Letter to the Editor | Students call for action against MICA

“We should never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was “legal” and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was “illegal.””
—Martin Luther King Jr.

What started as outrage at the racist language of The Imperialist is now coupled with fear. A simple Google search of “Vassar” and “Imperialist” returns a number of hostile, hateful articles and postings on right-wing and Neo-Nazi websites.

It is our contention that the equivocation of the VSA and the silence of prominent administrators, including President Fergusson, were taken as implicit validation of the views expressed in The Imperialist. Our student government and College administration failed to pass down an unambiguous condemnation of MICA’s racism. This failure affirmed a pre-existing atmosphere in which racism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination have historically been tolerated. The College’s ideals of social justice must be rectified by challenging not only The Imperialist’s denigration of the equal place and rightful belonging of students of color on our campus, but also fighting against the broader racism magnified by off-campus hate groups.

The VSA did not effectively address the concerns of maligned students when The Imperialist was initially brought to the VSA’s attention in early September. In fact, the VSA’s only ruling on the issue was to have MICA engage in dialogue with concerned students so that “understanding could be reached by all parties.” This resolution neither assuaged the students’ fear nor addressed their concerns. The dialogue itself broke down when MICA members refused to acknowledge the pain that their articles had caused among the groups it had targeted. Furthermore, MICA’s failure to publicly condemn the white supremacist newsletter that targeted specific students contributed to the break down of dialogue.

Our administration has been as silent on this issue as the VSA. The Admissions Department has not yet issued a statement contesting MICA’s statements nor has it affirmed its support of the targeted students. President Fergusson has yet to comment on the manner publicly. The College has failed and it continues to fail in its duty to advocate for and protect members of its community. The consequence is a campus where students are simply unsafe.

What could a white supremacist newsletter pick up from The Imperialist? The images published in The Imperialist perpetuate a historic system of oppression against people of color and Jews based on imagery that validates and invites violence against these groups. For instance, the articles included iconography portraying an over-sexualized black female body with exaggerated features and no facial characteristics. Second, they printed an icon of the Nazi Eagle with the Swastika replaced by the GOP elephant; a portrayal of a shackled black man, also hyper-sexualized and lacking facial features; and a portrait of an SS soldier striving to “liberate” the Vassar community. Third, they claimed that the ALANA center and Blegen House were “zoological preserves” and “ghettoes.” And finally, they alleged that the Vassar Admissions Office admitted students of color solely for the benefit of “non-diverse” students, i.e. white students. These examples show how MICA’s portrayal of people of color as sub-humans invites further, more violent forms of racism.

There should be no reason for any student to feel fear on this campus. A diverse group of students (read students of color, GLTBQ students, white students, students of faith, students of conscience, students of all identities) is now organizing to end this fear on our campus. This is an initiative that everyone—from staff to students to administrators—is welcome and encouraged to join.

—Andrew Block ’06, Lawrence Louis ’06, Ayanna Parris ’06, Victor Ray ’07, Max Shmookler ’06

*Originally published Web Only on 10.14.05, the letter was published in the 10.28.05 print edition