To the Editor:
While I admire her willingness to speak her mind, I condemn Jessica Rae's audacity to insinuate that minority students at the College are the racist ones. Understanding that she may have her own personal experiences from which her anger is based, I, nonetheless, feel obligated to defend my history and set her straight in the dangers of making such sweeping statements.
Though the Black Student Union and historically black fraternities and sororities are comprised of a majority black population, there are no statutes declaring that they are solely for black students. Any student of any race can join-and they do.
Do not say that my GPA and SAT scores were lower than yours. Do not suggest that I received a full scholarship and guaranteed housing. I'm working the same jobs, paying the same tuition, pulling the same amount of credits, and hoping to make next year's housing lottery cut-off. For every time I read about how the "white man" has historically oppressed so many, I am reminded of the persistent pressures I have to work harder than the next person, and to not become a mere statistic.
Ms. Rae was misinformed in her statement that minorities parallel being white to being a sin. I don't know of anyone who would take it nearly that far, but I would say the offense in her case is the implication that minorities have some sort of vendetta against her for being white. I am trying to be successful just the same as she is, and do not appreciate the way in which she tries to demean my history and very existence in all her rage. The true sin-on anyone's part-is ignorance, and with expressions such as hers, it's disheartening to know that it possibly will never change.
Shannon McCray
