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Cynthetiq · 09-25-2008, 06:59 PM

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View: Effigy of Obama outrages campus
Source: Registerguard
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Effigy of Obama outrages campus
Effigy of Obama outrages campus
By Mary Hudetz

The Associated Press

Published: September 25, 2008

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NEWBERG — Officials of a small Christian university say a life-size cardboard reproduction of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was hung from a tree on the campus, an act with racial undertones that outraged students and school leaders alike.

A custodian discovered the effigy early Tuesday and removed it, George Fox University President Robin Baker said. University spokesman Rob Felton said Wednesday that the commercially produced reproduction had been suspended from the branch of a tree with fishing line around the neck.

Taped to the cardboard cutout of the black senator from Illinois was a message targeting participants in Act Six, a scholarship program geared toward increasing the number of minority and low-income students at several Christian colleges, mostly in the Northwest.

The message read, “Act Six reject.”

The disturbing image recalled the days of lynchings of blacks, and was all the more incongruous at a university founded by Quaker pioneers in 1891. Felton said he had been at the school since he enrolled two decades ago, and “I’ve never experienced or heard of any type of overt racial act.” He said the school doesn’t believe students are in jeopardy.

At the end of the college’s regular chapel service Wednesday morning, Baker told students he was “disheartened and outraged.”

“It has been my dream to establish a university that more adequately represents the kingdom of God,” he said. “This act causes some to question our commitment.

“What I’ve learned is we still have work to do,” he said.

Sahar Wali, Oregon communications director for the Obama campaign, sought to downplay the incident.

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s not representative of Oregonians and especially of their response to the senator’s campaign,” Wali said. “It’s not going to change what we’re doing in Oregon.”

Wali said most comments received by the campaign Wednesday were about the economy, foreign policy and how to volunteer for Obama’s campaign, not about the incident at George Fox.

Henry Luvert, president of the Eugene-Springfield chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the incident leaves him disappointed but not surprised.

“That’s a mindset that’s just beneath the surface of every community in the country,” Luvert said. “At least these idiots were upfront with it. They expressed themselves by saying what a lot of white people are not saying.”

Luvert said a religious college is not immune to the virus of racism. “Remember, slavery was sanctioned by the church,” he said.

“This is America,” Luvert said, alluding to the country’s racist heritage. “We’ve only changed a little bit. We’ve not changed as much as we’d like to think we’ve changed.”

George Fox has 17 students in its Act Six program, whose name derives from the New Testament book of Acts. Felton said 16 are members of minority groups.

Students in the program receive full scholarships, according to school officials, and they are selected based on their leadership potential.

Several students in the program said they were angry but did not feel threatened.

“To me, I just felt like they weren’t ready to have a black person be president,” said Courtney Greenidge, a sophomore from Clackamas. “We’re trying to bring change. Obama’s trying to bring change.” She described herself, like Obama, as biracial — half black, half white.

She also said the campus has a welcoming and positive environment overall, but she has heard comments along the lines of, “Oh, I wish I was black. Then I could get a scholarship like that.”

Felton said few people saw the effigy, which was near Minthorn Hall near the heart of the campus, known as the Quad.

Sgt. Tim Weaver of the Newberg Police Department said officials are working with the university to find out who was responsible. He also said the police department has notified the U.S. Secret Service, although it’s not clear yet whether the act was a crime.

“It doesn’t fit as a hate crime and it doesn’t fit in as intimidation, necessarily,” he said. “If it’s not a crime we’re not going to be involved.”

Brad Lau, a university vice president, said school officials have been questioning students to find out who was responsible. He and other school officials wouldn’t say what action the school might take.

The George Fox University campus is in Newberg, southwest of Portland. About 1,800 students are enrolled. The university also has centers in Portland, Salem and Boise.

Felton said about 2 percent of the students are black and about a quarter of the freshman class are members of minority groups.

Are there really enough people who don't have bias or prejudice swimming in their heads and be willing to actually when behind the curtain pull the lever for Mr. Obama?

Personally I'm not a fan of biracial or other racial labels. The moment you identify yourself as anything other than American, you've created a divide. If you're asking about heritage, that's a different story, his heritage makes him partly black and partly white. Otherwise, he's just an American. Because that's what we all are. When someone asks me where I'm from I say, "I"m American." I can see the discomfort as they now have to figure out how to ask what my race is. Usually, they sheepishly fumble out, "No, I mean like where are you from?"

"Los Angeles," I reply.

Sometimes it is one of these, "No, your parents, where are they from? That's what I meant to ask..." or "What's your heritage?"

So here we are, someone finally pulled the race card on Mr. Obama. Is America really ready?

I don't think so.