Friday, October 2. I964 SCARLET AND BLACK Page Three Shades of Gray Americana on Trial By Carl Otis Gray Two years ago New York City's public schools w are forced to remove all copies of Huckleberry Finn from the shelves of their libraries. This year a Chicago television net- work was banned from allowing Amos ’n Andy reruns to be broadcast. Oliver Twist, as Well as The Merchant of Venice have been closely scrutinized in various cities long known as hotbeds of liberalism. To add to this list of hallmarks in Ameri- can and English tradition that have recently come under fire — America’s Own jovial god- dess of the culinary art —- Aunt Jemima, has been placed on trial — not for illicit kitchen tete-a-tete with Uncle Ben — but for virtual genocide. Being a product of Western civilization, and Freudian psy- chology, I feel than this black— baiting is sure to frustrate my Oedipal fixationLThat Aunt Je- mima is a stereotype is true, but that she is an offensive stereotype is heresy; regardless of what the new Civil Rights Bill says, I can’t bring myself to think of Betty Crocker in terms of "Mamas" Now picture, if you can. that rotund grandmotherly lady with the coffee hue and the red and yellow bandana in front of all those nasties at the NAACP. There she stands armed only with two dozen of those succu- lent mouthwatering buttermilk pancakes smothered with blue- berries and maple syrup; she smiles demurely at her ac- cusers revealing that special ra‘y of sunshine that has sealed millions of boxes of self»rising floor, There, four bespeckled middleagers ranging in color from buttermilk brown to burnt biscuit black, sit in judgment. , Two reporters from The Pitts- burgh Courier and three from Ebony are covering the trial. All nine of these men have de aided to forego the SNCC rally in Biloxi in order to give the high priestess of the pancake a fair trial—besides the climate in Biloxi is is bit uncomfortable this time of the century. The moderator oi this inquiry — an executive Vice President in charge of interracial Affairs for an all-white corporation — rises and with impeccable Ed- wardian accent (acquired at Fisk University in Nashville) reads the sentence: ”You, Aunt Jemima, are ac» cused of perpetuating the stere- otype and crimes against the Negro People; you are accused of waffle witchery, biscuit butchery, and conspiracy with Beulah, the ever happy maid, for the eventual overthrow of the New Negro Race. There is a great hubbub among the members of the Ne- gro Nurenburg. “Tsk, tsk! Shamel Shame." they hiss in unison. “Woman plead?" how do you Picture our heroine, her pan- cakes wilting, the gleam gone from her immaculate iridescent ivory incisors. She rises from her seat with the dignity of Sheba before Solomon, walks with the sultry sensuality of the ebony empress of the Euphra- tes, surveys the tribunal with the cool collect‘ ity of a Con~ golese countess. And with the good Gospel Book in one hand and "The Cook’s Kitchen Kaf— ka" in the other: she trumpets in sweet Gabriel-like tones “Aw, man. knock it OK" The moderator s h o c k e d. lapses into dialect for a few off- color remarks, signals that she be taken away while shouting: “Wicked wench, that cock- sure coon, impudent nigger—i" and wonders to himself ”But what will they say at B’nai B’rith?" His colleagues uninterested in the whole proceedings, look at him in utter contempt and say. ”Shut up, man, and help us finish these pancakes!" I Davis Ice cream The Best Home Made Ice Cream Check Our prices for parties and special occasion: Knock . . . Knock . . . Fix it with cl tune up from Collum's Mifi STA N DA R D Willy Service Encampment Discussed Six Areas 0iGrinneli College Community By Susan Taylor The fifty five student leaders, faculty members, and members of the college administration who participated in the Student Leadership Encampment last weekend did a lot of tough thinking and encountered a lot of ideas and obstacles ' It was more than a weekend away from campus for brain- storming, It was more than a weekend away from campus for these people who will be working together all year to get. to know each other. It was 'a'weekend which was filled with a large number of hours of disciplined discussion, creative thinking, and frank meetings of minds in areas which are of vital concern for the Grinnell College commun- ity. A composite of what emerged from the weekend can best be described as an understood concept of that community. Such a concept emerged from six discussion groups—each con- centrating its efforts in a spe- cific area, but from time to time, by design and necessity. venturing out of its narrow con- fines into the general area of the college taken as a whole en- tity. One discussion group consid- ered the address “A Game of Numbers Revisited” which Dru Howard Bowen delivered to the college before his resignation as president last June. Starting with the basic philosophies of education or this speech, which would provide for more inde- pendent work, thus teaching the student how to educate himself, this particular discussion group considered the relevance and feasibility of a tutorial system and more independent study at Grinnell College, Anonher group considered Grinnell as a preparation for graduate school and the busi- ness Worldl They discussed such things as the academic community which places a pro- fessional emphasis upon grad- uate study and the Vocational alternatives which Grinnel‘l readily represents its students, Concluding that the liberal arts education is valuable in itself, the group suggested that not only theacademic, but the so- cial atmosphere of Grinnell is relevant to preparation for whichever path may be followed by a student after he receives his diploma, Student lrresponsibility was the problem encountered by another discussion group. Con- sidering such specifics as the library theft rate. quiet hours problems, and illegal visits of women to men’s rooms, this group arrived at a prevalent attitude (among students)— lack of involvement in the com- munity. The objectives of the college were seen as being able to give the best liberal arts edu» cation possible, and secondar- iiy, giving students as much freedom as possible However, the group emphasized that the secondary objective must not infringe upon the primary aca- demic one. Still another group considered the attitude of the various ele< ments of the community to- ward rules, and came to an un- STAKE YOUR . CLAIM buy cl Start an account at Grinnell federal share in our business and find yourself a goldmine al' Grinnell Federal Savings and Loan Association "Where you save doe x make a diiierenco" derstanding of why the college takes many of the stands that are represented by the rules, It sought to increase and improve the avenues of communication in order to erase some of the prevalent misunderstandings in this area. Another group considered the extra classroom activities of the entire college year, and sug- gested improvements which would increase the benefit of these events for the entire col~ lege community. A sixth discussion group con- sidered the role of Student Gov- ernment within the whole frame- work of the college. Seeing two functions of student gov’t—to handle those responsibilities properly delegated to the stuu dents, and to consult with the officials of the college in mat< ters which concern students—- this discussion group deter mined the present structure of student government to be in- adequate for these purposes. It began to suggest means and plans for revision of the struc- iure. t At present it is impossible to predict how much effect on the campus the weekend will have had, it did have some effect on fiftysfive people. A report will be made within a few weeks and various discus- sions and committees have al« ready begun to react to some of the ideas and concepts which resulted, Below is a list of those who participated in the 1964 stu- ENCAMPMENT— ‘ Continued on Page I ~ m Now—Ends Sal. "ENSIGN PULVER" * Robert Walker * Burl Ives Starts Sum—4 Days IIzULUII IN COLOR * 'V . IOWA" , CLEANERS