“Black People were invented in the 1700s as a form of cheap labor,” reads the second still of a recently published Black History “cartoon.” “In Honor of Black History Month We Give you Blacky Fun Whitey Staring Kunta Kornelius & Steppin,” the cartoon begins. Branded Columbia’s subversive paper, The Fed published this cartoon in its February magazine and distributed it in all campus mailboxes following a series of events targeted both implicitly and explicitly at marginalized student groups.

Just before Christmas break, the Columbia University Marching Band (CUMB) launched a no-holds barred attack toward blacks, homosexuals, Jews and women. Asking “Who needs ethnic studies?” with juxtaposing pictures of Michael Jackson as a (black) boy and a (not-so-black) man, the band succeeded in demonstrating the campus tendency to brand “humor” as offensive jokes almost exclusively at the expense of marginalized minorities.

Similarly, Feb. 6, the Columbia College Conservative Club (CCCC) held an Affirmative Action Bake Sale. A thinly veiled attack on black and brown students at the university, CCCC members sold donuts and cookies at higher prices to white and Jewish students and at lower prices for black, Hispanic, and female students.  

“The worst part of it all is that these people are offending and attacking me on my dime,” said first year Ayana Dion Labossiere. “It’s not enough that I have to deal with the CORE and class, but I have racist people using my money to offend me in my space.”

Second year Chris Johnson expressed a similar sentiment. “It makes no sense that the university takes no proactive steps,” Johnson said. “The same day the administration works on one issue, these student groups are working on something else.”

Numerous student leaders have gathered to work toward affecting change throughout the community. Recently, ad-hoc meetings have been called between university officials and selected student leaders. Students such as Labossiere express a fervent dissatisfaction with the administration’s responses to many of these meetings. Referencing the letter penned by Xue, Labossiere said, “The groups get off too easy. Apologies [if offered] should be public. The event was public, [they] printed racist statements in public, they should apologize [or measures taken discussed] in public too.”

While many of these meetings seem to yield no tangible change, students continue to search for ways to challenge effectively both the administration and the campus community to reach beyond ignorance and establish policies, curriculum, practices, and educational programming aimed at increasing understanding of both race and racism.

“It’s amazing, the amount of things you have to endure on campus as a person of color just trying to do your thing,” said senior Leilani Mabrey Jackson. “To get here you have to swallow so many bitter pills, and then while you’re here, you have to deal with ignorant racists disrespecting you in your own space while the university stands off to the side watching.”

While the immediate future of minority students at Columbia University is far from palpable, a few things have materialized. Black students refuse to be silenced by students, organizations or the administration. Black students have and continue to build coalitions with marginalized populations and progressive student group coalitions both on campus and off. Black students have and continue to need the support of family, friends — this includes alumni associations comprised of black and brown faces who share in our pains in working to combat these and any such possible events.

“Now, with the added power of hippity-hop beats and cool, island rhythms, they spread their message of ‘getting down’ across the nation. Black people do even more crazy crap, but don’t worry about it until next February … and ‘til then, Remember KILL WHITEY!” the cartoon concludes.  

Our fight, our continued struggle, has just begun.

DJ