![[ OPINIONS ]](/images/fall97/opinionsf97.gif)
Arizona Daily Wildcat December 8, 1997
One America: President Clinton's Initiative on Race
![[Picture]](05_1_i.gif)
|
Mina Lee
|
On Dec. 3, I had the great opportunity to attend the first of four town hall-style meetings on President Clinton's Initiative on Race. The White House is promoting a national dialogue in an effort to create a more united American community, and possibly use the research in implementing public policy, i.e. affirmative action. The meeting was in Akron, Ohio, and I was able to attend as a student representative of the -ISM (N.) project.
President Clinton facilitated the dialogue in a talk-show atmosphere. The panelists included student leaders from Akron, local activists, politicians and authors. Although this was a PR event for the President, I felt that the panelists promoted an honest and sincere discussion on race relations.
-ISM (N.) was invited by the White House as one of ten model programs to participate in One America: President Clinton's Initiative on Race, the Akron Town Meeting. -ISM (N.) is a program of the National Diversity Project of the Institute for Public Media Arts based in Durham, North Carolina. The UA is one of seven college and university campuses participating in the program this year. The students produce a video diary and a group documentary exploring various "-isms" that may have affected their lives, such as racism, sexism and homophobia.
I felt that this meeting was especially pertinent to the UA considering the recent articles around racial issues in the Daily Wildcat. One of the complaints regarding affirmative action is that it favors candidates based on race. However, what many fail to recognize is that before the civil rights era and the advent of affirmative action, it was always white men who received the preferences.
Demographers predict that between 2075-2100, Anglo/White Americans will make up only 49 percent of the U.S. population. It's important to educate ourselves now and prepare our children for an increasingly multiracial America. For example, did you know that the UA has a "Diversity Action Plan" (produced in 1990)?
Would the UA cultural centers have been established without student activism and support from allies? Diversity and racism are not dead issues just because there is no Watts, no LA riots, to tell us that there is a race relations problem.
Thus, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all of the UA to become activists. Let President Likins know that (even as a white person), you support the goals of the cultural centers and that diversity is a valuable asset to campus.
Attend events such as Drums Across Cultures and "Walking Each Other Home." Become a member of the UAB Eye on Diversity committee. Write a proposal for a co-sponsorship to the Diversity Action Council. Agree to be filmed for a -ISM (N.) documentary. Write a letter to the Wildcat expressing your concerns. Participate in a dialogue regarding race; tell the truth, even if you think it may be controversial or offensive.
Educate yourself and therefore empower yourself to understand what you may think to be only "minority" issues. It's no use to "preach to the choir" or to ignore and separate yourself from racial issues; everyone must participate to create a strong and racially united American community.
Mina Lee is a junior majoring in political science. The Akron town hall meeting was televised on C-SPAN and a transcript of the dialogue is available on http://www.ohio.com. The -ISM (N.) class encourages participation in diversity issues on campus next semester.
