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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 1994)
*> __ Ohnion Monday, October 24,1994 Page 4 Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska-Lincoln Jeff Zeleny. ...Editor, 472-1766 Kara Morrison.Opinion Page Editor Angie Brunkow.Managing Editor Jeffrey Robb. Associate News Editor Rainbow Rowell.Columnist/Associate News Editor Kiley Christian...Photography Director Mike Lewis..Copy Desk Chief James Mehsling.Cartoonist Developing diversity UNL must unite to become diverse At the Seventh Annual Cultural Diversity Retreat this weekend, the issue of diversity on campus was best expressed by one participant who said, “It’s three words: lack of communication.” The University of Nebraska-Lincoln community is suffering from the same communication barriers that society is retaining nationwide. And nobody is asking why. There has never been and never will be a justifiable reason this campus cannot exist as a diverse yet unified community. African Americans, Mcxican-Amcricans, Native Americans, international students, members of the grcck system, student senators, the Daily Nebraskan staff and every student group on campuses throughout the world must take the first step. We hear about diversity every day. Yet, as a campus, we arc only paying lip service to a much greater subject that we have, thus far, failed to comprehend. We have begun to identify those minority groups who have been historically oppressed But there arc others Among them, an invisible minority of students with disabilities who many fail to even recognize or include in the diversity discussion. That first step toward understanding cannot be achieved by lofty policy goals, quota systems or bean counting It must begin small, by reaching out and getting to know one another. Co-sponsoring events or just getting together to talk would accomplish more understanding, faster. We only strengthen barriers to understanding when wc act out of fear of offending, rather than want of understanding Success will only come with interaction and open dialogue. Open dialogue often includes criticism; but it should not deter our curiosity and communication. Some progress already has been made with one program in which the university police department is learning to better com municate with minority groups. African-American, Mcxican-Amcrican, Nativc-Amcrican, international and gay and lesbian students arc beginning a program with campus police. They hope to examine cultural issues from both a minority student and a police perspective. University Police Chief Ken Caublc said he hoped the program would serve as an example for the entire Lincoln community and beyond. Even greater success on campus will come when we become pro-active instead of reactive on issues of cultural understanding. People must change in order for society to change. We must recognize the stereotypes each of us have accepted thus far and work to correct them Admittedly, media coverage of cultural and societal challenges has accomplished little. We at the Daily Nebraskan recognize our own coverage of diversity issues can improve. Each member the university community also has a responsibil ity to do more. SlafT editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1994 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the university, its employees, the students or the NIJ Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent the opinion of the author. The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan. They establish the UNL Publications Board to supervise the daily production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its students. The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others, letters will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, timeliness and space available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all material submitted. Readers also are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. The editor decides whether material should run as a guest opinion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be published Ixtlers should included the author’s name, year in school, major and group affiliation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted Submit material to the Daily Nebraskan. 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448 ms \>\\> sou I JJ'OS TAxtsI “»7DPAV I TOR General R&Nt 1 Renteria I grew up in southwest Nebraska aware of the racism confronting Hispanics. All Mexicans were perceived as “illegal” and danger ous. and I was taught to fear them. “Mexican” was a bad word, and anyone looking remotely “foreign” was detained frequently by police without due cause. Even knowing this culture of racism that exists in the state of Nebraska, I find it impossible to believe what has happened on the campus of the i University of Nebraska — perhaps because it is difficult to comprehend the level of ignorance, hate, incompetence and lack of compas sion involved in beating any human being to death, much less the fact that supposedly “professional” law enforcement officers were respon sible for Francisco Renteria's death. I grieve with the victim’s family for the brutal and senseless loss, and I grieve for the Lincoln community for its complicity in the crime. What happened is not a unique incident, but it may be the impetus for immediate action on the part of the university and the city of Lincoln toward creating a less violent and more enlightened community of respect. Alice Hermann Mexico ‘Justice’ It is with extreme offense that 1 am writing in response to Jamie Karl'scolumn (DN.Oct. 21. 1994). I have seen some shabby, idiotic commentaries in the DN before, but this ranks at the top of the list of ignorant writing. To somehow compare the situation involving Will Brown in 1919 and the present-day case involving John Joubert escapes my comprehension. Mr. Karl states that “... when the government itself fails to use its force to defend terrorized citizens, those individuals are left no choice but to reclaim their natural right to defend themselves and their loved ones. If they are continually denied justice, they will take the law into their own hands ...” Is Mr. Karl implying that this was the case in 1919? What Mr. Karl so eloquently refers to as “frontier justice” I call a lynch mob and a race riot. Mr. Karl failed to mention some very pertinent facts surrounding the riot in 1919. First of all, Will Brown was a black man accused (not convicted) of raping a white woman. Before Will Brown ever had the chance of due process, a racist lynch mob stormed the Douglas County Courthouse with guns blazing, shouting slogans such Amy Schmidt/DN as “Kill the nigger!” Will Brown was dragged from his jail cell, hanged and posthumously set on fire. His body was dragged through the streets of downtown Omaha to the cheers of hundreds of onlook ers. This is in sharp contrast with the ease involving John Joubert. a confessed and convicted child molester and murderer. I am a supporter of the death penalty in Nebraska, and I feel that if Harold Lamont Otcy was ex ecuted because of his heinous crime, then so should John Joubert for his perhaps even more heinous crime. 1 do not blame any Nebras kan for being outraged at the overturning of Joubert s death sentence or being angry about the obviously racist death penalty system in our state (and the nation for that matter). But to say that the way Omahans behaved in 1919 was in any way “understandable" or that they were acting according to their “natural right to defend themselves" because of government's failure to “use its force to defend terrorized citizens" is not only a gross misreprcsent| tion of the facts but also an example of the sort of racist mentality which led to the tragedy in 1919 in the first place Don't you. Mr. Karl, or anyone else, dare say that what happened in 1919 was just citizens, fed up with a judicial system, who took “justice into their own hands ' Justice was without a doubt the last thing on anyone's mind at the time, just as it was the last thing on the minds of people who stood cheering outside death row for Oley's execution. The only thought on the minds of people at the time was the bloodthirsty lust to see someone die. especially a black man — the word “justice” just proved a convenient excuse for their murder ous intent. Thanks to Mr. Karl's “frontier justice,” no one will ever know if Will Brown really did rape that woman, but then again, who really cares anyway, right, Mr. Karl? Matthew Montequin senior German, business Differences In response to the recent hatred articles printed throughout the DN: We all live in a small world and must accept the fact that all human beings are different! But instead of hating the differences, we need to accept them as part of life. 1 am a very indepen dent person, and I will not convert ■ to homosexuality, change my skin color or change my moral values, but 1 will listen to people with different views and opinions!! So, Mr. Tucker. Mr. Karl, keep produc ing those great scientific stories, and stay awav from Mary Jane!! Chad McGuire sophomore undecided t