To the editor:
In response to the 500-plus members of UH's society who support Frontier Fiesta, I happen to know several people not only in the UH community, but also in those surrounding it, who completely oppose celebration of Frontier Fiesta.
These are not social organizations who hope to bridge the gap between those who feel celebrating genocide is OK and the rest of our people. These are community service and political organizations who see the injustices of society today and the links with the past, specifically the frontier.
MEChA and the Latina Coalition are not the only student groups that oppose this fascist celebration. We are united with PAPPA, NOW and the Young Socialists, to name a few. Community organizers such as Maria Jimenez of the American Friends Service Committee and Brother Rodney Penn of the National Black United Front support our cause. Centro Aztlan and the Committee de Zolrdaridad con el Pueblo de Mexico (Zapatista Supporters) agree with us wholeheartedly.
Many will attest that things are being done to include the "Hispanic" community on campus, like the band Los Palominos coming to perform. As irony would have it, this group is performing on Thursday, the first night of all this hoopla, also a school night. Why? Probably not to upset some of the good ol' boys who will only be attending or participating on the weekend.
That is why we feel a "cultural unity vigil" is much more inclusive of the entire UH community. We are not bashing anyone who refuses to join us Friday night at 6:30, the way some groups/individuals are reprimanding us for not participating in Frontier Fiesta.
There are so many other things besides the theme of this event that plague so many people. For example, the funds, the several thousand dollars spent, could be used to put people through school. Certain organizations asked for $500 to pay for hay! Not to mention the countless dollars being used to build the city itself, which will be torn down next week. I'm sure there are a lot of people who have ideas on how that land can be better utilized during the other 362 days of the year. Dare I say parking?
The time and effort put into organizing this "party" could be used to start a youth program that will bring more students into this college.
Many will call me angry, but how can one born and raised in this land of red, white and blue not be? My people were brutally raped, killed and "colonized." I have been put into a society that wants me to jump into a "melting pot" and be like everyone else or pay the penalty of cultural pride and be ostracized.
Pride in your culture is not a crime. And not being ashamed of who you are is something quite commendable. Being brave enough to stand up for what you know is wrong is a revolutionary act in itself.
Annica Gorham
vice president, MEChA
member, Latina Coalition
To the editor:
Here's a question for the defenders of Frontier Fiesta: If Frontier Fiesta is "purely" just an event of celebration where students can drink beers, check out the babes and have a good time, then why can't we change the event title to something else? "Spring Celebration" sounds good to me!
Justin Thai
senior, electrical engineering
To the editor:
In reference to Mr. Danielson's letters (regarding the Campus Spotlight's "this day in history"), and at the risk of making this a bigger issue than it really is: Why can't the editors just admit to a minor mistake of omission? Why not just avoid making any more comments and let his letter fill the void? Why, instead, try to make fun of Mr. Danielson (twice)? Is there something personal going on that I am missing here?
Genaro Salinas
graduate student, engineering
To the editor:
The National Organization for Women-UH Chapter has never attacked any campus organization in the way Arik Wolf of the College Republicans did in his guest editorial (April 11), and it is quite surprising to us that our campus newspaper would publish such a piece reeking of incivility and mean-spiritedness. Try to challenge our record, try to criticize our ideas and work, but to resort to name-calling ("battle axes") and commenting on people's physical appearance is not amusing, it's just pathetic.
More importantly, The Daily Cougar fails to exercise a basic editorial function by not asking for even a modicum of truth from Wolf. In plain English, he got just about everything wrong. Let the facts speak, please.
First, Gloria Steinem was a founding editor of Ms. magazine, but for several years has worked with it only on a consulting basis. Presently, Marcia Ann Gillespie heads this highly informative magazine. As the former editor of Essence magazine, Gillespie brings years of experience and a fresh view to the publication which, by choice, has no advertisements and is supported solely by subscriptions. NOW publishes The National NOW Times, and it is has no connection to Ms. except through shared ideals and goals.
Also, along with close to 2,000 young women and men, several UH NOW members recently had the opportunity to hear the editor of Ms. speak at the Young Feminist Summit in Washington, D.C.
Regarding the controversial hearings on Clarence Thomas' nomination to the Supreme Court and the testimony of Professor Anita Hill, Wolf's allegation that "NOW pushed her to continue" when she "wanted to back down" is flat-out wrong. We are proud that NOW spoke out and supported someone as brave as Hill, who only did her duty to tell Congress and the FBI what she knew about Thomas.
