E OPINION 'The Michigan Dailyv Wednesday, March 29, 1989 Page 4 4 Pbr £kbljau Bailj Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan 420 Maynar d St Affirm multiracial heritage Vol. IC, No. 122 Ann Arbor MI 4$109 Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All oti ar cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. By Karen Downing This campus is in the midst of change. We have been devoting the last year trying to make our campus a more diverse and comfortable place for people of all races. We have hosted programs celebrating Black heritage, Asian awareness, Women of Color, etc. All of these wonderful pro- grams have helped raise awareness of the wealth of culture and knowledge that comes with being a diverse community. These programs help people of color to share their culture and be proud of their heritage. There is one group of people that, thus far, has not become vocal on this diverse campus. Ironically, this group is perhaps the most truly diverse group of people found in our society; our numbers are growing, yet we remain silent because even today we are considered shameful by many, and best left unrecognized. We are the products of people who have ventured across the racial lines: we are people of multiracial heritage. We come in all shapes and shades. You may not recognize us, because our skin color usu- ally "tags" us by others who are trained to think "Black OR white OR Asian OR Hispanic OR Native American OR..." We belong to two or more racial groups, yet do not quite identify with any one group. We are not celebrated by a special day or week, instead we are often greeted with averted eyes or humiliating questions such as "what are you?" Karen Downing is a Master's student in the School of Information and Library Studies. There is not even a way to describe our- selves which is not offensive or true. The numerous forms we are asked to fill out at this University ask us to choose between being a) Black, b) white, c) Asian, d) His- panic, e) Native American, or the dreaded f) Other. What is "Other"? "Other" means nothing to someone who is half Black and half white. "Other" means you are again silenced; you don't count of you don't fit in categories a through e. When we are re- ferred to at all, we are called "mulatto" choose? Make no mistake with the "double" problems that conic with being biracial or multiracial come many advantages. Be- cause we are scarred, we are compassion- ate. We can usually relate to all races and ethnic groups with this compassion. We are used to being multi-cultural; it is natural to us. Soon there will be many more of us. The increase in interracial marriages proves that we will be growing in num- 'We belong to two or more racial groups, yet do not quite identify with any one group. We are not celebrated by a special day or week, instead we are often greeted with averted eyes or humiliating questions such as "what are you?"' (derived from the Latin word for "mule" - very complimentary) or "mixed" (as if we are mixed-up or shaken - also very com- plimentary). And then there is the racism we catch from both sides of the fence. I have sat through more humiliating situations with white acquaintances (who were not aware of my Black heritage) making heartless comments about "those Blacks" only to have to tell them how hurtful they have been. The comments are painful enough when strangers make them, but when people I look up to or admire say these things, it eats me up. Similarly, I have had Black acquaintances insist that I am not "really" Black. So which group should I identify with most? Why do I have to bers. We are the future, and the future will be more diverse than ever. Anyone who is interested in discussing issues that are relevant to being multira- cial or involved in an interracial partner- ship is welcome to attend a workshop on Friday, March 31 at 12 noon-1:30pm in the Wolverine Room at the Michigan Union. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome to attend. We will discuss issues such as "passing," positive self image, how others view you, instilling a positive identity in our multiracial children, etc. We will kick off a monthly discussion group at the workshop. Refreshments will be served. Please join us! For more infor- mation, please contact Karen Downing (764-4449). _SusanMieleas A mother mourns the death of her son, killed by contras in northern Nicaragua. Stop U.S. aid to terrorists Duderstadt lends University name to Jewish National Fund: inner funds discrimination WHILE CENTRAL American leaders M have recently made significant progress ntowards peace in the region, the United States government has been busy working on an aid package that under- mines this peace process. The Bush Administration reached a tentative ac- cord with Congress last week for a $45 million aid package to the contras. The agreement provides money for food, clothing, medical supplies, and other so-called "humanitarian" or "non- lethal" aid to maintain in operation an army responsible for the kidnapping, torture and deaths of over 25,000 Nicaraguan citizens. Beyond the fact that "humanitarian aid" to a military force is a contradic- tion in terms, this move illustrates the Bush administration's inability to move beyond the miserable Central American foreign policy established by Ronald Reagan, to define a coherent and con- structive regional policy. The Reagan administration succeeded in setting the terms of the debate in Central Amenca - the goal being to topple the Sandin- istas - the only question has been what tactics would best accomplish this goal. Bush, unable to forge a more posi- tive foreign policy, has continued support for a contra force discredited for both its brutality and military incompetence. The only new aspect of Bush's approach is the propaganda about a "bipartisan consensus," as Democrats now eagerly jump on the contra aid bandwagon without so much as a murmur of dissent. In spearheading this "compromise" package which lends undeserved legitimacy to a terrorist force, the Democrats reveal themselves to be no better than their Republican counterparts. As Democrats now move to close ranks with the Republicans, they expose the reality beneath this "bipartisan consensus" - the one- party system that reigns in this country. The proposed aid package, which would maintain the contras in their Honduran camps until February 1990, violates the spirit of the accord recently reached by the Central American leaders in Tesoro Beach, El Salvador, which included a plan to dismantle the Nicaraguan contra force. And U.S. pressure on Honduras to obtain its compliance in allowing the contras to remain within its borders are a blatant denial of that nation's sovereignty. The Bush administration claims that it is necessary to support the contras to keep pressure on the Sandinistas to ensure that free and democratic elections are held. Of course, what Bush