Black Yalie's commentary on "self segregation" at Yale

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
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<p>Cross posting this on Parents' Forum, too</p>

<p>From the Yale Daily News</p>

<p>"Self-segregation’ myth affects all groups
Niko Bowie </p>

<p>... I am one of about 430 black students at Yale, I work at the Afro-American Cultural Center and last summer I was an aide for Cultural Connections. I also will admit that black people often eat lunch together, most of the people who go to Afro-American Cultural Center events are black and most of the attendees of Cultural Connections are students of color. Still, I think it is wrong to call these examples of “self-segregation.” </p>

<p>If, for example, the Af-Am House had a sign on its door saying “Blacks Only” or an alternate rear entrance for white students, then I would have no difficulty using the term “self-segregation.” But this is not the reality that exists on campus. Rather, the racial separation in Commons, Cultural Connections and the Afro-American Cultural Center seems to be caused less by the students of color participating than the white students who choose not to attend. ...</p>

<p>The problem seems to lie less in the exclusivity of the organizations and more in the interests of Yale students. I imagine as few white students are willing to join the Black Student Alliance as there are liberals who are willing to join the College Republicans.... I can also understand if it is difficult for white students to attend Cultural Connections or a La Casa event out of fear of being the lone white student. Being in the minority can be awkward. </p>

<p>Yet as a black student at Yale, I am confronted with the same awkwardness every time I look around and see only one or two other black people in my sections and seminars. ...</p>

<p>Nevertheless, whenever I am in the minority... I am forced to think about the element of my identity that sets me apart. This happens often at this university, and it is refreshing for me to be able to enter the Afro-American Cultural Center and not be a tokenized exception. </p>

<p>The term of self-segregation should not only apply to students of color; contentions that black students in dining halls self-segregate are no more valid than claims that the white students sitting around them self-segregate, or that the lacrosse team or Yale Dems run exclusive eating clubs. ...."
<a href="http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/19864%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/19864&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>I don't think it's fair to try to assign blame to either blacks or whites. </p>

<p>I suppose we have different definitions of self-segregation. You see it as an official status with "blacks only" signs reminiscent of the Jim Crow era. I see it as something that runs a little deeper--people want to feel accepted. And one way they can do that is by associating with people from a similiar cultural or racial background. I see nothing wrong with this. </p>

<p>It would be nice to be utopian and denounce all segregation, self-imposed or not, but the simple fact is that people at Yale come from a number of different backgrounds. And I think you should be allowed to or not to associate with whomever you wish. If this comes out as segregation, fine. If integration, fine as well.</p>

<p>EDIT: And to the OP, why did you feel that the author's race was so important that it needed to be the first thing in the title of this thread? Does it make his arguments more legitimate?</p>

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<p>Charter of F,</p>

<p>I didn't write that opinion piece, so I'm not sure why you seem to be thinking that it represents my opinion. I posted it here because I think it's interesting.</p>

<p>The race was important because that puts the author's view into context. It's a black Yalie writing a response to a Yale editorial about so-called self segregation on the campus. The author himself highlights his race because that relates to his viewpoint and experiences.</p>

<p>Whatever the author's race was, it would have been important in a first person commentary about allegations about the self-segregation of racial groups on a campus.</p>

<p>Interestingly, someone posted elsewhere that the author is the son of Lani Guinier, the first African American tenured prof at Harvard Law School. Guinier is biracial, black father (who was a Harvard prof), white, Jewish mother, clearly privileged background. All of this also places the writer's commentary in a context.</p>