OPINION & EDITORIAL
Silence not golden on UW Housing race dialogue
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Also by Jason Smathers:
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by Jason Smathers
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
"I hate it when people say African-Americans never have to
tan."
In the last few days of house fellow training, University of
Wisconsin Housing had turned the diversity dial from "frank discussion" to
"tolerance bombardment." Standing in front of this statement and others like it
in the upper gulley of Carson's, I thought to myself, "Well, can't argue with
that." Forget rational dialogue. Remain silent and accept it.
After slogging through several eight-hour days dedicated to
this invisible pillar of housing called "diversity," we were directed to walk
through a silent gallery of students' thoughts on their own race. Black,
Latino/a, multiracial, Asian and American Indian students put their thoughts on
construction paper under headings such as, "What I hate hearing about my race,"
"What makes me proud of my race" and
"Misunderstandings of my race." All the house fellows were sent through
the room, told to look at each statement, but to remain silent. Just let the
statements sink in. "Think about them."
Diversity it was. One black student noted his pride in
having, "the best music" and "defining cool." Asian Americans lamented the
stereotypes of pack movement and inherent intelligence. Multiracial students
seemed both frustrated and proud of their inability to be categorized in the
American race Rolodex. However, the last comment I read resonated as much as
the first.
"I am proud of my race because we never have to tan!"
With such a thought-provoking contrast, I went into
discussion with the rest of the Sellery Hall house fellows and drew my
conclusion. After mentioning the two statements, I remarked, "It's interesting
how two people of the same race took the same comment in completely different
ways. It really shows that the issue of race is still an individual and
personal issue, one of interpretation."
Wrong answer. I got strained looks from the proctor of the
discussion, who moved on to a discussion of how we further the stereotypes
mentioned in the gallery. Once again, I did not fit the mold. Yet, that's all
part of the self-defeating contradiction of UW Housing. Diversity is promoted
across every category with the exception of the one category that underpins the
rest: diversity of thought.
No unit of UW has done more to promote racial diversity and
educate incoming freshmen on the subject. Housing has a separate budget for
diversity-related programs, house fellows are required to engage their
residents in at least one diversity-related program each semester — though more
are encouraged — and all employees are put through a rigorous boot camp of
diversity training that ensures a healthy statistical background to promote
various aspects of social justice. With the Multicultural Student Satellite
providing a safe haven for the university's minorities — racial, social,
sexual, etc. — UW Housing was one of the only elements at Madison to make a
proactive effort to break the white majority out of any intolerant malaise it
may have contracted in the pale suburbs and towns of Wisconsin.
Yet, it never really worked. The stories of black residents
being asked what sport they play and racial slurs scrawled on someone's
whiteboard still exist. While those who come in as house fellows may appear
champions of social justice and defenders of equality and some residents may
attend the never-ending presentations on race in society, there is one element
missing: dialogue.
During the second semester of my time at Sellery Hall, I
created a presentation for my Frisby house on minorities in the media. While I
certainly interspersed questions between my highlight reel of pundits like
Glenn Beck asking a Muslim congressman if he was in bed with the enemy, it was
mostly a lecture. For at least 35 minutes, I went through each clip and, rather
than asking for response, asked questions that could be summarized as, "On a
scale of one to 10, how racially insensitive is this?" Certainly, students
later chimed in with similar sentiments, but I couldn't help but feel I was
telling them what to believe.
And the biggest problem is I didn't fully believe what I
said. Incoming house fellows are put through hours upon hours of diversity
lecturing that reaches the same point: "diversity." Whatever that means in the
long run is unimportant as long as it results in a hyper-tolerance by housing
employees and a promotion of social justice at some avenue. While working at
Sellery, I didn't feel like a purveyor of social justice; I felt like a
lobbyist, a politician, a walking box of talking points.
That's where UW Housing has it wrong. Social justice is not
a religion; it's an idea — an idea that deserves scrutiny. UW Housing needs to
accept the criticism and address race with an honest public forum and change its
model in the process.
First off, Housing needs to focus its efforts rather
throwing every event conceivable at the student body. It's a noble thing to try
and pop the bubble that students live in, but they'll never take anything
seriously if Housing continues to foist a daily barrage of heavy topics upon
students. They need time to digest and contemplate.
Also, bring in lecturers, experts and community leaders to
talk about how we interpret race. Housing does this occasionally, but not
enough. We can't just leave it up to students and administrators to proctor
discussion with a jumble of data at their side; believe me, it doesn't work.
More importantly, the discussions need to bring reluctant
students into the fold. Not everyone will have an open mind, but nearly
everyone has a mouth to open. If those who disagree with the methods of social
justice want to speak up, let them do so. Encouraging counterarguments might be
detrimental to the case for diversity efforts at UW, but then again, who ever
said we're doing it right?
Racial tension at this campus cannot be mitigated by movie nights and outward displays of multiculturalism. In fact, until this campus reflects a racial diversity closer to that of the country itself, racial tension can never truly be addressed. However, we can at least accept our limitations and voice our true opinions — not our self-censored concessions, not our politically correct attempts to avoid offense, but our heartfelt personal assessment of how race should be treated in America. Until we do that, all these efforts will remain nothing more than products of a buzzword we half-heartedly accept.
