Response to “Win or lose, McBride abandoned diversity goals by campaigning”
I wish I didn’t have to write this letter. Honestly. I don’t like to insert myself into contentious debates — most of the time I just don’t see the point. But sometimes, it’s worth it. I cannot in good conscious stay silent when a friend is under attack for something that is simply not true.
I have known Tim McBride since I was in sixth grade. We went to a small public school in Wilmington, Del., called Cab Calloway School of the Arts. It was an unconventional school, to say the least. There were no sports teams. No traditional social cliques. None of the usual student-teacher antagonisms (for the most part). At Cab, school musicals trumped football games any day of the week. If you stood out like a sore thumb at any other school’s dances, you’d probably fit right in at Cab. And the teachers — they were more like your second family (ups and downs included).
This was the school that Tim and I went to for seven years, and we loved every minute of it. It was an environment where challenging the status quo was interesting, where self expression was praised, and where people from all walks of life were valued. It wasn’t a perfect school — none of them are. But I wouldn’t have learned some of the most important lessons in my life if I had gone anywhere else.
After being one of Tim’s best friends for six years, I know that Cab had the same effect on him. As a result of our schooling, our friends, and our families, we both have developed a strong sense of what we value — and yes, diversity is a large part of that. When peers made sexist, racist and homophobic remarks, I saw Tim stand up for what was right, even when it made him uncomfortable. When I defended the importance of women’s representation in debates among peers, I often found that Tim was my only male ally.
Some of you may know that I am running for vice president of the Student Government. It took me a long time before I ever thought to run, although I was, on paper, a very qualified candidate. I figured that someone else would run — it really wasn’t on my radar. Two weeks before the Board of Election information sessions, I had no intention of running.
But Tim McBride was the one who suggested that I should run. He reminded me that I was more than qualified, that I was prepared for the position, and that my perspective as a woman was needed on the Executive Board. I trusted Tim, and I knew he wouldn’t suggest this to me if I didn’t have a chance. Later that day, I told myself that I would run.
This letter is not about why I think Tim would be the best president for the Student Government — although I wholeheartedly believe that he would be. This letter is about setting the record straight. Tim McBride is a caring, empathetic, passionate person who does not take his privilege for granted. Yes, he is a white male. But that doesn’t mean that he cares about diversity only when it benefits him politically. I’ve known Tim for a long time now, and trust me — he cared about diversity long before any Student Government election.
I hope this letter offers some insight into the kind of person Tim is.
And you know what? I never thought that speaking my mind would feel this good.
Liz Richards
2012, School of Public Affairs
