This article is a response to an open letter by Meg Miller ’21 which was distributed on campus on October 30. The Bagpipe has a copy of Miller’s original letter, which can be read here: https://www.bagpipeonline.com/opinions/2019/11/19/an-open-letter-to-ghetto.
We have come to realize that there has been increasing discussion on campus about our hall name “Ghetto,” notably “An Open Letter to Ghetto,” distributed on campus on October 30. Through these discussions, we have become aware of how our name has offended some people. We are sad that some people are offended by this. This was never our intention, and we are grateful for this opportunity to explain our name and what it means to us.
We understand that American society generally thinks of the term “ghetto” as pejorative, from its origins in German and Italian “Jewish Ghettos” to its more recent association with poor, often minority-dominated, inner-city neighborhoods. However, we believe that because of our hall history, we have the opportunity to challenge this norm, use the term to remind us of our calling to be in the world, and show the love of Christ.
We admit that we have not done a good job of conveying and explaining the history of where our name comes from. We also admit that we have not been in the Chattanooga community as much as we used to be and thus have not lived up to the name that was proudly given to us. Therefore, allow us to explain the history of where we come from and what the name means to us as a hall.
Ghetto’s name came to be what it is today over 40 years ago when we started going down the mountain into the low-income communities of Chattanooga to minister and preach the gospel. The people of these communities originally called us “the mission to the Saint Elmo Ghetto,” and this was later abbreviated to “Ghetto.” We have wanted to live up to this name ever since.
Because of this history, our name pushes us to constantly place our identity in Christ and become more Christ-centered. By going down the mountain and engaging with those communities, we fulfill that calling together as a hall. The hall name “Ghetto” reminds us of our humble beginnings, which enables us to glorify God through our hall name. We believe that as image-bearers, one of our callings is to seek to redeem and restore this world, and thus, we want to seek to redeem any negative connotations that may come with this word.
We understand that the Covenant community is very small relative to American society at large, as well as the Jewish and African American communities that have been hurt by negative uses of the word “ghetto.” However, we are taught here at Covenant to recognize the reality that we as individuals do not have much influence in our broader society but, despite that, to still work to glorify God by challenging cultural norms.
A current sophomore who does not live on Ghetto said, “Changing the name ‘Ghetto’ does not resolve the racial issues and tension on campus… I don’t think the hall ‘Ghetto’ depicts any form of oppression to African Americans. I don’t think anyone from the hall has said the hall is called Ghetto because African Americans live in the ghetto… this issue about changing a hall name would not solve the issue minority students face from friends and professors at Covenant College.”
A current junior who also does not live on Ghetto said, “How then can we achieve racial reconciliation? The name of the hall ‘Ghetto’ symbolizes a lot of history and tradition that should not be taken lightly, but changing it will be a sacrifice for all the things it stands for and for all the foundation it has in Christ. There has to be room for grace. This is not the issue.”
One of the ways we seek to do this is by building relationships and community both within and outside Covenant College. These relationships have impacted the Lookout Mountain community and the greater Chattanooga community. There are a great number of alumni who still live on the mountain and have impacted the community for the better because of relationships formed on Ghetto.
For instance, President Halvorson is a Ghetto alumnus and seeks to lead our college in a way that promotes Christ as preeminent in all things. Aaron Tolson, who was a Ghetto RA in the 90s, has been pastoring youth at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church for 17 years now. Andrew Novenson, son of Pastor Joe Novenson, has been a middle school Bible teacher at CCS since he graduated from Covenant in the mid-2000s. These are just a few examples of how Ghetto alumni have had an impact on and off the mountain.
We understand that some might be offended and hurt with our name. We also understand that, although our intentions were not to use “ghetto” in a racist or negative connotation, our intentions do not outweigh peoples’ hurt. However, we all share the same goal of achieving racial reconciliation in our communities, and although we might disagree on how to best achieve that, we hope that we can be open with each other, work together, and discuss solutions to the deeper issue at hand.
The current junior mentioned above said, “If you want to change things around Covenant and the community, or tackle certain racial issues… we should tackle the curriculum or chapel speakers. Covenant as a community should do a better job of being part of the community through [local] churches and through halls.”
Our hall, unified, has agreed to do a better job of being involved in the Chattanooga community. We will be reaching out to the local neighborhoods with the ultimate goal of sharing the gospel and the love of Christ. We will be educating ourselves about the realities of the white savior complex and will be sensitive to avoiding it. Because of this, we are committed to ministering through pre-established local church ministries in order to be sure that we help where there are actual needs.
We know that this does not fulfill all of the requests in the Open Letter, but we believe that the best way to glorify God in this situation is by changing some of our ways and keeping our hall name.
We do believe this is an important discussion to have with the community, and we welcome and invite more conversation. Please reach out and set up a meeting with anyone on our hall. We would be more than happy to dive further into discussion and reflection with you all.