[Vision2020] Diversity 1,2,3
Melynda Huskey
mghuskey@hotmail.com
Fri, 31 Oct 2003 18:19:34 -0800
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Rodney asks:
>So here we sit, long story short, in the city of Pullman (founded by =20
>whom?), in the State of Washington (constituted by whom?), in the hallow=
ed =20
>halls of WSU (started by whom?), surrounded by wheat fields (first tille=
d =20
>by whom?), poised in front of our digital displays (invented by =20
>whom?--forget about who manufactured it), arguing over the merits and =20
>contributions of, well, just about our very existence I guess.
Far from demonstrating your point about the "obvious contributions of the=
white race," Rodney, I think your paragraph demonstrates how easy it is =
for us to imagine that "white race" means something. There's just one ra=
ce: human. Internal variation among various groups of humans exceeds va=
riation across groups. (Take a look at the AAA "Statement on 'race,'" ww=
w.aanet.org/stmts/racepp.htm). Definitions of what constitutes "white" =20
have varied immensely across time. Are the Spanish white? Are the Jewis=
h? Both Sephardic and Ashkenazi? And what about the Greeks, the Slavs, =
and the Italians? Different ages have given different answers. =20
Your examples seem to imply that the city of Pullman, the state of Washin=
gton, WSU, and computers are the "inventions" of white people -- and we m=
ight even say white men -- and in one sense, they are. In a nation found=
ed on the principle that black people are property, that women are proper=
ty, that non-white/non-English-speaking immigrants are dangerous, and tha=
t the First Nations are to be exterminated, one wouldn't expect to see ma=
ny women, people of color, or immigrants empowered to found colleges, sta=
tes, =20
or towns. My goodness, my grandmother was born into a United States in w=
hich women couldn't vote, in which Native People couldn't vote, in which =
most black people were not permitted to vote. We couldn't go to most col=
leges, couldn't work in most offices, couldn't hold elected office, weren=
't allowed access to many professional positions . . .
Nevertheless, there would be no Pullman without the Chinese who built rai=
lroads, cities, and businesses from East to West, all while they being de=
nied the most basic of human rights. Our nation developed as it did in p=
art because of the prosperity and wealth created by a slave economy for a=
small white elite; there would have been no cotton mills in New England =
without slaves in the South. No university without the French, who found=
ed the very first one in 1170, closely followed by the Germans, the Portu=
guese and the Spanish -- only some of whom are presently defined as "whit=
e" in the U.S. No rule of law without Hammurabi's Code -- thank you, Tur=
key and Iraq. No democracy without the Athenians and the Iroquois -- but=
in 1915, we didn't want too many of those "non-white" Greeks to immigrat=
e, and we'd done our best to extirpate the Iroquois.
Why would my existence, or yours, be endangered by acknowledging that eve=
rything of value to us did not come from the hands or brain of a white pe=
rson (whatever we imagine that to mean) and that the systematic privilegi=
ng of some people in our society has resulted in injustice? Diversity is=
not a word I'm particularly crazy about as a rallying point: I think ju=
stice works a whole lot better. A racist society is not a just one. A s=
exist society is not a just one.
Finally, Rodney asks,
>Would you, in your OFFICIAL capacity at WSU'S Office of Diversity and =20
>Human Relations, EMBRACE the inclusion of the League of the South as a =20
>student group? [Hint: the words "official" and "embrace" are emphasized=
=20
>for a reason.]
Would I, as the Director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Allies Progra=
m or as a member of the HRD staff (my OFFICIAL role at WSU), EMBRACE a st=
udent branch of the League of the South? The opportunity would not arise=
. You're thinking, perhaps, of Student Affairs?
Would I strive to prohibit the establishment of a student League of the S=
outh? No, I emphatically would not.
Would I encourage critical thinking among its members, and public dialogu=
e and debate about the goals and purpose of the League and its role on ou=
r campus? Absolutely. With all my heart.
