I dont think any students are uncomfortable pushing for equality and equity, @EconPop , I think the manner in which that is occuring is troublesome to some. And neither you nor I know anything about which students are objecting, so I would not assume as you have done anything about those students’ exposure to diversity or background or race.
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We’re you a student at haverford during the strike? How do you even know what happened? You say you did a little research, but did you know the student newspapers refused to publish any commentary that didn’t support the strike? Did you know it wasn’t that the students opposed addressing racism, it was the actions used by the strikers, the threats made to people, the flat out demands students pay them money because they were White. Bullying is bullying? Wouldn’t it have been more effective to work together to find ways to address racism while not trying to hurt others because they are not BIPOC? Unless you were there you have no right to judge because you assume you know what the strike was about and what the atmosphere on campus is really like.
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My daughter is a student at haverford and we talked about this everyday as it was happening. She didn’t see things the way they’re portrayed here at all. Had she, she wouldn’t have supported the strike. And she wouldn’t have had issue not doing so if it didn’t fit her conscience.
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I’m not sure if you’re answering as @firstyearford or the person speaking on behalf of him/her?
I posted on the Culture thread a while ago that I thought the strike was ill-advised and the only ones being hurt were the strikers…not the administration.
If you are FirstYearFord, then as a member of the community you should address this with the community as well as the administration. The school is still part of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends, and as a Quaker school, it has a strong self-governance component that includes the plenary each semester. If things are as bad as you say, then you need to raise the issues at the plenary and make sure that the student body addresses bullying.
Quakers follow six testimonies, referred to as SPICES. The C is for community, which includes connection with all members of the community, being authentic, balancing the needs of the individual with the needs of the group, respect for everyone, and the idea that everyone has a piece of the truth. You should remind the community of their Quaker principles and commitments to all members, including those who may not have agreed to the strike.
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^^ Totally agree with @EyeVeee 's comments about the process and intention being in place to find unity. This is such a powerful and effective way to address and heal rifts in a community.
(I thought, though, that Haverford and BMC were no longer formally under the care of PYM.)
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Am I the only one finding it difficult to believe all of this drama took place via zoom meetings?
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No.
Ten char
I’m not sure of the formal ties to the PYM at Haverford, but the Corporation, consisting of ~200 Quakers still meets annually and technically “owns” the school.
BMC and Swat are no longer “governed” by Quaker leadership/ownership.
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The Haverford paper did publish at least one letter dissenting from the strike. It is respectful and supportive of aspects of the strike, yet also points out complexities in the situation: Why I’ve Chosen Not to Strike – The Clerk
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That’s an amazing letter. Very well done. His dad has a lot to be proud of.
I wonder if there was a response.
The most concerning aspect of the strike to me is the repression of discourse and free speech. The author was very delicate and measured- makes me sad that he had to be. Not that he should be aggressive. But he clearly thought he had to be extra careful in his words, strike a very specific tone, and was aware of the potential consequences of his speaking, not just to him personally but to his job and extracurriculars.
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Wow! You really hit the nail on the head. You just described the way nearly every AA person has felt they had to behave in PW places in America since like … forever.
Honestly, I think that’s part of the grand misunderstanding between some people here. Because some of the URMs at Haverford (and across America) are being more outspoken about injustices and inequities, they’re characterized as rude, uncivil, bullies, etc. The same was said of MLK and others back in the 60s.
So it was, so it is.
I was also impressed with the author. He is starting from a very good place and it is possible his experiences at Haverford will allow him to grow even more. He sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders. All he needs is a little more growth.
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@EconPop - I wrote, and then deleted, a paragraph stating that it must be similar to what BIPOC and other marginalized people must feel like all the time. So I am glad you responded (hoped in particular you would).
Here’s the question I have, and I am struggling to find the words, so forgive me if I am imprecise/awkward in how I ask: How do we move forward? I don’t think “see how it feels now that the shoe is on the other foot” is a long term plan. It is effective to personalize the issue, but then what? The shock is educational but polarizing. And it leads to some people thinking along the lines of “you want me to be better, but you’re just as bad” mentality. It tribalizes people. It perpetuates divides. So what is the plan after the immediate shock when they have people’s attention? I think this is a vital concern because our collective attention span is so short term, if people are allowed to stop paying attention after a couple of weeks of a strike, you are just creating worse tribalism. The wounds fester.
