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WWW.GUlLFORDIAN.COM
Staff Editorial
Bayard Rustin
receives long-
deserved recognition
In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his
famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
It was a pivotal moment in the civil rights
movement and one of the most important
events in American history. Behind it all,
organizing and running the march itself, was
activist, pacifist and Quaker Bayard Rustin.
Rustin was openly gay during a time
when the twin demons of homophobia and
racism haunted both the African American
civil rights movement and the LGBTQ
community's struggle for equality. This fact
often slowed but never stopped his pursuit
of peace and equality.
Thursday, March 17, marked the ninety-
ninth anniversary of Rustin's birth. Though
his struggle nears the century mark, fds
activism, non-violence, and compassion lives
on here at Guilford with the creation of the
Bayard Rustin Center for LGBTQA Activism,
Education and Reconciliation.
Formerly known as the Queer and Allied
Resource Center (QuARC), the Bayard Rustin
Center embodies the ideals and causes that he
dedicated his life to. The center was renamed
to encompass its diverse purposes and make
the space more accessible to those interested
in becoming involved in or informed about
civil rights activism.
Martha Lang, visiting assistant professor
for sociology and anthropology, was the
driving force behind the name change. The
center was rededicated in Bayard's name not
only as a symbol, but also to reinvigorate and
refocus the sense of activism in Guilford's
LGBTQ community.
For Rustin, the Civil Rights and LGBTQ
movements were deeply connected. The
renaming of the PRIDE office asks the
Guilford community to recognize the
interconnectedness of the struggles for peace,
civil rights, and environmental and social
justice.
No one is more deserving of the recognition
that the name change provides. Rustin's life
was dedicated to social justice causes, from
civil rights in the U.S. to anti-imperialism
abroad. His unswerving adherence to
pacifism, his upholding and progression
of nonviolent methods of protest, and his
dedication to seeing beyond the politics of
identity into the human heart of struggles for
equality all make him the ideal symbol for
the causes of Guilford College.
This is a small part of the renown that
Rustin deserves as a Quaker social justice
and peace activist. As a college community,
Guilfordians feel responsible for honoring
those that make notable contributions to the
world and to the Quaker community. Until
now, Rustin's legacy of activism has not been
celebrated as it should be. Guilford PRIDE
and Lang have taken a step in the right
direction with the creation of the Bayard
Rustin Center, and the reinvigoration of
community in the LGBTQ rights movement.
7 FORUM
Romney: the moderate pick for Republicans
By David Pferdekamper
Staff Writer
Early 2011 can only mean one thing: it's time to start thinking
about our next president.
Whether it makes sense or not, this is the time when talk about
presidential hopefuls starts up. Barrack Obama will be running
again, but Republican hopefuls have yet to put their name in the
hat.
That being said, it's not hard to figure out who will be competing
for the Republican nomination. Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Sarah
Palin, and Mike Huckabee are all expected to run, along with many
more.
But none of those names are the one I hope to see on the ballot
facing off against Obama next year. My favorite Republican presi
dential hopeful is former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney.
Romney also ran for the Republican nomination in 2008. Even
back then, he was the Republican with whom I found myself most
impressed. Even when I disagree with him, he has come across as
rational and reasonable.
Romney is also probably the most moderate of the contenders.
He takes a states' rights standpoint on a lot of issues, meaning that
rather than imposing his own views, Romney is moderate enough
to allow states to make their own decisions.
Romney comes across as a moderate most notably in his health
care reform in Massachusetts, which is similar to Obama's health
care overhaul. In addition to mandating that most citizens have
health insurance, the reform includes free insurance for those mak
ing less than 150 percent of the federal poverty level, and provides
partial subsidies for those making less tihan 300 percent of the FPL.
For a liberal like me, that paints Romney as a sympathetic mod
erate. For a Republican Party that is going further and further right,
though, that seems to be painting Romney as a liberal who is out
of touch with America.
