To the Editor:
I writing in regards to an issue raised within the student community in the past few days, and it has to do with the issue of "passivity." The campus was recently appalled by yet another racial incident which raised concerns over the persistence of ignorance and passive response in our community. The Roth Center panel was in a sense an urgent reflex to an apparently stagnant mode of thinking. Once again, we find ourselves reacting to some racially-motivated incident that has all but corrupted our ideals of "community building" and "bridging gaps." Let's not disillusion ourselves.
During my freshman Winter (1996), precisely the same events occurred -- someone scratched a racial slur on the door of another. This happened twice in one week. Now I could exhaust this issue and go on about the problems with our campus, but honestly I would rather leave that to your reporters.
What I am concerned about today is a sentiment brewing in the Asian community that there was an obvious neglect of a culminating event which exhibited the solidarity and commitment of a diverse group of Dartmouth students. I'm talking about Culture Night. It brought together over five ethnic organizations over two months and achieved a maximal audience capacity of 220 attendees. Anyone who bothered to attend could attest to the immense artistic and cultural value the event created. At the very base level, one can appreciate the hard work and collaborative effort such an event required. To label it solely as artistic in nature would naively ignore the cohesive value of cultural celebration. Culture Night serves as an example of something proactive and promotional under themes of diversity and community-building. I suggest you consider including something very positive, not passive, in your next issue.
To tell us "one photo was taken" or that it will be "featured in the arts section sometime" proves to me that you are not aware of the significance of this event. I am asking you all, as an equal member of the Dartmouth community, to take time to find out what came about this past Saturday in Collis Commonground. Ask the local residents and the children they brought with them. Ask the students and faculty who saw and understood for the first time what a traditional South Asian dance ritual is about. Ask. Then maybe you would consider writing a small article about the 80 or so Dartmouth students who were responsible for putting the event together. Anything more than a photo will do.
