RE: “Humanity Knows No Color” (3/5/07)Dear Mass Media,

You have hammered the nail right on its head! Why can’t people just recognize each other as humans just as we are, and look beyond the color? I honestly believe that humans in a competitive state become selfish and hateful and race pass their own shadow as if they are soulless. I have experienced what Obama is going through right now from some African Americans who feel blacks from the African continent and other places are not authentic African Americans, even if they are American citizens. It is a shame that they opposed my promotion in a State Job because I wasn’t born here. Is it an identity crisis, ignorance, or hatred? Thank you for exposing this crisis. Right on the money! –Sal Ahmed

RE: “Dateline Downtown” (3/5/07)Hello Dan,

I enjoyed your piece in this week’s MM a great deal. Your writing is concise, well-wrought, thought-provoking, and other hyphenated words. Truly, you’ve got quite a talent and I hope that you continue to utilize it. While I don’t mean this to undermine your writing in any way, I was thinking that it sucks that folks like us must always see ourselves in relation to folks like the Brown, Harvard, BU kids. Again, not an insult to your excellent work….just a reaction based on years of confronting this dichotomous relationship. I always say that the hardest part of being a UMass student is the psychological burden—that is, the weight of doubting one’s own potential, intellect, and worth, especially in a commonwealth in which we are constantly being reminded, “Education is for the privileged.” Anyhow, despite the budget cuts, crumbling buildings, poorly paid educators, and the throngs of entitled Ivy-leaguers with whom we must contend, it’s great to take a break and read something as fine as your opinion piece…thanks. –Darrell Penta Applied Linguistics, ’07