SF State's pride in being a multicultural campus was hurt last spring when the Malcolm X mural controversy became national news.
A year later, some people feel that the same tensions that flared then are still evident today.
"The intention of the mural was never to offend. It was to have Malcolm's vision embraced by this campus," said Aimee Barnes, a member of the Pan Afrikan Student Union and a representative on the Student Center Governing Board.
Ideological lines were drawn immediately when the 10-foot high image of the slain civil rights leader was unveiled last May 19. While some adamantly supported the mural, others said symbols within it -- specifically Jewish stars with dollar signs -- were anti-Semitic and rallied for its removal. The mural also included the U.S. flag with the words "African blood" written on it.
While first inviting the SCGB to settle the resulting conflict, SF State President Robert A. Corrigan ultimately stepped in and authorized its removal. Students washed off the paint several times before the mural was sandblasted off permanently by workmen in the early hours of May 26.
Issues of anti-Semitism, black pride, free speech and students' rights were all hotly debated during the incident.
"It was one of the first times in my 19 years here that you heard spontaneous and passionate discussion of the issues among students. It opened the dialogue," speech and communications Professor Carol Wilder said.
Wilder said the mural brought out spontaneous anger and people didn't edit themselves as they usually do. She said spontaneous discussion is necessary in building an understanding.
"We need to be more forgiving of people's naivety. We need to give people some slack. We need to allow each other to make mistakes or else the conversation can never happen. If you have to worry about being politically correct, it is not a dialogue. The idea of a dialogue is to explore, to build something together, not to be picture perfect," she said.
Wilder said, however, there is not a lot of substantive interaction between students on campus today.
"Even though the face of SF State is multicultural, the mind has yet to follow," Wilder said. "We can see each other now but we haven't got to know each other."
English Professor Lois Lyles, who was arrested last May after she tried to paint over the stars framing Malcolm's image on the mural, said issues that arose around the recent Associated Students elections are examples of tensions that surfaced during the controversy last spring.
The Student Struggle slate filed grievances against the Unified Student Movement presidential candidate, Troy Buckner-Nkrumah, after members of Struggle claimed they were threatened and intimidated by Buckner-Nkrumah who claimed the slate was supported by Zionists. Struggle also charged in a lawsuit filed with San Francisco Superior Court that USM perpetuated an "anti-Semitic platform."
"I would rather put a bullet through a Zionist than put one on my slate," Nkrumah said. "When I know a group is oppressing me, it would be a defensive act. I would rather die before I sold out. I consider myself a freedom fighter and a revolutionary -- by any means. That means at whatever cost necessary. I'm not non-violent. But it's not an everyday situation. If I met a Zionist we would have an ideological debate. I don't want to go to jail."
Buckner-Nkrumah said he was against all forms of oppression, including capitalism, imperialism, colonialism, settler colonialism, neocolonialism, Zionism and racism. He said that being anti-Zionist did not mean he was anti-Semitic.
According to Webster's World Dictionary, Zionism is the international movement for reestablishing and supporting the state of Israel, while being Jewish means a person is a descendant of the ancient Hebrews, and also refers to the religion and culture of Judaism. The two are often confused.
"Last year the talk was that Jews are responsible for oppression, imperialism and capitalism. The words have turned more violent now," said Karen Kaiserman, president of Hillel House, a Jewish student organization.
"Criticizing a country's policy or a people's policy is one thing, but a threat should be taken more seriously," Kaiserman said.
Buckner-Nkrumah said the only real threat is to Zionists.
"Some of the most vocal critics of Zionism are Jews," Harvard Professor Cornel West said. "You have a lot of people who use anti-Zionism as a way to trash Jews. You have to be able to have the dialogue and still be concerned about people feeling secure."
Mary Felstiner, a history professor at SF State, said she hopes students, faculty and staff can work on issues that can preserve SF State as a multi-ethnic home for many people, rather than single out groups and call them solely responsible for the problems of the world.
"I teach a course on genocide in the history department," Felstiner said. "I know those code words are dangerous. Zionism is a fairly old code word. The singling out of one group as an enormously powerful conspiracy resulting in oppression is an old idea. The theory of conspiracy, I think, is wretchedly wrong and dangerous. Theories have led to an enormous amount of bloodshed."
Felstiner said there are periods when words and actions seem separate and then there are moments they can be very close. She cited the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma as an example of this. Speaking of the paramilitary she said, "They have been told it is an apocalyptic war. They take these words quite literally.
"I don't think there is a huge distance between provocative words and the possibility that things will happen," Felstiner said.
Some of the loudest voices are not necessarily representative of the student body.
"When students have to pay more to go to school, and have to work, they are not as interested in being socially involved, they just want to get through," said Brenda Dunn, a psychology senior. "Then you have the propagandists who try to represent us."
"We are not able to sit and talk things out," Dunn said. "We are still separate. People stick to their own belief system." She pointed out that Malcolm X was able to change his views throughout his life.
According to Guy Dalpe, managing director of the SCGB, there is strong general support on the board for a new Malcolm X mural going up in the near future. "We would hope to see something come forward in the fall semester," Dalpe said.
This time the SCGB would get more input from more sources prior to the actual commissioning and erection of the mural, according to Dalpe.
"President Corrigan would support students coming forward with a new proposal for a mural, including a new portrayal of Malcolm X that the entire campus community could celebrate," said Ligeia Polidora, director of public affairs and communications at SF State.
Barnes said she believed a new Malcolm X mural could be a healing process.
"In African tradition you look back to see where you are going in the future," Barnes said.