OPAL Supports MRC

To the Editor:

The members of the Oberlin Peace Activists League (OPAL) would like to express our support for the Multicultural Resource Center with its current structure, if not a vastly expanded one. OPAL, one of Oberlin’s largest student organizations, is committed to nonviolent social change, peace and justice. Justice and equality depend on an environment comprised of multiple perspectives and voices. At this school, that would hinge on continuing and expanding the MRC community coordinator positions, not just extending them to next year. Oberlin College has an image as a just and equal institution and OPAL demands that the administration reflect that in its structures, by giving strong support to communities of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, and women. The four community-specific interns and the Associate Dean of Students, who staff the MRC, have always given crucial support for activism as well as organizing, education and self-expression at Oberlin.
OPAL has had an ongoing relationship with the MRC. We have brought some incredible speakers to campus thanks to the help of the MRC staff, who have a broad knowledge of their areas. They also provide important resources, allowing more students of color, LGBTs, low-income and international students to choose activism on a range of issues that they care about.
The administration and College Admissions have also benefited from MRC programs. As activists for justice, OPAL is concerned that while Oberlin College advertises the benefits the MRC provides, the College does not adequately support these programs. College PR material uses photographs from Colors of Rhythm and other student-run “cultural diversity” programs. If Oberlin cares about each student’s ability to “make a difference” and cares about diversity, the College should do more to support the efforts of student activists, especially from those communities that the MRC supports. This would be a great help to current students, not to mention make prospective students feel more welcome.
As activists, we support the APA, Africana, LGBT and Latino/a community coordinators of the MRC. We urge the administration to keep the positions beyond next year and increase support for the groups that are so often marginalized.

Oberlin Peace Activists League
–Rhea Yablon Kennedy
College senior
–Jackie Downing
College senior
–Sarah Saunders
College junior