WP: Racial Doubts At Va. College Homecoming: Controversy Simmers Over Non-Black Queen

[LaxBuddy21]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101504227.html

"HAMPTON, Va. -- Nikole Churchill, a tall, thin woman with long, dark hair, was named homecoming queen at historically black Hampton University last week. The next day, she appeared with her court at the football game against Howard University, another historically black school. All this would be unremarkable except that Churchill is the first homecoming queen at Hampton who is not black. That apparently did not sit well with a handful of people at the game, who heckled the senior nursing major.

This bit of unpleasantness, along with similar comments online, might have passed unnoticed except for what Churchill did next. She posted a public letter to President Obama on a Web site asking him to visit the campus and help with her predicament.

"I feel as though you could relate to my situation," wrote Churchill, 22, who grew up in Hawaii and performed a hula as her beauty pageant talent. "I am hoping that perhaps you would be able to make an appearance to my campus, Hampton University, so that my fellow Hamptonians can stop focusing so much on the color of my skin and doubting my abilities to represent" the school.

Obama hasn't responded, but the school, established in 1868 to educate freed slaves, has become embroiled in a discussion about race, the role of historically black colleges and alternatives to mainstream definitions of beauty.

Even those who had supported Churchill when she was crowned were angered and confused by her letter to Obama. Student body President Matthew Washington, 20, said he wishes she had let him know about her concerns before writing the president.

"There are always color issues: The light-skin/dark-skin thing. The long-hair/short-hair issue. But to issue a blanket statement like that?" said Washington, a senior economics major from Los Angeles. "It just really put the university in a negative light.""

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Thoughts? I find the hipocrisy in this nation overwhelming on so many issues.

[Prosperity]

I hope Obama writes her back. And hopefully the ignorant people who heckled her will learn from their mistakes and become better people.

[Corcaigh]

You Americans are an intriguing lot.

Beauty pageants at a university. And people want the outcome of this livestock show to be taken seriously too.

[Rdskn4Lyf21]

I'm writing Obama too. I was called a cracker the other day.

[LaxBuddy21]

You Americans are an intriguing lot.

Beauty pageants at a university. And people want the outcome of this livestock show to be taken seriously too.

I agree with you that beauty pageants in general are ridiculous. Im more concerned with the racial undertones from a group of people who constantly think they are being discriminated against. They think that because black people have historically been more discriminated against that this girl has little to no right to feel the way she does? Discrimination and racial hate is wrong no matter who it is against.

[sjinhan]

Although I think it was in her right to have written that open letter to Obama...

I do see the position of the student leaders on campus who expressed their disappointment that she did not reach out to them beforehand...

I think having a more student body response from the campus based students would be lot more effective than bringing in an outsider even if it was Obama.

[SnyderShrugged]

racism will go away when we start treating all people as individuals and stop assigning them to groups.

[Corcaigh]

I agree with you that beauty pageants in general are ridiculous. Im more concerned with the racial undertones from a group of people who constantly think they are being discriminated against. They think that because black people have historically been more discriminated against that this girl has little to no right to feel the way she does? Discrimination and racial hate is wrong no matter who it is against.

So she gets a few jeers at a football game and via an internet site, and this merits a contact to the POTUS, rather than working with the local student leadership?

She's more interested in personal publicity than actually confronting and addressing the problem. I'm sure she'll do great on the cable news circuit and be a heroine of the far-right message boards.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

Pretty sad conduct there by those that heckled her. Although, she is pretty butt.

Seriously, I hope Obama writes her back too or makes some sort of statement. She shouldn't have to deal with that crap.

[Burgold]

I think that there is something kinda cool about the fact that this campus population was colorblind enough to vote her in as Queen. Mind you, I don't really know how someone gets to be homecoming queen, but I aways assumed it was a popularity thing.

So, good for the majority and boo on that small group of booing idiots.

[SkinInsite]

If you are a victim of racism, write to Obama he'll fix everything.

[twa]

Although I think it was in her right to have written that open letter to Obama...

I do see the position of the student leaders on campus who expressed their disappointment that she did not reach out to them beforehand...

I think having a more student body response from the campus based students would be lot more effective than bringing in an outsider even if it was Obama.

Why reach out to the students?

They didn't elect her Bur:silly:

from the article

That night, Facebook and Twitter were abuzz with the news. Some said she represented a step forward for the school. Several questioned why students don't vote for the homecoming queen. Others argued that Churchill didn't represent a typical Hampton student, not just because of her race but also because she doesn't attend classes on the main campus.

"She doesn't have the same experiences as we have," said Arianna Griffin, 18, a sophomore political science major from Seattle. "She didn't get a big brother or big sister her freshman year. . . . She doesn't live in the dorms."

"There were a lot of people who asked, 'What message are you sending by picking her?' " McCoy said. "There are different reasons I think people decide to attend [historically black colleges and universities]. They know who goes here. They thought that was the playing field."

[Midnight Judges]

I went to the drive thru of McDonalds the other day and they forgot to give me my fries.

"Dear President Obama,

I know you have a lot to worry about right now, such as healthcare legislation, nuclear proliferation, and two wars, but I think you can relate to my problem. I went to McDonalds the other day and they forgot to give me my fries. :mad: I think you should make a trip out here (I live in Arizona) and ask for McDonalds to give me some fries, and throw in a frosty too. I realize we have a population of 300 million people, but clearly my situation is so incredibly important that you should drop everything and come down here to handle this for me, as this issue is clearly insurmountable.

Thanks, see ya soon

-MJ

PS: tell Biden to get his ass down here too. "

[Burgold]

Ah well, I stand corrected. Bummer.

