If we close our eyes we're all the same color. If we do not see racism it does not exist. But just because the blind man cannot see the sun doesn't mean the sun does not exist. And just because we cannot see the racism doesn't mean it isn't real. The sun still warms the blind man and our racism still sparks hate, whether or not we choose to acknowledge it. TCU is not exempt from the infectious illness of racism that we contract from our parents and hand down to our children. This became very clear in an article on race relations that ran last Friday. Clearly racist comments were made by several students - students who cowardly refused to give their names. Their comments, however, were not shocking. What was truly surprising was the fact that they felt they could utter them - to a fellow student, to a reporter, to anyone - and not be terribly ashamed. These students' comments suggest that the problem with racism on campus is not that it exists. Racism is everywhere. The problem with racism on campus is that it is not acknowledged as what it is - prejudice and bigotry. Maybe no one is refused service in The Main and there are no crosses burning brightly on the steps of Sadler Hall. And perhaps there aren't separate restrooms on campus, some marked "white" and some marked "colored." But prejudice and racism do exist on campus. They exist in our minds - in the fact that we sometimes catch ourselves saying "that honky," "that nigger" or "that spic." They exist in our ignorance - in the fact that we "know" nothing beyond the fact that the black guy listens to rap, plays basketball and eats fried chicken and the white guy listens to heavy metal and plays golf. And it exists in our humor - in the way we feel free to tell black jokes among our white friends and white jokes among our black friends. For those who still believe race relations are not a major problem at TCU, walk into The Main at six o'clock. Under the laughter and gaiety of the dinner crowd, a less than subtle theme emerges - separate but equal. Here, Jim Crow once again boldly enters the scene. This time, however, he's invited and no one questions his presence. It seems separate but equal is no longer seen as a problem in today's society. It has become an accepted and even preferred way of life as races mingle but do not touch. We not only separate ourselves at the dinner table, however. Fraternities and sororities are a prime example of race separation. For instance, if you've ever walked past Worth Hills during rush you may have noticed a long line of sorority girls - all pretty, all dressed up, all white. And how many white people have you seen in the historically black fraternities and sororities on campus - the few there are. Chances are, you haven't seen one. Racism is not merely a student issue, however. The administration which preaches diversity is also an administration lacking in minority faculty. I have been here for three years, had two majors and through it all, only one minority professor. That isn't the type of diversity we should want. In the end, a university is not a place where we should be safe from having to acknowledge our prejudices. It is here where we should examine our ignorance, acknowledge our bigotry and begin to stamp them out. Burying the problem won't kill it. Prejudice comes up through the cracks in the concrete in the quad. And all the diversity seminars and conferences we go to won't make it go away. Racism isn't something you can cure with a 12-step program. It is deeply ingrained into our unconscious and only a through a thorough examination of our own beliefs and talking about them with one another, can we begin to understand each other. Yes, if we close our eyes we're all the same color. But if we don't make the effort to see what we're looking at, we will never be able to live in the light.
Shavahn Dorris is a junior English major
from Joliet, Ill. |
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