Racist Graffiti Has No Place Here

Like almost all of the faculty and students at the College, we find the racist graffiti which was recently discovered in Mather House reprehensible. We are disgusted and embarrassed that this graffiti was found at Harvard. We hope that whoever scratched the letters 'KKK' on an elevator door in Mather is apprehended and punished severely. We are also concerned because this graffiti is part of a trend in this house. Last year, racist messages were also found scrawled throughout Mather. We hope that this trend does not continue.

We do realize that it will be rather difficult for the Harvard police to find out who is responsible for these racist actions. The administration's response has been fairly mild, but beyond announcing outrage and sending a letter to all Mather residents, there is little more that the administration can do. Mandatory race-relations seminars or more preaching about the values of diversity might help to make some students more sensitive, but probably would not prevent sick individuals from writing offensive graffiti.

One of the main purposes of the Ku Klux Klan was to intimidate black people and force them to live in fear. The Klan's activities (i.e. cross burnings, lynchings) also provided diversions for racist whites. Fortunately, the Klan is not able to terrorize black people as much anymore, and thus, the racist graffiti in Mather House does not really frighten anyone. It will not undermine the current state of race relations at the College. Yet, this graffiti demonstrates that even Harvard students still take pleasure in cowardly and despicable acts. It demonstrates the enduring nature of racial hatred in our society.

This racist message is evidence that hateful attitudes can still thrive here. Although Harvard is often characterized as America's premier institution of higher learning, it is not immune from the anti-intellectual forces of prejudice and racism.