Mayor addresses racial unity

New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial addressed African-American, Latino and Asian-American Penn students last night in a talk that was part of an award dinner for outstanding minority students. The dinner, named in honor of James Brister -- the first minority student to attend Penn -- attracted Morial, University President Judith Rodin, several University Trustees and more than 100 undergraduates. As keynote speaker, Morial, a 1980 College graduate, was the highlight of the evening. No stranger to the University, Morial has spoken at Penn several times over the past two years, at events ranging from a graduation ceremony to a conference of big-city mayors. Last night, Morial stressed the need for Penn to continue its commitment to ensuring racial unity on campus. Still, suggesting that progress toward that goal has been achieved, Morial recalled a particularly racially charged moment in 1978, when minority students, taking advantage of a student protest against the loss of a hockey team, seized the Franklin Building. "I remember one of the things that came out of that effort," Morial said. "We created the United Minorities Council." The mayor then turned his attention to some of the racial problems that have manifested themselves in recent years. Specifically, Morial pointed to the digital divide -- the disparity in access to computer technology -- as a challenge to society. "Like all great inventions, if it is in the hands of a few, it has the potential to create a greater divide between those who have and have not," he said. Morial also reminded students that although the country's economy is booming, many citizens still live in poverty. "In my city, half of the children every year are born into poverty," he noted. In the last -- and easily most controversial -- part of his talk, Morial praised affirmative action, and called for it to be continued at Penn and throughout the country. "I am forever indebted to the concept of civil rights and affirmative action, which gave me a chance to come to the University of Pennsylvania," he said. College freshman Adrianna Salinas was one of many audience members moved by the mayor's personal experience with affirmative action. "I think that it was a really poignant point that because of affirmative action he was able to come here," she said, adding that she too supports the initiative. The James Brister Society is an organization comprised of minority students and alumni dedicated to creating an atmosphere of racial and cultural diversity at Penn. Members are expected to help recruit minority high school students and provide mentoring to them once they enroll. The society -- along with the Association of Latino Alumni, the Black Alumni Society and the Asian Alumni Association -- sponsored last night's annual dinner at the Inn at Penn. Beginning the evening's festivities, the Brister Society celebrated the career of Gloria Chisum, a University Trustee who founded the Brister Society and is now retiring from public service. Rodin commended Chisum for her long-standing valuable role to the Penn community. "In every task she takes on for the University, she has tried to ensure that culture and diversity are not lost," Rodin said.

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