4 OPINION Tuesday, November 3, 1987 Page 4 The Michigan Daily i Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Redress and reparations Vol. XCVIII, No. 39 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Unsigned editorials represent a majodty of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. exual assault workshops ,LAST WEEK'S Sexual Assault Awareness Week, sponsored by the University's Sexual Assault Prevention and. Awareness Center, provided events and activities designed to . enlighten t h e community about sexual assault. 'Acquaintance Rape Day,". "Fighting Back and Self Defense .Day", "Men Fighting Rape Day," and "Survivors of Assault Day" - k the week came to a dramatic end with a "Survivor Speak Out" at which 13 sexual assault survivors :described their traumas and tri- umphs to a supportive group of 175 people in the Michigan Union. : The week's events included date rape workshops - one for all students and another exclusively for sororities and fraternities, a self- defense workshop, films, and many heated discussions. Though the .Nnpressive attendance at these ivents illustrates a growing concern and awareness in the community about sexual assault, most of.those in attendance were people who ;already understand and care about the issues. However, the very people in the University community who perpetuate violence against women through even the most subtle forms - such as sexist jokes and sex role stereotyping - are the people who did not attend last week's events. Since those people will n o t voluntarily attend such conscious- ness-raising activities, the University should implement a mandatory class on sexism, racism, and classism. In order to wipe out rape, people must be aware of its causes and abolish behavior which perpetuates society's "rape culture," that is, a culture that condones the elements which encourage violence against women, such as sex role stereotypes, sexism in advertising, violent pornography, and beauty pageants. These elements, how- ever, are ingrained so deeply in the society's values that people do not realize their offense and potential harm. For example, at very early ages children are taught that men should be "macho" and domineering while women should be compliant and nurturing. On a societal scale, this teaches men to dominate society and sexual relationships and it teaches women simply to go along with the man's desires, including submission to date rape. Rape prevention begins at a subtle level, likenot laughing at sexist jokes, and not condoning "getting drunk and getting laid" among friends. Men and women need to learn that women have the right to say "No." Many campus groups deserve credit for working toward the implementation of a mandatory class on racism, sexism and classism, including People Organized to Wipe Out Rape (POWOR), United Coalition Against Racism (UCAR), and the Student Women's Initiative Group (SWING). A mandatory University class would enlighten people about these subtle reinforcements of "rape culture." If people do not understand the detrimental social implications of their behavior, they will not make efforts to change it. By Raymond Lin During World War II, the government couldn't make up its mind. On the one hand, the United States stood for freedom, the defeat of fascism and making the world safe for democracy. On the other hand, the government stripped 120,000 Japanese-Americans of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights and threw them into concentration camps because of their race. Apparently, the government couldn't decide whether to fight for democracy or to make a mockery of it. America's confusion over its own principles began in 1941. After Pearl Harbor, president Roosevelt commis- sioned the secret Munson study of Japanese-American communities. The study found Japanese-Americans exceptionally loyal to the United States and no threat to national security. The president was fully aware of these findings. Yet he needed to do something. He needed to find an outlet for America's growing war hysteria, he needed to show the public he was taking bold action to win the war. So he ignored the results of his own study and instead went along with the public, blaming Japanese- Americans for Japan's actions, accusing them of spying and subversion. He knew the "Japanese problem" in the United States was imaginary, but went ahead and signed Executive Order 9066. This authorized the eviction of West Coast Japanese Americans from their homes and their "internment" in con- centration camps. It was clearly a racist measure: German and Italian- Americans faced no such treatment. West Coast businessmen who resented Japanese-American competition ap- plauded, America found a scapegoat, and Raymond Lin is an LS&A senior. the president boosted his image as a strong leader. Meanwhile, loyal Japanese-Americans found out their own country considered them traitors. The "land of opportunity" they had struggled to succeed in turned out to be a land of crowded wooden barracks surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. Stripped