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Georgetown U. Says No to "N Word"

By Charlene Carter
Black College Wire

Photo credit: Ellen Konzman

Outraged by an e-mail filled with hate speech, hundreds of students converged on Georgetown University's Healy Circle to present university president John J. DeGioia with a signed petition containing a list of resolutions they wanted the university to adopt.

They included the addition of an African American studies major and diversity training for Georgetown students and employees. The resolutions were drafted at a town hall meeting to address hate speech and promote racial tolerance at Georgetown.

The anonymous e-mail, sent to members of Georgetown's Black Student Alliance and the Georgetown chapter of the NAACP, contained racist and derogatory comments, opening with "Dear Niggers," and calling for blacks to "go back to Africa, don't come back." University officials said the e-mail was traced to an Internet address in Florida.

DeGioia promised continued vigilance against intolerance. He described the university community as "open, diverse and inclusive" and said, "Too many people have worked too hard for too many years to create a unique community here."

The March 1 rally was a continuation of a demonstration on the university's Red Square the previous Friday.

The message echoed through posters and speeches: "We will not tolerate hate on our campus." One passionate student proclaimed, "This is not just another Red Square protest. This is a damned movement."

"This is the first time in four years we've had a rally of this magnitude on GU's Red Square," said Tiffany White, president of Georgetown University's NAACP.

Students from various campus groups, including the Black Student Alliance, Georgetown's chapter of the NAACP, the Jewish Student Association and GU Pride voiced their concerns about racial intolerance on the campus in light of recent events.

For Deidre Moskowitz, president of Georgetown's Jewish Student Association, the e-mail brought back vivid memories of a painful incident she experienced at a small private high school in Brooklyn, N.Y.

"The words on the flier are etched into my brain: 'Those who will die by the white world's superior and the white sword are all niggers, spics, dykes and bitches.'"

According to Moskowitz, at the bottom of the flier was her yearbook picture with a noose drawn around it and a picture of a gun pointed at her head.

Moskowitz said she knew that if racist acts could happen in that diverse Brooklyn neighborhood, they could happen anywhere. Yet she said Georgetown's policies lulled her into a false sense of security.

"When I came [to] Georgetown, I thought I could escape from this incessant fear. Georgetown proclaimed its commitment to diversity in every letter I received, on its Web site and on this campus," Moskowitz said.

Students from Howard University showed their support of Georgetown students through numbers.

According to Xana Sanders, president of Howard's chapter of the NAACP, Howard students came to the rally by the bus load.

"They wanted to make a statement of numbers," Sanders said. "We're trying to make this peaceful, so whatever they need us to do, we'll be there in support."

Sanders said the student chapters of the NAACP at Georgetown, Howard, George Washington University, Catholic University of America and Trinity College -- all in Washington -- had been working together all year long and would continue to do so to promote racial tolerance on all their campuses.

Brooke Frotson, a junior psychology major at Howard, said the rally at Georgetown was a good start, but that the effort shouldn't end there.

"Schools like Howard University, especially, should show their support for the minority students. And I think that we should unite across campuses to show our support against racial intolerance," Frotson said.

Georgetown alumna Michaela Brown questioned the audience's dedication to fighting against hate speech and racial intolerance. "How committed are we? Are we just acting on impulse right now because we're angry and we just heard these stories? And we're angry so we're going to come outside? Or are we going to join the NAACP and join the BSA and give them the same type of support we show every party on campus?" Brown asked.

Singing "We Shall Overcome," students marched to the Alumni Association's Board of Governors meeting to garner support for their petition.

The alumni would not sign it in the presence of the student protesters, but Black Student Alliance President Veronica Root remained confident that their concerns would be addressed.

"I know something is going to get done. We just need to keep them aware of what's going on," Root said.

Charlene Carter, a student at Howard University, writes for The District Chronicles. She may be contacted at [email protected]

Posted March 22, 2004