When reading Tim’s Sullivan’s letter “Diversity has nothing to do with race” (Feb. 14) I found myself agreeing with many points and nodding emphatically.

Then I woke up. Although good intentioned, those ideas are awfully idealistic and do not apply to American society, a society where identity has been based on “us and them” since day one.

I strongly disagree with the notion that “promoting diversity based on race is promoting racism.” Exposure to different groups of people from various backgrounds helps significantly in breaking stereotypes and assumptions about certain groups. This shouldn’t be underestimated. What better way to counter stereotypes than education from exposure? How would you know that you and the black (or white) kid really were the same if we weren’t all given the opportunity to sit together and study?

In this nation, different races possess unique historical experiences that are intertwined with family histories and heritages. To think an individual’s philosophies, musical tastes and religion have not been shaped by these experiences is naive. Since we cannot reverse the damage done since the day race was socially constructed, we can at least celebrate and encourage the diversity that has stemmed from it.

– Natasha Mbabazi is a middler international affairs and political science major.