This is an article series published by The Amsterdam News was written by professor Clarence Funnye, who wrote a long and sometimes scathing assessment on the situation of the City University of New York after the City College protests. Unlike the vast majority of the pieces found in this archive, this piece was written by a Black man and published by a local Black newspaper that operated in the area of the CCNY protests. This piece importantly contrasts with much of the Times reporting on the events at CCNY, speaking clearly and forcefully on the side of the underserved communities that were protesting.
It is a deeply interesting read and does not shy away from pointing out the many inequities in liberal arts education for Black, Puerto Rican, and other underrepresented students. It’s one of the only articles I found that discusses the specific content of the liberal arts curricula.
“All CUNY college students are required to take a full year of British literature — from Beowulf to Eliot — but are required to take no courses at all in American Literature. There are no courses even vaguely suggestive of Black culture (music, literature, art) or the roles Blacks have played in the founding and growth of the country. To CUNY, American culture is not just primarily, but almost totally, Anglo Saxon.”
Clarence Funnye
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