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A student asks "what does the box really have to say?"
By Kasim Ortiz
Guest Writer
Kortizl @my.westga .edu
This past summer at
the National Advancement
of Colored People’s
national convention, much
of America watched as this
organization buried the word
"nigger" and any forms and
variations of the word.
This is part of the
NAACP’s STOP campaign,
which hopes to address
demeaning images of
African Americans in the
media, focusing on African
American women. At first
glimpse, this is something
that 1 would see myself
whole-heartedly supporting,
however my experience in
college has taught me to be
a critical thinker.
I became completely
intrigued by the NAACP’s
attempt to bury a word
that has such historical
significance in our culture,
often times a reference point
for the racial conflicts of
daily life mid the epitome of
American culture.
The Student Perspective - “How do you feel regarding the Jena 6 situation?”
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Yen Nguyen
I hope there are a lot of students
that w'ill get involved in this and
try to help out the cause. It’s a
real shock because things like
this do exist and 1 think people
believe that it doesn’t, yet this is
proof. So I hope that people do
something about it.
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Burying a word with
such power, in my opinion,
is completely irrational.
It seems only fair that a
word that still has a place
in our society could not
be eradicated. As highly
optimistic as this may be, on
the behalf of the NAACP,
a word with such a place
could only be buried when it
has no place.
Asa sociology major,
one who plans to earn a
Ph D. in sociology with a
research emphasis in race
relations and sexuality, I find
myself often battling with
issues of w hether our society
can truly be racially equal.
It seems that only
until American history is
re-written, which of course
could never happen, void of
the developments of race and
the exploitation of Africans,
Native Americans, Japanese,
and other immigrants, could
we move forward and have
true racial equality.
Honestly, I think what
the box has to say to the
N-word is my walls are not
nearly as strong to withhold
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JR Harris
I think it’s a little crazy, because
six black guys jumped a white
guy and they're all rallying for
them. When he got the crap beat
out of him, he was completely
defenseless. I mean, six guys on
one— that’s not how men tight.
It’s supposed to be one on one.
the history and power of your
six characters, nor could my
walls possibly be able to
understand the dark life that
haunts those that this word
has been used to describe in
American history.
Audre Ixtrde suited this
best in the title of one of her
papers, “The Master’s Tools
Will Never Dismantle the
Master’s House.”
My sociology courses
here at the University of
West Georgia have given
me the opportunity to really
examine race relations. Daily,
educational reinforcements
show how racial division still
exists in our culture, partly
due to the institutionalized
discrimination that
permeates America.
Many would agree
that America’s Civil Rights
Movement was a watershed
event in which great strides
were made to address racial
inequality and capture social
justice. However, let us not
forget that the foundations
of American culture were
built upon the formation of
racial division, economic
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Tv ledris
1 didn’t really know about it
until recently, but 1 think it’s
so sad that those students, no
matter what they did, and I
think they should let go all six
of them, I think they should try
them as quickly as possible so
they can move on with their
lives.
deprivation, and the
subordination of particular
peoples.
This is not principally
about blacks and whites,as I
do recognize what happened
to the Indians also. It amazes
me how individuals can
be so highly optimistic to
believe that the Civil Rights
Movement gave light to
anew era void of social
inequalities.
You can clearly look at
events currently taking place
in American culture to see
differently. Some of these
events include the hate crime
in Big Creek, West Virginia,
the noose incident at the
University of Maryland, and
the racially charged events
of Jena, Louisiana.
These events are
clear indicators of the
continuation of social
inequality, hatred, and racial
division. It amazes me when
a sociology professor comes
into the classroom and stales
that students in other courses
have told her that racism
doesn’t exist.
Now, if we want to
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nil WIST (,K Jl<( il AN OPINION
get detailed, Jim-Crow
racism does not exist
completely, the Civil Rights
era addressed this, however
we do have anew more
polished form of racism, Jim
Crow’s cousin, James Crew.
This is reminiscent of neo
colonialism in Africa, just
because it continues in less
blatant ways doesn’t mean
that it doesn’t exist, it has
merely just “evolved”.
Now the question is
what we can do as college
students to alleviate these
issues of social inequalities.
First, it would be beneficial
to gain an understanding
of the purpose of a liberal
education. We must become
critical thinkers ;uid inft >rmed
individuals.
This can be done by
utilizing your money wisely
and reading suggested
materials in courses and
possibly taking courses on
race relations. Not only being
registered in these courses
will suffice, as we see there
are many individuals who
take up space in a classrcx>m
that are not benefiting or
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Jazmine Stamps
1 like to focus on everybody’s
positive response. Thousands of
people went down to Louisiana
and protested, and the people
who couldn’t go down wore
black to class last Thursday. It’s a
big outcome, and like somebody
said, a lot of people are becoming
informed of injustice.
beneficial to the pnxluctivity
of the classroom, but we must
actively pursue knowledge
Once knowledge is
obtained we must then
take actions to help lessen
relations. This can be done
by being truly active on
campus (not just holding a
leadership position but doing
something positive- not just
socially-in that position),
earning your degree in a
timely manner and utilizing
that to help each other, and
having open conversations
about these issues in our
culture.
The next time you hear
someone talking about social
inequalities take the time to
chat with them, get different
perspectives. Trust, this will
help in the development of
your own ideas about social
inequalities. 1 challenge
everyone that reads this
article to send in a response,
this will surely exercise
mental stimulation, and
prove to show that UWG
students are engaged in
being critical thinkers. Do
you think outside the box I .'
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Adam Elrod
I think its kind of ignorant
that somebody would take
people sitting under a tree,
would be offended by that,
and would do something to
offend or harm those sitting
under the tree.
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Photo s h\ Terence Hushin