Day of Service Is a Unifying Force

We would like to support and encourage the Interethnic Day of Service which took place this past December 8. Organized by Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel and the Minority Student Alliance, approximately 45 students of diverse ethnic backgrounds headed to different locations in Cambridge and Boston to serve the community by performing such tasks as painting homeless shelters and preparing food for a soup kitchen.

At Harvard, the daily interaction of students in classes, athletics and extracurricular activities tends to promote a very diverse atmosphere. However, students of the same ethnic group often tend to cling together and form communities which may be insular. Minority students in particular often seek to congregate in order to develop cultural bonds in a larger social setting which is often unfamiliar and sometimes hostile to them. One reason the Interethnic Day of Service was a good idea is that it facilitated interaction between students of various ethnicities.

We believe the Interethnic Day of Service is a wonderful synthesis of race relations and public service. Sharing a common goal gives otherwise disparate groups a unified objective: to lend a hand to the community. In addition, working side by side with members of different races teaches participants about the common characteristics that all people share.

The Interethnic Day of Service should be continued and made into a regular practice. By working together, Hillel, the MSA and other participants, including the South Asian Association, the Black Students Association, the Harvard Phillipine Forum, the Japan Society, the Society of Arab Students, the Chinese Students Association and the Asian American Association have strengthened bonds and communication between groups and helped worthy causes in the Boston area. We endorse this cooperation, and encourage more, since direct interaction with other ethnic groups is the best method of learning about race relations. It would, however, be nice if we did not need an Interethnic Day of Service.