Thursday, February 11, 1993
by Tarsha Proctor and
Sadatu Usman
Guest columnists
Is the problem of racism
being dealt with on the college
campus? Are we truly trying?
After all, education is the only
way to combat the problem.
Minority leaders fought for us,
the entire student body,
regardless of color, to go to
college for an education.
Combating racism needs to be
made a priority; only then will
it be solved!
Many students at Behrend
have mixed feelings about
racism on this campus. Some
black and white students have
stated that they have not
experienced any racism yet.
Some black students, however,
say that they expect to
experience discrimination or
racism at Behrend. The problem
does exist.
Example 1: Recently in
Niagara Hall the word nigger
was written out on a RA's
marker board.
Example 2: During the
Martin Luther King speech
rehearsal, a white male student,
while going over some lines,
slipped and said "the nigger
community..." when he was
supposed to say "the negro
community...". The incident
was brushed off when it should
by Matt Duddy
cotumnist
I was in bed last week sleeping
peacefully when all of a sudden
the phone rang. It was my friend
Kristie, who was bearing some
grim and shocking news. I
couldn't imagine what would be
so vitally important as to wrench
me out of angelic slumber, but
what I heard was both disgusting
and insulting.
I wasn't exactly sure how to
respond to the news, so I hung
up, and called several people who
would know more about the
obscene accusation. As it finally
turned out, I was allegedly a
racist. Me, one of the most open
-minded people in the universe,
was charged with being a racist.
Everyone that heard it and
knows me realized that the
accusation was silly, and
unfounded. Perhaps another
reason they found it peculiar, is
because they all know that one of
my closest friends here happens
to be African-American, and that
I am completely impartial to race
or lifestyle. As far as I'm
concerned, however, I don't have
to justify anything to anyone.
WAKE
have been dealt with. He was
still allowed to partake in the
celebration.
Example 3: While in the
newspaper room, a white
student referred to Gerald Spates,
the minority advisor, as a
colored, which is a derogatory
term once used for African-
Americans. He said this as
though it were said everyday in
his house. We reporters were
then chastised about our reaction
to his comment. We were told
that it made him feel
uncomfortable. His comment
made us feel uncomfortable, but
that did not matter.
Example 4: On January
18th, Martin Luther King was
given an hour celebration in
Erie Hall. A lot of the African
American students did not
understand why that day was not
featured in The Collegian. They
figured that if the Erie news
came to film the candle light
vigil and interview a couple of
participants, why couldn't The
Collegian?
Example 5: Tamara Wiley,
who is on the entertainment
staff, wanted to write about
African-Americans' roles in the
entertainment network; how
they've progressed in some
ways and bow they digressed in
others. She was told that she
couldn't write about issues like
nority rad
Perhaps that's why I was so
astounded to hear such trash.
The strange thing is that I
should be used to this sort of
silly and childish attack. After
all, I am a member of the largest
on-campus minority of all (and
unquestionably the most
oppressed) -- I'm one of four
TRIGON co-directors. I know
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what it's like to lead a rough life
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the same time, I don't shout
"homophobia" and "oppression"
everytime I get stepped on.
It seems to me that there's a
certain radical black movement
that points at every organic thing
at Behrend and accuses it of being
racist. I believe unquestionably
that minorities should have the
Opinion
that in the entertainment section
because it might insult people.
Why would talking about a
race's position in entertainment
insult people?
Example 6: While in
conversation with a couple of
African-American students, a
white male student stated that he
believed that Rodney King
deserved to be beaten. The
African-American students left it
alone, but were disturbed by the
fact that he thought he could say
that in front of them without
any ramifications. Were they
supposed to have had no
reaction?
Example 7: An African-
American male student had gone
into the bookstore, took off his
jacket, and proceeded to walk
toward the merchandise. The
police officer then stopped him
and told him that he had to take
off his sweatsuit jacket as well.
He thought to himself, "Why do
I have to take off my sweatsuit
jacket when there are other
students in here with sweatsuits
and even thin jackets?" He did
as requested and went on his
way. All of these situations
make it hard for the Behrend
student body to get along. What
we need is knowledge of each
other.
