A public forum designed to discuss the role of blacks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. today in Union Parlors A, B and C.

Associate Professor Curtis Stokes, who teaches black politics, political theory and constitutional democracy in the James Madison College, will be part of a five-member panel for the forum. He said the event is important because it allows blacks to express their opinions and address issues that have not been discussed on campus.

“It will be different in the sense that you will have for the first time at MSU, a panel of individuals who are African Americans,” Stokes said. “Black people are an important component of the American community, and many blacks were killed and injured in the Sept. 11 attacks, and others put out of work as a consequence of what took place.

“In a university setting, it’s extremely important to get as wide a reflection of the population’s point of view so as to get a more complete sense of how the various constituencies feel about this thing.”

And Stokes said blacks can relate to the attacks because they have experienced a history of discrimination in the United States.

Bill E. Lawson, a philosophy professor and panel member, said many blacks question the idea of patriotism because of that discrimination.

“We start talking about being patriotic and supporting the flag,” he said. “For many blacks, this raises some very serious questions. You have a history of blacks being very supportive of this country during war and coming back and being treated worse than they were before.”

The event is being sponsored by the Black American and Diasporic Studies specialization program, the Office of Racial Ethnic Student Affairs, the Black History Committee, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Services and the Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators Association.

“I hope someone would come and hear and at least try to appreciate this moral dilemma for some African Americans, if not all,” Lawson said.