The Language of Race
Harvard professor and legal scholar Randall Kennedy covered topics ranging from linguistics to the law during a series of talks titled "Who Can Say 'Nigger'? . . . and Other Related Questions." Kennedy offered no firm, easy answers in the April 26-29 lectures, but said, "There is no compelling justification for presuming that black usage of 'nigger' is permissible while white usage is objectionable." Novelist Charles Johnson addressed the freshman class on May 10. Last fall, all first-year students received a copy of his book about the slave trade, Middle Passage, and were encouraged to read and discuss the book with classmates.
Peak Performers
Garry Kasparov spoke on April 22 about the psychological and physical pressures he faces as the top chess player in the world. "My recent success against much younger players partly depends on my superior physical condition," he said. Kasparov's talk kicked off a symposium on May 7 and 8 on "Limits of Performance," which also featured author George Plimpton, Kansas congressman Jim Ryun, Olympic gymnast and Stanford junior Kerri Strug and former 49ers head coach Bill Walsh.
Calling for Changes
In an April 5 speech, Ken Prewitt, PhD '63, director of the U.S. Census Bureau, defended the use of sampling as a good way to count ethnic minorities, children and the poor. Jim Kelly, PhD '67, president of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, which seeks to better the nation's schools by setting rigorous certification standards for teachers, spoke about education reform on April 15. Novelist Arundhati Roy filled Cubberly Auditorium May 3 for a discussion of her international best-selling novel, The God of Small Things, which deals with social class in India.
