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by Josh Guild '96 |
The President’s primary (though hopefully not sole) link to the student of community is the Student of Color Council (SCC).
The SCC originated in 1989, under the name of the Tri-Minority Council (TMC), as a mechanism for bridging the concerns and goals of the African-American, Asian-American, and Latino communities. TMC’s tri-chair structure was designed to link the three representative groups: Ujamaa, the Wesleyan Asian-American Student Union (WA/AASU) and Ajua Campos. A number of factors contributed to the eventual extinction of the TMC and the birth of the SCC.
First, WA/AASU underwent a dramatic reevaluation of its mission and goals, leading to a reorganized structure under the name of the Alliance in 1992-93. Members of the Asian/Asian-American community realized that the old structure was designed to be all things for all people and did not properly take into account the vast intragroup diversity of that community. Consequently, the Alliance is now divided into "affinity" groups representing different interests and identities within the larger "Asian/Asian-American" category (among these affinities are a political group; the Korean Student Association (KSA) and Shakti, an organization for South Asian students). The two other "minority" communities have experienced a similar process of recognition and reorganization over the past three years. As such, the student of color community has witnessed the emergence of such groups as the Woman of Color Collective; the Black and Latino Brotherhood (BLB); the Black Women’s Collective (BWC); Gay, Bisexuals, and Lesbians of Color (GBLOC); the Interracial Student Organization (ISO); MEChA, a group representing Chicanos; a Latino fraternity, Lambda Lambda Lambda, Inc.; as well as groups tailored to specific issues among and between Black and Latina women. It should be noted that while not all of the above organizations are "new", virtually all of them have gained prominence within the last several semesters.
In short, student of color leaders realized that a three-headed organization representing the three "major" communities was not sufficient. In the spring of l993, the SCC opened itself up to representatives from groups other than the "Big Three" and attempted to define a course for itself as the main political arm of the student of color community. In the spring of the following year, the SCC began a tradition of biweekly meetings with the President based on a defined set of short and long range issues.
Students of color must address the matter of the proliferation of groups and organizations. In many cases, the resources-specifically, human and financial-of our communities have been stretched thin by these developments. Each group must examine the possibilities for coalition-building and avoid, at all costs, divisiveness and unnecessary overlap.
In many ways, the issues which students of color will press for in the coming year have not much changed since they first began making their voices heard here through radical activism in the late 60's. An end to the vast underrepresentation of people of color on the faculty and in the upper levels of the administration; a continued commitment to meet the financial need of all current and prospective students; courses that explore the experiences of Latinos and Asians in this country; and an athletic program which reflects the diversity of the student body are all concerns which will be on the minds of student of color leaders in the next year-and beyond. Activism should not be solely defined in terms of protest. Students of color must organize so that they are in positions (such as within the WSA) where they have access to wider decision-making channels. The question remains to be answered whether Wesleyan wishes to rest on its laurels and bask in its white, liberal reputation for that elusive thing known as "diversity," or whether it is prepared for genuine self-reflection and self-criticism in an effort to forge innovative solutions towards making people of color fully supported and encouraged members of the university community.