Health-care reform raises questions of racism

Universal health care has been covered intensely in the media—but some Seattle University faculty and students think the deep-rooted issue of racism has been overlooked in the debate.

To tackle this topic, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Diversity and Equity Education Program hosted a Courageous Conversation.


Monitored by DEEP leaders, Seattle University students gathered to discuss, debate and provide possible solutions to the unspoken holes in Obama's proposed health-care plan. Though Obama has yet to say race and class play huge factors in the debate, students are already fully aware of it.


"This is a really important issue, there isn't enough coverage on it," said Carlos Reyes, sophomore pre-major and member of DEEP.

The talk provided an open forum for students to discuss the racial implications that may come along with health-care reform. Some students felt that, like education, health care is a fundamental human right.


"I thought the talk was very interesting and informative," said Alaina Schultz, sophomore international studies major. "It reflected the morals of Seattle U very well, and I think most college campuses should promote talks like this more because it pertains to everyone."


The discussion asked students to consider if Obama was compromising America's values and if the possibility of pleasing everyone should be a priority—theespecially when oppression was at stake.


Race and class can allow fragmentation to occur and prevents alliances among minorities, the poor and the privileged.

The elephant in the room is simple, but looming at the same time: Obama is black. Students discussed that although Obama is avoiding pulling the race card, his proposed plan will continue to escalate the gap between the middle and upper class and the lower class—which includes many minority citizens. And if the proposal goes through, an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. will be seen as undeserving of free healthcare.


"The plan will not cover undocumented immigrants and it will leave out a lot of people who do a lot of work and won't get coverage," said Monica Nixon, director of OMA. "We need to open the door and support expansion of government health care."


While there is much denial on the idea of racism involved in the health-care debate, the unspoken tension is very thick. Toward the end of the talk, ideas were raised on how to create alliances—one possibility would be through young and active college students.
"Students are an untapped voice that can bring about change and promote awareness starting on their very own campus," said Sabrina Chen, DEEP member and senior social work major.

"Open debates like Courageous Conversations provide an environment that is respectful and mindful of other's opinions and is leading the way for awareness and the ability to exchange ideas peacefully."