Home > Commentary
UO must reject its culture of whiteness
Guest commentary
by Ty Schwoeffermann |
PUBLISHED ON 5/4/07 IN Commentary
When the Brown v. Board of Education verdict forced public schools to desegregate on May 17, 1954, the national conscious officially reconciled the half decade of Jim Crow laws. Unfortunately, the ability for people of color to attend the white school system did not solve the major problems. Youth of the sixties went to school to learn and to fight white supremacy. They did not go to school to sit next to Ross R. Barnett or Jim Clark. Those first people of color to attend segregated schools wanted to kick white bigots out. Taking the school system to the Supreme Court, in the '50s, was to fight against white supremacy's grip on academia.
After more then 50 years of integration, today's schools have had to adjust to people of color at traditionally segregated schools. Yes, people of color sit in classrooms by their own will, but we don't have to tolerate incompetence and bigotry. Before abolition, people of color were forced to fight against white supremacy. Today, the struggle has changed; we still fight against white supremacy, but now we want equal academic opportunity. Such as the opportunity to study of fields of interests in a public institution.
People of color pay taxes and abide by the laws of the Constitution, yet we are still not equal in the United States to white people. There are many reminders of this at our university. First, Eurocentrism is present at our university. Programs like romance languages, European studies, multiple European language studies, and Russian and Eastern European studies are fully staffed and funded at the UO. Why is there not an equally funded program for South American studies, or African Studies or Polynesian studies? People of color cannot relate to teachers at a Eurocentric university because they view history and politics completely differently. Academics disagree about the interconnection of imperialism, slavery, nationalism, capitalism and democracy. Academia has heavily rejected alternative narratives that inspire resistance and revolution.
After more then 50 years of integration, today's schools have had to adjust to people of color at traditionally segregated schools. Yes, people of color sit in classrooms by their own will, but we don't have to tolerate incompetence and bigotry. Before abolition, people of color were forced to fight against white supremacy. Today, the struggle has changed; we still fight against white supremacy, but now we want equal academic opportunity. Such as the opportunity to study of fields of interests in a public institution.
People of color pay taxes and abide by the laws of the Constitution, yet we are still not equal in the United States to white people. There are many reminders of this at our university. First, Eurocentrism is present at our university. Programs like romance languages, European studies, multiple European language studies, and Russian and Eastern European studies are fully staffed and funded at the UO. Why is there not an equally funded program for South American studies, or African Studies or Polynesian studies? People of color cannot relate to teachers at a Eurocentric university because they view history and politics completely differently. Academics disagree about the interconnection of imperialism, slavery, nationalism, capitalism and democracy. Academia has heavily rejected alternative narratives that inspire resistance and revolution.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 15
Conscientious Consequences of Conscious Conscience
posted 5/04/07 @ 11:54 AM PST
"the national conscious"?
... as opposed to the individual unconscious?
Dorothy
dorothy
posted 5/04/07 @ 12:12 PM PST
The University of Oregon now has a "culture of wealthiness,"not a "culture of whiteness."Do you have any idea,how many white Oregonians cannot get into the U. (Continued…)
Drew Soderberg
posted 5/04/07 @ 1:48 PM PST
You make many good points concerning the teachers of color who would greatly diversify our school, and the courses that if offered, would help make great steps towards equalizing the academia here at the University. (Continued…)
Mark
posted 5/04/07 @ 1:58 PM PST
You profess to want more "people of color" as faculty at the UO, but just like in any other organization, there are only so many slots to fill, which means that in order to add more "people of color", the UO would have to let go existing faculty to make room for your "people of color". (Continued…)
wtf
posted 5/04/07 @ 8:40 PM PST
Congratulations. You've managed to compose a horribly written, inflammatory racist commentary-- all without stating a single fact, or quoting a single statistic. (Continued…)
White Trash
posted 5/05/07 @ 10:39 AM PST
Jeez Ty, for a guy with a name that is decidedly German/Jewish in derivation, you sure seem to hate those of european descent. If you put half the effort into your academic pursuits that you put into writing whining diatribes, I have no doubt that you could be teaching those courses that you presently find unavailable. (Continued…)
cz
posted 5/05/07 @ 12:23 PM PST
"People of color cannot relate to teachers at a Eurocentric university because they view history and politics completely differently."
This is an interesting notion. (Continued…)
seezee
posted 5/05/07 @ 2:09 PM PST
"People of color cannot relate to teachers at a Eurocentric university because they view history and politics completely differently."
This is an interesting notion. (Continued…)
Kellen
posted 5/09/07 @ 5:07 PM PST
First of all this piece is poorly written. It was meant to be argumentative, but he really doesn't back up a single coherent point until the third paragraph and after that his main argument does not lead any where, his conclusions in the end are completely irrelevant. (Continued…)
The Voice Of Reason
posted 5/10/07 @ 9:54 AM PST
God, I hope Ty is reading this stuff...
Post a Comment