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It’s been a semester when Duke has likelihood of violence, should DOJ plan a been, to a great extent, experienced sting operation? Should it then apply “pretexonline, from the ordering of meals tual prosecutions” for even incidental violathrough Duke Dining, to the ordering of tions of the law? Or would such an approach books through the libraries, to workshops produce civil-liberties concerns? through Duke Creates (paint like Bob Ross!) The DOJ students planned actions: “Let’s to workouts through Duke Recreation reach out to Germany over election interfer(Zumba on your screen and in your home!). ence.” They appealed for deliberation within At semester’s end came a perfectly pitched their ranks: “Look over that document. It’s virtual performance, courtesy of the a capella fairly exculpatory.” And as new crises flared group Speak of the Devil. That was a virtually up—like the need to respond to a leak about staged “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” a DOJ activity in Indiana—they assessed the testimonial to hope, resilience, and the fact complexity of it all: “It really is a lose-lose, that good music really did emerge from the possibly half-win situation.” 1970s. The CEO of Valens, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, says he liked the shift from the typical crammed, “It really is a lose-lose, single-day simulation in physical space. With more time comes more possibly half-win complexity, but also the luxury to make better decisions. Students situation.” can hang out in the simulated world a bit longer, and they can get to know the characters, how they fit together, and how their actions affect the unfolding scenario. From One unusual twist on the virtual endeavor the other side of the equation, those shaping was a simulation sponsored by Duke’s Amer- the scenario have more time to keep introican Grand Strategy program and led by the ducing inputs—news stories, tweets, memos consulting firm Valens Global. The idea was from other teams. to get students immersed in big, intractable One takeaway, according to Gartenproblems contained in a scenario that, even stein-Ross, is that decisions have “second- back in early October, seemed within the and third-order consequences,” some of range of the probable: It is early 2021, and which “are far less positive than we might the U.S. has just emerged from a turbulent hope.” He also wants students to appreciate election. The contested result has produced how the actions of adversaries can throw a violence, some of it fueled by foreign actors. wrench into even the best-laid plans. “When One of the teams, the Department of Jus- I hear someone trying to sell a major policy tice, had a cast of characters—each of them proposal, and all they can see is an upside inhabited by a particular student—ranging with no downside, it’s obvious that they are from the assistant attorney general for na- selling an illusion.” tional security to the deputy director of the It was, above all else, a lesson about workFBI. Through a string of virtual get-togethers, ing in teams and across teams. At the start, the students, one of them Zooming in from the students were told that only an authentic Duke Kunshan, processed an onslaught of spirit of cooperative endeavor could manage information. This was meant to resemble an the maddening complexity. It would be a extended game of chess, with the players shared exercise of building, then, that metaneeding to be ever-adaptive. phorical bridge over troubled water. There was early word, for example, about —Robert J. Bliwise, editor white nationalists flocking to a small town in Indiana, where they were aiming to establish an exclusively white settlement. Given the

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DUKE MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2020

ISSUE 106 MAGAZINE

We can’t allow mayhem

After reading the piece by the editor [“Under the Gargoyles,” Summer 2020], I have to comment on one statement that was highlighted: “A lot of what we’re now talking about, like the impulse to send in troops against the protestors, was the wrong thing to do then, and it remains the wrong thing to do.”

Surely, when local police cannot control rioting, looting, and arson, it becomes necessary to get help from other agencies, like the FBI, Homeland Security, the National Guard, etc. Portland has seen riots every night for over two months. Peaceful protestors do not come out in the middle of the night and try to burn down buildings or break into stores to steal. Even Jesse Jackson condemned the recent rioting/looting in Chicago, which occurred after the police shot someone who was shooting at them. Unfortunately, many of those who live in our cities cannot protect themselves (or their businesses). They have been hurt the most by the mayhem. Neal Marrano M.D. ’88 Athens, Georgia

It’s not all racism

The relevance today of the 1968 Kerner Report (e.g., failures of predominantly white political leadership, questionable police actions) is apparent, but in drawing conclusions, shouldn’t the blame for the current state of affairs be shared a little? Granted, it took me too many years after graduating from a then all-white Duke before I understood that I benefited from what is now called “white privilege,” but now that constant reminders of our nation’s systemic racism are growing wearisome. I don’t think racism is totally responsible for the plight of minority victims. Some of it falls on the victims themselves.

Groups of any color are better off when their men marry the women they have babies with and stay around to raise them, when they avoid drugs, stay out of trouble, and prefer a paycheck to a handout, and when they realize that “acting white” by studying, say, is not a bad thing. A lot of what is characterized as white racism is just negative reaction to this behavior. Whites admire the achievements of ordinary and extraordinary Black citizens, but they have trouble ignoring the ones making the news or otherwise affecting their lives in a negative way.

