Dear Editor,

Mr. Jensen asked “why some people are so afraid” following the racist graffiti, emails sent to a professor, a white supremacist manifesto air dropped and a Nazi swastika drawn in the snow. Really? Mr. Jensen resembles me – a European American (white) middle aged man.  I fear that Mr. Jensen may be unaware of his privilege – the privilege to not be afraid of racist attacks. As an academic counselor working with low-income, first-generation college students at Syracuse University I am aware of the fear, anxiety and daily microaggressions that my students experience here at Syracuse.

Violence can happen in many ways – while it may not be as vulgar as dragging a human behind a truck (James Byrd) or choking a person to death (Eric Garner) or beating a man to death (Vincent Chin, Emmett Till) or shooting people in a church (Charleston church shooting) –racism is violence. What has been happening at Syracuse and across this country needs attention. In November of 2018 the Chronicle posted an article titled “Hate Crimes on Campuses Are Rising, New FBI Data Show.”  In 2019 the NY Post ran an article titled “US college campuses are becoming increasingly racist, report finds.”

“Besides violence, assault, and other traumatic events, African American and Latino males often experience more subtle and insidious forms of trauma. Their exposure to discrimination, racism, oppression, and poverty is pervasive. When experienced chronically, these events have a cumulative impact that can be fundamentally life-altering. Such traumas are directly related to chronic fear and anxiety, with serious long-term effects on health and other life outcomes for males of color”  (Healing the Hurt: Trauma-Informed Approaches to the Health of Boys and Young Men of Color, 2009).

I’m scared, I’m angry but I’m also not shying away from this fight. I stand firmly as an anti-racist and an ally to the many marginalized communities in this world. We must accept that white supremacy exists at the personal, cultural and structural (systemic) spheres and we must do what we can to reshape these spheres to make them accessible, inclusive and diverse. If you don’t understand the fundamental connection of racism to a fear of violence I think you’ve not been paying attention.

Sincerely,

Christopher Weiss

Syracuse, New York

SU Alum ’84 & ‘93

Published on December 4, 2019 at 10:52 pm