Conference Addresses Separatism's Pros, Cons

Separatism causes problems when the language surrounding it is imprecise, the Rev. Eugene Rivers '83 said during a conference in the Adams House lower common room last night.

The conference, entitled "United We Stand. Divided We Fall. Where do You Stand?" was sponsored by the Minority Student Alliance in an effort to foster a candid discussion of campus separatism.

"People have used faulty language to describe their need for autonomy and this has angered Harvard liberals," Rivers said.

"People seek autonomy as a result of being weaker and disadvantaged. It is a consequence of society," he said. "Separatism is nothing more than an inarticulate quest for social unanimity."

"It takes on many forms--racial, ethnic, and national--but it is not being dicussed specifically as any of these," Rivers said.

Rivers focused his remarks on the misguided attempts to discuss separatism on campuses across the country.

"What a foolish thing it is for Black students to be using imprecise language when discussing separatism on such a white, WASPy campus," he said.

The meeting, which was attended by about 40 students, provided an opportunity for "minority groups to come together to try to understand each other and combat some of the negatives of separatism, while recognizing the positives," said Jean L. Tom '96, co-chair of the Minority Student Alliance.

An hour of small group discussion followed the address by Rivers, who teaches a course at the Divinity School and is pastor at the Azusa Community Christian church at Four Corners, Dorchester.

During that discussion, undergraduates talked about the separatism on campus, the historical roots of separatism and the ideal role minority groups should play in colleges and universities.

Inie Park '94-'95 said her particular discussion group concluded that "No group could really survive on pure separatism or on the ideal of everyone getting along."