10 The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 18, 1994 Despite boycott, 'U' speakers discuss diversity Activist advocates social justice By JILL SRIGLEY FOR THE DAILY What might Martin Luther King Jr. be doing if he were alive today? In her address yesterday, Mary Frances Berry asked attendees to think about which issues King would have put at the top of his agenda. Berry, a nationally known activ- ist, scholar, and author, was recently named head of the U.S. Commis- sion on Civil Rights by President Clinton. Berry suggested that people could live in King's tradition by doing small yet courageous things in support of social justice. About 250 people gathered in the Michigan Union Ballroom' yes- terday morning to hear Berry speak about King's commitment to the social ideals of civil rights and worldwide peace. Berry's speech was interrupted with applause when she demanded that politicians stop blaming female- headed households for America s social problems. Berry said she believes Black social problems have specific causes like un- employment and drug use. "If you think that prob- lems in African American fami- lies are caused by lack of values, Bevy you don't have to spend any money" to solve those problems, she said. Berry, who earned a Ph.D. in his- tory and a law degree from the Univer- sity, said she was happy to find the Black Student Union protesting the symposium "in Michigan tradition." Ofher federal appointment, she said, "My job is to help Clinton do the right thing" about civil rights issues. She is particularly concerned with equality in education, and asked, "Why can't all school be good schools, instead of just some?" The address was sponsored by the Schoolof Information and Library Stud- ies and the University Library. Plan- ning for the event began last fall. Charles Ransom, the committee's chair and a Graduate Librarian, said Berry was chosen to give the address because of her national reputation and affiliation with the University. He was impressedwithBerry'sspeech and with Berry personally, saying that she "knew a lot about everything." ART EXHIBIT Head of Black studies dept. says society must change MARY I TIUU O/Daily Tish Lehman participates in an interactive art exhibit in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. at Rackham Gallery. The cloth pockets on the wall, filled with comments written by participants, will eventually be sewn together. Bringing issues from TV to real life, Cosby consultant discusses need to end violence By ZACHARY RAIMI FOR THE DAILY The melodious voices of Highest Praise, an a cappella ensemble, cap- tured the essence of Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday in the Business School's Hale Auditorium with songs of hope and promise. The ensemble set the tone for a speech by Dr. Alvin Poussaint, an associate professor of psychiatry and associate dean for stu- dentaffairs at Harvard Medical School. Delivered before a multi-racial au- dience of almost 400 people that spanned the generations, Poussaint's speech discussed the importance of remembering history, stressed the ne- cessity of humility in diversity, and offered suggestions about how to live and work in a diverse world. As a script consultant for "The Cosby Show," Poussaint used some of the same issues that he talked about yesterday to achieve a realistic glimpse into Black America. He also used in- sight from books he has written, such as "Why Blacks Kill Blacks." Business School Student Govern- ment President Sunder Aaron said Poussaint can "give us a unique opin- ion on diversity issues in corporate America. At the Business School we stress diversity. It is a message impor- tant to us. An expert like Dr. Poussaint adds to the value of the education we receive here." As students and faculty gathered to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and his accomplishments, Poussaint began his speech with this very theme. "Martin Luther King was about bringing people together. The Civil Rights movement and Martin Luther King helped lay the groundwork '(for the) Black 'consciousness movement." And this helped other oppressed groups, such as women, gay men and les- bians, in their Poussaint struggles for equal rights, he said. Poussaint said understanding is necessary as minorities gain power and prestige in society. "Let us ... under- stand that to have strength and diver- sity, it takes effort and humility. That's what Martin Luther King had. He was ready to listen to every person. ... We need to learn how to listen, and listen with humility." As the workplace becomes more multicultural, diversity education must start with parents, Poussaint explained. "The issue of diversity starts very, very early and we have to start it there." He discussed the lack of inclusive- ness in our society, citing fairy tales as an example. He said all the princes and princesses in fairy tales are white, and unless parents make special notice that all different kinds of people can fit that role, our society will not change. "This doesn't mean some people are plot- ting," he said, "just that some aren't willing to change." Poussaint said the first step in change is self-examination. He challenged people "not to assume all is right in the world. Knowing how to work with people is a more important issue." Questions after the speech focused on the process of learning how to accept and be