“In order to heal the wound, we first have to open it.” -Arlene Raven
 

For those who don’t know, the American Studies department is the newest department at Macalester in over 20 years. It merged the African-American Studies and Comparative North American Studies programs together, forming American Studies at Macalester. If you would like to learn more about American Studies, please attend the American Studies open house on Nov. 17 at 4:30 p.m. in the American Studies office in Humanities 114. There will be some food for the American Studies welcoming event so please attend the American Studies open house. Did I mention it was about American Studies?

That’s the plug I promised, but you are not going to read a Quietly by me without some form of radical message within it… I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. Allow me to take you on a short trip of the history of Ethnic Studies at Macalester. If you check the American Studies web site, there is a short history on its formation. Here is a quote from the web site I wish to highlight: “In fall 1994, student government held a referendum calling for an Ethnic Studies program that would uphold the ‘third pillar’ of multiculturalism. A vast majority of students supported the referendum.” An interesting point, wouldn’t you say? Allow me to elaborate further on the campus atmosphere at that time.

On Dec. 2, 1994, a rally and sit-in were held in the old Union basement. Staff, faculty and students arrived to listen to activists and student leaders as they promoted the formation of Ethnic Studies. This became a hot topic around campus where “interesting” opinions were voiced. Below is the first part of a pamphlet circulated by the Community Council and International Socialist Organization pamphlet concerning Ethnic Studies shortly after the voting: “Ever since the unsuccessful American Peoples of Color Program in the 1980s, there has been a growing sentiment on campus in favor of the establishment of an effective Ethnic Studies Program. Students came to Macalester which promised an emphasis on multiculturalism and an institution that promised to respect students’ voices. Now students are taking that promise seriously [by] speaking out. They are voicing a popular opinion as evidenced in the recent Community Council elections where 70 percent of students that voted were in favor of an Ethnic Studies Program.

“Last Fall, the Curriculum Committee, chaired by Professor Anna Meigs, recommended establishing an Ethnic Studies Program, only to see its recommendation narrowly rejected by the faculty on the grounds that any such program would lead to a ‘ghettoization’ of students and faculty. Not only was no information provided to back up this claim but it seems logical to us that if ghettoization is a legitimate fear, it is something that could be consciously avoided in the development of an Ethnic Studies Program.

“Multiculturalism is something more than the physical presence of students of color. It should offer a curriculum that consciously tries to study the history, literature, sociology, etc. of American peoples of color. Having a designated program (not ‘topics’ courses which attempt to cover the entire history of a people and their culture in one semester), legitimizes the need for such classes in the eyes of both students and faculty. Additionally, such a program would relieve the burden of cultural organizations in educating the rest of the student body.”

There are tons of concepts from this pamphlet printed about 10 years ago that I could elaborate on for pages and pages and pages, but I will allow you to take what you want from it… for now. What I will highlight is the fact that Macalester has suffered from a lack of academic diversity for quite some time. Now with the American Studies department, the future is finally illuminated. I encourage all to take a course within the field (yes, beyond that domestic diversity topics course) as I guarantee it will change your view of “American” society.