Proud to be a feminist
I was so happy to read Jillian Sheridan's article "Modern Artemisias," Oct. 10. Too many young women are fearful of the label "feminist" because of the incorrect stereotypes that are associated with it. Indeed, you do not have to be a man-hating woman, or even a woman, to be a feminist. The only requirement is that you believe in gender equality. More men and women need to follow in Sheridan's footsteps by shamelessly announcing that they, too, are feminists.
Chelsea Adler Government freshman
A statue of stature
I am a 57-year-old nurse from Lubbock, Texas, and have worked with the migrant population for many years. I applaud UT for erecting a statue of Cesar Chavez. Here in Lubbock, we cannot even get a street named after him. There is a lot of opposition from whites, and also some of the black community. To us Hispanics, he is like Martin Luther King Jr. is to the black community. Again, thank you for erecting the statue of a great man!
Berta Montez Lubbock, Texas
A statue of stature II
I went to the unveiling of the Cesar Chavez statue on Tuesday, and I was moved by this celebration of a man I worked closely with and loved like a father. I heard speakers use words such as "integrity" and "passion" in describing not only him but also students who have joined his continuous struggle. Because of his parents' upbringing and the Chavez family's own experiences as migrant workers, Cesar was endowed early in life with deep convictions about justice. He developed intolerance for unfairness and, as an adult, studied the tenets of political organizers such as Saul Alinsky. Cesar set out to unionize farm workers and later traveled to college campuses to give speeches and galvanize support for these mistreated workers.
As a devoted follower of Gandhi, Cesar once said: "There is enough love and good will in our movement to give energy to our struggle and still have plenty left over to break down and change the climate of hate and fear around us." (On this campus that would mean the YCT!) Students need to be more conscious of the suffering of others, including those who labor in the fields and factories (such as Nike). Social change is constant and can be accelerated by activism and social movements. In working on civil rights, environmental and other social issues, we can continue affirming Cesar's goal of human justice and equality for all.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. eloquently expressed this idea when he wrote to Cesar in 1966: "Our separate struggles are really one - a struggle for freedom, for dignity and for humanity ... We are together in spirit and in determination that our dreams for a better tomorrow will be realized." In stark contrast to statues of slave owners and Indian and Mexican killers, their presence on this campus will provides breath of fresh air and a symbol of the capacity of moral goodness and sense of fairness within all of us.
Anita Quintanilla UT alum
Unveiling hypocrisy?
Crowds poured into the Main and West Malls to celebrate the unveiling of Cesar Chavez's statue Tuesday. Long discourses about his life and activism echoed throughout the Forty Acres and thundering applause joined in to commemorate this historic event. A long list of student names were read aloud to commend their commitment to ensure that Chavez's legacy could be enshrined here on our campus.
As a Chicano, I feel proud that the art on our grounds is becoming more representative of the great diversity here. But as an organizer with the Student Farmworker Alliance, I feel that the long history of farmworkers rights was left as just that - history! Today, farmworkers in the fields of southern Florida work for sub-poverty wages without the right to organize, and they live in run-down, overpriced housing. They suffer egregious human rights violations and, in some cases, are (literally) the modern-day slaves of U.S. agribusiness.
Today, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers is fighting large fast food chains, whose combined purchasing power drives down the price of tomatoes so that you and I can enjoy the 99-cent value menu. Students and farmworkers, together, are making Chavez's legacy our reality. Now that all the photo ops have passed and the self-congratulatory pats on the back have been firmly placed on expectant shoulders, it is time to see if this campus really upholds the values that are so indelibly chiseled onto the granite that adorns the pedestal of this one man, as Latino, Haitian and Mayan Indian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout Florida and the U.S. are fighting for dignity and justice without the novelty of a statue or a monument.
Rodolfo Cortinas Student Farmworker Alliance UT alum
Earnest's sour grapes
To paraphrase William Hazlitt without prejudice and custom, I don't think Daniel Earnest could find his way around an editorial piece. I am writing in reference to "Chavez unveiled: economics vs. activism," Oct. 10 - although this is only the latest in a string of offensive articles written by Mr. Earnest. Until now, I have refrained from writing and have been content to mumble under my breath. However, Mr. Earnest's writing has continued to be judgemental and arrogant. In Tuesday's column, he managed to refer to "ignorant," "bleeding-heart" and "duped" liberals no less than five times.
I am normally an avid reader of editorials, but Mr. Earnest has managed to turn me off of The Daily Texan's opinion page. The purpose of opinion pieces, particularly when written for a university newspaper, should be the dissemination of alternative viewpoints and the provision of a platform for honest, civilized debate. Instead, Mr. Earnest continues to use his platform to air his obvious personal distaste for liberals, Democrats and anyone else who disagrees with him. Good and convincing arguments are made by rationally detailing what you feel is incorrect in the opposing party's platform and proving, by force of rhetoric and example, why you are right. Calling those who disagree with you names is not the way to construct an argument. The "I'm right and you're wrong because I say so and you're a Democrat" strategy employed by Mr. Earnest is unappealing and unprofessional. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt initially, assuming that he has a lack of worldly experience and is likely repackaging conservative arguments he has heard before. Alternative arguments are always welcome, but name-calling and labeling of your opponents as ignorant are not.
Kristin S. Tassin History graduate student
Whites victims of racism, too
In the Oct. 9 Firing Line, "A racist response to racism," Ansel Herz makes it seem as if racism was only present on the white side of the Jena Six issue. Clearly, the black students who committed the crime were racially driven. If Ansel had read the facts more closely, there could have been realization that the student who asked to sit under the "white tree" did so in jest, and that the teacher quickly responded by saying he could sit anywhere he wanted. The attack on Justin Barker was more than "beating someone up." The six students clearly planned the event in advance - a six-on-one ambush. They struck him in the head until he was unconscious and then continued to kick him while he was lying on the ground.
I agree that Mychal Bell's punishment may have been harsh. But, at the same time, he did not get charged with a hate crime, when this crime was motivated by hatred towards whites - making it, by definition, a hate crime. Sure, the jury which tried Mychal Bell was all-white, but maybe that wouldn't have been the case had a single one of the 50 potential black jurors had shown up. (The jury-call consisted of 33 percent blacks, although the town is only about 12 percent black.)
Herz is right about one thing: The Jena Six case is an egregious instance of systematic racism in this country. But, this racism exists on both sides of the issue. White students should never have hung a noose from a tree, but hanging a noose is significantly less harmful than bringing physical violence upon another student. I urge Daily Texan readers to consider both sides of every story, and ponder the idea that non-white racists exist too.
Kemper Powell Philosophy junior
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