And then, there is the question of what the administration’s role is. I don’t think it is to tamp down on protest, but I also think they have some obligation to hold the students to an expectation of civility.
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Oh boy @CateCAParent you’re going to get me in trouble here now. Shoot away, we’re all being a little awkward and stepping around broken glass in bare feet. Those questions are important but the answers sometimes result in polarized responses. For instance, jumping to the middle of your questions/comments …
When POC present inequities and ask for equity, we aren’t saying specifically, “How does it feel now that you have to be as concerned about X as we’ve been forever.” We’re simply saying, “we want equity.” When it’s brought up that the unease you may feel is somewhat similar to what we feel always, the point isn’t to punish you. It is to try to bridge the divide with a moment of commonality. But as quick as some people are to recognize the commonality, it is often turned into a weapon by insisting POC are using it to divide the races.
That (the twisting of words) has been a tactic to combat calls for equality for so long, that now when it is perhaps innocently tossed out there by a more-or-less well-meaning non-POC, it sounds disingenuous when it is simply an honest response.
Here’s the timeline: Centuries of oppression → Incremental Steps toward Equity admist continued oppression → non-POC unease → POC says that unease is something both sides might now share in a small moment → non-POC says “why so racial and polarizing, why are you trying to divide us all? You’re just as bad as (well, not me because I’m not racist, but) the Jim Crow guys 100 years ago” → POC feels “I’m just as bad as people who used to conduct lynches???”
Now, I get where you’re coming from, and I’ve walked this slow walk many times. OTOH, some POC are less patient with what they view as persistent intentional ignorance by non-POC. To some POC, it seems impossible that non-POC do not recognize the big picture and the history of it all.
ASIDE: My son attends a PWI. In his philosophy/sociology class, they recently reviewed Reconstruction. Several non-POC exclaimed “I had no idea it was this bad. I thought it was all better after the Civil War. How could I not have known this?” Then they all look to him (one of only two POC in the class) for his reaction. He found it hard to believe that these otherwise intelligent students with quality HS educations didn’t really know how hard AAs have had it since the end of Civil War. He still can’t quite get a handle on how they can’t possibly know.
A lot of people can’t grasp that ignorance of basic American history/present facts. But it is that ignorance, and the disbelief by many POC of that ignorance, that I feel leads to many of the misunderstood statements on both sides.
Once again, this is a tricky situation. Once again, POC’s request for equity is characterized as being uncivil. I ask you to be patient while I present another situation as example.
Teachers in City are vastly underpaid and overworked. For years they ask for relief, extra hires, and increased pay. For 15 years, they are told to be patient and they will receive what they ask for. After the 16th year passes, the teachers go on strike. People complain the teachers didn’t have to take such a drastic step. Some people complain the teachers’ union is creating a divide, doesn’t care about children and working families, and is greedy.
Well, students have been whispering for equity for as long as I’ve been alive and longer. With the activities of the spring/summer 2020 taking center stage, POC all over America in various places (colleges, etc) are willing to be a little louder – just like the teachers who eventually went on strike, POC have realized that whispering for help for years hasn’t resulted in a better day. It’s easy for city councils to tell teachers to “be patient” then do nothing when the teachers wait. it’s easy for universities to tell POC “be patient”, then do nothing when students wait. But when teachers strike, when POC-students protest louder, the city council and the chancellors take notice … and respond to the stakeholders.
In the big picture of striving for a better day, the POC students at Haversford are no more uncivil than teachers going on strike for a decent wage and better working conditions.
It seems some people find it easier to address the way POC request equity, instead of considering if the request is valid. No one complains that the fire alarm is loud and hurts the ears - we’re all happy the alarm alerted us to what was wrong.
ADDENDUM: When I say “we”, understand I obviously cannot speak for all POC everywhere. Most often, my use of “we” refers to what I consider to be the consensus opinion of the POC I most often communicated with over the past decades.
ADDENDUM 2: shudder
ADDENDUM 3: I am only a POC of one. Others may have different opinions.
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Please go to the Quillette article and watch the video of the Zoom call there. And yes, actually, ALL of it is difficult to believe, and yet, it happened.
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Two phone calls distracted me from completing my answer to this one earlier.
My opinion is the administration should allow a platform for students of color. I am very happy with how the president handled the situation. One move I would like to see, is for the president to convene group discussions of non-POC only, to allow a more comfortable venue for the students who feel uneasy about the current events. Sometimes, it’s better to get such conversations going in a “safe space” for people who feel uneasy.
