stern-faced, silhouetted by a fading red disc that had darkened their bodies during an early-autumn heat wave. All bad. All Black.
The student response to Baker’s demands had been greaterthan even he expected. He had thought there might be some question as to his authority. Nobody had even mentioned Earl Thomas. The students seemed very unconcerned as to who actually became the leader for the change the campus needed so badly. All they wanted was action.
Baker had been in his world. He bathed in the light of the handclapping, whistling, and shouted support heaped upon him and his comrades. It seemed that with the reading of each demand the support grew. He had said everything he could think of about Ogden Calhoun, the Head Nigger, and the members of the administration. When he finished, the five men marched through the crowd that still stood chattering like monkeys. All Baker could hear was:
‘Do it, Brother!’ and ‘Right on with power!’
There was little they could do now but wait. Wait and think. Baker knew that the support had been good, but he also knew that Ogden Calhoun had a reputation as a destroyer of student dissent. The Sutton president had been asked recently how Sutton had escaped the student disruptions that had rocked other Black campuses. Calhoun had replied to the interviewer: ‘I have a saying for students on my campus. It says: “My way or the highway!” In other words: “If we can’ git along, you goin’ home!”‘
So the lines were drawn. Calhoun had no room in his plans for student disruption. MJUMBE had no plans for going home.
Baker’s mind drifted. After the afternoon meeting his plan had started to become shaky. Just at the point when his name was on the lips of every Sutton student, he was knifing himself in the back by having Earl Thomas notified. He hated to think of turning the least credit over to a man he considered an enemy, but there was really no way out of it. While running for Student Government president he had preached Black collectivity; all political factions putting their heads together. And there was no denying that Earl Thomas was a smart politician. Theelection had proven that. Then too, if Earl endorsed Baker, another bloc of students would fall easily into line.
In late August when Jonesy had arrived for summer football training Baker had started talk about MJUMBE. ‘If you ain’ out fo’ nuthin’ but revenge on Thomas fo’ beatin’ you,’ Jonesy had said, ‘forget it.’
‘I ain’ lookin’ fo’ nothin’ but progress,’ Baker had sworn. ‘I think MJUMBE can serve a two-way purpose. First, Thomas gon’ move if he know somebody lookin’ over his shoulder. Second, all the athletes would be down to back Thomas up if we wuz organized an’ spoke fo’ him.’
The possibility that MJUMBE might give Earl its backing was what had sold Jonesy. And now that the time had come Jonesy had not objected to any of Baker’s arguments about why MJUMBE should cast the first stone. But Baker knew well enough that Jonesy would pull out if he felt as though the group spokesman had lied about his intentions. Earl had been called.
That’s when things started fuckin’ up, Baker thought.
Earl’s line had been busy. Baker decided on a second’s notice that since Earl couldn’t be reached MJUMBE would deliver its own mail.
‘It’s six thutty,’ he said when King notified him of the busy line. ‘Calhoun was s’pose to git home ’bout six. He prob’bly got wind a the deman’s already. We can’ give ’im too much time to pull no fas’ stuff on us.’
They had started out. Five men in black dashikis crunching through the dead leaves across the quadrangle behind the fraternity house, across the football field to the big white house Sutton students called ‘the Plantation.’ Calhoun wasn’t home.
Calhoun’s absence implied several things to Baker. It indicated that Calhoun knew nothing of the demands. God knew he would have been setting up some
The student response to Baker’s demands had been greaterthan even he expected. He had thought there might be some question as to his authority. Nobody had even mentioned Earl Thomas. The students seemed very unconcerned as to who actually became the leader for the change the campus needed so badly. All they wanted was action.
Baker had been in his world. He bathed in the light of the handclapping, whistling, and shouted support heaped upon him and his comrades. It seemed that with the reading of each demand the support grew. He had said everything he could think of about Ogden Calhoun, the Head Nigger, and the members of the administration. When he finished, the five men marched through the crowd that still stood chattering like monkeys. All Baker could hear was:
‘Do it, Brother!’ and ‘Right on with power!’
There was little they could do now but wait. Wait and think. Baker knew that the support had been good, but he also knew that Ogden Calhoun had a reputation as a destroyer of student dissent. The Sutton president had been asked recently how Sutton had escaped the student disruptions that had rocked other Black campuses. Calhoun had replied to the interviewer: ‘I have a saying for students on my campus. It says: “My way or the highway!” In other words: “If we can’ git along, you goin’ home!”‘
So the lines were drawn. Calhoun had no room in his plans for student disruption. MJUMBE had no plans for going home.
Baker’s mind drifted. After the afternoon meeting his plan had started to become shaky. Just at the point when his name was on the lips of every Sutton student, he was knifing himself in the back by having Earl Thomas notified. He hated to think of turning the least credit over to a man he considered an enemy, but there was really no way out of it. While running for Student Government president he had preached Black collectivity; all political factions putting their heads together. And there was no denying that Earl Thomas was a smart politician. Theelection had proven that. Then too, if Earl endorsed Baker, another bloc of students would fall easily into line.
In late August when Jonesy had arrived for summer football training Baker had started talk about MJUMBE. ‘If you ain’ out fo’ nuthin’ but revenge on Thomas fo’ beatin’ you,’ Jonesy had said, ‘forget it.’
‘I ain’ lookin’ fo’ nothin’ but progress,’ Baker had sworn. ‘I think MJUMBE can serve a two-way purpose. First, Thomas gon’ move if he know somebody lookin’ over his shoulder. Second, all the athletes would be down to back Thomas up if we wuz organized an’ spoke fo’ him.’
The possibility that MJUMBE might give Earl its backing was what had sold Jonesy. And now that the time had come Jonesy had not objected to any of Baker’s arguments about why MJUMBE should cast the first stone. But Baker knew well enough that Jonesy would pull out if he felt as though the group spokesman had lied about his intentions. Earl had been called.
That’s when things started fuckin’ up, Baker thought.
Earl’s line had been busy. Baker decided on a second’s notice that since Earl couldn’t be reached MJUMBE would deliver its own mail.
‘It’s six thutty,’ he said when King notified him of the busy line. ‘Calhoun was s’pose to git home ’bout six. He prob’bly got wind a the deman’s already. We can’ give ’im too much time to pull no fas’ stuff on us.’
They had started out. Five men in black dashikis crunching through the dead leaves across the quadrangle behind the fraternity house, across the football field to the big white house Sutton students called ‘the Plantation.’ Calhoun wasn’t home.
Calhoun’s absence implied several things to Baker. It indicated that Calhoun knew nothing of the demands. God knew he would have been setting up some
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