2008 Woodie Awards
Students Work to Erase Hate, Embrace Tolerance
Kelly Hill
Issue date: 2/10/06 Section: News
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Black History Month on the Hendrix College campus kicked off this past week with Multicultural Development Committee's annual Erase Hate/Embrace Tolerance Week. A week filled with speakers, discussion, entertainment, and student panels, the week culminates tonight with the performance of "Step Afrika!," a company that promotes understanding and tolerance through its presentation of the step dance traditions of African Americans and Africans.
"This week is great because it provides a forum for issues of race, tolerance, and inequities to be discussed," senior and Multicultural Development Committee chair Cara Boyd said. "Although every day should be about peace, this allocates a specific week to actively participate in bringing peace."
"Events like these are important because they bring to light issues that people might not otherwise consider," sophomore Megan Wooley said.
While most students seem to be excited about Erase Hate/Embrace Tolerance Week, others are concerned about the lack of diversity within the events.
"While I found the programs listed interesting, the week overall was slightly exclusive and didn't cater to near enough audiences," sophomore Caitlin Conn said. "Perhaps that time and space could have been used for more inclusive, non-repetitive programs instead."
Boyd, however, said that other programming requirements either fell through or were inaccessible during the week, and that the events were chosen and approved by a committee consisting of representatives from each hall and class.
"It was not my intention to make [the week] exclusive to any group," Boyd said. "The events may appear catered towards one group, but it just happened like that."
The Erase Hate/Embrace Tolerance Week kicked off Monday, Feb. 6, with a lunch with Joseph Sebarenzi, the former head of the Rwanda Parliament, where he discussed his experiences with the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which caused him to lose his parents, seven siblings, and many other relatives, and the importance of forgiveness.
"This week is great because it provides a forum for issues of race, tolerance, and inequities to be discussed," senior and Multicultural Development Committee chair Cara Boyd said. "Although every day should be about peace, this allocates a specific week to actively participate in bringing peace."
"Events like these are important because they bring to light issues that people might not otherwise consider," sophomore Megan Wooley said.
While most students seem to be excited about Erase Hate/Embrace Tolerance Week, others are concerned about the lack of diversity within the events.
"While I found the programs listed interesting, the week overall was slightly exclusive and didn't cater to near enough audiences," sophomore Caitlin Conn said. "Perhaps that time and space could have been used for more inclusive, non-repetitive programs instead."
Boyd, however, said that other programming requirements either fell through or were inaccessible during the week, and that the events were chosen and approved by a committee consisting of representatives from each hall and class.
"It was not my intention to make [the week] exclusive to any group," Boyd said. "The events may appear catered towards one group, but it just happened like that."
The Erase Hate/Embrace Tolerance Week kicked off Monday, Feb. 6, with a lunch with Joseph Sebarenzi, the former head of the Rwanda Parliament, where he discussed his experiences with the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which caused him to lose his parents, seven siblings, and many other relatives, and the importance of forgiveness.