Setting the record straight

Your March 15 editorial, “Peddling a silly proposal,” deeply misunderstood my bill to promote biking in university facility master plans and my view of the university’s efforts to promote biking.

First, the bill simply requires all the University System of Maryland campuses to include bike infrastructure in their plans. This university’s plan does – so, in that sense, the bill is fully consistent with the university’s practice.

Second, on the larger question of how the university is doing in moving up the rankings of bike-friendly campuses, everyone agrees it has a long way to go. The good news is that, under university President Wallace Loh, the campus has moved forward. I’m aware of what the campus is doing and am supportive of it.

The bill makes good sense – and so does accelerating investment in bicycle infrastructure.

JIM ROSAPEPE

STATE SENATOR

ANNE ARUNDEL AND PRINCE GEORGE’S

Sameness or parity?

In response to Nicholas Shade’s March 16 letter, “Dr. King’s dream,” affirmative action for college admissions may not promote equality (sameness) as the author asserts, but it does support equity (parity). To claim affirmative action is “another form of racism” is itself a form of color-blind racism – the ideology that race is irrelevant and should be avoided. This argument suggests colleges should select students and companies should interview candidates based on their abilities and performances while disregarding social contexts such as race. This mindset of meritocracy proposes students can succeed if they work hard because they are all born with the same opportunities. The problem is, not all students are born with the same opportunities. Furthermore, meritocracy undermines the systematic structures that marginalize race.

Such opportunities have been limited by structural racism over the course of this country’s history. The National Housing Act of 1934, for example, allowed only white people the opportunity to subsidize home mortgages, while black people found it difficult to qualify. After this act was declared unconstitutional, black and Hispanic residents started to move into predominantly white communities. White residents feared their property values would subsequently decline, so they left the neighborhoods. As a result of white homeowners taking their wealth with them, these communities faced higher property taxes and endured a decline in public services such as schools and public transportation. These institutionalized racial issues remain salient today – the wealth gap between white and black families persists, minority communities face underfunded schools and not all students have the necessary resources to do well in school.

An African proverb says, “Start where you are, but don’t stay there.” Not all students start in the same place, but affirmative action helps these students get there.

TUNG PHAM

GRADUATE STUDENT

SECONDARY EDUCATION