Melynda Huskey
(preparing to put four candles on a chocolate cake for the sweetest birth=
day boy in Moscow)Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : ht=
tp://explorer.msn.com
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<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV>Rodney asks:<B=
R><BR>>So here we sit, long story short, in the city of Pullman (found=
ed by <BR>>whom?), in the State of Washington (constituted by whom?), =
in the hallowed <BR>>halls of WSU (started by whom?), surrounded by wh=
eat fields (first tilled <BR>>by whom?), poised in front of our digita=
l displays (invented by <BR>>whom?--forget about who manufactured it),=
arguing over the merits and <BR>>contributions of, well, just about o=
ur very existence I guess.<BR><BR>Far from demonstrating your point about=
the "obvious contributions of the white race," Rodney, I think your para=
graph demonstrates how easy it is for us to imagine that "white race" mea=
ns something. There's just one race: human. Internal va=
riation among various groups of humans exceeds variation across groups.&n=
bsp; (Take a look at the AAA "Statement on 'race,'" <A href=3D"http://www=
.aanet.org/stmts/racepp.htm">www.aanet.org/stmts/racepp.htm</A>). Definit=
ions of what constitutes "white" <BR>have varied immensely across time.&n=
bsp; Are the Spanish white? Are the Jewish? Both Sephardic&nb=
sp;and Ashkenazi? And what about the Greeks, the Slavs, and the Ita=
lians? Different ages have given different answers. <BR><BR>Y=
our examples seem to imply that the city of Pullman, the state of Washing=
ton, WSU, and computers are the "inventions" of white people -- and =
we might even say white men -- and in one sense, they are. In a nat=
ion founded on the principle that black people are property, that women a=
re property, that non-white/non-English-speaking immigrants are dangerous=
, and that the First Nations are to be exterminated, one wouldn't expect =
to see many women, people of color, or immigrants empowered to found coll=
eges, states, <BR>or towns. My goodness, my grandmother was born in=
to a United States in which women couldn't vote, in which Native People c=
ouldn't vote, in which most black people were not permitted to vote. =
; We couldn't go to most colleges, couldn't work in most offices, couldn'=
t hold elected office, weren't allowed access to many professional p=
ositions . . .</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Nevertheless, there woul=
d be no Pullman without the Chinese who built railroads, cities, and=
businesses from East to West, all while they being denied the most =
basic of human rights. Our nation developed as it did in part becau=
se of the prosperity and wealth created by a slave economy for a small wh=
ite elite; there would have been no cotton mills in New England without s=
laves in the South. No university without the French, who founded t=
he very first one in 1170, closely followed by the Germans, the Portugues=
e and the Spanish -- only some of whom are presently defined as "white" i=
n the U.S. No rule of law without Hammurabi's Code -- thank you, Tu=
rkey and Iraq. No democracy without the Athenians and the Iroq=
uois -- but in 1915, we didn't want too many of those "non-white" Greeks =
to immigrate, and we'd done our best to extirpate the Iroquois.<BR><BR>Wh=
y would my existence, or yours, be endangered by acknowledging that every=
thing of value to us did not come from the hands or brain of a white pers=
on (whatever we imagine that to mean) and that the systematic privileging=
of some people in our society has resulted in injustice? Diversity=
is not a word I'm particularly crazy about as a rallying point: I =
think justice works a whole lot better. A racist society is not a j=
ust one. A sexist society is not a just one.<BR></DIV> <DIV>Finally=
, Rodney asks,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>>Would you, in your OFFICI=
AL capacity at WSU'S Office of Diversity and <BR>>Human Relations, EMB=
RACE the inclusion of the League of the South as a <BR>>student group?=
[Hint: the words "official" and "embrace" are emphasized <BR>>f=
or a reason.]<BR><BR>Would I, as the Director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexu=
al, and Allies Program or as a member of the HRD staff (my OFFICIAL role =
at WSU), EMBRACE a student branch of the League of the South? The o=
pportunity would not arise. You're thinking, perhaps, of Student Af=
fairs?<BR><BR>Would I strive to prohibit the establishment of a student L=
eague of the South? No, I emphatically would not.<BR><BR>Would I en=
courage critical thinking among its members, and public dialogue and deba=
te about the goals and purpose of the League and its role on our campus?&=
nbsp; Absolutely. With all my heart.<BR></DIV> <DIV>Melynda Huskey<=
BR>(preparing to put four candles on a chocolate cake for the sweetest bi=
rthday boy in Moscow)<BR></DIV></BODY></HTML><br clear=3Dall><hr>Get more=
from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : <a href=3D'http://explorer.m=
sn.com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>
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