Speaker discusses culture's
heritage
By Matt Poston
Staff
Writer
Thursday evening the highest-ever ranking African
American in Congress, a pastor for 20 years from Philadelphia, and the
president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund spoke at Purdue University.
One man, William H. Gray, holds all three titles.
Gray, in his speech titled "Where Do We Go From
Here?" spoke about how important it is for African Americans to experience
a renaissance of their heritage.
"Recapture the importance of knowing your story
and telling your story," Gray said. "That's what Black History Month
is all about."
Gray's speech, which was hosted by the Black Cultural
Center, is one of many Black History Month activities planned by the
center for February.
Gray also said that right now the United States
is going through a dynamic change, as radical as the changes that occurred
between 1890 and 1930.
He said the United States is experiencing a revolution
of increasing diversity.
"By 2050 half of the population will be made of
Hispanics, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans,"
Gray said.
Gray pointed to many different signs of progress
in diversity, including an increase of African American senators, mayors
and businessmen.
"Today we have more African Americans graduating
high school, attending college and graduating college," he said.
Gray also addressed issues such as preference programs
and anti-discrimination.
"We should create more access by creating more
seats," Gray said. "There's no need to keep students out."
Those who listened to the speaker had many positive
things to say.
"He was excellent," said Kelli Seaton, a graduate
student at Purdue. "I think more people should've come out from both
the minority and majority populations."
Stephany Spalding, a student in the School of Liberal
Arts, said, "He was very thorough and in-depth. I appreciated his views
on black colleges and preferential treatment programs."
Gray said the biggest question facing African Americans
today is how to keep progress going.
The answer, said Gray, is through education and
putting aside stereotypes that don't reflect the true nature of a group
of people.
"We built a society where it's possible to go from
the bottom to the top, thanks to a strong public school system," said
Gray. "But the door to educational opportunity needs to be wider than
ever before."
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