Editor:
We wonder what purpose Tiara C. Fuller’s opinion pieces serve, especially the one most recently published (“Clubs on campus are racist and devisive,” Aug. 1).
From personal experience, we know that several hundred people here at the U are working for greater social justice for people who have “disappeared” from public sight. These are people who are giving important parts of themselves to see that all of us live in a healthy community free of systems that perpetuate/normalize oppression. The work these individuals are doing — often in student clubs — requires an incredible amount of human effort, heart and tears.
In contrast, your opinions are quick and thoughtless — the repetition of what has been said to justify oppression for too many years. You seem slow to recognize that real lives are involved in a real struggle for justice and equality. Such insensitivity saddens us as much as it compels us to respond, not to your opinions, but to you as a person.
We write this letter because you have the potential to do so much more, and yet you default to being a promoter of the ordinary and the oppressive. You say the same things that have been said for too many years and expect to receive praise — but be sure there is nothing exceptional about your words.
Presently (hopefully not for much longer) you are only another brick built into the wall of oppression, and at this time there is a demand for individuals with the courage to do and say things that have never been said and done.
Taking “new” action, seeing with “new” eyes and feeling with “new” hearts has the potential to radically mend the wounds inflicted on all of us by oppressive systems and values. We believe that you, as much as any other person, are capable of being less an antagonist and more of an ally. If you’re unsure how to expand your understanding of those who have been denied full presence in our society, we encourage you to enlist the help of the student clubs here at the U. They are doing good work to ensure justice and equality for many. We are sure, as we have experienced it ourselves, that they will welcome the opportunity to share their experiences and knowledge with you, as they are invested in ending oppression and exclusion, as opposed to promoting it.
Yours in peace and justice,
Alex MoyaJunior, Sculpture and Poetry
Josh NewburyJunior, Social Work and Political Science