Campus News 2003-2004 Academic Year

A Day of Solidarity, Teaching and Learning

March 10, 2004

Rallies and sit-ins were organized at Pitzer College and across the Claremont Colleges on Wednesday, March 10, in response to a hate crime that occurred on March 9. A Claremont McKenna College faculty member's car was vandalized in a parking lot at 6th and Amherst Avenues. The tires were slashed, the windows broken, and racist, sexist and anti-Semitic slogans were spray-painted on her car.

Students, staff and faculty gathered at the Office of Black Student Affairs and later on the mounds at Pitzer College to denounce the vicious act and call for unity in the face of such an attack on the College community.

Following are excerpts from many of the speeches given by students, staff and faculty at the rally at the Office of Black Student Affairs.

"This is not the first attack. This is not the first hate crime. These are not isolated incidents. We must come together to prevent these sorts of things from happening on our campuses."

"The administration of the colleges is to be credited for institutional recognition that this has disrupted our lives."

"This is not what I signed up for. I hope this is not what you signed up for."

"When one part of the family is hurt, the entire family is hurt. It is hoped that we can overcome such hatred and fear."

"What has to be addressed here is the culture of privilege that allows for incidents of hate."

"When you have done the work of integrating, lived an interracial life and immersed yourself in other cultures -- then you can claim the work of fighting racism has just begun."
Connie Rice of the NAACP in a speech delivered March 10

The following remarks were made at a rally at Pitzer College.

"These events are tragic, disturbing and unacceptable. They have created a climate of fear in people and made us less secure in our community. The hate crime that occurred last night deeply affects our mission and personal safety. The vicious, hateful crime was designed to destroy the heart of our community, but as long as I am president of this college I will not let it happen. As one faculty member reminded me, we are the conscience of the Claremont Colleges consortium. I believe we are the leader. People who commit these kinds of acts will not succeed in their aim."
Pitzer College President Laura Skandera Trombley

"When I saw the car last night I experienced two emotions: deep agony and anger. It is a kind of terrorism that reminds us of the conditions that many people have to live under. We must find ways to continue to challenge people on racism."
Pitzer Student Senate President Filiberto Nolasco Gomez

Pitzer Professor Dipa Basu spoke on institutional racism and people's acquiescence to such racism rather than taking a stand.

"We must recognize that we are a community in order to love and assert the validity of the other. We must cement our associations with each other, give love to everyone in this community and hope for strength and tolerance."
Pitzer Professor Al Wachtel

"At Pitzer we need to seriously examine white privilege and power differences. Furthermore, the campus has lagged in its hiring of faculty of color and the recruitment of minority students."
Pitzer Professor Maria Soldatenko

"It is important to recognize that this wasn't an art project that occurred in that parking lot. And these were not random symbols. They have a tradition dating back centuries if not millennia. Those symbols argue that you don't belong here. I will fight for a vision of education that rejects those symbols."
Pitzer Dean of Faculty Alan Jones

"Brothers and sisters, we live in a climate where incidents need to be taken seriously. If we do not take them seriously then we are headed for deeper problems in race relations."
Pitzer Professor Jose Calderon