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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuntington ProtestX200 protest professor's lecture ~ Cultural issues divide America, author says By CRAIG KAPITAN Eagle Staff Writer Roughly 200 people stood in front of the Bush Presidential Conference Center on Monday evening, hoisting pickets and chanting in a mixture of English and Spanish for .Harvard profes- sor Samuel Huntington to go home. Despite the chilly reception outside, the professor was greet- ed inside the auditorium with polite applause and a capacity crowd of 600 as he warned of a possible future America split into two dominant cultures, caused in large part by the cur- rent flood of Mexican immi- grants. "We've seen a decline in sta- bility in many aspects of Ameri- can life," he said in a soft voice as he delivered the speech for Texas A&M University's Distin- guished Lecture Series. "Ameri- cans have become very serious- ly divided over what are called the culture issues." Huntington, who has been the subject of controversy since pen- ning Who Are We? The Chal- lenges to America's National Identity last year, said Monday that America was settled by peo- ple who were white, British and Protestant. Those people set the tone for America's dominant race, eth- nicity, culture and ideology, he told the crowd. Eventually, Ger- mans, Irish and Scandinavians, then later Southern and Eastern i Europeans were able to assimi- late into this American culture, he said. But the current wave of immi- gration, which has been going on since 1965 and has been dom- inated by Mexican immigrants, ~~' ~ ~ ~ . y ,~ Jtt.r ~ , ~ . . ~ ~ `° `; ^. ~~.. ~. `^~ ~~~~~§ ~~ ,, ~,e ~~,~' d ~ ' 4-r'~ ~~ ,., ~ ~ .. ~: ~`"'. v :: t ~E~~ITt ~ ~ `i ~°~ tfr r r ~~`{ ~ iv# r ~~~.~..~w. ,~{~3i~ ~ [*~ .1 c~ Eagle photos/Dave McDei Despite protesters outside, 600 people filled the Bush Ington (below) discuss his controversial views Presidential Conference Center to hear Samuel Hunt- Hispanics have not assimilated into American cu contended. Because there have been so many such immigrants - legal and illegal -and they are so near the country they were born in, they have been able to resist assimilation and instead create pockets of the country where their culture dominates, he argued. "To the Mexicans, the South- west is their turf, after all," he said, reminding the audience that at one point the land he was standing on Monday belonged to Mexico. "They feel they have a particular right to be there." The splitting of America from one strong national identity into two already is starting to show the signs of a developing back- lash, he said In fact, California's rise in its Hispanic population is similar to the change of power from the Serbs to the Muslims in Bosnia in the 1990s, which eventually led to extermination camps, he argued. While there's probably almost no chance that would happen in California, there's also little chance there won't be any backlash at all, he said. During the hour-long speech Huntington also described . a growing backlash to America's reputation around the world as an empire. However, all ques- tions at the end of the lecture were in regard to his views on immigration. Many pointedly challenged his notions. Outside the building in the minutes before the speech, Father Raymond Chavez of Santa Teresa Catholic Church in Bryan stood among dozens of members of his flock as he wore a T-shirt stating "Mexican!" underneath his black jacket. He was joined by various other and surrounding communi- ties, including Conroe. The Mexico native said it wasn't difficult to rally his parishioners - many of whom are immigrants them- selves - to attend the protest. "We don't agree with him, of course," he said. "We have to defend our Mexican rights, our human rights." Nearby, professor Armando Alonzo, a founding member of the Mexican American Latino Faculty Association and a researcher of Southwest histo- ry, took a similar stance. His organization could not sup- port such defamatory views, he said. Hispanics have been coming to America since 1848 and have constantly assimilated, he explained. The current process might end up being slower than in the past, but it is occurring, he said. "I think if he was to look at the newer research, it would show that Mexican immi- grants are in the process of making those adjustments," he said. "These immigrants make valuable contributions in their own ways." Alonzo said he found Hunt- ington's paid appearance - near the end of Hispanic Her- itage Month -insulting not only to the area's Hispanic population but to all students at A&M. It seems inconsistent, ie said, given President Zobert Gates' emphasis on Waking "diversity, globaliza- ion and internationalization ~ major pillar of his program." During a short introduction -f Huntington, Executive Vice President and Provost David Prior emphasized that Distin- guished Lecture Series speak- ers do not necessarily reflect the views of the university or its administrators. the White House during the Carter administration. "In this case, we had quite an outstanding person with outstanding credentials," Har- ris said Monday morning. "Unfortunately, we did have the controversy that was sort of in the background that sur- faced as we came closer to the meeting date." After the speech, he announced that administra- chairman of the committee that decided to invite Hunting- ton to the school, the group primarily looks at a candi- 1950 and has authored several '. tions and the Remaking o}'°: lished in 1996, has been trans- lated into 37 languages. for for its Center for Interna- tional Affairs and chairman of`° the Harvard Academy for According to professor Edward Harris, who serves as date's scholarship and aca- demic credentials. Huntington has been teach- mg at Harvard on and off since.' books. The Clash of CiUiliza- World Order, which was pub- He has served as chairman., of Harvard's department of government, associate direc- International and Area Stud- ;' ies. He also served as coordi- '. nator of security planning at tors Prior and Gates recently had arranged a speech by .. UCLA professor Edwardu,~„ Telles, author of Persistent. ~.-~. Ethnicity: Mexican Americans,:;;; Generations and Race. That speech will not be part a ~~ of the Distinguished Lecture~;;;H Series. Its date and time have;;; not yet been announced. ;;~ ^ Craig Kapitan's a-mail address is craig.kapitan@theeagle.com.