An Open Letter to Dr. Lester Lefton, President of Kent State University, on the importance of diversity in Ohio and the United States

I am writing to you as Founder and President Emeritus of the Kent State University college chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (KSU-NAACP).  Both I and several hundred KSU-NAACP alumni have grave concern for the condition of the Department of Pan African Studies (DPAS).  We have been informed that the department is now nearing an 80% loss of African American faculty members.  This is, of course, a problem that requires your immediate attention for several reasons.

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After 9/11: Silence about what matters

By Charisse N. Montgomery

Undoubtedly, a sense of unity followed 9/11. Americans of all creeds and ethnicities were affected by the heinous act of terror that took place on our soil. Since that day, however, many Muslim Americans have been the victims of terror and hatred. When we, as Americans, took on an “us-against-them” attitude toward terrorism, we had difficulty distinguishing who “they” were. Were all Muslims our enemies? How could we separate the 9/11 terrorists from other Muslims? Do all Muslims believe we Americans are infidels? Will Muslims attack us again?

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Land that I love?: The prospect of black patriotism

By Charisse N. Montgomery

Because of our tumultuous history in this country, black people often struggle with the concept of patriotism. It is sometimes difficult to love a country that has played a significant role in the worst victimization and exploitation of humans in the modern age. This is especially true when the victims of this exploitation – our ancestors – were targeted because of their appearance, of which we see similar reflections in our mirrors each day. In a country that has considered people of African descent to be animals, chattel, no more than three-fifths of a person – and in which opportunities for education, wealth and the pursuit of happiness remain unequal – is it even possible to be patriotic?

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