social advantages or political office.

Sojourner Truth,
abolitionist
and
women's
rights
pioneer was born
into slavery in
Hurley,
Ulster
County,
New
York.
She was
freed in 1828 when
New York emancipated slaves. Truth
was a mystic who heard voices she
believed to be God's. In 1843, obeying
her voices, she took the name
Sojourner Truth and went preaching
along the eastern seaboard. Upon
coming into contact with the
abolitionist movement, she embraced
it and tour the country touring on it's
behalf.

However, her determination to prove
to the world that she made "a terrible

error in judgment" when she posed for
the pictures has led to a success ful career
in the entertainment industry.

September 20, 1664
Maryland passed the first Anti­
Amalgamation law that was intended to
prevent marriages between Black men and
English women.
This was based on
uncertainties regarding whether the
offspring of such marriages should be
considered a free person or property.

According to Washington, " In all things
that are purely social we can be as separate as
the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things
essential to mutual progress."
This
philosophy ignited fear in Black intellectuals
who thought that it would cause them to be
subjected to indefinite subservience to whites.
This apprehension led to the
Niagara
Movement as well as the birth of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored
People.

September 21, 2002
Brenda Knight, th e
African-A m e rican fem ale
chairperso n of the Association
of Comm unit y Co ll eges
Trustees was elected.
This
organization represents more
than 1,200 colleges, 6,500
trustees, and 11 million students in America.
Knight is currently the community and
government relations coordinator for the
' Oakland Unified School District.

September 22, 1950
Raplh Bunche was the
first person of color
internationally to be
awarded a Noble Peace
Prize. He received it
for
successfu ll y
mediating a series of armistice
agree ments between present-day
Israel, Egypt, J ordan, Lebanon and
Syria.

The Black Student
Present
Union &Their
Alpha Beta Sigma Sorrority, Inc

6th Annual

Sickle Cell Charity Auction

September 30th, 2006
.

.

To

PARTICIPATE,

SEND AN E-MAIL

TO:

bsu1967@gmai[com

Proceeds GoTo Sickle CellAnemia Research
State University of New York at
Buffalo
The Black Student Union
307 Student Union
Amherst, NY 14260
Phone: 716-645 - 3029
Fax: 716-645-2112
E-mai l: BSUl 967@gmail.com