Following the Philadelphia Street shooting and my subsequent criticism of the prejudice involved, I put out a call for "more dialogue, more discussion, more programs and more real leadership" in combating racism on campus.
I received a number of responses both on thepenn.org and my personal e-mail address and as one might expect, these responses were from IUP students, the people you'd think would be most likely to read The Penn.
Imagine my surprise, then, when Elizabeth Gordon, author of the award-winning "Walk With Us: Triplet Boys, Their Teen Parents and Two White Women Who Tagged Along" e-mailed me.
She had read my April 7 article "This should be end of line for racism at IUP, everywhere," asking for a meeting to discuss both racism and writing.
Noticing that the book had a glowing 5-star rating on Amazon.com, I quickly purchased it online and replied to Gordon that I was interested.
Two weeks, nine chapters and some mild confusion later, Gordon and I met up at Stapleton library.
Gordon - who, in the midst of her book tour - stopped by to speak to a sociology class on campus and had been reading up on The Penn in anticipation of her IUP visit. And as a Philadelphia native and an author about racism, she certainly brought a different perspective to the debate.
After all, Gordon, herself both a Quaker and a lesbian, is no stranger to prejudice, and her book details the true story of how she and her partner took in two homeless, black Muslim teenagers and soon-to-be parents of triplets.
"Walk With Us," which is available on both on walkwithus.info and in the Co-op book store, is truly a tale of how the other side lives, whether that "other side" is black, poor, young or another group that has the deck notoriously stacked against them.
It is a wake-up call for those of us who complain about insignificances such as not receiving cell phone service.
While we worry about petty trivialities, there are people, such as those in the story, who are homeless and yet have to fight even to receive food stamps.
While Gordon and I discussed both my article and her book, she gave quite a bit of insight into a variety of topics.
I mentioned to her the prospect of building a true multi-cultural center on campus, and she told me to make sure that there is a section in the thought-of center devoted to white, or Euro-American, culture as well as all of the others.
She said it would prevent all of the other cultures from looking different from the perceived norm, and would show Euro-American culture to be just one example of many.
She also warned not to confuse racism with prejudice in regards to majority-minority hatred, and to make sure to never judge a person by preconceptions.
As our conversation drifted off toward religion and politics, I began to realize how important it is for people of specific races, cultures or creeds to actively go to bat for one another as opposed to simply looking out for one's own.
The fight for equality may not need to be a fight between groups, after all, but instead a fight within groups to stamp out those who slow down the process of peace.
In her book, Gordon offered a helping hand to two - and ultimately five - people who desperately needed the lift, and in doing so gained about as much from the experience as she gave.
We all should be so lucky.
Gordon answered my call for more dialogue and discussion about prejudice on campus.
I only wish that more people could have read her story and heard her words. It is now up to us to answer the call for more programs and more real leadership.
IUP students, I implore you to stop being afraid of surface differences. By embracing those who at first glance seem far different than you are, and like Gordon, reaching out to those in need, you may be surprised by what you get in return.
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