A Negro Student On Campus Turmoil

Unrest and discontent characterize Negro student communities on campuses throughout this nation. The unrest manifests itself both internally and externally; the discontent stems from the conditions in which many of these students have been forced to live. For today, the majority of Negro collegians come from ghettos, and it makes little difference whether the specific ghetto was Bed -ford-Stuyvesant, Watts, or the South Side of Chicago. These students know from first-hand experience the world of the ghetto which, to a large degree, represents the life of most Negro Americans: poor educational institutions, poor health facilities, poor transportation services, poor everything. The shadow of the ghetto world follows many to the college campus. In their new situation—in fact, in their new life—some find a new freedom. Yet at the same time, most contemporary Negro students do not wish to forget their past while merging into the university scene. Indeed, many use their new freedom with its consequent permissiveness in furthering actions ostensibly directed toward so-called black liberation.

In many cases, these actions are directed against real grievances and, whether or not recognized, symbolize an indictment of the whol...