When a college makes Diversity a serious goal, this is the sort of change that must take place. True change always requires some unease if not outright difficulty. Brown Vs BOE and the 20-year slow walk to desegregating schools was no spring walk in the park. The Revolutionary War was difficult, but it changed America for the better. The gradual decline of misogyny in America has not come without some unease, but we continue that march. No sensible person says that women had/have no right to seek equity. No sensible person says, “women aren’t asking politely enough.”
Haverford, under the direction of the current president, is making a serious hard effort to be more equitable to POC. This is not going to occur with no bumps in the road. It is a given that some people will assert Haverford is changing for the worse and announce their intent to take if “off the list” for their students.
Haverford is changing. And for some people, it will be less of the college of their dreams. For many others, Haverford is changing for the better. I applaud the bravery of the president and the administration in general. They are proving braver by far than nearly any other university at the moment.
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I went to the website that was posted upstream and frankly, I am stunned that anyone would refer to the students on that 4 min. zoom meeting as "“bullies”. They were respectful, remarkably unemotional. I don’t know enough about Haverford to judge the substance of what they said, but I’ve seen school board meetings conducted with more vitriol.
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I think this thoughtful young man has articulated the way forward. Let’s have those discussions with real listening. Let’s move forward with the things we all agree on. Let’s figure out how to address the things we don’t agree on. As a Quaker institution, Haverford has a framework for doing this work.
Whether you agree with the strike or not, it would seem to have succeeded in creating a situation in which the community has realized that to move forward, they must do something they are not doing now perhaps with some urgency.
I didn’t feel like the author was treading lightly. He chose his words carefully to avoid misinterpretation and to be respectful, not out of fear. He conveyed his position well and without the goal of fanning the flames. To me, this is the sign of someone who is looking for a lasting solution, not debate points.
Perhaps I am a foolishly optimistic, but this makes me hopeful.
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Sorry, I didn’t mean the Zoom exemplified the bullying of student on student. Here’s an example of comments to a dissenting opinion written by one student: “Wow!! Congratulations! You’ve published one of the most pretentious, repulsive, and ignorant articles I’ve ever read. I hope you’re proud of yourself. Maybe the fact that campus publications refused to publish this article due to its offensiveness should have raised some alarms. I guess your arrogance blinds you from understanding the concept of systemic racism, within and beyond this institution. I hope that you never find work in politics.” and "This is perhaps one of the most ignorant pieces I have ever seen allowed to be published. It is very apparant to me the ways in which this “Plubius” completely disregards any of the strike’s goals and only wishes to complain about the methods in which they choose to go about it. Respectability politics to a tee. I have never been SO PROUD of our student newspapers who refused to publish this garbage, and I have never been more concerned for the department that thinks that openness of debate means platforming people who use academic jargon to hide the fact that they do not like to be challenged. Social backlash to a rightly unpopular opinon is not a silencing of the student voices. Once again, this piece really just displays the ways in which academia can mask people’s racism. " and “boo hoo hoo are you sad because the attention isn’t on you for once? because mommy and daddy always said you were a special boy? and now it turns out that in the real world you’re expected to care about other people? oh that must be SOOOO hard for you” and “Just say you’re racist and go lmao” and “You really think being asked to think about the space you take up is censorship? If you removed your head from your ass long enough to form one well-reasoned thought you might realize that it’s just part of holding a conversation. But I won’t get my hopes up. Anyway, good cops don’t exist and neither does reverse racism. Take some time to educate yourself about real anti-racist action instead of meaningless platitudes, and learn that you aren’t entitled to a platform for your racist drivel.” And then students went on social media to encourage others to bully the author. Literally. And this kind of attitude was played out in situations all over campus.
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So what are you doing on CC?
Is this the place where you can make a difference? Get your pound of flesh? Exact revenge on the school?
Are you transferring?
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Yes, this essentially mirrors the Williams situation a few years back when a student-run speakers club withdrew an invitation pretty much because they couldn’t stand the blow-back from anonymous posts on social media.
That was the Williams student club’s choice. I don’t necessarily agree with that choice nor understand why they felt the necessity to cave-in to criticism and then blame social media for the decision. To me, it was just another demonstration of how the public sphere has changed so drastically in a generation that the digital universe has become more “real” than the four corners of the actual campus where one lives.
You do understand that this can happen anywhere, right?
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