U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt visited Oberlin April 7, speaking with students and city residents on behalf of President Clinton's Initiative on Race program. "I got the first choice of college campuses to come to, and there wasn't any question about where it would be -- it had to be Oberlin," said Babbitt during a ceremony designating the Wilson Bruce Evans House as a National Historic Landmark for its role in the Underground Railroad.
Later, with an audience of College and Oberlin High School students, Babbitt joined President Nancy Dye, Associate Professor of Religion Albert Miller, and three students in a cable-televised panel discussion in Mudd Center, where he inquired of race relations at Oberlin and fielded questions concerning Clinton's policies on racial issues.
"As the president has said so eloquently, we're never going to get there by ignoring the problems," Babbitt said. "We must learn to talk frankly, honestly, and open our hearts across racial and ethnic lines."
More on Secretary Babbitt's visit can be found at http://www.oberlin.edu/~colrelat/babbitt/release.html