By Design?

I was very interested in the article about Louise Cavagnaro and the history of racial segration at Hopkins (“The Way We Were,” September). I was a bit flabbergasted by the sentence, “This [segregation at Hopkins] was in no way by design or the result of any articulated institutional policy.” This came after a sentence that said “...many facilities were separate—some for “colored,” others for “white.” How separate restrooms and water fountains with signage to that effect could be done without design or intent escapes me. It was by design. Saying otherwise falsely absolves the institution of its responsibility to lead rather than just follow popular prejudices. We need to face our history honestly and move ahead.

John Hundt, Administrator, Department of Surgery

Ed.’s Note: We hope the range of other articles highlighting diversity throughout the institution in the last issue of Dome illustrates the many ways in which Hopkins has indeed moved on and now is trying to take a leadership position.