Days Responses Demonstrate Nixon's Point

Oct 02 2007 |

TO THE EDITOR:

Does anyone else see the irony in the reaction to D. Pierce Nixon’s column on race and the Jena Six (“Responses to DAYS ON THE HILLTOP,” THE HOYA, Sept. 28, 2007, A2)?

His critics have proven his point. He was afraid of talking about race because he feared he would be branded a racist, and that is exactly what has happened. (It has also led to vandalizing of copies of the newspaper. Hopefully, the rock that shattered the window of the editor in chief’s campus apartment last week was an unfortunate coincidence.)

When everyone else is doing it, it’s not hard to join the bandwagon by calling for Pierce’s censorship.

We may not agree with every one of Pierce’s views on race and ethnicity, but he certainly is entitled to them.

By resorting to name-calling, his critics have missed an opportunity to instead challenge those views with actual arguments. And it obscures the actual racism and intolerance that does hide on our campus.

It’s no wonder that students of color feel that they have little voice in mainstream organizations like THE HOYA. Year after year, there are few, if any, students of color in the newspaper’s leadership positions.

It’s a problem that these groups, especially THE HOYA, don’t represent the entire community.

It’s a problem because a less diverse staff leads to less diverse news coverage.

It’s a problem that we, as editors of this paper, did not do enough to address.

And it’s about time that there was an honest conversation about why this is and why it matters, a forum that includes the community of color and the leadership of mainstream groups. One without defensiveness and shrill censorship demands, one where students can be honest — and editors held accountable — without fear of being called names or labeled racist.

This is a long-overdue opportunity to confront one of Georgetown’s most pressing problems.

It’s too bad that Pierce has been vilified for giving us that opportunity.

Moises D. Mendoza (SFS ‘07)

Aaron Terrazas (SFS ’07)

Nick Timiraos (COL ‘06)

Former Editors in Chief, THE HOYA

Oct. 1, 2007

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