and Congress really want is to maintain the contras in fighting condition so that they will be prepared when the outcome of the 1990 Nicaraguan election is not to their liking. After all, the United States has refused to recognize the legitimacy of the Sandinistas, elected in 1984 elections deemed by all international observers (except the U.S. State Department) to be among the fairest elections ever held in this hemisphere. If the Bush administration and Congress are interested in peace and democracy in Central America they should take the following steps: stop all aid to the contras (except for peace- ful repatriation); comply with the World Court ruling that the United States pay war reparations and end the illegal trade embargo against Nicaragua; support the process of peaceful negotiations among the Cen- tral American leaders; and normalize diplomatic relations with the elected government of Nicaragua. By Eric Jackson On Sunday, April 9, there will be a $150 per plate fundraiser for the Jewish National Fund at Ann Arbor's Campus Inn. The honored guest is to be Carl Pursell. Among the luminous sponsors are pizza baron Tom Monaghan, our county's premier polluter Charles Gelman, Ann Arbor Mayor Jernigan, Eastern Michigan University's acting president Roy Wilbanks, Judge Kenneth Bronson, and not the least, the University of Michigan's own President James Duderstadt. The invitation lists Wilbanks Israel, its main work was the purchase of land for Jewish settlers in Palestine. By Israeli law, all land confiscated from Palestinians who fled the 1948 fighting was placed in the hands of the Jewish National Fund. It came to pass that over 90 percent of Israeli land was in the fund's hands. In 1959, a change in Israeli law transferred most of the fund's land to other Israeli institutions. However, according to its president, the fund presently administers over 17 percent of Israeli land. Some of the fund's land is used for parks. However, the better part of it is Fund. They also build military outposts. For example, in recent years they have confiscated land from Druise peasants on the Golan Heights to build army bases. The invitation to the April 9 event boasts of the fund's work building mitzpim, or hilltop outposts, as well as roads to service and connect them. A dollar for the Jewish National Fund is a dollar for war and oppression. For public relations purposes, the stock in trade of the Jewish National Fund is its "plant a tree in Israel" appeal. Yes, they do plant trees. Generally these trees are planted where once there stood Arab villages. This serves in the psychological war against the displaced Palestinians, whose ancestral hometowns have been erased from the face of the earth, and thus who are shown that there is nothing for them to return to. This also serves to destroy evidence which would tend to negate the claim that the Israelis have built upon "a land with no people for a people with no land." It also puts a benevolent green mask on the horror of dispossession. 'By its size and "Jews only" rental policy, the Jewish National Fund is one of our planet's principal discriminatory land- lords.' and Duderstadt in their university roles. I think that it is inappropriate for a university president to lend the name of his or her institution, or for that matter, his or her personal name, to the efforts of the Jewish National Fund. While I am sure that this position will get me accused of anti-Semitism, it has nothing to do with being against Jews. The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 at the Fifth Zionist Congress. Prior to the establishment of the state of Eric Jackson is a resident of Ypsilanti and an EMU alumnus. rented to Jews only on 49-year leases. By its size and "Jews only" rental policy, the Jewish National Fund is one of our planet's principal discriminatory landlords. Were there a "White National Fund" that owned 17 percent of the land in the United States and refused to rent to non-whites, the Honorable Judge Bronson would be hard pressed to uphold such practices if they came before his court. Dr. Duderstadt and Dr. Wilbanks would be ridden off of their campuses on rails for lending their names to such an enterprise. Of course, discriminatory landlording is not the only work of the Jewish National When the Jewish National Fund conducts a fundraiser, the opportunity should be taken to protest its activities. When public officials lend their names to such activities, they should be criticized. When the names of our universities are used for such activities, everybody who believes in human rights should cry foul. 4 Letters to the editor OF AE Ts"Y 6664Z OF PE5PO)NDENT5 MOM EDTE IDEA.. POURD ME QUEST04 ERTl5ING M5 ON Asm..~ Ab s UCAR's conference discriminated To the Daily: In Corey Dolgon's column, "Vote far-right out of MSA," (Daily, 3/21/89), a defense is made of The United Coalition Against Racism's (UCAR) de- cision to close some of its conferences to whites. UCAR should not have closed the conferences to 'majorities.' Dolgon said, in UCAR's defense, "Do sorori- ties discriminate because they don't permit male members? Does the Engineering Honors live together (generally) and have parties together, etc. An honor society selects people who excel in a specific field. But UCAR is an 'anti-racist' activist group, and as such, they should not have discrimi- nated on the basis of race. Some people have said that "only some conferences were closed," or "other groups dis- criminate unofficially." Both of these are cop-outs. Even if only one conference was closed, it's still wrong. And even if it made no practi- cal difference that they were closed, 'anti-racist' groups are extremely fond of symbolic gestures. What did this one signify? Also, even if other groups Zionist paradox To the Daily: On March 20, an interesting letter appeared on your editorial page ("Let both sides be heard," 3/20), signed by Nabil Khoury and Hana Salah. The letter dis- cussed the authors' feelings on the latest debate on campus - Zionism vs. Anti-Jewishism. The authors' arguments expose many questions which need to be answered. The authors defined Zionism as "the expression of Jewish national consciousness." I will go one step further and add that It is valid to argue that Zionism's implementation has flaws. This, however, does not mean that Zionism is "inherently racist and discrimi- natory." This only means that the Israeli government is not perfect in its policy making. There is a clear distinction be- tween Zionism, the dream for the Jewish conscious- ness/homeland, and Israeli pol- icy. The Middle-East debate on campus should remain within the issues - it should not rely on cheap shots based on ethnicity and heritage. Only then can true intellectual debate flourish and survive. 1 L i wq- -0 Al -Alan J. Woronoff March 23 a r 262 OP05ED IT. It A) 8% $SWD THAT RP6A~i1E5S Or M 1 GAN 5OJLD COR i NUE I 4 I El I