Quite simply, Rep. Cohen will have to accept what the rest of the country will have to accept -- there has been an unofficial Congressional White Caucus for over 200 years, and now it's our turn to say who can join 'the club.' He does not, and cannot, meet the membership criteria, unless he can change his skin color. Primarily, we are concerned with the needs and concerns of the black population, and we will not allow white America to infringe on those objectives.
Doesn't having any sort of "insert race here" club/caucus/fraternity just reinforce the idea that said race is different?
I always kinda found it odd that there were black fraternities, a black Resident Council, a Black Student Union, heck, we even had a couple black only lunch tables in the cafeteria. Meanwhile the rest of the fraternities, student unions and lunch tables were pretty integrated. And let me point out quite clearly that this isn't a case of the majority segregating a minority - this is a case of a minority holding themselves apart.
I understand feeling more comfortable with people like you - we all do it. I even concede that I have no idea what being black is like, I get that. But holding yourself apart and preventing yourself from meeting and interacting with people that don't look like you is completely contrary to the large university experience. It's contrary to the concept of diversity (one of the justifications for affirmative action, btw). And most of all runs counter to the goal of eliminating racism and prejudice. Blacks and minorities should be seeking to interact with as many people that don't look like them as possible if only to show that they are really just like them after all.
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