BUFFALO, N.Y. – Black Active Minds (BAM), a student organization at Buffalo State College, held a panel discussion here Oct. 10 entitled ‘A Rumor of War: The Consequences of War for Blacks and America.’
Panelists included the president of Black Active Minds, professors from Buffalo State and the University at Buffalo and a representative from the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party. The panel took the form of a round- table discussion with students and professors recounting their experiences and feelings when they first heard the news of the events of Sept. 11.
Many students expressed condemnation for the attacks but said that they recognized the U.S. foreign policy decisions that may have been a historical factor in the tragic events.
Some students also expressed their opposition to the military bombings and possible invasion of Afghanistan.
Tim Brown, a Communications professor at the University at Buffalo, discussed the role the media has played since Sept. 11 by packaging information. He told students how to be better consumers of information by seeking out alternative news to get the whole picture and by understanding that the media purposefully simplifies information.
Brown noted that it is not so much what is covered in the media that matters, but what is not covered. He also noted that news, such as the recent acquittal of the police officer accused of shooting a young black male in Cincinnati, has gone virtually uncovered.
Dr. Anthony Neal, chair of the Buffalo State Political Science Department, discussed the political context of the events unfolding throughout the country, citing the Supreme Court’s recent refusal to hear a case on racial profiling. By not hearing this case the door is left wide open for the racial profiling of Arab Americans in the hunt for terrorists as well as the continued profiling of African Americans, Neal said.
BAM President Marke Shelton said he fears Arab-Americans will see more racial profiling just as African Americans have for years. He also expressed his opposition to the bombing of Afghanistan, saying ‘the act of us going there and bombing is an act of terror too. What are we teaching our children? That’s an eye-for-an- eye society.’
Dr. Curtis Haynes, an Economics Professor at Buffalo State, told the World that ‘we have to be conscious that we don’t give up our civil liberties for security.’
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