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Dear Editor,
My name is Ymani Belcher and I am currently a sophomore here at Bentley. I am writing in response to Evan Honeyman’s opinion piece that was in the October 29, 2009 issue of The Vanguard. I am not here to persuade the student body that I am a good person by stating all the “great things” that I have done throughout my lifetime. I am here because there is a serious issue brewing on our campus which needs to be addressed.
Whether or not students agreed with Tim Wise’s approach to diversity and race is not the issue. The point was not to judge his professionalism, but to understand the message that he was trying to get across. In order for our campus to be diverse, we need to address the issues that are so well hidden in American society. Institutionalized racism is real, and it is very visible on this campus, as well as in the real world. How are we going to fix it?
In Evan’s opinion piece he stated that “Critics of my classmates’ response to Mr. Wise refuse to listen to our viewpoint.” That statement is as far from the truth as his comment to Mr. Wise during their exchange via e-mail, calling him a “racist,” that was so conveniently deleted off of the facebook page that he created. He was personally invited to this forum because we wanted to talk about the issues. He agreed via Facebook, but did not show up. Only one of the supporters showed up, so if there is anyone writing an opinion piece, it should be that student.
Evan Honeyman was not there, therefore he has no substantial evidence to prove that he was “singled out and personally attacked.” Spare me the sap stories, about the characters of those who oppose Wise, being “demonized”. The forum was not about you, me, or any of the said critics. The forum was about race, and I am tired of hiding this issue behind a veil of ignorance.
I can understand that the difficulty in facing the fact that white privilege as well institutionalized racism is real. But I cannot understand why someone would shoot down the opportunity to learn, TWICE.
Evan also states that is “cowardly and unethical to attack an individual from behind officially-sanctioned pages of a newspaper and forum, presenting baseless charges and only half of the story.” My response to that is: do not respond to my article through The Vanguard, do not try to find me on Facebook to send me a personal message, and do not make another appearance on WBTY Radio “addressing the issue.”
Instead, come to the next forum. I am glad to hear your opinions, not on politics, and not on Wise as an individual, but on race. I refuse to be sidetracked by these topics any longer; the track that needs to be rode on is race. The attendance of the opposition is vital in this conversation. If the forum is had, once again, and there is no one there to explain your points of view, then no complaints can be made.
Ymani Belcher
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