Multicultural obligation

Essentially, my friend described to me the phenomenon that most Princeton students have subconsciously accepted long ago; most students here lack the time or energy to engage in projects not beneficial to them. Despite that claim, I feel that my classmates are too smart to overlook current our cultural problems and overlook the possible benefits in improving race relations.

Call it naivete, but I have faith in the Princeton student. I've had too many deep, thought provoking discussion on politics, race, and identity to believe that students here are truly apathetic to the issues we face. I’ve seen it in groups like Sustained Dialogue and the Ellipses Slam Team, I’ve seen it in the powerful opinion articles of the 'Prince,' and I’ve seen it in the recognizable expression of those underrepresented minorities on this campus, minorities of both race and situation who may feel that they lack an impetus to discuss the issues which trouble them.

I want my peers to start addressing racial and cultural issues, because we are quickly becoming America’s next generation; the most culturally diverse generation America has seen.

As my dad too often reminds me, there are critical social issues facing the next generation of African-Americans, including a fatherless society, lack of educational aspiration and relations with whites and other minorities. But the last time I sat through one of my father’s dinner table diatribes, he switched up his usual routine to admit, “Your generation is going to have serious problems, but there’s nothing that me or my generation can do about it. We’re on our way out,” he said, with surprising detachment. “So it’s all on you guys.”

That night, I realized the enormous weight of America’s future that had always been looming over the shoulders of our generation. But contrary to my father’s claims, the burden of reaching racial harmony is not just for blacks; it is shared by Latinos, by Asians, by whites, by both minorities and majorities and by us all as we continue to define what it might mean to be American in the 21st century.

Supporting those brave enough to point out the social problems we are living amongst, regardless of how controversial or uncomfortable they may seem, is a major first step. With initiatives like the debates on the hookup culture, and “Love and Lust in the Bubble,” Princeton has created plenty of encouraging outlets for our sexually frustrated student body. But what about those who are racially or culturally frustrated? That type of discussion remains stigmatized as politically incorrect, displeasing to the ear. But we cannot pretend the current racial status quo is fine, and wait for some sort of media-covered tragedy to remind us that it is not.

Here, and at many of the nation’s universities, there is such an impressive concentration of capable individuals. But how can we be considered future leaders if we are unable to address the elephants in the room? I believe that we must engage the social ailments which silently plague us, rather than pretend they don't exist. Why should America suffer the symptoms of racial and social disarray, yet avoid diagnosis? The same goes for this campus.

Leading universities like Princeton proudly describe the diversity of their student body. Princeton’s student-led affinity groups are encouraging, but their insular natures prevent issues from being addressed outside of the meeting room. This is both detrimental to the group, who cannot receive input or support from those nonaffiliated, and for the non-included student body, who remains ignorant to perspective and motives of the group in question.

As informed American citizens of the 21st century, it is no longer acceptable to be racially or socially ignorant. We are the world’s melting pot and we’re melting and mixing quicker than ever. There have been too many moments when I have heard a friend admit that they know nothing about black people, where a person attempts a culturally insensitive joke aimed at Asians, when a discussion will fall to the question of the existence of a Latino community on campus or when even I find myself completely separate spatially and ideologically from the majority of the whites on campus.

In the past week, two students have written op-eds about their very different experiences fitting in as Princetonians of Latino heritage. That’s great. These two articles alone demonstrate the complexity of cultural background. I’m calling for more open consideration of topics like this, both in writing and in consciousness. Be aware of identity and don’t be afraid to voice your frustrations or confusions. We should not be intimidated nor discouraged from writing about issues that exist within and amongst our cultural groups. The best way to combat these persistent problems is for, us, the future generation, to confront them before they confront us. “Post-racial” should not mean that we avoid discussion of racial issues, but instead that we should be actively intolerant of continued racial mishandlings.

Let us be engaging, let us be progressive.

Kovey Coles is a Wilson School major from Bremo Bluff, Va. He can be reached at kcoles@princeton.edu.