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• 1 2019-12-08T20:38:57-05:00 "Black Harvard: Texture and Temperament" by Alex L. Jackson IV 8 plain 2020-03-17T19:43:19-04:00

  This article, “Black Harvard: Texture and Temperament” was published in the Harvard Yearbook by Alex L. Jackson IV in 1969. It discusses many issues that Black students experience during their time at this elite university. Immediately, the article identifies majority of black students as middle class members labeling them individualistic due to the pursuit of their own achievement. Their socio-economic backgrounds allowed them to attend similar schools to their white counterparts and assimilate into white culture. Because of this and the tendencies the black students display, Jackson claims the students can not relate to the Black Power movement that is happening concurrently with their time at Harvard because of the lack of “collective consciousness”. This was a critical time for the Black Power movement because of the recent deaths of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. and the emergence of the Black Panther Party. Jackson conveys that unless the black students at Harvard accept this ideology and come together, than they would not fully accept their black identity causing problems adjusting to Harvard. 

  Jackson points out additional issues that come of the lack of “collective consciousness” within  the Black community. He describes how many black students can not be themselves around other black students because of their competitive nature and superficial attitudes that are ingrained in their personalities. He concludes that these tendencies harm the students true identity and prohibit them from embracing black consciousness. Jackson identifies other problems for Black students regarding Harvard’s faculty. He mentions the lack of the Afro-American Cultural Center and how it is detrimental to Black students. He also advocates for more black faculty that can teach in the Afro-American Studies Institute to provide more insight on the black experience and perspective. 
  
  This first-person narrative provided insight regarding what Harvard was truly like for Black students during crucial times in Black History. It showed that black students have had a consistent attitude with fitting in and similar problems with faculty throughout time. Many Black Students at harvard feel the same way about the Black community and find it hard to fit in with other black students. Also, having white faculty teach black history relates to the issue of Harvard is currently having with the tenure of Professor Lorgia García.  The similarity in issues that Black students have had from the beginning of Harvard to now, show the recurrence of history.