Conference focuses on diversity

The Wilson School's Students and Alumni of Color (SAOC) group hosted a symposium this weekend that blended a discussion of the policy issues facing minority communities with networking opportunities for graduate students who want to pursue careers in public policy.

"The world of public policy still does not reflect the racial or ethnic makeup of the ever-changing face of this country," symposium co-chair Suman Sureshbabu GS said during opening ceremonies.

The event, which coincided with the Wilson's School's 75th anniversary and SAOC's 10th anniversary, featured several reminders that the School has not always been so racially inclusive.

In introductory remarks, Wilson School Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter '80 noted that the Wilson School was initially founded to produce "public-spirited gentlemen — white gentlemen," and praised the Wilson School's increase in diversity since that time.

"This is one of the weekends when I'm proudest to be dean," she said later.

Julius Coles GS '66, president of Africare, said at a symposium dinner that when he studied at the Wilson School, the student body included one woman, one African and one African-American. The rest were white men.

"What a change this institution has undergone," said Coles, who received SAOC's Edward P. Bullard Distinguished Alumnus Award for service to communities of color and Wilson School students.

But speakers also stressed the persistent inequality that has hampered minority communities.

"I think [this year's symposium] has a heightened intensity after Katrina," Slaughter said, referring to the poverty and racial segregation exposed by the hurricane in New Orleans earlier this year.

Keynote speaker Chris Owens GS '98, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Brooklyn's 11th Congressional District, stressed the role of government policy in achieving justice for minority communities.

The nation must pursue "equality, rather than equal opportunity" for persons of color, he said, adding that Wilson School graduates have a key role to play in achieving that goal.

"You are needed as leaders, not just as bureaucrats," he said.

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Owens cited the ongoing civil unrest in France and the U.S. government's response to Hurricane Katrina as examples of social injustice toward communities of color.

Opening speaker Edward Dugger III GS '73 emphasized the importance of personal relationships in helping people of color to thrive. He said symposium members have a "sacred trust" to honor, in emulating the mentors who helped them on their way to the Wilson School.

"We did not get to Princeton because we were uniquely smart, because we were uniquely pretty, or lucky," said Dugger, who manages venture funds with a commitment to socially responsible investing. "We got to Princeton because somebody loved us, someone sacrificed for us, somebody saw the future in us, and somebody gave us a break."

The SAOC symposia began as a way for students of color to meet mentors in the field of public policy. Though this year's symposium stressed policy discussions as well, organizers said they were mindful of the lack of minority individuals in policymaking positions.

"This event also allows current students of color to dialogue with alumni of color, in order to gain insight about their experiences while here at the Woodrow Wilson School, and their experiences within the working world," said SAOC logistics co-chair Byron Washington GS, in an email.