This is in response to the “Stirring Up Trouble” letter to the editor. There were certain points the writer brought up which I saw as problematic and representative of people (black, white, brown, yellow, etc.) who do not think logically and who are, of course, unaware of the larger picture.

The writer’s notation that many quotes came from “some members of the BSA” is undeniable, but let us, at the same time, realize that BSA was the main voice in speaking out on this issue and offering support on this issue.

However, they were not the only ones whose opinions were represented; the “McHubbers” gave their opinion and so did GSB.

What was more problematic in “Stirring Up Trouble” was the writer’s attitudes toward the BSA and his overall opinion on social issues on this campus.

The writer notes that “if ‘we’ (ISU?White students?) had not believed Mitchell then there would be no reason to believe that ISU has a race problem… But ‘we’ did believe him, and all of ‘us’ were angered by it.”

I believe this statement to be right on; however, I must ask, “Are you (all) angered by the fact that there is no Asian-American Studies Program on this campus? (Are they included in your pronouns of “we” and “us?”)

Are you angered by the condition of the African-American Studies Program? Are you angered by the fact that the Latino Cultural Center is a room in the basement of Helser Hall? (Were you aware there is a Latino Cultural Center?) Were you equally angered by the treatment of the Big 8 Conference by the GSB? I certainly hope you were and are. And if you are, come out and show your support.

Another point Iwant to address is the writer’s accusation that BSA and all those who have spoken against racial injustice, classism, homophobia and xenophobia are a bunch of people “Stirring Up Trouble.” That one has such an opinion is okay, as it is an opinion which has been held for over 450 years in this country’s history.

Anybody not happy with the status quo is “stirring up trouble.” Hey! Nat Turner and the other slaves who rebelled were “stirring up trouble,” were trouble makers,” so to speak; and so was Frederick Douglass, and so was Rosa Parks, and so was Maya Angelou, and so was Martin Luther King, Jr.

In fact, the CIA labeled Dr. King as “the Chief Negro Agitator.” So, to the writer, labeling BSA and other non-minority groups and individuals who have spoken up as trouble makers, is a compliment and would warrant the response, “Thank you.”

The writer also wrote, “These people do not stand for a peaceful inter-racial community, but instead look for the instances in which they can blow up a small disturbance and start flinging accusations around.”

The BSA and those groups and individuals (who are not people of color) are for a peaceful, inter-racial community, but they are not for conformity, not for the status quo and not for being silent while injustices are going on.

Also, was the “small disturbance” the writer spoke of referring to the Mitchell beating? Was it considered a “small disturbance” when everyone believed it to be true?

A few days after the report of Mitchell’s [confession] was released some of my students came to me and told me that they heard disturbing comments on their way to classes, home, work, etc. They reported people saying, “I wish these niggers would shut up.” “These niggers should go back to their own schools.”

In a dorm computer room a student overheard two white males, who apparently did not see her, say, “I can’t believe these niggers and spics are trying to have a revolution on our soil.”

And YES, these incidents were reported to the Dean of Students Office. Another one of my students had a sign put on his door which read, “SPIC GO HOME.” Yes, he reported it.

This same student was called a “spic” by fraternity members on Welch Avenue. Yes, he reported it.

The alleged beating of Mitchell did not create racial tensions, it merely brought the underlying racial tensions and attitudes to the surface where everybody could see its ugly head. The noise BSA, 9/29 and the McHubbers have made is not unlike that of the BOOM of a cannon on a riverboat which brings dead bodies to the surface.

Yet another argument the writer attempted to make was that people of color believe that “the white community has some plot to put down all minorities.”

Please, writer, give people of color a little credit of intelligence. Not many, if any, people of color believe that there is a group of white men in a smoky room somewhere plotting against minorities. In America there is no need for such men, as the job is done by people who are unaware of problems in America, and people who are satisfied with the status quo.

The writer also attempted to liken the BSA to the KKK. In the words of James Brown, “Please, please, please.”

BSA does not go around terrorizing people in the middle of the night. BSA does not believe themselves to be superior to anyone else, and finally, BSA is all inclusive and ready for discussion while the KKK are exclusive and never ready for discussion. Please, writer, the next time you make analogies or comparisons, pick them with care and intelligence.

To the writer, I must say, given your opinion of BSA, you must not have attended a BSA meeting. Before one passes judgement one needs to know what he/she is talking about and what they are judging, if not, that person may justifiably be called prejudice, as they have prejudged.

The writer’s labeling of the Daily as a tabloid is unwarranted —Ibelieve the Daily has its moments when the facts aren’t straight, but overall it does try to get the issues on the table, and does a very good job. Also, the Daily is a student-run newspaper, so you can make a difference.

In closing, I would suggest the writer attend a BSA meeting or come out to a social event, or take a serious look at 9/29 or the McHubbers.

Also, note that I have not used the writer’s name, so this letter is not addressed directly to him, but to an attitude on this campus and in this country, which perpetuates a cycle of misunderstandings and misconceptions.

The door of communication will remain wide open.

Randall Duval

Junior

English/Secondary Education