Friday, September 17, 1999
Tutu praises path to equality at UK
South African archbishop promotes discussion
BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEXINGTON — South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu came to the University of Kentucky on Thursday to celebrate the school's recognition of a racist past, and its commitment to a diverse future.
Archbishop Tutu, who fought apartheid in South Africa with Nelson Mandela, praised UK's efforts while pointing out there is still work to be done — not only in Kentucky, but worldwide.
“You are honest,” Archbishop Tutu said. “It is not easy to look at oneself honestly and say, "I've got good things but also bad things.'”
In 1948, when Lyman T. Johnson applied to UK, it was a white college. Mr. Johnson, denied admission based on his race, sued. On March 30, 1949, Mr. Johnson and the NAACP won their case, and Mr. Johnson became the first African-American student on campus.
“Before Lyman T. Johnson — the "before' — the University of Kentucky was a racist, exclusive, segregated institution,” Archbishop Tutu said. “It was part and parcel of the immoral, unbiblical system of racism.
“The University of Ken tucky now has the "after,' the gorgeous institution,” he continued. “It recognizes that there is an incredible worth in diversity.”
Fifty years later, UK is pledging remembrance, reconciliation and renewal.
Before Mr. Johnson filed his suit, African-Americans were on UK's campus, but only as janitors, food service workers and landscapers.
The 1904 Day Law had prohibited the teaching of blacks and whites in the same Kentucky school. Targeted at Berea College, the only integrated school in the state, the Day Law set a fine of $1,000 for any violator, plus a $100-a-day fine for each day the violation continued.
The law was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1908.
Though the addition of black students to graduate and undergraduate enrollment went smoothly, the case was not the same for UK athletics. President Charles T. Wethington said it took too long to bring equality to the school's sports teams.
“It's important to celebrate the people who helped make this possible,” Dr. Wethington said. “And I pledge to do all I can to improve the racial harmony on campus.”
Of UK's 24,000 students, 7 percent are black. Three percent of students are international and less than 1 percent are of other races.
Archbishop Tutu's visit was billed as the highlight of the university's commemoration of its integration. The event was also a jumping-off point. The archbishop spent the day on campus, meeting and talking with students, and encouraging them to push for change.
“There really will be a discussion from here on out,” said Jimmy Glenn, student government president. “This says that the university realizes the impact of diversity on the campus.”
The school's dedication to open dialogue will reinforce the positive changes that Mr. Glenn said are taking place. The first black student body president said many students told him they voted for him because he was the best candidate, not because of his race.
“That was the whole meaning of the civil rights movement,” Mr. Glenn said.
Yet true healing, Archbishop Tutu said, cannot come until the oppressed and the oppressors have a chance to tell their stories.
“Racism was bad in the past. Racism is bad today, and it will be bad tomorrow,” Archbishop Tutu said.
“We have to be honest. There is a pain that sits like a lump in the pit of the tummy of those who are the descendants of slaves,” he said. “I think you would benefit if you didn't imagine what the other person feels but let them speak in a free way.”
That's what South Africa did to start healing the country's racial wounds. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, led by Archbishop Tutu, let people on both sides of apartheid tell their stories.
“In Africa, we believe you can't be human in isolation,” Archbishop Tutu said. “I am me because you are you.”
Young people, Archbishop Tutu told students, are the ones who can start making shared humanity a reality.
South African student Meshack Afithile, who is studying for a doctorate in plant biology, said he wants UK to educate students about their peers on campus, and to communicate the school's plans and goals to everyone.
A cultural diversity festival would be one way UK could foster more interaction, said music education sophomore Amaree Kravetz.
“I grew up in Japan, where it is a totally different culture,” Miss Kravetz said. “I'm sure if I grew up in a black neighborhood that would be another experience. These different cultures make us who we are.”
Archbishop Tutu said the world needs to tap into these dreams and thoughts.
“I take my hat off to young people,” Archbishop Tutu said. “We often come down on them because a few of them go wrong. We don't often acknowledge that many of them dream of a different kind of world.”
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