The point is that while slavery and subsequent discrimination were and are terribly wrong, minority victims who abuse benefits or whose protests result in looting, vandalism, or injuries exacerbate the problem. Much has been accomplished, but changing attitudes is a gradual process. Engaging in criminal activity—and especially acts of violence—to call attention to victimhood imperils the

SUMMER 2020

progress that has been made.

Charles Philip Clutts ’61

Duke Built. Record speed. xxx I and others get it, the

Harrisburg,

North Carolina

Where do we go from here?

At some point, years after graduating, I realized I had been asking more from Duke than any college could have been expected to give at that time, now forty-eight years ago. The Duke described in the Summer 2020 issue is the one which I had hoped to find. I am glad to see that it has finally arrived. I read every article with interest and delight—and hope. It appears that Duke has reached the point of acting on a realization that college— like life—is an interdisciplinary exercise. Although a student might be more interested in computer science than dance or art, both of those teach the mind to be flexible in order to see that scientific problem from a different perspective.

It also appears that Duke is recognizing that this particular moment is about breaking old restrictions on many different levels. And that includes revisiting things such as the Kerner Report that should have broken some of those restrictions decades ago, but did not, and asking, why not? In that context, the question is not what makes the Black Lives Matter movement necessary; we already know the answer to that, even if we do not want to admit it.

DUKE MAGAZINE WINTER 2020 | Vol. 106 | No. 3 | www.DUKEMAGAZINE.duke.edu

EDITOR: Robert J. Bliwise A.M. ’88 MANAGING EDITOR: Adrienne Johnson Martin SENIOR WRITER: Scott Huler STAFF WRITER: Corbie Hill CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Christina Holder M.Div. ’13 STAFF ASSISTANT: Delecia Hatcher PUBLISHER: Sterly L. Wilder ’83, senior associate vice president, engagement and development ART DIRECTOR: Lacey Chylack, phase5creative, inc. PRINTER: Progress Printing OFFICERS, DUKE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: Mychal Harrison ’01, president, Sterly L. Wilder ’83, secretary-treasurer DUKE MAGAZINE Box 90572, Durham, N.C. 27708 PHONE: (919) 684-5114 FAX: (919) 681-1659 E-MAIL: dukemag@duke.edu ADDRESS CHANGES: Alumni Records, Box 90581, Durham, N.C. 27708 or bluedevil@duke.edu • © 2020 Duke University, Published five times a year by the Duke Alumni Association.

However, one very real and pertinent second paragraph of the Declaration question is how do we bring about of Independence, regardless of what equality when we know that a large you may think the writers intended. segment of the population has no What do these experiences teach you? interest in seeing that happen, and no What visions do they create? What hesitation to use violence to pre- opportunities and paths can you perserve the status quo? To answer that haps now see to which you previously question, we need to apply academic were blind? fields—history, science, economics, I was told those forty-eight years psychology, the social sciences, law, ago that a main purpose of college was coordinated way we have never done equality looks like; eat a feast honorto broaden the student’s hori“What opportunities zons and vision. Duke appears to be on the proper course acand paths can you perhaps tually to achieve that, in addinow see to which you tion to helping to broaden the horizons and visions of people previously were blind?” beyond its campus. Kudos. medicine, technology, ethics—in a Green Valley, Arizona before. And to do that, we need A reminder the type of flexibility and creativity University archivist Valerie Gillispie’s found in dance and art to instill new article [“A more complicated love,” perspectives, so that we can bring to Summer 2020] discussing the history life solutions to problems that have, in of racial discrimination at Duke both the past and the present, seemed brings to mind a Duke assembly in unsolvable. 1961 welcoming freshman men (all

This moment is also full of poten- white) into the Class of 1965. This astial. Duke, as an institution, and its sembly was hosted by assistant dean of varied members, as individuals, may Trinity College Barney Lee Jones, who or may not have fully grasped the told all that Duke University wanted importance of that potential, or the to integrate, but would not at this fact that it can go in several different time, “because the federal government directions. was telling them to do so.”

