Eric Stoller's Blog

Welcome to the 19th Erase Racism Carnival.

Dennis Dugan presents Robert Jensen on Thanksgiving – White supremacist holidays and the genocide of indigenous peoples

Therapydoc presents Zarganar – Global oppression, privilege and activism

Forgiven presents The Sin Is Pride – Internalized oppression, horizontal hostility and Ward Connerly

Rachel and guest poster, Atlasien presents A serious question [about white supremacists]

Seattle Slim presents 21st Century Blackface: Hideous Imitation Or Flattery? Harmful or Harmless?

Kai Chang presents The White Liberal Conundrum – white liberals and anti-racism

AllyWork presents Qualities of an ally

Carmen Van Kerckhove presents Addicted to Race 87: Race, TV, and Gossip

Ian Welsh presents Katrina and the Wildfires

Greg Laden presents “Like the tree that stands beside the water … – A history of activism

Marcella Chester presents Horror Movie Mythology Hurts Megan Williams And Many Other Victims and Anti-Feminism And Rape

Michael Faris presents more on nooses, blackface, and OSU

Dennis Bennett presents On Dad’s Weekend, No Less – blackface and administrative silence

Eric Stoller (yes, that’s me) presents Building Community – non-apology apologies and intent vs. effect

Changeseeker presents It’s Predictable And I Told You So! – white privilege and white supremacy

DaisyDeadhead presents Orangeburg Massacre governor dies

I just sent the following letter to Phi Gamma Delta, the OSU Coordinator of Greek Life, and the OSU Dean of Student Life:

Hi Guys,

I am an alum of OSU (Ed.M. in 2006) and a full-time OSU staff member in HHS.

I’ve been following the news coverage of the noose that was hanging in your yard. Recently, I read the public statement that ran in the Barometer. The online version of the paper called it a “statement,” but did not include the term “apology” like the print version. I really respect that you put out a statement as it takes courage to acknowledge something in a public forum, but I have a question regarding the wording and meaning of the statement.

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The Daily Barometer published an official statement from Oregon State University’s Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. The statement was regarding the noose that was hanging in a tree on the Phi Gamma Delta property. The print version of the article was constructed as an apology (at least by the Daily Barometer). The print version started on the front page of the Barometer and ended on page 3. The headline for the page 3 continuation of the “statement” reads as “Noose: Apology offered, removing offensive object.”

Unfortunately, it was a non-apology apology. My bachelors is a BA in Public Relations but I can decode BS.

We acknowledge that fellow Oregon State students have been offended by this, and wish to make it known that this was never our intention. We would also like to thank the individuals who brought this matter to our attention, and will use this as an opportunity to educate our members.

Saying your sorry means actually saying that you apologize. My inner public relations klaxons went off the second I read those two sentences. They basically say that they now know that people were upset by the noose in their yard but that they never intended to offend anyone. Acknowledging that we are wrong is a difficult thing to do. I wish that the Brothers of the Kappa Omicron Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta had said that they were sorry instead of using a PR maneuver.

Congratulations to Oregon State University student, Joshua Zuniga, for winning one of the 2007 Google Hispanic College Fund Scholarships.

The Google Scholarship Program offers funds to students studying computer science or computer engineering who are juniors or seniors in college or pursuing a Master’s or PhD. Selected scholars will be invited to an all-expenses paid trip to the Google Headquarters in California in January 2008.

The 47th Carnival of Feminists is up at Ornamenting Away.

VectorMagic is super cool! “This site converts bitmap images to vector art – it’s an online auto-tracer.” The sample image of a bitmap version of the Stanford logo to a vector version is amazing!

This clip is amazing. It gave me chills.

DB on the idea that silence is approval.

[W]here in all of these voices is the official voice of OSU? I respect Ed Ray and believe that his commitment to diversity and social justice issues is authentic. But the silence from the President’s office is deafening. And the resultant vacuum ends up sounding like a tacit approval of those who would wear blackface, which, since it cannot be scrubbed of its racist roots, is wrong. How difficult would it be for one who is committed to social justice to say just that?

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A new bill introduced in the U.S. Congress this week would reduce the cost of birth control for college students and low-income women nationwide. Because of an error in a previous bill approved by Congress, the prices for birth control this fall quadrupled for female college students who purchase it from college clinics.

For decades drug companies made it possible for college health clinics to purchase birth control at low prices in order to pass along the savings to college students and low-income women who rely on them.

In 2005, however, Congress inadvertently passed a provision under the Deficit Reduction Act, preventing all college clinics, hundreds of safety-net health care providers, Medicaid beneficiaries and Planned Parenthood offices from purchasing birth control from drug companies at a discounted rate.

via Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Several Oregon media outlets have posted stories on the recent black out at Reser Stadium and the noose at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

Update:
Oregon State University Office of the President – Campus climate on race

Corvallis Gazette-Times – Pre-Kwanzaa event interrupts tension

The Oregonian – Racial Dialogue

Statesman Journal – Racist symbols, lame-brained students in Corvallis

The Oregonian – The color of isolation: Blacks battle insensitivity at OSU

The Oregonian – Stunts at OSU strike a nerve of bigotry

Willamette Week – Anti-Racism Protest Tomorrow at OSU

KGW – Race controversies at OSU after noose in tree

KVAL – OSU School spirit called into question

Video from KGW after the cut…

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