Chuck Stone entertains with stories of civil rights collaboration

Famed UNC professor Chuck Stone awed spectators with tales of civil unrest, travel to foreign lands and a few crude jokes during a discussion about the role of blacks and Jews in the civil rights movement Sunday night.

Stone sauntered into the meeting, which was held at the N.C. Hillel house, sporting cowboy boots, a pin-striped suit and a bow tie.

“When people say it’s good to see me, I say it’s good to be seen,” Stone said, prompting the first of many laughs he would provoke.

A group of about 25 students listened intently as Stone related his experiences with bigotry, civil rights and building bridges between communities.

Much of what Stone said centered on the theme of accepting one’s identity.

“Blacks must choose to be black. Many of them want to integrate, to dissolve their heritage, and get away from it,” Stone said, relating the lesson to the Jewish community.

Stone spoke of a trio of boys, one black and two Jewish, who were killed in Mississippi during a time of racial tension.

“I can’t talk without suggesting we do something; I’m an activist,” Stone said after suggesting that the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History and the Hillel house establish a joint scholarship in honor of the trio.

When asked about the link between the Jewish and black communities, Stone said their collaboration in the civil rights movement was very important.

“If it were not for the Jewish community, the civil rights movement might not have succeeded,” he said.

Stone alleviated tensions in the room with a joke that made light of stereotypical insults about various racial groups and nationalities. The point, he said, was “the ubiquity and diversity of America.”

The meeting was more of a forum on cultural affairs than a history lesson. Stone introduced his view on the current civil rights movement with a revelation gleaned from his years on the scene.

“We don’t have a civil rights movement,” he said. “We don’t need a civil rights movement. You have 43 black Congress members. You have blacks in positions of power, as presidents of corporations and chancellors of universities.”

Despite this proclamation, he said, people must be active in the issue in order to preserve the progress that has been made. Stone cited concerns about what he described as a “streak of conservatism” in the country.

When asked about the position he held as a journalist during the movement, he related a story about working at the White House during the Eisenhower administration.

“In 1960, I was one of two black White House correspondents. The president would never call on me,” Stone said. When someone Stone knew asked if it got on his nerves, he said, “This president can speak once a month in front of 20 million people and ignore this little black face. If it doesn’t bother him, it doesn’t bother me.”

The event was part of a series of discussions hosted by the Carolina Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Ariel Scheib, event coordinator, said the idea for the event came to life when the group was brainstorming topics for its monthly professor’s forum. Stone was then secured as the speaker for the event.

Michal Nouriel, a sophomore operations research major, said she enjoyed the experiences Stone shared.

“I don’t feel like people know enough about the subject, but I don’t know why anybody wouldn’t want to be here.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.