Classics, clowns and comedies Northwest Film Center features the works of Pierre Etaix Arts & culture page 6
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Portland State University THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013 | vol. 67 no. 50
Tim Wise tackles racism questions Students take a shot at campus gun ban Empty Holster Protest aims to ignite debate Vincent Alexander Vanguard staff
So what do these lenses look like? For the black community and other marginalized groups, Wise described how the desire to have a national conversation is very much alive. However, their lens is often shaped by the fear that their experiences with racism will be marginalized by those communities who have less face time with the issue. On the opposite side of the coin, Wise described how the white community’s attitude is often that it’s better not to discuss the matter “for fear of looking stupid.” The irony, Wise continued, is that we’re worse off not taking the risk
Portland State, like all but a handful of public universities in the U.S., bans the possession of concealed handguns on university grounds. But, this week, some students will try to change that. As part of a national Students for Concealed Campus protest, a handful of students plan to wear empty holsters to classes and around campus. For them, said Ziv Steinfeld, a part-time psychology student and the organizer of the event at PSU, it is a matter of simply starting “one good discussion.” Concealed carry, which allows handgun owners with special permits to discretely arm themselves in public, is legal in Oregon and 48 other states (Illinois is the exception). The only public spaces exempt from these laws are government buildings, universities and private businesses that opt out. Concealed carry advocates think that is unfair. Steinfeld expressed fears about campus safety, both as a national issue and a PSU-specific problem. Citing reports of sexual assaults and muggings late at night, he believes that guns can serve as a deterrent to crime. Despite some concern that
See tim wise on page 4
See guns on page 4
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Tim wise lectures on the dominant white community’s “narrative of privilege” Wednesday evening.
Anti-racism lecturer speaks as part of Cesar Chavez Week events Jesse Sawyer Vanguard staff
How can activism against racism in America today be best directed? Tim Wise, an anti-racism lecturer, writer and educator shared his experience, knowledge and opinions on the issue at Portland State on Wednesday night. The solution, Wise told the audience at the Peter W. Stott Center gymnasium, lies in ourselves. Our responsibility, he continued,
rests in our individual efforts to become aware of experiences with racism that are not our own. “We inhabit one world, but in some ways we experience many different ones,” Wise said. This is a critical aspect in the current struggle to combat racism in our country—in order for us to transcend the issue, we have to allow ourselves to consider lenses that are different from ours, he said. Wise was quick to dismiss the rhetoric of “we’ve overcome racism in America now that we’ve elected Obama.” This is just a symptom, he explained, of how the problem of racism
persists not solely on the grounds of racism itself but is also perpetuated by the day-to-day experiences that different communities have with it. For blacks, Latinos and other marginalized communities, racism can be a daily issue, while for the white community it appears that the matter has largely been waning since the 1960s. Understanding the disparity between these views, to Wise, is perhaps the most important part of how we as a country can honestly and meaningfully overcome the problem. “If we don’t understand our lenses and how they are forged, we’re going to have a difficult time dealing with the issue.”
La Casa Latina hosts first Cesar Chavez Week Workshop and birthday party commemorate labor leader and civil rights activist Ashley Rask Vanguard staff
This week, students had the opportunity to celebrate labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez during a series of events. The week kicked off with a workshop on Chavez titled “His Life, His Work” and an afternoon celebrating his birthday. Portland State’s first Cesar Chavez Week was put on by La Casa Latina and other student groups in order to reach out to the Latino community and student body, and to educate students about social justice issues and Chavez’s legacy.
Just dessert: Behold the Cesar Chavez cake, baked for his birthday celebration April 9.
“This is the first time we’ve ever done anything like this, so La Casa Latina and a lot of different students came together and…decided to put on a Cesar Chavez Week,” said Emanuel Magana, program coordinator for La Casa Latina. The first event, a workshop on the life and work of Chavez hosted by professor Roberto De Anda from the Chicano/Latino Studies Program, was sponsored by the Associated Students of Portland State University’s Multicultural Affairs group. See Chavez on page 2
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