Panel Discusses Minority College Women's Issues

Minority women students need to empower themselves to overcome racist and sexist discrimination on campus and in society, panelists in a discussion on minority college women last night said.

Led by minority women educators and students, the discussion--first in a series sponsored by the Harvard Foundation--focused on the specific problems minority women in academia face as a result of their cultural and sexual backgrounds.

"A lot of minority women refer to it as triple oppression--there's racial stereotyping, sexual stereotyping and socio-economic stereotyping," said Kei Nakamura, a panel leader and instructor in Harvard's Department of East Asian Civilization and Languages. "Just because you're at Harvard doesn't mean you're free of stereotyping," she added.

Each of the 10 panel members focused on issues minority women face on campuses including stereotypes, inter-racial relationships, harassment on campus, and a lack of minority women in the faculty and administration.

"If you're not part of the racially dominate group, you have a harder time," said Beatriz Manz, associate professor of anthropology at Wellesley. "We are 'proven guilty', viewed as not quite capable."

In order to overcome racist and sexist oppression, minority women must develop pride in their own unique heritage and abilities, many of the panel members said.

"You have to view yourself in the context of your history--you all come from a long line of beautiful and strong women who have endured great wounds," said Rita Nethersole '74, chairman of the panel and direc-