<p>I think many are misunderstanding the context of this party. This is a comment from the Santa Clara (school newspaper) Pay attention to the context of the party.</p>
<p>Compassionate Alum
posted 2/22/07 @ 9:01 PM EST
If these young people truly were racist and chose these costumes because they felt superior to those of Latino race, then every one of these comments, directed in anger, is right on. However, what the students did, was celebrate with a Latino friend, best friend, whom they love, by roasting him. I think this dialogue back and forth is extremely healthy. Believe me, they never dreamed they would hurt someone and that the news would be carried as far as it has gone, they have learned something great from this experience. I hope, as a Catholic Youth Worker, that we don’t continue to alienate one from another, but embrace this as a learning experience for all. They, each one of them, have sent their apologies, from the first second that someone was told it was offensive. They removed the photos immediately, and attended a meeting to try and communicate that this was a mistake. The internet is something we will all learn to use with much more discretion, compassion, and responsibility to a global community. These are not racist students, but young people of all nationalities, including Latino, that love each other, perhaps too much, and I hope that one thing that comes from this is that each of them will branch out and meet more students from various backgrounds. In order to do this, the rhetoric needs to be forgiving and understanding. As Fr. Locatelli mentioned in his state of the school address, if we do celebrate, theme party or no theme party, drinking or not, we need to first be respectful and think things out, think of the ramifications, this process is part of maturing. Enoy life, it is short, forgive, learn, and dialogue in a constructive manner. What can Santa Clara do that is positive to bring us all together with respect for our ancestors, their sufferings as immigrants, and their great contributions to the United States of America. </p>
<p>link:
<a href=“http://www.thesantaclara.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticleComments&ustory_id=fe71024c-4410-4308-a11a-6e6f967cded0#b328c7e3-dd76-4299-b04c-b0a18cba6bf8[/url]”>http://www.thesantaclara.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticleComments&ustory_id=fe71024c-4410-4308-a11a-6e6f967cded0#b328c7e3-dd76-4299-b04c-b0a18cba6bf8</a></p>