The Virginia Tech massacre of three months ago remains the subject of task force investigations. But none appear to be examining the role that race played in fertilizing the killing grounds.
It has been three months to the day that Cho Seung Hui began and ended his murderous rampage on the campus of Virginia Tech University. While that school was known for its engineering and technology programs, it will forever be remembered as the place where young bright minds were brutally cut down in the prime - no, before the primes of their lives.
There are task forces and committees that have and will study what happened and how it could have been prevented. I wonder if any of these task forces or committees will look at racism and how it reared its head in this tragedy. Clearly, the perpetrator, from all reports, had a long history of antisocial and isolative behavior. Television clips of his great aunt in South Korea report her as saying the young man displayed troubled behavior even as a young child.
When Professors Giovanni and Roy - both female and women of color, complained loudly about this troubled young man's behavior to school officials, why weren't Giovanni and Roy's complaints and concerns about Hui taken seriously by school administration? Why could professors with virtually no formal mental health training, recognize that this young man had serious mental health issues, while those with mental health degrees and licenses, downplayed his behavior? It was reported that Professor Giovanni demanded and had this student removed from her classroom, due to her own observations about his behavior, as well as classmates concerns. Giovanni apparently followed the chain of command and took her concerns to her department chair. The department chair, Professor Roy, then tutored the young man one on one. No doubt Professor Roy saw up close and personal, more of the dark side of Cho Seung Hui.
While the public may never really know what happened on that campus, it is clear that communication was a big factor in this situation. The question I must ask is: Did the fact that two women of color complained have anything to do with the lack of attention and action by administration, that might have thwarted this attack? The reality of racism has taught those of us who are both of color and female, is that our words are many times, not taken seriously - if taken at all. Our perspectives are "pooh-pahed" until legitimized by a white male or female. How many have experienced this same scenario, day in and day out on their jobs? Far too many to count, I'm sure. I am positive that had two white female professors complained about Hui as did Giovanni and Roy, the actions by school administration would have been intense and immediate.
Then there was the scene of the first shootings in the dorm. When campus police came upon the bodies of Ryan Clark and Emily Hilscher in the dorm, did they assume it was a murder-suicide by a "rejected" Black male of a white female? Is the real reason why campus police did not take maximum precautions because these two deaths appeared to be the actions of one "crazy n___?" Did campus police's lack of notification to others on campus, violate the federal Cleary Act?
As it turned out, senior Ryan Clark was killed because he took his job as RA - resident advisor seriously. He heard the commotion and went to the rescue of one of his dorm charges, and lost his own life - just doing his job.
Finally, there were the profuse and repeated apologies from the local, national, and international South Korean community. They apologized and expressed deep regret, almost shame, that one of "their own," committed these acts of violence. Even they understood how people of color are viewed in this country, and rushed to let others know that "we're not all like that." If it never happens again, for once the South Korean community got a dose of what it feels like for Black people in this country to have to carry the burden that invariably comes when a Black person commits a crime. It's broadcast ad nauseam over the airwaves, and becomes the talk at the water cooler, in the grocery checkout line, and other gatherings where whites and Blacks are forced to co-exist. A lingering example is the outrage whites expressed and continue to express over the O. J. Simpson "not guilty" verdict. We as a Black community are still paying for this one Black man ( who, by the way, was the "darling" of white folks), who allegedly went off and killed a blond white woman and a white man. Here was one Black man (but was he really?), who in my opinion, got away with murder. How many whites have gotten away with murdering Blacks and other people of color and never been arrested, brought to trial, much less convicted?
When Jeffrey Dalmer killed and ate all those young men, did the white community apologize for his cannibalistic appetite? When John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy killed all those men and women, did the white community apologize to the rest of the world for these murderous members? When Timothy McVeigh plotted and carried out the Oklahoma City bombing that killed men, women, and children, did the white community feel the need to apologize to the rest of us for this nut case? No. So why did the South Korean community? Because they knew deep down, that racism is alive and well, and they did not want to be collectively "punished" for the behavior of one troubled young man.
