I attended the lecture given by Louis Farrakhan, which took place on Jan. 30, and I would like to share with the readers of The Northern Star my reaction to the event.

Mr. Farrakhan is most certainly a brilliant speaker who commands a powerful and charismatic presence; as an orator he provides to his audience a special experience. Concerning the first amendment right of freedom of speech, speakers such as Mr. Farrakhan, regardless of being popular or not, have that right and should have every opportunity to exercise that right; I agree fully with President La Tourette.

I was drawn to attend the event because of the controversial nature of the speaker; I was not disappointed. I tried to be objective and listen with open-minded ears, that was the intent that I took going to the lecture.

Yet, as the lecture progressed, I could not continue to be objective, because the speaker did not provide me with the opportunity. The more that I listened, the more I felt a victim being attacked. I was being blamed for actions and events that were perpetrated by other human beings who I have the same skin color as.

I was being singled out, blame being placed upon me for actions and events that I had nothing to do with and no way to control. The simple fact is I am white, and because of this, in his subtle and implied way the speaker of the lecture I attended, lays blame upon me and all those like me for the evils of the world. Is this RACISM?

Am I to be subjected to this kind of treatment as a human being? Are whites (caucasians) meant to be ashamed of history that whites participated in? Can the outcome of events that are unfortunate, where blacks and whites are the parties, be simply decided as RACIST?

No, I would hope today that people would discard these kinds of out-moded ideas, and take people for what they are. Mr. Farrakhan does not know me, but in between the lines of his speech, I hear his message. I am here to tell Mr. Farrakhan, that it is not my fault, I did not do it; thus, I have no remorse.

As an American, as a descendant of European heritage, and as a WHITE MAN, I am proud of who and what I am. Now, there are some who would call me a RACIST, because of who and what I am. Well, I will not extend to them the same opportunity. The Constitution of the United States provides to you, to me and Louis Farrakhan the opportunity to live in a country where fundamental rights provide to us the right to express ourselves; and so I have.

Stewart W. Penoyer

Senior

Political Science