The Viewpoint "White people and racism," by Alex Weissman (March 10), disgusts me. I did not expect to be called a racist when I sat down at dinner and opened my copy of the Daily. Despite the three upcoming midterms I have on my plate, I felt compelled to respond.
The author claims that white people do not feel comfortable going to the Africana Center. He then speculates that this is because they are overtly or at least implicitly racist. Does this mean that black people who have never set foot in the Latino Center are racist against Latinos? Taking the argument one step further, could one argue that every member of the Tufts community who has not attended every culture center is a racist? If that is the case, I wonder what percentage of students has actually been to every center. There is not a study that I know of that has recorded these numbers. Despite this, I would venture to say that most people at Tufts are racist against at least one group under these superficial criteria.
The article claims that "institutionalized racism keeps Asian American studies out of the Tufts curriculum." Good point. As a person who is partially Irish American, I have often wondered why I cannot major in Irish studies. And since we were discussing culture houses, I have been having trouble finding the Irish culture house at Tufts. Realizing that it did not exist, I was momentarily tempted to decide that Tufts had "institutional racism" against the Irish. Then I realized the impracticality of having academic programs and centers for every race and culture.
A particular statement from Weissman's Viewpoint strikes me as so illogical and demonstrably false that I suspect that if I paraphrase it here I will be accused of having distorted it. I will therefore quote it directly. "I got into Tufts because I am white." I do not know you, and I do not know your high school. However, I would be very surprised to learn that every white kid in your grade got into Tufts or a better school. I do know something about the admissions process at Tufts, having gone through it myself, and I can assure you that being white will not cause you to be recruited.
I must assume that you got into Tufts because you are smart. You seem to have made the mistake common to so many players of the race-card of confusing an economic advantage with a racial one. Your family moved into the suburbs because you had the money necessary to do so. A black family possessing the same wherewithal could have easily done the same.
Next, Weissman questions why he only read one book by an African American author in his time at high school. I do not know why this is. If anyone is concerned about this, stop by Tisch and check one out. The situation is easily remedied.
I will close with a word of advice to Alex and anyone else interested in getting white people (or anybody) to go to the Africana Center. Instead of speculating that it is because the people who do not go are racist, try to hold more fun events that reach out to other groups. These can show off the great aspects of African culture, but should not focus on issues of race. I am not Jewish, yet I have attended Hillel many times because they make the effort to make outsiders feel welcome there through a variety of enjoyable events. And when they are unsuccessful, I doubt they and their allies say even privately to each other, "Damn Gentiles, they must hate Jews."
Francis Curren is a sophomore majoring in history.
