Concert kicks off racial diversity program

While most students were studying for midterms, writing papers or watching the Penn-Princeton men's basketball game last night, about 50 Penn students gathered together last night to hear an a cappella concert in support of racial sensitivity on Penn's campus. Penn a cappella groups Off the Beat and The Inspiration performed for about 45 minutes at Chats as part of the opening ceremonies of this week's COLORS events. COLORS -- Campus Organized Lectures on Racial Sensitivity Programs -- is a joint program run by members of Penn's Sigma Chi fraternity and members of various chapters of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternities at other colleges in the Philadelphia area. The COLORS-sponsored events will continue for the remainder of the week, culminating on Friday night with a lecture and question-and-answer session featuring former New York City Mayor David Dinkins. Dinkins, a former APA brother and the first African-American mayor of New York City, will discuss diversity in the big cities and on college campuses. In addition, a discussion entitled "Diversity in the University: Part 1" will take place tonight on Penn's campus race issues. Tomorrow night, the discussion continues with "Diversity in the University: Part 2," at which a panel of professors from Penn, Swarthmore College and Villanova University will debate the very same questions and concerns raised tonight. College junior Dan Leberman, a Sigma Chi brother, and William Williams, a sophomore at Swarthmore and APA brother there, serve as the two chairmen. The two students helped bring COLORS back to Penn for the second year in a row, following a temporary hiatus from campus that began in 1996. The first COLORS program was held on Penn's campus in 1988. Leberman and Williams both said they believe that Penn is a diverse campus, but agreed that their events this week are a valuable opportunity for Penn students to gain a better perspective on diversity and become more aware and sensitive of other people's backgrounds. "Insensitivity arises when there is ignorance. If you don't know about something, you will be hostile to it," Leberman said. "There is an unspoken segregation perpetuated by the school. I want to make people realize our cultural differences," he added. Added Williams, "COLORS is meant not to solve the problem [of hostility] but to ease the problem." Williams also pointed to Dinkins' enthusiasm about coming to Penn on Friday, which will take place at 5 p.m. in Meyerson Hall B-1. Tonight's open discussion will take place in Meyerson B-3, and tomorrow's panel will take place at 6 p.m. in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall in room 350.

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