Crimson Wisdom Shows Cultural Insensitivity

To the editors:

Reading through the Feb. 14 issue of The Crimson I found an interesting little article in the editorial page. Boxed off was the “Crimson Wisdom” of that week, rating the winners and losers of that week and “beyond.” Apparently to The Crimson staff La Vida at Harvard was one of the losers of the week and beyond indicated by an arrow pointing downwards and a commentary of “that’s just loco.” Apparently this was supposed to be some sort of joke. But to be honest, I saw no humor in it. The Crimson has assured me that this was in no way a reference to the actual guide but to the fact that life at Harvard was crazy and that it was supposed to be some sort of funny play on Ricky Martin’s “Living La Vida Loca.”

First of all, if this was not a reference to La Vida at Harvard, then the name should not have been italicized as if referring to the future publication. Secondly, the joke itself simply portrays The Crimson as ignorant and blatantly lacking in any sort of cultural sensitivity. In addition, I doubt this would have ever happened with the Black Guide or Women’s Guide to Harvard. La Vida at Harvard is a serious publication with serious goals. Being referenced to and then ridiculed by a “professional” newspaper such as The Crimson cripples La Vida’s efforts to be seen as a legitimate resource for all students on campus. La Vida’s goal is not only to act a resource to Latinos on campus but to act as a resource designed to raise cultural awareness for any and everyone. The current organizers of La Vida at Harvard (Olivia Cancio, Camilo Becdach, and myself) are trying to reach out to the entire community, not just a select few. To have such efforts portrayed as a gag leaves me questioning whether The Crimson’s efforts to diversify its staff are truly sincere. Honestly, who would want to comp a newspaper that one day glorifies the efforts of the Latino community and the next day makes fun of those same efforts? Perhaps The Crimson does even not realize the immense influence it has on the Harvard community and beyond. Prospective students are constantly reading the articles and editorials, curiously imagining what life at Harvard would really be like. Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the United States yet they are grossly underrepresented in institutions of higher education like Harvard. But who could blame a Latino student that thinks twice about attending Harvard because they see the blatant sign of cultural insensitivity that The Crimson has clearly demonstrated.

When initial coverage of La Vida at Harvard came out I was happy to find a very professional article. I thought perhaps that The Crimson was authentically trying to mend ways with minority groups. I thought that when they said that diversity mattered to them they actually meant it. I guess not.

It would be one thing to say that this was an isolated incident but sadly enough it is not. Throughout the years, minority groups on campus have felt a deep-seated distrust towards The Crimson, constantly worrying that they will be somehow subtlety ridiculed or misrepresented. To be honest, I think any group that has ever felt uneasy by The Crimson, should ask for some sort of reparation. One step is having The Crimson publicly admit, that at least in this instance, they were at fault for allowing such an ignorant statement to be published. The next step is assuring that these incidents do not repeat themselves, even if this means briefing reporters beforehand to be especially sensitive to ethnic issues on campus. I agree that this may have been a blunder that was overlooked, a silly mistake of editors and writers exhausted from a long day. Yet when minority issues are so often misrepresented, when the consequences of such mistakes can affect the future of so many people, and when action is not taken to remedy statements that could and do offend an entire community, many begin to feel that there is something more than words being overlooked. Do more than say your sorry behind closed doors, publicly recognize this fault on behalf of your staff and it will be a big step to mending any injuries caused now and in the past.

Leyla R. Bravo ’05

Feb. 14, 2003

The writer is editor of La Vida at Harvard and student advisory council representative of Fuerza Latina.