This past week, I had the opportunity to get my first real sense of how politics really works, particularly concerning Princeton's undergraduate student body.
In now USG presidential-electJosh Weinstein '09's to quest to gain the office, I decided to help my friend by acting as a liaison of sorts to the black community, partly because of his uncontested run for VP last year and also because many of my peers returned blank faces when I mentioned his name.
Things looked great, until I received an email directing me to an article on a blog called IvyGate regarding photos of Weinstein in black face paint, especially addressing a caption in which he says that he and friends portrayed prominent black historical figures.
I was shocked when I initially saw it, yet immediately expressed my support for him as a candidate and a person despite the egregious and insensitive nature of his actions as a freshman. While recognizing that his intent was not to perform blackface as understood in historical and racist terms, my desire to support him conflicted with a sense of betrayal that I felt, especially after I had endorsed him to individuals that I encountered throughout the week.
In my opinion, the fact that this did not become a campus issue until the publication of the story in Monday's edition of The Daily Princetonian upset me. Not only was the issue of blackface, intentional or not, destined to become something that would be looked over by the white majority of campus, but the dialogue would probably also have ended within the black community and in the open forum sponsored by the Black Student Union Saturday afternoon.
For those people who did see the article and brushed it off because of their personal relationships with Weinstein, I sensed that they did not understand the gravity of the issue. The fact that I, among several other people from minority backgrounds in America, am friends with him does not dismiss the fact that his actions were offensive. Many take offense to claims by whites that, "I can't possibly be racist. I have black friends." The issue for many today is not the overt racism practiced for a good portion of the 20th century and even today by hate groups across the nation. What remains a problem is an ignorance of the complete American history and experience, particularly how it pertains to black citizens past and present. While Weinstein's intent was not racist, his statements and actions were extremely insensitive.
Despite all of this, several people and I have started to educate him on the issue, as why painting his face black posed a problem and that, even though he may not have intended to offend, that would eventually be the case. As Weinstein addressed a portion of the black community in a townhouse-like forum Saturday afternoon (along with non-black supporters of his), he poured his soul out to the members of BSU, the Black Men's Awareness Group, Princeton Caribbean Connection and members of the Princeton chapter of the NAACP, among others. Along with showing true remorse that cannot be fully conveyed or taken from his statement in response to the IvyGate article, he also showed his commitment to the USG and his desire not to be seen as a public figure, but a representative of every member of the student body.
What struck me as interesting, in light of the BSU's endorsement of Weinstein, was their charging him with the job of continuing to address incidents of racial insensitivity. Though he is a representative of the student body and it is important for him to address these issues, the responsibility should not solely lie on him. The fact that a good portion of the student body was oblivious to, dismissive of or silent about the IvyGate article as the campaign entered its last throes, and also that some who did take notice could not see the big deal, is evidence that we as a student body have a long way to come.
Is it safe to say that issues like these will never become matters of concern for the polity at large? While each individual, Weinstein included, makes mistakes, trying to defend them by relying on intent only lets problems like these fester and continue unaddressed and uncontested. It is a shame that the Princeton community at large could not see Weinstein's true remorse at that Saturday session and will probably only rely on the statement he sent to IvyGate, because then those who did not attend will continue to live in ignorance and disregard for the other.
This is larger than a black issue. It is sad that many people here will not be able to live up to Princeton's unofficial motto, "In the Nation's Service, and in the Service of All Nations." The fact that so many here are unaware of what goes on even inside the "orange bubble" makes me rue the day when these individuals will be unleashed on the real world. Walter Griffin is a sophomore from Philadelphia, Pa. He can be reached at wkgriffi@princeton.edu.
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