Are we still in the 1950's?

It's been 38 years since Martin Luther King Jr. died for equality among the races in America. We have come a long way, "colored" people piss in the same bathroom, eat in the same section, go to class with, and party with white people. But have we lived up to MLK's dream? Is all the hatred and inferiority gone from American society? Not yet.

Just take 2 examples from the University of Delaware.

A hispanic speaker who happens to be a former criminal spoke at the University of Delaware about his past and how he has made a complete turnaround. Basically, he is positively affecting the world. However, a Review writer (for those of you who aren't at UD, the Review is the school newspaper) decided to focus more on the speaker's past, about what crimes he committed, his incarceration, instead of talking about all his good deeds. Why is there a negative portrayal of the speaker? Why not talk about what he's done SINCE being in jail? I wish I had the article to post here, but the website is down (hmmm...)

This 2nd incident is just fucked up. A black man was beaten by some white males and was stripped of his clothing. His clothing was set ablaze in the middle of Chapel Street. One of my students (This Coming From A Professor On Campus), a white male, was passing by the scene when he saw 10 men shouting "We hate niggers! Fuck niggers!". He also saw the burning clothing and put out the fire and confronted the shouting men. He was then burned by a cigarette and beaten until blood was pouring out of his nose. His roommate was somehow able to drag him to safety.

So, though we have made progress since 1964, there are STILL people who have no idea how to interact with minorities. What is sad is that most of those people never lived through the civil rights movement so they have NO EXCUSE to be racist. Not that there was any excuse for it to begin with.

I would like to commend President Roselle and the UD community for the effort that they have put in to encourage more diversity among the community. Minority overnight, diversity training for incoming freshman, and trying to get more minorities to attend the school is great for spreading diversity to a rather non-diverse campus. Though, I feel there are several actions the University can take that will further move diversity awareness among the UD Community.

First, there should be diversity training for EVERYBODY (not just incoming freshman). And there should be diversity training at the start of every semester. More exposure to diversity may lead to more awareness among the community and less of these incidents.

Secondly, there should be more exposure to multicultural events in the Review. So often do I see a multicultural article placed in the way back of the newspaper in a small corner. Do we really need an article explaining what Facebook is? Do we really need to know that Dean Apple's mustache was on the line because of a bet he made with a few ROTC guys?

Lastly, we need better screening of people coming into the University. Perhaps have them fill out a diversity questionnaire or go through an interviewing process with a minority professor.

Now I understand this will not solve the problem completely. I understand that a 1 hour diversity training class will not change 18 years of a way of thinking and a philosophy. And yes, I do realize the problem extends WAY beyond what Roselle and the University is able to do. But this is just a step in the right direction. In my dream, I see the University going through all these steps towards diversity awareness, actually making a diffrence in some people's lives, and with the education they get at this school, they go on and make a difference in the world. And maybe, just maybe, we can stop living in the past and build for the future.