2008 The A&T Register

March 6, 2008
The community of Greensboro united Sunday afternoon in Harrison Auditorium to see famed intellectual Cornel West and national journalist Tavis Smiley who addressed issues of the 40-year anniversary of the Kerner Report.

Many students and alumni arrived two hours before the much-anticipated symposium began.

As the auditorium filled, the guest also made their grand entrance receiving a warm welcome from the audience, while a video package featuring The 1968 Kerner Report operated on a big screen.

The topic, "The State of Black America," was the subject for West and Smiley in the event sponsored by the Institute of Advance Journalism and professor DeWayne Wickam, a USA Today columnist.

Both speakers voluntarily made their way from New Orleans to Greensboro after an invitation from Wickam.

Smiley, organizer of the annual State of the Black Union and PBS talk show host, opened as the first speaker. He began by paying his respects to Wickam and his works with USA Today, before elaborating on the many issues of African Americans in the United States.

With many different concerns since the Kerner Report, Wickam expressing his disappointment of the amount of attention the government and media emphasize among the black population, Smiley echoed that sentiment.

"We get one day a year on national television to discuss issues in the African American community," said Smiley.
"There is a reason we call it the State of the Black Union. Every year the president gives his state of the union address, and no matter if it is democrat or republican, we seem to get left out."

Smiley referenced the U.S. being more complicated than it was 40 years after Kerner's Report, due to the diversity of the population.

"We live in the most multicultural America ever," said Smiley. "So if you think we had trouble trying to navigate racial segregation back then, the black and white has now turned into black and brown and become more complicated.

The equation is more complicated and that is what your generation young folk are going to have to wrestle with."

West commenced the podium in a more humorous note, claiming to touch points on Smiley's speech after applauding him for correctly addressing the right issues. After insinuating that his speech would be brief, he started to lecture.

"Justice is what love looks like in public," said West. "So when you read the Kerner's Report, you want to discern if there is a steadfast commitment to the well being of black people."

He also lectured on the significance of African-Americans staying true to themselves and the effects it has on society.

"Donnie Coltrane didn't raise the question what do others want to hear from me, but rather if I dig deep enough in my own soul they are going to feel it, because I'm going to be relating and connecting to them," said West.

"If we are true about ourselves, there is a lot of pain and suffering in doing so."
Sunday's action concluded with former NAACP leader Joe Madison, a current national radio personality.

The Washington D.C. native was asked to replace former journalist Nathan McCall, who was originally scheduled as the first keynote speaker, but cancelled out after suffering from flu-like symptoms over the weekend.

Madison used his sense of humor to stress the importance of A&T students to understand their role in society.

"There are three types of people in this world," said Madison.

"Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who ask what the hell just happened. We've got to speak truth to power by taking action and students, the movement is in your hands."

Audience members were allowed to interrogate the speakers at the conclusion of seminars. SGA Vice President of External Affairs Marcus Bass questioned West about decreasing the gap between progressing and declining African Americans.

"We are who we are because someone loved us and sacrificed for us," said West.
"We have to decided who we are in terms of who we are going to serve, what we serve, and who we attend to."