The search for minority voices

To date, I have read two pieces, an article and an editorial, that have misrepresented my name and that of The Vision. I feel compelled to respond. The Vision was not created with the purpose of one day joining The Daily Pennsylvanian, but was designed to be its own entity, a publication that black students could lay claim to. Why can't people see that and accept it for what it is? Has the idea crossed anyone's mind that maybe black people on this campus want to do things for themselves without the helping hand of white people? Although we may have financial struggles and some distribution issues, we likewise have intense pride in what we put out in each edition of The Vision. The DP currently has just one reporter assigned to cover "minority" issues. It is unbelievable to me that one person is responsible for covering everything that goes on within these "minority" communities. Furthermore, it seems to me that there are a number of other problems concerning the race issue in general. Many white people do not realize the privilege and power that come along with being white, and therefore are often oblivious to this thing called racism. Just because folks aren't wearing white hoods and burning crosses doesn't mean racism does not exist. Some whiteÿpeople feel that people in "minority" groups should come to them for help. They say that people of color should integrate our socially stratified selves into their great white world so that we "minorities" may reap the benefits of their white privilege. No one ever asked the white fraternity boys why they don't join any of the BIG-C frats. Integration is a two-way thing, a conscious effort made on behalf of both the dominant and "minority" groups. Some folks still believe that we should forget about past wrongs done to our people in this country. Why should we forget the African holocaust, Maafa, during which millions of Africans lost their lives on the passage from Africa to the New World? Why should we forget the millions of Africans and African descendants who built this country with their blood, sweat and tears? Why should we forget that almost everything this country was founded on was done at the expense of people of color. Personally, I feel that people should be a part of whatever group, if any, makes them happy and comfortable. Whatever Penn thinks "diversity" is, it should not be forced down everyone's throats. It is OK to not have friends from other races, and it is OK to want to be around people you feel cultural ties to. No one should feel guilty for the types of people with whom they spend their time. If you happen to learn about other types of people, that's great. But if you don't experience them, I don't think your life will be completely void of meaning. The bottom line is simple. Let people do what they want to do, be around who they want to be around and live where they want to live. W.E.B. DuBois College House is probably more racially diverse than any fraternity house on Locust Walk, but no one thinks we should get rid of those houses.ÿAnd we shouldn't. If people want to "integrate," they will. And if they don't, they won't. No amount of diversity meetings, race articles or self-segregation panels in the world are going to change that fact. I do not consider myself a separatist --ÿI simply feel an obligation to my people.ÿTherefore, almost everything I do is meant to benefit them. That is my personal goal in life; to help uplift my people and benefit them the best way I can. It was not an intentional choice of mine to have only friends of color. It just so happens that most white people I meet cannot relate to me on the single most important thingÿto me -- my race. Am I so wrong for that?

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