DuBois hears surprise speaker

Philadelphia City Council President John Street was a no-show yesterday at a forum entitled "The Role of the Afro-American Collegiate in 1995" held at the W.E.B. DuBois College House. But the program, which was sponsored by the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, continued despite the absence of Street. However, the roughly 15 students who came to hear Street ended up hearing Arthur James, a Philadelphia attorney, instead. James' son is a Wharton sophomore. James stressed the need for blacks to be educated, and added that he was annoyed that more students had not shown up for the event. He said that if the rapper Tupac Shakur -- whom he referred to as a "faggot punk" who degrades women -- had come, hundreds of students would have attended the speech. "It's embarrassing to be a black man in America," he yelled. "In 1995 we have become a liability, [and] we've got to strive for academic excellence. "You guys are the tomorrow," he added. "But you scare me. I'm scared to death of tomorrow." James said blacks must not look to past figures like Malcolm X for inspiration, but must rely on themselves. "Find the Malcolm in you," James said. And James said blacks should not be getting a University education to merely get a job, but also to be the head of a law firm, or own a corporation. "If your education only allows you to think about a job, then you missed the boat," he said. "You must say to yourselves, what am I gonna own, [and] what am I gonna contribute to the community. We must take back our neighborhoods." James also said he is fearful of the current government and what they are going to do to blacks. He said blacks must be educated to understand what's really happening in government. "They're getting ready to turn this whole country around," he said. "If the people that are in power now get what they want, your ain't even gonna understand what America is." He added that blacks should not be angry with Koreans who own stores in the black community, but should rather learn a lesson from their example. And he stressed that blacks must interact with whites and stop blaming whites for black problems. "Don't turn your back on whites, it ain't about race, it's about your people, your business," he said. "In order to take back our neighborhoods you're gonna have to deal with a whole lot of people." College sophomore Obinna Adibe said he was not surprised at the turn out, but added that he enjoyed the speech, even though Street was a no-show. "It's a shame," Adibe said. "Nobody comes when something valuable is on tour. It was an excellent speech. It was real. I got enough there to take with me and tell my friends."