Gates enthralls audience with speech on multiculturalism

and Paula Odysseos Even during a 10-second pause for a sip of water, Henry Louis Gates Jr. commanded the complete attention of the of the crowd of approximately 250 people in the Annenberg Center's Zellerbach Theatre last night. Gates, who is the chairman of the Afro-American Studies Department at Harvard University as well as a renowned author and editor, illustrated issues of multiculturalism and ethnicity within education with tales of his personal life. As a child growing up in segregated Piedmont, W.Va., Gates sold bottles for money to buy books written by black authors, supplementing the limited selection offered by his school library. And Gates said children today deserve better opportunities for a more complete education. He said that by teaching multiculturalism in schools, morality and tolerance can be instilled in future generations. "If we tell a multicolored strand of the history of America, it would make for a better society than the one I grew up in in the 1950s," Gates said. "You here [at Penn] are the future leaders of America. It is up to you to decide what kind of society you want to live in and your kids to grow up in. "Do you want your society to [consist of] a few haves and a lot of have have-nots?" he asked. "Most Americans have written off poor people and that is morally wrong." The reactions of those present for Gates' speech were varied. College and Wharton junior Michael Leeyow said he was disappointed because he felt that Gates did not offer solutions to the problems he discussed. "I thought he could have given more solutions to the problems that the lack of ethnic studies causes," Leeyow said. College sophomore Jim Joseph said he was impressed with the speech. "[It] was powerful and informative. Gates came out with the message that gradual change is important," Joseph said. "There will always be a large percentage of the population that will not change, but it only takes a handful to make a difference." The speech, which marked the third day in Unity Week, was sponsored by the United Minorities Council in conjunction with Connaissance and the University's Afro-American Studies Department. UMC chair Onyx Finney, a College senior, said the Gates speech was extremely relevant to the theme of Unity Week -- addressing and exploring political and social issues that affect students of color. "The UMC is fully supporting ethnic studies," Finney said. "Gates touched on the [principles] of what the UMC is founded on and gave a new perspective on ethnic issues." Gates said he was honored to be invited to participate in the UMC's Unity Week. "The idea of inter-ethnic understanding is a noble idea and any part I could play in that is great," Gates said.