There lies Romney's dilemma. Currently, he more or less seems
to be the frontrunner for the Republican Party. This frontrunner
status is threatened by the Far Right's perception of him. To handle
this, Romney has begim pandering to that end of the party, and
backing off of some of his more moderate stances.
This is a mistake. The Far Right will not be deciding the next
Republican presidential nominee; moderate conservatives will.
So many different potential candidates will be battling for the Far
Right, and they'll each only be able to win a fraction of it. This will
divide the Far Right, while moderate Republicans will remain a
more unified whole, giving winning support to the most appeal
ing candidate.
That candidate can make a good appeal as a nominee in the
general election. Romney should not be backing away from his
more moderate leanings, as they are exactly what can give him the
edge to beat Obama.
Right now he is the more moderate choice, and he has the added
bonus of being able to distance himself from the current House of
Representatives, which has been pursuing radical legislation with
no hope of making it through Senate or past Obama's veto. These
actions will cost the Republicans in the next election.
If Ronmey continues to pander to the radical wing of his party,
he risks becoming another Far Right candidate among many. If
Romney still manages to win the nomination, he will lose his main
appeal to moderate voters in the general election.
Romney needs to embrace his moderate leanings rather than
deny them. If he does this. I'll still probably be voting for Obama,
but I'll feel much more comfortable if Romney wins.
Dark side of Middleton’s fairy tale
By Chassidy Crump
Staff Writer
If you've walked through a check
out line in the past four months, you've
probably seen plenty of tabloids featuring
Kate Middleton, Prince William's bride-
to-be. Their marriage is obviously
relevant to people living in England
because she's going to be a princess. Yet
Americans are almost as fascinated as our
British counterparts.
"See Will and Kate As Comic Book
Characters!" "Will and Kate Tea Towels
Are A Go!" "Rumor Patrol! Which Royal
Wedding Stories Are True?" These are
just a few of the headlines that pop up
when searching "Will and Kate" on
People.com.
Since the official announcement of
Middleton's engagement to Prince
William, the media has propelled them
both to celebrity status, but particularly
the future princess.
Middleton took over the tabloids when
the engagement was first announced.
Her name continues to infiltrate the
Internet, magazines, and gossip shows as
people speculate on her past, the couple’s
relationship, her style, and her wedding
dress.
In fact, I just saw yet another "Will
and Kate" story on Yahoo! Shine, which
boasted "Fantasy wedding cakes for Will
and Kate."
If these U.S. media outlets, which are
seemingly catered to American women,
are taldng this much interest in the
"Sincetheofficialannouncement
of Middleton's engagement to
Prince William, the media has
propelled them both to celebrity
status, but particularly the
future princess."
wedding, it's obvious that a significant
portion of women in the U.S. are
interested.
Perhaps this is because Prince William
and Middleton's wedding is much more
modern than royal weddings of the past.
The wedding is a "21st-century affair,"
said Newsweek. Middleton and the
Prince met at college, she has a degree.
and the description of their relationship
seems to fit the prototype of what most
Americans would consider "normal."
All this makes Middleton relatable
to American women, while also living
out a life that seems enviable. With all
the Disney Princess movies we grew up
watching, it's not a shock that women
find the princess fantasy appealing. The
two most recent Disney movies are proof
that the princess tradition lives on.
Negative media portrayals of
Middleton do exist with scandals such
as with Life & Style's "Drunk in Public"
article which showed — not surprisingly
— pictures of the future princess drunk in
public, as proof of such.
One blog, however, writes that there is a
dark side to their relationship. According
to Celebitchy.com, Prince William cheats
on Middleton, and she has been told by
advisors to ignore the cheating.
Though the reliability of this source is
questionable, the blog does undermine
the idea that Middleton's life is a fairy
tale. Though she has the privilege of
being a future princess of England on top
of marrying a man whom she supposedly
loves, Middleton must deal with positive
and negative media attention, both of
which are intrusive whether they report
truthfully or not.
To the culture, media, and people in
the U.S., it seems as though Middleton is
living in a fairy tale. However, there is no
perfect situation. Even Middleton has to
deal with negative influences.