How do we achieve this
knowledge? A group of African-
exact same opportunities as the
majority. I agree that there
should be minority activists
working for equality and justice
for their populations. But I do
not agree, and am strongly
repulsed by minority radicals who
go overboard, and proclaim
oppression at every miniscule
thing that doesn't go their way.
I thought I had heard it all. I
believed that nothing could
possibly surprise me anymore.
But then, I heard some of the
most frivolous and unfounded
tales ever told on this campus. I
heard of a student (according to
sources, it was me) that said the
word "nigger" during Martin
Luther King Junior Day
Celebration rehearsal, and this
student was amazingly still
allowed to participate in the
celebration. We've all heard of
certain campus personnel charged
with being racist. And the
grossest of all, I heard that certain
African-Americans and Hispanics
were traitorous for hanging
around Whites too much. I guess
you can never be absolutely sure
that you've seen everything, and
by the looks of things, no matter
how hard you try, you can't win.
UP!
American students went to a
North East church a couple of
Sundays ago to speak to the
congregation on what, it was
like to be an African-American
student at a predominantly white
university. They, not being
African-American, could not
now or ever understand the daily
turmoils that we face. We did,
however, explain it to them as
well as we could. On our visit,
we were given lunch, introduced
to guest speakers, and asked
many questions. We spoke to
parishioners and came out with
mixed reactions and opinions.
One African-American student
on the panel said that he had
never experienced any type of
racism. As the question of
racism was posed to the other
students from Behrend, there
were quite different responses.
Senior John Young stated that
"Yes, I have experienced racism.
I was in a grocery store one day
and a little white girl looked at
me and said to her mother,
'Mommy, why is he so dark?'
After the little girl made that
comment, her mother took her
to the side and chastised her as if
there was something wrong
with curiosity. Instead of
correcting her, she should have
explained his difference."
I, Sadatu, explained to a
parishioner that it is a fact that
cats
The point of this week's
column is: Wake up Behrend
College! Things aren't as
bad as we pretend. I'm not
saying that minorities have
complete equality, and should
stop working for justice and fair
representation. What I am saying
is by shouting "racist" at
everybody, and even turning on
...by shouting "racist"
at everybody, and even
turning on our own
kind, we are destroying
what we are working to
construct.
our own kind, we are destroying
what we are working to
construct. We're getting an inch,
and screaming for a mile.
Things really aren't so bad.
Actually, we've come a long way
since just 100 years ago. Unless
you were a straight-white-
Christian-male, your opinions
meant nothing. Blacks were
viewed as animals, queers were
black people cannot be racist.
We can be prejudice, but not
racist. This is because black
people do not control any
institutions in this country. We
have no institutional power in
the United States. Whites have
all the power. I then asked him
questions.
Why were nude colored
stockings called nude? Nude for
who? Not for most African-
Americans. When we are nude'
we don't turn that color. Who
were flesh colored bandaids made
for? Not for most African-
Americans. We could not
camouflage that bandaid on our
skin. When he (the parishioner)
got the dictionary and looked up
"racist", it said the same things
that I had said. He still did not
want to listen.
As long as people keep
denying the fact that there exists
a problem between the races,
nothing will be solved.
Ignoring racism only makes
the problem worse. For
example, the next time you hear
someone make a derogatory
remark, correct him or her.
Why deny yourself the
oppurtunity to learn about
people who are unlike you?
Difference is not bad. Everyone
open your eyes and WAKE UM
disgusting perverts, other
religions were evil, women were
merely beautiful to look at, and
all races were inferior to Whites.
We all know, and can agree that
all of these examples are foolish,
and outdated.
Minorities don't have to be
happy with current situations if
they're not treated equally. They
can and should always push for
more rights. But being rude,
militant, and demanding, rubs
everyone the wrong way, and
makes majorities want to stifle
minorities just for spite.
It seems to me that certain
minority radicals are losing sight
of the target: equality. justice,
I've said it before, and I'll say it
again: the Penn State
atmosphere needs to be
nicer to everyone.
This is college. We've got too
many real problems to be dealing
with to stop and listen to silly
rumors. What's it going to take
for everyone to put aside their
differences, and work for a
common cause? Perhaps we'll
never know.
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