The one thing that seems to be Dean Jones was also a minister and lacking, or at least not yet described, was my professor in a freshman reliis to throw everything that is being gion class. His papers are in the Duke done together to create a cauldron of University Archives. experience like nothing before. Dance Richard A. Norton ’65 through an exhibit on what racial Brooklyn, New York Kathryn Lynn ’72 ing all immigrants, from all times and A separate place all places, in front of an array of pic- I was a graduate student at Duke in tures of feasts and famines—not only 1972, and I remember being taken of food—and express the role they on a tour of the old hospital building played in immigration and what that by my Black classmate—yes, just might mean for the future of human- one—who had worked there some ity; make art about plagues, past and years before. He pointed out a very present, and their victims and heroes large men’s room with two separate and what we did or did not learn; doors on the first floor of the hospital. express through whatever model you Of course, it had been two separate wish your personal reactions to the facilities, one Black, one white, that had been combined only a few years before. I could almost make out the signs Black and White, which had been wood-stained over.

Thanks for bringing back some memories. Joel Wolarsky M.H.A. ’74 Delray Beach, Florida

A few suggestions

As a Duke alumna and longtime Durham resident, I applaud Duke’s latest efforts to address racism throughout the university and to strive for an anti-racist environment. I particularly applaud the work that the athletics department is doing.

If Duke wants to fully promote anti-racism, it must look at the impact of its actions in the larger Durham and North Carolina community—and perhaps beyond that. For example, the university should consider: • Why has Duke (both the university and health system) been known for generations as “The Plantation” by Black people in Durham? • How do decisions like large layoffs disproportionately affect Black people? • How do research practices in Black communities affect the community and individuals (both locally and globally)? • What would the impact of the light-rail system that the community had planned for years have been on low-income, mostly Black and Latinx communities? How did

Duke’s dismantling of those plans and ending the opportunity it afforded affect those neighborhoods,

Duke staff, and Duke patients?

My hope is that at some point I can be proud of Duke’s progress toward anti-racism. Susan Guptill B.S.N. ’75 Durham

At whose expense?

After reading about all the amazing things that Duke grads, students,

and faculty do in the Summer 2020 Duke Magazine—life-saving scientific research; cutting-edge artistic endeavors that include issues around nuclear warfare; diligent work as a helpful neighbor to a marginalized, vulnerable coastal community—it was a bit jarring, to say the least, to see a page dedicated to a Dukie whose calling in life seems to be to help wealthy women get wealthier [Forever Duke mini: Lauren Hasson ’04].

I understand the disparity between male and female wages and the pressing need to advocate for fair wages for women, but given the amounts of money mentioned, and whom I imagine to be her clientele, this just seems to be part of the increasing economic disparities in our country. I would have found it praiseworthy, noteworthy for Duke Magazine, and a valuable gift to the world if she were working with single mothers making $25,000 a year, or women working in not-forprofits, service industries, and social services making $40,000 a year. In such settings, women often face both gender-based wage disparities and the inability to provide basics for their families.

While attempting to right gender-based wrongs, her work appears to contribute enthusiastically to the iniquities and inequities of systemic, entrenched capitalism in our country: The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. She seems to be participating in the maintenance and, in fact, the strengthening, of the status quo of corporate America—only the names of the VPs in upper-management meetings might sound different than before. Lorraine Mangione ’76 Keene, New Hampshire

Lauren Hasson responds: Income inequality is a complex technical and emotional issue without a one-size-fits-all solution. I created the Develop[Her] programs based on my own experience. I initially targeted technology professionals because that is an area where I felt immediately qualified to contribute because I am a woman in tech. Today, many of my clients are women struggling professionally and financially, some removed from the workforce for many years. They are incredibly hard-working and resourceful, and I’m proud to help them gain the confidence and tangible skills that change the trajectories of their careers, improving their lives and the lives of their families and colleagues. Since launching Develop[Her], I’ve partnered across the education and socioeconomic spectra, such as with two-year and four-year colleges and universities to empower students to seek valuable employment opportunities and fair compensation before they ever enter the workforce. I’ve also partnered with programs that prepare underprivileged students and underrepresented young professionals for careers in technology. Opportunities like these can drastically improve the financial well-being of every person they reach. If I inspired others to give back and improve any aspect of the lives of others, then I hope that is viewed as a good thing. Duke taught me to come off the sidelines and get in the game. I’m proud of my efforts and the work that I’ve done to help professionals, students, the underprivileged, and the underrepresented seek new opportunities with fair and equitable compensation. I acknowledge that there are many other programs worthy of recognition and encourage everyone involved to support a range of initiatives addressing different challenges. Helping others achieve fair compensation and financial well-being will accrue to everyone’s benefit. At the end of the day, we should all strive to be effective teachers and lead our students to take action that makes the world a better place. Our assessments and criticisms of the actions of others should adhere to words attributed to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: “I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability.”

