Book offers clear hindsight

Chancellor James Moeser looked at the circle of first-year students in his freshman summer reading group and noticed a glaring similarity.

“Look around the group and tell me what we all have in common,” Moeser instructed the 13 students in Polk Place.

After a short pause, students acknowledged that everyone shared one obvious attribute — none of them were black.

Across campus, Provost Robert Shelton and his group noticed a similar situation when meeting to discuss “Blood Done Sign My Name,” a story about racial inequality and the civil rights era.

At first glance, the diversity of the group was almost undetectable, but as discussion began, it was apparent that each student brought different experiences and perspectives regarding race to the table.

“I think the discussion missed out on perception and points of view by not having greater diversity in the group,” Shelton said. “But a number of students pointed out their experiences with friends who were African- American. It could have been fuller, but it was a good discussion.”

Tim Tyson, author of “Blood Done Sign My Name,” said he hoped this year’s freshman summer reading selection would encourage students to take a different look at the civil rights era of the 1960s.

At New Student Convocation on Sunday, Tyson encouraged students to “lean into” the 159 discussions that would take place Monday afternoon.

“Do the exact opposite of your first instinct,” he said. “It won’t kill you to feel a little bit uncomfortable. Listen to your own discomfort.”

Shelton said he believes students heeded Tyson’s advice.

“They felt very open and free to discuss parts they didn’t agree with.”

Students noted that Tyson’s account of the events in Oxford following the murder of Henry Marrow, a 23-year-old black man, are different from the lessons they were presented in high school history class.

“This book was history as it should be,” said Danny Randolph, a freshman business major from Raleigh. “It broke down stereotypes.”

Nathan Scott, a freshman business major from Raleigh, said Tyson’s book made him rethink some of his views of that time period.

“I had no idea about all the violent protests,” he said. “A lot of us proclaim Martin Luther King Jr. as a hero. Tyson almost didn’t hold that same view.”

Student Body President Seth Dearmin, who helped lead the session, told students to continue having such discussions throughout their college careers.

“We have to push this dialogue forward ourselves,” he said. “Without us driving these conversations, these issues aren’t going to come up.”

Past summer reading selections — such as “Approaching the Qur’an” in 2002 and “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” in 2003 — were plagued with controversy.

This year, Shelton said the difficult topic was one that students were able to discuss openly.

“I thought there were more individual opinions expressed on this than on the others,” he said. “It was clearly a very rich text for discussion.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.