THIS IS the speech I gave on Oct. 30 at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Office of African-American Affairs.
On the first day of lecture
The professor instantly recognizes me
But then again how hard is it
To remember just two or three?
Self conscious when I speak -
Trying not to make one mistake
For fear that everything I say
Is representative of
the race
Classes on my culture
Taught by people
unlike me
I've lived your lectures
But I still get a "C"?
Constantly surrounded by you
And when I want to take a break
You misinterpret my cultural pride
For white rejection and hate
When Jefferson built his Academical
Village
I wasn't in the plan
Although the blood of my ancestors
Mowed, plowed and tilled this land
I'm not here by way of my own merit
But your expectations I exceed
Overlooking the affirmative action
Of your daddy's legacy
When I choose to eat at B.E.T.
You call it self-segregation
But when you own Rugby Road
It's mere socialization
My little black boat
Navigating this big white sea
Racial harmony at U.Va. is your myth
Racial disparity is my reality.
Established in 1976 at the urging of groups such as the Black Student Alliance, the Office of African-American Affairs was created to be an advocate for African-American students here. Their mission statement is to make sure that the University fosters a community supportive of African-American students' full participation in University life, while enhancing sensitivity to the needs, interests and culture of African-American students.
Many people have criticized and questioned the utility of having an office principally concerned with one race and see OAAA's existence as evidence of black self-segregation from the larger white University community. One of the very few decent arguments against OAAA's existence is the notion that somehow having an institution dedicated primarily to one race has too narrow a focus. Their solution to this "narrow-mindedness" is to take a more multi-cultural approach to addressing the needs of a more inclusive minority community. My response to such suggestions is simple and has its basis in American history.
The plight of blacks in America is not equivalent to that of any other minority group. There was nothing multi-cultural about our enslavement and subordination, or disenfranchisement and segregation, but rather the terms of our conditions were cut and dry - black and white. For these reasons, there is no adequate multi-cultural resolution to a uniquely African-American quandary.
During my first semester at the University, the issue of self-segregation in dining halls was presented for discussion in one of my classes. After many politically correct diagnoses and cures for this problem were offered, a white fourth-year student, irritated with why this debate had gone on for so long, decided to speak her mind. She declared, "If black people want to sit with white people, then instead of sitting at a 'black' table, they should take the initiative and integrate a 'white' table." My professor's response to her statement has always remained with me. She said, "When I invite guests to my house, it is my job to make them feel at home."
In essence, the presence of OAAA and its advocacy for the African-American population at the University is an attempt to make us feel at home in an institution that historically has been someone else's house. Programs such as the Peer-Advisor Program, Peer Tutoring and Faculty Mentoring create a support group for black students and a refuge for what can sometimes be an overwhelming experience in a predominately white setting.
In closing, I would like to share a sentiment expressed by a white student in Dean Rick Turner's Sociology of the African-American Community class. When describing her initial reaction to the class, she said, "When I walked into the room it was like I stepped into another world. I felt like I stuck out, as if I didn't belong. I scanned the room looking for a familiar face and saw Keonna. I breathed a sigh of relief and thought to myself, 'Whew - there's one I know.'" In keeping with this anecdote, OAAA is that breath of fresh air for African-American students. It is one of few places on Grounds where we can go into a building and "see one we know." Being a black person in a predominantly white environment can be psychologically taxing and draining at times, and it is important that we have people with whom to identify and share ideas and concerns. OAAA is a place where we can go to re-group, re-connect and be reassured. This is why the Office of African-American Affairs exists here.
(Keonna Denise Carter is a third-year College student. She is a teaching assistant for Sociology of the African-American Community.)
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