Dear Editor:
After reading some of the responses to Sister Souljah's reported visit to The University, I was taken aback by what can only be called racism.
No, I'm not talking about the alleged racism of the Sister; I'm talking about the racism from the readers of this newspaper.
It amazes me that white people, in this day and age, have the audacity to tell people of color what constitutes racism. Were it not for racism in the past, there would be no need for entities such as Black History Month, affirmative action, etc. We as a people never wanted these things.
We merely wanted to be accepted as an equal in society. To this day, we still have not achieved that level of acceptance from the powers that be.
Furthermore, the truth of the matter is that those who have been the most guilty of racism are in no position to tell the victims of racism how to define the phenomenon.
Of particular note is the statement made by Russell Webb, when he stated that advocating the murder of the "part of society that has roundly supported her own — both financially and through education."
Forgive me for saying this, but exactly what planet did you come from? When did they start "supporting" the Sister's society? More importantly, how and why did they start "supporting" her society?
If you’re talking about education, that's not true. That we have public schools is nice, but we have only recently been allowed to enter the better schools. Also, did they do it because they had genuine love for fellow human beings? Or, did they do it to prevent further rioting by African-Americans and other minorities?
Then too, the Sister is talking more about the racism that the powers that be love to sweep under the rug. You know, the kind that America loves to ignore? Case in point, the so-called "War on Terrorism.” Funny how the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Brotherhood or the Skinheads have not been placed on the president's list of terrorist organizations.
Why is that? Are they not terrorists? Do they not have a long, documented track record of terrorist activities? What is the difference between the Skinheads and Al-Qaeda?
The Sister is only talking about the social terrorism that has been present in this country since its origins. Though no one in their right mind can condone the killing of another human being, I believe that statement has been blown way out of context. Me personally, I think that she is trying to get African-Americans to think about the nonsensical thinking behind black-on-black crime, especially murder. It could have been said differently, but the statement had its desired effect.
To compare Sister Souljah to John Rocker is to compare Malcolm X to David Duke. There is a huge difference between racism and indignation towarsd racism. Was Malcolm a racist, or was he poignantly aware of racism, and decided to speak out against it in the strongest possible way? Was he a "racist,"or was he a man who was sickened by the racism demonstrated against his people for no other reason save for their ethnicity?
If you expect all African-American leaders and spokespersons to be Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. clones, keep dreaming. That is simply not realistic, and in his lifetime, he too was criticized for being a rabblerouser, someone who just wanted to cause trouble.
Personally, I won't be going to see Sister Souljah, but it won't be because of her so-called "racist" attitude. It is because I disagree with her methods. Throughout the history of the world, the greatest revolutions have occured without war and violence. I choose to go down that road.
T.J. Rounds
Graduate Student
History
