An unfulfilled dream at Santa Clara

By Editorial

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamt of a country that promoted equality and brotherhood, where racism was not tolerated and all people were created equal. He had dreams for the future that are still recognized today as fundamental to our national cause. His speech was a major step in the right direction in the fight for racial equality in the United States.

But King's dream has not yet been achieved. Even at Santa Clara, subtle and not-so-subtle forms of racism remain present on campus.

Last year, racist graffiti was found in both the bathrooms of Benson Memorial Center and Swig Residence Hall.

In mid-November of this year, a campus-wide e-mail pointed to three suspects in a series of on-campus thefts. All three suspects were labeled as African-American and described as 19 to 20 years old and 5'10" to 6'0" tall; 20 to 22 years old and 5'7"; and 19 to 20 years old and 6'1," respectively. The description also included phrases like "baggy pants," "puffy jacket" and "short black hair with waves."

The e-mail concluded with a list of theft prevention tips, including one that stated: "If you think the person is 'suspicious' or doesn't belong in your residence hall or office corridor -- for whatever reason -- they probably are!"

While we don't doubt the descriptions of the thieves were accurate, we do, however, believe that this description could just as easily apply to plenty of black students at Santa Clara who are successful students and campus leaders and have every right to be in a residence hall without being considered "suspicious."

Santa Clara claims to have rich diversity and promotes this through written rules, such as an anti-discrimination policy. But these attempts to foster acceptance remain futile if the student body and greater Santa Clara community doesn't embrace them.

Every time we have an incident such as those described above, our community becomes one that is less welcoming, less accepting and less attractive to prospective students of color.

Take one look at our demographics, and you will see that Santa Clara isn't the diverse community we want it to be. Although 36 percent of Santa Clara students are students of color, this promotion is somewhat misleading in the breakdown of campus diversity: The freshman class of 2009 includes only 2.6 percent black students.

In the Santa Clara faculty and administration, representation of ethnic minorities also remains far too low. How can we expect to see a large minority population in our student body when it's not reflected in our faculty?

On Monday, Igwebuike sponsored an MLK Night that included skits, traditional African dances and speeches to commemorate King and the movement he inspired. This type of event is the education we need to further our awareness and acceptance.

However, as the year continues, and the events of Monday night become further away in people's minds, our challenge will be to remember that King's words are not some obscure part of American history, only meant to be acknowledged once a year. They are a daily reminder to all of us, of how we should live and how our society should work.

Here at Santa Clara, we may not be able to put an end to all of the racial discrimination in this country. But we can do our part. We can create an environment that is free of racial slurs and hurtful stereotypes, and where ethnic minorities are represented in the classrooms, residence halls and administrative buildings.

Let's all keep dreaming.