Burnley tells students to explore their past

Stressing that many blacks do not have adequate knowledge of their roots, the Rev. Lawrence Burnley said at a discussion yesterday that people should not ignore their culture or other people's cultures. "As a people, we are blind to our own cultural heritage," Burnley said. The hour-long lecture by Burnley, associate minister for programs of the Christian Association, focused on the black influence on Judeo-Christian history as part of Black History Month. The speech, which fifteen students attended, dealt with Western Civilization's attempts to "whiten" Egypt and recent attempts to alter this perception. While some audience members took notes, Burnley read from a prepared speech citing numerous examples of ways in which Egyptian traditions influenced Judeo-Christian beliefs, including monotheism. Burnley added Egypt has been historically separated from Africa for hundreds of years but nevertheless has had a tremendous influence on African affairs. He added that this separation is similar to saying that California is not a part of the U.S. Burnley said during the speech, held at the Christian Association, that evidence found indicates that a highly civilized society lived in Egypt prior to the rise of Europe. In order to justify the enslavement of Egyptian people, Europeans claimed that the blacks were sub-human, he said. But Burnley added that blacks should be proud of any Egyptian accomplishments that would reflect well in the black community. Tanika Beamon, a College senior, said Burnley's speech was an accurate description because Western Civilization has attempted to change history. She added that the University does not explore these issues in depth in many of her classes. "It is true that history has been whitened," Beamon said. College junior Rodney Archer said white supremist doctrines of the 19th century have slanted history by placing more emphasis on accomplishments by white people. "It's definitely necessary for people to refute the lie because it's basically the lie that has subjugated the minds of humanity for thousands of years," Archer said. "Until we assert the truth, no person is able to be free."

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