Editor:
In response to Eric T. Watkins, I would like to offer my comment on interracial dating. I am an African American female who graduated from this institution. I am also a native Tucsonan. I will be the first to admit that the black population here is minimal and dating outside of your race may occur in your life if you are African American. You may even marry outside of your race.
African Americans are not the only ones who practice this phenomenon. Dating should not be based on skin color, but on personality and commonality. Although we encounter judgmental people on a regular basis, Martin Luther King, Jr. said that how can we fight for something that we, African Americans, have become a part of? By this, he meant that, as African Americans, we have fought against racism and segregation for years. But, presently, some of "us" have become just as racist as the next person when it comes to interracial relationships. Someone will always find something to dislike about you and who you choose as your partner.
I advise those of us who have a negative comment to offer about interracial dating to bite your tongue and ignore it. You cannot change how a person lives or thinks. However, Mr. Watkins, I believe the UA is a place to learn, not to challenge your friends in dominoes.
And as far as "waking up" your sisters who have been "sleeping for so long", we have been awake for a long time. Long enough to realize that African American men and women will never advance in unity if we continue to argue about this issue. I hope that you find an African American woman "worthy enough" to be in your "book." Until then, suit yourself.
Tanisha N. Price
Student Health Services