Welcome at the table?

I'm in New Haven, which is to say I have arrived at George W. Bush's old school. It is the old school of a great many other people, far more accomplished and worthy. But on this journey I'm thinking about power, about corporations, about ownership. Yale is the seat of the kind of power and privilege that has long ruled the so-called democratic US of A. It's beautiful. It resembles Oxbridge. It has Latin proverbs inscribed hither and yon. It has a kick-ass library and all the resources a university in this country can muster for its golden children, its children of wealth and privilege, seeking entry to the private club of power. And it has a little fountain called The Women's Table, designed by Yale grad Maya Lin. (Warning: her website, which is quite beautiful, loads slowly.)

While I was standing by The Women's Table, this little girl softly, timidly approached, as if she were afraid to touch, as if she didn't belong there and might be slapped for stepping out of place. I wondered if this little girl will ever be welcome at Yale's table. What would have to happen to make her welcome there? Can she go to Yale if her parents don't speak standard English? If they're immigrants to the US? Can she matriculate at Yale if she goes to public schools in a town with few resources, like New Haven? Can she make her way to Yale if there are no books in her home, if her mom is single and works as a waitress? If she gets to Yale, will she be safe there in at atmosphere where a group of fraternity boys recently paraded around the Women's Center chanting, "No means yes, yes means anal!"

Maya Lin's monument is small, dark, and quiet. It reflects the great monumental sandstone buildings that are Yale.

P.S. An "Occupy New Haven" protest is planned for October 15. Only a few Yale students have expressed interest. Read more about it here.

Tomorrow I hope to visit Occupy Wall Street, in New York City, where the "Occupy" movement began.