Congratulations, Rutgers University Lady Scarlet Knights. As the second best basketball team in the country, you have received the nickname of “nappy-headed ho’s” from national radio host, Don Imus. Not only did you have one of the best seasons in school history and make it to the NCAA finals, but you also earned a stereotype of “tattooed ho’s.”

So, if one believes Imus, girls who are black, from inner cities and play sports must have nappy hair, tattoos and be whores. Way to go Imus, you single-handedly took America back to the 60s with racial slurs and stereotypes based on skin color, a factor that one certainly cannot control.

There is an undeniable level of outrage that American’s should show Imus over his misguided comments, namely, changing the radio channel when his voice comes on the air, therefore lowering his ratings. No business will let Imus continue to spew his racially charged comments if there is no one listening.

Another form of outrage being shown is the demand for Imus to be immediately fired. Reverend Jesse Jackson initiated this demand by picketing outside of NBC studios calling for Imus to not only be suspended, but also released permanently from the station. The outcry for Imus to be fired is not rash based on one comment, but rather due to a history of racial and sexist comments. In the past he called the New York Knicks a group of ”chest-thumping pimps,” and commented on a black White House journalist by saying, “isn’t The Times wonderful, it lets the cleaning lady cover the White House.”

This is not the first time a radio host has made racially charged comments, but as junior Destree Reamy put it, “for a radio host who interviews potential presidential candidates and tells Americans what to think politically, being racist is simply not acceptable.”

Past appearances on Imus’s show include Senator John McCain, who said, “He has apologized, and I’m a great believer in redemption.” The problem arises, not only, with the fact that this is not the first time Imus has made racially inappropriate comments. He apologized only after people began calling for his dismissal as a radio host.

The media already dictates enough of what Americans think, proven after the 1968 presidential election in which communication scholars found that the media leads the public on what to think about certain issues. The last thing Americans need is a person with racist viewpoints guiding America’s political thoughts. Personally, I do not want someone who sees the world through a racist lens telling me how to vote, though at this point I would vote for anyone but the candidate Imus endorses.

It is disappointing to see that while many Americans see skin color as nothing more than appearance, others continue to stereotype and assign worth based on race. But if one good thing stems from this event, it will be the class that the university, team and students have shown in handling this case. For the ladies of the Rutgers basketball team, the remarks were a major letdown from a great season. Many on the team are described by the New Jersey Governor as having, “intelligence, toughness, tenacity, leadership and, most of all, class,” and after Tuesday’s press conference, the team has proven what class truly is.

While many would expect the players to go running to magazines to see their name in print and to harshly criticize Imus, the team responded by accepting a meeting with Imus at an undisclosed location and resolving to have an open mind. Matee Ajavon, a member of the team commented that, “Right now, I can’t really say if we have come to a conclusion of whether we will accept the apology.” But the team is still willing to listen.

At this point, Rutgers is not calling for Imus’s immediate release, but something everyone should do is stop listening to him and denying a platform from which he can spew outdated ideas. No longer should we allow him to be an influential voice of our country if he cannot show basic respect to people. Congratulations to Rutgers Lady Scarlet Knights for a great season and on having more class than Imus ever will.

About the writer:

Juliana Jones is a first-year CCPA major. She can be reached at [email protected].