DATE: September 7, 1998

FROM: Mayra E. Diaz

TO: President Cotter, Janice Kassman, Mark Serdjenian, Geraldine Roseboro, Joan Sazenbacher

RE: Dean's Board Hearing on Racial Harassment (May 18, 1998)

Diaz v. Ms. R

CC: The Board of Trustees, Dean's Hearing Board Members, Lyn Brown, Natalie Collins, James B. Crawford, Priscilla Doel, William Estrada, Jim Fleming, Elizabeth Gomez, Jill Gordon., Sandy Grande. Ron Hammond, Peter Harris, Susan Kenney, Maine Human Rights Commission, Phyllis Mannocchi, Peter McLaren, NAACP-Portland & Bangor, Robert Nelson, Adrianna Paliyenko, Ira Sadoff, Jean Sanborn, Betty Sasaki, Randy Stewart, Katherine Stubbs, David Suchoff, Mark Tappan, Pam Thoma, June Thornton-Marsh, Kevin Turner, Ed Yeterian

       The Colby road was never easy. For me, a Puerto-Rican woman with Black skin, it was full of ignorant questions, assumptions, and stereotypes. Until the case involving Ms. R, however, I never considered filing formal charges of racial harassment. This was not because of a lack of racial harassment on campus (there were many instances of racism I chose to turn away from at Colby) but because I chose not to devote my valuable time and energy to fighting other people's ignorance. I have always chosen my battles carefully, weighing which offenses were worthy of my time and which were not. I could not, however, overlook the Ms. R case. Her accusations were different because they were personal and so relentless. She singled me out and labeled me as violent, and did so based on the color of my skin and her racist fantasies (particulars of the incident are detailed in Part II of this document).

       As the case unfolded, I learned that Ms. R's (White, female) behavior was protected by the institution and its policies, and that I (Black, Puerto Rican, female) was not. It soon became clear that the college--confirmed by President Cotter in a personal meeting--had no intention of acknowledging Ms. R's actions as racist. My outrage and concern is, thus, no longer limited to Ms. R or any other students like her who accuse Black students of violent, murderous, intent but extends to Colby's "justice" system that protects White students from having to examine their belief systems and actions as being racist. It is this system that enabled Ms. R to walk away from this incident feeling vindicated in her belief that her actions, while naive and insensitive, were not rooted in racist ideology.

       Thus, my purpose in writing this letter is to explain how the Ms. R case was profoundly and unjustly mishandled by the College, particularly by the Harassment Advisory Board Chair, Joan Sazenbacher; Dean of Students and Dean's Board Chair, Mark Serdjenian; and the Dean of Students, Janice Kassman. In addition, Associate Dean of Students, Ron Hammond, and Professor of English/Creative Writing, Susan Kenney, contributed to the initial mishandling of this case.

       I also write this letter because I feel that it is important that minority students at Colby be protected against institutional racism and white privilege and that they are supported in their claims of racial harassment. Although I received no such support or protection I feel that the importance of this case and its effect on the future attitudes of students, faculty, staff, and administrators toward racial harassment is significant enough for me to articulate in detail how this case was unjustly handled. I have also developed a list of recommendations so that the processes involved in hearing harassment cases, along with the overall racial climate at Colby, can be improved.

       For weeks, I have battled within myself to understand the events that took place from the very first time I learned Ms. R had accused me of murderous intent, to the final disappointing outcome. I have gone through a myriad of emotions and questions about this case and the way it was handled and have concluded that it has been one of the most debilitating experiences of institutional racism and white privilege I have ever had to endure. While I was given the "option" to appeal my case I decided against an appeal because I have lost the confidence I once had in the system and I refuse to become further victimized or silenced by Colby's undemocratic processes. I placed my trust and faith in a system that was supposed to protect me, and as a result was shattered by a process that was unjust, abusive and incoherent. So instead, I choose to write this letter, to act as a public citizen and fight for racial justice. I hope that my actions ignite the change and reformation that needs to take place at Colby. Given the events that have transpired it is self-evident that change is needed to bring Colby in compliance with its own stated policies, with civil law, and with the broader concerns of equity and social justice. While I feel that Colby must take action in order to conform to legal policy, I also hope that it would also seek reformation as an act of moral courage.

Part II

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