Posted on 02/24/2010 6:58:28 PM PST by nickcarraway
UC San Diego administrators stage a campus-wide "teach-in" today about a recent spate of racially-charged incidents against African Americans on campus. Black student groups plan to hold a news conference before the campus-sanctioned event. The students believe these incidents reflect a deeper sense of racism at the university.
African American student Bijon Robinson is a top scholar and athlete at UCSD. Dozens of colleges tried to recruit her. Now she regrets her decision.
“We (her family) came from struggles and this was an accomplishment being here. But I would prefer to go somewhere else than to be here, knowing that I have to look over my back because people want me dead,” Robinson said.
Robinson is referring to a note found at UCSD last week that read "Compton lynching." The note surfaced about a week after a group of UCSD fraternity members organized a party to mock Black History month.
Students were invited to the so-called Compton Cookout. The invitation told women to come as “ghetto chicks” with “nappy hair” and “a very limited vocabulary.” Malt liquor and watermelon would be served.
Some say the Compton Cookout was just meant to be a parody. But Robinson and her bestfriend Eliz Diop are not laughing.
“The whole party was planned to dehumanize our culture,” Diop said. “They chose to emphasize the parts of our culture we have no control over. Who wants to live in the ghetto?”
Many minority students have said the incidents speak to a larger problem. African Americans make up only 2 percent of UCSD’s student population. The majority are whites and Asians. Plus, one small group of students has exacerbated the racial tensions by publishing inflammatory material in an alternative newspaper called The Koala.
Those students also appeared on a student-run TV program using racially offensive words in support of the Compton party. Now there’s a freeze in funding for student TV. Kris Gregorian is Koala’s editor in chief. He ducked an interview with a joke.
“The Koala communication protocol dictates we do not provide statements to the press unless beer is provided. The overarching goal is beer,” Gregorian said.
This kind of joking around is a sign of new generational trends, says San Diego State University sociologist Jean Twenge. She’s the author of Generation Me. She says her research shows young people today are increasingly self-absorbed – and few have any grasp of what something like the civil rights movement meant.
“They (students) maybe don't even have a lot of understanding of the history. They saw this as another group, and some of the people in this group do some things that they could have some fun with. And they don't understand the deep pain and the prejudice and discrimination that has happened in the past,” Twenge said.
A group of black community leaders hang their heads in prayer on a Saturday afternoon in Southeast San Diego. Many of them lived through the civil rights era. Now they’re meeting to discuss the problems young black people face today.
Baye Kes Ba Me Ra is with the Pan African Association of America. He says the problem at UCSD is bigger than just a few students.
“Its not just what the students did. It's a reflection of the individuals who run the institution,” he said.
Penny Rue is vice chancellor of student affairs at UCSD. She says the university has been trying to make the campus a more hospitable place for minority students. For instance, UCSD does send many admission letters to black students, but many don’t accept. They go to other schools like UC Berkeley. She says it’s a dilemma for UCSD.
“There are things that make it difficult. One is California law. Prop. 209 prevents us from using race in any way as a level of analysis,” Rue said.
Proposition 209 was the end to affirmative action in California. Rue says the university is trying to increase the number of underrepresented students on campus using other strategies.
And last week, black student leaders presented a list of 32 demands to help fix what they call a “racial state of emergency.” Officials say they will meet many of their demands. Minority students say the real test comes after the campuswide teach-in and once the media scrutiny fades.
‘And our government legitimizes it. “
Only for certain races.
Ah to be young, in San Diego and waiting for spring. There are way more important things to be tending to than this kind of crap. Things like surf, beer, tan lines and maybe even studies.
Robinson is referring to a note found at UCSD last week that read "Compton lynching"...Many minority students have said the incidents speak to a larger problem.
It sounds like a set up -some note found, hidden conspiracies against black students, "many" minority students have said (how many?), a small incident that only points to a larger problem- Sounds more like an Al Sharpton media festival.
The two girls quoted are allegedly top students, but listen to what they say, "“The whole party was planned to dehumanize our culture,” Diop said. “They chose to emphasize the parts of our culture we have no control over. Who wants to live in the ghetto?”
The party sounds like it was in poor taste, but ghetto isn't black culture. These girls by their own hard work have chosen the true black culture of success. I know black doctors, architects and lawyers who are in their late seventies and eighties who made it on their own when you really could be lynched. They succeeded without affirmative action and out-competed their white counterparts. They rejected welfare and have the following in common - they stayed married and raised children in those marriages. Other than that they come from varied backgrounds.
This is a non-story looking for legs. Dumb Frat party yes, racial tension, I don't think so.
‘Of course there is reverse racism”
Treating white people differently and poorly because of their skin color is not “reverse” racism. It is racism.
Treating anyone differently and limiting their opportunity based on their skin color is wrong.
“When you don’t actually see that - well, that is your problem.”
My problem? you’re whacked
This kind of offensive behavior exists in ALL cultures and for the same reasons.
The law is colorblind (with the exception of hate crimes laws), and discrimination in the workplace is illegal, to say the least.
Shall we be protected from offensive behavior, as well?
You will recognize that day when lame slights are brushed off as no big deal. As long as the molehill remains the mountain, people will be on edge and uncomfortable with each other.
Well, okay - we are just describing reverse racism differently...okay? Really, this is not about a word game, it is more serious that that... at least I would hope.
There's no such thing as "reverse discrimination". Discrimination is discrimination, no matter who's doing the discriminating or who's being discriminated against.
I argue the point because saying reverse only enforces the differences between people. There is only racism and discrimination.
A person of any race can be ignorant, criminal, lazy OR hardworking, smart, honest. Family and culture certainly have an impact. Some cultures do not place an emphasis on the same things.
Being insensitive and stupid is a rite of passage for young people, not necessarily bone deep racism in this case.
My crowd threw a Guyana party a month after Jonestown with Kool-Aid/grain alcohol served out of a metal tub with squirt syringes. Insensitive, absolutely.
But amazingly every one of us eventually grew up.
Well said.
Actually understand and agree... It is a problem that we can’t even discuss the problem without getting into word meanings though. It only causes more of a gulf between all of us.
maybe you are also the cause of this type of strife.
I can’t see why I am the cause of racial strife.
black studenys get all uppity
your slip is showing
“The whole party was planned to dehumanize our culture”
How can you dehumanize a cult that has debased itself into a 70 percent out-of-wedlock birth rate? Or the disproportionately high percentage of HIV/AIDS cases for this group of people?
Why is the answer to a story on white racism towards blacks alway an example of black racism towards whites. I knew when I read this post that eventually it would lean that way and it did. I would really just love to know when all humans could just do as MLK spoke of and judge people by the content of their character. Whether black, white, Asian or Hispanic....we should just give it a rest.
Dumb Frat party yes, racial tension, I don’t think so.
I dare say that if you were a black student at that campus it would be very upsetting for these types of parties to be occurring. It would feel like a betrayal of all your hard work getting into the college and having to deal with some dumb a$$ white kids who don’t really know any black people.
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