Letters to the Editor

To the Editor: I was disappointed by Courtney McMillian's column ("Remembering the neglected heroes of American history," The Daily Pennsylvanian, 1/26/01). Two of the "forgotten" heroes she chose to highlight have been featured in major motion pictures within the last five years. Admittedly, Amistad was not hugely successful, but an event featured in a Spielberg film hardly qualifies as neglected. As for Medgar Evers, the trial for his murder was related in Ghosts of Mississippi (with James Woods, Alec Baldwin and Whoopi Goldberg). McMillian's other example -- the Underground Railroad -- while certainly an impressive and heroic achievement, is something that every schoolchild knows about. I'm sure that there are many unsung African-American heroes, but McMillian surely does not do justice to them in her column. By focusing on the few black Americans who already are within the sphere of public knowledge, she is merely propagating the minimization of the face of black people in American history that she bemoans.

Ivan Stoner College '03

To the Editor: President Bush could not have selected a more qualified director of the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives than John DiIulio. Sadly, America's gain is Penn's loss. I can honestly say that I have never known someone more genuine in his commitment to making a difference in the lives of others than John DiIulio. During his two years at Penn, I have had the opportunity to learn from him in his classes (in addition to working with him in developing the Fox Leadership Program) and on occasion just sitting back and getting to know him as a person. Professor DiIulio gets his satisfaction in life by striving to cure the problems faced by America's worst off. His motivation in doing this is nothing other than the pursuit of justice. Although initially skeptical of the use of a faith-based approach, John has convinced me that this strategy is worth a try. The statistics do not lie. Where government programs have failed, faith-based approaches have succeeded. Being a committed Jew, I am ever conscious of infringing upon the separation of church and state. However, I have no fear that granting faith-based organizations the equal right to obtain government funding will be able to steer clear of violating this principle. Further, there is no one I would trust more with the responsibility of protecting the separation of church and state than DiIulio. His commitment as a constitutional scholar to the values of our founding fathers should leave all Americans at ease with the idea that such an office exists. While I lost from campus a teacher, mentor and true friend earlier this week, I think I speak for all of Professor DiIulio's students when I say that it was truly an honor to have had the opportunity to learn from him.

Adam Magnus College '01 To the Editor: Jonathan Margulies ("Today, red and blue. Tomorrow, just red tape," DP, 1/31/01) reinforces the sad stereotype that "those who can do, and those who can't teach" -- although he makes the latter option much more attractive, describing, "a cushy endowed chair at a prestigious Ivy League university." What better laboratory is there for a distinguished social scientist, teacher and researcher like John DiIulio than the real world of public policy? It is impossible to believe DiIulio would accept Margulies' assertion that "DiIulio's strength will be wasted" in this effort. Why bother studying, teaching or researching anything without the courage to test your ideas in practice? There are many Democrats who have long applauded DiIulio's work on faith-based social service initiatives and who welcome this opportunity to implement his ideas on a wider scale, even in a Republican administration. Yes, DiIulio will have to "organize legal and political defenses" to the certain challenges of both hostile-to-religion absolutists and skeptical religious institutions, but his track record shows him to be an individual of courage and commitment who will not be easily rebuffed. Margulies and the entire Penn community should wish him well in this innovative endeavor.

Peter Watko Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

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