by Sophie Johnson
WHITMAN COLLEGE PIONEER

Walking into the Survivor-themed greek party, Sigma Chi juniors Brice Crayne and Bryan Ponti could never have imagined the kind of reaction their costumes would ultimately get. They said later that they just wanted to stand out: and with their faces and bodies painted entirely black with orange markings, they certainly did. It didn’t strike them that their body paint would eventually move the entire campus to a standstill.

Senior Natalie Knott was browsing the Internet in the library when she came across photographs of Crayne and Ponti from the party. Feeling a gut reaction, Knott showed the pictures to a few friends who didn’t see much controversy.

“I had to leave the library because I was really angry but I couldn’t figure out why because nobody was seeing what I saw,” Knott said. She drew connections to racist archetypes, specifically the blackface minstrel shows popular in the early 1900s. After speaking for hours about the issue with friends in her apartment complex, Knott decided she should bring her concerns to a faculty member.

The next day, Knott consulted with Politics Professor Bruce Magnusson, who told her that she should show the photographs to the dean. After conferencing with student life committee chair Clare Carson for an hour, Knott decided to post her thoughts to the student listserv, at Carson’s suggestion.

The response was immediate. Feedback poured in over the listserv from minority students who felt offended, white students who felt attacked and a slew of others whose feelings fell somewhere in the middle.

A day later, the story carried over to the faculty, and Crayne and Ponti were called into President George Bridges’ office to talk about the incident. Several professors stopped their classes to discuss race issues that many students and faculty alike felt had been unaddressed for too long on campus. Jean Carwile Masteller, an English professor on the steering committee of Whitman’s new race and ethnic studies major wrote in an e-mail, “We do have a ‘teachable moment’ and we realize that.”

Early reactions

The responses that resulted from Knott’s initial e-mail ranged from passively curious to incensed. At first, the bulk of responses were from those who felt insulted by Knott’s assertions.

“I think the majority of the student body that I have encountered has been defensive and angry, and there are those who have been really unable to be self-reflective,” said Knott, “Right now the tendency seems to be for people to say, ‘Oh, we’ve had enough. It’s done, it’s over, let’s just get over it,’ and I think that’s the wrong attitude to have.”

>Whitman’s Sigma Chi president senior James Hovard was one of the first people that took issue with Knott’s e-mail. Hovard heard about the e-mail from a friend, and he produced a reply that same night.

“I was a little shocked and surprised because I was at that party and the thought of Brice and Byan dressing up in blackface never crossed my mind. I know that they wore black paint, but I never thought of it as a racial issue,” Hovard said. His main complaint, though, was that Knott did not talk directly to Crayne or Ponti personally before sending out the listserv e-mail. “I felt like they were being called racists. That wasn’t her intent,: she was trying to say that their actions were racist, not that they were racist: but I felt that they were being portrayed as racists … and I felt like that was unfair,” Hovard said.

Neither Crayne nor Ponti responded to the listserv e-mail, but both were personally affected by the incident.

“I had to set up a punching bag in my room I was so mad,” said Crayne: “I felt like someone had passed judgment on me; someone had called me something I definitely am not, and that’s a racist.”

Ponti felt similarly attacked. “The individual who pointed out everything that was wrong with the pictures did not contact either me or my good friend as to our intentions, they simply wrote their e-mail in the heat of the moment and we were caught completely off guard,” he said.

To Knott and many others, though, it was not a personal issue.

“It’s not about me. It’s about this problem. We have as a society an inability to openly and honestly talk about race,” said Knott.

Senior Paul DiRado, who actively participated in the listserv debate shared Knott’s view. “The point isn’t what anyone intended to do, it’s what happened. Historically, the use of face painting has been a way of oppressing African-Americans. The issue is that the recreation of that is inherently, at the very least, thoughtless. It is the thoughtlessness that is the real problem,” he said.

A campus divided?

After days of listserv debates, meetings, and conversations in and out of classes, some began to fear that the issue was effectively splitting the campus in half.

Senior Clark Blumenstein stepped into the listserv debate over his concern that some students refused to budge in their opinions. “People don’t entertain the other side whatsoever. They kind of do a five-paragraph, single-thesis essay…. I just see it as a very destructive thing. People should be pushing for a mutual understanding or a friendship out of an argument,” said Blumenstein.

Hovard agrees. “I think tempers flared and people just sort of started beating up on each other. I mean, to this day, no one has come up to Bryan and Brice specifically to have a discussion with them,” he said.

Many cite the method of debate: e-mail listserv: as a source of much of the divisiveness.

“If listserv debates continue to be the only mode of communicating, these problems will only get worse and overshadow the fact that we all want a more unified and respectful campus to come from this,” said sophomore Morgan Bach in an e-mail. She argued that the passive nature of listserv e-mails allows people to be more vicious than they might be in person, and no actual confrontation or change can take place.

