Although the United States’ thrust toward war against Iraq is a heated topic of debate among University students, some think one important aspect has been completely ignored. Students for Peace, the Multicultural Center and Concerned Faculty for Peace and Justice will show exactly how they feel war with Iraq would affect minority students in a teach-in entitled “War and Students of Color” at 5:30 p.m. today in the EMU International Student Lounge.
Alex Gonzalez, teach-in organizer and a co-founder of Students for Peace, said the event stands apart from other campus activities that have focused on the possibility of war because it approaches the issue from an overlooked perspective.
“I don’t think the mainstream media have addressed how war will affect student minorities,” Gonzalez said. “It’s key to educate people, because once you’re informed you can make better decisions.”
The teach-in will feature presentations by panelists Linda Kintz, Hope Marston and Matt Garcia, followed by an hourlong question-and-answer session. Kintz, a professor in the English department, will speak about how she thinks war distorts the federal government’s social agenda; Marston, a Eugene activist, will speak about the consequences of the USA PATRIOT Act for minority students; and Garcia, an ethnic studies professor, will talk about how war has historically affected minorities.
Kintz said her lecture will address the connection between military spending and cutbacks in social programs, as well as the consequences they could have for minority students.
“As more federal money is diverted into military funding, states cannot provide the sort of tuition help that minorities and lower-income students depend on,” Kintz said.
She added that funding for social programs like day care, diversity-building programs, health care programs, unemployment benefits and grant money will be cut down because of federal money being diverted to the military.
Isaac Torres, program director of MEChA, said it’s important for University students to attend the teach-in because the information circulating through traditional media channels is one-sided. He added that the war will have a greater impact on ethnic minorities than on most other groups.
“More often than not it is our people who get recruited into the military because of a lack of educational and occupational opportunities,” Torres said.
Garcia will address this topic in his presentation.
In disadvantaged minority populations, Garcia said the military is seen as an advantageous career choice and is not perceived as evil.
“A lot of Latino communities view the military as a method of upward mobility for economic and social gains,” Garcia said.
Students for Peace member and teach-in organizer Marya Lusky said that in addition to offering students information that has been glossed over by the traditional media, the discussion will give people the chance to speak out on the issue and get their voices heard.
“It’s important to bring this to the surface,” she said.