Do you feel better Meredith? The threatening feelings that you have towards DuBois College House are legitimate. The purpose of putting us all together is so that we can complain about white people and plot on how to make their lives miserable. Occasionally we like to wear afro-centric clothing and celebrate made up holidays so that white faculty who feel guilty will give us better grades. Thank you for your apology but it wasn't necessary.

The author clearly wrote this piece because she wanted to follow-up on a controversial topic that's bound to get her a few heated comments. This piece doesn't really add any value or fresh angle to the debate over Penn's policy of having special housing for black students. The only reason this sort of op-ed makes it onto the editorial page is because it toes the liberal line that the DP editors love. A conservative writer would be held to a much higher standard.

To the commenters: Damn if I don't gotta do this again... Du Bois is not "special housing for black students" it is a residential option for all students that reflects the experience of Africans and their descendants, both at Penn and in wider society. Before you lay down another ignorant comment, you might want to take a walk through the halls of Du Bois. If you still think that all the residents are black, then get back to me. Take my word for it if black folk seem too threatening to you. Du Bois isn't all black. You might want to look back at Simeon McMillan's column from last semester. I know white residents of Du Bois who are not blinded by fear of and/or prejudice against black students. True racial equality demands mutual respect and an understanding that the experience of black and other minority students is recognized. It's interesting that you expect black students to adhere to the expectations and norms of white society, and a predominantly white institution, while no such expectation is placed upon white and other non-black students to do the opposite. Take a typical hall in the Quad or Hill and you'll find it's every bit as homogeneous as any in Du Bois. Knowing of the experiences of many black students I know who did not live in Du Bois, social acceptance is often predicated on the extent to which they adopt the dominant culture of Penn, which is unquestionably white, and favors the wealthy. I'm sure many lower middle class white students have felt this also. The bottom line is, until the black experience is fully acknowledged and accepted as mainstream, identity politics remain significant, and the resources and guidance offered by Du Bois must remain available. W.E.B. Du Bois expressed the phenomenon of double consciousness that we feel as black Americans, finding ourselves a part of, but never fully integrated into the unhyphenated American narrative. White Americans who are constantly presented as "normative" in our society, sometimes find this difficult to grasp. McBride's column displays the potential for honest discussions about race, and ultimately, progress. Black and White Americans are simply not the same. Race is a social construct which is undeniably real, and is evidenced in the continued inequities (not just economic, but social and cultural as well) that uphold the values of white society above those of minority groups. The history of this country is very real, and does not simply disappear with the lofty rhetoric of government legislation. We can pass a bill that declares all people to be equal, but it does not erase the social conditioning that both black and white Americans have undergone. Only through mutual understanding can this be achieved, and if there is no representation of the black experience, as Du Bois was originally intended to provide, there is no opportunity to do so. Every day, black students on this campus attend classes in which we are the minority, and our voice is forced to represent our entire race. Simply acknowledging the voice of one black student, or associating yourself with one black friend, does not indicate an understanding of the black experience. The black community is comprised of a variety of ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds. We could do ourselves all a favor if more students like McBride could take the opportunity to live in Du Bois, attend black cultural events, or join groups like the NAACP which were founded by both black and white Americans in the interest of equality. We know that it's uncomfortable, because for many of us, the discomfort that Du Bois presents you with is the way we feel toward the entire university. Honest discussion on race is possible if we both take steps to do so, and Du Bois embodies that possibility. I tried to keep this down. Let me know if I missed something. I'm willing to talk. Props on the article.

Fantastic and thoughtful post. Thank you. [QUOTE id="766577c4-974d-4de0-87ad-23de78522de0"]To the commenters: Damn if I don't gotta do this again... Du Bois is not "special housing for black students" it is a residential option for all students that reflects the experience of Africans and their descendants, both at Penn and in wider society. Before you lay down another ignorant comment, you might want to take a walk through the halls of Du Bois. If you still think that all the residents are black, then get back to me. Take my word for it if black folk seem too threatening to you. Du Bois isn't all black. You might want to look back at Simeon McMillan's column from last semester. I know white residents of Du Bois who are not blinded by fear of and/or prejudice against black students. True racial equality demands mutual respect and an understanding that the experience of black and other minority students is recognized. It's interesting that you expect black students to adhere to the expectations and norms of white society, and a predominantly white institution, while no such expectation is placed upon white and other non-black students to do the opposite. Take a typical hall in the Quad or Hill and you'll find it's every bit as homogeneous as any in Du Bois. Knowing of the experiences of many black students I know who did not live in Du Bois, social acceptance is often predicated on the extent to which they adopt the dominant culture of Penn, which is unquestionably white, and favors the wealthy. I'm sure many lower middle class white students have felt this also. The bottom line is, until the black experience is fully acknowledged and accepted as mainstream, identity politics remain significant, and the resources and guidance offered by Du Bois must remain available. W.E.B. Du Bois expressed the phenomenon of double consciousness that we feel as black Americans, finding ourselves a part of, but never fully integrated into the unhyphenated American narrative. White Americans who are constantly presented as "normative" in our society, sometimes find this difficult to grasp. McBride's column displays the potential for honest discussions about race, and ultimately, progress. Black and White Americans are simply not the same. Race is a social construct which is undeniably real, and is evidenced in the continued inequities (not just economic, but social and cultural as well) that uphold the values of white society above those of minority groups. The history of this country is very real, and does not simply disappear with the lofty rhetoric of government legislation. We can pass a bill that declares all people to be equal, but it does not erase the social conditioning that both black and white Americans have undergone. Only through mutual understanding can this be achieved, and if there is no representation of the black experience, as Du Bois was originally intended to provide, there is no opportunity to do so. Every day, black students on this campus attend classes in which we are the minority, and our voice is forced to represent our entire race. Simply acknowledging the voice of one black student, or associating yourself with one black friend, does not indicate an understanding of the black experience. The black community is comprised of a variety of ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds. We could do ourselves all a favor if more students like McBride could take the opportunity to live in Du Bois, attend black cultural events, or join groups like the NAACP which were founded by both black and white Americans in the interest of equality. We know that it's uncomfortable, because for many of us, the discomfort that Du Bois presents you with is the way we feel toward the entire university. Honest discussion on race is possible if we both take steps to do so, and Du Bois embodies that possibility. I tried to keep this down. Let me know if I missed something. I'm willing to talk. Props on the article.[/QUOTE]

