The Meaning of the A.S.A. Black Caucus at the Eleventh Annual Meeting in Los AngelesAuthor(s): Michael SearlesSource: Africa Today, Vol. 16, No. 2, African Studies and the Black Protest (Apr. - May, 1969),p. 13Published by: Indiana University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4185004 .

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The Meaning of the A.S.A. Block Caucus at the

Eleventh Annual Meeting in Los Angeles

Michael Searles The eleventh annual meeting of the African

Studies Association began at the Los Angeles Statler- Hilton in its typical leisurely manner. All matters of academia and reminiscences of past trips to Africa were discussed over gin and tonic with art tours, cocktail parties, receptions, and dinners following in fairly rapid succession.

To the casual observer there were no differences in this meeting than those which had preceded it in New York; Bloomington, Indiana; and in Philadelphia. Yet, there was a difference and that difference was to be made manifest in quite a dramatic way.

The year which had elapsed since the tenth meeting of A.S.A. stimulated in black people the necessity to evaluate all facets of their existence. This same necessity had produced black caucuses at many church conventions, most professional associations, labor unions, and various educational institutions.

THE BLACK CAUCUS The black Africanists participating in the A.S.A.

annual meeting came together to discuss how the association might more realistically serve the interest of the black world. There were black people present from various parts of Africa, America, Canada and the West Indies. The black Africanists present in these meetings were from various disciplines, of different political persuasions, and as previously stated from various countries, but most significantly all of the participants agreed that A.S.A. was not meeting the needs of black people.

THE POSITION PAPER As a result of lengthy and numerous meetings

which often lasted until early morning hours, the black caucus developed a position paper to be presented to the executive board of ASA on the last day of the meeting. The text of that statement is as follows:

"The African Studies Association is called upon by the Black Caucus to immediately direct its energies toward rendering itself more relevant and competent to deal

with the challenging times and conditions of Black people, in Africa, in the United States and other parts of the Black world. In moving toward this objective, we charge the association with taking the necessary steps to im- mediately broaden the participation of Blacks in all phases of the association's operations. We note that only one Black person is holding a policy-decision position in an association dealing with countries and societies predominately Black. Too few of the program chairmen and participants are drawn from Black Africanists. In summary, the Association across the board reflects a white cast and is identified with a predominately white culture. Also, in addition to placing reliance upon academic persons in the association's activities, we urge that in the recruitment of Black people for various kinds of roles in the A.S.A. that representation be drawn from other persons engaged in interests closely related to African and Afro-American studies with particular emphasis on Black youth inside and outside the university. We see the future prospects of a vital and meaningful association as directly linked to significantly strengthening its roots and its ties to Black Africanists; we encourage A.S.A. members to seek out African and Afro-Americanists to direct rapidly developing Afro- American studies in the United States and that A.S.A. address itself in meaningful educational ways to changing American public opinion based on deep racism."

COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED As a result of this presentation and subsequent

discussion the executive board was forced to acknowledge first that it had not concerned itself with the aspirations and needs of the black community. The board also accepted the demands of the Black Caucus and agreed to implement them. One of the demands which was accepted and instituted immediately established the Committee on Teaching About Africa and the Afro-American Committee. These committees were charged specifically with carrying out the major portion of the Black Caucus demands.

The nearly eighty black Africanists who par- ticipated in the Black Caucus were in reality serving notice on A.S.A. to "get itself together" or to be in- creasingly resigned to an irrelevant status in the study of African peoples.

AFRICA TODAY 13

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