Kwame Ture (aka Stokely Carmichael)

"Kwame Ture was born Stokely Carmichael on June 29, 1941 in Port of Spain, Trinidad, the son of Adolphus and Mabel Carmichael. He immigrated to the United States in 1952 with his family and settled in New York, New York. He graduated from the academically elite Bronx High School of Science in 1960 and made the decision to attend Howard University. Howard University conferred on him a Bachelor of Science Degree in Philosophy in 1964. It was while in Washington that Stokely became deeply involved in the "Freedom Rides," "Sit-Ins," and other demonstrations to challenge segregation in American society.......

While residing in Africa, Stokely Carmichael changed his name to "Kwame Ture" to honor Kwame Nkrumah, who led Ghana to independence from Britain, and, Sekou Toure, who was President of Guinea and his mentor. For more than 30 years, Ture led the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party and devoted the rest of his life to Pan Africanism, a movement to uproot the inequities of racism for people of African descent and to develop an economic and cultural coalition among the African Diaspora......

In 1998, at the age of 57, Kwame Ture died from complications of prostate cancer. To the end he answered the telephone, "ready for the revolution."
Saturday, May 8
Howard University Commencement 1999


It is our duty as students here at Howard University to continue the legacy of Kwame Ture through attaining higher education and using our knowledge to make a positive change not only in "Black America", but throughout the world--to always be "ready for the revolution."

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Convocation

Out of the 130,000 African American who receive Bachelor's degrees annually, only 26,000 receive them from HBCU's.

The current unemployment rate of African Americans with college degrees is 8%
The current unemployment rate of Whites with college degrees is 4%
Only 30-35% of African American Males are currently pursuing a college degree.


These are three statistics that UNCF President Lomax brought up. It really bothered me.

President Lomax stated that it proved two very important things. One, that racism does still exist, and two, "only the best and the brightest are encouraged to aspire to earn a college degree."

President Lomax also stated that academic opportunities should be granted disregarding race, religion, sexual orientation, and national origin. However, I feel that one very important thing was left off of that list and it is something I feel that contributes tremendously to reason that many blacks decide not to attend HBCU's. Acacemic opportunities should also be granted with a disregard to economic status.

I found it extremely ironic that a convocation, a blessing upon the school, was taking place without know who all would be "blessed". The issue of the purge was still up in the air at the time of convocation and students were not sure whether they would be able to stay or leave the University. Yet, some were required to attend an event which (at that point) had nothing to do with them. President Lomax personally stated, "Students are customers that can take their money elsewhere."

I personally am on a scholarship because I decided to let my brain pay for college since my family did not have the luxury of affording it. Though I could not literally take my "money" elsewhere, I could take my "brain" elsewhere. To the likes of Stanford or Cornell. Thus, I would be contributing to the statistic of earning a college degree at a non HBCU.

If the UNCF really wants this statistic to change, they must first encourage the member schools themselves to develop a desire for brains as priority and not money.

-Britni Cuington
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