Let us hope that at the end of the day, the people at Virginia Tech, as well as the rest of us, will see that while skin may be white, black, or yellow, blood is only one color - red.
Jeanette M. Pollard, RN, APRN, BC, M. Div, can be reached at
jmprnrev@hotmail.com
There are task forces and committees that have and will study what happened and how it could have been prevented. I wonder if any of these task forces or committees will look at racism and how it reared its head in this tragedy. Clearly, the perpetrator, from all reports, had a long history of antisocial and isolative behavior. Television clips of his great aunt in South Korea report her as saying the young man displayed troubled behavior even as a young child.
When Professors Giovanni and Roy - both female and women of color, complained loudly about this troubled young man's behavior to school officials, why weren't Giovanni and Roy's complaints and concerns about Hui taken seriously by school administration? Why could professors with virtually no formal mental health training, recognize that this young man had serious mental health issues, while those with mental health degrees and licenses, downplayed his behavior? It was reported that Professor Giovanni demanded and had this student removed from her classroom, due to her own observations about his behavior, as well as classmates concerns. Giovanni apparently followed the chain of command and took her concerns to her department chair. The department chair, Professor Roy, then tutored the young man one on one. No doubt Professor Roy saw up close and personal, more of the dark side of Cho Seung Hui.
While the public may never really know what happened on that campus, it is clear that communication was a big factor in this situation. The question I must ask is: Did the fact that two women of color complained have anything to do with the lack of attention and action by administration, that might have thwarted this attack? The reality of racism has taught those of us who are both of color and female, is that our words are many times, not taken seriously - if taken at all. Our perspectives are "pooh-pahed" until legitimized by a white male or female. How many have experienced this same scenario, day in and day out on their jobs? Far too many to count, I'm sure. I am positive that had two white female professors complained about Hui as did Giovanni and Roy, the actions by school administration would have been intense and immediate.
Then there was the scene of the first shootings in the dorm. When campus police came upon the bodies of Ryan Clark and Emily Hilscher in the dorm, did they assume it was a murder-suicide by a "rejected" Black male of a white female? Is the real reason why campus police did not take maximum precautions because these two deaths appeared to be the actions of one "crazy n___?" Did campus police's lack of notification to others on campus, violate the federal Cleary Act?
As it turned out, senior Ryan Clark was killed because he took his job as RA - resident advisor seriously. He heard the commotion and went to the rescue of one of his dorm charges, and lost his own life - just doing his job.
Finally, there were the profuse and repeated apologies from the local, national, and international South Korean community. They apologized and expressed deep regret, almost shame, that one of "their own," committed these acts of violence. Even they understood how people of color are viewed in this country, and rushed to let others know that "we're not all like that." If it never happens again, for once the South Korean community got a dose of what it feels like for Black people in this country to have to carry the burden that invariably comes when a Black person commits a crime. It's broadcast ad nauseam over the airwaves, and becomes the talk at the water cooler, in the grocery checkout line, and other gatherings where whites and Blacks are forced to co-exist. A lingering example is the outrage whites expressed and continue to express over the O. J. Simpson "not guilty" verdict. We as a Black community are still paying for this one Black man ( who, by the way, was the "darling" of white folks), who allegedly went off and killed a blond white woman and a white man. Here was one Black man (but was he really?), who in my opinion, got away with murder. How many whites have gotten away with murdering Blacks and other people of color and never been arrested, brought to trial, much less convicted?
When Jeffrey Dalmer killed and ate all those young men, did the white community apologize for his cannibalistic appetite? When John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy killed all those men and women, did the white community apologize to the rest of the world for these murderous members? When Timothy McVeigh plotted and carried out the Oklahoma City bombing that killed men, women, and children, did the white community feel the need to apologize to the rest of us for this nut case? No. So why did the South Korean community? Because they knew deep down, that racism is alive and well, and they did not want to be collectively "punished" for the behavior of one troubled young man.
Let us hope that at the end of the day, the people at Virginia Tech, as well as the rest of us, will see that while skin may be white, black, or yellow, blood is only one color - red.
Jeanette M. Pollard, RN, APRN, BC, M. Div, can be reached at
jmprnrev@hotmail.com 
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