| Forum
focuses on ignorance
Dalton Walker
Mesa Legend
Affirmative action has been implemented
in the United States since 1965 and yet 40 years later, the topic
is still a hot item on the agenda.
The Multi-Cultural Services, Black Student Union, along with Mesa
Public Schools, held an open forum on affirmative action inside
the MCC library, Feb 15. Over 80 people participated in the forum
from noon to 1:30 p.m., in collaboration with black history month.
Jo Ann Martinez, program advisor at Multi-Cultural Services thought
the forum brought focus to ignorance.
“It helped clear a lot of misunderstandings on what affirmative
action is, rather then jumping to conclusions,” Martinez said.
“Our point was not to change their (participants) perspective
but to help with other views and points.”
Kurtis Tyree, a history major at MCC thought that the open forum
helped spread insight to a topic that could be hard to comprehend
by non minority students.
“A misconception of culture was cleared up a little bit with
the discussion,” Tyree said. “The cultural turnout was
important because it included people that I believe needed to learn
more about the real possibilities and the potential of affirmative
action.”
Affirmative Action is defined in the Webster dictionary as “an
active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities
of members of minority groups and women.”
“It’s a beautiful thing, a sign of respect,” Tyree
said of the forum. “It was insightful; I enjoyed the room
for open dialogue and the opportunities to speak.” Tyree helps
with the NAACP at MCC, and said that he helps to hold events on
campus regarding black issues.
Nina Robinson, Director of Multi-Cultural Services agreed. “It
was positive to see students participate in a healthy discussion
on affirmative action,” Robinson said.
Robinson was satisfied with the attendance, but she thought there
could have been a lot more people.
“Participation was very good, but for one of the larger community
colleges in the country, it’s kind of sad,” Robinson
said. “We needed more students and instructors.”
Tyree was also frustrated with the participation but for a different
reason. He thought more of the students attending should have been
black.
“It’s a crisis not showing up,” Tyree said of
black students. “Maybe it’s an obstacle to participate
in a forum of affirmative action.”
The expectations according to Martinez were overall satisfactory.
She said the Multi-Cultural Services knew it was critical for a
diverse group of people.
“We weren’t shooting for minority versus majority,”
Martinez said. “We met our expectations with a good diverse
student background.”
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