2008 Woodie Awards
Racial symbol reveals unacceptable prejudices
The Optimist Staff
Issue date: 9/10/08 Section: Opinion
Racism, stupidity, bigotry, immaturity, hatred- however one chooses to describe it, last Wednesday's noose incident should not and will not be tolerated.
Students' Association President Daniel Paul Watkins discovered a hangman's noose in the chair he was elected to sit in by the
students of Abilene Christian University. This act of disregard and disdain for a black student holding the office established to lead the student body has ripped off the scab covering the racial wounds of this academic community.
For nearly six decades, this educational institution barred black students from attending the Christian campus, not because
of any academic shortcomings, but because of the color of their skin.
The first black student was admitted to Abilene Christian College in the 1960s, and since that historic day, this community has taken steps toward reconciling the social illness of segregation and prejudice that infected every corner of our country, supposedly founded on virtues of equality and freedom.
The bravery of racial warriors like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, President Lyndon B. Johnson, Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, the "Little Rock Nine" and countless others changed our nation and this small Christian campus in Abilene.
In 1999, Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, publicly apologized for the injustice ACU took part in during the first six decades of its existence. And today, although room remains for progress on this front, more than 13 percent of the ACU student body is black.
But all this progress was hindered and challenged by the actions of one or several fools who missed this vital history lesson.
The hangman's noose- like a burning cross, swastika and other symbols of racism-represents a legacy of hate. Initially used as a means to kill, the hangman's noose transformed into a tool to terrorize, harass, intimidate, torment and persecute. This tool has no place on any campus, Christian or not.
Students' Association President Daniel Paul Watkins discovered a hangman's noose in the chair he was elected to sit in by the
students of Abilene Christian University. This act of disregard and disdain for a black student holding the office established to lead the student body has ripped off the scab covering the racial wounds of this academic community.
For nearly six decades, this educational institution barred black students from attending the Christian campus, not because
of any academic shortcomings, but because of the color of their skin.
The first black student was admitted to Abilene Christian College in the 1960s, and since that historic day, this community has taken steps toward reconciling the social illness of segregation and prejudice that infected every corner of our country, supposedly founded on virtues of equality and freedom.
The bravery of racial warriors like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, President Lyndon B. Johnson, Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, the "Little Rock Nine" and countless others changed our nation and this small Christian campus in Abilene.
In 1999, Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, publicly apologized for the injustice ACU took part in during the first six decades of its existence. And today, although room remains for progress on this front, more than 13 percent of the ACU student body is black.
But all this progress was hindered and challenged by the actions of one or several fools who missed this vital history lesson.
The hangman's noose- like a burning cross, swastika and other symbols of racism-represents a legacy of hate. Initially used as a means to kill, the hangman's noose transformed into a tool to terrorize, harass, intimidate, torment and persecute. This tool has no place on any campus, Christian or not.
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