Dinkins speaks out against racial injustice

The former mayor of New York City spoke Friday as part of a lecture series on racial sensitivity. David Dinkins knows where he comes from and knows who helped him get to where he is now. He comes from New York City, where he served as mayor from 1988 to 1992, and he has received help and inspiration from renowned leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy. Dinkins, now a professor in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, addressed about 60 Penn students and faculty members Friday on the importance of the past as a key to the future. His talk was the culminating event of last week's COLORS -- Campus Organized Lectures On Racial Sensitivity -- events, which were co-sponsored by Penn's Sigma Chi and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternities. Dinkins, who failed in his bid for re-election in 1992, losing to Republican Rudolph Giuliani, told the audience that the key to the future lies in remembering the past. He urged the audience members to remember their roots long after they leave college. Many ethnic groups in this country, Dinkins noted, are marginalized in society. He stressed the need for mainstream society to "stop paying lip service to the Declaration of Independence" in its claims to guarantee life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to all Americans. "It has long been a declaration of intent -- not of reality," he said. Despite the oppression of various minority groups that may still exist today, Dinkins said he believes that Americans can make good on these historic claims of equality. "We must speak up and demand justice. In unity there is strength," Dinkins said. He specifically encouraged America's youth to take up this challenge and to lead "through sacrifice, activism and the breaking of silence." "Everybody stands on somebody's shoulders," Dinkins said. "Nobody gets somewhere alone." "Once you get where you're going, reach back and help somebody else," he said. Several students in attendance said they found Dinkins' connection of the past to the present particularly meaningful. "He has a class that brings the past into the future," Engineering freshman Dana Hobbs said. "I'm so inspired by him." "He related the story of his life to us," said College senior Chaz Howard, the former chairman of the United Minorities Council. "He provided a lot of insight into things we ponder." Dinkins' remarks also included stories from his experience with the New York City public school system during his mayoral term. Dinkins said that in order to combat institutional racism, which he believes perpetuates the current state of America's urban public schools, it is important to first acknowledge that racism exists. He emphasized his belief in the need to reform America's urban public school system both for reasons of equality and "fiscal prudence." Dinkins believes that America's urban youth are capable of learning. "I refuse to believe that the children of yesterday are any smarter than the children of today," he said. Dinkins addressed the current movement to give reparations funded by the federal government to African Americans. "It is reasonable," Dinkins said of the payments. "It is difficult for whites to appreciate what has been taken from blacks." As they were leaving, many audience members said Dinkins had exceeded the high expectations that they had for him prior to coming. "Racial issues are tough to talk about," said William Williams, the co-chair of the COLORS planning committee and a sophomore at nearby Swarthmore College.