I think we are a better community when students, faculty, staff and community members feel a sense of empowerment and are invested in how we feel about important issues. However, some of what is being said and by whom is not a byproduct of a sense of empowerment or investment in community.

I am referring to the recent rash of race hate mails that have been received by our African-American students, student athletes and yes, even an African-American Penn State Board of Trustee member.

It is disheartening and damaging to the human sprit to know that we are dragging this level of racism, intolerance and hatred into a new century. While I have heard explanations that these are isolated incidents and not truly reflective of the majority of the community; make no mistake about it, these recent hate mail threats were designed to do much more than intimidate those who received the letters.

For me, these hate messages are an attack on all of us who live in this community. I do not underestimate the power these messages have had on the individuals who have been the direct targets: their feeling of lost personal safety and trust in our community has been devastated.

What may not be as directly apparent is how much we have lost as a community. I am not taking about our image to the world as "Happy Valley." I am talking about something more individual and personal. What really bothers me about the hate mail is the fear, the anger, the finger pointing and how paralyzed we all seem to be. We have failed individually and as a community to develop effective ways of addressing this very serious threat to our collective sense of belonging and community.

As a culture, we Americans always want action: "Let's do something about these hate messages." "Where are our leaders on these issues and why haven't they done something?" "We need a rally with a cast of thousands." Don't get me wrong; I think public displays are important components of an effective community response. However, this should also be a time for reflection and personal reassessment.

As egregious as these recent acts of hate have been, any students, staff and faculty of color will tell if asked, this is just the tip of the iceberg and that sometimes it is the everyday indignities that really account for the over all negative sense of acceptance.

Let me suggest another kind of display of support, a very personal rally of sorts. One you can participate in as soon as you finish reading this letter. All you have to do is go to any room with a mirror and take a good hard look yourself in the eyes, say and mean it, in response to hate mails, racism, sexism, and others acts of intolerance "I pledge not here, not now, not ever."