1960s Activist Counsels New Generation

During his sophomore year at Yale during the 1960's, Jim Sleeper said he discovered what it meant to be a radical activist.

He watched three young men give their draft notices to the college chaplain and proclaim, "We are not criminals. It is the government who is criminal to conduct this war in Vietnam."

Immediately, Sleeper said, he was attracted to the spirit of radicalism. In an informal speech last night to around 25 students in Harvard Hall, Sleeper described the methods and politics of activism.

The president of the Harvard College Democrats, Joseph N. Sanberg '01, introduced Sleeper as a man with a "maverick political outlook."

Sleeper received his doctorate from Harvard's Graduate School of Education and then became a journalist working as a reporter for the Village Voice and, now, the New York Daily News.

Throughout his talk, Sleeper urged the audience to examine the motives behind activism. He warned the audience of the evils of "moral posturing"--the pursuit of morality in activism without really grasping why the issue is moral.

"You have to understand," he said. "Who you are and why it is you are engaging in activism."

He described the figure of Rosa Parks during the Civil Rights Movement, saying that her moral witness shamed people--she stood behind something that was morally right without expecting a tangible reward.

"This is the kind of act that brought her nothing more than a larger affirmation," he said. "We have to find strength to take a stand against the powers that be."

Sleeper said since college he has made a commitment to understanding racism. His most recent book, Liberal Racism, tries to explain how fixating on race subverts the functioning of American society.

He said that, though race relations in America have improved, the media and others continue to describe racism as a paralyzing problem in American society.

"I came to the conclusion that we do have a race industry in this country," he said. "We play up the bad and forget the good."

As an example of this, Sleeper criticized certain radical activists who exaggerated problems about race in the aftermath of recent burnings of black churches in the South.

"People wanted it to be 1963 all over again. Racism intact gives a moral clarity," he said.

In response to comments about the current trend of activism on campus concerning sweatshop labor and a living wage, Sleeper warned against opinions not founded on firm beliefs--expressed for sake of expression.

"Activism on campus should be leavened with a lot of study and open discussion--let's hear both sides of the issue," he said.

Sleeper said Marxist thought helped explain the school shootings in Littleton, Colo.--implying corporate America's marketing of violence as acceptable lay behind the tragedy.

"Corporations are trying to make a buck by titillating people's worst impulses," he said. "That's not free speech. The kids sense that."

Audience criticism became fairly heated as a few students argued Sleeper's opinions on race in America.

Sleeper commented on race problems optimistically; "There are moments when the glass is almost full--we need to get used to it. I truly believe that the media plays up the bad; it is not to our advantage."

One woman in the audience said she felt that Sleeper's speech made it sound as if racial problems were obsolete.

"I could take what you are saying tonight that there is no more racism," she said. "I'm worried about what people will take away from your form of activism."

"Well," Sleeper answered, "with activism, that's a risk you always have to take."