Black history is Amercian history

This letter is in response to the ignorant young man who seemed to be confused about the definition of affirmative action. First of all, affirmative action was designed to give minorities equal opportunities that they were previously denied. Why should whites participate in this program that attempts to correct the damage done by racist practices?

Whites in this country have never had any rights taken away from them, and have always been able to enjoy the wealth of this country. This has not been true for minorities.

I felt really good about what Laquetta Shepard did. She showed that blacks can protest without acting uncivilized, unlike the members of the KKK. I would also like to respond to Britt’s comment about how black people call each other “niggas.” We have turned the N-word into a term of endearment, just like people of other races have done.

I’m sure everyone noticed the word redneck written on the front of the Herald ( Sept. 17). Considering I’m not the same race as Mr. Britt, I bet he would not be happy if I called him a redneck, but probably would not be offended if one of his “brothers” said it to him.

Although 99.9 percent of Britt’s comments were ignorant, he did manage to make one good point. Blacks will never forget about slavery and neither will he, because it is part of our history. American history.

Angela Galbreath

Mayfield junior

Stop bashing SGA

First of all, let me start off by saying that I’m a congress member in SGA. The College Heights Herald editorial board had an article in the Sept. 24 issue about how SGA doesn’t know where the money is going and that we need to be held accountable. First of all, we know where our money is going. It’s going for the benefits of our student body. Yes, some money that was already set aside for a gazebo was temporarily missing. This money had no effect on the student body whatsoever.

Secondly, we have a spending budget of over $85,000 that just sits here over the year with no place for it to go. If organizations came up and asked for it and displayed a need, then we would give it to them. You have to understand that this money is only for the fiscal year, and if it’s not spent, then it doesn’t roll over to the next year. So the best possible way to spend it was to buy something with it – therefore, buying computers.

I don’t see anyone from the Herald’s editorial board attending SGA meetings. Instead of throwing your opinions out in the paper and bashing people, you need to start showing up to the meetings and start voicing your opinions. Until you do that, then everything you whine about in the paper will fall on deaf ears.

Calling Jamie Sears a puppet, hmm, well you exact people were the ones who voted that puppet in. So I guess if you don’t like the way the show is run, then put your name on the ballot and see if you can do a better job.

Scott Jaggers

Smiths Grove junior

Activists haven’t gone far enough

When I first read Mr. Britt’s letter (“African-American Activists have gone too far” Sept. 17), I was concerned, but felt he had the right to his opinion. When I read the responses to his letter, (Sept. 21 and 24) I felt pride. But when I read Zak Cummins’ letter, ‘Britt was right,’ (Sept. 26), I felt the need to speak out.

Apparently, Mr. Cummins is not experienced in the minority life. By saying that “White Americans are compelled to ‘tread on eggshells’ lest [they] offend a minority’s sensibilities” is nothing compared to the straighter line of the law that non-European Americans must walk.

‘Driving while black,’ or since the terrorist attacks, ‘Flying while of Middle Eastern descent,’ is a crime that some minorities get mistreated for everyday. And when crimes are actually committed, minorities often face harsher punishments than whites that commit the same transgressions.

Looking deeper into the arguments raised by Mr. Cummins, I would like to say that you are correct. There is a department on campus that deals with minority problems. And to go further with that, whites are minorities in certain situations as well as others. Oh, and one more thing under that issue – affirmative action works for all races and sexes.

Also for those who do not know, black pride is not synonymous with hate, and neither is the NAACP. There is nothing wrong with black pride or white pride.

These terms only become damaging once the word ‘pride’ is removed with ‘power.’

One last argument I would like to touch on is that of celebrating our history. It is your history as well. African-Americans have contributed in more ways than a million in the development of this country. Every TRUE American should be knowledgeable of contributions by whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, etc.

And as for Mr. Britt, yes, African-American activists have gone far, but obviously not far enough.

Gambia Flemister

Louisville senior