Dennette's Mensa Page: 2001-09-10

Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 01:56:06 -0400
To: bulletinletters@us.mensa.org
From: "Dennette A. Harrod, Jr" <Dennette@WiZ-WORX.com>
Subject: Minorities in Mensa (Redux)

When I first saw the suggestion that Mensa membership requirements
be lowered to the top 5% for minorities (in order to encourage us to
join), I refused to dignify it with a comment. However, after seeing how
far off the mark all of the published responses have been, I can no longer
remain silent.

Let me start by saying that I was one of the five black members
selected by the AMC to be interviewed in EBONY (39:12, Oct '84,
134-138), and I am a Life Member who has not attended a Local, Regional,
or National function in over a decade.

I personally know a lot of blacks who qualify for Mensa membership,
but of the few that I encouraged to join, none of them renewed their
memberships after the first year, and I have subsequently stopped trying
to recruit minority members.

Now to the bottom line ... the reason that more members of
minorities do not join Mensa is not because we do not qualify; IT IS
BECAUSE WE DO NOT FEEL WELCOME!!

On more than one occasion, at official Mensa functions, white
members have opined that my qualification was easily explained by my light
complexion ... "You obviously have a lot of white blood in you!"

If you want to increase minority enrollment in Mensa, do something
about the 2% of the active members who are also active racists.

Prejudice is caused by three things; (1) ignorance, (2) stupidity, and (3)
nothing else. Qualification for membership in Mensa does not preclude
either ignorance (lack of knowledge) or stupidity (self-deception about
one's ignorance).

For some other thoughts related to this issue, see my essay
"The Anti Gifted Student Movement"
(http://www.waterholes.com/~dennette/1997/970302.htm) published in Beacon
(21:3, May '97), the monthly newsletter of Boston Area Mensa.

* Mr. Dennette (Abu Hurairah) Harrod, Jr. - http://WiZ-WORX.com/
* "Never confuse wisdom with luck." -- 44th Rule of Acquisition