A Dialogue on Racism

Here at Columbia, we value diverse opinions. The past week has seen a debate about racism that affects us all. In light of this debate, please consider the following completely imaginary exchange between a perturbed liberal and an activist protesting against racism.

"Racism is not a problem at Columbia."

At a town hall meeting last Wednesday night, an African-American woman, almost in tears, described how she returned to her room to find "Nigger go home" scrawled on her door--at Barnard College. Another black student described how disbelieving administrators asked to see ID when he went to collect an award he had received. They weren't convinced they had the right person. These are just two of dozens of stories that have come out in the past week.

Pretending racism doesn't exist while spouting rhetoric about color-blindness is an implicit endorsement of actions like the Columbia College Conservative Club's bake sale. Anyone who claims that racism is not a problem at Columbia has not been paying attention.

"Students of color shouldn't complain. Columbia is much more enlightened than the rest of the country."

Our university touts its reputation as "the most diverse Ivy." But Columbia's student body is 7 percent black and 7 percent Latino in a nation that is one quarter black and Latino and a city that is over half non-white. President Bollinger, who styles himself "Mr. Affirmative Action," can only mouth watery platitudes about "tolerance" when attacks on students of color are launched from his own campus.

In six semesters on the history of "Western Civilization," students read the work of only one black author--W.E.B. DuBois--and may listen to jazz if their Music Humanities teacher is so inclined. In an atmosphere were students learn from day one that the history and culture of white Western Europeans is more important than others, is it really surprising that some feel emboldened enough to say and do things that could have come straight out of the Jim Crow South?

Columbia has a long tradition of trying to make Morningside Heights as white and affluent as possible, forcing the borders of Harlem east and north to make room for gourmet food shops, doorman-equipped apartment buildings and a luxurious private school. Now Columbia wants to take the next big leap by buying a large chunk of Manhattanville to build a satellite campus. Area residents may be able to serve coffee there for $7.50 an hour. Far from being a bastion of enlightened liberal humanism, Columbia may be one of the most racist places in New York City.

"Jeez, lighten up. That cartoon and the CCCC bake sale were ironic. Can't you take a joke?"

Racism only seems trivial and ironic to those who do not have to face it every day. I am furious about these racist incidents, and I am white. Students of color have every right to be absolutely incensed. Recent events have revealed that students of color feel deeply alienated, marginalized, and attacked on this campus. For three days last week, students of color wore signs protesting the fact that they were being silenced. Who now has the gall to tell them to sit down and shut up about race? While you're at it, why not just tell them to move to the back of the classroom so the white students can see?

"You just want a repeat of 1968, when the campus was polarized and students rioted."

Martin Luther King, Jr., in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," wrote that "we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with."

Columbia administrators--and probably some students--would like to see the protests quietly dissolve or get tied up in endless negotiations, investigative committees and special commissions. But it has never been more urgent to fight back. If students had not "rioted" in 1968, we would have a segregated gym in Morningside Park.

We need to create an atmosphere where speaking out against racism should be seen as the duty of every student, instead of an annoying disruption that interferes with classes. Furthermore, we need an atmosphere where students of color do not feel constantly under attack.

Racism at Columbia will not be solved by official statements, token gestures from the administration, or a superficial dialogue about how we can all be nicer to one another. We need real change. Stronger affirmative action policies, more space for students of color on campus, and a more inclusive Core Curriculum would be a good start. We have been silent about these problems for far too long. Now is the time to speak out and to act.

The author is a Columbia College senior majoring in history.