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SEPT 12,2003 WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM Anti-racism intitiative continues Ernie Gilbert Staff Writer Young and old, black and white, student and teacher all gathered Sept. 1 to wage the war against racism. The first meeting of the Anti-racism Forum set the tone for Guilford's commitment to community. "Anti-racism is not an issue about color. It affects everyone. Our goal here over time is to elimi nate institutional and indi vidual racism," said Guilford College's president, Kent Chabotar. From the start, racism has been an inher ent problem in this country. Beginning in the 1970s and continuing today, Guilford has promised to make anti racism a priority. During the early '9os, the idea of the Partnership Project was conceived. It was Tutu uids in recunciliation project Continued from page 1 about it in class Pryor is a member of the GTCRP National Advisory Committee, which is based on a South African model and is the first proj ect of its kind in the U.S. The project "hope[s] that it will provide opportunities for the entire city to heal and to come to a clear understanding of the events of Nov. 3 and their aftermath." GTCRP initiators believe that it might "open new possibili ties for Greensboro to become a better, more just, and compassionate city." designed to help gain a better understanding of racism and form ways to eradicate it. This fall, an anti-racism initiative was launched to examine and evaluate systematic racism, and to dismantle institutionalized racism at the college. Systematic racism is defined as racial inequalities that are exhib ited and transmitted throughout culture and society. According to stu dents who attended the first Forum meeting, the night was a success. "This meeting really opened my eyes to the problems fac ing us," said one partici pant, Jacob Boy. "I under stand that racism affects everyone and really needs to be dealt with." The meeting began with each member of the Anti-racism Board sharing their thoughts and opin The project con sists of electing seven peo ple of integrity to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. These people will have 15 months to examine documents regarding Nov. 3, invite people to come forth and share information, and take other appropriate meas ures. Their discoveries will be the basis for a 6- to 12-month-long community dialogue that hopefully will engage the public and help dispel the division, confu sion, and negative feelings that surround the event. NEWS ions. Students then raised their own concerns about racism and asked the members of the panel to address them. The meeting concluded with small groups branching off to dis cuss more personal issues. So how can you be involved? One group will be traveling with Chabotar to Chicago for some hands -on anti-racism training. Others have formed a Bias Incident group to respond to acts of racism on cam pus. The group is headed by Chabotar and consists of students, faculty, and staff. On Sept. 22, Gayle Fripp and Claude Barnes will speak on anti-racism work. It is in the best inter ests of the Guilford com munity to come together on this issue. As African Affairs leader Santes Beatty said, "The founders of this college, in spirit, The Greensboro Massacre took place on an overcast Saturday. The Communist Workers Party gathered for a march to protest the Ku Klux Klan and to gain support for an upcoming labor confer ence. A caravan of Klan members and American Nazis arrived and fired at the protestors, killing five people and wounding 10 others. There were three trials. At the first state trial, six Klan members were indicted for murder. An all white jury found them inno cent. The public was out jlpml First-years receive anti-racism training from the Anti-racism Team support our work." Upcoming Events: Sept. 22, "History of Racism and Resistance in Guilford County," present ed by Gayle Fripp, a coun ty historian, and Claude Barnes, professor of politi cal science at N.C. A & T University. raged and a federal crimi nal trial was requested. At the federal trial, the defen dants were again found innocent. Finally, at a federal civil trial, two Nazis, five members of the Klan, and two police officers were found guilty for conspiracy to commit assault and bat tery. Questions, as well as mistrust of the police force and other institutions, still linger in Greensboro. Controversy sur rounds the GTCRP. Greensboro's current mayor, Keith Holiday, opposes it. GREENSBORO, NC Laura Blythe-Goodman Oct. 20, "Racism in Higher Education," pre sented by Guilford College faculty. Nov. 3, "History of Racism and Resistance at Guilford College," pre sented by the history committee of the Anti racism Team. "We are doing everything in our power to show a good image to the outside world," said Holiday. He says he does n't know how to talk about the incident without "pulling up some pretty negative, bad images." Other people think the project is doomed because the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has no legal authority. Pryor said of the project, "as you know from your classes at Guilford, once you start talking about the truth, it's like opening a huge can of worms." PAGE 2
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