accepted in a diverse, and sometimes prejudiced world. Audience members cited a variety of reasons for their interest in the speech. Ann Arbor resident Judy Castora, who teaches elementary school in Detroit, said she attended the speech "for per- sonal and professional concerns so I can share (Dr. Poussaint's) perspective (with my students) and myself." First year MBA student Anthony Rome said Poussaint's comments "were very relevant given today's whole celebration. There are a lot of issues still unresolved since Martin Luther King's heyday, particularly the power of diversity." Rome, who received his under- graduate degree from the University in 1990,said he thinks a lot has been done at the University to "create a multicultural atmosphere." By RACHEL SCHARFMAN DAILY STAFF REPORTER In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of an egalitarian, truly pluralistic society, the office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Multicultural Affairs yesterday sponsored a memorial lecture at Hill Auditorium delivered by keynote speaker Charles Long. Long's third visit to Ann Arbor was to discuss the term multiculturalism, its implementa- tion and ramifications and its im- portance to the realization of King's dream. Approximately 150 students, fac- ulty and area residents came out to see Long - whose impressive cre- dentials include a Ph.D. in history of religions, a post as director of the Center for Black Studies and pro- fessor of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Bar- bara, a long list of honors including Fullbright and Guggenheim fellow- ships and numerous visiting profes- sorships around the world. Prof. Ralph Williams, co-chair of the MLK Planning Committee, introduced the speaker, citing Long's background in religious studies as appropriate for the key- note address. "The struggle for justice as Dr. Martin Luther King waged it found its deepest intellectual and emo- tional roots, its spiritual resources and its vocabulary in the Black churches," Williams said. He presented a critical discus- sion of the racial situation and the types of languages being used in America now, in efforts to return to the issues raised by King, Malcolm X and other Black activists. Citing the "lack of an authentic cultural, historical memory" of mi- norities in the United States as par- tially culpable for the problems faced by this generation, Long sug- gested that "given the cultural, his- torical background (of the U.S.), one wonders what notions of com- munity and nationhood can ever be achieved under the aegis of even a democratic power." "Americans," he continued, "have always professed the ideol- ogy of community, but such an ide- ology was never based upon any form of impetus; the impetus of the land, mores, ethos, etc." Long explored this and other theories while he was teaching at the University of Capetown, South Africa. It was there, Long said, that he became suspicious of using the word "multiculturalism" to describe a new way of being in the United States. "America has been from the be- ginning, at least since Europeans came here, a multicultural culture; therefore I'm suspicious when the Long notion of 'multicultural' is presenteA without reference to what has been the case all the time." Part of the multiculturalism to which Long refers is best described in Benjamin Ringer's work, titled "We the People and the Other," from which he read excerpts. "Throughout colonial conquest, subjugation and forcible importa- tion of non-whites, the Europea has characteristically imposed upoiW the non-whites a racially segregated plural societal structure which is dominated through the raw exercise of power." In order to rectify what has been an imbalanced, racially-based hier- archy, Long instructed that the new multiculturalism "must come to terms with the primordiality of the original multiculturalism of th country." Long proposed that society must be aware of the formative influ- ences of American multiculturalism, which were predominantly white, anglo-saxon. Accordingly, Long said, we must also be determined that "the mean- ing and practice of multiculturalism should become more than rhetoric and more than a slogan. "It must affect the very notion of the issues as history of this republic. It must free the tragedy and truth of this history," Long continued. "The issue calls for the possibility of a whole new range of human expressions." Koralie Hill, an Engineering sophomore, said she felt somewhat enlightened by Long's presentatio "I think that he brought up a lot o good points that I hadn't thought of, for instance talking about the idea that America was multicultural, has always been multicultural," Hill said. "I think it's most important just to point out (that) fact and make white people realize that it is indeed multicultural, and that we just have to recognize the multitude of different peoples here." B-School says diversity is a benefit to business CEO of Jammin 1i, a company that produces a weekly TV show urges business to 'bring everyone into mix' By KONSTANTINOS KATSIRIS FOR THE DAILY As part of its seventh annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day convocation, the Business and Finance Diversity Com- mittee ofthe Business School presented the lecture "Diversity asa Global Com- petitive Tool" yesterday at Hill Audi- torium. An audience of approximately 350 people, predominately