No matter what your ethnicity, black skin in this world is forced to bear a stigma. Police don't care if your ethnicity is Ibo or Kikuyu when they pull you over without cause. No one asks my ethnicity before following me around stores when they think I more likely to steal because I'm black.

What they see is my skin color, and that's all the justification they use.

In Eric Swankoski's rebuttal to Ms. Oliver's letter, he states "You cannot equate skin color with heritage or ethnicity."

Well, the world-wide oppression of black people has forged a new element of our heritage. While we experience the same pride in our history, we also experience the same struggles and pain due to the stigma inflicted on our skin color by the dominant culture in this country.

That is all part of our black heritage.

For all of Mr. Swankoski's indignation, and "America Unite" rhetoric, never once did I see his letter in the paper condemning racists who sent death threats to students because of their skin color. I also did not meet him at the marches designed to improve the climate for students who suffer indignities due to skin color.

So, is it really about the pin, Mr. Swankoski?

Or were your ultra-delicate, ultra-conservative toes stepped on?

"Kiss me, I'm Irish," and "Italian Pride" and more are all phrases that have appeared on bumper stickers, T-shirts or pins. Yet, the one phrase that evokes cries of racism is "I love being black."

Now, that is asinine.