Word: razo
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
However, people at Harvard may be all too willing to write off Razo as an isolated case. Officials are already quick to point out that Razo's alleged crime spree began before he entered Harvard and continued while the Kirkland House resident was on vacation. What a clever way to wash our collective hands of the whole matter...
...must not dismiss Razo in such a manner, for the case presents a much-needed opportunity to take a hard look at race relations at Harvard...
After reading the initial press reports of the arrest, the image of a young minority lost in a community not generally known for racial harmony emerges. Razo laughing at his professors and peers after his arrest points to a minority who never found a close group of friends, never carved out a niche at Harvard. Whose fault is this? The student's or the school...
Harvard's poor state of race relations stand at the center of the Razo case. It appears that Razo's alleged crime spree stemmed from an effort to prove to his friends his loyalty to his Hispanic background. Why? Because at Harvard there is little or no practical way for a minority to reconcile his background with the WASPy, preppy Harvard experience. As some do here, Razo tried to be two different people in two different worlds. When in Cambridge he tried to be one more anonymous Harvard student. When in California, he did as the Hispanic homeboys...
...Razo's dilemma mirrors the problem of all minorities at Harvard. What identity do we seek here? Do we turn within to examine our heritage, or do we look outside and try to fit in to the larger society? Unfortunately no middle ground exists. Either path leads to the exclusion of the other and the disapproval of one's peers...