Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 17, 1993 TAG: 9310170096
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MELANIE S. HATTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
This year's president of the traditionally black club Promaji is determined to make a difference.
First classman Jamel Lynch has been in office less than two months and the campus has already experienced two incidents that were possibly racially motivated.
The FBI was called in this month to investigate death threats against a black cadet who received three notes, one of which included racial slurs. Last month, a black cadet left the college after he was beaten by white cadets.
"I was disappointed and shocked," Lynch said of the recent incidents. "I'd be a fool to say there's no racism here," but, he added, he never thought it would go that far.
Jonathan Goodman, a first classman and Promaji member, said he had mixed feelings when he heard what happened. "I expected something but not like this . . . immaturity played its part," he said. "I honestly feel this is not a sick joke." Pranks are not considered mature on VMI's campus, he said.
"If he's not man enough to go to his face and tell him exactly how he feels . . . that's cowardice," Goodman said of the cadet making the threats.
Promaji members met after cadets were told about the FBI involvement. "A lot were expressing dismay," said Howard Byrd, a third classman and Promaji member. "It was hard to get a consensus on what the group felt. Everyone was surprised and curious how the investigation was going to be run.
"It shows there is still a grave need for racial awareness . . . and education."
Promaji - Swahili for togetherness - was started in the early 1970s by the first few blacks who attended the all-male college. The school was integrated in 1968 with five black cadets.
Retired Col. Bill Buchanan, who was commandant of cadets then, was the club's first adviser. Its mission was to educate the entire corp on black and white relations, he said.
"The tensions are always there," he said. "VMI is a tense place without things brought in from home."
In 1972, Buchanan brought black and white students together to talk about race relations because of some problems. He told the group about the riots that broke out in 1968 during the Democratic convention in Chicago and the Republican convention in Miami Beach.
The riot in Chicago involved white students. No one was hurt but there were countless reports on television and in the newspapers. The Miami Beach riot involved black students. Fourteen blacks were killed and there were maybe two news stories in the Washington Post, he said.
From that, white cadets immediately understood that blacks don't always get a fair shake, he said. It helped bring the groups together.
Promaji has evolved into a service organization. One of the activities Lynch is pushing this year is a Big Brother program that pairs black cadets with young blacks in the surrounding community.
Through community involvement and organizing events with other clubs, Lynch is trying to bring Promaji back to its original mission. But first the group has to dispel its image as a blacks-only club.
"Promaji has a long way to go in informing the rest of the corps," said Sam Tyner, president of the International Club, which was originally made up of foreign students but now has a diverse membership. Other cadets view Promaji as if it were the Black Panthers, he said.
"It's not that we're trying to separate ourselves," Goodman said. It's simply that those with a common bond tend to group together as a means of being accepted.
The same thing happens with white cadets, Lynch said. They sit in their cliques but because the majority is white it's not as noticeable. A black group sitting together stands out.
Tyner, who is of Asian descent, admitted that he felt uncomfortable when he attended a Promaji meeting until a white cadet entered the room.
"The mixture is not there yet but it's picking up a little," Byrd said. Of the club's 54 members, four are white and one is Asian. VMI has 89 black cadets, 17 Hispanic, 60 Asian, and three American Indians out of a total 1,200 cadets.
"We need to take initiative and sit with different people," Lynch said. He decided it was time to lead the way. He recently sat with an all-white group of third-year students - called second classmen at VMI - in the mess hall. "I think they were a little surprised at me," he said, but warmed up to him after they talked.
Lynch believes it will take more efforts like that for all races to begin to understand each other.
Cadets admit there is an undercurrent of racial tension. Promaji took students, including a white and a Hispanic cadet, to a recent talk on racial harmony at Hollins College. The club also helped initiate a forum at VMI where 10 black cadets and 10 white cadets discussed racial issues. Coincidentally, the forum was held on the same day cadets were told about the FBI investigation.
Before the forum, Lynch had approached a white student and asked him to bring students who were anti-black. At the same time, Lynch brought black students who were anti-white so that those who needed to be made more aware of cultural differences would get the message.
"Once we get talking then we understand each other," Tyner said.
The incidents at VMI have potential for starting more conflicts between races if the perpetrator is not found, Lynch said.
"And dealing with a rat line where upper classmen can have power over another cadet's life," he said. "If it's not defused it could end up in an explosive situation."
by CNB