Staff
Student Online Newspaper, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana

   Another race-based scholarship is being offered, but this time it's not for racial minorities. College Republicans at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island are offering one for whites only.

   "Whites only" is a phrase Americans hoped they'd left behind in the '60s. But this scholarship is reminiscent, and what people are remembering aren't happy thoughts.

   From whites-only entrances to whites-only water fountains, labeling things whites-only is part of our past, a past that, for many, still really hurts.But the $250 scholarship, isn't meant to leave others out. It's in protest of affirmative action.

   This scholarship is clearly racist when taken out of context. In context, it's not much better. What the scholarship does do well, however, is raise some important questions.

   Are blacks-only, Hispanics-only or any race-based scholarships better than whites-only scholarships? What makes it socially acceptable to include some races and leave out others?

   Historically, minority groups have had a harder time succeeding in schools because of their races. Today, though, wealth, or lack of it, has more to do with how well people do in school. And in terms of sheer numbers, there are more poor white Americans than poor black Americans, although proportionately,there are more poor blacks.

   Factors such as grades and income have always been important and should continue to be. For some scholarships, race puts some students at an advantage. It's time schools and scholarship sponsors stop focusing on race and begin to focus on economic background.

   Not only is race not the primary factor that holds some back and pushes others forward, race isn't as clear-cut as it used to be. The definitions are changing. When people are asked what race they are, many respond with an explanation of their family tree, not the one-word response applications require.

   Race-based scholarships and university admission criteria build the very walls universities are trying to break down, putting people of a certain race at an advantage.

   Applicants for the all-white scholarships must write an essay on why they are proud of their white heritage. They must also send in a picture to "confirm whiteness." This scholarship doesn't help anyone except the one person who pockets $250. It doesn't help black people who are excluded, and it doesn't help the white people who are drawing the community's ire.

   In the same way, scholarships that are only open to black people, Hispanics or other racial groups aren't helping anyone.

   It's time to realize that when offering students money, what's most important isn't what race the students are, it's how much money they already have.

Kim Jeong-ha,Reporter
jjjungha@yonsei.ac.kr

   "Ahusband and a wife holding, two babies in her arms, are in a place like a corral with a supervisor guarding them with a whip in his hands. In front of them, a curtain is hung down and people are waiting for it to disclose." This is a slave auction scene that James Martin described. It was the very place where racial discrimination existed. Do you think it is just an old day thing? No, still racial discriminations exist in these days! For instance, you might have heard of the torture on Iraqi hostages and Israeli racial discriminations policy towards Palestine.

   Then, is racial discrimination an exception for Korea? Definitely not. According to the survey by National Human Rights Commission of Korea, 32.3% of the foreign laborers in Korea felt racial discrimination at their work places, especially harsher for people from poor countries and the color races. In the 20th century, all Koreans who went to the U.S. expecting American dreams have unfortunately experienced racial discrimination. Also, in 1992, the L.A. riot broke out by some colored people and Koreans became the targets of them. In spite of these facts, we are shamefully passing down the same things to other races.

   Why can not people cut the racial discrimination even if they know it is wrong? I think it is because there is already a social prejudice in our current society, like 'people from poor countries must be dirty and uneducated, whereas people from rich countries must be rich and well educated.' However this kind of biased perception goes wrong with the modern society , where not the race but their abilities identify them.

   Racial discrimination is directly connected with human rights. Discriminated by their races, people are deprived of their personal rights and utterly discouraged. There are side effects other than that, which have resulted by racial discrimination. For competent people, it obstructs the way of showing their abilities and waste valuable manpower.

   Then how are we, Koreans, dealing with the racial discrimination problem? Among many discriminations, racial discrimination is hardly paid attention to the Korean people. Why is that? We may not seem to have a concept about racial discrimination and regard it as a problem of a faraway country. With shallow knowledge on racial discrimination, the Korean government has just promoted the establishment of "discrimination prohibition law", which includes racial discrimination. We still have to consider many cases to make the law. Rather than relying on the law, there should be a change in the people's way of estimating their abilities; not by race, but by the working ability.