Conference Highlights

American Indians at Harvard Radcliffe

The American Indians at Harvard (AIH) held a conference which dealt with how American Indians perceive each other and their cultural identities.

"It was clear that Native Americans can only make progress when they realize the separate needs of Native Americans as well as the common goals," Eric Fox Tree '91, president of the AIH said.

Asian American Association

"To understand ourselves as Asian-Americans, we must understand how we interact with other groups," says David Chiu '91, co-conference chair of the Asian-American Association (AAA) conference. This idea established the theme of interplay '89, the AAA conference.

This conference covers different types of relationships including interracial dating, inter-Asian relations and the connection between Asians and the community.

Harvard-Radcliffe Black Students Association

Through the many speakers that were heard and seminars that were held, Blacks explored the dynamics of the problems that they lace on a personal, campus and national level. Some of these topics include AIDS in the Black community, the dearth of Blacks in the higher echelons of education and the need for activism on campuses.

Visions '89

Visions '89 was sponsored by the foundation, This conference included participants from each of the five individual ethnic conferences.

"The idea is that we did come together. We did share with one another," said Irene Shih '90, an organizer of the conference. "Somehow people have made that [affirmative action] a divisive issue but I think if you look below the surface that you'll see our concerns are the same."

La Organizacion

La Organizacion focused on the importance of education for Puerto Ricans as well as the differences between mainland and island Puerto Ricans, and the responsibility of ethnic groups to students on campus.

"There is a social and cultural part to our organization," said Wendell Ocasio. The second part of our organization is the support part. As leaders and members of these organizations it is our mandate and our responsibility."

Raza

Participants in Raza addressed the issue of empowerment through education. There was also a focus on the importance of raising leaders out of the minority community.

And as the keynote speaker Alex Saragosa said, there is diversity within the oneness of the Chicano community.

"One of the myths we need to dispel is the one that we have about community with a 'y' rather than communities," Saragosa says.