So this'll probably be gone in an hour, thanks to the Daily's new Midnight posting and all, but... To Ryan Jobson: I respectfully disagree with some of the points you raised. 1) I do not know any white students who are, 'blinded by fear' of black students. Just because a student chooses not to live in Dubois does not imply such racism. 2) You cite America's history as shaping today's reality. While I concede the point, I would argue that today's youth, both black and white, have grown up in an era unblemished by slavery or largely institutionalized racism. The best way forward is for persons of all races to recognize that we are all persons of value, that we are all equally worthy and that, if you are religious, we are all children of God. In doing so, we must ultimately realize that we are all part of one experience, as that experience is mutually shaped by history, that we are all Americans and that we are all of equal worth instead of focusing on one experience or another. Feel free to disagree, and to respond in the forty minutes that remains to this discussion.

Thank you.

From the DuBois website: "W.E.B. Du Bois College House provides a vibrant, supportive living environment for the pursuit of African-American scholarship." You can't compare DuBois to Hillel. Hillel was constructed with private, non-University donations and is a place for eating and activities. DuBois was constructed with University money as a residential dormitory. Nobody complains about real estate being set aside for African-American organizations on campus to conduct activities. But when you have nearly-exclusive HOUSING, it seems an awful lot like segregation. If Hill College House were dedicated to the advancement of "Caucasian scholarship," I think it would cause a bit of an uproar, don't you? African-Americans (and other minorities) at Penn and beyond will never feel like equal members of society so long as they benefit from unequal advantages, like exclusive housing and artificially-lowered admissions standards.

This is my eleventh year on the faculty at Penn, and it is the FIRST time I have been motivated to respond favorably to anything printed in the DP. Ms. McBride demonstrated a level of introspection and a willingness to both face and share difficult truths about herself and society more generally that many of us will never muster. This experience seems to have been transformative for Ms. McBride, and I hope that other members of the Penn community are/were able to "live vicariously" through her column. We all have a long way to go, but it's very rewarding when we can share in someone's "aha moment."

All I will say is that much of the cultural bias against Africans and their descendants that is perpetuated today results largely from slavery. This is upheld by both some black Americans as well as white Americans, but nonetheless, it presents "white" as the ideal, and values black people only in how closely they adhere to the pinnacle of "whiteness." I do not think all white students that do not live in Du Bois are racist or afraid, many black students don't live here simply because of the need for renovations. However, the reaction of many white students to the house and all that it represents displays at different times both fear and ignorance.

Du Bois is by no means exclusive. It is by far the most "diverse" house on campus. In fact, as far as I know it is not even majority "black" anymore. I use the term "black" loosely because the black population in this country and on campus display the same range of experience, opinions, and background as any other racial/ethnic group in this country or on this campus -- there are wealthy blacks, and working class blacks, Africans, West Indians, conservatives, moderates, liberals, and radicals. On the other hand, it is clear that you see blacks as an undifferentiated mass. The point is that Penn is not even majority black, and if you consider the myriad other ways to characterize the black population, thinking of Du Bois as the "black dorm" only reinforces the notion that the black population can be viewed as organically homogenous. You final statement crosses the line from "ignorant" to "racist" and it is not worth engaging you further. [QUOTE id="8848278b-59f1-482a-ab34-205bbd15092a"]From the DuBois website: "W.E.B. Du Bois College House provides a vibrant, supportive living environment for the pursuit of African-American scholarship." You can't compare DuBois to Hillel. Hillel was constructed with private, non-University donations and is a place for eating and activities. DuBois was constructed with University money as a residential dormitory. Nobody complains about real estate being set aside for African-American organizations on campus to conduct activities. But when you have nearly-exclusive HOUSING, it seems an awful lot like segregation. If Hill College House were dedicated to the advancement of "Caucasian scholarship," I think it would cause a bit of an uproar, don't you? African-Americans (and other minorities) at Penn and beyond will never feel like equal members of society so long as they benefit from unequal advantages, like exclusive housing and artificially-lowered admissions standards.[/QUOTE]

here's a thorough explanation from Tim Wise.... http://www.redroom.com/blog/tim-wise/this-your-nation-white-privilege-updated