By Lian Bunny
Photo Editor
What is offensive is determined by who is offended, not who is offending,” Robert Amico said.
In response to recent events such as the Charleston, South Carolina, shooting, St. Bonaventure Residence Life sponsored a talk titled “Confederate Flag: Hate or History” on Wednesday evening. More than 100 students, faculty and staff attended the conversation.
The event was part of the university’s #RaceMatters series to address racial issues.
The discussion featured a panel of professors who addressed the issue and answered questions. The group included theology professors Amico and Christopher Stanley, along with Christopher Mackowski, a journalism and mass communication professor and Christopher Dalton, a history professor.
At the beginning of the event, Nichole Gonzalez, executive director of residential living, said, “Our goal is not to talk at you. We’re hoping we will give some brief introductions and that you will begin asking questions or offering your own thoughts. The main thing is to model a respectful environment.”
On June 17, 2015, a shooter killed nine people in Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. The gunman, Dylann Roof, later admitted the shooting was meant to start a race war.
A debate arose from this incident. Some opposed South Carolina’s state capital for displaying the Confederate flag. About three weeks later, the flag came down.
Others argued the Confederate flag represents Southern pride and tradition, not necessarily racism.
Mackowski said there are always different points of view to be considered.
“Some Confederate veterans say the flag is (theirs), and (they) determine what it means,” Mackowski said. “People aren’t seeing the same thing.”
However, Dalton said he has conflicting points of view on the flag. He grew up in the South, and later moved north. Some of his relatives still tote around the Confederate flag.
While Dalton said he agreed the flag should not be displayed at government buildings, he added, “How about our own American flag? Just as much slavery and oppression existed under that flag.”
Robby Russell, a senior psychology major, had a different question in mind.
“In my opinion, I don’t think the symbol is the large issue here,” Russell said. “People can pick any symbol they want and use it as a symbol of hate. I think the important issue is, how do we attack the hate? If we as a country say we can’t fly the flag, it’s not going to get rid of the hate.”
Amico said Americans need to feel the responsibility to right past wrongs. He said Germans have given more than $66 billion to the Jews and Israel as of 2008 as reparations for World War II.
“(Germans) have really tried in a heartfelt way to atone for outrageous sins,” Amico said. “And I don’t think that we Americans have ever really atoned for what we have done. Those of us who are white have been benefiting for all these hundreds of years because of it.”
Malaika Worsham, a sophomore sports studies major, suggested people just stop and listen.
“I feel like it starts with the minority voices,” Worsham said. “We are speaking so much, but if your ears aren’t open then nothing gets done. Open your ears. There are so many subtle things that happen on this campus, and unless you’re a person of color, you don’t even notice.”
Amico also brought up the lack of diversity. According to Amico, there are no African American professors at Bonaventure. He said the university uses the “old boys” network, meaning since Bonaventure has mainly white male professors, they recommend other white male professors.
“Is it because we’re bad people? No,” Amico said. “It’s not meant as malicious or mean, but that’s the way we do it.”
Towards the end of the talk, Sister Margaret Carney, O.S.F, university president, brought up another racial issue at Bonaventure.
“There is another form of racist symbol that’s creeping up on this campus that we don’t talk about,” she said. “The original mascot of our basketball team was a brown Indian, and people loved that mascot. We gave up the symbol, but it’s creeping back.”
Sister Margaret said students need to be sensitive to the issue of race. She said students should discourage others from partaking in activities such as coming to basketball games dressed as an Indian in war paint.
At the end of the talk, Mackowski reflected on his trip to Charleston after the shooting.
“I wish you (all) could have seen everyone in front of that church that think there’s got to be something better, just like you,” Mackowski said. “There is right here. There is something better, and it starts with you.”
bunnyla13@bonaventure.edu
