INSTITUTIONAL RACISM

The society of the United States is Eurocentric. We are taught that the West is the seat of civilization, that Western society is the most "developed." According to Western "standards" the non-Western world is "barbaric," "primitive," "savage," "native" and "exotic." When they look at Chile and call it underdeveloped, obviously a value-judgement is being made. According to Western standards of development, Chile is underdeveloped. However, according to Third World criteria, the West is "uncivilized."

The people in power use Third World people as a reserve labor force to depress wages, increase profits and maintain the status quo. They need a set of "objective" values which justify oppressive practices. This is the basis for institutional racism. Institutional racism in this society can take two forms: The first kind is the more obvious and thus more easily combatted, as in Jim Crow laws, immigration quotas, and grandfather clauses. The second, and more insidious kind, is contained in the institutions and social practices which are not inherently racist, but are racist in their effect. There are infinite examples in this society. What follows are a few examples of this pervasive phenomenon.

The seniority system in the business world is racist in that Third World people who are the last hired are the first fired. Furthermore, since Third World people are just being incorporated into the economic system they do not have the "experience" necessary to rise in any great numbers and will not be able to do so in the foreseeable future. At Harvard, the standard of objectivitiy is used against us in the various "comps." It is ludicrous to expect Third World students to have the same "objectivity" as white students. Someone must determine who is "qualified," what defines "experience" and what is "objective." In the United States, the Western tradition is the basis for definition. This idea of objectivity is racist because the "objective" standard is the white one. This concept has been used to oppress us. A perfect example is the "objective" American history book which only mentions us as "slaves," "coolies," "injuns" and "migrant workers," and neglects the major contributions Third World people have made to this society.

Third World people are often accused of being oversensitive when we recognize subtle examples of institutional racism. Yet we recognize that this treacherous form of racism has an important impact on peoples' attitudes. When one reads in the newspaper, "John Doe said," it is assumed that John Doe is white. However, if Black people are involved, it will say, "John Doe, a black," as if "Black" is some different type of being that is not human. Similarly, when one reads "man" (woman, youth) one assumes that it means white man (woman, youth), although the majority of people in the world are not white.

Third World students at Harvard continually feel the effects of institutional racism. The appointment of Arnold C. Harberger to the directorship of the Harvard Institute of International Development, the Hasty Pudding Theatrical's racist stereotype Edgar Foo Yung character, The Harvard Crimson's photograph of two Black men behind superimposed bars, are three recent examples. The explanation or justification for all of these incidents has been that the racism was not intentional and/or relevant to the issue.

Moreover, these explanations are based on all sorts of "liberal" doctrines. President Bok justifies Harberger's appointment on the grounds of "academic freedom." However, who determines what constitutes academic freedom? Bok says he would have "no qualms" appointing a Nazi if he were "qualified." But what is qualified? To Third World people, the fact that someone was a Nazi would mean that (s)he was unqualified. A qualified person would not condone Nazism. After all, the concepts of Nazism and academic freedom are mutually exclusive. President Bok would tolerate the presence of a Nazi, because he would not be directly threatened by a Nazi's way of thinking. Thus the concept of academic freedom is racist. Ephraim Isaac is "unqualified" because he is an "Africanist," whereas a Nazi can be qualified. However Ephraim Isaac was only going to teach, not develop policy to impose on Third World people throughout the world.

Similarly, the Hasty Pudding's justification for their racist stereotype is more liberal jargon. In his letter to the editor, the president of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals states that their characters "poke fun at the stereotypes themselves by illustrating their complete absurdity." He also states that, like the Mikado, "the shows attempt to make fun of ignorance." He then apologizes for the fact that "our characterizations might be misconstrued." Racial stereotypes are both racist and absurd. If the Hasty Pudding wants to demonstrate absurdity of stereotypes, they should "poke fun" at those who make stereotypes, not perpetutate these negative images. These stereotypes were not "misconstrued." People know when they have been offended. These shows don't "make fun" of ignorance, they pander to an ignorant audience that laughs at racism and sexism.

Lastly, The Crimson's excuse that the choice of two Black men for a picture to accompany an article on prisons was a "mistake" was unacceptable. The Crimson obviously did not understand the severity of their "mistake." First of all, it is a blatant case of libel. Two innocent people were pictured as prison inmates with no explanation whatsoever. Secondly, we must ask why, in an article that did not deal with racial issues in prison, were two Black men picked to represent prison. Whether they admit or not, this choice is racist because, to The Crimson, the archetypal prisoner is a Black person. Furthermore, their subsequent trivialization of our anger added insult to injury. We were accused once again of "oversensitivity" and were asked to write if off as an unintentional error.

At the root of this problem is the refusal of "liberal" whites to admit that they are racist. The institution of racism is too pervasive and engrained in this society for anyone to escape its clutches. The "liberals" must now over-compensate, not only to right past wrongs, but to make sure that "accidents" do not happen in the future. It takes more than a few hours of discussion to become sensitized to the problems of Third World people. These "liberals" must work actively to achieve this understanding. Third World people cannot and will not be constant watchdogs. If "liberal" whites want to be truly progressive they must be truly dedicated.

These three incidents are just examples of the widespread racism in this university. No group is immune to institutional racism, from the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club, to the Harvard Lampoon, to the finals clubs, ad infinitum. The only way to combat racism is to recognize it, then struggle to eliminate it.

In the past, enough has been said about Third World separatism at Harvard. The evidence of Harvard's racism shows that we cannot afford to be complacent. Surely we do not advocate segregation; it is important that Third World people "interact with many different kinds of people." Nevertheless, it is essential that Third World people maintain strong ties with the Third World community. We must now unite to fight our common oppressor.

In order to effectively unite we need to educate each other, work together and socialize together. As fragmented groups scattered in different offices and dormitories throughout the University we cannot achieve this goal. We must have the physical facility of a Third World Center (like those at Princeton, Brown, Amherst and Yale) where we can come together and have our meetings, our speakers, our study groups, our dinners, our theatrical and musical productions, and our parties. Our cooperative efforts to realize this goal will heighten our political awareness. For in the end, Third World people have no choice but to be political. Refusal to fight against our oppression is tacit approval of our oppression. Remember:

Blessed are those who struggle to survive Oppression is worse than the grave Better to die for a noble cause Than to live and die a slave. The Last Poets

The Opinion Page is a regular feature of The Crimson that presents articles by members of the Harvard community and others. These opinions do not necessarily represent the views of The Crimson staff.