Speaker calls for racial awareness

Race issues have improved, but there's still room to go. \nThat was the message given as part of a lecture by Beverly Moran, a Vanderbilt University law and sociology professor who spoke on the topic Thursday night in the Indiana Memorial Union's Alumni Hall. \nTitled "Changes in the View of Race in America in the last 60 Years," the lecture was organized into two "stories," one of triumph and another of despair, in which Moran detailed ways that America has dealt with race relations in its recent history. \nShe specifically pointed to the elimination of segregation, changes in exclusionary immigration laws, and women's liberation and feminist movements as evidence of America's growth, and she praised the country for being more accepting of homosexuality. \n"In the days of my youth, a man could be killed and if the person who killed that man could just assert that the victim had suggested sexual relations ... that was enough to justify the murder," she said. \nShe also attempted to debunk recent reports that whites will become a minority group by 2050, stating current immigrants could be considered white in the future.\n"It's hard to realize this now, but when they first arrived here, Swedes were not white, nor were Jews, nor were the Irish," she said. "All these groups became white; they became socially white as they assimilated into the American culture." \nBut she said improvements still need to be made in other areas, particularly in America's desire to learn and speak new languages, which she said is a racially motived viewpoint, and the country's ability to recognize problems of racism and poverty.\n"Denial is a large part of American culture and it comes in all forms," she said.\nBut her intensity increased near the end of the speech, when she urged students to address issues sooner, rather than later. \n"Don't you dare let my generation put the task of solving racism on you," she said to the audience of about 50 people. "I will judge you and the world will judge you on what you do to end racism, now, today and forever." \nVanessa Prickel, a graduate student in the education certification program, said Moran's speech provided an insight needed in today's society.\n"I think it's a topic that should definitely be discussed, but is often so personal for people, such a personal experience, that they ignore it to avoid conflict," she said.\nOyibo Afoaku, director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, which helped sponsor the event, said the program highlighted important issues faced by minorities, including some she faces in her own life. \n"As a black woman, I do know every day that I'm a black woman in America," she said. "It's about interest, it's about human relations and how far we have gone today ... We have done well, we have made some progress in the last 60 years, as (Moran) said, but we still have room for improvement"