Got milk? Got cell phones? Got light? We value these products so
highly, but neglect to remember and be thankful for the black
people who helped make all of them possible.
Who cares, as Garin Hovannisian says (“Black History Month
divides present world,” Feb. 11). Well, let’s all just
take a day and live without black inventions.
When the sun comes up, you better start to study. Get your money
back for those beautiful city views, because all you will see from
your apartment windows at night is black. As a black student, I
think that would be great for a change.
The luxuries America’s ruling class enjoy come at the cost
of exploiting racial issues for social gains. The institution of
whiteness that dynasties like the Bush family bank on to gain
positions of leadership come at the expense of racial
exploitation.
The greatest affirmative action ever was white privilege. If we
are going to attack affirmative action, we should attack the group
who benefited the most from affirmative action: white women.
Hovannisian is attacking the wrong group. Affirmative action opened
the doors for women, and with white privilege, white women were
able to walk through the doors unnoticed.
I agree with Hovannisian that it is disappointing when people
use their race to just get affirmative action. That is, why do they
ask for so little after being the builders of this society’s
wealth? The free labor given for over 300 years made this economy
as fruitful as it is, so at least once a year, let’s thank
the people who made this possible.
People of color should demand UCLA accurately reflect the
population of Los Angeles. As Hovannisian argues, we are humankind
““ and if we are all equal, we should all be granted equal
access and quality of education through grade school and
college.
Hovannisian suggests the day-to-day struggle of a human is to
eat, have a place to sleep and have some clothes on our backs.
Can’t we expand that definition? Why don’t we all
struggle together to erase racial lines? Let’s take our
Abercrombie and Fitch and our Diesel jeans and help the less
fortunate ““ let’s give them to a homeless child.
Until the supporters of abolishing Black History Month agree to
live without the creations of black inventors ““ and do away
with the benefits gained by a rich minority that are a result of
slavery ““ they cannot point fingers at blacks. Accusers must
point to those who survive off the exploitation of not just blacks
but people of color as a whole ““ blacks, Latinos and
Asians.
I highly doubt Black History Month works to exploit “the
guilt that many whites have over slavery.”
We can claim on this campus that blacks are valued for their
intelligence and merit, but that argument is settled so long as
black students are continually asked, “Are you an
athlete?” The assumption is that blacks get into UCLA based
on their athletic abilities, not their intelligence. When
Hovannisian feels Jackie Robinson is a more important part of black
history than Malcolm X ““ who was unmentioned in the column
““ then once again he is valuing a black’s ability to
entertain rather than to think. Would a history class be considered
complete after the students learned about George Washington and
Larry Bird?
Maybe Hovannisian is partially correct in his opinions. I mean,
not all institutions are stacked against blacks; some welcome
blacks with open arms. But the prison system is not an institution
of hope or the goal of anyone in the various black communities.
Before we attempt to get rid of black history, let’s look
at the institutions of capitalism ““ the system that led to
George Bush being president ““ and the many dreams of black
children that will never come true because their voices are
silenced.
What if the contributions of Daniel Hale Williams, Edmond
Berger, Lewis Latimer, Granville Woods or Frederick Jones were
never acknowledged? How would we live without open heart surgery,
without cars, without light bulbs, without telephones or without
mobile refrigerators?
If you had to live without these things, what would you do?
Oh, that’s right ““ who cares?
Sylvester is a fourth-year international development and
political science student. She is ASU vice chairperson and an AAP
social science tutor supervisor.