http://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/upimage/RG9-9-00-3_39_69_1989.pdf

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Part of BSU, JSU Launch Duke Campaign, April 5, 1989

Text

BSU, JSU Launch
Duke Campaign
BONNIE NIGHTENGALE
Spectrum Staff Writer

The Black Student Union and the
Jewish Student Union have
launched a joint campaign designed
to increase awareness of David
Duke's recent election to the Lou­
isiana Legislature, as well as to
promote voter registration.
Duke, former Imperial Wizard
of the Ku Klux Klan , won his con­
gressional seat by a narrow margin

aware of Duke's position may not
"even know he's in our congress
right now-that he was elected in
Louisiana." The other purpose of
the ca mpaign , according to
Schulman, is to "show people how
important a vote is. We want to
educate people. You can make a
difference, and you can do some­
thing."
BSU President Kurt Young
agreed. "We want people to realize
the power that they have in the
vote." He emphasized that "the

"I want people
to be aware of
their
(politicians ')
background
and what we're
investing."

Kurt Young
BSU President

in Metairie, a predominantly white,
conservative middle-class New
Orleans suburb.
"If you went around school and
asked people who David Duke is, a
lot ofpeople wouldn ' t even know,"
JSU member Carolyn Schulman
explained. She added that those

KKK and other hate groups do exist,
and it's not just something that's
down in the South. They have a
chapter right up here in Buffalo."
In addition to voter registration,
Young said, "We want people to be

• DUKE see page 3

□ DUKE from page 1
aware of their (politicians') back­
ground and what we're investing
our vote in."
Schulman is aware of the KKK
chapter in Buffalo. "It is here. It's
very much alive in Buffalo, and
people don't realize that They
figure they don't see them in the
streets marching and stuff. It's not
like the South where it's more ac­
cepted to have them go march.
"The area in which he was elected
was a white area, and the deep
South has been known to have that
sort of (racist) view," she contin­
ued. "It isn't a very mixed area.
It's pretty homogeneous."

Nation-wide campaign discussed
The campaign, which includes
posters to get the message across,
may employ different strategies as
time goes on, possibly including a
rally. The prospect of making the
campaign a national issue has been

JSU and BSU have
discussed the
prospect of making
the campaign a
national issue.
discussed, and members of the student organizations involved may
beginbycontactingLouisianaState
University to launch the nationwide campaign. LSU is Duke's
alma mater from which he earned a
degree in history.
Duke claims to have left the Klan
in 1979, although his address and
phone number remain identical to
those of the local KKK headquarters in Louisiana.
"It's pretty hard to believe that
someone can actually be an eximperial wizard of the KKK,"

Young said. "It's like saying, to
use the opposite extreme, like being
the ex- Pope. It's something that
you live for all your life, which is
the hate of other people, and all of
a sudden you see the light, you turn
around."
Lee Atwater, Republican Na­
tional Committee Chairman, President George Bush and Ronald
Reagan unsuccessfully attempted
to stop Duke, who converted to the
Republican Party before the spe­
cial election primary in January.
The three political leaders have
since denounced him.
Although some members of the
Democratic party have pointed
fingers at the Republicans, Young
said, "I don't want to make this a
partisan issue because I'm sure that
there are lots of people whose credentials could be questioned in all
parties.and we'rejustnotawareo f
them."

Wednesday 5, April 1989 • The Spectrum 3