Dear Editor:
I would like to say thank you to Joshua Jones for bringing the subject of race to the forefront. I commend him for the White Affairs message that he wrote on the sidewalks. And we obviously see how ignorant people are around here to think that he was being obscene or racist. Anyone that finds that White Affairs would be racist, should equally find that a Black Affairs should be racist. Seriously, what is racist or offending about having a White Affairs Association if there is a Black Affairs Association or any other association that caters to a specific race?
People try to preach the message of integration and how we need to work together, but those same people do not practice what they preach. I read that there are writings on the sidewalk asking to support the Black Affairs Association. As a white person, why would I even entertain the idea of taking time out of the busy life to support something that says it is Black Affairs? The problem that we are seeing is continuing because of the “politically correct” world we are living in.
Why do we have to be classified as Anglo-American, African-American, Chinese-American, Hispanic not-white, Hispanic not black? We are all Americans and until we start seeing this way and acting this way, we will never get over the racial bigotry. We still have segregation all over the country. But most people don’t even notice they are doing it.
We don’t need all-white and all-black schools anymore. We don’t need White Affairs or Black Affairs. We need the Human Affairs Association. Integrate people!
Fraternities, sororities, social groups, integrate yourselves with people of other races and learn about each other. Don’t just come together in a crisis. That is just hypocrisy. I know that I will be more inclined to help out when we make that our common goal. Why do need to dedicate a whole month to black or Latino history? This is just keeping us segregated. I am sure there is more than enough time in a school year to cover all of history, no segregation needed.
Let’s drop our categories and classifications for each other and take our future to the next level. If we continue to accept ideas, then we are no better than our ancestors.
This is 2007, let’s get our heads out of the past and into the now. In conclusion, thank you Joshua Jones for pointing out that there is racism here at ETSU and I hope that people can be open-minded and see that what you wrote was not racism and that it proved how ignorant they really are of what racism is and isn’t.
Hopefully, we will see these organizations that cite that they are for one race dissolve into one organization where we can actually work and take care of each other as a human race.
-Robert Scott

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