Duke can help end conflict

Beyond COVID and elections, much attention is now being paid to issues of racism. As a former trustee of a very prestigious children’s hospital in an inner city, I witnessed the tragedies of so many Black children being subject to expanded drug use, guns, and violence as well as the discrimination in their job opportunities, education, and housing. I wrote letters to mayors, unanswered, that one helpful solution is to create new, substantial business enterprises in those zones. Better education would then follow along, partially employer-assisted. So many Blacks have recently advanced and have assimilated, like my father, born abroad of a poor family and coming to America to learn how to advance. But certainly so many young Black Americans are missing out on that

That is still the last tough mile, and I beg the university to take seriously teaching full courses in “conflict resolution. ”

dream.

I recently wrote my third novel, Sopris, ironically just prior to this past summer’s city violence. The subject was about ways to resolve conflict without resorting to violent behavior. That is still the last tough mile, and I beg the university to take seriously teaching full courses in “conflict resolution.” Conflict is part of our natural state, between two people, two groups, two nations. It is unending. It is Hollywood’s main entertainment value. Duke can be instrumental in

recognizing the nature and causes of civil rights movement exploded. As a in the U.S., we pretend that we conflict, not to eliminate it, but to Northeasterner plunked down in the don’t have class boundaries, but we resolve it without violence. Please! South for the first time in my life, I do. I remember being shocked when Roger Colley ’60 learned a lot about America. a friend got a new outfit with the Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania I shared a house with a Harvard credit card her dad had given her, “for grad who organized a singing group emergencies”—“It’s my emergency Thanks for the laugh that sang at university events as well outfit,” she calmly announced. And In reading this article [“Let’s Dance,” as at the Washington Duke Inn for learning about the educational system Summer 2020], I was stopped by this business groups. One night, he noted in private schools was a revelation to paragraph: “He sees our current mo- that Duke had no song poking fun me. I wasn’t poor, but come from a ment as a mess: Neoliberal capitalism at itself—as Dartmouth had in its large family. My dad was a mixed-race has begun collapsing, the immigrant, who’d been climate is in crisis; we’re all a refugee as a child. My at each other’s throats. But mom’s family was also that raises a dance question. large and not terribly ‘How should we move?’ ” prosperous. She used to

I read this aloud to my tell me her mom would husband, and he burst ask her if she’d had the out laughing. Thanks for orange juice, as you the day-brightener, Duke were only allowed one. Magazine. (And do let us The essay left out deknow the minute neoliberal liberate snobbery, which capitalism completes its I experienced, in terms collapse—you’ve obviously “I remember being shocked when of not having goodgot an inside source.) Eve Silberman ’74 Ann Arbor, Michigan a friend got a new outfit with the credit card her dad had given her, 'for enough stereo equipment, clothes, or what have you. I had hung emergencies'—'It’s my emergency around with wealthier What he realized Wonderful reading about outfit,' she calmly announced.” kids in high school, but hadn’t faced that. Sheon Ladson Wilson [Spe- In the end, I found cial Issue 2020, E-newsletter my tribe of most#1]. I’m glad Duke Magazine is not song about Eleazor Wheelock. So he ly scrappy New York-area kids on just publishing the rosy part. asked me to write one. I did. Entitled scholarships, working multiple jobs to

I was a grad student at Duke, “The Old Duke Privy,” it debuted at get by. I also hung out with privileged having left Harvard Law because I a Duke basketball game. The next kids who didn’t have a snobbish bone was bored. I hadn’t been an English morning, the dean of the Woman’s in their body. major—in fact, I had had only two College called. The song was immedi- At any rate, I was fascinated to learn English courses beyond Freshman ately proscribed. of another’s replicant story. The idea English, but I had done exceptionally Frank Gado A.M. ’61, Ph.D. ’68 that someone would have a second well on the GREs—and the Duke Schenectady, New York home was just as alien to me, as a professor who accepted me obviously seventeen-year-old. hadn’t noticed. So we entered into a Class at Duke Elizabeth Choy Moorman ’82 tacit conspiracy, making up courses I I just read Ladson Wilson’s memory New Hope, Pennsylvania had not actually taken. I can’t say that essay, and I couldn’t believe how much my graduate courses were revelatory. it echoed my own experience. Here Quite the opposite. But I did develop my own ideas. I was an autodidact. And I have continued in that mode SEND LETTERS TO: Box 90572, Durham, N.C. 27708 or e-mail dukemag@duke.edu. throughout my life. I learned a lot Please limit letters to 300 words and include your full name, address, and class year or through arguing with my fellow Duke affiliation. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. Owing to space constudents. straints, we are unable to print all letters received. Published letters represent the range

Also, I arrived just before the of responses received. For additional letters: www.dukemagazine.duke.edu.