Stokely Carmichael, a prominent Civil Rights Activist and advocate for Black power wrote in 1966, “one of the tragedies of the struggle against racism is that up to now...there has been only a civil rights movement, whose tone of voice was adapted to an audience of liberal whites. It served as a sort of buffer zone between them and angry young blacks” [NA 15, p. 101].
During the “Now, Mr. Lincoln?” campaign, the University of Puget Sound's weekly periodical—The Trail—published several articles featuring both Black and white voices. These articles revealed dramatic contrasts in rhetoric and priorities as Black and white perspectives shared space on a page. In these examples, Black rhetoric demanding equitable education as an alternative to violence is a stark contrast against white rhetoric reinforcing a “white-savior” mentality and encouraging increased participation of Black students in white education structures.
This letter from the University of Puget Sound Black Student Union expresses strong discontent with the white-centric education system at the university, demands reform, and suggests classes that could enhance a Black student's learning experience [A&SC 22].
Written pointedly to inspire apathetic or reluctant “white, affluent America” to take action against racial discrimination, Smith's language in the column “Perspectives in Black and White” reflects a passionate determination to see a just and equitable education system [A&SC 23].
Howell rages against the hypocrisy of white society's surprise at seeing Black people “embittered and resentful” of white privilege. Her words stand on their own as she advocates for education as an alternative to violence and the creation of a strong, independent Black community. She says, “with or without the help of the ‘understanding’ White community, we shall overcome” [A&SC 24].
Clements highlights how extensive the whiteness of society is—how it washes out Black voices and oppresses the history of Black injustice. Her main point of contention is how there is no sufficient education in Black history that can effectively communicate the Black experience and help remedy racial injustices perpetuated by white society [A&SC 25].
This article is given two small columns on the front page of The Trail and a longer section on the last page. It addresses the question “how will money collected from the &lquo;Now, Mr. Lincoln?’ fund drive be distributed to aspiring black businessmen?” To do this, the article uses primarily quotes from Ed Sheldon, the then-chairman of the campaign. Sheldon's rhetoric, from his position as a white man, looks distinctly different from rhetoric of the Black students addressed previously [A&SC 26].