of most of their possessions, the internees remained in the camps for the next four years. The incarceration of Japanese- Americans during World War II has been called the single greatest violation of the Constitution ever committed. But forty-five years after the fact, the government still has done little to compensate the internees for the crime committed against them. In 1948, the government passed the Evacuation Claims Act. Supposedly designed to pay back the internees for the possessions they lost during the war, the government actually returned less than ten cents for every dollar lost. Compensation for physical or emotional suffering was not considered. President Ford and other individuals have offered verbal apologies for the camps, but the government as a whole has yet to admit formally that the camps were a mistake and to guarantee such mistakes will not happen again. For years, the Redress and Reparations movement, led by Asian-Americans, has demanded the government make a formal apology and compensate surviving internees. These efforts have finally paid off. Last month, the House of Representatives passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1987, which authorizes the payment of $20,000 to each internee, establishes a $50 million fund for educating Americans about the concentration camps and recommends that the president pardon all those convicted of violating the "relocation program" laws during the war. This bill passed by a large margin in the House and is expected to do the same in the Senate. However, one thing stands in the way of this bill becoming law. That thing is Ronald Reagan. The president has already vowed to veto the bill. He argues that the government has already dealt with the camps, and that the issue does not warrant further legislation. It's strange how the president firmly believes in spending billions of dollars on weapons to defend democracy and then refuses to spend anything to address one of the worst crimes against democracy this country ever committed. In the early 1970s, the justice system awarded $10,000 compensation each to several Vietnam War protesters who spent a few days in jail on false charges. But Reagan doesn't believe the thousands of people who spent four years in concentration camps on false charges deserve anything. Reagan's veto must be defeated. On its 200th birthday, the Constitution has been hailed as a great document of the people and of their right to freedom. If this really means anything, the government has to address the blatant disregard for its own principles that took place during World War II. There is a lot to learn about the Japanese-American concentration camps. This article just scrapes the surface. On Wednesday, November 4thi, the Univer- sity of Michigan Asian Student Coalition (UMASC) will hold a presentation on the Redress and Reparations movement at 6p.m. in the Kuenzel Room in the Union. If you want to learn more about the camps, the Redress movement and how you can fight against Reagan's veto of the Civil Liberties Act bill, please attend. 41 M LETTERS 'Funky Black bitch' isn't To the Daily: In response to the article entitled "Worker: 'U' behind racist incident" (Daily, 10/26) where the article as well as the accompanying photo describe the phrase "Funky Black Bitch" as "racist graffitti." There is absolutely nothing inherently racist about the phrase "Funky Black Bitch," and furthermore, the Daily's portrayal of this occurrence as a racist incident only typifies the "when in doubt, cry racism" attitude prevalent on campus, but it is Cooperate on campus LAST THURSDAY'S rally to sup- port University maintenance worker Mary Clark was a heartening show of student/union cooperation which should continue as a powerful tool to effect.common goals. Students are often too insulated in the ivory tower to notice the im- perfections in their environment. Higher education may drive a wedge between classes of people by occluding students' views of their laboring counterparts. Students easily become preoccupied with their academic pursuits and thoughtlessly litter study areas and classrooms, leaving a monumental mess for maintenance workers. In a state such as Michigan, with its deep industrial and union tradi- tions, students should pay particular heed to the efforts of University workers. In light of the fact that union workers pay much of the taxes which support this state uni- versity, students should be even more sympathetic to unions. Common goals also unite stu- dents and workers at the Univer- sity, as illustrated by the 200 some- odd students and union members" who attended Thursday's rally. These groups gathered specifically to protest University intransigence on investigating the atrocious attack where Mary Clark faced racist graffiti and a vandalized toilet, but workers enthusiastically reacted to Mary Clark's undying willingness to uncover the perpetrators of this offense and to continue her fight against racism at all costs. Students have for years struggled to reverse the racism imbedded in the institutions around them but have