Thoughts on Virginia Tech and
Racism
by BAR
contributing editor Jeanette M. Pollard
"I wonder if any of these task forces or committees will
look at racism and how it reared its head in this tragedy."
It has been
three months to the day that Cho Seung Hui began and ended his murderous
rampage on the campus of Virginia Tech University. While that school was known for its engineering and technology
programs, it will forever be remembered as the place where young bright minds
were brutally cut down in the prime - no, before the primes of their lives.
There are
task forces and committees that have and will study what happened and how it
could have been prevented. I
wonder if any of these task forces or committees will look at racism and how it
reared its head in this tragedy.
Clearly, the perpetrator, from all reports, had a long history of
antisocial and isolative behavior.
Television clips of his great aunt in South Korea report her as saying
the young man displayed troubled behavior even as a young child.
When Professors Giovanni and Roy - both female and women
of color, complained loudly about this
troubled young man's behavior to school officials, why weren't Giovanni and
Roy's complaints and concerns about Hui taken seriously by school
administration? Why could professors with virtually no formal mental
health training, recognize that this young man had serious mental health
issues, while those with mental health degrees and licenses, downplayed his
behavior? It was reported that
Professor Giovanni demanded and had this student removed from her classroom,
due to her own observations about his behavior, as well as classmates concerns. Giovanni apparently followed the chain of command
and took her concerns to her department chair.
The department chair, Professor Roy, then tutored the young man one on
one. No doubt Professor Roy saw up
close and personal, more of the dark side of Cho Seung Hui.
"Did the fact that two women of color complained have
anything to do with the lack of attention and action by administration, that
might have thwarted this attack? "
While the
public may never really know what happened on that campus, it is clear that
communication was a big factor in this situation. The question I must ask is: Did the fact that two women of color
complained have anything to do with the lack of attention and action by
administration, that might have thwarted this attack? The reality of racism has taught those of us who are both of
color and female, is that our words are many times, not taken seriously - if
taken at all. Our perspectives are
"pooh-pahed" until legitimized by a white male or female. How many have experienced this same
scenario, day in and day out on their jobs?
Far too many to count, I'm sure.
I am positive that had two white
female professors complained about Hui as did Giovanni and Roy, the actions by
school administration would have been intense and immediate.
Then there
was the scene of the first shootings in the dorm. When campus police came upon the bodies of Ryan Clark and Emily
Hilscher in the dorm, did they assume it was a murder-suicide by a "rejected"
Black male of a white female? Is the
real reason why campus police did not take maximum precautions because these
two deaths appeared to be the actions of one "crazy n___?" Did campus police's lack of notification to
others on campus, violate the federal Cleary Act?
As it turned out, senior Ryan Clark was killed because he
took his job as RA - resident advisor seriously. He heard the commotion and went to the rescue of one of his dorm
charges, and lost his own life - just doing his job.
"The South Korean community got a dose of what it feels
like for Black people in this country to have to carry the burden that
invariably comes when a Black person commits a crime."
Finally,
there were the profuse and repeated apologies from the local, national, and
international South Korean community.
They apologized and expressed deep regret, almost shame, that one of
"their own," committed these acts of violence.
Even they understood how people of color are viewed in this country, and
rushed to let others know that "we're not all like that." If it never happens again, for once the
South Korean community got a dose of what it feels like for Black people in
this country to have to carry the burden that invariably comes when a Black
person commits a crime. It's broadcast
ad nauseam over the airwaves, and becomes the talk at the water cooler, in the
grocery checkout line, and other gatherings where whites and Blacks are forced
to co-exist. A lingering example is the outrage whites expressed and continue
to express over the O. J. Simpson "not guilty" verdict. We as a Black community
are still paying for this one Black man ( who, by the way, was the "darling" of
white folks), who allegedly went off and killed a blond white woman and a white
man. Here was one Black man (but was he really?), who in my opinion, got away
with murder. How many whites have
gotten away with murdering Blacks and other people of color and never been arrested, brought to trial, much less
convicted?
When
Jeffrey Dalmer killed and ate all those young men, did the white community
apologize for his cannibalistic appetite? When John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy
killed all those men and women, did the white community apologize to the rest
of the world for these murderous members?
When Timothy McVeigh plotted and carried out the Oklahoma City bombing
that killed men, women, and children, did the white community feel the need to
apologize to the rest of us for this nut case? No. So why did the South
Korean community? Because they knew
deep down, that racism is alive and well, and they did not want to be
collectively "punished" for the behavior of one troubled young man.
Let us hope
that at the end of the day, the people at Virginia Tech, as well as the rest of
us, will see that while skin may be white, black, or yellow, blood is only one
color - red.
Jeanette M. Pollard, RN, APRN, BC, M. Div, can
be reached at jmprnrev@hotmail.com.
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