Although the incident may have initially divided students, history professor and director of race and ethnic studies department Nina Lerman hopes that it will actually bring the Whitman community closer together: “I think that on the whole, Whitman students are really interested in creating a community that is a single Whitman community,” said Lerman, who has been impressed not only by efforts made by intercultural groups but also those made by student organizations such as the IHC and ASWC to address the issue. “I actually feel optimistic that it’s not a long-term division,” she said.

History lessons

>Knott claimed that Crayne and Ponti adorned what was essentially “blackface” make-up, which has started a controversy all its own. The partygoers’ inattentiveness to possible racial undertones sparked a question of whether the majority of Whitman students really know the history of race relations in America at all.

Blackface surfaced in America in 1789 when a white comedic actor brought it to some prominence by portraying a drunken black man while wearing shoe polish on his face. Its popularity was significantly heightened in 1828 with the birth of the song “Jump Jim Crow” and accompanying dance, which became a prevalent addition to minstrel shows of the time. The blackface actor typically portrayed a lazy, nervous, sexually-perverted black character. They almost exclusively adopted one of the many stereotypes that were heavily perpetuated at the time: the submissive “Tom,” the bafoonish “Coon,” the brassy and fat “Mammy” or the nefarious “Black Brute,” among others. Blackface and minstrel shows were popular until at least the 1950s when they began to fade with the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement.

“To be honest, before this party, I didn’t know the history of blackface. I knew it happened, but I didn’t know much of the context, so I didn’t see how offensive it could be,” said Hovard. He wasn’t alone: Many listserv e-mails began to include Web sites with extensive history of blackface and other racial archetypes in the United States.

>Lerman sees the problem running even deeper. “It’s been labeled blackface … but it actually seems to be more about a jungle, savage, primitive stereotype.” Although this issue is just as race-based, Lerman said, it is not the same. “It’s clear that there’s a large portion of the student body that really doesn’t have a good sense of history,” she said.

Looking forward

For the past week, faculty have been meeting exhaustively to discuss what steps should be taken next. In conjunction with campus student leaders, professors and administrators brainstormed possible programs that might benefit the campus and give the incident a positive outcome.

“The whole blackface incident exposed larger issues that are often unaddressed on campus in day-to-day interactions,” said senior Thomas Miller, who has attended faculty-student meetings. “I’m hoping that we can create programs that can facilitate truly meaningful discussions that can reach a significant portion of the campus so that we can actually start beginning to question general assumptions that people are living their everyday lives by,” said Miller. “It’s not really going to happen overnight, but this is the beginning.”

Lerman also sees the incident as a possibility. “I’m really glad that there is a cause for conversation and that we have a chance to really work on our ongoing programming and not just a one-time thing. I think something like a teach-in is great for starters, but it’s not the end of the story,” said Lerman.

Though the opportunity has unquestionably presented itself, some still feel the administration has handled the issue poorly.

“One of the goals as administrators in this type of situation is to remain objective and look out for the interest of students on both sides of the incident. This was the not the case at all,” said Ponti. Although Ponti was grateful for support from his professors, he felt victimized by way the administration initially dealt with the situation. “I welcome anybody and everybody who would like to talk to me about this because I would much rather talk to you than have you think I am racist or ignorant,” he said.

Knott just hopes the conversation continues. “We’re supposed to be asking questions. It’s safe here. How are we supposed to uphold democratic traditions if we can’t uphold discussions at school?” she said.

President Bridges alongside faculty has planned a three-part program to deal with race issues at Whitman. On Sunday, Oct. 28, there will be a town hall meeting from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Cordiner Hall for community members to discuss their feelings, ideas and questions about the blackface incident and its underlying implications about race on campus. On Thursday, Nov. 9, a campus-wide symposium held by community leaders and faculty will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The symposium will explore the history of blackface and minstrelsy, race and ethnic implications in educational institutions, and the American history of racism, said Bridges. Finally, Bridges will be meeting with a working group of students and faculty throughout the year to discuss upcoming speakers, films and events that will speak to these issues.

“The students were unanimous (and passionate) in their desire to participate in the solutions and in working with faculty and staff in creating events and activities that Whitman will sponsor for the rest of the academic year,” said Bridges in an e-mail.

Although there was initially no apology from Crayne or Ponti, each has since issued a separate apology toward anyone who was offended by their costumes.

Ponti, like many, sees this as a window of opportunity. “Although the campus is taking action to create a better understanding on campus, it is up to each one of us to individually make a difference. If we all can come together and make a collective effort toward this goal of racial and cultural awareness, I think we will see a much brighter and happier future at this college,” he said.

Crayne, who admitted that he has suffered from intense sadness and anger since the incident, said quite simply, “I just wanted to say that if I offended anybody with my actions that night, I am truly sorry.”

>QUESTIONS?

Both Brice & Bryan requested that their phone numbers be included.

Brice Crayne: 360-430-2201
Bryan Ponti: 509-301-6625