Wolf twists NOW's standing up and declaring that they "believed Anita Hill" into something that never happened. The (black and white) conservative onslaught and the media feeding frenzy scared Hill, as it would any sane person, but she bravely stood her ground, never wavering in her position.
As for Paula Jones, Republicans shout and holler about how feminists backed Hill against Thomas, but are silent on Jones' claim that Bill Clinton sexually harassed her. Here again, Wolf attacks NOW on this score without knowing or giving a damn about the facts of the matter. NOW approached Jones looking to support her in her claims against the man who now sits in the Oval Office.
Through her lawyers, however, she blew NOW off and stated that she wanted the organization to have no involvement with the case. "We're still very concerned that Jones' charges be taken seriously," reads NOW's official press release concerning the Clinton vs. Jones case.
Despite this, Jones has repeatedly declined to speak with NOW's president, Patricia Ireland, and instead has aligned herself with right-wing groups and consultants like Christian fundamentalist Pat Robertson, publicist Floyd Brown and Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry.
Seems to me there is probably more of a case of the "rightists" pushing Jones than there was of feminists "pushing" Hill.
Finally, Wolf criticizes NOW's role in demanding Sen. Packwood's resignation and says that it played a significant role in his dismissal for sexual misconduct. Finally, he is correct about something, in that NOW's activism played a major role in getting Packwood dumped. But if he criticizes us because he believes Packwood to be innocent of gross misconduct and abuse unbecoming a U.S. senator then, once again, he's dead wrong.
Moreover, NOW is not silent when it comes to so-called liberal politicians who behave like Packwood. Wolf declined to call out Ted Kennedy by name, but we will. His record of personal behavior regarding women is shameful. Will Wolf and those like him be happy with that? I rather doubt it.
Since March, NOW has spearheaded a "Women-Friendly Workplace Campaign." They kicked off the campaign by announcing NOW's first "Merchant of Shame," securities industry giant Smith Barney, which is involved in a class-action suit filed by 26 women who accuse the company of sexual harassment and sex discrimination. These efforts, and the message of no tolerance of Packwood for his misogyny, underscores NOW's commitment to feminist ideals of equality and justice for all people. When the Wolfs come out against the Packwoods and the Clayton Williamses, then maybe we will have more time to step up the pressure on the Clintons and Kennedys.
As students, we are all here to grow and learn. For that reason we chose to organize the Student Activists Workshop and invite President Ireland here to address us. Twelve campus organizations attended, ranging from the College Republicans to the Arab-American Student Association, MEChA, the Pan-African People for Progressive Action, the Cuban Friendship Committee and the Graduate School of Social Work Student Association.
Over 70 activists of all ages, ethnicities and interests came together to share ideas and skills. Additionally, the other leading feminist group on campus, the Latina Coalition, attended, plus students from Rice University and one student from as far away as Brown University. Of course, The Daily Cougar barely noted the event taking place, so we want to thank Wolf for helping us get the word out.
On the other hand, while we welcome dialogue and constructive criticism, we do hope that future guest columns will refrain from ad hominem attacks and get their facts straight. Let's put aside the sensationalism and ignorant diatribe and be a community of "higher" educated folk engaging in an intelligent and civil exchange of knowledge, ideas and culture.
Demetria Shabazz
president, NOW at UH
To the editor:
As people on campus debate the evils of frontier America, I believe it is important to remember the actions of those who traveled west to try to improve the lives of the poor and disenfranchised.
Soup kitchens and boarding houses are not 20th century inventions. Missionaries and well-intentioned pioneers established many stations to serve the cold and hungry.
As a Jew, I was raised to stories of the Holocaust. My grandfather's village in eastern Europe no longer exists. My family does not extend past the United States. My rabbis, parents and Sunday-school teachers neglected to tell me of the German families who hid Jewish families in attics and basements.
The story of Anne Frank was told to show the evil of the Germans, not to show the courage one family had to risk its own lives to save people it hardly knew.
While the acts of a few courageous people do not excuse the horrifying acts performed by others, these acts need to be remembered as well.
To those who take offense at the name and theme of Frontier Fiesta, I give this challenge: Do some research and find some positive role models from the period of expansion. While this probably will not (and should not) lessen your anger, it may give a better view of the past.
To those who support the name and traditions of Frontier Fiesta, I challenge you to listen with open minds to the objections. To many, the link between wearing a pair of six-shooters and the genocide of entire nations of people exists. Ask yourselves if you want your celebration to carry that connection.
Robert Schoenberger
UH alumnus