I was shock today when I saw the headline of an article on The University News addressing the issue of racism on campus. The article speaks of the pending fear that some African American students at SLU are experiencing regarding racism and their frustration on the fact that SGA aren’t addressing the issue appropriately. In one incident, the victim reports that the perpetrator, who walked by the Cross Cultural Center 6 times within a 15 minutes time span while she and her friends were having a panel and discussion regarding racism on campus, actually threatened to lynch her.
Clearly, this form of racism is serious if it threatens the physical well-being of students at SLU. Several African American have expressed their discomfort being at SLU because of these racist incidents and one is even considering the option of transferring after an incident “involving a racial slur written on her white board.”
I never knew this was happening and the fact that this issue is told to me in the form of a student’s media instead of by email or letter from the official student government or the University’s faculty is discerning.
A few other problems that the article mentions are the fact that SGA is unsure of what action to take to address racism and the fact the SLU policy is rather restrictive on free speech as compared to other universities.
So what approach do you think SLU should take to address the issue of racism and to secure the safety of its students? I would appreciate it if SLU would make an effort to announce the existence of these issues more on campus. If it can email every student and warn us to beware of unlicensed taxis found around midtown, it should be able to inform us of issues that are happening to our fellow schoolmates within our campus.
This article also got me thinking about racist incidents that have not been reported. I am especially concern for the group of international students at SLU. The differences between them and the white majority on campus are even more predominant than those found between the latter and the black minority. These students often do not only look different, but they speak a different language and experience a different culture altogether.
I remember being recently told by my friend, whom I have known since high school, that the Chinese students in class are rude because they generally start talking before the professor dismisses class. That got me thinking, if even he thinks this way at times although I know he is not a racist, then what would students who have never been exposed to students of a different race, let alone those of a totally different culture, think about these international students? Even more importantly, because these international students often do not speak English well, they may hesitant to report incidents of racism to the University.
This article is a bit disheartening, but eye-opening as well. What do you all think about this issue? What concerns and solutions do you have?
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It seems to me that most racism results from long periods of time without contact with people of different backgrounds, physical features, cultures, etc. In the Moffat article we read, a lot of the racism stemmed either from folks not previously having the chance to interact with people of other races, or from the separation that seems to occur naturally by race (the black students mainly sticking together, like the whites). Similarly, a lot of the Chinese students I work with have never had much exposure to what they generally lump together as "foreigners": their experiences here at SLU, with people of different races or ethnic backgrounds, will influence how they view all people. As I have said before, a lot of the ESL students are wary of black people because of their experiences at the Metro station or because of the DPS reports, and have little chance to interact with blacks outside of this exposure. Of course, it seems simple to say DO NOT GENERALIZE...but everybody does it, don't they? That's why stereotypes exist...and have continued to do so.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this separation is what makes me wary of organizations on campus that are divided by race. Although part of me knows they are a good place to build community, another part thinks that to inhibit integration among the student body and highlight differences among students instead of similarities. Something that might help to ease this situation is the redesigning of these organizations to both promote diversity but encourage integration, which sounds good on paper but is difficult to achieve. That ideal organization might help relieve some of the racial tension like that which is being experienced here at SLU--but is it practical or feasible, or even achievable? I think so, but it has to be done right. In the Moffat article again, the groups seemed to united against a common enemy; if an enemy is necessary (which I'm not sure one is), then why can't it be simply racism? Or ignorance? I guess people want a tangible enemy instead of an abstract one...I'm not volunteering though. :) Maybe it just comes down to more cooperation among student groups on campus; an umbrella of diversity, so to speak. But will there always be someone who doesn't fit underneath?
I think that SLU needs to understand that this lynching comment is not only about racism, it is about safety. The fact that someone felt they could say this word... a word that can mean nothing other than killing someone based on their race... means there is a safety issue that needs to be addressed. My friend, who is Asian, set her facebook status as "never in my life have i ever felt so unsafe as I do today on SLUs campus" because of that incident. SLU needs to do something because they promise everyone safety and clearly they are not providing that environment. It disturbs me that someone thought about lynching. Drunk or not, its a social issue that will never be funny. Its like making a Holocaust comment to someone who is Jewish. I hope this incident opened everyone's eyes to how hurtful comments like this are. Sometimes, social issues should be laughed at but its a problem when people cannot see how horrible their own comments can make others feel, especially when those making them are white and have never had to deal with anything but privilege because of their skin color.
ReplyDeleteSo, while there was a discussion board and there are students, like my friend, who are willing to speak out about this issue, it concerns me that there are a lot of people who feel this way and are not brave enough to say anything. Or dont know who to tell. Or think it is their fault. We are creating division on a campus that is supposed to be a safe community. Being Jesuit, an order that is globally known for being accepting, this needs to change immediately. It may start with us speaking up to friends who say things that might not sound right, or asking them to really think about how what they say might isolate people or make them afraid.