Tilting at Windmills

Lost in the hubbub of a rapidly concluding semester was an international day of remembrance just yesterday that EMU was remiss in not observing. Thankfully, others in the world did not commit the same error.

Almost fifty years ago on March 21, 1960, in South Africa, police killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid. In recognition of this horrible event, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the 21st of March to be the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. One would hope that after these many years we would have won the fight against persistent demonstration. Numerous events in the world tell us otherwise.

Three couples in Sint-Nikklas, Belgium recently refused to be married by town alderman Wouter Van Bellingen. Adopted at birth from Rwanda, Van Bellingen has spent his entire life in Belgium. He is just like any other Belgian with the exception that his skin is a darker hue than most other Belgians. The three couples in question wanted an all-white wedding.

Seizing on this grievous demand from these three couples, nearly 700 Belgian couples gathered in Sint-Nikklas yesterday evening amid rain and cold to wed or renew their vows in a mass ceremony presided over by Van Bellingen. The symbolic ceremony was a joyous statement against an increasingly xenophobic Europe and world.

The United States is, sadly, far from innocent in the continuation of racism within its borders and in the world. While ethnic cleansing persists in Darfur and Israel continues its apartheid-esque policies against Palestinians, the United States has remained largely ineffectual in resolving either of these conflicts. Instead, the United States has devoted itself to mounting a war of occupation in Iraq under the pretext of Iraqi liberation. In the Iraq War and larger "War on Terror," the United States has engaged in blatant racism ranging from prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay to the prosecution of Kurdish refugees in Harrisonburg in 2006 for sending money to their families in Iraq.

EMU played a key role in sharing the story of the Kurdish refugees to the larger community through a student documentary and other forms of witness. It is in the same vein that we must not shy from continuing to bring witness to injustice in the world. Though an unexpected snowstorm kept many people in the EMU community from attending last weekend's peace vigil in Washington D.C., the efforts of the organizers and the presence of those Mennonites who were able to attend must not be minimized. President Bush, as he is often apt to do during protest weekends, was out of town. Coverage of the weekend's events in the media was muted and long since forgotten in the minds of many. Yet, four years after the start of the Iraq War, people still gathered to offer a vision of peace. EMU should be proud that alumni and community members were part of that witness.

Our university's strength is in its perspective on the world, and we must not be quiet in sharing that perspective. I must disagree with Kara Deavers' letter to the editor last week in which she said that she "is not paying the professors for their opinions" during classes at EMU. Though I can quickly think of multiple professors that I have disagreed with in the past four years, I have attended EMU precisely because of the perspectives that professors at EMU bring to the education they provide. While the need to remain respectful in discourse is present both in and out of the classroom, the need for honest and exacting commentary on the world is even more important.

While studying in Washington, D.C., I had the privilege of working with a non-profit organization that espoused Don Quixote as its inspirational figure. Though the famous literary creation of Miguel de Cervantes is best known for his eccentricity, the satiric Don Quixote perseveres through adversity while maintaining his idealism. The organization took meaning from this story that I believe our community can share. Though we fight against seemingly unbeatable odds for idealistic truths, we must persevere, knowing that we can affect the world, albeit in small or large fashion. And like the nearly 700 couples celebrating matrimony in Belgium in the face of racism, we must not forget to share laughter and joy in the midst of conflict.