not always been aware of all, the discrimination leveled against workers whose late hours make them virtually invisible to the stu- dents. Now that Mary Clark has stepped forward to fight the injus- tices in her workplace, students must support her and continue a di- alogue with the unions so as to learn of more instances of institu- tionalized racism. Union members and students not only desire a university free of racism, but also one with better fa- cilities. By supporting union efforts in collective bargaining, students can help ensure that workers will have more incentive to maintain li- braries and classrooms in prime condition. At minimum wages, workers are less inclined to remove the bottles and newspapers which students carelessly leave-behind. The coalition of workers and students to fight racism and the general lack of respect displayed by the University for its community's wishes should be encouraged and strengthened. Two such large and 'Speakout' iS also racist itself. Funky and Black are merely two sequential adjectives describing the subsequent noun, Bitch. If, in fact, the Building Service management was behind the incident, it was admittedly due to the so-called victim's role as an American Federation of State, City, and Municipal Employees (A F S C M E) representative, according to the woman herself. Calling someone funky is not racist, calling someone a bitch is not racist, likewise successful stop blaming the victims of all types of sexual abuse and assault. Too often survivors are discouraged from talking about what happened to them. The silence that they must then keep is devastating. Events like last week's "Speakout" break that silence and allow survivors to begin to heal. I know that I have a long way to go in my own healing process, but I also know that, with the support of others, I will continue to be a survivor. And next year, I will go in front of the room and I will speak out about my pain, my anger, and my survival. -Name withheld November 2 To the Daily: Last Thursday night, I attended the "Speakout" sponsored by the University's Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Center. For almost three hours, I listened as a dozen women and one man broke the silence and spoke about sexual abuse and assault that they had all experienced and survived. For almost three hours, I sat on the floor in the back of the Michigan Ballroom and cried. I cried for the hurt and yet incredibly courageous people that were getting up before a roomful of listeners to tell their stories, express their rage, and share their sadness. I cried for myself as well. I am a survivorof childhood incest and abuse. I had my first flashback less than a year ago. I am 25 years old and I am only beginning to deal with the huge amount of pain and anger that my abused little girl has held silently for years. Although I never quite found the strength Thursday night to get up and tell my story, I would like both thespeople who did speak ont and the organizers of the event to know how grateful I am. I know calling someone Black is not racist either. Because the adjec- tive Black may have deliberate- ly and effectively made a distinction between the intend- ed recipient of the vandalism and any other person w h o might have stumbled upon that bathroom in that condition only shows that while this act is certainly unacceptable and appalling, the perpetrator(s) were efficient at singling out the receiver of their communi- cation. Just as the word "white" has neither a positive nor negative connotation but is actually an Thanks for To the Daily: Thanks for the article "Former singer speaks of new life as Muslim" about Cat Stevens (Daily, 10/26/87), a former British pop singer who became Muslim. The number 300, however, just wasn't right since Rackham's main audito- rium, which could sit 1200 people, was almost if n o t completely filled with people. Anyhow, Cat must have shown a lot of courage to ap- pear in front of us, instead of to sing, to enterain us with his new way of life and in addition, to resolve knowledgeably is- 0 racist indifferent adjective, so is the case with the word "Black." To imply that this graffitti had a racist nature would suggest that the Daily attaches a derogatory connotative meaning to the word "Black" - a most certainly racist attitude. People at this university must not automatically assume racism just because a Black individual is involved in a given situation of harrassment, but rather consider other factors which may be more pertinent to the incident. -Lawrence Hamann October 26 Cat Stevens sues regarding the contempo- rary Islamic world as well as fundamental teachings of Islam which could hardly be untan- gled intelligently by those who were born as Muslims. Besides having gone through a difficult path to find, he is now having, in turn, a rather challenging task of deciphering to us the "ideal" Muslim nation or soci- ety, which he said is depicted in the Koran. Above all, his findings clearly has transformed himto not just another human being. -Wan Mansor October 26 a 4 Zinn III uAmm[t ._ d~~ A