Jason Smathers (jsmathers@badgerherald.com)
is a senior majoring in journalism and history.
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 7:22am):
UW Housing should be about providing a place to live, not indoctrinating people in their ideology of choice. If someone is being a racist, then they should step in. Otherwise, ge out of the way.
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 7:32am):
I agree with the overall point that political correctness hinders racial progress. I do disagree with the statement that "racial tension can never truly be addressed." It can and is -- sometimes -- at Richard Davis's Institute for Healing Racism and in the UW's Leadership Institute. When people are honest about the challenges we all face in the areas of ethnicity and skin color, we actually get somewhere. Prejudice/racism is in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. No one is immune.
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 8:51am):
"Diversity is promoted across every category with the exception of the one category that underpins the rest: diversity of thought."
Isn't the whole point of thought control that everyone thinks the same party line?
You just have to get your mind right!
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 9:26am):
Great article, Jason. Why don't you pull a magic wand out of your bum and make everything better? Because that's what it'll take. And whose fault is it that we're not diverse enough?
You mentioned "stories of black residents being asked what sport they play and racial slurs scrawled on someone's whiteboard." Did you think to mention whites being asked "what part of the South are you from" even though we're not from the South" and the racial harassment whites put up with every day? Or do you just like to pretend that it doesn't happen?
I've grown up hating conservatives for everything they stand for, but liberals like you haven't exactly proven to be on top of things either.
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 9:52am):
Jason, would you mind writing about some other topic besides this stupid white guilt crap?! What the hell do expect whites to be able to do about it?! Do you honestly believe that every single white person is a racist? Or that you are the only tolerant white person on the planet?
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 10:28am):
Jason, you are a good writer.
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 11:56am):
Jason, you are a foot wider.
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 12:03pm):
Jason, do you need a hug?
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 12:08pm):
"and the racial harassment whites put up with every day?"
life sucks being part of the dominant majority.
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 12:25pm):
"life sucks being part of the dominant majority."
Oh, we're the dominant majority?! Or maybe you're just the jealous, brooding minority that doesn't want to take responsibility for your own failures. Take a walk, loser!
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 12:42pm):
"Racial harassment whites put up with every day"
-- sure.
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 1:09pm):
I liked the part about how racism only be addressed when this "campus reflects a racial diversity closer to that of the country itself!"
I certainly hope that you mean county, or state!
Wisconsin is 86% white non-hispanic, while the nation is 67%. As a state school, the responsibility of the school is to the state. To create a manufactured diversity of 67% non-hispanic white would require gross changes that will never, and should never happen.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/55000.html
Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 8:33pm):
Sellery house fellows were lame in general. Whoops, almost forgot the stern talking-to I received last year for calling something lame. (I might have offended someone who was crippled.)
Anonymous (November 17, 2007 @ 11:33am):
First off as someone who has been through the house fellow training (all 2 weeks of it)I can tell you that there is not a "rigorous boot camp of diversity training" In fact I think the diversity training was inadequate in that there is not enough of it. Unless you have been a house fellow yourself I doubt that you would know what exactly training entails thus what you report is merely hearsay.
The people you talk to in small discussions, groups, presentations they are not all experts, they were not elected to be there, they are merely individuals with personal experience, perhaps training that like yourself would like to create dialog and work to challenge discrimination and prejudice on our campus. And as a white male I doubt that you can fully understand the pressures and inevitable shortcomings of having to represent ones entire race or sexual identity.
I also think that you are perhaps unaware of how often we have speakers and community leaders come in so perhaps what that is telling me is that we need to do more advertising because the programing, the speakers, they are there.
On Nov 2 we had Student Diplomats of South Korea come to speak, we had Dr. Mae Jemison come to speak, Thomas A. DuBois came to talk about his new book, "The World Beyond Our Borders presents", Civil Rights Legend, Joanne Bland came to speak on Nov 12, we had Cinefest, American Heritage month events, and last week was Transgender awareness week where we also had speakers and trailblazers working to make a difference. Those are just a few of the recent programs, speakers, and community leaders, that you claimed weren't available.
Lastly in regards to your assertion that "it hasn't worked" yes, there are still sexual, racial, ethnic slurs written on doors, there are still people who are ignorant, who ask ignorant questions. Sorry for not ending racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, ect. Do you really expect that we can in one or even four years undo more than 18 years of socialization, learned stereotypes, biases, and racist and homophobic attitudes passed down by family and community leaders throughout someone entire life thus far? You set the bar awfully high.
No we are not perfect, we will not end racism or homophobia. Not all of our programs will reach everyone but we are doing what is within our capacity as people, citizens, and students to help to fight these prejudices and if not change minds at least open them.
I appreciate that you wanted to take a hard look at diversity issues on campus and that you yourself have tried to create dialog, that is important. obviously you do care and have good intentions however I feel that you are also misinformed about the role and capacity of UW housing diversity programs and if you have suggestions, comments, programing ideas please let us know.
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