I prepared for the event with the excitement of any college football
Saturday; I’m not a diehard fan, but I do love me a healthy competitive game
when I feel invested in the team. In true football fashion, the excitement has
to start the night before the game. And so, with a couple of my colleagues, we
went out for drinks at the famous “John Harvard” pub. I’d never been there
before – and I’ll be completely honest, I went more for good convo than a
football pre-game – but it was a lot of fun to be surrounded by a young, fresh,
excited crowd. (I know I sound really old, but that’s what grad school can do
to you!). We had some delicious bread pudding to celebrating my upcoming birthday
(that was the only “cake” I got, so thanks guys!). A few hours, and a few
pitchers, later, we had fun taking in the scene and getting in on a bit of the
action, too.
Happy Birthday to Me... :)
This crowd looks suspiciously young...
I saw a guy from Yale wearing a dino suit, and so I thought this was grounds for a picture...
I borrowed some glasses that I thought were fly (until I read "Harvard Sucks" on the side...)
Harvard is "so much" better...P.S. Is "Yale" old enough to be there?!?
The next day, Saturday, I had every intention of getting up early and
going to the HSPH tailgate that was happening outside the football stadium. But, reality set in
that I needed to do some packing, and so I made it to Cambridge just in time for the 10 am – 12 pm
tailgate to be over. Instead, I went to the first ever Black Graduate Student Harvard/Yale
and Alumni “tailgate” at one of the local bar/clubs in Cambridge. This was an opportunity to meet
past and current students from the College and Harvard’s 12 graduate schools,
several students from Yale, and watch the football game. Let me preface the occasion
by saying this was no Michigan State vs. University
of Michigan event. I was adorned
in Harvard gear and was ready to enjoy an exciting football game. Instead, I
found myself at a club (I mean, it could have actually been 11 pm at night),
complete with flowing drinks, music, dancing…and oh yeah, the game playing
somewhere in the background. I met a handful of people (no, I didn’t meet any
potential suitors), got to know some of my own classmates better, and actually
had a really good time! And the amazing thing to me was that I actually went
completely on my own! In the words of Fisher Price, I think it was, “I’m a big
kid now!”
Me and a friend (and fellow Student Ambassador for the Office of Diversity)
HSPH-ers unite!
The club actually reached capacity!!
Ignore the "Stanford" and focus on the color...
" To the window, to the wall..." (at 3 pm in the afternoon)
My HSPH crew!!
My afternoon Harvard/Yale experience was great fun, and it was especially
exciting to see how many well-educated, successful Black people there are in Boston/affiliated with
Harvard. But while I thought the event signified how far Harvard as a
university had come in expanding its own walls, I found that unfortunately, Boston as a city hasn’t
been able to do the same. An incident at a new nightclub called “Cure” was
brought to my attention that showed just how far we, as a city and a nation,
still have to go.
In summary, a Harvard
Business School
organization called Triumph had organized a night event for current
Harvard/Yale students and alumni to end the Harvard/Yale weekend. Unfortunately,
several race-related problems arose that ended in the early conclusion of the
party. In particular, there were concerns from Cure management and staff that
the large numbers of Black students outside the club would invite negative
attention, potentially attracting “local gangbangers” (management’s word) to
the scene. See this link for a full account of the story: http://jezebel.com/5696308/club-mistakes-black-harvard-crowd-for-local-gangbangers
While I didn’t personally attend this event, I was invited and actually considered
partaking in the festivities. I’ve been to three different events organized by
this organization and can personally say that the events are always
well-organized and well-attended, and it is always highly recommended that you
purchase tickets in advance (especially since they normally sell out). I’m glad
that I didn’t because this is the kind of attitude that shows you that no
matter how intelligent you are, no matter how hard you work, and no matter how
successful you become, you will still be disadvantaged based purely on the
color of your skin. No, I’m not racist, and no, I don’t believe that
every person who doesn't look like me is racist. But I do think that in an age where Obama’s
election has somehow become a symbol for overcoming racism, it’s so important
to remember that a struggle still remains. If any of you reading this are minorities
considering coming to HSPH, just know that while the name Harvard will
inevitably provide you with opportunities and respect, the challenges you may
have been facing based on you minority status all these years do not magically
melt away. And for those of you who are not minorities, you have a role to play
here, too, keeping an open mind and correcting comments made that are made
purely by stereotype. For me, that’s largely what inspired me to work with the
Office of Diversity, hoping to be able to minimize the barriers that we face. I’m
going to continue investigating this incident – particularly as it seems that a
potential lawsuit may come out of it – and I’ll continue to keep you all
posted.
Alla prossima (a little Italian for you!)
Racism is a man’s gravest threat to an – the maximum
of hatred for a minimum reason.
-From Jewish theologian and philosopher Abraham
J. Heschel
'But I do think that in an age where Obama’s election has somehow become a symbol for overcoming racism, it’s so important to remember that a struggle still remains'
ReplyDeleteObama's triumph was more of a tacit acknowledgement of racism in America, than a victory over racism.
The playing field was not level because by being White, his opponents at every stage could not speak freely about him, or his candidacy. Yet many people came out to vote purely because he of his colour.
Racism is a tough thing to fight, it is tied to the way the mind works. We need a frame of reference to categorize people, and skin colour/ race provides a ready frame.
The issue for me (as an African) is not about the initial reaction, rather it is about how appropriately re-adjustment is made and if I was afforded a fair opportunity.
On the whole, I think we need to evolve the concept of racial prejudice, as distinct from racism (the hate crime). Racial prejudice is another of the social constructs we employ in our daily interactions... just as children are more trusting of the large elderly woman than the thin shrill one.
Interesting thoughts; thanks for the comment. Let me start by saying that I wholeheartedly agree that Obama’s election was not a victory over racism but that it has “somehow become a symbol for overcoming racism,” in the context of the U.S. I have several opinions about his election and the role of structures/institutions in perpetuating discrimination (including along the lines of race), but perhaps those lend themselves to a conversation/another full blog entry.
ReplyDeleteThere are two things that you said that I find to be particularly striking:
1) “As an African” – I appreciate that you identified the lens through which you see the issue because I think that it does make a difference. An “African-American” may see things different, such being impacted by the initial response, not just the aftermath. (And of course there isn’t one “African” or one “African-American viewpoint either). For myself, I’m a first-generation Nigerian-American who has grown up in a small, predominantly white context. I have done my best to be successful based on my personal merits, and in many respects, I feel like being where I am now indicates that I’ve managed to do something right. And I think that’s why it pains me so much to hear that a group of students like myself were penalized based on a stereotyped view of what large numbers of people of a particular skin color bring – regardless of personal merits and traits.
2)The distinction between racism and racial prejudice – I’m not sure I agree with a distinction between the two. However, I do agree that “hate crimes” and overt acts of racial injustice must be viewed separately from other manifestations of prejudice.
Overall, as you indicated, we do need to evolve the way that we have socially-categorized people on a basis of skin color. The problem isn't just that we believe there are inherent differences based on a non-biological concept of race; it's what we do with it. The question that remains in responding to the problem is “how?”