More on Diana

To the Editors of The Crimson:

The Harvard Foundation's sponsorship of Diana Ross appearance at Harvard is the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back Ms. Ross was honored with a certificate for her contribution to American culture. Diana Ross' accomplishments as an entertainer are beside the point in this issue.

The Harvard Foundation was instituted, in lies of a Third World Cultural Center, to promote race relations at Harvard University. The sponsorship of this Hollywood entertainer does nothing to promote race relations Ms. Ross did not speak on the subject of race relations in her craft. No one ever thought that she would do so. This is precisely the point Ms. Ross has appealed to audiences from a wide variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, her appeal, however, is not indicative of her ability to promote race relations. The fact is that Ms. Ross does not have a reputation or past history of addressing race relations. Bringing an entertainer, or anyone for that matter, to Harvard whose only claim to addressing the critical problem of race relations in the color of the skin, under the suspices of a foundation explicitly founded to promote race relations is a jest. More than a jest, it is an insult to the intelligence of all the students who wish to improve race relations at Harvard University and the community at large.

It seems clear that the pattern established by the Harvard Foundation is yet one more indication that Harvard University has little if any intention of actually promoting race relations and understanding among the increasing numbers of ethnically diverse students at Harvard University. Suran Gerdon '85