Racism

To the Editors of The Crimson:

I am writing to you about two incidents which have been reported to my office in the past weeks. I have chosen to share these incidents with the community because each represents one end of the same spectrum with respect to racism.

The two incidents involve behavior which displays at one end unintended racial insensitivity, resulting perhaps from lack of awareness or ignorance, and at the other end overt, violent and intentionally hurtful racism. These two incidents and others reported to my office demonstrate how vulnerable this community is, how vulnerable we each are to either engage in or be a victim of racism.

The first incident occured during the holiday celebrating Martin Luther King's birthday. In the laundry room of one of the freshman dormitories, someone wrote the letters "KKK" with black marker on both sides of the door. Underneath the letters, the words "Die Niggers" were written. On the walls, the words "Niggers Suck!!!" appeared. The statement had been underlined.

The content of this does not need to be addressed. The hatred, violence and brutality of this incident speaks for itself. We must guard ourselves against the temptation to dismiss such an incident as an aberration resulting from an extreme person, a rare happening, or the work of a lunatic. The fact is that this incident is not different from countless others being reported in colleges throughout the nation. This incident signals in no uncertain terms the reality of racism which permates society today. It is a painful, shameful and destructive reality from which the Harvard community is not protected. It is a reality which we can change only if we acknowledge it.

The second incident was clearly unintentional and very subtle and resulted from the kind of insensitivity in which we can participate without meaning to offend anyone. It involved the posting of fliers in some of the house dining halls, inviting students to join in a night of nostalgia celebrating the 50 s. The flier described the 50 s as a time when "...living was uncomplicated. That time of the fabulous fifties when all you had to do was shine your Chevy, pick up your favorite girl and enjoy!" The menu for the evening included "grilled McCarthy burgers."

The 50's have been romanticized by some as "fabulous, fun" times. However, even a superficial but full historical account of the times will show the 50 s as a time which was indeed painful, complicated and even life threatening for people of color. Civil rights were non-existent. Blacks did not vote or sit side-by-side with their fellow human beings in public places. Martin Luther King was actively engaged in the struggle for equality of all people. Women were mostly treated as sex objects. The portrayal of the 50 s in the light of this flier unintentionally excluded the experience of many thus perpetrating the sense of invisibility and lack of acknowledged presence and voice which some members of the community of color may experience, even while members of this community.

My hope is that in extending this information to the community, it will allow us to reflect individually and collectively about how these incidents affect each of us and how we may participate in them. Let's also hope that we ourselves embrace the hopes for a just society so persistently fought for by Martin Luther King, whose day was being celebrated at the time when one of the incidents occured. The incidents described above demonstrate the need for continuous efforts to stop bigotry and racism. Hilda Hernandez-Gravelle   Assistant Dean for Race Relations and Minority Affairs