consisting of school administrators and diversity committee members, listened to the keynote speech from Jeffrey Miller, president and CEO of Jammin II, Inc., and host of the weekly television show, "Transition ." The program began with a short performance of the song "Family" by the Business and Finance choir, and was followed by a welcoming address by Farris Womack, executive vicepresi- dent and chief financial officer of the University. "It seems timely and appropriate to take stock of our problems.... Each individual must make a difference," Womack said. His speech was followed by a sa- lute to Martin Luther King Jr. by con- vocation organizer and Diversity Com- mittee chair Susan Sherry. Sherry called King "a hero," "an uncompromising champion of non- violence," and Martin Luther King Jr. Day "a time for rejoicing and reflect- ing." However, she warned with the end of the cold war, "We have entered a potentially more dangerous era of ethnic and racial conflict." Sherry's introduction of Jeffrey Miller sparked an impressive flurry of applause and Miller surprised the au- dience by beginning his speech with clips from the movie, "Network." The first clips featured a scream- ing man urging television audiences to go outside and yell, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" The next few scenes showed the same man being told by an ill-humored bureaucrat, "There is only one system: the international system of currency." Miller, closely followed by his cam- era crew, then took center stage. "(Di- versity) gets beyond Black, white, His- panic, lesbian, gay, bisexual ... be- cause as we move into the 21st century, we better find a better way to do busi- ness if we want to compete." Miller stressed the importance of societal unity, and noted that, if the United States is to remain competi- tive, "We better bring everyone into the mix." Otherwise, he warned, America would decline much like En- gland or the Roman Empire. African American lesbians share years of wisdom Aide to U.S. Rep. Ford urges student service 'U' alum praises his mother's dedication to learning in speech about Black family By SOMA GUPTA DAILY STAFF REPORTER On behalf of Congressman Will- iam Ford(D-Ypsilanti), Omar Wattles, an aide to Ford, gave the keynote ad- dress on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to an auditorium full of representatives from the College of Engineering yes- terday afternoon. Ford was unable to make an ap- pearance due to weather and travel difficulties. Wattles spoke of the legacy of King resentative numbers of women and minorities. There are inadequate num- bers of minority and women role mod- els among the faculties of these disci- plines. So we have more work to do." Wattles added. Much of the speech focused on the implementation of the National and Community Service Act of 1993. Ford was a key player in the act's passage. "The program we wrote will put thousands of idealistic young Ameri- cans on the street working in estab- 1 .chk01 cnrnnarcrf~nnn....mn.nnr r By SAM DUDEK FOR THE DAILY Describing how education is the main deterrent against racism, Uni- versity alum James Comer shared his childhood experiences and described how his mother's dedication to learn- ing influenced his career and life. Comer, a professor of child psy- chology and associate dean at Yale University, spoke to an audience of 200 about his book, "Maggie's Ameri- can Dream: Life and Times of the Black Family." The soft-spoken Comer told the Power Center audience he was happy book - and his life as a child, Comer argued that knowledge is the greatest solution to today's racial and eco- nomic problems. "School was the place we could make a difference," Coiner said, em- phasizing how society determines the success or failure of minority youth. Because of the endless support and opportunities he received during his childhood, Comer said he derived his determination to improve the lives of others. Comer predicted a downhill course for any nation that fails to strive for racial equality with regards to educa- By JUDITH KAFKA DAILY STAFF REPORTER "I understand fear and pain, but we try to live past it." With these words, Vera Martin summed up her 70 years as an African American lesbian struggling with is- sues of gender, race, sexual orienta- tion, and now, old age. Martin and Ruth Ellis, an African American lesbiantfrom Detriot who will be 95 this summer, shared stories from their lives and offered perspec- tives on current issues yesterday at a discussion sponsored by the Lesbian Gay Male Programs Office (LGMPO) in conjunction with the women's stud- ies and American culture departments. The University offices devised the program to offer an expanded per- spective in the University's obser- vance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Both women discussed the diffi- culty of being homosexual at a time when there were no formal organiza- tions and little recognition of lesbi- ans. "I didn't even know those words existed," said Ellis, remembering her childhood. However, when homosexuality did Martin lives despite the constraints. After talking about their histories, Martin and Ellis entertained ques4 tions on issues concerning African Americans, women and homosexuals in today's society. They stressed the importance of community support, and urged the audience members to become involyed and help one an- other.