In March, I went to a dance exhibition at Boston College. Many of the ethnic clubs or societies took part. I was blown away by the pride these young people took in their heritage. There were Phillipino dancers, Hawaiian dancers, as well as Japanese, Chinese and every hispanic nation on this planet. I was so proud that my son attended such a culturally diverse university. I learned a lot that day. My daughter, who attends UW Madison, said that her school was pretty white bread compared to BC. She will be a junior and has only one class in two years with a African American. Who has the better education?
go Jesuits!
Don’t know the intent of the white bread comment, does it mean bland, boring, and unexciting? I’ve heard the term before and it was intended as a slur.
While getting to know, as friends, people of different backgrounds can be illuminating and rewarding, I don’t see it as helpful, or harmful, to getting a good education. It should not effect one’s education in any way. Unless the student is studying dance I don’t see how those dance recitals can have an educational effect. Having people of different heritages in my class never had anything to do with how well I learned my readin’ ritin, or ritmetic.
These clubs are great for carrying on purely cultural traditions, music , food, dance, language and philosophy. Reading great works of literature from their ethnic heritage is nice.
Many ethnic clubs today push a we are better attitude, A we are victims attitude. They often promote segragation instead of unity.
I grew up in an ethnically diverse neighborhood in NYC The’re were many ethnic clubs and bars. They all did their own thing. But wherever the showed a flag of their homeland, they had a US flag in a position of equal or greater honor. These groups said we are Americans of X decent. They wore their finest old country garb on days like today Memorial Day, but marched as Americans.
Can you imagine a group of white people calling themselves THE RACE, which is the literal translation of La Raza. Hitler and his heinous henchman would be proud.
United We Stand, Divided We Fall. So keep dividing, you are responsible for the fallout.
Martin Luther King jr. was a true visionary, I trust he is dismayed by the division in our nation, when he fought so valiantly to bring about a colorblind society. And anyone who thinks he was only speaking of white’s and black’s may need to read up on the Man a bit more.
