OPINIONS
PAGE 10 // WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010
ditorial
ThP Pendulum seeks to inspire, entertain and inform the Elorj
nnSv CrDvSg a voice for students and faculty as well as a
unity Dy prov rneaningfut exchange of ideas.
When justice fails, liuman
spirit proves resilient
Startling blunders in the justice system reveal trust, hope and faith
In 1984, Elon student
Jennifer Thompson-Cannino
was raped in her Burlington
apartment. She made a
composite of the rapist,
and a busboy in the area
named Ronald Cotton was
soon named a suspect. His
alibi was flawed, and a line
up was presented before
Thompson-Cannino to resolve
the confusion. She picked
Cotton. Sentenced to two life
sentences, plus 54 years, it
took more than a decade for
DNA evidence to prove he was
an innocent man.
After being raped
following classes in Chicago
in 1994, Loretta Zillinger
helped Chicago police
incriminate a man In a
local meat market and label
him as her sexual assailant.
She testified, and he was
sentenced to 40 years in
prison. Four appeals and 14
years later, Dean Cage was
released.
It should pain the U.S.
community to think of the
justice we were expected
to grant American citizens
before we were capable of
utilizing DNA evidence.
Our history paints a bleak
portrait of fairness and
equality in the gray areas of
a criminal act. Though it is
now a common procedure
in justice cases all over the
country, there are innocent
people behind bars with no
way of getting freedom.
In present-day crime
investigations, it should be
protocol to exhaust every
possible option before
putting a suspect behind
bars. In the case of traumatic
events such as these cases,
mere physical resemblance
should not be the chief
identifying factor. That
sentiment is shared with
attorneys involved in the
Innocence Project. Since
its inception in 1992, the
organization has overturned
244 inmate convictions with
the use of DNA evidence.
CNN.com states witness
misidentifications are
responsible for over
three-foiirths of wrongful'
convictions. Over 70 percent
of those cases involve
minorities.
Crimes are committed.
Time passes. Emotions blur
memories. Mistakes are made.
But there are decades
and decades of mistakes.
Fathers miss the childhoods
of their children and wives
start to doubt the integrity
of the men they married.
Mistrust of the justice system
infiltrates the hearts of those
betrayed by its blunders.
Imagine the emotions that
develop and fester in the
mind and soul of an innocent
man behind bars. The loss
of life, the restlessness and
the truth lay hidden and
unproven in the core of his
being. Like many brought
to false testimony by way of
incredible pressure in the
interrogation process, one
begins to believe that their
fate is deserved.
And the victim has to
realize what was initially
stripped from her was ripped
from another by her own
testimony. Tgiat is^^riavVihg;'
incapacitating — to know
that you are responsible for
eradicating years of the life
of a fellow human. Despite
all this, some victims still
writhe with the knowledge
that their assailant continues
to go unpunished, unfound.
Both of the
aforementioned pairs
now identify as friends —
intimately involved in each
other’s lives and inextricably
bound by the most
distressing of circumstances.
What began as a violent,
cruel act soon transformed
into an unanticipated
progression toward
forgiveness. Against all
odds, these cases show that
reconciliation can emerge
from fissures of paiaand
anger and extend'pc\,St gender
and racial boundaries.
These stories are
true testaments to the
willingness of humans
to show compassion in
the most heart-wrenching
of situations. If there is
anything we can fearn from .
this, it Is that r^'dlutibn fs
always possible.
Letter to the Editor: Shades of acceptance
To the Editor,
On Wednesday nights, I turn the television on in my dorm
room to FOX in order to watch “Glee" instead of watching “106
and Park" or "The Game" on Black Entertainment Television. Any
day, I prefer to listen to alternative rock over rap or R&B. This is
a lifestyle 1 have chosen for myself, yet some African-.Americans
would label me as “acting white." Not a fan of Weezy's latest
rhythms or Jay-Z’s multi-million dollar enterprise, I chose to
decorate the walls of my room with poster of artists that many
African-Americans do not know' or are not fans of: Aiden, My
Chemical Romance and Green Day.
