Self-segregation spurs discussion

Martin Luther King Jr. was a champion of civil rights who promoted ideas of equality and acceptance of all races in hopes of ending segregation.

In his honor, students, faculty and staff gathered last night in the ARCH building to discuss King's legacy and whether the Penn community truly promotes diversity on campus.

The discussion, entitled "Homogeneous Spaces Within Diverse Populations: Self- segregation or Empowerment?" attempted to address the issues King so adamantly fought for and spoke about during the 1950s and 1960s.

Board members of the Latino Dialogue Institute led the discussion.

Engineering junior and LDI session coordinator Natalie Vargas began the dialogue by asking what students associate with homogeneous places on campus.

Students cited religious groups, college houses and even classrooms.

Paula Sabloff -- a senior research scientist at the University Museum and an adjunct associate Anthropology professor -- said that in a Chinese history class she observed, approximately 85 out of the 90 students in the class were of Asian descent.

Rocio Polanco, a junior in the College and LDI public relations director, said that often students have "an affinity with [their own] community," leading them to flock to groups of people who are like themselves.

The group asked if students at Penn were segregating themselves or empowering themselves by forming such exclusive groups.

Students expressed multiple viewpoints on the issue.

Arlene Fernandez, a College junior and LDI chairwoman, said that throughout high school she was never given the chance to celebrate and learn about her Latino heritage. Penn has given her this chance.

"I feel comfortable in my homogeneous spaces, and it's OK if others want to come into them," Fernandez said.

Polanco added to Fernandez's statement.

She said that some Penn students may need these selective groups "for survival. We may not feel comfortable in the world at large [all the time], and so we ask, 'where are the people that resemble me?'"

Many other issues came up on the plate of discussion, from the impact of religious groups at Penn to the need to make friends outside of one's comfort zone.

The discussion, however, did conclude on a hopeful note for diversity and acceptance of groups on Penn's campus.

"The United States and the world has come a long way due to the careful construction of ideas" of people from the past like Dr. King, Polanco said.

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