All too often, issues involving racial discrimination focus on theoretical or historical premises. Members of differing racial and ideological factions throw statistics at each other in attempts to convince their opponents and those undecided on certain issues to join their side. The scientifically or dubiously collected data and sociopolitical rhetoric obscure the reality that actual human beings are being harmed by racist policies. I would like to recount an incident of racial discrimination that deeply affected me.
Institutionalized racism impinged on my life more than two years ago. The incident, which opened my eyes to ongoing governmentally sanctioned racial discrimination, occurred in the process of applying to graduate schools. I had heard about people being denied scholarships and grants due to their race. Nevertheless, the fact that it happened to me still stunned me, if only because of its blatantly unjust nature.
In the fall of 1997, I decided to apply to several graduate schools. I was hoping to be admitted in order to complete a master’s degree in criminal justice. I completed the application process for admission to three different universities: Indiana University, Florida State University and MSU. Any offers of financial aid were going to weigh heavily in my decision on which university to attend.
In May of 1998, I received a phone call from the graduate adviser and administrative assistant at Florida State. I was surprised to receive a call from anyone affiliated with a university since all my correspondence with the universities had been by electronic or postal mail. The woman calling me indicated that she was calling from Florida State’s School of Criminology & Criminal Justice. She asked if I was still considering attending FSU. I replied affirmatively. Then she offered me the Leslie N. Wilson Graduate Assistantship, which included in-state student status, a tuition waiver, a paid student assistantship and a stipend of several thousand dollars. The sensational offer caught me off guard so I asked several questions related to the scholarship. She continually touted the generosity of the offer. She seemed to be begging me to accept the scholarship when she said that if I refused it, the scholarship would have to be given to someone else in another department of the university.
After hearing the great benefits of the offer, I accepted it. She replied that I would receive a faxed copy of the details relating to the scholarship the next day at my workplace. I only needed to sign and fax it back to her office. I thought all my long hours preparing to take the Graduate Record Exam and heavy and challenging undergraduate courseloads had resulted in a financial reward.
The following day, I anxiously awaited the arrival of the information related to the scholarship while at my job. I was hoping I had not dreamt the whole telephone conversation from the previous night. I had started to wonder why I received a phone call to be asked to accept the scholarship. However, my euphoria over receiving such a lucrative offer brushed aside that question. The financial aid offer turned out not to be a huge windfall resulting from my academic accomplishments, but instead it indicated how prevalent racial discrimination remains in this country.
As I was reading the offer letter, one line caught my attention. I fit all the requirements listed on the acceptance sheet except the first one. That one indicated that the recipient must be a black American citizen. I notified the woman who had called me from FSU that I met all the requirements for the scholarship except that I am not black. My GRE score remained the same, as did my undergraduate grade-point average. The work experience on my résumé had not changed. I had not committed any illegal, unethical or immoral acts since receiving the offer of the scholarship. The only fact that had changed about me was that a representative of the university had discovered through my own statement that I am not black. That simple statement was the sole reason for her reply indicating that the scholarship offer had been rescinded.
I know why FSU did not know that I am not black. As a matter of principle, I never indicate my race on any document. I saw questions on graduate school application forms asking about my race and ethnicity. I declined to answer all of them. As part of my belief in equal treatment for people of all races and my hope for a society unaffected by racial discrimination, I refuse to contribute to classifying people by superficial physical characteristics like skin color.
I vehemently wanted to challenge such a blatant case of racial discrimination, but I could not find any means to do so. I contacted attorneys in Louisiana, where I was living at the time, in hopes of finding one to help me file a lawsuit. All of them told me to contact an attorney in Florida. I phoned several attorneys in Florida. All of them refused to accept my case or demanded huge sums as retaining fees. I contacted the Center for Individual Rights to ask for assistance. Although I received a sympathetic response, the organization informed me that all its members were preoccupied with ongoing cases of racial discrimination involving admissions into the University of Michigan and the University of Texas. The American Civil Liberties Union declined to even consider the merits of my case. With barely enough money to survive on my own, I could not fight the injustice inflicted upon me without assistance from an outside source.
The whole incident has negatively impacted my life. I had to borrow thousands of dollars to finance the cost of my graduate degree. I would not find myself in such debt if a university had not judged my worthiness to be granted a scholarship on the color of my skin.
As a result of FSU’s overtly racist act regarding the allocation of that scholarship, I decided to attend MSU. I do not regret that decision. As I stated in my last correspondence with anyone affiliated with FSU, I prefer to attend a university that was not concerned with the color of my skin when it considered me for assistance.
John LaFleur, State News community columnist, can be reached at johnclafleur@lycos.com.