[sjinhan]

Why reach out to the students?

They didn't elect her Bur:silly:

from the article

That night, Facebook and Twitter were abuzz with the news. Some said she represented a step forward for the school. Several questioned why students don't vote for the homecoming queen. Others argued that Churchill didn't represent a typical Hampton student, not just because of her race but also because she doesn't attend classes on the main campus.

"She doesn't have the same experiences as we have," said Arianna Griffin, 18, a sophomore political science major from Seattle. "She didn't get a big brother or big sister her freshman year. . . . She doesn't live in the dorms."

"There were a lot of people who asked, 'What message are you sending by picking her?' " McCoy said. "There are different reasons I think people decide to attend [historically black colleges and universities]. They know who goes here. They thought that was the playing field."

well its a discussion that you would like to think that the student leadership could have handled on campus... you can't throw the entire student body under the bus without hearing from them despite the opinions from the "selected" students...

[LaxBuddy21]

So she gets a few jeers at a football game and via an internet site, and this merits a contact to the POTUS, rather than working with the local student leadership?

She's more interested in personal publicity than actually confronting and addressing the problem. I'm sure she'll do great on the cable news circuit and be a heroine of the far-right message boards.

If you feel the problem is the students then why would you feel talking to student leaders would do anything? I agree POTUS might have been a little far but she already knows he is dealing with his own race issues and might have some compassion for her situation. He may be able to understand and help her better than most. I would have gone to local community leaders before the POTUS though. I wouldnt have gone to student leaders in that situation.

[Thiebear]

At no point in a Racial Descrimination complaint to you assign blame to the person that "wrote" someone else. It's hard enough to get people to report things without pointing such petty fault to the alleged victim in the process.

[LaxBuddy21]

I think that there is something kinda cool about the fact that this campus population was colorblind enough to vote her in as Queen. Mind you, I don't really know how someone gets to be homecoming queen, but I aways assumed it was a popularity thing.

So, good for the majority and boo on that small group of booing idiots.

I think its election by committee not popular vote from the student body. They have judges that score each aspect of the competition and the highest score wins like a regular beauty pageant. I mean I went to a school where our homecoming king was a girl. No one heckled her for that. The students supported her. This situation is just ridiculous and is a case of racism. Having schools like this where the majority of students are black is a breeding ground for dislike towards the white community. It creates and us against them mentality. I understand supporting one another but when you spend all your time with one race (this goes for whites too) you become sheltered and do not learn how to forge bonds. I learned so much going to as diverse of a school as I did that I never learned in my sheltered community at home. I am a much more open minded person because of it.

[LaxBuddy21]

At no point in a Racial Descrimination complaint to you assign blame to the person that "wrote" someone else. It's hard enough to get people to report things without pointing such petty fault to the alleged victim in the process.

I hear what you are saying definitely but at the same time its like having a problem in your office and going straight to the president of your company. Your direct supervisor would much prefer to handle it than bring negative attention down from the president of the company. At a job, you could get fired for circumventing the chain of command like that. In this situation though, I dont think the student leaders or the school would have been much help. Attention needed to be drawn to the situation from the outside if any change is to be made.

[Corcaigh]

If you feel the problem is the students then why would you feel talking to student leaders would do anything?

So some black students booing her means all black students, including the leadership, hate her. That's quite a leap my friend.

[LaxBuddy21]

So some black students booing her means all black students, including the leadership, hate her. That's quite a leap my friend.

If you feel the problem is a racially charged issue from students at that school, why in the world would you feel that you could go to the student leaders? If it was a black student at a majority white school and people were treating her like that, I would not expect her to feel comfortable going to white student leaders either. Its not much of a leap at all.

[Thiebear]

I hear what you are saying definitely but at the same time its like having a problem in your office and going straight to the president of your company. Your direct supervisor would much prefer to handle it than bring negative attention down from the president of the company. At a job, you could get fired for circumventing the chain of command like that. In this situation though, I dont think the student leaders or the school would have been much help. Attention needed to be drawn to the situation from the outside if any change is to be made.

You can't be fired per H.R. and the manager would get in trouble for attempting to do anything to the person. At least at a larger company for sure.

What would happen is: You continue the case as is.

Upon completion you put out a reminder memo for the entire campuss that Student Body, Teachers, Councilors and Principal staff are always available.

Without mention to the case itself.

[Prosperity]

So she gets a few jeers at a football game and via an internet site, and this merits a contact to the POTUS, rather than working with the local student leadership?

She's more interested in personal publicity than actually confronting and addressing the problem. I'm sure she'll do great on the cable news circuit and be a heroine of the far-right message boards.

yeah I think you are right about it when I look it that way

[Zguy28]

I went to the drive thru of McDonalds the other day and they forgot to give me my fries.

"Dear President Obama,

I know you have a lot to worry about right now, such as healthcare legislation, nuclear proliferation, and two wars, but I think you can relate to my problem. I went to McDonalds the other day and they forgot to give me my fries. :mad: I think you should make a trip out here (I live in Arizona) and ask for McDonalds to give me some fries, and throw in a frosty too. I realize we have a population of 300 million people, but clearly my situation is so incredibly important that you should drop everything and come down here to handle this for me, as this issue is clearly insurmountable.

Thanks, see ya soon

-MJ

PS: tell Biden to get his ass down here too. "

Dear MJ,

Frosty's are from Wendy's.

Thanks,

Mr. O.

[twa]

I think Obama oughta throw a kegger for all involved

Just to calm the waters:D