University of Virginia Library

If There's Really A Will...

Following is the text of Bud
Ogle's speech at yesterday's rally —
ed.

We're gathered here today, one
day after Huey Newton's birthday,
to affirm a concern and press demands
and requests.

We're not here to show our
virtue, our liberalness, our lack of
racism. Even C. Stewart Wheatley
and Gov. Godwin could join us in
denouncing racism. As the President's
National Advisory Commission
on Civil Disorders made painfully
clear — we live in a racist
society. When white people see and
talk with or about our black
brothers and sisters we usually
speak from racist backgrounds,
with racist concepts. So we're not
here because we're some form of
good guys with black hats as opposed
to some vague undefined bad
guy racists with white hats.

We're here to publicly press our
demands and requests and to affirm
a concern.

We have presented 11 points
that need immediate corrective
measures. We must be willing to go
anywhere, any time — to do anything
and everything necessary to
get these minimum prerequisites.
But that's cheap. These things
should have been done long ago,
they're way overdue. And they're
necessary, but they are not sufficient!

If we really want to change the
racist nature of the University, this
city, this nation, we have to take
the necessary action ourselves.
While liberating buildings may well
be necessary, it is much more difficult
to liberate people. And hardest
of all, to liberate ourselves. Liberate
ourselves from being satisfied with
tokenism, liberate ourselves from
racist assumptions. Only black
people can liberate black people.
Black people must liberate themselves.
White people must liberate
themselves by changing an oppressive
society and economic system,
by finding positive alternatives to
suppressing our own problems and
forcing them on black people.

Long ago Malcolm X and James
Baldwin pointed out what is so
obvious we don't see it. There is no
'Negro problem' so much as there is
a white problem.

In his prophetic book, The Fire
Next Time, — "God gave Noah the
rainbow sign, No more water, the
fire next time." — Baldwin clearly
illustrates that the problems of race
relations stem from white men who
force their prejudices and problems
and feelings on others rather than
working them out themselves.

And when I talk of "white men"
I'm not talking about somebody
else. I'm talking about us. I don't
think it's necessary to go through
the liberals' ritualistic semi masochistic
self-flagellation, but if
we really care, we, as well as the
Administration, the Board, the
state, we must change!

There are no more black people
in SSOC or SDS than there are in
the IFC.

Neither the CD nor the Weekly
nor Corks and Curls have any black
staff.

We demand that the Athletic
Department must recruit black
people, but we participate or passively
accept the inexcusable treatment
of University of North Carolina's
Charles Scott.

We demand an end to racism on
the Board of Visitors but do our
best to hush up fraternities who
discriminate.

The Human Relations Council
strives to combat racism at the
University but after the alleged
rapes last fall — when a couple of
black guys were accused of raping a
couple of our virgin girls, it was the
Human Relations Council people
who wanted to meet with leaders of
the black community — what if the
stories had accused white guys of
the foul play, would we have called
for a meeting with leaders of the
white community?

We're deeply implicated in
racism. We attend a university
where 99% of the people are white,
we unquestioningly accept a dual
system of higher education. We live
in a town where one quarter of our
population still are not treated like
human beings by the power structure.

We create a social atmosphere
repulsive to many blacks — Dixie,
the Midwinters' Rebel Flag poster
— these little symbols of what it
means to be a U.Va. gentleman
communicate what U.Va.'s really
like.

We tax ourselves, through the
Student Activities Fee, $5 to pay
for bowling balls for the bowling
club and silver bullets for the rifle
club, we subsidize a new crew shell,
an old polo pony, but we refuse to
tax ourselves to help establish
scholarship funds or transitional
programs — to end racism.

We're cheap.

I like to believe that where there
is a will there is a way — if we really
wanted to stop being racists, to
stop allowing U.Va. to be racist we
could. Let's face it, we just don't
want it bad enough to sacrifice for
it.

Dick Gregory, America's President
in exile, only eats three days a
week — the other food he normally
would eat goes to his poorer
brothers and sisters. He cares.

How many of us really care that
much?

Or even enough to buy one less
bottle of booze this Mid-Winters
weekend?

If one half of the students
would give up one $10 weekend
that would be enough money, if
we'd pool our resources, to establish
a $40,000 transitional program
or start a couple of chairs in
the black studies program. And the
weekend could be spent learning,
arguing with people even more
racist than ourselves, writing letters
to the Board of Visitors, the House
of Delegates, pressuring the Administration
on all our demands.

If we really care it costs a hell of
a lot more than coming to a couple
of rallies.

If there's really a will, we can
make a way.