First discussed in the 1980s by Dr. John Ogbu and Dr.
Signithia Fordham of University of California at Berkeley, the
“burden of acting white" rests on black youth. In the study they
conducted, it was discovered that African-American students
with slightly higher GPAs than their fellow minorities are
shunned and accused of “acting white." Race is not a factor of
success and it should not be, yet being Caucasian is synonymous
with success. If an African-American were a modern day Steve
Urkel minus the thick eyeglasses in favor of horn rimmed glasses,
they would have fewer .African-American friends. African-
American that are considered to be “acting white” are also known
as “Oreos," a disparaging term meaning they are, like the Oreo
cookie, black on the outside and white on the inside.
Furthermore, these “Oreos" are judged if they live lifestyles
that are different that the "traditional” African-.'\merican
lifestyles portrayed on BET or in rap videos. If African-Americans
use standard English instead of the common vernacular of “fo-
shizzle" and do not sport Baby Phat or Apple Bottom Jeans, they
are thought to be “fake" African-Americans. A common trend
in educated African-Americans is to adapt their English to their
circumstances simply for approval from their counterparts.
If they are among other educated people that speak standard
English, the African-American will do the same. However, in
crowds of people that do not speak conventional English and let
their trousers droop, .African-Americans will use vernacular like
aks or an English major's worst nightmare — double negatives.
One must remain who they are, regardless of the situation they
find themselves in.
There are several successful African-Americans, who exhibit
model behavior for youth. Two of those celebrities are President
Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey. Both have been accused of
“acting white" by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and rapper 50 Cent
respectively. Rapper 50 Cent said TV superstar Winfrey is a’
“middle-aged white woman" because she refuses to encourage
hip-hop artists and will not have them appear on her show.
Incidences like that caused Obama to speak out against them in
his 2004 Democratic National Convention speech, in which he
said, “Parents have to teach that children can’t achieve unless
we eradicate the slander than says a black youth with a book is
acting white."
The practice of .African-Americans accusing other African-
Americans of “acting white" for the simple reason that they do
not listen to hip-hop or do not wear FUFBU or Phat Farm must
stop, because It is detrimental to the accused as well as to the
African-American community as an entity. If one person in the
community speaks out against the practice, them everyone else
will see the physical impacts of identifying black students who
wish to achieve their goals as “acting white" and bring about
change.
The .African-American community has been dealt several
bad cards over the course of history. That is not an excuse to
perpetuate discrimination within the community. If changes
are to be made, we must start on a smaller scale. Students must
become more open-minded to other lifestyles that may appear
“abnormal” or “deviant” than theirs. 50 Cent’s lashing out
episode epitomizes the rise of social stereotyping in the black
communities. If we wish to be respected and taken seriously
by others, must we not begin by respecting our peers in our
community? Furthermore, the term “Oreo" must not be used to
describe people. Oreos are delicious cookies manufactured by
Nabisco and I doubt that anyone would like to be compared to a
mere processed snack. If nothing is done, we will remain holding
each other back.
As students, we must work together to move forward instead
of staying in the present. Being labeled an “Oreo” limits one from
achieving their potential. It gets in the way of one’s personal
growth, because it does not allow one to experience new things.
The two sides of the cookie must collaborate in order to let “Oreo”
out of the package society has placed it in.
African-Americans should allow their peers to be more
individualistic and accept that not everyone will jump on the
bandwagon of sporting dorags or blasting T.l. Some will choose
that road, while others will pave their own roads, with different
tastes in music and clothing. African-Americans must realize that
bemg different doesn’t make one seem as if they were “acting
white." In fact, people embrace individuality. Choosing to wear
American Eagle or attending AFI or Seether concerts doesn’t
make a person any less of an African-American than another
African-American that prefers Apple Bottoms or rap music What
makes one person “black" and another an “Oreo?" Is it their
behavior and personality? Since when has being different been a
white thing? The terms “Oreos” and “Uh-Oh Oreos," referring to
a white person who exhibits African-American behavior, should
remain where they belong - on the shelves of supermarket aisles
or m television commercials.
Edith Veremu, Class of 2013
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