LETTERS: Different sides of the DuBois House debate

To the Editor: I do not understand how racism at Penn will ever end when segregation in on-campus housing is allowed. How will we ever truly see each other as equal when we are constantly enumerating our differences and using these differences as excuses to live separately? Why can all other minorities uphold their respective traditions and heritages while living in unsegregated housing? What is it about black culture that is in jeopardy of disappearing or being adulterated upon integration with the rest of the campus? I just can't figure it out, and I'd really like to know. To me, it seems to be a uniquely black problem because I never seem to hear of other minorities complaining they need to be separate. What I do know is that Du Bois would have been exclusively for blacks had it not been illegal. I know that Penn Relays is known as the "Black Spring Fling" because for some reason the real Spring Fling somehow doesn't fulfill black students' needs. I know that at Hill Dining there is always a side where the black students sit and a side where all the other ethnicities sit. I see all of this separatism and then I wonder how anyone can question why blacks and whites don't understand one another? Amy Harley College '97 u To the Editor: As a white person, I found Mike Liskey's arguments embarrassing to white people and insulting to black people ("The negative effects of separatism," DP, 11/21/96). Liskey argued that housing arrangements like W.E.B. DuBois College House promote insularity and prevent students from "broadening their horizons." From what I have observed, it is white students who need to have their horizons broadened when it comes to racial understanding. I doubt Liskey and other opponents of DuBois ever take the time to understand the events and concerns of many black Philadelphians. Reading local black newspapers is one small way white people can expose themselves to other perspectives, but it is beyond comprehension for many white Penn students. Liskey also said "any housing option that caters to race, ethnicity or gender is a racist or sexist option that shouldn't be part of life at Penn." This would mean eliminating fraternity and sorority houses, since most discriminate on the basis of gender. I somehow doubt opponents of DuBois would want to wipe out the entire Greek community. Liskey also decried the use of Du Bois's name for the house, interpreting it as a "black-only welcome mat." This is how some non-whites must feel when they find themselves surrounded by buildings, streets, monuments and media images dedicated to white people. The "white-only welcome mat" can be found in countless places when we choose to open our eyes and see it. Furthermore, W.E.B. Du Bois's contributions have benefitted all people of all racial backgrounds. As with so many people who have expressed opposition to DuBois House, Liskey argued that the house somehow violates Martin Luther King Jr.'s spirit and vision. I find this appropriation disingenuous. King was a "troublemaker" -- as any effective social change agent must be -- and the arguments advanced against DuBois today were the arguments used against civil disobedience 30 years ago. At the root of it is the desire of privileged people to enjoy their privilege without disruption or reminders about the less-privileged. Liskey does not seem to understand that it is a privilege to choose our social and living environments, and that in this regard white people have vastly greater choices than most people of color. I am distressed by the lack of empathy many whites on campus have for the concerns of non-whites. The day Liskey's column appeared, three letters defending DuBois appeared in the DP, all written by students who identified as people of color. It is time for white people who support DuBois House to make their voices heard. Kurt Conklin Health Educator Student Health u To the Editor: What is going on at the DP that three columnists, all white men, find the wisdom to tell us how the African American community should be behaving itself? What is it that qualifies an American college student of European descent like Lee Bailey to speak so knowledgeably about where all African American students should live while at Penn ("How to foster racial harmony," DP, 11/15/96)? Whence comes the wisdom to place the responsibility for racial integration in the U.S. on the shoulders of people of color, as Mike Liskey did in "The negative effects of separatism" (DP, 11/21/96)? And what is the source of Kristopher Couch's keen insight ("The new black conservatives," DP, 11/22/96) that social concerns and issues with a perceived racial component -- such as drugs, street crime and affirmative action -- will best be solved by conservative African Americans whose political positions just happen to coincide sometimes with those held by Ku Klux Klan members? How about some humility? I realize that doesn't create sexy headlines, but it just might build community rather than destroy it. Whatever happened to self-analysis? Is it possible that telling other people how to live their lives, while failing to look clearly at our own, just might be part of the problem? What gives with the arrogance, guys? Beverly Dale, Executive Director Christian Association Electronic 'spam' To the Editor: Over the past two weeks, I have received a number of electronic mailings addressed to a large number of students. Although one or two of these messages discussed important policy changes affecting all recepients, most of the messages were chain letters or "spams." What concerns me is not that intellectual adults believe the ridiculous stories in chain letters, but that these adults are the same people in charge of managing student mailing lists. I urge the University and its computing services offices to re-evaluate not only who supervises mailing lists but also the manner in which they are supervised. If this uncontrolled usage of official lists continues, students will begin to ignore all messages, even those seriously discussing issues that affect our lives. Manny Calero Engineering '97