Friday was Groundhog's Day. As we are all aware, this is the day the cute, little furry animal might pop out of its hole to see if Spring is on its way. We all cross our fingers and hope that winter will soon be over. Groundhog's Day symbolizes hope, rebirth and renewal. Therefore, it is so fitting that Groundhog's Day coincided with the day when Dartmouth students finally crawled out of hibernation to speak out as community against injustice.
Wednesday night as I sat next to Dean Pelton in the crowded basement of Shabazz Hall, I was saddened as each one of the hate crimes which recently occurred on Dartmouth's campus were described. Even though these crimes were only specifically directed at six individuals, they reverberated and impacted the entire campus. Students of Color came together to speak out against injustice. Hopefully, this union will continue and will be a strong voice on this campus. I felt a sense of relief, excitement and joy as many of us, of all races, colors, and backgrounds emerged from our own individual troughs to look for the light together on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I was touched by the honesty and they way that people exposed themselves to strangers. I applauded Thursday night during the town meeting not out of sympathy, but out of respect for those individuals who were courageous enough to expose themselves. Somehow, through hate, we have managed to learn about each other. It is unfortunate, though, that the hate crimes had to serve as a catalyst to unify so many Dartmouth students. We should have all been speaking against hate and injustice before. What Dartmouth students, faculty and staff need is education and experience, not necessarily punishment. Therefore, the petition for mandatory diversity training is an excellent one. It was suggested that a hate code be adopted to deal with the problem. I am doubtful that the enactment of this code will effectively reduce, or prevent hate crimes. For example, I have observed that the Sexual Abuse Code does not effectively punish, or deal with persons who have violated it, and it appears that a Hate Code would probably be just as ineffective.
Hate crimes are not isolated incidents. They happen every day, if not at Dartmouth, then somewhere else. Hate crimes persist because, first of all, many Americans are either uninformed or unwilling to learn about different people and societies. There are many people who have grown up in isolated neighborhoods, gone to segregated schools, whether private or public, or have been taught that difference is unacceptable. Secondly, as an American society we tend to condone certain racist, sexist and homophobic attitudes. The recent OJ Simpson trial, during which our society was largely divided along racial lines, attests to the fact that our society is not color-blind.
At Dartmouth, there is generally a "me and my friends" attitude. We are comfortable and we do not want to push ourselves to associate with others who are not in our own clique. It is hard to understand why someone else's problems might be your own problems as well. But, hate and inequalities are something that we should all be worried about. They undermine the Constitution of the United States of America as well as the purpose of a liberal arts institution such as Dartmouth.
It is everyone's personal responsibility to dig their way out of a hole, to meet new people, learn about other's differences, and to grow spiritually and intellectually. It is a difficult process -- it hurts to expose yourself to the sunlight after having been hibernating in a dark hole. Your eyes might sting, and you feel the urge to close them. The cold winter air envelops you, and you shiver because you are exposed. But, then gradually, your eyes adjust to the light, and the sun warms your body. Change takes time, and it hurts, but the rebirth is more than worth the wait.
