The chemistry was just all wrong

A black studies professor left SF State mainly because the College of Science and Engineering stunted his growth as an educator and wouldn't let him teach his Afrocentric science courses in their chemistry department.

For seven years Grant D. Venerable taught several science-related courses within the black studies department, five of which he developed himself. And each year, Venerable applied to have those courses accepted within the College of Science and Engineering.

Yet each time he was met with the same answer: "No."

This is the primary reason why he left SF State.

"I was settled," Venerable, 54, said. "I thought I had an academic home wherein I could develop Kemetic science."

Venerable described Kemetic science as a holistic form of chemistry based on historical Afrocentric perspectives.

But those in the College of Science and Engineering felt Venerable's Kemetic teachings had no place in SF State's chemistry department.

"In our judgment, they were not science classes," said James C. Kelley, dean of the College of Science and Engineering. In fact, Kelley was at a loss to describe exactly what Kemetic science is.

"Maybe it's history or philosophy," Kelley said of the course descriptions Venerable had submitted. Kelley added that his comment was not meant as a personal insult to Venerable.

Although Venerable said he left SF State's College of Ethnic Studies on good terms, he sometimes wonders about the university's commitment to diversity. Venerable said he was shunned by the College of Science and Engineering, which he said is "deeply entrenched in white supremacy."

"The door was closed, and I think it was because of my association with black studies. That's what they (those in the College of Science and Engineering) were most upset about: teaching chemistry in a black studies department," Venerable said.

Oba T'Shaka, a full-time black studies professor and the former chair of the department, said everyone in his department was supportive of Venerable's teachings.

Kelley, however, pointed out that the curriculum in the College of Science and Engineering has its roots in many ancient and modern cultures from all over the world.

"(Venerable and his colleagues) are entitled to their view," Kelley said. "I think that's not true. It's a very narrow view to think that science is founded solely on the ideas of dead European white guys."

Denied Recognition
So while Venerable's courses counted as general education units within black studies, the College of Science and Engineering refused to recognize them as classes toward a chemistry degree.

Venerable said this was unfortunate and very frustrating for someone of his merits. He obtained his undergraduate degree in chemistry at UCLA and both his master's and his doctorate degrees at the University of Chicago. He founded the chemistry department at UC-Santa Cruz's Oakes College and was a tenured chemistry professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

"Usually, people recognize Ph.D. credentials, but at San Francisco State they don't," Venerable said. "And my credentials are the best you can get."

But more importantly, the loss of someone like Venerable has bigger implications for a university that strives for diversity among its faculty and curriculum.

"The campus needs to understand that there is an African view," said T'Shaka. Venerable's views were "multidimensional, incorporating an African world view," added T'Shaka.

"For us (in the College of Ethnic Studies), it had a serious impact," said D. Phillip McGee, dean of ethnic studies. "It's been hard finding teachers who can teach his courses.

"He will be missed," McGee said.

A student enrolled last semester in black studies 201 -- listed in the current SF State Bulletin as "Kemet, Afrocentricity and the Dawn of Science" -- said he was sad to see Venerable go.

"He was probably the best teacher I've ever had," said A.C. Wills, a 22-year-old biology senior. "He put a whole new perspective on the sciences for me."

Venerable was quick to point out the apparent scarcity of science-related courses in black studies programs nationwide and how most fail to generate interest in the sciences among African-American students.

Currently, SF State's chemistry department has no African-American professors. However, Kelley said, "You can't conclude that it's because of any racial resistance."

In an age of science and technology, T'Shaka said, if higher education doesn't encourage interest in science among African-Americans or train them adequately to be scientists or technicians, African people as a whole "will find themselves in a much weaker position in society."

Moving on
In trying to be a tenured professor within both the colleges of Ethnic Studies and Science and Engineering, much to his disappointment, Venerable realized he had nowhere to go but out.

"I was sitting there for seven years, and they couldn't find me," Venerable said.

Then on Aug. 1, Venerable left for Chicago State, where he was offered immediate tenure in the chemistry and ethnic studies departments.

"I got an offer I couldn't refuse," Venerable said. "I just went to a better place."

McGee said he wrote letters of recommendation to Chicago State and many other universities to help Venerable locate one that would be more supportive of his teachings.

"There are no hard feelings," McGee said. "I'm very proud of him."

Currently, Venerable serves as the associate provost for academic affairs at Chicago State.

"All my time is spent in administration right now," he said.

Venerable said the root of Kemetic, or Kemet, was the name of ancient Egypt and loosely translated, means "land of blackness." According to Venerable, Kemetic science shares many similarities with Cartesian science, or Western European science, which forms the basis of the curriculum in SF State's chemistry department.

"The ancients ... studied the laws of the transformation of matter in order to understand the laws of transformation of the soul because they believed that matter was, at basis, spiritual," he said.

Venerable said, besides colleagues familiar with his work, few people in the United States know about Kemetic science. He wrote a 16-page paper on the subject entitled, "Chemistry and the Optimum System." He sent a copy to Kelley last spring.

Venerable said he wonders whether Kelley still has it.

[ Golden Gater Online October 3, 1996 ]

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