COLUMN: "Am I My Brother's Keeper?"

From Harold Ford's "Papa Don't Take No Mess," Spring '92.From Harold Ford's "Papa Don't Take No Mess," Spring '92.· "Harold, do blacks think that all white people are racists? Because if they do, you know that they are wrong because I am not a racist?" "Harold, does Bill Madison have a chip on his shoulder?" "Do black students agree with Minister Farrakhan?" Almost every black person in his or her lifetime has been asked to assume the massive burden of speaking for the entire race. I would also contend that most individuals from non-white backgrounds are often asked to do the same thing. It is racist and demeaning for any person to coerce another person of a different race to speak for his/her entire race. There's not enough ink or paper for me to document the number of times someone has dared me to do just that. It is also equally stupid to try and respond to a person who asks such a foolish question. Most recently, several of my white University friends have bombarded me with questions about Daily Pennsylvanian columnist Bill Madison. Yes, for those who did not know or just plum forgot, Bill is black and so am I. Yes, Bill happens to be a friend of mine. As a matter of fact, I've known him since high school when we competed against one another -- I always won. However, that does not qualify me to speak for him. I can only tell you my opinion, not the opinion of anyone or everyone else. In addition, Bill does not speak for all of the University's black students and neither do I. We are both columnists for the DP, which means that if we were speaking for a group of students -- and we do not -- it would be the whole student body. It just so happens that we both have columns, and the goal of any good column is to persuade as many people as possible to believe your point. And just because Bill and I are black does not mean that we bring some extraterrestrial wisdom to issues that directly affect black students. We bring our perspective, not everyone else's, and if we convince a few people along the way, so be it. How many white students -- and be honest, now -- have read a controversial column by a white columnist and then categorically accused the entire white race of being guilty of what the white columnist wrote about? Probably not many. And why not? Because you cannot generalize or stereotype an entire group of people just because they share some characteristics. I cannot speak for 30 million black Americans. Isn't it enough that I speak for myself? · Harold Ford is a senior History major from Memphis, Tennessee. Papa Don't Take No Mess appears alternate Thursdays.

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