Where's the mascot color?

It seems as if this year’s musical choice for the last day of classes is not the only thing lacking in regards to the upcoming celebration to the end of this semester. On Thursday morning, I, as well as every undergraduate here, stood in line for the annual Last Day of Classes T-shirt. However, after briefly taking a glimpse at my new excuse to postpone washing my clothes another day, I was disappointed. Now, this disappointment had nothing to do with the skill of the design, size of the shirt, or if it was even cotton.  No, this disappointment came from the subtle message this T-shirt sent to me, as well as a few friends.  Where are the Blacks, Latinos and Asians?  Where’s the color?          

So, now you must be thinking, “Take it easy, take it easy.  It’s a T-shirt!” And you know what, this is absolutely true. It’s a simple white T-shirt that we will all soon forget once it shrinks. However, this simple article of clothing depicts a very complex issue that continues to define our Duke experience, the ever-present state of self-segregation on our campus.  

As we know, Duke is not Ivy nor is it a traditional southern university, however, we have defined ourselves by these stereotypes.  For many students of color, before we arrived, we were told that as a minority, Duke was not the place to go.

In fact, I was even told that our campus was one of the most racially charged in the South.  Thankfully, this has not been the completely truthful, yet it does have some validity.  We, as undergraduates, have (hopefully unconsciously) allowed the simple social construct of race deter us from enjoying the company of others, outside of our groups of predominately [blank] friends.  We are, in some ways, like a dysfunctional family, who can only coming together for those large “family functions,” where you don’t always know who’s going to “reintroduce” themselves.

Sometimes it’s that drunken uncle or that cousin who was cut off, but in our case it’s each other and events, such as the Last Day of Classes concert, are our “family functions.”         Therefore, why aren’t we taking advantage of this time to find some common ground, even though it may be littered with beer cans?  If events like these are our stomping grounds of camaraderie, then why are we not more vocal Campus Council to provide performers who are universally entertaining, not audience specific.  I do realize that we all have our own specific preferences in music, yet is everyone trying to end their semester with alternative rock?  

I’m sure that hearing “Shine” and “Runaway Train” will remind me of those “scandalous” school dances of yesteryear, but am I, along with many students on campus, trying to send off the year to ambience?  Yes, they have had eight number-one hits and yes, they are extremely talented, but Michael Bolton has seven, and we would not invite him to sing ballads while someone’s holding our legs during that keg-stand.              

All in all, Duke’s social environment has been our “great equalizer” and music is the perfect catalyst for cross-cultural interaction.  So, while some of us may need an extra drink to feel the music, I know I will definitely be there.  Just look for me.  I’ll be right by the band chasing the Tar Heel through the quad wearing my Last Day of Classes T-shirt with “Where’s the Color?” on my back.

Marcus Peterson is a Trinity junior.