Collegiate Times

After being introduced to a crowd of about 20 students and faculty in the comfort of the Black Cultural Center in 126 Squires, Dr. Ellington Graves addressed his audience.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m going to present,” Graves said. “I’ll provoke and engage rather than present.”

Graves, a sociology professor at Virginia Tech, led the first discussion of a multi-part series entitled “Surviving, Jiving and Self-determination: 20th Century Black Empowerment Ideologies from Radical to Conservatives” on Wednesday. The event was sponsored by the Black Caucus.

“American history is often taught as a means of nation building,” said Brandy Faulkner, Ph.D. candidate in political science about the event. “It is used for the transmission of cultural values, pride, and ideologies.”

The multi-part theory explores the spectrum of black empowerment ideology. Graves discussed specifically the debate between W.E.B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington.

“(The discussion) is less in terms of a debate, and more about the engagement between two black men that embodied the spirit of leadership among African Americans trying to maximize the possibilities for black people,” Graves said.

After presenting the topic for debate, Graves gave the floor over to the audience, only sporadically interjecting to respond to the arguments that arose.

Everything from Washington and the Atlanta Compromise and Dubois and Niagara Movement to the options of higher education for African Americans for different generations were brought up. The topic of assimilation in the past and in the present was extensively discussed.

“Issues of black empowerment and equality is something we are still dealing with,” Graves said.

The debate also took on a more current twist when the topic of the hip-hop generation arose. Students and faculty alike discussed artists like Jay-Z and Tupac and what they say and do in terms of African American advancement in the United States.

The discussion continued until just a few members of the audience remained debating and defending their perspectives and point of views on the variety of topics brought to attention.

The end of the discussion was only brought about when people started to pack up their things and put their coats on, and Grave thanked everyone in the audience for attending.