Kneeling to take a stand

Ramblings of a mountain man: Americans need to stop abusing the peace pipe

Throughout history, Native Americans have always been given a raw deal by both the government and private interests. This needs to end. Native American ways and lands need to be respected and not seen as things that can be trampled over for selfish reasons. Hopefully this incident in North Dakota will be one too many and show that US Native Americans matter too. Chief Joseph puts it best: “The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.”
Carlos Holguin is a member of the Class of 2019.

Ramblings of a mountain man: Creating safe spaces fosters academic engagement for all

The University of Chicago recently sent a letter to its freshman class abolishing safe spaces and trigger warnings in favor of academic inquiry and advancement. This letter might have been well-intentioned, but it misses the mark by forgetting about marginalized groups such as minorities, sexual assault survivors and the LGBTQ community. If a college does not allow for spaces for these and other groups when needed, then academic institutions may run the risk of further marginalizing these groups while also diluting the college experience for the rest of the student body.
The need for safe spaces has evolved as the college landscape has developed over the last half century. In this time, colleges increasingly accepted larger numbers of minorities and women. More recently, as a result of the gay rights movement, the stigma around being LGBTQ has slowly been lifted and nowadays—in many parts of the country—it appears safer to announce one’s sexuality. Across America’s college campuses, communities have been created, and have served numerous purposes. These include: a place where the students feel free of criticisms, where they don’t have to explain and/or defend their identity to others, where they don’t have to fear being ostracized and where they can safely decompress and exchange their experiences. These safe spaces are similar to release valves as they allow the students to sound off if they need to. Thus safe spaces don’t inhibit academic curiosity, but rather enhance it by allowing students to recharge before they rejoin the larger student population.
There are stories that are best left on the shelf and don’t need to be aired out for all to see. These stories can revolve around traumatic events related to a family’s acceptance of sexual identity, family violence, the struggles of impoverished communities, sexual assaults and harassment. These stories often are painful for the storyteller and often their scars run deep—I would know. To not give the students with these stories space to meet others with similar stories may increase their vulnerability and marginalization. As an example, one in four women and one in six men will experience sexual assault in college. Communities of sexual assault survivors absolutely deserve a safe space to meet. Without it, they may struggle—alone—to find ways to move forward with their lives.
It is also important to remember the goal of a college, which is to help foster an environment where intellectualism does not only exist but also flourishes. To properly create this environment, a "one size fits all" policy may run counter to spurring a rich, healthy environment in that different groups of students have different needs. As an example, colleges don’t have different athletes using the same locker room, for feasibility and logistical reasons. This strain of logic can be applied to the many different minority and LGBTQ groups on college campuses. By giving these groups a space on campuses to meet, they are granted the same opportunity to gather. This is similar to the way various science and literature clubs are set up, with the exception that these groups are not shaped up by interests but rather by shared experience. If these experiences aren’t allowed a space to thrive, then the story of the college campus runs the risk of becoming stunted.
College is a place where students with diverse experiences and backgrounds come together and knit a quilt from thousands of different colors of thread. Yet the University of Chicago has decided to remove some threads and tatter the quilt. In doing so, they are limiting the college experience for both the general student body and the students who aren’t allowed safe spaces. They say, "College is supposed to be the best four years of your life," but not if the college administrators’ decisions make you feel like you don’t belong.

Ramblings of a mountain man

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

Carlos Holguin

Columnist

October 14, 2016

Since late August, a number of high-profile American athletes have used their platform to protest the racial inequality apparent in the treatment of African-American males by police and the criminal justice system. From sitting to kneeling to raising a fist to interlocking arms during the national anthem, N.F.L. athletes—like many other famous professional athletes before them—are causing a national stir and igniting a ferocious debate about free speech, criminal justice reform and the disparate and harsh treatment that they and their African-American brothers endure at the hands of oppressive systems.

While one U.S. presidential candidate believes there has never been a worse time to be an African-American in this country (he must have slept through civics and the lessons on Jim Crow and slavery), I do believe that it must be an unsettling time to be an African-American man in America. As a proponent of free speech and using historical context and lessons, I stand by these athletes’ choices to not stand for the national anthem.

The history of this country is tied to racial inequality. America’s original economy was founded on enslaving those of darker skin. Essentially, blacks worked for nothing and whites spent decades making profits from others’ hard work. This system allowed whites to create a system out of Social Darwinism, which still holds to this day. Even when minorities were freed, their status as second-class citizens prevailed as they were kept away from the “society whites” through racist laws which once again allowed whites to further enhance their economic standing at the cost of minority citizens. In turn, a system of oppression materialized, backed by laws that perpetuated discriminatory practices, resulting in minorities, to this day, struggling in their pursuit of the American Dream. When one realizes the economic disparity created by systemic social inequality, it becomes clear why minority athletes speak out against these systems of oppression.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane. Some of the greatest minority athletes of the 20th century protested the racial inequality both during and after the civil rights era. Jackie Robinson—number 42, who is celebrated annually by Major League Baseball—took part in active protests during the Civil Rights era. This is the same Jackie Robinson who broke the color barrier in baseball and who could have been cut from the team for his actions. These athletes—despite the unknown risks to themselves, their families and their livelihoods—protested so the next generations could have a better life.

John Carlos raised his fist in defiance at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City during the Civil Rights movement. He did this to protest the unfair treatment blacks were receiving under the separate but equal laws.

Muhammed Ali—Mr. Float Like a Butterfly and Sting Like a Bee—was sentenced and lost his boxing titles because he would rather consciously object to the Vietnam War than serve in it. He would later go on to reclaim this title and establish himself as the greatest boxer to ever live.

All of these athletes became legends when they took a stand during the peaks of their athletic careers, using their First Amendment rights to publicly stand up against the racist systems of oppression.

The athletes who have protested in the last couple of weeks play in the N.F.L. As they use the only platform they have—as overpaid entertainers—their messages are resoundingly clear: minorities are more likely to be killed by police officers than their white counterparts and they are also more likely to get harsher penalties for similar crimes committed by their white counterparts. While he may have only been the second string quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers at the time, Colin Kaepernick came to understand these harsh truths, and decided to use Sundays when millions of Americans are glued to the TV screen to send a nonverbal signal against these injustices. The basic premise of the argument is, “Why should I show allegiance to the country which still actively oppresses me through various means?” and “By protesting the symbol that is supposed to unite our country, will people wake up to our harsh realities and spur real change?”

Not only am I proud of these athletes, but I also stand with them as a Mexican-American citizen whose people have been similarly oppressed. Perhaps their actions will spur revival of the Civil Rights movement. One can only hope that all of the Americans who revere and worship athletes will be open to their message. Racial equality in the United States is still the goal, but it has been thwarted by oppressive systems. There’s no touchdown dance happening outside of the stadium if you are an African-American male.

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