This letter was distributed through hard copies in various campus buildings on October 30. It was not submitted to the print edition of the Bagpipe, but is reproduced here to contextualize the response submitted by Ghetto to the Bagpipe in the November 19 print issue.
I often wonder why Covenant takes so long to change things; the explanations more often than not involve tradition. Since we are used to things being a certain way, it would take a good amount of noise to change and even more if we wish for it to change quickly. I feel like this situation calls for me to make some noise. I need to address what has been bothering me: the name of the hall Ghetto. The previous and current use of that word charges it with negative racial stereotypes for many ethnicities, specifically African American communities. I believe that it is necessary to change Ghetto’s name out of love and respect for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
I’m sure you know a little bit about it from history classes: Jews and Gypsies were forced to live in segregated communities because of their ethnicities in World War II. Then, over time it was used for neighborhoods of African Americans; “ghetto” became associated with untrue and racist stereotypes for black people. Sociology professors Ray Hutchinson and Bruce Hayes wrote:
“For contemporary Americans, both black and white, the word ghetto has generally come to be associated with black people, powerfully referring to the areas in which blacks have become concentrated over time; in popular parlance it is “the black side of town,” or “the ’hood.” To blacks and whites alike, the meaning of the term is almost always pejorative. For outsiders, the ghetto is more often imagined than directly experienced—imagined as impoverished, chaotic, lawless, drug-infested, and ruled by violence. Over the years this imagined ghetto has become an icon, a kind of polestar by which all blacks are measured... The ghetto is viewed and imagined as a highly undesirable place to be, and anyone who is from such a place or associated with such a place by skin color and phenotype is first and foremost viewed as lower class, “no account,” or déclassé by those of the wider society,” There has recently been a movement away from using words with these racist connotation in broader culture because of these harmful meanings. It is time for Covenant to catch up.
What happens on Covenant’s campus affects the people outside of this school. I was approached by some non-Covenant friends about how our use of this word is deeply uncomfortable for them. As a Christian college that aims to share the Gospel throughout Chattanooga and the world, this should concern us deeply. Black men and women, even students thinking about coming to Covenant, may look up and see the flagrant use of a word that demeans them by people who proclaim the name of God.
Covenant seems to be desensitized to the hurt and racism behind “ghetto” because we are so used to it being used around campus. Over time and consistent exposure, we grow callous to its problematic past because, for most (but not all) of us, the word ghetto has not been used to put down us or our family. The culture, heritage, socioeconomic status, and identity of others has been degraded with it while we remain unbothered. The meaning of “ghetto” is not lost on people outside of this school. If you do not believe me, pull out your phone and quickly google “is ghetto racist” to see that we are far behind the rest of society in recognizing this. It is our job, as Christians, to step into the shoes of others and embrace empathy for the ways that they are hurt by our blindness. We are actively using a racist word without thought. It is time for that to change.
I want to recognize that this will not be the experience of all black people; not everyone you talk to will find it offensive or associate it with stereotypes. The argument here is that we should choose not to use the word “ghetto” because of the people who do find it offensive, even if they were to be few in number. Fighting against that would show just how fickle we are to care more for holding onto our tradition than to love even one person who was uncomfortable with our use of the word. This is simply not our word to use. Ghetto, I know that you didn’t choose the name. This is not a personal condemnation or any kind of attack. I would not even go as far as to say that the original founders of the hall had bad intentions when they selected it. However, intentions don’t change how other people hear or interpret our use of the word. I understand the major tradition that lies behind a hall name, but I believe that the love of Christ should be a much stronger bond. Choosing to find a new hall name can be something you do together for the sake of loving others well.
Covenant College does not give a hall a certain name; the hall members choose it on their own. It would be the most amazing and powerful thing if Ghetto’s name change came from the inside- initiated by your hall- instead of waiting for enough people to get angry about it. I hope that your hall has listened with empathy to my explanation and can see that the right, loving thing to do would be to find a new name that better reflects Covenant’s respect for the imago Dei. So I want to call you, brothers, to action. Set aside your defensiveness to love my friends who are uncomfortable with your hall name. Do not allow this word to be used insensitively in this majority white, middle/upper-class school. Show everyone on campus and in our Chattanooga community who feels uncomfortable about it that you care more for love than tradition. Ghetto, change your name.
-Meg Miller
All Covenant College students: Our complacency in issues that do not immediately affect us personally is a problem. In an effort to change the name so that we can strive to be an inclusive, thoughtful, and respectful college, please take one minute to fill out a student grievance form on the Covenant website (https://portal.covenant.edu/forms/29) requesting that the name be changed.
Quote from Haynes, Bruce D., and Ray Hutchison. 2012. The Ghetto : Contemporary Global Issues and Controversies. Boulder, CO: Routledge. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=421123&site=ehost-live.