Former Panther to speak

Ture lectures on Pan-Africanism, Zionism

Activist Kwame Ture, formerly known as Stokely Carmichael, is speaking at Oberlin on Monday. Ture is scheduled to speak on the Pan-Africanism movement, which attempts to unite all black people as a single political entity.

Ture will also give a lecture on Zionism Monday afternoon.

Ture is internationally recognized as a driving force behind the Black Power movement. During the 1960s, he was involved with the Freedom Riders and the Non-violent Action Group. He was a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and later a prime minister of the Black Panther Party.

Ture was born in 1942 in the West Indies. He studied and became politically involved in the United States before moving to West Africa, where he founded the All-African Peoples Revolutionary Party (AAPRP).

Professor of African-American Studies Yakubu Saaka teaches from Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America, a book Ture co-wrote with Charles V. Hamilton in 1967.

"He's probably the most consistent defender of the philosophy of Pan-Africanism," Saaka said.

Saaka said Ture is an ideal representative for the third wave of Pan-Africanists - the first was led by Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. DuBois, and the second by African Nationalists. Ture has been instrumental in the movement since the 1960s and is currently a leader of the AAPRP.

Ture has spoken to Oberlin audiences several times in the past. His last visit, in February, 1989, was the most controversial of his stops. In a 45-minute long speech at Finney Chapel, Ture spoke out against Zionism.

His statements, such as "Zionism is an illegal, racist, unjust, immoral political philosophy… Zionism is not a religion," were answered with a protest by about 30 students who stood up during the speech and turned their backs to Ture.

The students, mostly members of Hillel, a campus organization for Jewish students, wore white T-shirts bearing blue Stars of David.

Other members of the audience gave Ture a standing ovation when he finished speaking.

Saaka said he anticipates a protest at Monday's speech, though the situation in Israel has changed immensely in the past seven years. "The very same people who were very offended now see the need to talk to Yasser Arafat," he said.

Other issues such as racism and free speech issues are expected to raise controversy. In anticipation of this, Third World House held a series of forums during the past month.

President Nancy Dye, whose office is helping to sponsor the speech, said such preparations were important because of the ripples on campus last time Ture visited.

"He's kind of a juxtaposition of two principles of the Academy," Dye said. "One is the necessity to maintain an open forum. The other is a need to maintain campus values of respect."

Ture will deliver two lectures on Monday. The first one, addressing Zionism, will be in King at 4 p.m. The second, "Pan-Africanism and Humanity," will be in Finney Chapel at 8 p.m.