PJP brief referendum highlights need for solidarity among minority groups on campus
While pleased with the results of the USG's referendum regarding Princeton Justice Project's (PJP) amicus brief, we were disappointed with the lack of support the issue received from minority student groups on campus. We had thought that these groups, having historically advocated racially progressive policies and practices, would have recognized the parallel effort pursued by PJP to confront an issue of obvious discrimination and injustice. It seems that these groups would more readily understand the interconnectedness of racism, classism, sexism and homophobia.
Yet, to presume this solidarity may be an unfair expectation. It implies that minority student groups have the responsibility to engage in any and all progressive movements on campus, despite moral and religious differences within their own communities that prevent consensus on polemical issues such as gay marriage. This tension is further complicated by the fact that these communities are in no way mutually exclusive, as there are substantial numbers of students who claim multiple identities. In an effort to represent their membership and its concerns, do ethnic student groups not have a responsibility to those members that also identify as LGBT? By the same token, would the LGBT community then not also have a responsibility to its members who face racial and ethnic discrimination?
Given the fact that racial minorities and LGBT students face discrimination, we find it necessary for these student groups to not only address the crossover between race and sexual orientation with their membership, but also to define the political and coalitional intentions of the organization. We hope that this letter can start a dialogue between leaders of the ethnic student groups and the LGBT community concerning potential collaboration on future progressive initiatives. Juan José González '06 Former President, Chicano Caucus Former LGBT Peer Educator Sara Holloway '06 Director of Pa'delante Committee PJP Project Coordinator
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